Articles in November, 2011

National Nutrition Month With a Turkey Feast?! Okay, Let’s Roll With That…

Posted on November 30, 2011 by Cait — 13 Comments ↓

Wow, I was unaware of this but apparently November is National Nutrition Month. And they lump Thanksgiving in there…does anyone else find that ironic?

I don’t like to harp on the ‘this is what you should eat’ thing too much because as I’ve said before I live by the workout hard, eat hard creed. Still, that doesn’t mean I totally throw caution to the wind and get gluttonous on only fried Twinkies and drink mayo by the tub. To be honest some of that stuff just plain doesn’t appeal to me.

Actually ice cream is totally fine by the tub!

I do have a few key things I make sure to get in every day: lots of protein because I know I need it, carbos…duh, and no problem there I could live off of carbs alone, and yes necessary fats. I actually like fruits and veggies and get enough of those in each day to meet my quota. From there, I reason: if I get the good stuff in then I can treat myself to whatever else. Hit the checklist than strap on the Pop-tart feed bag, right? 😉

You see, as with training it’s more about being consistent and the law of averages. So even if you have one gluttonous pig-out turkey day in November, it’s still okay to have it be National Nutrition Month…just don’t make every day like that or you’ll be the kid left wedged in the McDonald’s booth with ketchup crusted to his lips. Though to be honest, if you’re running 130 miles a week you could have an IV of tater-tots and probably still be okay.

Art: Cait Chock Designs

I will say two things that really made a world of difference in terms of eating (there are plenty of other tips if you are eating for fuel because I don’t want to send the message that what you put into your body isn’t important because that IS NOT true. But I don’t want to make this post epic, if you’re interested shoot me an email, maybe we could do a Q and A…again, I’m not a licensed anything but what I don’t know myself I can scrounge up someone who does)

* Eating withing 30 minutes after you workout. Seriously, even before you shower get in something, if it has to be a bar that’s fine. Look for one with a higher amount of protein in addition to the carbs though…not one of the 100 calorie bars with just 2 measly grams. 😉

Art: Cait Chock Designs

* Getting in enough protein. Look, I’m a carb-a-holic and never really thought much of my protein intake but when I did look at it, those few slices of turkey on my sandwich didn’t cut it. Runners need protein as well as carbs, aim for .75 to 1 gram per pound of body weight. It will build muscle, you’ll improve performance wise, AND not going to lie, I noticed a big difference in how I looked. (ie: saw more muscle definition) While that shouldn’t be your only reason, it’s a perk. My favorite picks are eggs and shrimp.

So in closing for National Nutrion Month, let’s let the facaccia take it away…

1) What is one tip you have that makes a huge difference regarding what you eat and how you feel in your workouts?

2) People who ONLY run because they know it burns calories are jyping themselves of way too many benefits to list and they usually don’t stay dedicated anyways; name one? Also, feel free to list one annoying tidbit regarding all of that jazz.
They are missing the fact that endorphins make for a happy Cait…sans a run I am a grouch. My annoying tidbit: the people who workout on the ‘fatburn’ zone on cardio equipment…don’t get me started there. 😉

3) Favorite food that is healthy….AND favorite food that you get because you’re cool and workout hard?
Shrimp and Pop-tarts!

Redlining and the All Important ‘E’

Posted on November 29, 2011 by Cait — 18 Comments ↓

Warning: you are approaching empty.

This post is inspired by two things, so bear with me. The first is this hilarious picture from SkinnyRunner’s blog…who amongst us hasn’t played chicken with that empty gas alert gauge on our car? (okay Seinfeld fans smile at the flashback to Kramer here)

Is it just me or does it constantly seem like I’m trying to one-up the empty gauge. With gas, part of it is because I cringe as I whip out the debit card…it just seems like with gas I don’t get an actual, physical return. Yes, it gets me to where I need to be, but what do I actually GET…it feels like wasted money.

We play chicken with the E in other areas of our life too. Just how much can I accomplish in this hour…I work best under pressure, so come the 11th hour and it’s crunch time you better watch me churn things out like a tornado. (little tip here: I know this about myself, so I try and ‘trick’ myself by setting a pre-deadline deadline…I’m anal about having something important done early)

With running, there are TONS of E’s…but here is where it’s a bit odd. Some of these E’s you need to avoid and others you need to kind of embrace and play around with. An obvious E is fuel, this is one you don’t want to play chicken with…we’ve all made the mistake of mistiming our eating (or making a really bad food choice too soon before a run…those curly, cheese and bean fries don’t taste too good the second time, no?) and it doesn’t feel too good to bonk.

Probably another not so smart food choice...

Injuries could count as E’s to avoid…especially if you sense one coming. Danger, Will, Robinson…abort. We feel that pull, get the sinking ping in our gut and know, “Uh-oh…I pushed it a little too far, shoulda been smart. Hope this one isn’t too bad.”

But here is an E that we need to always be working towards getting more comfortable with. This is where I tie into the second thing I read at Jay Johnson’s site: Getting comfortable with being uncomfortable. Pain. That little red alert gauge starts to light up when we feel that pain, that burning, the lactic acid shuffle. Our mind starts telling us to back off and cool it, but here is where we need to play chicken with that blasted little needle and E alert sign.

Redlining it, pushing the envelope just far enough, straddling that line. Sometimes we overshoot and bonk the rest of the workout or race…this is where bad races/workouts can be excellent teaching tools. But practice makes perfect and the more often you callous yourself to that uncomforted the better you get at reading yourself and properly straddling that line, so you finish with a killer workout and get the best out of yourself.

As Coach Jay puts it, you fail sometimes, yes, and end up with a less than ideal workout result. But that’s why we do them, they are practice for the races and you know what they say about all that practice…eventually you’ll get it right. So play chicken with your brain in the pain drain. Running is so mental, and this aspect of mental toughness, grit, is something that we can forever be improving at. Hardening ourselves up ever more, reaching different levels.

1) What other E’s do we have as runners? Is it one to avoid or one we need to play chicken with?

2) We all have moments of coming out the loser in our game of chicken…any good fail moments to share?
So many…I’ll do this one: a 10k track race and my splits were all over the place; not so much in the actual mile times but the laps, one super-fast then slow to compensate, like a fartlek in a race. Not good for the old bod and never got into any kind of rhythm. Well, the mile splits still were looking fine and I was on track for a good PR, so I pushed the fifth mile. Crazy how much difference a single lap can make, night and day. BAM…that last mile was about a minute slower, and that last 0.2 of that 6.2 miles never felt looooooonger.

3) What is a great lesson you took away from a fail moment?
Get into a rhythm dorkette.

Giving Thanks…The Runner’s Edition

Posted on November 28, 2011 by Cait — 6 Comments ↓

I was inspired by this list of 10 Little Things to be Thankful For – Running Edition by Adam Goucher and Tim Catalano. I really liked what they added, but I wanted to add a few more of mine as well. So here are a few more:

* Training partners sans the drama-rama: let’s be frank, girls especially can get a little catty, BUT you find the right kind of people and it can make for an AWESOME training group! Group dynamics can by tricky no matter the gender, so when you find a group that clicks…throw a party and don’t question. Having a partner to share the pacing workload is always a major plus: you’ll usually end up going faster but it will feel eaiser…crazy, I know. Plus, having someone to help pass mile after mile is always great too. 🙂

Well, I might draw the line here...

* Check stereotypes at the door: hack a loogie, pop a squat in a bush, let the gas pass from both ends. It happens when we’re running…we’ve all been there so it’s nice to have people that don’t pass judgement.

* Endorphins. I really don’t think I need to say much more here…hello my name is Cait, I am addicted to these suckers right here.

* Long runs: these and tempo runs where you feel on…priceless…love them. If the rest of the day goes to heck, if I’ve done one of these at least something feels right.

* Bodyglide: ummm, I don’t know about you but especially in the summer months I can get some chaffage where my tank top hits my shoulder…at least this can take the edge off.

* Bunhuggers: Adam and Tim called out that you might feel a little funny admitting that a certain ‘skimpier’ piece of attire might feel good, but any time I bust out the buns (and it’s been a LONG time, I think by now my buns have dust on them) I knew it was GO time…so it’s a mental thing too…like putting on the spikes.

* The ability to run: being healthy made their cut too, but it needs to be reiterated. Any time I start to forget how lucky I am to just be able to do the simple motion, something usually causes me to stop and check myself. Don’t be ‘greedy’ and miffed if you aren’t able to do such-and-such workout, at least you can at least DO a run.

* Pop-tarts and grubbage: what list on this runnerchick’s list would be complete without these babies?

1) What are you thankful for, runner edition?

2) What is something you aren’t thankful for?
Going to have to say that I’m not a fan or random people yelling things at me while I’m running…or throwing things at me.

3) What are you excited for this week?
Not sure yet…time will tell?

‘Twas the Night Before Some High School Cross Meets

Posted on November 26, 2011 by Cait — 5 Comments ↓

Cross-country champs comes but once a year. 🙂 Okay, I won’t go too crazy on that sentiment because technically there are LOTS of things that come but once a year…for instance 9:36 on 11/25/11 only comes but once a year too, right? Haha.

But because there are plenty of seasons wrapping up here I wanted to do a post. Yes, for all the NCAA fans those cross champs happened on Monday. Congrats to all the great college showings there! Living in California, during high school I really associated Thanksgiving weekend with the State Championships; California likes to be all special and be the VERY last state to hold their champs and it is tomorrow.

Along with that, the National High School meets are starting the rounds; there will be Nike Team Cross Champs (NXN) as well as the first few Footlocker Regional Meets. Now, even though I’m FAR graduated and becoming a geriatric, I still get a little excited buzz when I think about all these meets.

Especially in high school, the first time you go to any of these events they seem, in a word: Epic. We’ll just say Nike does know how to do it right and you start to feel a bit like a rock star…and being a sport where you’re not exactly thought of as holding that status, it feels weird. Oh, and did I mention the schwag? Ya, that’s not a bad deal either. 😉

So, to all those athletes and teams prepping for these big races: Good Luck. I’ll just say a few things, some words, and some fond memories:

* CA State Champs: I don’t know what the weather forecast is in Fresno, but my Soph year it was a mud slide, some real cross country. What’s great about cross is times really can get chucked out the window (varying courses and conditions do that) and it’s really competition…vying for the win, getting one more spot higher to help your team’s score. Get gutsy.

* State Champs again: the night before my Junior year my coach said some rather inspiring words that I still remember today — “The first mile is just about keeping the nerves in check…be smart and don’t go out too fast, but get out fast enough that you’re not stuck behind so many people that you then have to weed your way to the front. The second mile is tactical…stay smooth and strong, start thinking about moving up and putting yourself where you want to be. The last mile is heart…how bad do you want this?”

* Footlocker West: my Frosh year this thing blew me away. I was in runner-dorkette awe, I lined up and remember looking to my right and left and seeing harriers that were idols to me. Looking back I’ll just say this to anyone: on the starting line we’re all equals. Sure, there are people that may be faster or in better shape, but on any given day you don’t know what the future holds. Remember you belong on the starting line and race for yourself, race your best.

* Footlocker Nationals: I only got to go once, but think about regionals on steroids. (please people, know I’m joking, there are no actual drugs involved here…haha) Live it up while you’re there, relish those freebies and meeting the pro runners that rock…soak up the experience. Be focused on the race, yes, but don’t be so intense that you ignore how lucky it is you get to be there…so have fun. That is what cross is about too. Have fun (actually I always liked the distractions before because they help limit getting overly nervous), and then when the start gun cracks, go for it. You can be both: a person and a racer…and in that racer role you can be fierce and ‘out for blood’ but after you cross the line you can be the nicest person in the world. The athletes I respect the most are like that…they can kick your @$$, turn around and congratulate you, and cool-down with you all in the span of an hour.

Good luck racers, and even if you too are a ‘geriatric’ far removed from high school or college cross country don’t worry you can still be excited for these guys. PLUS…the USATF rounds are still to come and the road racer warriors are never to be ignored. 🙂

1) What is one of your fond memories from high school or college? If you race for a team it can be about that but it doesn’t have to be.

2) Any words of advice you have for anyone going out for a race?

3) Are you racing this weekend?

Turkey Trots, Charity Bets, and Some Holiday Tomorrow…

Posted on November 24, 2011 by Cait — 11 Comments ↓

Fair warning, this post will be all over the place. It’ll be dishing up a fine slew of sides, sort of it’s own little bloggy feast. In a break from any kind of tradition, we’ll start with the main course.

Gobble, Gobble, turkey wobble. Yes, Thanksgiving is tomorrow for those of us in the States and I’ll break out the festivities early. I’m pretty sure that yes, indeed, the first Thanksgiving involved a mad dash for the bird, racing bibs and all.

Whether you are partaking in a Turkey Trot of some kind or not, there are a slew around and a big one going on in California is the Run to Feed the Hungry in Sacramento. Now, this race is kinda special to me (cue sappy little music…haha) because back looooong ago it was one of the very first 5k road races I ever did. Actually, it was the first one that was more than a dozen or so runners and here is my funny little story:

I had just joined a local running club and had no idea what this whole running thing was outside of you ran until it hurt and you crossed a line. I was fuzzy on the kilometer thing but got that it was a little over 3 miles…pick jaw off the floor, yes, three miles was long back then!

I was young and following the leader, the other girls lined up in the front row and while the Run to Feed the Hungry wasn’t as colossal as it is today it was in the multi-thousands at that point and I wasn’t in any kind of fast-person-deserves-to-be-in-the-front shape, we’ll just say that. Right before the gun went off my mom grabbed my shoulder, white knuckled, “Honey, just so you know you need to get out fast. There are LOTS of people behind you and I’m not kidding if you go down you will get trampled to death.” Thanks, Mom.

BOOM…gun goes off. The good news is I am alive today. Anyways, I remember it was a lot of fun, but not going to lie a major highlight was probably the slew of eats afterwards…I remember pizza.

This year, the Run to Feed the Hungry has a fun little twist. For anyone who doesn’t know, Michael Stember (he grew up around these parts and it has a local appeal here too) is dusting off the racing flats and running for charity. There is a deal though, he is challenged to run a sub-18 minute 5k. Now, if you look at his past PR’s, he is a former Olympian after all, you’d laugh and say he should be able to run it backwards. But, he hasn’t been competitive for awhile, and I can attest that if you don’t use it you lose it. 😉

Anyways, I give him props for both putting himself out there and making a dash for charity. My bet is he does break 18 (I doubt he’d put himself out THAT far without some kind of gauge in his fitness) and the American Indian Model Schools get some charity proceeds.

Speaking of fast runners there are also some big guns racing in a Silicon Valley Turkey Trot; one of them is Dathan Ritzenhein. Trust me he’ll break 18 minutes and it’s one of his first races back from a long line of injuries so GOOD LUCK to him!

Told you this was all over this place, and we’ll end with some mashed taters and pumpkin pie. I am a fan of pumpkin pie, but mostly because I scoop out the top part and save the crust for last…it is the best part and I like it all soggy from the pumpkin stuff. Wow, yum.

On that note, Happy Thanksgiving to all!

1) Are you running in any turkey themed races tomorrow?
No, I’m not but trust me I’ll be putting in my sweat session.

2) Putting yourself out there and broadcasting a goal certainly ups the ante; if others know what you’re shooting for you can’t really take it back. Do you have one you’d like to share? Are you vying for any PR’s?

3) Something you are thankful for?
My family and some cool friends.

Run, Little Graham Crackers, Run!!

Posted on November 22, 2011 by Cait — 8 Comments ↓

If graham crackers had legs, I’m pretty sure they’d put them to good use. 🙂

I did this one as a design for a running club; their ‘torturous’ mentor/leader is the graham in the front with the bite out of his head. 🙂 While it may look like the crew of bitty grahams are in varying degrees of torture, that is NOT the truth…they are learning that running takes some sweat, and maybe a tear or two at times? 😉

Naww, no tears, but certainly a looguie or two, am I right?!

When you have runners as friends there are things that you soon learn to not even bat an eye at, loogies are one of them. What’s more, training partners soon become a unique kind of friend; even if you might not exactly been a ‘perfect’ match in the ‘real world’ you find ways to find a common ground between the hours of miles and the shared gruel-fest during repeats.

Then again some of my very closest friends are runners…wow, big surprise. You see, they just ‘get’ us.

So, to those newbie little graham crackers, hang in there. Trust me, it may seem like you’re putting yourself through voluntary torture (and maybe you are) but through that sweat you will learn so much about yourself. And soon you’ll be embracing that lactic burning and *gasp* sort of start to like it in a perverse little way. 🙂

1) When did running flip from ‘I hate this, why am I doing this?’ to ‘I feel like a monster if I don’t get my run in?’

2) Who would win in a race, graham crackers or teddy grahams? 😉

Tune-in to Your Happy Meal? – McDonald’s Lands a TV Show

Posted on November 20, 2011 by Cait — 8 Comments ↓

I admit I’m guilty of two things here: 1) a poorly punny title, sorry, and 2) chiming in here a little late. But regardless, McDonald’s is getting their own TV station? I want one! 🙂

I’m sort of torn on what to think here…at first it’s sort of a sigh and a lowered head. I mean don’t get me started on the whole obesity thing; visions of kids scarfing down fries and McNuggets until they are wedged in the booth and can’t change the station on the TV…oh wait, even if they did change the station it’s all McD’s all the time. 😉

Hey, at least he's running. 😛

But mostly for me it’s the exercies of the obesity problem that really gets me fired up; or the lack thereof. I’m the sort of runnerchick that believes if you workout like a champ, strap on the feedbag! 🙂 That said, I’m not a big McD’s fan myself, I am more of the Pop-Tarts and Chipotle variety, but to each their own. The other part is intensity: if you are logging a lot of miles you have the freedom to eat ‘harder’ than someone who just puts in a stroll around the block…that is a huge part. People need to be realistic with themsevles with exercise…

…and with food. So if you are of the sedetary variety, maybe a couple extra trips through the Drive-thru isn’t warranted. Secondly, common sense people…do you need to eat your weight in fries? The choices you make when you hit up McD’s comes down to you. To make smart choices you need information I know, so be informed if you are needing to lose a few, Rondald isn’t coming into your house, strapping you down and shoveling McNugget lovlies down your gullet. Though, I really like the mental picture.

As for the kids, that is what I just think it is sad, but that burden falls on the shoulders of parents. I think one of the best things my parents did was set by example a love of being active…NOT because it burned calories but because it is good for you and makes you feel good too. So it gets back to the exercise thing with me…promote that McD’s.

Maybe in front of those TV’s (apparently the McDonald channel is only available in their actual restaurants) there should be treadmills. So it you want those fries and frosties, that is totally cool with me (pass me a pint of Ben & Jerry’s instead though) but just bust your bum with some exercise. 🙂

1) What are your thoughts on the McDonald’s Station?

2) Best part of exercise?

3) Growing up, how was your family about exercise and food?

Oh You Twilight Peeps — What Would You Get Up Early For?

Posted on November 18, 2011 by Cait — 12 Comments ↓

So apparently the Twilight mayhem is upon us. I’m not a Team Vamp or Werwolf, and I’ve never seen/read of the movies/books but I don’t live in a cave. A cardboard box when time get really lean but never a cave.

Does Team Count Chocula count? (Art: Cait Chock)

But, as I’ve lived in Oregon, I do know that apparently these Twilight fans are about as loyal and feisty as Ducks vs. Beaver fans. There will be masses camped out in line, the token people who dress up, and it got me thinking, what would I camp out for, or get up an unholy hour for?

*I’ve gotten up ridiculously early to get in a run before hopping flights before. The one big plus about running at 4am on the roads is you don’t have to wait for any stoplights.

*I’m not one of those people who would peel myself out of the sack just to watch a beautiful sunrise…BUT if perchance that doof who keeps predicting the end of the world seemed to be right, I might rise and shine early to watch Apocalypse go down.

*I’m a sucker for freebie stuff, so if by some miracle beyond miracles there was some place giving out free running shoes, clothing, or Garmins I’d pull out my tent.

*Oh, again with flights and time zone changes, I did make sure and get up early enough to run before boarding a plane because with the time changes if I didn’t run then, then officially I would have missed a run for the day.

Burnt toast leading to a house fire...maybe?

*If my house was actually on fire..I’ve lived in apartments before and I knew it was a test so, I rolled over. But if I KNEW I was about to fry then I’d grab my cat, treadmill, and be out the door. (fun fact: the fire alarm went off once when I was on the elliptical…I finished those last few minutes before evacuating…teehee.)

Ya, I’m REALLY stingy about my sleeping. I will say it’s because I know how important those zzzz’s are for recovery (which, trust me they are and all of you snore skimpers should try to be better about that) but we all know it’s because I’m a closet lazy person.

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Two quick things: 1) THANK YOU to those who ‘liked’ me on my Facebook page, I hate to make the plug, but getting some extra ‘likes’ really does make my day because apparently my self-esteem is fragile like that.

2) I keep finding out that people are not able to leave me comments or that they are getting automatically put in my SPAM folder. I’m trying to figure out what the jank is, but if you are having any trouble leaving comments please send me an email and let me know: captaincait@hotmail.com I really love comments and hearing from you, so I’m sorry!
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1) Are you a Twilight fan, are you going to be one of ‘those’ people who make sure to see it as soon as it comes out?

2) What would you camp out for our get up crazy early for?

3) Any funny running/workout related stories you have that tie into this?
Hmmmm, the only other thing is during a 4am run I got a ‘toot-toot’ from a semi-trucker who was literally the only other soul on the road.

A Blanket Apology

Posted on November 17, 2011 by Cait — 8 Comments ↓

I am told I apologize too much. For that I’m sorry. But here is a blanket apology for all the times I KNOW I am not myself (we’ll call it the subhuman form of myself that is fully okay with being a royal b****). I know it is not okay, so here are just a list of the times quasi-human makes an appearance:

*I don’t get to do my workout first thing. (Okay, actually second thing, we all know I need to make a stop to my favorite flush-bucket first.)

*I’m cross-training…mostly if it’s because of an injury. ‘Nuf said.

*I’m having a really bum-slow workout and KNOW the times are really slow, but there is a person on the side cheering, “Way to go, Cait…great job!” I’m sure they mean no harm, but when we both know the truth let’s not try to lie to ourselves…sorry for that look.

*I catch you saying ANYTHING bad about my family or good friends. Bag on me all you want, but if you step outta line, you best check-yourself. Last time I checked I was curling some 10lb-ers.

Okay, this little list was sort of inspired by a post over at Hungry Runner Girl…she’s not herself when she’s hungry. Actually, I’ll add that to my list too.

Now, because I sort of opened on a downer and I try to be as annoyingly positive as possible, let’s end with some strange but true things that feel oh, so good. Give you that warm and fuzzy feeling inside:

*Going to the store and you only need one or two things, the person with a full cart-full lets you do cutsies. Love it! I make sure to pay it forward later.

*Singing a song you like in your head and the minute you turn on the radio it is THAT song.

*Feeling really good in a workout. You feel accomplished after that, and if the world goes to heck later in the day at least something went right.

That’s all she wrote today folks! Yes, not all that informative, but I’ve got some good stuff up from earlier in the week and this one needed to be light…like marshmallow fluff.

Art: Cait Chock Designs

1) When are times your are the quasi-human form of yourself?

2) Some of the random things that put you in a better mood?

3) Learned anything particular today that you’d like to share?
If you already ‘like’ me on Facebook this won’t be new but, today is National Fast Food Day. Cool beans…now, if you don’t ‘like’ me on Facebook, feel free to do so as it would make me smile. 🙂
PS-sorry for the admitted self-plug there…I’m that friendless and insecure about it.

A Case of Hearts — Heart Rate Monitors, Use Them or Lose Them?

Posted on November 16, 2011 by Cait — 13 Comments ↓

Remember how I said there was a difference between running and training? Watch this video interview with Shalane Flanagan and that’ll be the only further explanation needed. 🙂

That said, I came across an article all about heart rate monitors. Now, coincidently I had a discussion about these contraptions not so long ago and here is what I’ve come to realize: you either love them or hate them.

Ummm, if his heart rate monitor started beeping maybe it could double as a pick-up device too?

Here is what I think about them:
* Pro: they can be a great learning tool if you are new to running. Sometimes people just aren’t familiar with what a tempo or hard effort feels like…they need a slight nudge to ‘eh, pick it up buddy.’ Conversely, people can get overzealous and not go easy enough on their easy days and so a heart rate monitor can help them stay in check.

*Con: they are annoying and I always get strap chaffage. That’s just me; but I don’t like having any extra stuff on me when I run.

*Pro: if you have any medical issues or are again, just starting out, you want to make sure you’re being safe and all that jazz. If a doctor has told you to only go to a certain degree of effort, you best listen up.

*Con: it can suck you in and get you too technical. The same with Garmins, sometimes in our era there is the tendency to just get too obsessed about the details. What was my HR at mile 3.47, why did it spike here, why is it low there? All of those questions can start to cycle through and you end up overanalyzing things. What happened to just go and run?

*Pro: a reality check. If your workouts are suffering and you’re feeling run down, maybe pulling out the HR monitor for an easy run can reveal some things: if you’re running those easy days too hard you’ll find out. Then adjust and re-remember what easy feels like.

So there are pluses and minuses, as with anything. And as with anything maybe it is more a matter of striking a balance or only using the tool in it’s time and place. I think the longer you’ve been at it though you ‘know’ your body well enough and not need it as much. But to each their own!

PS- I will say that if you do check your heart rate first thing in the morning and start to notice that it’s higher than usual, you can sometimes get an early warning that something is awry. (ie: you’re overly tired, stressed, or about to get sick)

1) Have you used heart rate monitors? Do you like them?

2) How do you gauge effort on your runs, if you’re not on a marked trail or track?
My breathing and just perceived effort; if I’m doing a fartlek and just go hard when I’m supposed to. 😛

3) What’s rocking your Tuesday?