Cait’s Articles at , Page 52

About Cait

Freelance writer, artist, & graphic designer. Founder of Ezzere Running Shirts http://ezzere.com/ #runner #writer #blogger #artist #designer Run. Laugh. Be.

24 Hours of Running

Posted on December 14, 2011 by Cait — 11 Comments ↓

No, not me, but many do it. Ultras. As if 26.2 miles weren’t enough, let’s kick it up a notch.

I’ve never really been 100% certain about how I felt about ultra marathons. Trust me, I’m an Obsessive Compulsive Runner to the bone (or at least getting in some kind of workout if I can’t actually run) but it really made me question if I’m THAT OCR-ish. “Could I actually keep going that long? Would I want to go that long? Would I get bored because you are running at a ‘slower’ pace? How the heck would I even start that thing, ‘okay, one mile down, 115 to go?!’ ”

Ya, that would be after the finish line!

Then another part of me brings up, “Dang, how much fun would it be to chow down after one of those ultra’s…heck even DURING one of those things!”

The event does fascinate me but I’m not sure I’d ever actually do one. I mean being able to run a 15-minute 5k fascinates me and I know for darn sure I’ll never actually do one of those! But back to ultra’s, they are growing in popularity and getting more press as of late, so here are a few of my own personal experiences as well as factoids I’ve found:

* I’ve always counted Alberto Salazar as one of my heros (both running and as a person) and to hear some of the stories about how he trained for the Comrades Marathon are EPIC. He went on to demolish the course record, but he’s said that race was one of the hardest things in the world. It took everything to keep going…that says a flipping lot in my book. If a man with that much grit, who did long runs wearing a weight vest, did repeat miles on a treadmill to have the heater blasting in his face to best mimic the conditions of Comrades, tell me that race almost did him in, it really makes me question if I could hack that.

* Very recently I had the pleasure to interview Michael Wardian, a current ultra marathon superstar. He’s unique in the man races an insane amount but still retains an incredible amount of speed; he’ll do 100 mile races and come back a day or two later to run a marathon. He’s got a qualifying time for the Olympic Marathon Trials this January AND he’s earned a silver medal at the 100k World Championships…that is range. Even more astounding to me was that he still has a ‘regular job’ despite criss-crossing the globe on a weekly basis AND does the majority of his training on a treadmill. Why a treadmill? Because that way he can babysit his two young children…I respect that even more. Next time you think the treadmill is too mind-numbing, think of Michael busting out some ultra long runs in his basement.

* Another famous ultra marathoner, Scott Jurek, attempted to break the 24 hour record (188 miles) this past weekend in Taiwan. While he fell short he still clocked 106 miles and retains the US record of 165 miles. I think what gets me here is that in Taiwan the race was held on a 400 meter track. Seriously?! I think the mental burnout factor alone is crazy.

* A few years back there were two prominent runners who were the ‘face’ of ultra running: Pam Reed and Dean Karnazas. They both wrote books and the media liked to play it up to be a sort of rivalry…Pam the nice, mom versus the boisterous and ‘celeb-hungry’ Dean. Dean did come to Nike while I was still there and I don’t think it’s fair to judge people without really knowing them and I want to keep this a positive post, I will just say he’s not lacking in the ego.

So ultra’s. Would you, could you run for THAT long? Do you find them appealing?

As it stands for me, I think it’s fascinating, but it brings up a bit of an insecurity in myself…I honestly don’t know if I could do it.

1) Have you ever though about doing an ultra marathon?

2) Does the thought of running that long appeal to you?
The other thing, is I think I’d just get too antsy running at the pace you have to in order to finish…I’d want to get done…lol.

3) Any tidbits you’d like to throw in here about the event?

When Life Throws junk Your Way…

Posted on December 13, 2011 by Cait — 9 Comments ↓

“Live for the unexpected.” Whoever said that I’m sure wasn’t rolling along the freeway and BAM had their tire blow out…if that had been the case I think their choice of word may have been more along the lines of, “F***” (eeerrr, I mean, “Fudge”…anyone who thought of A Christmas Story just now gets bonus points.)

The thing is, life can be awesome and grant you the highest of highs, but it can also offer up some pretty extreme blows. The thing is, and although when you’re in the midst of a low it’s nearly impossible to pull yourself out of ‘yourself’ and remember this: we all go through junk, crap, shiznit…so you are not alone. Misery loves company, right?

Okay, the point of this post is NOT to be a downer, so wait for it because I do have a reason for this bleak intro and even tie it into running. One thing we love about running is that it is ever constant, it doesn’t change much. You can always count on a mile being a mile, a minute run is a minute run…even if you’d wish you’d covered more distance in that minute than you did. The times are non-negotiable, as are the distances…it’s very clear-cut, black and white. One reason I enjoy this sport is you can’t argue with the outcome…you win if you cross the line first, there aren’t any politics involved such as in gymnastics and scoring sports. You break tape = you win.

Life is NOT a constant. It throws you for loops, lippy-dippies, and the like. When life’s craziness collides with running that’s when things can get interesting. Personal case study: when life deals out say, an injury or a sickness, and it derails the ever-constant running (ie: missed runs) it royally cheeses me off, “Hey, Running, I thought you were a constant and I could depend on you…what in the heck?!”

But running and life go hand in hand; and such is the case with everyone. This plays out in affecting our sport in a variety of ways: when athletes line up for the gun to a degree they are all equals despite what their PR’s are. Why? Because of life. We have no idea what’s going on ‘behind the scenes’ and what they are dealing with…coming off of an injury, a flu, a change of coach, or another huge life stressor.

People can discount or ‘poo-poo’ at how much life stress can derail training plans and say that if it affects your running than you are just mentally weak…but that is a fallacy. Running is very mental and humans are creatures of emotion; while the better athletes may be able to more adeptly channel those, or compartmentalize, better than others that doesn’t mean they aren’t human in the end.

Why do I bring this up? A lot of reasons. One, because to put it out there that if you’re dealing with a life loopy and it derails your constant running, it’s okay to be cheesed off, but know that you’re not alone and that in the end the low will come back up, but to do that you have to keep your head up and keep plugging away. “Stay the Course.”

Second, remember that if your running performances are dipping and you don’t know WHY look to the obvious of course (resting, recovering, nutrition, sleeping, etc) but also look to life stressors. Have you moved, had a ton of deadlines stressing you out, a death in the family…you can’t ignore these and think they are no part of the equation. Factor that in, I’m not saying to skip the runs or workouts, but perhaps adjust them or adjust the times you want to hit…heck, chuck the watch and just go off of effort…give yourself some slack. (I hardly ever say that so when I do I mean it…haha.)

Finally, there can be a lot of negativity in our sport. Message boards can be toxic, as can outside observers who have no idea what is going on. As they say, “It’s WAY easier to look at these professional runners, or any other runner for that matter, and add in your two cents…but I’d like to see any of these nay-sayers get out there and race.” I’ll say it like this, “Spike up or shut up.”

I don’t need to step on a little podium, and I’m sorry…I have friends that race at a high level and are constantly under scrutiny. I’m a person who doesn’t really care if you hate on me, but bad talk my family or friends and it riles me up. 😛 Instead of bagging on people for a performance that an anonymous unknown deems is ‘below’ them, how about cheering them on for overcoming some ‘life junk’ and getting excited to see them bust it out of the gates next time?

There I’m done…sorry, this was a bit more of a multi-tangent post so maybe you’re still here, maybe not. In closing, take the loopies that mess with our adorably constant running world and know that in the end you WILL get back to the land of safe, black and white numbers…you’ll just have to work for it. 😉

1) How do you handle ‘life stress’ are you the kind of person who turns to running more or less?
Definitely more. If something is driving me crazy or even making me feel sad I’ll turn to a nice run…if I have a good run I feel like I’ve accomplished something.

2) How do you compartmentalize; if there are other stressors but you have a big race, how do you manage that?
Hmm…when I was racing I was pretty good at just shutting down and focusing on the race regardless. Usually I’m excited to race and just go…plus, back to the first question, running makes me feel better so I use that to help.

3) There are always negative people who want to tear down people at the top; on the internet it is worsened by the anonymity. Why all the hate…discuss?

Running Goes Greek – Are You Brave Enough to Pledge?

Posted on December 12, 2011 by Cait — 5 Comments ↓

I was never in a sorority. I never rushed, I never felt the urge to. I’ve always found the whole thing a little scary actually; one of my best friends during high school went on to rush a fraternity…Kevin, yes I still remember the time you called me at 1am freezing, walking to a bus-stop in nothing but your boxers and totally lost somewhere in LA. How you retained your cellphone is still a mystery.

Enter random cow running picture.

Yes, I’m probably being stereotypical, and one can venture to say they are not all bad…and maybe the girls are less cruel in their hazing. Though, I’m a girl and can attest that girls have their own breed of cruelness: destroy them mentally.

Mooooving (hey, okay, the cow fits now! Look at the pieces coming together!) past that though, I thought it might be fun to come up with our own running sorority/fraternity. We can make it a nice soro/frat (that will by my totally legit term here and I’m sure it’s what colleges everywhere use) because runners are a nice folk…

Rush:
* You want to join? Are you sure…okay, here goes. Strip down to your skivvies…just kidding. Trust me they aren’t skivvies but yes, these shorts are meant to be that short. Girls do race in glorified underwear though, but trust me they are more comfortable than you think. Boys, try not to blind us with your shorts tans.
* Take off the Converse and fit yourself in a REAL pair of shoes. Ones with advanced cushioning systems, arch support, cozy toe boxes. If you’re into fashion girls, don’t choose solely based on color patterns…sometimes running shoes are ugly, but you wear them anyways.
* A bit of math. If you ask how many laps around a track to a mile, you may be turned down off the bat. Get comfortable with the metric system until 5k’s and 10k’s equate to 3.1 and 5.2 miles respectively in a nanosecond.
* Dorkdom lingo. Learn fartlek, add it into conversations on a regular basis. Know the difference between motion control, stability, and neutral fitting…learn to recognize a pronator, supinator, and neutral foot type. In fact this should be a question to ask on a first day: “What is your foot type?” (just kidding on that last one.)

Hazing:
* I said runners were nice, and it’s true, all of the hazing is done to yourself by yourself. You will know you’re in the right direction when you’ve waken up in the middle of the night after a run/workout and had trouble getting out of bed as you normally would just to go to the bathroom. At that point you know the morning will be a rough one.
* Always know you will lie to yourself. You have to in order to get in the full number of repeats that the workout calls for.
* You may baft. You’ll certainly curse (at least in your head), you might feel a little woozy (wobbly leg syndrome), you may experience some tunnel-vision down the home stretch, you will continually wonder why you are doing this. But if you push through it and finish the answer will be clear to you.

Mixers:
* Workouts with teammates, run dates (umm, what’s sexier than two runners getting sweaty together?), group runs, and the trump card: races.
* Some rules here: be legit and honest when lining up according to the pace you CAN run. If you’re not going to be dropping say, 5 minute miles, and instead maybe 9 minute miles…that’s totally cool but don’t line up at the front of the line and block the actual 5 minute peeps.
* If you’re a guy of the soro/frat and you’re in a race and a girl is passing you…have the balls (yes, I said that) to let her pass. If you try to block her, box her in, elbow her, or any of the like…you are in fact LOSING some of your manhood and are treading grounds for being evicted.
* Hang and chill…like I said, runners are cool folks. The best ones are fierce and competitive when the gun goes off and will race to push themselves to their best…BUT after the finish line (and before the gun goes off) they are friendly, respectful, and did I say cool to be around?

Pull up a pile of sand and sit a spell...

Perks:
* If those aren’t obvious by now, you must go back to the Rush stage and repeat until the answer is clear. If you’re a runner, you know you’re a runner.

1) Were you ever part of the whole Greek thing?

2) Would you like to join this Running Soro/Frat? (I’m starting to coin the phrase: Obsessive Compulsive Runner and toying with adding it more distinctly into the blog theme/name. Heck, maybe I’ll copyright it…lol. Regardless, we could be the OCR’s.)

3) Anything you’d like to add as parameters to any of the steps above?

Check Me Out on RunningTimes.Com Yo…And Some Vicarious Running

Posted on December 11, 2011 by Cait — 16 Comments ↓

Weekends…let’s roll out the races. Can I just say I’m afflicted by more than a little runner-envy, I wish my darn foot would cooperate and release me from elliptical purgatory…just saying. 😉

Enough of that though, I’m thankful that I can at least cross-train, and maybe we can all get a vicarious speed fix from what some other awesome harriers are up to. If you’re a high-schooler and don’t live under a rock I’m sure you know that the Footlocker National Cross Country Championships were today down in San Diego, CA. I was lucky enough to go my junior year and I will say they make you feel like rockstars…for anyone who wasn’t a qualifier this year and not a senior, don’t give up and trust me, use it as a carrot for motivation to work your tail off to make it next year. 🙂

For the ‘adult’ set there were the USATF Cross Country Club Nationals up in Seattle, WA and I have to say I was really excited to see that Brie Felnagle won this year. I watched her race at the Nike Oregon/Washington Border Clash her senior year of high school and she is one of those runners who makes it looks effortless. She’s got some wheels and usually more of a 1500 meter gal on the track. In the guys’ race Jonathan Grey came out the winner but recently turned pro, Matt Centrowitz, took fourth. As I’m sure every good track nerd knows this kid is coming off of a mind-blowing track season, taking Bronze in the 1500 meters at this past World Champs. As a collegiate for the University of Oregon he was our fastest American…that has to sting, Lagat.

Tomorrow I’m already putting my cheering pants on for Kara Goucher, Shalane Flanagan and Lisa Koll (Uhl) in the Miami Beach Half Marathon tomorrow. I’ll further be sending positive vibes to Simon Bairu and Tim Nelson, also members of the Nike Oregon Track Club. Of course anyone and everyone who’s racing good luck, I’m not playing favorites. 🙂

Speaking of races, I know it is really common for people who finish a race that they’ve been shooting for and thinking of for months and months and to react as such: excitement…and then coming off of the high feeling as if, “okay, now what?” It’s called post-race anti-climacticism (okay, guilty, I made that up), but sometimes people express feeling even a little depressed or like they have nothing else to shoot for or motivate them to run.

Well, if you want my two cents, I’ve written it all up here online at Running Times: ‘Stuck in Waiting: Staying motivated through the lull between season’ so you can wander on over there if you’d like. To tide you over I’ll say this:

*if you need a race to motivate you to run, that’s okay, just find one and sign up for it.
*if you just did, say, a marathon and feel like, “been there, done that” challenge yourself with a totally different goal. Maybe work on speed and try to get a fast 5k out of yourself…and vica versa.
*everyone has dips in motivation, so don’t feel like a ‘bad runner’ because of it…in the article there are tips to get you through that

That’s it for this runnerchick tonight! Congrats to any and all racers of today and GOOD LUCK to those of tomorrow…remember, I’m vicariously getting my miles from your feet…just saying. 😉

1) Did you do and cross country races recently or in the past? Do you prefer cross country or trail courses, track races, or road races?

2) What’s a tip you have for getting yourself through a lapse in motivation?

3) Did you race this weekend or have one tomorrow?

Sweet Running Shirts and Motivations to Run

Posted on December 10, 2011 by Cait — 12 Comments ↓

Today I had a meeting with a local running shoe store to talk about some marketing work; creating a newsletter, adding some content to their website, and generating some ideas to let everyone know that yes, in fact, Fleet Feet Fair Oaks is THE best running store around. 🙂

Umm, what other store has a super hero foot??

Actually, side tangent here, I love how it’s come full circle, Fleet Feet was my very first job ever when I was back in high school. I had a blast learning about shoes, getting to interact with runners and get paid, plus I didn’t hate the discount I got…let’s just say most of my paycheck went right back into the store. Now I’m back but doing other work…still getting paid to be around runners = winning.

Back to the store today, on my way out I noticed some screened tee’s and the manager told me that they are always looking for fun new phrases to put on the tees. One of the ones they had today was: ‘I run so I can drink beer’. I think that resonates with plenty of folks, but here are some of the one-liners that were rolling around my head:

* Running fueled by Pop-Tarts (you could really insert anything here, we all have our addictions)
* Miles-a-holic
* Obsessive Compulsive Runner (actually, this is my favorite and I’ve wanted a shirt with this screen on it for years)
* Run Muddy (trail season is upon us)
* I’m a girl and yes, I can beat you, nice try but I can hear you panting like a dying dog
* I feel a fartlek coming on
* Running addict…I don’t plan on reforming
* Clydesdales: We do it louder and prouder
* Thank you for stating the obvious: I’m skinny. I run and I could eat you under the table.
* Don’t talk to me until I’ve had my endorphins
* I’m injured: I withhold the right to be a bi***

I guess maybe my tees would only sell once discounted?? 😉

What do you think, would you buy a shirt with any of these on them? Probably not…

On another note, we also got to talking about what is motivating to runners. I think that is pretty broad; some people would say world record setting races, races with an underdog upset, athletes who have battled back after terrible injuries/tragedies, someone finishing their very first 10k when before they never thought they’d finish a mile, a high schooler who never made the scoring team rising to the occasion and helping their team to a surprise victory, a busy mom who also works and still finds time to train like a maniac, a 100-year old man finishing a marathon…the possibilities are limitless.

What I think it comes down to is what you connect with. If your aspirations are of PR’s and faster times then perhaps you connect more with the Seb Coe races, the Shalane Flanagan performances, the Usain Bolt show-downs. Though if you are new to the sport you might connect more with the neighbor you’ve seen running for years and watching them achieve their personal bests. Maybe you connect with a parent; you never believed you were a runner or that you could keep up with your dad but then comes the day and you’re running alongside him…gasp, maybe even beating him. 😉

What’s great about our sport is there are stories that range from Olympic medals to finishers that still push themselves to the finish line even if the race crew is breaking down the course. We ALL get out there and put the miles in…heck, there may be no race at all, just you, your feet, and the miles between.

1) Do you have a running shirt slogan you’d like screened on a tee?

2) What are one of the biggest ‘perks’ you get from being a runner?

3) What motivates you the most in terms of running stories or feats?

Festivus…err, the Holiday Season is Here!! I’ll Even Give You Some Presents!

Posted on December 9, 2011 by Cait — 8 Comments ↓

Christmas seems to take me by surprise as I get older. When I was younger I was counting down the weeks (who else made those epicly long chain ring?!) before November, but now it seems like when I start hearing the stores put Rudolf and Frostie the Snowman on the repeat loop I’m thrown, “What…already?!”

I still consider myself a five year old trapped in a 20-something’s body so I’m always ashamed and appalled that I’ve forgotten to make my chain ring. Where is that fat man so I can go sit on his lap? I hope I’ve been on the winning side of good this year, but who really knows…

In keeping with the season I guess I must put together my wish-list. But, with the risk of sounding too cliched and Hallmark that anyone will take me seriously, I really don’t have much to ask for. (Ummm, outside of having a bank account runneth over to pay my bills maybe?? hehe) Is that another sign of getting old? Regardless, I think I’ll scrounge up some things to get those elves a’working:

* Garmin: I lied. This is really the ONE thing that rolled right off the tongue when the parentals asked if I had anything I was asking for for Christmas. I want that 405 diddy because it is small enough to where I don’t feel like I’m doing an arm-curl the whole time I’m running.

*Shoes: I wear an 8.5 in the Nike Structure Triax. That’s all I’ll say…I’m loyal to my shoes too, I’ve been in these suckers since circa 2004 and while I’ve been disappointed at some modifications they’ve been through over the years (I talked to one of the guys behind these ‘updates’ and let him know I wasn’t all too happy…too bad my opinion didn’t sway the masses…lol) I still stand by my shoes.

*Scanner/printer: art related, again my scanner is from the dark ages.

*Gimmie the green: I’m not greedy and I think my list is tapped out from here; so feel free to send along some flat little envelopes with season’s greetings…so long as there are some green pick-me-up’s inside. 😉 (okay, please know I’m joking…unless of course you wanted to send something…)

Wow...aren't I so generous?! 😉

Because I’m so giving, here is my pledge to give YOU all for the holiday season…no matter what you celebrate, of if you celebrate nothing at all:

12 snarky side-comments
11 running shorts left out of the dryer and hanging on the banister (we all know they last longer if you air dry them!)
10 empty Pop-tarts wrappers…a day 😉
9 times that I lose track of time because I’m sucked into reading blogs and such
8 loogies you will have to dodge if you go on a run with me
7 times I get lost on said run…did I mention I’m a whiz with directions?!
6 times I’ll probably end up apologizing if you spend five minutes with me…chronic apologizer here…I dunno why, I’m sorry
5 tries it takes me to get my scanner and computer to get along in harmony and work!! sheesh, can’t these two take a cue from Cindy-Loo and the Who’s?!
4 times I’m sure I’ll tell you to go read an article in Running Times or Trail Runner Magazine…did I mention I’ve got a few coming out soon? 😉 Did I mention you might wanna sneak a peek into this month’s Running Times?
3 times a week at least that I will do my core routine
2 minutes I spend sneak-strecting my psoas while waiting for the microwave to DING
AND 1 big sweaty stain that is THIS GIRL after finishing her workout. 🙂

1) Does it seem like the holidays sneak up on you too? What are you asking for this year?

2) Can you pledge to give us anything this year?

3) Which guy is a bigger meanie, Scrooge or the Grinch?

Eat My Shorts ‘Fat Burn Zone’ — Debunking the Cardio Program’s Lies

Posted on December 8, 2011 by Cait — 8 Comments ↓

Oooot-oooot!!! I’m not exactly sure how you’re supposed to spell that but it was the yell coming from Amy Poehler in Baby Mamma. The scene where she’s bouncing on the stability ball in birthing class and the lady asked who is going to, “Poison their baby with drugs just so that they can have a less painful birthing experience?”

I’m feeling better again today, I’m still feeling tired and weaker than usual but, “If you’ve got an issue, here’s a tissue” right? Juuust kidding. 😛

So because I spent some quality time with the elliptical (with some Baby Mamma friends for distraction) I was able to stare at a pet-peeve of mine. Located on the display of the machine (and almost all others for that matter), listed as a program to choose: Fat Burn.

I brought this up a few days ago so let me really dig into this charade with my teeth today. Here’s the dealio:

The whole ‘fat burn’ cardio zone is really passe; I think it took off in the 90’s along with Fonda and leg warmers. The clif-notes version of the basis behind the theory is that your body uses different fuel sources depending on how hard you’re working out. When you go out and blast an interval workout your body needs fuel NOW so it will first go to burn anything you just ate and then turn to glycogen stored in the muscles. Glycogen, these theorists continue, is basically sugars.

The story goes that if you workout at a lower intensity, and your body realizes it’s not in such a rush for immediate fuel, it will ‘take it’s time’ and instead start to break down adipose tissue: read as fat. These ‘fat burn geniuses’ then equate this: oh, well burning fat must be better than sugar, so let’s workout so we burn fat and that’ll get us skinny.

There are so many things wrong with it all, but let’s just get to the point:

She's probably at a 'fat burn' level effort. 😉

*The fat burn on cardio machines basically aims to get you working out at a low enough level that your heart rate isn’t elevated above about 65% of your max heart rate. That’s about a quick walk to the corner if you’re late for the bus. You don’t have to have an actual heart rate monitor, so to put it into ‘effort level’ it’s where you’re not even really breathing hard…say a 6 on a scale of 1 to 10.

*To get cardiovascular benefits from exercise, think about what you want for your easy runs, you need to be at at least 70% of your max heart rate. Think like you’re running at a conversational pace; you can talk but you take breaks to breathe.

*We all of course don’t run JUST to lose weight, but to debunk these ‘fat burning guys’ we’ll say this: to lose a pound of fat you need to burn 3,500 calories. In the end, it doesn’t matter what ‘fuel source’ your body is using to burn those calories or where it gets it from the body; the bottom line is how many calories you end up burning. It’s all about input versus output people; burn more calories than you take in and *poof* you come in with a calorie deficit.

She's actually running... 🙂

*SO…when you workout harder you burn more calories. Wow, rocket science. When you are meandering at a ‘fat burn’ cardio zone you just are holding yourself back and not working out hard enough. You jype yourself of cardiovascular improvements and if your goal was to lose weight you’re not doing yourself any favors.

Finally, fun fact, intervals and pushing yourself to go hard in tough workouts will actually rev your metabolism up even more. You’ll actually have what is called the ‘after-burn effect’ where your metabolism is elevated for hours after you are done working out. You get a slight after-burn after any cardio, but it has been found to be much higher and last longer after intervals, tempo’s, really tough efforts…talk to anyone after a tough track session later in the day and they’ll tell you they are hunnnngry. 🙂 (maybe not RIGHT after they are done, but later on)

It really comes down to effort. Running isn’t easy, but that’s why we love it. 🙂 I mean we all know the saying, if it was easy there would be no sense of accomplishment when we’re done. And even on the days we just have ‘easy’ runs, I mean we are still working…there is always that level of pushing ourselves to at least a moderate degree.

So…thank you for allowing me to vent a bit about these ‘fat burn’ zones, and hopefully if you see someone who is just starting to get into the whole workout thang, you won’t let them fall into the ‘fat burn zone’ theory trap…it’s really a twisted little diddy that’s doing nobody any favors. 😉

1) I had a little rant, do you have a rant this Wednesday about anything in particular?

2) Fat burning zone on cario equipment, air your grievances, or do you have a funny story about them?

3) Who else love Amy Poehler and Tina Fey? Funny girls. 🙂

Crumbled to the Stomach Bug…I Will Get Revenge

Posted on December 6, 2011 by Cait — 12 Comments ↓

Where was I yesterday/early this morning? Half-dead, or at least sort of wishing I was…ugh, this runnerchick got sick.

The sick-bug...a suckerpunch to the face.

Remember how I was JUST saying how much I HATE being sick and do all I can to avoid it? Thanks karma.

Sunday night I got my nom nom on and went to bed…three hours earlier my stomach had ‘that’ feeling and I just felt gross. It took a few ‘oh, I think it’s coming’ moments but then…oh, there’s that nom nom. After that the rest of Monday passed in a haze of uncomfort and really random cartoons. The line-up has certainly changed since I was a kid. Good-bye Gumbi and PeeWee, hello Half Naked Animals…what? And has anyone seen the commercial for the game that the whole point is to get the dog to poop?!

Anyways, I clearly was not moving, hence the lack of moving to grab the remote. But by late last night I was able to at least stomach some food, and this morning had a little more than sacked out. I woke up around 11 and felt a world better. I’m knocking on wood I’m over the hump and it was some gross 24 hour thing.

Ya...Monday, stick a fork in me, I was done.

Of course I was double grouchy yesterday just because I didn’t get my endorphin fix…you know I’m sick when that doesn’t happen! But I at least was able to slog out a workout by now and am feeling better…hurrah.

Sorry for the bit of a downer opening there…so let’s turn this around. When you’re sick do you guys fall into any comfort habits? ie:
*snuggling in a blanket and staying in it like you’re in the womb.
*calling a parent and bugging them, not for any other reason than to inform them that you are, in fact, sick
*search the channels for things you watched as a kid, like old movies or cartoons? To this day every time I see ‘Coming to America’ my stomach turns because I had the flu the first time I saw it

I may or may not have done all of the above. Then, when you finally can stomach some foods, what do you guys go for? Usually I want waffles or something that is covered in syrup, I go for the breakfast foods…but alas last night it ended up being the totally over-played chicken noodle soup. But I did get a cranberry muffin for some sweetness.

In parting, while I HATE it, I do recognize forcing a workout when you’re sick is just plain not the thing to do and will only prolong the misery. Yesterday I didn’t change out of the PJ’s. When I hunkered down to sleep at around 9am this morning I figured today would be another rest day but being that when I woke up I could eat and felt human, doing something easy/light wouldn’t kill me and at least perk up my mood. Just take it day by day and roll…

1) Last time you were sick and what did you do?
2) What kind of person do you turn into when you’re sick? Are you the insta-infant, the goucho, or what?
3) Do you have any comfort sick foods?

What to do After You Cross That Finish Line (If Your Lunch Comes Up, Try to Miss Your Shoes)

Posted on December 5, 2011 by Cait — 17 Comments ↓

So I had the fine pleasure of watching one of my friends finish her first marathon this morning…gotta love that agony/excited to be almost done/thanks for cheering for me/oh lord I want to be done look that she gave down that final stretch. 🙂

Bam, finish line.

Her choice of race fuel, was our sugary little friends. 🙂

It made me think about what you do after you cross that line. It was interesting to watch what different people did today: hunch over and almost…oh, there it comes. Dazed and confused sort of try to meander the finish chute until a race official comes and guides them so they don’t run into the fence. Shouts of excitement and well-founded pride. Many came to a dead-halt and after 26.2 miles I don’t blame them.

While every race and every distance of course offers its own challenges (speed vs. endurance, hills vs. track, etc.) there are some general things that we should all keep in mind after you cross that line or break that finishing tape.

Smile for the camera...people are watching. 😉

* Collect yourself and be a good sport: this might sound kind of ‘Hallmarky’ but it’s very true; whether you are a winner or anywhere else, people respect a good sport. If you win and are still unhappy with the time, put on a fake smile and congratulate the other finishers. If you put up an obvious stink you insult your competition…in front of people, even if your race was stinky, at least be considerate…then you can rage away once you get some privacy.

* Workout: say what? This may sound kind of crazy but hear me out. Depending on where the race was in relation to your season, how long it was, and some other factors you could actually jump on a prime time to increase your fitness by going right into a workout after you cross the finish line. When I was training with the Nike Oregon Project, this is something Alberto Salazar is known for in training his athletes. There are a few reasons; one, physiologically after a race there are a TON of hormones coursing through your system and it’s at this elevated time that it is found you can get more benefit working out in this window than a day you do just a ‘normal workout’. Two, if the race was only a 5k, most of our workouts would have worked out to be more volume. Three, if you’re waiting to peak for a race much later in the season, you would benefit from getting in a more volume workout. Finally, I think there is a huge mental benefit too…workout out when you’re already tired proves you can do more than you think. The last thing I’ll say, and it ties into the endorphins and hormones after a race, you will actually feel a LOT better than you think in that workout. So jog an easy mile or so and then do your mini-workout (ex: 3 or 4 x 800) Tip though: in your race, don’t even think about having a workout after or that you still have more. That will just hold yourself back, so still go out there and race.

* Cool-down: okay, I’ll grant those marathon finishers a free pass on this one for the most part…BUT after any other race you DO NOT want to go from an all-out effort to zilch. All that lactic acid that built up will just sit and stew in your muscles; as counterintuitive as it sounds running, no matter how unappealing it sounds, is the BEST thing you can do to recover.

* Chow down – refuel and rehydrate: there is a crucial 30 minute window of time that you NEED to get food back into your depleted muscles. Think a combo of protein and carbs (a bar would work as it’s easy and fast, but you could do some turkey and a bagel…etc) and make it your first priority once you are done running. I’m blanking on the exact percentage here, but it’s somewhere around a 60% drop in muscle recovery if you wait until after that 30 minutes…no good.

* Ice/Massage/Stretch: if you did a really hard effort and have access to ice right after that may be worth a grimace-worthy bath. And as always, treating your body right and staving off an injury is an ongoing kind of upkeep in our sport. Be smart, don’t neglect the ‘little’ things and you’ll be far better off in the long run.

The last thing I want to say which is also very important: chuck self-consciousnees OUT THE DOOR!! Now, I did make some wise-cracks about people in the finishing chute, but I make fun of myself too. I have never had a good running shot, and I joke about it, because I really don’t care. Running is tough stuff, you don’t need to look pretty. So if you cross the line with a loogie stuck to your cheek, have dried salt all over, and your mouth is twisted into a wry look of disgust or pain…who the heck cares? I’ve been there, and so has everyone else. Wear that pain proud, and be proud of yourself. 🙂

1) Worst mistake you’ve made after finishing a race?
Probably the cool-down, I was young and didn’t want to run another step…I paid for it in soreness later.

2) Best tip you have for after a race?

3) Anyone race this weekend and care to brag on themselves?

ElliptiGO With Me Cross-Training

Posted on December 3, 2011 by Cait — 10 Comments ↓

Ellipti-what? Okay, I’ll admit I actually heard about the ElliptiGO awhile back when a friend of mine got to test out one of the prototypes. Basically it’s an elliptical that moves…pretty cool, though I’ve heard you probably shouldn’t be trying to hop any curbs on it. 😉

Lauren Fleshman on the ElliptiGO

Image Source

The machine is getting a lot ore press as of late because Lauren Fleshman has come out to be one of their biggest supporters as she uses it regularly in her training. We don’t have to go into ALL of the reasons why cross-training is great, just a quickie recap:
* extra cardio without the pounding/high-impact of running = less chance for injuries
* easy way to ‘sneak’ in extra miles without upping your injury risk
* perfect for times when you ARE injured to stay in shape so the reality-slap back to running isn’t so painful 🙂

The standard elliptical is my choice of cross-training (of cousre you could bike, aqua-jog, etc.) and so I think building a mobile one would then bust one of the biggest downfalls of cross-training in general: the boredom factor. Ummmm, slogging out hours on the elliptical is at time more of a mental workout than anything!

“I knew my body couldn’t tolerate running more than 80 miles per week, so I filled in gaps with the ElliptiGO,” states Lauren. “Instead of going out and putting the additional volume on my legs and joints, I rode it for the equivalent amount of time that I would be running, replacing some of my key training and recovery workouts.”

Easy days, double workouts…these are prime times to cross-training when you aren’t injured. You can easily do hard workouts on the elliptical too, and just take your running workouts and do intervals based off of time. What any hard workout ultimately comes down to is effort.

So, do you ElliptiGO? Couldn’t resist putting that in there, but I think it would be a really cool machine to test out if I had access to one; until then I guess it’s just strapping on the Ipod or using the TV to distract me on the stationary. 🙂

1) What is your top pick for cross-training and how much of a role does it play in your routine?

2) Could you master some mad tricks on that ElliptiGO? Just kidding, but what do you think about it?

3) For hard workouts, what’s one of your favorite ones to do while cross-training?
I like longer intervals, last one I did I did repeat 10 minutes hard.