No long runs since my 22 miler

I've had no long runs over 30 minutes since my 22 miler...that is NOT how one is supposed to taper, but it's the "strategy" I'm currently engaging in. After needing a whole week to deal with stomach issues (supposedly mild food poisoning, but unlike any I've ever had since it lasted all week), I started back at the gym doing elliptical and bike work to build cardio back up. Monday, Wednesday and Thursday I did mild cardio, even some raquetball (if you can call it that how we just hit the ball back and forth) to get my heart rate up.

Today I waited until around noon to go for what was supposed to be a 8-10 miler cuz I was busy around the house. Plus the weather was threatening rain or storms. But, they never came, so out I went. But I had no energy and felt really flat. I basically walked most of the way with the dogs, only about 1 mile. The sun came out and the dogs were getting heated, so I took them back to the house. I decided to get up and go for a run tomorrow morning instead. We will see if I feel any more like it in the morning (or if the weather concurs) cuz I really do need to get a good easy long run to build my confidence back up before the race!

Tonight is the Braves game so I need to stay hydrated in the heat and while drinking beer...my game strategy will be 1.5 bottles of water for every beer...Tarrus better bring a lot of cash, I think the Dasini costs more than the cheap American beer.

Longest training run yet...and I still ain't right!

Distance, Time: 22  miles, 5 hrs +

Run / Walk Interval (in minutes): 3 / 1

Weather:  Warm (upper 70s, low 80s)

Course / Dogs: Stone Mountain, 4+ laps around the mountain; no dogs

Nutrition / Hydration: Nutrition/hydration: 2 biscuits prior to the run; 1 Gu every 5 miles, water, Endurolyte capsules after 10 miles

iPod playlist: new Alicia Keys, some 80s (Prince, rock ballads), Coldplay (shuffled)

Notes on the Run:

When the alarm went off at 5:10 AM, that surprisingly wasn’t the worst part of my morning. Won’t go into the details, but suffice it to say today was my day to learn to turn a negative mental state into a positive one. It took one lap around the mountain. The first 5 miles were pretty bad and I was having all kinds of negative thoughts about not being able to finish. I enlisted the help of Alicia Keys and memories of the way I felt when my mom was dying of cancer and taking care of her was getting really tough—like giving up and going home. But I didn’t, either time.

I had to recharge my iPod twice on this run in my car, since it just froze up twice, after the second and third lap. Since my stereo plays (and charges) the iPod, I hooked it up with the key in, left one door unlocked, and went up to the bathroom area to refill my fuel belt bottles. I was glad it worked because after starting the run with music, I did not really like having to listen to others’ conversations while I walked by after it crashed. I think it crashed because I have the 30 GB video iPod, which is not really supposed to worn running because of its hardware. I had to keep adjusting the arm band so that it would rest on my forearm, reducing the jarring on it. That helped the last lap and couple extra miles, so I finished strong to Coldplay.

I felt amazingly good for the fact that I ran 22 miles. I attribute this to several factors, though I am not sure which one played the most important role. For one, I really tried to work on my biomechanics, that is, to try to space my legs enough that they are closer to being directly under my hips (i.e., spread my legs more than usual, no puns PLEASE!). This is harder than it sounds, especially when you think of the mantra, “put one foot in front of the other.” If you take that literally, and as women being taught to not separate our legs too much, then those factors combine to mess up our running stride. I know my right hip is less strong than my left, and it extends down to the knee.

And while I do believe this change in stride made a real difference, I also believe my nutrition strategy made a difference. For one, I used Endurolyte caplets for the first time, and these are supposed to prevent cramping. Also, I had a Gu after every 5-mile lap, followed by at least 4 oz. of water, as well as drinking water all along the course. Though when reading the reviews of Endurolytes, I tend to think that it made the most difference in my legs not hurting.

I didn’t eat immediately after the run, though I drank a chocolate milk for a recovery drink. I didn’t eat anything for about an hour though, after taking a shower and cold bath.  I never do this, but thought it would be fine, and I just wasn’t that hungry. After finally eating something, then more a little later on at Panera Bread, I was feeling nauseous and dizzy about 20 minutes later. I still haven’t figured out if it was food from Jason’s deli on Friday night (since my stomach was already a bit uneasy on Saturday morning, the long run, fatigue, the eggs and/or rice I ate at home, the Panera Bread, or a combination of any or all of the above, but I was not feeling well.

After going to Atlanta Dragway on Sunday for Summit Nationals NHRA championships, I realized this was getting worse. I ended up staying home on Monday from work, and had to cancel my trip to Massachusetts. This is a major disappointment since I was supposed to see my friend and roommate from grad school, Shona. I also have never been to Boston, so this would have been a great, but busy trip. I have learned from a trip a few years ago never to travel on an upset stomach on my first and only ever most disappointing trip to NYC, which still upsets me just to think about all the activities I had planned which never occurred because I was feeling sick in my (boutique, right by Times Square and Broadway) hotel room.

Three days later, I still don’t feel well. I’m not eating normally. I just hope I can recover in time to not lose my fitness gains or muscle mass since I’ve been mostly laying/sitting around the last 3 days.

My Vibrams

All the rage in the running community is barefoot running, or the closest thing to it which still protects your feet--running in Vibram FiveFingers. I finally caught the rage and got my own pair. Just took them for my first test run...all of about 2 minutes, on the street at 9:30 PM with Sandman off-leash. I admit I am being a bit anal about the breaking-in period, which I've heard to be fastidious about, but I also just got around to running with them since I've been working nearly all night. (Ok, so I took an hour to recover on facebook (from work, not from working out) , but it's less calories than beer). I hear your calves and butt really need a breaking-in period, so I've been walking around in them for a few days, and now was my first attempt at running.

I'm going to start using them at the gym before I even attempt a real outdoor run in them. Frankly, the thought of having them on at the gym is a little embarassing since they are so ugly and I really don't want to have to talk to everyone who asks me about them. I will wait to run in any real way until after my 22 miler on Saturday, as I don't want to do anything weird to my legs before what will be my training run...wish me luck!

Scott Rigsby: an inspiration

Working at CDC is really cool at times. This was one of those times. A fitness workgroup brought Scott Rigsby to CDC on May 7th. If you have never heard or seen Scott Rigsby, you are in for a treat. He is an amazing individual, with very humble and humbling story.

This is Scott Rigsby. He is the first double amputee (below the knee) to complete the Ironman. Yes, THE Ironman, the one in Hawaii, the grand-daddy triathlon of them all!  But it did not come easy or quick.

He has an amazing story of struggles (physical, mental, emotional, spiritual), training, injuries along the way (broken vertebrae), and triumph to finish the goals to set for himself, against all odds. When I heard some of his race stories, I was just in awe. In one race, he spoke of how much he bled due to his prosthetics not fitting right, since he had lost so much weight training for it.  He had to take them off every 3-4 miles to let the cups of blood out. And to think I moan and groan about my knees and hips "hurting".

His other anecdotes were equally awesome. When he decided to train for the Ironman, he didn't know how to swim without legs, and he didn't own a bike. He got laid off from his job, which ended up being a blessing in disguise, because not only did it allow him to train more, but when they hired him back, they paid him twice as much. 

He now has a book and a foundation. He is dedicated to helping other people with physical challenges, especially military men and women. Though he really wants to inspire people, he comes across as the most ordinary guy that he really IS inspiring. He really makes you think, "if he can do it, I can do it." I told him when I met him after the seminar that I will no longer complain about my minor pain after hearing what he has been through. I'd like to read his book, but I'll have to add it to my ever-growing list...

The ice bath cometh, after 20 miles

I experienced what I have been reading about on May 1 -- that mental preparation to a challenging run is key. Case in point, I went to bed believing I was not going to be able to run on Saturday because it was supposed to be storming. However, I still had a pasta dinner because the forecast had changed so many times in the last 3 days, that I was going to prepare---just in case (plus I love pasta). When I checked the forecast once again at 10:30 or 11 PM, it was supposed to start raining around 4 AM and continue all morning. So I stayed up entirely too late (almost 1 AM).

When I woke up at nearly 8 AM because the dogs had to be let out, I was shocked that not only was it not raining, but it had not been raining. It was misty, however, and rain was threatening. Forecast was rain around 1 PM, so I thought if I could at least get 15 miles in, I would good. So I ate some leftover spaghetti, some eggs that Tarrus cooked, got my fuel belt ready (no icey bottles this week), my gels, and packed up. I got my body glide in all the right nooks and crannies (no chafing this week--yeah!!), and headed out the door.

I was feeling great after 10 miles, and thought the 3rd lap around the mountain would really start going downhill. But I practiced what I'd been told in a group run a few days prior to this about shuffling...shortening your stride to reduce the impact on your knees and legs. It worked because I only really starting feeling the pain in the 4th lap, and even then, it wasn't as bad as my 18 miler. Better than that, the rain held off (actually until Monday, just in time to mess up traffic--forecast was really off). I believe that the hills at Stone Mountain are actually better for me than the relatively flat course but uneven, edge-of-the-road pavement at Brookhaven. Plus Stone mountain has bathrooms and drinking fountains along the course, which is necessary when you are out there 4+ hours.

The cold water bath this time didn't help as much as previously, though I think that is because my trainer Shaka made me do legs on Wednesday and they were already sore from that. She killed with the lunges and squat/lunge combo, but her training is paying off, so I'm sticking with it. Plus she knows a lot of the cute guys at the gym! (ha, Tarrus, you reading this? I didn't think so!)