Connecting You to a Healthy Life!

Not alone on an island

“I nod to a passing stranger, and the stranger nods back, and two human beings go off, feeling a little less anonymous.”  ~Robert Brault, www.robertbrault.com

Exercise is a unifying endeavor.

I don’t know this as a scientist or psychologist (though if anyone can explain the chemistry behind it, please feel free), but as a human being who has experienced it firsthand. When I think back to high school, my closest friends were the ones that I ran with. Whether that was track or cross country, the commonality we shared in the abuse of our bodies brought us closer together. It’s the same in any sport.

The experience doesn’t limit itself to high school or organized sport, though. Any time I’m out for a hike, a bike ride, a walk, or a run, I feel closer to the people I pass on the sidwalks and bike paths than I do to the people passing me in their cars and trucks. I think it’s because I know that somewhere, they’re experiencing the same things I am. Whether that is frustration from a workout that’s not going well, or the peace that comes with a nice stroll, I know that I have felt whatever they are feeling and they have felt whatever I am feeling. This was never more evident than it was just the other day.

I was out for a late morning run, trying one of those beautiful routes I talked about in my last blog around Windmill Island. Yes, Holland is still a small town, and people are generally friendly, but I have never experienced what I did that day. On the approximately 2 mile loop around the island, I crossed paths with 5 different people- some walking, some running, and some cycling. I’m pretty easy to ignore when I run; my sunglasses, earbuds, buff headband, and focused demeanor are not particularly inviting. Nonetheless, all 5 individuals reached out with some sort of greeting to me- some a smile and a wave, some a smile and a nod, some a smile and a gentle “hello.” Did you notice that every one of them had a smile? I did. It’s the smile that moves the act from a courteous formality to one of unity. Thank you, strangers, for being a part of my run. I hope I could do for you what you did for me.

7th October 2011
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Wake up, sleepy head!

“If you love life, don’t waste time, for time is what life is made up of.” – Bruce Lee

“Beep, beep, beep, beep, beep”

It’s 6:00am, Saturday, I don’t even have to look. I stop the alarm clock and lay in bed. The debate rages in my mind: I really should get up….but it’s so comfortable here.

Typically the battle is won or lost the night before. What time I go to bed, what I eat or drink in the 2 hours leading up to that time, and the action of setting the alarm clock. But not this time. Nope, this time I did everything right the night before. I made sure I got 8 hours of sleep, I hydrated well (but not too well) before I hit the sack, and I promised myself I would get up when the alarm clock rang. This time, the true battle came in the morning.

I don’t know why it’s harder to wake up to an alarm clock on a Saturday. Being in retail, I work some Saturdays (I hesitate to say “lots” of Saturdays, because some other people in our store may beg to differ), and I do my best to treat them just like a weekday. But, alas, it is not a weekday. During the week, I usually pop right out of bed as soon as my alarm goes off – I’m ready to get the day started. But on the weekend….well, things are different. Imagine a 3 year old zombie – I’m slow, lethargic, and whiny. I guess you could say I’m generally unmotivated. It’s almost as if I’ve trained myself somewhere along the way (college) that the weekends were all about doing nothing. I know from experience that even if I don’t set the alarm, I don’t sleep in past 7:00 anymore, but there’s something inside me that says maybe, just maybe, I would have slept until 11:00 if it weren’t for that darned alarm clock.

The debate continues: You never regret getting up, but you almost always regret staying in bed.

As a coach, it is my job to get the most out of each athlete every day. As a coach, I’m afforded some kind of intrinsic authority that even teenage girls (usually) respect. They will do the workout I’ve prepared because they trust that I have a specific reason for the day’s exercise, no matter what it is. I also have the benefit of practice being in the afternoon, after school, and before they’ve gone home; they are there already, so they may as well come to practice, and since they are at practice, they may as well do the workout. As a coach of others, I have all this working for me. It’s too easy to say “no” to your coach when your coach is yourself.

It’s 6:07am, Saturday, this time I look that alarm clock straight in the face, roll out of bed, and prepare myself for an amazing run.

 

8th August 2011
Training, Uncategorized
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It’s Hot Out There

Last weekend I was struck by the role that heat acclimatization plays in summer running. RunnerGirl and I were out at Pigeon Creek running with the Dirty Herd-West (quick plug: don’t miss the Dirty Herd’s run with Salomon on July 31, 5 p.m.). You’ll have to ask RunnerGirl how it happened, but a 2.5 mile loop ended up taking her a little over an hour to run. It was hot, but it wasn’t crazy hot. The path was pretty shaded. We drove home and didn’t think too much about it.

RunnerGirl was pretty out of it the rest of the night, though. She was shivering, but she was also sweating through her clothes. She felt lethargic. Her head was achey, and she was a little dizzy when she stood up too quickly. If you haven’t figured it out yet, she was experiencing Heat Exhaustion. She hit pretty much every symptom.

The strange thing is, I’ve run longer and faster in hotter weather. That’s the tricky thing; everyone’s body responds to heat/humidity differently. I train a lot more consistently outside in the weather, so my body is more acclimated to it. I still need to be careful, though. It helps to know the symptoms: chills, cool clammy skin, headache, heavy sweating, dizziness, muscle cramps, and nausea. If you begin experiencing any of these, you need to cool your body off. Get in the shade, take an ice bath, drink an electrolyte drink, etc. If you don’t you can quickly escalate to Heat Stroke.

An electrolyte drink like Gu Brew can help your body re-hydrate and balance the salts that your body needs.

The symptoms of Heat Stroke include: high body temperature, lack of sweating, flushed skin, rapid breathing, headaches, confusion, and muscle cramps. This is much more serious and deserves medical treatment.

Once you’ve pushed your body into Heat Stroke, you will be at greater risk for experiencing it again. Acclimatization can make your body better adapted to the hot weather, but it’s not a panacea. You still need to be careful out there. It’s never to cold to run outside, but there are times when it’s dangerous to run in the heat/humidity. Especially if your body isn’t used to it. Take care and stay cool.

My favorite bottle to help maintain hydration is the Nathan Quickdraw Plus. It’s so easy to carry that sometimes I forget it’s there. It doesn’t bounce or ride up like a belt system does sometimes.

These Nathan Quickdraws are only $18. Much cheaper than a doctor's appointment for Heat Stroke.

30th July 2011
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Family Means Choices

Last Saturday, The Legend (a ten-mile trail race) was contested in Sleepy Hollow State Park. This is a race I’ve done a few times. It’s a lot of fun, and I really like the literary reference to the headless horseman. The Legend is the first race where I placed in my age group, so I like to return to it as often as possible. It’s very challenging and a great chance to run on some trails. Due to family conficts, I could not race it this year, though.

Last Tuesday, New Holland Brewery sponsored a “beer run” in East Grand Rapids. I had planned on running this fun run and enjoying some brews. These types of runs are a fun way to meet other runners in the area. It’s very low stress and high fun. Alas, RunnerGirl and my two boys were calling for some quality family time, so I also chose to sit out this run.

Balancing family time and marathon training is often difficult. I want to be a good role model for my kids by living a healthy life style and staying in shape. I love pushing myself to run farther and faster. However, both of these goals take a back seat to being there for my boys. I know that nothing I do will have any significance if I’m not really there for them.

Being there for them means more than just being around. Being there means playing trucks and going for walks and pushing them on the swings. These are the things I did with the boys on Tuesday instead of running. We pushed the Tonka trucks around the play room and put out all the imaginary fires we could find. Then we leashed up the dogs and walked up the road to our favorite park. Mr. Three-year-old ran more than a quarter of a mile, and that was the funnest run of the week. Once we were at the park, both boys had to swing. Of course, I push them higher than anyone else, so I got a small arm workout complete with optional underdogs. I squeezed in a few pull-ups on the monkey bars, too. At bed time, we hustled back home and grabbed some pajamas. I did my best to be fully there instead of dwelling on the missed opportunity for a race/group run. Being there also means reading the same fireman story 10 or even 12 times in an evening, so we did that, too.

A Literary Masterpiece

Now, I’m not perfect. I still carve out time for training runs. I rarely skip a workout to read Fire Fighters to the Rescue. However, I do structure my workouts to allow as much time for being with my family as possible. For example, I try to wake up as early as I can to run. If that doesn’t work (competing with a one-year old to see who can wake up earliest is a losing proposition), then I will often run during the boys’ naps. This leads to some runs being done in the hottest part of the August sun, but the sacrifice pays dividends. I’ll also run with the boys in the double-jogger. Sometimes, on a day with two runs scheduled, I save a run for after the boys’ bed time.

I make choices daily about how I can best reach my running goals while trying to remember that those aren’t my top priority goals. My wife and two boys are the top of my list. I am lucky, though. They love to encourage me on the running goals. They each have their own cowbell for cheering. They’ll also be cheering me on during a race this Saturday. My oldest boy will be doing his first race, too.

5th August 2010
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When do you go?

There are many kinds of runners. There are many categories of runners. There are so many ways that we can divide runners up I can’t even begin to count or add and subtract and divide. So I’m going to talk about a simple way to distinguish runners: time of day they run. We generally all have a favorite time of day to lace up our shoes, turn on (or not) the I-pod and hit the pavement—I know I do.

The three types: Morning, afternoon, and evening runners.

Simple.

From what I understand evening runners run to unwind, run away the stress that has accumulated through out the day, stretch out the legs and prepare for an evening to continue the relaxation that their run started.

Afternoon runners run when they can fit it in. It could be on a lunch break, between classes or meetings. Or maybe a normal afternoon is their morning, so they just rolled out of bed but it just happens to be 2 pm instead of 7 like the rest of the world.

Morning runners want to either get it out of the way, set a tone for the day, or this is the only possible moment they are able to get some miles in under their belt.

I did an experiment last week: I switched up my daily run. Well, I’ll be honest, I only got part way through the experiment before I realized I needed to go back to my habitual running time.

I am, hands down, no questions asked, a morning runner. I love the feeling of waking up, having breakie with a cup of coffee, checking my e-mail, mapping out my run, lacing up and getting out the door before my roommate has finished blow drying her hair. It’s starts my day out on the right foot (haha, i know, running humor–FUNNNNY)

Now, I am lucky—I’m a student that has class two days a week at 11:30, and I generally never have to be at work until 10.  But my internal clock does wake me up at 7:12am most mornings, and unless I have work to do (like today, it’s 7:52am as I write this) I’m hitting the road by 8.Like running, I like to get EVERYTHING done in the morning, so I have to decide what goes first, homework, run, writing…

I feel like getting my run in before I shower, before anything too bad can happen, before the day is tainted with ugliness or stress, I set the tone that I want to set for the day. I run a few miles and it’s as if I’m saying “okay world, this is how I want my day to go.  This is how I want to feel for the rest of the day.” Plus, then I only have to shower once, and if you know me at all, one shower if usually one too many.

So my experiment came more by accident than anything.  I’m in my final weeks of my Undergraduate career and am of course stressing out. So a run would be a good thing to de-stress myself, but it was one of those mornings that I couldn’t imagine doing anything but drinking coffee and complaining to a dear friend about all the work, all the crazy professors I have and how I don’t feel like doing any of it. But this friend did eventually calm me down and convince me in all her wisdom that it is going to be okay. So needless to say, my run didn’t happen before I had to rush off to class.

Class happened and I had a 3 hour break until my next—a run was needed!! I parked my car by my gym, changed in the back alley in cover of my car, and set out for 5 miles at 2 in the afternoon. Weird. It was so hot, (this was that weird 80 degree Thursday we had last week) I ran and ran and sweated and sweated. One of the things I couldn’t get off my mind was that I was probably going to get a sweet tan—or sun-burn, I wasn’t prepared with the proper SPF. Lots of people, non-runners were out. Most of time in the morning I only see fellow runners or people on their morning commute looking for a coffee shop. But at 2 pm there were all sorts of people out and about. At one point a guy across the street started mock-running with me, making run of my stride and the making fun of the basic fact that I was in fact running, is this normal in the afternoon?! So I picked up my pace and left him in the dust, I as annoyed with him but quickly for got about his ridicule a few minutes later.

I got back to the gym, hoped in the shower and rushed off to grab lunch and go to class—I ran, it wasn’t the greatest, but I did run off the stress of the morning (not having run was definitely adding to my stress that day.) The de-stress factor was a plus in my afternoon run. I can appreciate that.

I’m still trying to work up the energy to run in the evening. I’m usually worn out by the time it’s officially evening and don’t want to go out at all; at that point a beer with my dinner sounds better than a run AFTER my dinner, this is one of the exact reasons I like to get my runs in in the morning. I don’t have enough time to talk myself into something less healthy or talk myself out of a run, I’m still half asleep when I’m finding my sunglasses and getting ready to put my Road ID on.

For now, I think I’ll stick to the AM work-outs and leave the evening runs to the night owls.

When do you run? Do you ever switch it up?

19th April 2010
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Run Safely

I’ve been running a lot at oh-dark-thirty and have noticed a disturbing thing about my fellow runners. There are a lot of folks dedicated (addicted) enough to run at this time, but many of them seem to be living dangerously. I’m not some SUV driving nut who swerves and screams at runners to get on the sidewalk, but runners need to protect themselves. A runner vs. two tons of steel is not a fair fight. Please wear reflective/illuminated gear and run safely.

Saucony Vizi PRO

The most common life endangering activity is running in dark clothing. Companies like Saucony and Brooks have been creating wonderfully bright running gear. Check out the Saucony ViZi-PRO. Not only is it obnoxiously orange, but it also has a blinking LED light on the sleeve. Every morning I run by people wearing the ubiquitous black running tights and a dark jacket. Often, I don’t see them until they are within 30 feet. Do you know how long it takes a car to travel 30 feet? If you don’t want to totally update your wardrobe, at least add couple of lights to your clothing. Gazelle sells plenty of options for lights, headlamps, and reflective bands: BE SEEN.

Now, dressing like a ninja would be okay if everyone was on the sidewalk, but hard core runners at 5:30 a.m. don’t like the sidewalk. They’re in the street. Not only are they in the street, but they are two or three abreast in the street. Often they’re on the wrong side of the street (runners/pedestrians should ALWAYS  face traffic). Now, I know, sometimes there isn’t a sidewalk. Even if there is a sidewalk, concrete is a lot tougher on the legs and can contribute to stress fractures. I’m pretty sure that a giant pile of metal driving 45 m.p.h. will cause more than a stress fracture, though. If you must run on the road, have the decency to run single file on the left-hand shoulder.

An even better idea would be to find a traffic-free zone. I’ve seen a lot of runners lately at Windmill Island in Holland, MI. As I ran there yesterday afternoon, I realized that this is Holland’s version of Central Park. Once you get onto the island, there is a paved path that is somewhere around half a mile. No cars. Do as many laps as you want wearing your black, non-reflective running gear while listening to your Ipod.

Whatever you do, please be safe out there. Be reflective. Alertly run on the left-hand shoulder. Don’t assume drivers see you. Don’t stake your legal claim to the road because a half-awake driver may not see you. They may not know the law or they may not care. Every runner is an ambassador for the sport. If we’re antagonizing drivers and endangering our lives, we’re not representing the sport we love very well.

Monday: 9 @ race pace or faster
Tuesday: 6
Wednesday: 6
Thursday: 6
Friday: 6
Saturday:18
Sunday: rest

Totals for the Week: 51
Totals for the Year: 524

Mark Remy brought up several similar points in his blog on runnersworld.com (Remy, Mark. “RW Daily.” Runnersworld.com. 8 Jan 2009. Web. 18 March 2010)

18th March 2010
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What would you do…

What would you do for a Klondike Bar? That was the old jingle that kept going through my head this morning on the run. No, I wasn’t craving ice cream at 5:30 in the morning (although that wouldn’t surprise people who know me). I was thinking about the lengths I go to fit my runs into my daily schedule. I regularly wake up at 5:00 a.m., and I’ve gone for runs at 10:30 p.m. I’ve run in every sort of weather. Now that I have kids, I draw the line at lightning storms, but I’ve run in 25 m.p.h. winds, snow, sleet, heat, etc. I live the USPS creed better than they do.
At first, I ran in all kinds of weather because I needed the stress relief. Stressful days come regardless of the season or precipitation, so I would head outside. As I ran in a blinding rain, I realized that it made it even easier to forget the trials and tribulations of the day. All my stress and anger would be forgotten by focusing on the storm. It was also fun to think that I was the only person tough (or foolish) enough to be out in this slop.
That morphed into a feeling of pride that the weather couldn’t stop me. It was (and still is) fun to see people’s incredulous looks when they hear that I was running at 5 or through the blizzard that closed all the local schools. Long-time runners know that there is no bad weather only inadequate gear, but non-runners are easily impressed by running in 35 degree monsoon. I also realized that races are run in all kinds of weather, at least in Michigan they are (sorry Myrtle Beach marathoners), so I had better train in all kinds of weather.
I’m more than a little obsessive about my training for marathons. I feel driven to nail every workout barring injury. That’s where I’m at right now. Hectic schedules get me out on the road before 6:00 in the morning because that is the only time to do the workout. I do my long run on the slippery sidewalk or the quad-thrashing snow drifts because I want to be ready for Boston. No matter what the weather is like on Patriots’ Day, I know it can’t compare to what I’ve trained through. I’ll be ready. Will you?
Monday: 5 miles
Tuesday: 8 miles w/ 3X1600 at 6:00/mile and 4:00 recovery
Wednesday: 6 in the a.m./6 in the p.m. (pushing the double jogging stroller)
Thursday: Hard 10 miler pushing the double jogging stroller
Friday: 8 miles
Saturday:17 miles (maybe closer to 18)
Sunday: Rest

Weekly Total: 60 miles
Total for the Year: 411 miles

4th March 2010
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Flavor of the Week

What’s your flavor? I heard that several times at the store this weekend as I discussed the need for in-race nutrition.

In my experience, once your runs start approaching the 90 minute mark, you really need to start experimenting with different foods. There’s a lot of science-y stuff to explain why you need food. Here’s the short version. Your muscles can hold a certain amount of glycogen (gas). This is the stuff that really burns most efficiently for a long distance runner. Once it is gone, your body can burn other stuff,  but it doesn’t burn it as well. If you can absorb some sugars from Gu, Accel-Gel, Luna Moons, etc, then you can delay the burning of this less efficient stuff. You’ll be less likely to run out of “gas.” Let me tell you, hitting the wall is not a fun experience.

I say experimenting because we’re all really an experiment of one. The things that work well for me may not work well for you. You’ve got to try all of the flavors and consistencies to find out what works. PLEASE try them BEFORE using them in a race, though. If a flavor/brand doesn’t work for you, it will ruin your race.

I love the Accel-Gel Vanilla and the Espresso Love Gu, but RunnerGirl can’t stomach either of them. Find what works for you and then buy a case (15% discount on a full case).

One thing I’ve been doing lately is taking an Accel-Gel before I start running. I’ve been getting up ridiculously early to get my long runs to fit into my schedule, and I can’t eat solid food immediately before running. I take a gel as soon as I wake up and about every 40-45 minutes after that on the run. It feels weird to eat a gel in my kitchen, but it works.

Monday: Rest Day w/ Core workout

Tuesday: sloppy, slushy 10 miles

Wednesday: easy 5

Thursday: Tempo run 8 w/ 5 @ 6:52 and gradually increasing incline on the treadmill (0-2.5%)

Friday: easy 5

Saturday: 17

Sunday: Football in the snow with friends

Weekly Total: 45 and 1 core workout

Yearly Total: 238 and 5 core workouts

8th February 2010
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Hay in the Barn

If you’re training for River Bank, Bayshore, Boston, or any big spring race, then now is the time to be puttin’ hay in the barn. Now is the time to be building that base that will allow you to enjoy your race. During this phase of training, you should be doing the occasional “quality” workout, but the miles are what really matter. Every mile run during this phase is moving you one mile closer to your goal.

That is why it is important to increase your mileage carefully. Most injuries occur because of overuse, and I think most cases of overuse come from increasing training demands too quickly. An injury during the base building phase hurts your training twice. It hurts originally because it takes away time to train, but it hurts later even more. Athletes with interrupted base-building phases are less prepared for the sharpening speed workouts and tempo runs, too. So be careful out there. Listen to your body and take an easy day (or even rest day) if necessary.

By the way, last week I tried the new Gu flavor, Jet Blackberry with 2X caffeine. It tasted the the grape Tootsie Rolls to me. If you like the fruity Gu flavors, then you’ll like this one.

Monday: Easy 5 miles (at 5:30 a.m.)
Tuesday: Hilly 7 miles (ave. heart rate 150)
Wednesday: Easy 5 miles (at 5:30 a.m.)
Thursday: 6.5 miles on treadmill 2 X (6X400 @ 1:24 w/ 1:30 recovery interval) 2:30 recovery between sets (at 6:00 a.m.)
Friday: Rest Day
Saturday: 12 miles (ave. heart rate 140)
Sunday: Easy 6 miles
Totals for the Week: 41.5
Totals for the Year: 96 miles

18th January 2010
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Running Secret:

I’m going to let you in on a little secret. The secret to the best running outfit ever. No, it’s not a matchy-matchy Nike outfit of the newest color theme, it’s not the hottest compression tights (though they are great,) it’s not a new hat or gloves or neck warmer. It’s what my Dad and I have named MOINKA (Moy-n-ka)

Moinka: To wear shorts and a long sleeved top for any outdoor activity. Beneficial and enjoyable to both men and women.  (Running, hiking, BBQ-ing, etc…)

Moinka is a term that my Dad and I came up with when we were working out in the yard one early Fall day and we both realized how much we love wearing shorts and a long sleeved top–so from that moment on we named it and for the past ten years have continued to call it MOINKA… help me start a revolution. MOINKA, it’s a silly word that only has meaning once you start using it in the context of my definition. So start, not only wearing it, but saying it. Lets make this word known and see if we can be like Rachel Ray and EVOO and get it in the dictionary!

Moinka

Example of Moinka

Back to running:

When the weather in late summer starts to get chillier in the evening this  is when Moinka season really kicks off. Today I’m writing about Moinka Running. My FAVORITE kind of running. The weather is brisk, the leaves have begun to turn to firery oranges and angry reds, there are crunchy leaves to stomp on on the sidewalk, the air smells clean with a hint of apples… it’s Autumn and it’s beautiful.
I debated this morning pulling out my tights and wearing a light, long sleeved top. But before I changed from my pj’s to my running gear I stepped outside and knew instantly that it was the perfect morning for Moinka.

Some MOINKA Benefits:
~You get to show off that summer tan just a little bit longer.
~You still get to wear your long sleeves that you miss from last winter
~Temperature control is a snap…
-Long sleeves
-Short sleeves with arm warmers/gloves
-Short sleeves UNDER long sleeves with the option to take off said long sleeves.
-Long sleeves with vest (if it’s really getting chilly, you must keep your core warm!)
~Smaller loads of laundry for just a bit longer.

So with all of this said about MOINKA I’m asking you to give it a try, tell me what you think, spread the word and USE the word!… I know you’ll love it.

14th October 2009
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