running pregnant!

6 weeks. still not showing yet except a mild bloated look.

So I have a new challenge.   Yep…I’m knocked up!  I’ve decided to blog about “running while pregnant” for the next 6 months.  After researching the web for countless hours, I’ve discovered that there are very few blogs or articles for women RUNNERS (no offense power walkers or joggers) that talk about the challenges of pregnancy and running.  I see plenty of literature for joggers, but I don’t fancy myself a jogger.  I’ve competed for years, and I still plan to post baby.  The intensity can be scaled back, but a gal still has to do her track workouts, mile repeats and long runs while carrying precious cargo.  The doctors say it’s healthy and they gave me the ok, so now what?  It’s on to new challenges.  I’m through with my first trimester, and thank the gods my morning sickness and fatigue has subsided a bit.  More on that later…

Now I get to focus on appropriate running apparel for the cold months ahead (that’s my other discovery:  there’s not that great of a selection for pregnant RUNNING clothes!  Enough of the pregnant yoga gear, already) while modifying some workouts to accommodate my basketball being carried around.

So, stay tuned for some future pregnant running tales.

Here’s some belly pictures.

8 weeks

10 weeks

12 weeks. i've never had a belly pooch this big. i swear.

speed work, a wedding and mental road blocks.

I must confess:  I haven’t been doing my speed work.   Eh-hem, or my long run for that matter.  I’ve been going through the motion for the past 2 weeks.  In fact, I didn’t run for 3 days this past weekend!  The culprit?  Apparently a wedding can cramp one’s running style.  Family, friends, food, running around (without my running shoes) and lack of sleep took over my calendar.  That’s ok, though.  It was a better feeling and experience than anything I’ve ever accomplished with running, races or PR’s!  But now it’s back to the running grind.

I found a cool article in Runner’s World magazine.  “Wrong Headed.  How to figure out and avoid mind problems.”  Letting your thoughts turn a stellar run into a drag?  Here’s a few points to help you switch gears:

You’re not happy:  We run to feel good.  So if you notice your thoughts bringing you down, give yourself permission to leave your woes behind until after your run.

You’re tense:  Running provides a release, but overthinking a problem can start to show in your form and performance!  Take a mental inventory of your body, starting at your head and working down.

You’re slower:  Who doesn’t love a little daydream on a run?  That’s fine, but if you have goals, don’t stay on autopilot the entire time.  Check in every few minutes or tell yourself you’ll let your mind go after this split.  Until then, stay focused on your pace!

flow for the love of water.

Although unrelated to anything with training or running, this documentary compelled me to share.

Irena Salina’s award-winning documentary investigation into what experts label the most important political and environmental issue of the 21st Century – The World Water Crisis.  Salina builds a case against the growing privatization of the world’s dwindling fresh water supply with an unflinching focus on politics, pollution, human rights, and the emergence of a domineering world water cartel.

Interviews with scientists and activists intelligently reveal the rapidly building crisis, at both the global and human scale, and the film introduces many of the governmental and corporate culprits behind the water grab, while begging the question “CAN ANYONE REALLY OWN WATER?”

Beyond identifying the problem, FLOW also gives viewers a look at the people and institutions providing practical solutions to the water crisis and those developing new technologies, which are fast becoming blueprints for a successful global and economic turnaround.

On December 10th, 2008 FLOW was invited to screen at the United Nations as part of the 60th Anniversary of the Declaration of Human Rights.

running week review

My coach has me on a new training plan.  My feet are happy once again.  After my last blog, my coach and I met for coffee.  Much to my surprise he handed me a shoe box with my new, obnoxious purple running shoes.  They’re the new Nike lunar trainers.  With only a few ounces to carry, they’re lighter than my Mizunos, and feel almost like a racing flat with a little more bulk on the sides for support.  Love ‘em!  My feet and I have rekindled our affection and are working together on our new training plan.

Previously, I quit racing for awhile.  The goal was to build a base of mileage.  Problem was, I wasn’t paying much attention to my heart rate.  I often fall prey to “racing” against my ironman wristwatch.  No matter how fast or slow, I, like many other runners, fell into the rut of comparing my old times and performances to current conditions, both physical and weather.  It’s freakin hot this summer and I ain’t 22 anymore!  So my coach finally convinced to find my “zen” with running once again.  The goal:  get rid of the aches and pains and find my mental place once again for some fast times.  The mileage will come down a bit from 55-60 miles per week down to 40 or so for the next few weeks.  We’ll continue to modify each week with distance and speed till racing season this fall.

Here’s my first week in review:

Monday: 6 easy pace.  Weather:  hot and humid

Tuesday: Tempo run!  2 miles all out.  Resting heart rate before the run:  54.  Weather:  hot and humid.  Coach’s instruction:  Haskell was to ride next to me on his bike.  Makes me run faster and there’s Gatorade next to me.  2 mile warm up under 18 min.  1 mile worth of strides.  2 miles all out:  12:45!!! Almost fainted but all was well!  1 mile cool down.  Max heart rate:  181.  Recovery heart rate:  84

Wednesday: 3 miles easy!  No more, no less!  Now that’s trust to only run 3.  Something good better come from this!  Weather:  hot as Hades like always, but it’s a recovery run.  No matter what, keep the heart rate under 120.  It’s easier said than done!  It’s amazing how slow one has to go for this, but I felt great.  Refreshed.

Thursday:  5 mile tempo run. Keep the heart rate between 160-170.  Don’t know the pace, but it doesn’t matter.

Friday: another EASY RUN.  Only 3.  Heart rate under 130.

Saturday: long run of 2 hours.  Early start to beat the heat.  First hour, heart rate was 135.  Second hour between 135-145.  Felt FANTASTIC!  Felt like I went for a ride on my legs.  Later that day, Haskell and I attended our wedding party thrown by my best girl friend and maid of honor.  It was a Hawaiian luau.  Lots of food, drinks and fellowship with friends completed the first week of my new training plan.

Sunday:  Rest.  Completely off.

happy feet, happy running.

My coach tells me to “listen” to my body.  Well, I do.  I know her really well.  Yesterday amidst my pain during and after my long run,  I was reminded that for some reason  I’ve learned quite well how to ignore her.  But this week I can’t.  My feet and ankles have been screaming four letter curse words at me for 2 weeks.  It’s a new soreness that I’m annoyingly unfamiliar with.  For years I’ve run hard, trained hard, and raced hard.  I know those aches and pains.  My feet have always been fine and dandy until the last 2 weeks.  Even with my mileage decrease, my feet and I have been at odds.  I became acutely aware of how much I rely on them AND how much I’ve ignored them!  My poor ‘ol feet work HARD, and well, I think they’re feeling unappreciated.  They ache in the mornings, it takes me a few miles for the cramping to subside, and they HURT after my runs.  No sh__ Sherlock!  Should I have expected anything else?  How could I have let something so small, yet crucial escape me?

I’ve also noticed they don’t look as good.  Pretty feet have always been a must for me no matter the mileage.  Usual pedicures and weekly massages were my gift to them for giving me thousands of running miles.  Thanks to the recession,  I can’t remember the last pedicure I’ve had!  Well something has gotta give.  First things first:  rekindle our long term relationship.  Normally my rest day is on Sunday.  A rest day consists of 2-3 miles easy, or completely off.  I woke up this morning feeling no guilt for my decision to not pound the pavement.  Nope, I won’t even run a mile.  This week, they’ll have their wish for a pedicure and a massage from my therapist.  I’m determined to make them happy once again.

My discovery?  If my feet ain’t happy, I’m not either.

long run finale

front: polly, melanie, ashley.  back: cindy, amanda

The morning began at 5:15 am for a final long run with our friend, Polly.   Polly has her PhD in molecular evolutionary biology.  Yep.  That’s right.  She’s smart.  Well she’s moving, and now she gets to enjoy her runs in Tuscon, Arizona.  In case I didn’t mention, she’s a bad ass runner as well.  It’s no problem for her to hold a 6:30 pace for 20 miles, hence my uncertainty over this morning’s run!  We met before sun up on the UF campus to bring in the day.  Ashley mapped out our quest which took us through campus and SW Gainesville to the famous old “Tobacco Road.”   Polly ran 21, Ashley ran 16, and me…well, a mere 13 was settled on.  We ran onward till my drop off point and I watched them run with ease as I drove by a few minutes later.  The longer the distance, the better they run.  My job?  Try not to get dropped too badly on a training run.  Especially on this day since the grand finale ahead was a going away brunch for Polly.

After the dirt and grime was washed off, we met our coach for brunch.  Banana pancakes and reminiscing over old runs and races made for a fond farewell.  I don’t know anything about molecular biology, but I do know Polly’s a running superstar in my book.  Tuscon’s lucky to have her!

The picture below was our last race together at the melon run.  Dave’s lovely team (overall place women’s division):  Amanda 1st, Polly 2nd, Ashley 4th, Cindy 5th and Melanie 6th.

running shoe review

It’s funny how the normal can be viewed as “weird.”  I’ve always had numerous running shoes all over my house, garage, and closets.  They only last 200-300 miles and then they’re retired for my walking pleasure.  My fiance, every so often, makes a funny comment about the shoes strung all over the place.  He’s never seen the likes of it.  Well, he hasn’t lived with a runner, now has he?  Fortunately, he actually thinks it’s one of my cute qualities, so I’m safe.

So here’s my collection of shoes for the year.  I’ve worn Mizuno Precisions for years.  They’ve changed the model ever so slightly.  The result is 2 missing toenails–my second toe on each foot.  No more Precisions.  I hate looking for a new shoe.

The winners this year:

Long run training days:  Mizuno Wave Riders

Shorter tempo runs:  Mizuno Precisions  (until this last pair of shoes) and Brook Burn

Track workouts:  Nike LunaRacer

Race Day:  Saucony Fast Twitch

Every other day?  My Reef flops.

long run gone bad. hail storm to prove it.

I’ve been wanting to write something for the past few days, however I’ve been a victim of “uneventful days” that lead to mere memos instead of, well something a bit more interesting.  Well, here it goes.  Every runner has bad days.  It makes us “tougher”…we think.  This morning I heard the gentle call of my alarm clock at some god awful hour.  Obviously not thinking clearly, I gently rolled over to the comfort of my pillow and heard my fiance whisper a few words.

The weekly drill is simple:  wake up early to meet my best runner pal, Ashely for our Saturday long run.  However, this week she was planning to leave for a 5k in Jax (normally I would go, but being adamant about swearing off racing for awhile, I opted out.  No, I’ll stick to my long run solo.  Besides, 14 miles at an easy pace will no doubt be easier than balls to the wall for a 5k.  Yep.  That settled it.)  This morning, I made an amateur mistake.  I forgot about the Florida heat.  “No problem” I thought.  It’s just an extra hour of sleep.  When clarity finally reached me, it was too late.  I knew it was going to be a “long run.”  The average temperature for the days prior reached 96 degrees with a heat index of over 100 degrees.

For those of you who have never ran in Florida, especially in the summer, here’s a quick lesson.  Never, never underestimate it nor think you can compare it to anything else.  We Floridians have no idea what it means to be cold or to run in a snow storm.  We just don’t.  We may think we know, but northern runners would probably laugh at the sight of our suffering when it’s 30 degrees.  Well, summer runs in Florida are anything but textbook.

I started my clock at 8:20 am with as much hope and positive thoughts as I could muster.  The little voice in the back of my head was faintly asking me to wait till tomorrow morning and just keep it at a 6 miler.  I quickly told the voice to “shut up.”  It’s Saturday.  Don’t wuss out.  Mile one felt pretty normal, although I could hear that the crickets were singing a much different song.  The air was thick.  I was already dripping with sweat.  If you pay attention to the wildlife, early mornings have a different feel.  Every creature is hustling and bustling for a last minute drink of water from the left over dew.  Later, they must prepare and find retreat from the inevitable.  By this point, the birds were quieting down for the day.  I reviewed the plan in my head:  3 mile warm up followed by a 5k at a quicker pace,  pit stop for a drink, 3 miles easy, another drink stop, with 5 more to finish, pace determined by how I feel.  Yep, that makes 14.

I reached my 3 mile intersection knowing full well that I had no more tree cover.  The sun was high enough overhead.  I set out to pick up the pace.  I was amazed that I was running 7:40 pace.  Not that great, but just hold on.  Finish at this pace and worry later about the rest of the run.  I knew my fiance, Haskell would be at the 6 mile intersection for the gatorade handoff.  Then again at the 9 mile intersection.  I ran by the giant clock with the thermometer.  I know it’s accurate.  Runners own the darn clock and are fickle about the hourly statement it projects.  It read 89 degrees.  I had 10 more miles to go.  I reached the finish of my 5k segment.  My watch was cruel.  I made it under 24 minutes, but barely.  My eyes wildly searched for Haskell’s truck.  I could see the heat waves rising up from the road ahead that looked like smoke colored apparitions.   I ran to the truck and bent over watching the sweat pool on the concrete.  He handed me the bottle and started to talk.  He said something about “being worried because I was late.”  I threw my head back and gulped as my taste buds wept with joy.  “Can’t talk” I thought.  Need more of this sweet ambrosia.  I reluctantly handed him the finished bottle.  He assured me he would have my second bottle ready at mile 9.  I headed off.  I felt a bit more refreshed but that slowly waned.  I reached mile 9, but I couldn’t find the bottle.  I searched for a few more seconds.  I’ll just have to run home.  It’s only a half mile off course.  I puttered home and opened the door.  I muttered that I couldn’t find the bottle.  He quickly made me a glass and handed me some ice.  He told me again where it was. I’ll catch it on the way home.  Away I went to finish my 5 mile segment.  With 3 miles to go, my stride had changed.  I was now doing what I like to call the “death shuffle.”  It’s a hybrid stride that’s part jog coupled with a shuffle to give it a humorous look to oncoming traffic.  My form had changed so much I was noticing the strange feeling around my sport bra from the friction burns.  I staggered up a hill and saw a lady that I recognized from my morning runs.  She was walking her dog.  She said hello.  It took everything I could to grunt a few words.  “I like the heat” she said…”Do you?”  I knew I would have to stop my watch.  I couldn’t be rude.  “Yes, I like the heat, but not today.”  I explained briefly with my parched mouth that I was finishing a long run and the heat was not my friend at the moment.  “I live right up there.  There’s always water bottles there next to the bench.  Help yourself any time or day.  I always keep them there.”  I couldn’t have been more relieved.  I wanted to hug her, but refrained as that would have been plain ol’ weird from her point of view.  I hobbled to the unopened water bottles and drank 8 ounces.  Enough to get me home.  I concentrated like never before as I shuffled down my street.  I practically crawled to the garage door.  Relief poured through me as Haskell’s smiling face greeted me.  Thank the running gods, home sweet home.

Destroyed legs, friction burns and mineral depletion led me to dream land as I quietly fell asleep.  I awoke to the sound of rain.  A few minutes later, extreme thunder and lightning violently moved in.  The heat collided with the front as I watched the hail pelt the parched grass on my front yard.

Verdict rendered:  you will hereby be punished by the blue blazes of the hellish summer sun should you choose to ignore your alarm clock.  Lesson learned.

this runner girl will toast to that!

It was indeed a day of celebration.  Yours truly turned a year YOUNGER and managed to stay in her women’s age group division for race day registration!  Thanks to my wonderful beau, the celebration was even more amazing when he ordered an Italian Red, “Brunello di Montalcino.”  This runner girl was in heaven.  I got to thinking:  with the extra caloric intake, was there any benefits to be had?  I, being the practical runner, can quite easily ruin a perfectly scrumptious dessert or bottle of wine by succumbing to thoughts of nutrition and calories.  Well not this night!  Luckily from the research done a few days prior (from a spontaneous early birthday celebration, because one can never celebrate too much) I was able to feel pretty good about my love of red wine.

A recent article in my favorite magazine, “Runner’s World” showed the mounting evidence that moderate alcohol consumption for athletes offers some real health benefits.  And red wine takes the win.  (Beware, next paragraph is somewhat boring.)

“A Harvard Medical School study found that the cholesterol-fighting antioxidant resveratrol, present only in red wine, produces the same life-lengthening effects as calorie reduction. Other research has determined that red wine is full of flavonoids, which are antioxidants that lower the risk of heart disease. And scientists at the University of California-Davis have recently discovered plant compounds called saponins in wine that block the body’s absorption of cholesterol. Nearly half the average daily intake of saponins is present in a single glass of red wine (white wine contains less), and the higher a wine’s alcohol content, the more saponins it provides.”  For runners, a glass of wine can take the edge off of tired, achy legs.  While not improving strength, it offers psychological benefits and calm pre-race jitters.  Deena Kastor drank a glass of wine the night before taking the bronze in Athens.  However, all research states the obvious that the key is moderation.

And here’s something even better:  A real life application that has me chomping at the bit!  Every year, 8000 marathoners run their 26.2 miles as they sip red wine offered at the water stops!  Where could this fantastic event be held?  Non other than the Medoc Marathon in Bordeaux.  The course winds through 59 of France’s most prized vineyards and elegant chateaus.  It doesn’t end there.  The aid stations forgo sports drinks and offer up Lafite Rothschild!  Winners take home the prize purse of more wine than they can carry.  Runner girl knows where her next marathon will be!  The additional affirmation added to my weekly training:  “Pace yourself.”  Seems fitting.

Back to the close of my birthday evening:  All of the celebration of course led to finishing off the lovely bottle with a keepsake cork as a token from the evening.  The rest of the night?  Well, what’s a girl to do with such fine company as her fella!

marketing at it’s finest

Most of the time, I hate commercials.  They’re loud and obnoxious and they’re made that way on purpose.  The mission?  To reach the masses with a lower consciousness–and it works.  We believe what we’re told and we buy things we don’t need (I’ll just leave out my opinion regarding the greater agenda:  propaganda and rubbish!)  However, once in awhile an advertisement is just good.  This morning, I was marketed so I thought I’d share the message.  I’m pretty sure most runners will get a kick out of this one:

“NO ONE HAS EVER BEEN HUMBLED BY JOGGING.  If all we want to do is feel good about ourselves, jogging is the ticket.  It doesn’t challenge us.  It doesn’t test us.  It doesn’t exact a physical or psychological toll.  Worst case scenario is, jogging may cause mild perspiration on color-coordinated sweat suits.  But if we’re willing to push ourselves into uncharted territory, a place littered with broken bodies and remnants of the human psyche, running may be what we’re looking for.  Without question, it dishes out more heaping helpings of humble pie than any sport we know of.  Little wonder that so few people have the testicular fortitude to lace up and run like an animal.”  Pearl Izumi.

Could it be said any better?  I think not.

The picture above are my elite Russian runner friends.  They loved the ad…