Getting Faster Without Running: part 2

With (hopefully) just a few days left in my walking boot, but many days to come until I can run again, I'm still focusing on my critical nonessentials to prepare me for my comeback. Last week I waxed somewhat poetically about sleep and nutrition, and today I'm focusing on more specific and purposeful running-related advantages.

When I'm healthy, one of the best things I can do for myself is to practice yoga regularly. I'm lucky that I have free yoga classes at my school and that I have a great rapport with the instructor, who is also a colleague and friend. Yoga is great for a number of reasons, and you can choose which you want to focus on in your time on the mat. If I'm particularly tired from running or burnt out from work, I can use yoga to recharge and refocus, and the practice becomes less about the poses and more about the intentions. I can really unplug and let go of stress, tensions or worries. Other days, I want my yoga to help me become stronger or more flexible. I've made great progress with crow pose and headstand, although sometimes it feels like I'm still just a beginner. Yoga is very humbling and can be a perfect antidote to competitive running because you truly can't compare yourself to others. Sometimes, even just turning your head to look at someone else's pose can mess up your alignment and cause neck and spinal damage; you just need to look inward. I haven't been doing yoga since being in my boot but I'm looking forward to moving a little more freely and confidently very soon!

Some preseason flow

One of the least considered critical nonessentials is the compression sock. In fact, when I was getting my USATF coaching certification, I suggested compression socks as a recovery method and the other coaches were very surprised. I swear by compression socks, for both during and after a workout.  They help to drain your legs of "dirty" blood and get fresh blood pumping and restoring. I have a pair of fancy, neon compression socks but I also have $9 airplane compression socks that I bought at Walmart. I've been wearing a compression sock on my bad leg for the past month because it helps reduce swelling. Now I can finally see my ankle bone! Another great perk of compression socks is that they simply look fly.  They may not make me a faster runner merely because I'm wearing them but there is definitely some placebo effect when I put them on. If I look fast, and I feel fast, then I am fast. How's that for a new motto?

Don't knock these things until you've tried them, but at the same time, you should probably be running instead of reading this or browsing Running Warehouse for new socks. If I can't run, at least one of us should be logging miles. Get out there already!

Getting Faster Without Running: part 1

This past week we've experienced some beautiful days here in Connecticut, and all I've wanted to do is head out for a nice 6-mile run. Unfortunately I'm still in my walking boot and my leg is still on the mend, so I have to find other ways to satiate my desire to run. And although I have a long time until I'll be able to run, whatever I can do now to get and stay healthy and fit will help speed my recovery process down the line. Along the way, I heard someone call these things the "critical nonessentials," actions you can take that aren't essential to making you faster (only by running will you run faster/farther/whatever), but you will become a much stronger and more balanced person and athlete by taking the time to do all of these. Often the difference between a mediocre runner and a truly successful runner is not the running, but rather what he or she does off the track. Since I won't be blogging about my running any time soon, I'm going to spend the next couple of posts giving my professional and personal opinions about other aspects of the sport.

Today: sleep and nutrition.

I would argue that most important thing you can do besides running is to get enough sleep. Sleep is key for recovery as well as tackling the next hard workout. I'm no scientist so I'm not going to preach about how impaired you become after x-number of hours of sleep, but when your cognitive functioning goes down, so does your reaction time. Think about that next time you're running on a road with no shoulder and the car doesn't swerve fast enough! I love naps (and cats, coincidence?) but naps don't really take the place of a good night's sleep. For better or for worse I am a night owl and do my best work/lesson planning/Pinteresting after dark. I usually get to bed around midnight and wake up around 7:30. My body hates this, though. I am one of those people who needs a minimum of 8 hours of sleep, or I start to feel like I've been hit by a bus. I should be going to bed earlier, especially because hours of sleep before midnight are more valuable than those after midnight. Sleeping 2 AM to 10 AM is definitely not the same as sleeping 11 PM to 7 AM, wouldn't you agree? The other important aspect of sleep that I wholeheartedly ascribe to is the idea of a 2 day sleep cycle. When we were racing Saturdays in college, I would always get my best night's sleep on a Thursday and worry less about the night before. I remind my runners now about that as well, and it's just generally an important consideration for leading a healthy and balanced life. Many of my colleagues rely on strong coffee to get through the day, but I would rather be energized by a good night's sleep than by a caffeinated hot cup.

Another easy way to improve any sort of performance is to eat better and with more purpose. I don't necessarily "eat clean," (whatever that even means) and I don't eat paleo or low-fat or ascribe to any diet. Again, I'm not registered dietitian, but I do know about macro- and micronutrients and recognize that what I put into my body is not purely for my enjoyment. Ideally I enjoy my vegetables and fruit, eat protein (I keep kosher so this often means no meat), and incorporate whole grains. But I always eat dessert. And some days I eat two servings of mac and cheese and ice cream for dinner. Whatever! I always make sure to eat enough calories. I get crabby and tired when I don't eat enough and who wants that? Not eating will not make me skinnier and will not make me faster; for me it is just not worth it. I do take a multivitamin for "nutritional insurance" but I would so much rather reap the benefits of nutrients from eating well than from a manufactured pill. I don't stress about what I eat too much because I know that at the end of the day, I have a surplus of healthy foods and enjoy my refined sugar desserts.

Some examples of homemade food that I enjoy:

Apple pie with hand picked, local apples

Whole wheat bagel with zucchini, green bean and goat cheese scramble

Homemade kale chips

Stay tuned for more critical nonessentials in the coming weeks. Up next: yoga and compression socks!

Reflection on 2013, or, amusing things I wrote in my running log

Looking back on 2013 there were a lot of ups and downs in terms of training. I went from struggling to just run in January 2013 due to a mystery medical condition and eventually taking time off when most of my runs were ending in me in the fetal position on the treadmill, to looking at racing my first post-collegiate track meet in January 2014.  It certainly was a bit of an extended transition year out of college, but luckily that lent itself to me writing some weird stuff in my running log. Below are some samples of what happens when I write like no one's reading...

1/9/13

Feeling nostalgic for the killer group 3 mid-distance workout that was happening today at Colby, so I did one on my own on the treadmill. 1x800m @ 2:45. Got some funny looks, completely warranted...

2/11/13

Treadmill run, lots of abdominal pain today. Feel like I've tried the "rest and get better" theory for long enough with zero success and will be reverting back to the “ignore all pain signals” method

3/10/13

Slept 5hrs, worked 10hrs, ran 10mi. Take that, DC Doghead hangover...

3/22/13

Distractions prevented the execution of tonight's run.

3/27/13

Still not feeling the vibe at my new gym. Why would people annoy strangers with stupid conversations when they are clearly trying to work out? Meatheads.

4/2/2013 

Drove to Dundalk HS to try out their track….In other news, never returning to Dundalk EVER AGAIN, very sketchy.

5/20/13

the “no run – off” option should probably end in an exclamation point. Long day (6:40am-5:40pm) meant no running after work.

5/29/13

100% laziness. No regrets.

6/1/13

Wedding day run with Kat :) Hot and humid, saw some huge turkeys

10/2/13

Furlough day one (and only).

10/6/13 

No run: off!  Hansel, so hot right now.

11/1/13

unintentional tempo run. Suns out guns out on Nov 1st.!

11/2/13 

@NESCACS! Go Mules!

1/2/14

Nothing like starting out not-JanPlan with the infamous JanPlan repeat 800s workout all by yourself. Felt the cliff of the back of the treadmill on the last repeat as i drifted and faded away (that I had turned into a 400, which therefore turned into a 300). I'm getting too familiar with that emergency stop button, but at least it's fast.

2013 had too few CCXC reunions for my liking, hopefully 2014 can have more like this 10 mile relay race we did in August. 

The December That Wasn't

At the beginning of the month, I was excited to start upping my running a bit and get back into shape before I tackled my first marathon. Midway through the month, I had some inspired runs in Central Park and got to meet a coach whose philosophy on running and training clicked with me. After the coaching clinic I emailed him for help running my first marathon, my "debut," if you will. I was going to title this post "Stop...Treadmill time" because so many of my RunStreak runs had been inside and after dark. I was hoping to run between my boyfriend's parents' houses on Christmas Day, a nice 8 mile, head and stomach clearing jaunt between all the gluttony and sloth of the holidays. I was going to continue with my Run Streak all the way to New Years Day...and then I broke my leg.

And then the Run Streak stopped

As my cousin described it, I tried to "ice skate without skates." I simply fell while walking and did some pretty bad damage. I broke my fibula, probably sprained my ankle, and kissed those marathon debut dreams goodbye. Luckily I was on the edge of winter vacation so I've spent the last two weeks at home on the couch catching up on new and old TV shows. My friends and family have been awesome about taking care of me, even my angsty teen brother.

It's definitely been hard not moving at all over the break, and seeing other people's pictures from runs or a beautiful day outside makes me miss the ability to lace up and get out even for an easy run. My right calf is already noticeably atrophied and I know that it's going to be a long and slow process getting back to even be able to run. I'm currently still on crutches but extremely hopefully that I can just be in my walking boot before I get back to school. It's scary how much I'm looking forward to going for a walk. The marathon plan is definitely off the table for the spring, and likely for 2014 all together. Depending on my recovery, I'll shoot for a 5 or 10k in the spring to have something doable as a goal. But for the moment, I'm looking forward to that New Years Eve cheese platter and the day I can wear shoes on both of my feet.

Wishing everyone a happy, healthy and fast New Year!

Rachel "yoga pants for days" Runner

Concrete Jungle Where (Coaching) Dreams Are Made

One of the biggest perks of my job is that they support continuing education and professional development, in and out of the classroom. I have attended a number of seminars and conferences on teaching already in my year and half at the school. Last year, when I was visiting other private schools, I noticed that one of the cross country coaches was USATF certified and got it into my head that I wanted to obtain that certification as well. It was a long process but I finally accomplished it: USATF membership, an online course on fundamentals training and then this weekend a 22-hour coaching education level 1 certification course.

The course was awesome, and way better than I imagined. Although we spent plenty of time on horizontal jump approaches and the blocking position for throws (which I'm still not sure I understand), we covered so many topics that will definitely help me coach and train better. Obviously the endurance section was the most helpful for learning about drills and running-specific recovery, but I also nerded out during the training theory, physiology and biomechanics sections. One of the biggest points I took away from the course was the importance of multilateral training. I'd heard about this concept before but now I understand why it's so important. Basically, there are five biomotor training components that athletes* should constantly and consistently be addressing in their training: Strength, Speed, Endurance, Flexibility and Coordination. The integration of all of these practices into one's training is crucial to success. I've already expressed on this blog that I often eschew speed work and put off my lifts. I knew that I shouldn't and that I should always strive for a more well-rounded training plan, but now I have to practice what I preach. Fortunately, I already coach this way, and reviewing my training plans from the past xc seasons has shown me that between dynamic mobility, strides, long runs, strength circuits, etc, my girls are pretty well prepared. I base my coaching on how I was coached at Colby, and Deb definitely knew her stuff. I'm grateful for a coach who trained us as well rounded athletes.

*Speaking of athletes, another great takeaway from the course is that as coaches, we want to train athletes who run marathons/10k/800m/etc, rather than a marathoner/10k runner/800 runner. Being generally strong, flexible, coordinated, fast and enduring in any event or sport is infinitely better than being confined to one specific race because of your training. Do we need to go into why? Glad we're all clear on that.

Aside from spending 22 hours in an elementary school auditorium, I was able to get in some touristy moments as well. I ran (and took selfies) in Central Park both days, once during sunrise which was pretty neat. For a decidedly country mouse, running in the city was a fun change of pace. I still don't like waiting at crosswalks, but I saw so many people running and that was really refreshing. The whole gamut of runners were out, especially on Sunday. I passed a bunch of ladies waddling in their yoga pants and jackets, and then definitely got lapped by some Columbia runners out for a workout. It was exciting and motivating, and had I not been so exhausted from the work week and the demands of the weekend, I would have stayed in the park for hours.

While I was not running or learning about running, the boyfriend and I got out to explore the city a little bit. We ate at Chinese, Italian and Cuban restaurants and saw the Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center. We also visited with a good friend and saw her new apartment. We did a lot of walking and exploring. I've always been and will always be a Boston girl, but it was a weekend well spent in the city that never sleeps.

Rachel "Level 1" Runner

A tale of two turkey trots (Part 2)

Confession time: I got cold feet...

…literally and figuratively. I didn't run my turkey trot this Thanksgiving. I signed up a few days before Thanksgiving, but in reality, I hadn't been running a lot, I was unprepared to deal with the cold, and to top it all off, I got sick. Even though I wasn't feeling well the night before, I planned to race and I even had my racing clothes all laid out. But on Thanksgiving morning, I wasn't up for it. I'm going to be honest: part of me was afraid of racing when I knew I wasn't ready. But a part of me was actually not ready. I made the right choice not to run, but since Robyn and I had already named our blog posts "A tale of two turkey trots," I knew that I'd have to report back here. In the end, my entry fee helped support a local food bank so all was not lost.

Feeling bummed that I couldn't follow through on my turkey trot, I've rededicated myself to running. During the holiday season when it's often hard to stay motivated and people worry about overeating, Runner's World sponsors a run streak, where runners run at least 1 mile every day between Thanksgiving and New Years. I'm in on this, and hopefully it will keep me outside in the cold while I build some milage before my spring training cycle starts.

To kick off my run streak, I needed to get a little silly. I wanted to conquer the cold, but unfortunately I hadn't brought enough layers to stay warm on my run. So I threw together the silliest outfit I could find with a little help from my family,  and headed out for a photo shoot with my dad pre-run.

Pictured here: Mizuno Wave Riders, my mom's old Smartwool socks, my new Oiselle Lesley Knicker, my brother's oversized soccer warm up top, and my team's new headband. I looked ridiculous but it gave me enough giggles to get in a good run. I ended up ditching the top layer less than a mile into the run. The general rule of thumb for cold-weather running is to dress for up to 20 degrees warmer than it feels. I've known this forever, but I needed a reminder that the cold isn't that bad or intolerable. This was a great run on some of my favorite trails and it completely set me straight for the rest of the month.

Going forward, I'm excited to say that I think I've picked a marathon training plan and a marathon for the spring! I'm thinking the Cox Providence Marathon in early May. It's a fast and flat course, not too far from me and it has pacers. This is an important aspect for me for my first marathon, so that I'm not running for hours and hours on my own. The training plan I've picked is a Hal Higdon program. It's the Intermediate 1 plan. There's no speed work, but the long runs get up to 20 miles. Since this will be my first attempt, I'm going to focus on just finishing, and then I can reassess to see how my training can help me get to the next level.

So even though Thanksgiving was almost a complete bust, I haven't given up. I'm not a speed work kind of gal, so I would much rather stick to a plan that has me running far than fast. Especially for a marathon, I have to be committed and willing to do the work. For now, I'm just building up my base of miles, but on January 1st it's go time.

Happy holidays and happy running!

Rachel "loves all kinds of streaking" Runner

A tale of two turkey trots (Part 1)

Twas the eve before Thanksgiving and 60 degree rain poured about, an unseasonably warm day in New Hampshire, no doubt. The racing flats were placed in the entryway with care, in hopes that the cold front would stop in midair.

Unfortunately, no amount of thanksgiving-tainted Christmas poetry could change the weather forecast for the turkey trot that I raced this year. Back in August I had decided that my long-term goal would be to break 5 minutes in the mile by the time I turned 25. At the time I had just taken nearly a month off of running to study for the GRE and apply to PhD programs (and escape the Baltimore summer heat), so I was in desperate need of an aerobic base. I thought the best - and most motivating - way to get mileage up was to train for a 5K. Last year I ran the Portsmouth Turkey Trot with my family. My mom was in a neck brace but took it off to run. My dad had thrown out his back the day before but ran anyway. I had done about one speedwork in the past three months but still managed to set a road 5K PR. My brother bailed on us but we gave him crap for the past 365 days so he ran it in 2013. This year he's in the midst of a 50 day running streak. They make me look a little more normal, huh?

This year, I had hoped to be in (just barely) sub-19 shape, which would be a roughly 25 second PR from my track 5K. Based on my speedwork I feel like I have the fitness to at least attempt sub-19 right now. I worked my repeat 800's down from 3:00 to 2:53ish (which was my criteria for "in shape") and in my tapering 400 workouts I was consistently 75-77 on my own and not on a track, also a good sign. Therefore, it was rather disappointing that the weather decided to work against me at this turkey trot. Not that I'm making excuses, I'm still happy with the 20:23 that I ended up running, but something about 20 degree weather with 25mph winds doesn't make for a fast day. It came down to frozen limbs and lungs holding me back, but I still managed to pull out an age group win meaning I walked away with a Dunks gift card and a necklace from a local jeweler. Not a bad outcome by any measure.

My crazy family:

Kevin: (the guy in the "LOCO" singlet, center, with me off his shoulder) 

Refuses to run in pants. Ever. 

If it's minus 10 degrees he wears two pairs of shorts.

Linda: (on right) My 54 year old mother who finished only 30 seconds behind me and won her age group.

Mickel: (center, LOCO singlet) My dad and exercise-induced asthma partner-in-crime.

Me: Competing with the turkey mascot for puffiest outfit of the day.

I ran track with Rachel (middle) in high school.

Until next time,
Robyn "Doesn't like cold but is from NH" Runner