some of you asked me to share my race day playlist.  remember, don't hold it against me if you find one (or many) of the songs offensive!!  whatever it takes to get me through 13 miles!  i would love for you all to share yours too.  if you want to hear snipits of each song, you can go to itunes and type in the song and it will play you about 30 seconds of it.  here goes:

Need You Now- Lady Antebellum

You Found Me- The Fray

She's Country- Jason Aldean

Street Corner Preacher- Amos Lee

SexyBack- Justin Timberlake

Girlfriend- Avril Lavigne

Southern Girl- Amos Lee

She's Everything- Brad Paisley

Do Somethin'- Britney Spears

Ms. New Booty- Bubba Sparxxx

Dem Jeans- Chingy

If There's Love- Citizen Cope

Always Be My Baby- David Cook

Like I Love You- Justin Timberlake

Stay- Sugarland

Nuthin But a G Thang- Dr. Dre

Love Lockdown- Kanye West

Bawitaba- Kid Rock

Closer- Kings of Leon

Shake That- Eminem

Elevator- Flo Rida

Crazy Bitch- Buckcherry

How We Operate- Gomez

Friday Night- G Love and Special Sauce

Go Faster- Black Crowes

Somethings Gotta Give- John Butler Trio

Breakin' Me- Johnny Lang

Don't Stop Believin'- Journey

Chop Me Up- Justin Timberlake

Be Somebody- Kings of Leon

Heartless- Kris Allen

Stand By My Woman- lenny Kravitz

Ride With Me- Nelly

Salute your Solutions- Raconteurs

Send Me on My Way- Rusted Root

By Your Side- Sade

Swing- Savage and Solja Boy

Sweet Honey- Slightly Stoopid

Rich Woman- Alison Krauss and Robert Plant

Live Like you Were Dying- Tim McGraw

Dirty Little War- Will Hoge

ok, that's about 3 hours worth of music!!!  lots of slower type songs with faster ones mixed in- this is what i have found works best for me.

thoughts?  songs that you love to run to???

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i've spoken with many of you over the past week and it seems a lot of you have the training blah's.  this is perfectly normal at this point in training.  we've worked our tails off for weeks and the race still feels like it's forever away.  we know the problem but what can we do about it?

well, last week was kind of a slacker week.  we didn't have any drills or long weekday runs.  this was set up in the program this way for this very reason- usually two-thirds of the way into a training program people start to slack off a little so rather than missing any crucial workouts, i incorporated a bit of a slacker week.  it's funny though, what used to be a really hard week for us is now our allotted "slacker week."  (of course i'm not talking about our long run!)

we've talked about fatigue alot over the last few weeks.  we're running over 20 miles per week which can be tiring.  we're getting up at the crack of dawn to do it.  we're just plain tired!  we've lost some of our runners due to random injuries, people are running at different times so the group is small a lot of days, and many of you are feeling like you don't have anyone to run with.  our paces are different and everyone is getting really spread out on long runs.  maybe boredom is setting in.  we've worked hard for 7 weeks (and those of you who started with the "Couch" program- for 16 weeks!) so, the fact that the race is still in a month, makes it feel like it will never get here.

it is completely normal to feel all of these things but it's now time to re-focus.  we can't look back now.  you have to set your sights on the race- it's 4 weeks away!!  let this excite you!  we only have 3 more really tough weeks of training left.  challenge yourself!  have fun with it!  make weekly goals for yourself- run a certain pace, not miss any runs, enjoy the runs, run with someone new- whatever it takes.  we've come so far and you all have worked SO hard.  don't let the blah's get the best of you!

don't worry about what other people are doing.  remember, this is your race and your training.  if there's ever a time to start working on your mental toughness, it's now!  it's time to get serious about your training again. 

like i said, it's completely normal to start feeling this way when training has been tough but tomorrow is a new day and a new training week.  get up, shake it out, knock of the cobwebs, and get going.  focus, focus, focus!  let's get to this race strong and happy!!!

***star

we're far enough along in our training now that there's a lot of debate over how long your longest run should be.  there's no real right or wrong answer.  there are, however, suggestions and recommendations that i can make as your running coach.

there are several different theories behind the longest long run- your mental strength will carry you regardless of your training, your training has been tough enough that your race will seem a little easier, or your just prepared enough.  i, personally, am more interested in preparing myself rather than depending on my mental strength to carry me through.  i will certainly pull to that throughout the race but i will also go into the race knowing that i worked my butt off to get there!

the programs that i designed for each of you are designed to prepare you for the race by challenging you during the week and on the weekends.  there are programs out there (i.e. -hal higdon novice program) that only call for 10 miles as your longest run.  however, there are many more (i.e.- hal higdon intermediate, jeff galloway, running planet, nike training, etc) that call for 12 - 13 miles as your longest training run.  this is where i put us.  even though most of the group are novice runners, i have trained enough different ways to know that putting a little more into your training will make it easier on you physically and mentally come race day.  keep in mind, there are plenty of half marathon programs that even have you do 14 or so miles as your longest run but usually for plans like this, your main focus is your speed.  we certainly don't need to do this.......maybe for our next race though

so, with that being said, how long should our longest run be?  i think at this point it's time for me to really help individualize this for you.  i would like to see everyone get to at least 11, unless you are nursing an injury.  in this case, we will work on a different plan for you for the next 3 weeks. the rest of you- you will not harm yourself by going to 12 or 13!  as i said, most training plans call for this, however, you have to be careful about how you do it.  make sure your next 2 long runs are at a very comfortable pace, even stopping for walk breaks when necessary.  i know some of you don't want to do 13 until race day so you feel that sense of accomplishment for the first time there- that's fine.  other's of you feel that in order to be mentally prepared on race day you need to have done 13 before.  that's fine too!

here's to the long runs AND our mental strength to carry us through! 

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so, i went back to the acupuncturist yesterday for a follow-up appointment.  interesting, to say the least!  i went in not sure what to expect or what i should be feeling or not feeling after last week.  i am a stickler for following rules......pretty much so i can prove you right or wrong, so i spent the past week doing all the things she asked of me.

i heated instead of iced.  i wore heat patches on my knees.  i walk around with a heating pad strapped to my knee.  i coat myself in warming tiger balm to the point that our entire house smells like "a dirty hippie" as keith would say.  so, for the most part, i did everything that was asked of me.

here's where i went wrong though- i had a catch in my neck last week and by friday night it was pretty bad.  i told keith i was a little nervous about the long run saturday because the slightest thing to cause your form to be off can really enhance an injury.  i am, however, really stubborn so saturday morning i thought it would disappear on it's own.  about 2 miles in i knew this was going to be a bad run for me!  my form was off, my right shoulder was tight and higher than my left, i spent the whole time running and trying to massage my neck.  needless to say, all of this caused me to have a very unnatural form and my knees (and right hip- which is a totally new pain!) just couldn't do it.

bad run!!  i was reminded by dorchelle of my own previous post about bad runs though.  so, as annoyed as i was, i still didn't beat myself up about stopping at 9 miles instead of 11.  this is just an aside, but so what that i had a bad run.  i'm ok with that and just hoping for a good run this week!

back to the acupuncture- so i went in and had to explain to her that i did everything she said but i also ran 9 miles with horrible form and a catch in my neck and now have serious right hip pain and both knees are killing me!  uh oh!  not what she wanted to hear.  as much as i want to put all of you in a little bubble so you'll stop hurting yourselves doing random things, i'm sure she had the same thought about me.

she really focused on my knees again.  i have "serious tracking issues" and an "IT band so tight it feels like it might snap in half."  oh goodie.  she REALLY got into the IT band and used the electrodes to work on trying to get my muscles to track properly.  it is truly the strangest feeling.  i have to say, there were 2 spots that were quite sensitive when she put the needle in.  it felt a little more like a stabbing than a "putting in."  i'm ok with that though- if that's what it takes.  so i layed there with tons of needles from my toes to my thighs, in both hands and even in my neck (for the neck pain i'm still having!).  then it all starts to happen- my muscles were twitching and "tracking" - crazy feeling!  it really seems to work and makes sense though. 

we didn't do anything for the digestive system this time and i can honestly say now that it works.  i didn't have any of the weird tummy feelings during this session like i did last time when we focused on that so it must work!!

i'm back to heating and am sitting here smelling like a huge tub of tiger balm as i type.  so when i go back next week i'm hoping i will have done everything right and will have seen some improvement.  i'll keep you posted!

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i had an interesting experience today that i thought i would share...my first acupuncture visit.  some of you may have done this before but not me.  i'm a total newbie, a little bit of a skeptic, and completely opposed to needles.  i pronounce myself a weird candidate for this but decided i would give it a shot.

a little bit about why i went- i went for my knees- meniscus damage in my left knee and runners knee with severe inflammation in my right knee.  i'm unwilling, at this time, to go back to the ortho because i don't want to be told to stay off of it.  i feel like there is bound to be other solutions out there.  they can't just say "rest" for every single injury.  right?!  i'm not saying my way is right; it's just my way!

so, back to today- i go in and we talk about all of my past injuries, current pains, sleep patterns, digestive health, asthma, and so forth.  i have been having headaches and when i showed her where it hurts she said "oh, you have digestive issues."  was this a lucky guess?  i don't know, but she was right!  i've had digestive issues since i was in junior high.  ok, that's 1 point for her.  of course, this isn't why i went in, but we might as well address all of my problems (fortunately i don't have many). 

i lay back and she starts putting the needles in.  it hurt but really just like a prick so no big deal.  i didn't look but i could feel each place she put a needle.  this went by really fast.  then she put some electrodes on my right knee and put my legs under a heat lamp.  she covered my upper body with a blanket and then left to let me relax.  relax?!?!?

i figured i might be sore from how tense i was holding my body.  i kept telling myself to relax but after i leaned up and saw all the needles from my toes to my thigh and fingers to my elbow i was a little weirded out.  i just wished i had a camera.  however, if i had i wouldn't have been able to take a picture because i couldn't move my arms!  i tried to move my arm to scratch an itch and felt like someone sent shock waves through my whole body.  apparently you have to stay really still!!  as weird as it was, i'm fascinated by it and can't wait to see what kind of results i have.

so, the even more interesting thing that we talked about is that i need to quit icing my knee so much.  she says this restricts blood flow, which i know, but that i'm not giving it enough time to heal between icings.  i'm told to use heat on it several times a day and rub warming tiger balm or some type of heat lotion on it also.  i have strict orders not to ice.  i left her office and went straight to rite aid where i bought a heat pack and disposable heat patches.  i have to tell you though, i went straight home with plans to heat, put the pack in the microwave and it blew up!  so, another trip to rite aid and another heat pack, i'm about to try it again.

i'm completely freaked out by the idea of not icing it after my runs but i'm going to follow her orders to a tee and see what happens.  i go back next tuesday so i'll let you know!

acupuncture stories from any of you?

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i talked a little about this in an email last week but would like to discuss it in a little more detail...fatigue.

it's highly likely you are feeling completely wiped out, either after or during hard runs.  you need to take time to make sure you're fueling properly before, during, and after runs and also getting enough sleep.

i have been completely exhausted after our wednesday and saturday runs.  i shouldn't be because i know better but i having really been practicing what i preach.  for the past 2 weeks i haven't eaten enough after a run, haven't had enough water throughout the day, haven't really fueled properly on hard runs, and certainly haven't gotten enough sleep.

i am usually a stickler about all of this but ever since my little vacation i've been a little off.  well, i'm back on.  all it takes is 2 weeks of pure exhaustion to get you back on track, right?!  so, what am i going to do exactly?

well, for starters, i am back to drinking enough water.  water is all i drink but sometimes i start to feel like i may just float away so i rebel for a few days.  not anymore!  make sure you're getting AT LEAST 8 glasses of water a day.  more than likely, this is not nearly enough though.  if your urine is anything but really pale, you're not getting enough water.  if you drink coffee, coke, or whatever, that's fine but add in a water for each of these "extra" drinks.

i'm also back to fueling on runs.  like i've said before, i've never done this but i decided this time i'm going to give it a shot and see if it will keep me from hitting the wall at 10 miles.  saturday, i ate 2 FRS chews about 10 minutes before the run (i had also had a piece of an energy bar about an hour before) and i ate 2 more at about 5 miles.  i felt pretty good but probably could have taken in more and felt better.  again, this is just something you're going to have to play with.  if you've noticed you're feeling particulary tired at a certain point in a run, take in some type of calories before you hit that point- either in a sports drink, candy, chew, goo...whatever.

after our last 2 long runs (8 and 7), i came home, drank a glass of water, maybe ate a little bit of an energy bar, started on bloody mary's and was completely wiped out!  not only that, but i was starving all day and all day the next day.  i know better!!!  this saturday, i left the run, ate a chicken biscuit (just happens to be what i was craving!) within about 40 minutes, drank 3 glasses of water, ate another bite of an energy bar when i felt like i was getting hungry, and then had a very normal day.  getting the protein and carbs in my body BEFORE i was feeling exhausted is what kept me going for the rest of the day.  this is a must!!  don't wait too long regardless of how you feel.  you may even feel a little nauseaus if you eat but you need to eat anyway.  force yourself to get something in your system- and make sure it's not just empty calories!  really focus on getting the protein and carb balance.

and for sleep..........well, i really love to sleep but, for whatever reason, i'm not very good at it.  i'm a really light sleeper so i never feel fully rested but i've decided (back to pampering ourselves from the last post!) that i'm no longer going to feel bad if i need to take a nap.  if you're feeling really tired, try to find at least 30 minutes to lay down and take a nap- even if this means when you get home from work at 6 pm.  more than likely you're not going to get in bed any sooner than you normally do, even when you're tired, so take the quick nap!

if you have any questions about any of this stuff, just ask!!  OR, if any of you have any great tips that work for you, please share!!!

***star

we are far enough along in these runs to start really taking some time to pamper ourselves.  you may have figured it out by now but we are running in excess of 20 miles a week.  that's alot!  your body will start to let you know that it's alot.

when i first started running, i had a friend tell me to really take the time to pamper my feet while training and i thought it sounded kind of silly.  it's not silly.  i ignored this really good advice and ended up losing a toenail.  now, you may lose toenails, have toenails turn black, have blisters, etc. regardless of what you do but you can do alot to reduce the possibility of some of this stuff happening.

this may sound like common sense but i doubt many of you are taking the time to do it.  make sure you're keeping your toenails trimmed pretty short.  take the time to massage your feet.  put lotion on them at night and put socks on- the heat will help any of your calluses soften up.  if you're dealing with blisters you may want to look at a different pair of socks.

moving up from your feet- your legs.  again, we need to spend a little time pampering them.  if you don't want to take the time to get a massage or spend the money, massage yourself.  take a rolling pin (or something similar) and really massage front and back.  spend some time stretching.  take a hot bath.  all of this will help loosen you up.

you may also find that your upper body is a little tense from all this running.  again, a massage or hot bath will do you wonders!

running isn't easy and training certainly isn't easy.  if it were, we wouldn't all feel so accomplished!! 

***star

i'm sure most of you have heard by now that 3 people died in the Detroit Marathon last weekend.  the news of this has caused a lot of buzz around the gym.  autopsies turned out inconclusive on all 3, but it has been stated by friends and family of all that the three men were healthy and well trained for the race.  so, why did it happen?  who really knows.  last year, olympian hopeful Ryan Shay died during the trials.  it shocked the world and has yet to be explained.

i have been researching running and heart attacks for the past few days and i didn't really find any (conclusive) answers but i found some interesting information i wanted to share.  i didn't find much on heart issues and half marathoners but there is plenty out there on heart issues and full marathoners:

Most important by far: Regular running and other forms of vigorous activity can reduce your overall risk of a serious heart attack by up to 50 percent. This extends into the days-weeks-months-years-and-even-decades to come. Everyone dies, but regular exercisers live more healthy, active years. They also have fewer strokes, less diabetes, and less high blood pressure, to name just a few "lifestyle diseases".
Source: American Journal of Clinical Nutrition

Slightly scary: Notwithstanding the above, your risk of a heart attack increases by about 7x during the actual minutes and hours of a running workout. When the heart beats harder, it's more likely to suffer an electrical or artery (cholesterol) event than when it rests.
Source: Journal of the American Medical Association

Slightly better news: Among individuals who have a heart attack while exercising, the mostly sedentary are 50x more likely to have an attack than those who exercise regularly (five times a week). In other words, if you never exercise but go out one snowy morning to shovel the sidewalks, beware! On the other hand, if you exercise regularly, you'll have much less risk while shoveling, or chasing a bus or performing any other vigorous behavior.
Source: New England Journal of Medicine

Conclusion: You're damned if you do (exercise), because every workout carries a small, transient risk. However, you're much more damned if you don't (exercise), because you're far more likely to suffer from heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, and similar lifestyle diseases.


DEATHS IN MARATHON RACES:

Three large studies have been conducted on heart-attack deaths in marathons. The findings:

Twin Cities Study: In a three-decade study at the Twin Cities and Marine Corps Marathons, there have been 7 heart-attack deaths among 525,700 total runners. That's a risk of 1 death per 75,100 runners.
Source: Journal of the American College of Cardiology. Updated stats from author.

London Study: In a similar study at the London Marathon, there have been 8 heart-attack deaths among 712,000 total runners. That's a risk of 1 death per 89,000 marathoners.
Source: Direct communication from study author.

Toronto Study: In a bigger but less-well-controlled study by a Toronto-based doctor, there were 26 heart-attack deaths among 3,292,000 American runners who competed in 750 different marathons over the past 30 years. That's a risk of 1 death per 126,000 runners.
Source: British Medical Journal

here's a link to a great article- i was going to post some excerpts but really found the whole article to be interesting so here's the link instead:  http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/09/30/phys-ed-how-do-marathons-affect-your-heart/

basically, what i have found is that running is good for you no matter how you look at it.  it strengthens your heart which is a muscle, lowers blood pressure, lowers cholesterol, etc.  if, however, you have any concerns about your heart health or general health, call your physician and have him check you out!

here's to heart health and safe running!

***star

i'm sure most of you have heard by now that 3 people died in the Detroit Marathon last weekend.  the news of this has caused a lot of buzz around the gym.  autopsies turned out inconclusive on all 3, but it has been stated by friends and family of all that the three men were healthy and well trained for the race.  so, why did it happen?  who really knows.  last year, olympian hopeful Ryan Shay died during the trials.  it shocked the world and has yet to be explained.

i have been researching running and heart attacks for the past few days and i didn't really find any (conclusive) answers but i found some interesting information i wanted to share.  i didn't find much on heart issues and half marathoners but there is plenty out there on heart issues and full marathoners:

Most important by far: Regular running and other forms of vigorous activity can reduce your overall risk of a serious heart attack by up to 50 percent. This extends into the days-weeks-months-years-and-even-decades to come. Everyone dies, but regular exercisers live more healthy, active years. They also have fewer strokes, less diabetes, and less high blood pressure, to name just a few "lifestyle diseases".
Source: American Journal of Clinical Nutrition

Slightly scary: Notwithstanding the above, your risk of a heart attack increases by about 7x during the actual minutes and hours of a running workout. When the heart beats harder, it's more likely to suffer an electrical or artery (cholesterol) event than when it rests.
Source: Journal of the American Medical Association

Slightly better news: Among individuals who have a heart attack while exercising, the mostly sedentary are 50x more likely to have an attack than those who exercise regularly (five times a week). In other words, if you never exercise but go out one snowy morning to shovel the sidewalks, beware! On the other hand, if you exercise regularly, you'll have much less risk while shoveling, or chasing a bus or performing any other vigorous behavior.
Source: New England Journal of Medicine

Conclusion: You're damned if you do (exercise), because every workout carries a small, transient risk. However, you're much more damned if you don't (exercise), because you're far more likely to suffer from heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, and similar lifestyle diseases.


DEATHS IN MARATHON RACES:

Three large studies have been conducted on heart-attack deaths in marathons. The findings:

Twin Cities Study: In a three-decade study at the Twin Cities and Marine Corps Marathons, there have been 7 heart-attack deaths among 525,700 total runners. That's a risk of 1 death per 75,100 runners.
Source: Journal of the American College of Cardiology. Updated stats from author.

London Study: In a similar study at the London Marathon, there have been 8 heart-attack deaths among 712,000 total runners. That's a risk of 1 death per 89,000 marathoners.
Source: Direct communication from study author.

Toronto Study: In a bigger but less-well-controlled study by a Toronto-based doctor, there were 26 heart-attack deaths among 3,292,000 American runners who competed in 750 different marathons over the past 30 years. That's a risk of 1 death per 126,000 runners.
Source: British Medical Journal

here's a link to a great article- i was going to post some excerpts but really found the whole article to be interesting so here's the link instead:  http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/09/30/phys-ed-how-do-marathons-affect-your-heart/

basically, what i have found is that running is good for you no matter how you look at it.  it strengthens your heart which is a muscle, lowers blood pressure, lowers cholesterol, etc.  if, however, you have any concerns about your heart health or general health, call your physician and have him check you out!

here's to heart health and safe running!

***star

i didn't think we would have to discuss running in cold weather just yet, but i was wrong.  i checked the weather and i believe it's going to be in the low 40's for our run tomorrow!  yikes! 

what should you wear for these cold weather runs?  well, the most important thing to remember is that your body temperature will raise fairly quickly once you start running so make sure you dress in layers and for warmer temps.  the rule of thumb is to dress as if it's 10 degrees warmer than it actually is.

layers are great if you're like me.  i can't stand to be cold but i can't stand to be really hot when i run so i tend to layer.  it's good to wear some sort of dri-fit tank or tee as your base layer- whatever you've been wearing.  then you'll want to wear something warmer and long sleeve over the top.  if it gets too hot you can always tie it around your waist.  sometimes i will wear 3 layers but that's usually when it drops to 35 or lower. 

as far as bottoms, it's pretty much whatever you're comfortable in.  they make tons of running pants but if you have short legs like me, it's pretty impossible to find any that fit so i'm partial to the capris.  as long as your upper body is warm, you'll be ok with pretty much whatever on the bottom. 

hats, gloves, earpieces- again, this is up to you.  i, for one, can't stand gloves so i usually wear the running shirts that have the holes in the sleeves for your thumbs and just curl my hands up in there.  you may want an ear band or hat of some sort.

good running clothes make all the difference in the world.  make sure you're not so bulky that you can't move your arms or legs!!  layer, layer, layer!  remember, 10 degrees warmer...you'll be glad you're not dressed like an eskimo.

happy running!

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