Run Like a Mother!

Run Like a Mother! - Ragnar Relay 2013

Run Like a Mother ! 

That is what 11 other moms and I have committed to for 2013.

My 5 Month Plan

you know there always has to be one of these..

Put in the Miles - 10-15 miles a week.  Lot for me, not so for most others. 

Increase individual runs by 10% per week, while making every third week a easy week of maintenance of previous weeks pace and distance.

Hill Repeat Training.  Needed due to the Great River ...lots of hills I am told. Makes sense since we are running from Winona along the Mississippi River to St. Paul / Minneapolis.

Incorporate speed training, strength, and cross training (What my husband refers to as my "what should I do this week?" poking fun of my never ending jumping around from training to training) which we all know helps prevent the occurrence of overuse injuries.

Work in back to back runs in 24 hour period last 4-6 weeks before race with several nighttime runs thrown in. 

Need to run a few middle of the day, hot summer blacktop runs...to get used to the heat and figure out my re-hydration / glucose  strategy to prevent  "Hitting the Wall" due to dehydration or simply running out of fuel during the run.

For those who know me well will agree, my biggest hurdle will be to not get caught up in the excitement of the race and start any leg out too fast....

Just Race My Own Race 

&

Keep My Turtle Pace

Be Well

Looking Forward

It's fall, my favorite time of the year.  As I watch nature gracefully shed summer luster and reveal autumn's sheer beauty I can't help but think about what I have accomplished (or maybe not accomplished) this past year and start looking forward to what my next year's goals may be.

Looking back in 2012 at my professional life I marvel at how absolutely everyone on our project team pulled together and weathered quite the storm while bringing up multiple new systems for our labs.  This involved a lot of hard work, dedication, perseverance, countless hours, and some shedding of tears. But we did it and my hope is that we are better for it as this is still playing itself out.  (I know I have learned tons and feel I am in a better place.)  I am told by those who have gone before us that the first year is tough.  We are nearly half way there.

My fitness goals this year revolved around signing up and completing my first duathlon.  I had my sights set on the Iron Girl.  What I did not expect was what I would see when I got there.  On the road to Iron Girl I decided to sign up for one other duathlon, the Minneapolis Duathlon, to get my feet wet.  That race almost did not happen, but with the support of my family and them not allowing me to quit, I completed my first duathlon in sub 2 hours. Not bad for a newbie I guess.

At Iron Girl, although it was my second duathlon, I encountered a wonderful community of women who were all remarkable in their own way.  It is an incredible experience to be a part of an event where countless women with their own stories come together with the same end in sight, to complete the Iron Girl.  This was a 2 mile run and a 22.8 mile bike followed by another 2 mile run.  There were 1350 women registered for this event so imagine the energy and excitement that chilly September morning.  To be part of this event, to feel the camaraderie of so many positive women moving together towards a common goal and encouraging one another along the way, was inspiring .  As I stood at the finish line and listened to names of others as they crossed the finish line I could not help but feel happy and proud for each of them...such as the 71year old, the obviously expectant mother, or the cancer survivors.  It is impossible to describe, only thing I can say is how incredible the human spirit really is.

So as I look forward to 2013 I am thinking what next? Of course more duathlons are in store as I found I just love the bike portions of these races.  I have also fastened my eyes on finding a trail run, some century rides / races,  MTB'ing in Elm Creek and beyond, and maybe.... just MAYBe ...I may experiment with a beginner triathlon along the way even though I do not like to swim.  I guess that's how I step out of my box.  How about you?  What do you have in mind for 2013?

Be Well

For the Love of the DU

With just under four weeks to train for the Iron Girl I decided the goal for this years race would be to finish the race without injury and enjoy the journey.  My trainer instructed me to keep up with my weekly long rides on the hilly outer loop of Elm Creek, to do a brick once a week, and to run hard and fast for 2 miles once a week to work on improving my run time.  So that is what I did.

The funny thing is I do not consider my self an endurance athlete.  I have had it hardwired into my mind that any training that involves running for more than 30 minutes simply does not match up to what my physique goals are (maintaining muscle mass for my body type)...  Trying to maintain muscle and going out for a long run are contradictory to each other when it comes maintaining muscle due to how your body reacts to each.  But the Iron Girl race kinda, sorta fits in with my overall fitness goals as it has 2 runs which amount to a combined total time of around 30 minutes plus a longer bike portion which, although endurance in nature, also incorporates major muscle strength due to the nature of cycling by utilizing my friends  "Mad Maxx" and "Thunderdomes" ...AKA the gluteus maximus,  hamstrings, and quadriceps muscles.

Come race day I was more than pumped up.  I had waited so long for this race.  It was a really fun day.  Us old gals got to go out in the first waves, I was in wave two. I humored myself by thinking I am not that old, I am not the first wave.   It was amazing to see all the women , all 1350 of them.  That alone was pretty motivating.  The oldest woman was 72, the youngest 18.  It was very inspiring to see such a large group of active women in one place. It was a beautiful fall morning in September and the crisp fall air was refreshing but chilly. I ran the first leg in 15 minutes.  A PR for me.

Transitions to the bike felt pretty great.  The bike portion of the iron girl was 22.8 miles. This really was a hilly course.  At about mile six I realized I was in my small chain ring.  NO wonder I felt like Scooby Doo (feet spinning so fast and going nowhere)  on my bike, pedaling fast but not fast enough to keep up with the hill...opps.  Once I slide my bike into the big chain it was a much smoother ride.  The one thing I have found with both Du races this summer is that I love the bike portion, it rocks! But also that these other chics get in my way.  There is some strategy to cycle racing.  Just have to say that this intrigues me a bit.

Coming off the bike for the last 2 mile run was , well pretty stinky.  My runner legs felt like lead.  My self proclaimed turtlehood was super apparent.  Here is where I know I can improve for the next time, getting ready for that fast third run off the bike.  The good thing is this race, unlike the Mpls Du , was only 2 miles.  I kept asking myself what I wanted?  to finish 75th or 25th in my age group.  I pushed on.

I finished the Iron Girl in 2:00:07....less than 3 mins more than the Mpls Du.  I am an Iron Girl! I learned a few lessons and figured out where I can make changes to improve on my time for next year.  I am really looking forward to next years race season ...  There are a few more Du I am going to jump into.  Wish me luck!

Be Well.

In a Blink of an Eye

I set out on a journey years ago....looking for something special that could fully capture my love of movement and allow me to explore nature.  For as long as I can remember, I have felt the most free on a bike.   My earliest recollection of biking was at 4 years of age on my little red bike tootling down the sidewalk that ran in front of my childhood home on  First Avenue.  I also remember the day my sister (nearly my Irish Twin) Suzanne went to Kindergarten.  I was devastated.  Where did I turn; to my little red bike. I remember riding down the street without Suzanne feeling pretty lonesome.  Those few hours till she returned home from school seems like forever.  Fast forward to the greatest time of my young life,  to teenage summers full of fun...and you got it, my method of transportation back in the day was my bike.  It took me everywhere.

So it is only natural that I have come full circle, back to the bike at the age of nearly fifty.  The freedom I feel on my bike takes me back and at the same time moves me forward. I love the rush of the wind as I pedal over the miles of trails that run through the 4900 acre park preserve that lies just beyond my neighborhood.  I love the smell of the trees, the changing colors of each season, the sights and sounds of the animals scampering alongside the trail, but especially I love the quiet beauty of nature which surrounds and gently surprises you with every curve and turn of the trail.  This is why I bike. Road Bike, Mountain Bike.

The journey to Iron Girl 2012 happened surprisingly fast and furious.  Mostly because my real job this past year has taken so much of my spare time away.  Spare time I needed for training. Before I knew it I was looking at August with the stark realization that I only had 3 weeks to train for the Minneapolis Duathlon, the  race that was suppose to be my primer to Iron Girl.  Just days prior to the Minneapolis Du I was not certain I would compete.  We moved our oldest son to college the day before the race and at lunch I announced to my family that I would not be competing in the Minneapolis Du due to my lack of preparation.  Their reaction was total surprise, simply because they knew how long I had been planning this race and how badly I wanted it. The looks on their faces told me they did not want me to give up.  (My primary worry was that since I had not trained enough I would be at risk of injury.)  On the drive home, reflecting on my family's reaction and what the DU meant,  I decided to go ahead with the race.  With the help of my sideline cheering hubby Lee, I completed the Minneapolis Duathlon on August 26th in under 2 hours.

I learned a bit from that race, mostly logistics, how hard that final run off the bike really is and,  most importantly, I learned that I looooovveeed the bike portion of the Du.  I went the distance, for the first time ever,  completing the Mpls Du, a 5K run, 16 mile bike,  and 5K run.

I had four more weeks to train for Iron Girl -with work related road blocks to training  popping up at every turn. (to be continued)

Be Well

Drop It Down A Notch

What do you do when life throws wrenches in your best laid training plans?

I am struggling with this currently.  I committed to participating in a few races this summer but with other commitments getting in the way I have been unable to truly train for them the way I need to.  Today's training was a fine example of how far I still need to go to get to the goals I have set for these races. I think my new nickname (self proclaimed) is now Turtle.  I am dropping it down a notch.  Wish me luck.

Be Well.

Dreaming of Trails......

Times get tough so the tough get moving.  Times like this warrant pulling up my big-girl panties [don't laugh at me, I really do have superhero underwear] and telling myself to suck it up buttercup.

I am in urgency mode, have been for too many months now.  It seems to be a phase I am in.  You know what a driven personality like mu-ah must do, right?  Hit the trails.  Yup, run, hike or bike, my choice except, duh [smack center forehead] it is late winter here in Minneapolis and I am stuck.  Stuck inside due to cold brisk winds, icy streets and reactive airway lungs that spazz out when I breathe in too much cold air. 

So I am dreaming.....again...of the days of summer and hitting the trails by foot or by bike. Yes I love them both.  I love love love jogging...albeit a turtle pace.  I really love the thrill of mountain biking the singletrack trail near my home or realizing my need for speed on my road bike.  Warp speed...weeeeeee!

 

These bring me peace.  The utter simplicity of being in the elements; the purity of the air, the chatter of small animals and birds, the freedom of movement, the clean crisp smell of the outdoors and the sheer  mystique of nature settle my inner self and quiet my noisy head.  It is here that I am neither in control or out of control, only moving forward one step / crank of the pedal in time.   I feel nothing but on top of the world.  And it feels great. 

Be Well

Detox your Detox

We all have crazy notions but where, may I ask, came this idea that we can detox our bodies by placing extreme limits on our diets for more than one day??? These "detox's" go on for days and days and days.   Ugh.  Hate to burst the bubble here, but I suspect detox diets are a hoax,  they have no science to back them up. Just say no.

What exactly does the science show?  Let me tell ya what I know.

The first day of a cleanse diet usually entails drinking lots of water (or worse fruit / vege juice blends) and eating veges from a "short" list, those that are aka "fat burners".  Hmmmmm...
.....give your body carbohydrates and fruit juice and your blood sugars spikes.  Your hunger sensors in your noggin sense sugar, pure simple sugar.  The pancreas responds with a dump of insulin to haul out the sugar from your blood into your cells.  Yummm.  Your cells gobble up the sugar and within minutes your blood sugar plummets, hence the dizzy feeling that often accompanies a low blood sugar.

At the same time that all madness is going on between your circulatory, cellular and endocrine systems your body is operating on a deficit of fuel so it starts burning your glycogen stores housed in your liver and your muscles.  This glycogen will burn out within hours to maybe a couple of days depending on how many calories you actually consume and your personal physical state.

Now, well into the third day of detoxing we are not consuming nearly enough calories so our body starts it's munch attack on triglycerides (fat...small cheer here) and protein taken directly from muscle (gasp!). You begin to lose muscle mass.  No amount of exercise will help you here, if you need energy the body will go for the coveted muscle.  Bummmmerr!

Ketones enter the picture as well, as a by product of muscle protein utilization.  The body really doesn't like ketones as fuel either, but will use what it can.  As a result, irritability and lack of focus hit you smack in the face.  No protein from food will also cause a lack of available amino acids which are necessary maintain your mood via neurotransmitters.  Lastly, ammonia and uric acid a left behind as the protein is pulled from your broken down muscles.  Your liver really doesn't like this stuff and recruits your kidneys overtime to detox your detox.  If your liver has to help the kidneys rid the body of waste then it can't do it's real job which is plain ole fat metabolism. That is why we love our liver, the fat metabolizer.

If you truly do not ingest anything of substance your small intestine lays low and starts to lose it's ability to work well.  In enters diarrhea.  eeeewww.  Stay close to the bathroom, just saying.  When you do start eating again, you have lost muscle and decreased your ability to tolerate as many calories as you did before the detox.  In the end, you lost a bunch of water weight and muscle in this process and now have saddled yourself an existence on less calories.  Don't go back to your old eating ways,  it means you will gain weight.  Cruddy huh?

What do you do?  Skip the detox, start slowly eating cleaner, less processed foods in smaller quantities more often per day.  Drink water, plenty of water. Exercise more often per week. Avoid sugar, soda and alcohol and practice macro cycling of your food.  To keep your body guessing, give yourself a day off every week to eat what you like. Next day, hop right back on the clean eating every 4 hours train.

Be Well