Running Injuries

I feel like I have been beaten with a wooden stick. The people I know who run all the time are always injured, which is why I rarely run. See the Moratorium on Running to read about my philosophy about running and races. I am proof that people who train for races by NOT running win.

My knee has been bothering me since I put on 20 lbs. I mean it makes sense, that's a lot of extra weight pounding down on my knees during plyo moves. It had felt better until Sunday's race, but now it's affecting my ability to walk normally. I have a distinct gait to begin with; I don't need anything else calling attention to the way I move. I did a little online research and I think it's my IT band acting up.

The bones on the edge of my left foot aren't feeling too hot either. I hope I don't have a stress fracture because that's going to put a serious damper on my 10 mile run this Saturday. I don't know how I used to run cross country. We never did any cross-training, and my ankles were always killing me.

Green Smoothie

I made my first green smoothie this morning. Inspired by a recipe I read in the March issue of Oxygen, I pulled out my Ninja Master Prep at 5:30 am to make this before heading to work.

I put approximately 3/4 of a cup of frozen pineapple chunks, 1 scoop of unflavored whey protein powder, 4 oz coconut water, 4 oz orange juice, 1 handful of baby spinach, 2 ice cubes, and the juice of 1/4 lemon into the blender and pulsed until smooth. I couldn't taste the spinach and this drink was very refreshing. I normally don't add juice to my smoothies, but I had some OJ in the fridge (from making screw drivers I guess), and I think the citrus flavor was a good addition to the pineapple and lemon.

Roasted Seaweed Snack

My coworker introduced me to these last week. Trader Joe's Roasted Seaweed Snacks are 60 calories of salty deliciousness. They have a weird texture, and it kind of feels like you're eating sunburnt skin, but once you get that image out of your mind, you'll love them.

The End of the Earbud?

Remember those old-school Sony headphones that went behind your neck and then over your ears? They were the perfect headphones for running because they always stayed in place. Sony decided to mess with the design, thereby ruining their perfect product. We've all been struggling with earbuds ever since.

This is all about to change...

I received an email about these headphones built into headbands called runphones. I think I desperately need them! I'm totally psyched for the winter version, but I'm a little skeptical about the summer version. Won't my ears get hot? Take a look at them and give me your opinions.

photo courtesy of Vital Juice Daily

The Beast with the Best Manners

I love the smell of rain on Long Island - the scents of pine needles, mud, and salt air mingle together and it smells like the way the world should smell. It's a good thing I like it so much because it poured for practically the entire race today. I signed up for the Caumsett 25K last week because I figured 15.5 miles was like a half marathon but better. Somehow I thought I had signed up for a half marathon race for today, but it turns out it doesn't exist. This wouldn't be the first time I was convinced I had (or had not) done something, only to find out it was a figment of my imagination. Anyway, I digress.

This morning I woke up energized for the race, but also a little nervous. The longest I had ever ran was 13.6 miles. Surely 15.5 miles couldn't be that much different. I hopped in the shower (just shaved legs are the best feeling) and then set about preparing for the big event. 

There are specific items that are necessary for a successful race. Athlete's foot spray, such as Lamisil or Odor Eaters, prevents blistering. Even if you do end up with blisters (like I did), the spray makes a significant difference. Think of it like sunscreen - you might still get burned, but it would've been much worse. I also need clear mascara. Just because I'm running like a beast doesn't mean I have to look like one. Clear mascara keeps my eyelashes curled but doesn't run all over my face. Nothing is tackier than girls running around with black make-up all over their face looking like used and abused prostitutes. I also need my hair clips and two hair-ties. I learned the two hair-tie trick from a girl at my gym. They keep your high ponytail perky.

Proper nutrition is also very important for a good race. I went for the breakfast of champions: thawed frozen peaches, a sliced banana, pecans, blueberries, Greek 2% yogurt, and ground flax. It tastes delicious and really fills you up. I eat it every day when I get to work. You really shouldn't try anything new out on race day, so I went with what I usually eat.

The race was held at Caumsett National Park in Lloyd Neck. The course is a certified 5K loop that takes you around the grounds and it's quite pretty. I am in love with the 5K, so the loop gave me a sense of security. 

I need to get my hydration situation under control because I always have to pee. Not only did I use the Porta-Potty three times before the race began (and I limited fluids this morning!), I had to go again after 1.5 miles. This idiot beat me to the Porta-Potty at the halfway mark by five seconds, and then he got tangled up in his tights, forcing me to wait for over a minute. Now this might not seem like much, but during a race? Pull them panties down and pee! I made up for this waste of time later on, but honestly. So rude! The rest of the first loop was pleasant, despite the pouring rain. 

Loop 2 was pretty uneventful. I drank some Gatorade. By this time my Under Armour long-sleeved shirt was soaked through and weighing me down. I pulled it off and tossed it by a tree as I circled back onto the course. Loop 3 felt great because I was kind of dry again. This didn't last for long. My shorts were so wet that they gave me legit chaffage. That's what I get for having awesome thunder thighs. God bless that Porta-Potty at the halfway mark because I was back there again during Loop 4. How do people go whole marathons without a bathroom break? I purposely didn't run with a water bottle this time, and I only had the water or Gatorade provided twice a loop. I also began to feel the blisters on my arches during Loop 4. Lamisil does wonders, but it's hard not to get blisters when there are puddles in your sneakers. My mom was waiting for me under the tent as I completed Loop 4. I was excited to see her and excited to be able to yell, "Just one more and I'm done!"

I had been preparing for Loop 5 all morning. I reasoned that since my speciality is the 5K, I could treat the last loop like it was a brand new race. I had been running at a decent pace (about 9 minute miles), but now I was wet, cold, blistered, and my legs were beginning to feel like lead. Now it was time for me to be a beast. A beast is a badass fitness enthusiast who relishes pain and kicking ass. A beast grunts and hollers. A beast is unstoppable. I become a beast in kickboxing, weightlifting, studio cycling... you name it, I do it. "I am a beast!" is my fitness mantra, so when I need to find the extra energy to kick some serious ass, I start to chant it. Then I yell, grunt, and holler. The first mile wasn't the most pleasant thing I have ever done, but mile 2 went by quickly. Even the hill felt pretty good. As I approached the mile 2 sign, another runner commented on my running and asked if it was my last loop. When I told him it was, he told me to give it my all. I took off and caught up with a guy from the 50K race. He was a little startled by the beast grunts and I apologized for the sound effects. He said he understood and told me too keep hollering because I was less than a quarter mile away from the finish line. I trucked it and came in at 2:14:56. My goal was to come in under 2:15 and I just made it!

The girl collecting the shoe tags at the finish line commented that I looked like I had a lot of energy left. I felt amazing, and if my feet weren't bleeding, I would have totally kept going. This was an incredible experience for me, not only because I won my age division, but because I pushed myself past my comfort zone. My favorite yoga and spin instructors encourage the class to set an intention for our workouts. Today I decided to run my race for my friend Ned. When my legs felt like cement and my feet were on fire, I thought about the time we went running in Marin County and I got lost. I was so busy laughing to myself, that I forgot how much the pain sucked. Thinking positive thoughts and feeling the positive energy from the other runners helped me to reach my goal.

By the way, why don't people say please and thank you to the volunteers who hand out fluids? I was the only person out there who said please and thank you. You are never too tired for manners!

Caumsett 25K: Female 21-24 Winner

Do I Need More Shoes?

I picked up my Ritalin prescription from my pediatrician's office today and got to see the object of my affection. The receptionist at my pediatrician's office is incredibly sexy, and he speaks Spanish, and I'm in love with him. Yes, I realize that I am twenty-four and I still go to a pediatrician. Yes, I realize that I am the only patient that can drive herself to the office. No, I don't have a problem with this.

Now I couldn't drop the prescription off at the local CVS because I might have verbally threatened one of the pharmacists last month. He was wrong, I was right, and he was being mean. And maybe I wanted a cigarette really badly and decided to take that out on him. I have been planning to make a trip over to Trader Joe's anyway, and lo and behold, there's a CVS right next door. I was able to stock up on tasty snacks and get my uppers refilled.

Since Trader Joe's is about the size of my parents' garage, I ran out of things to look at quickly and needed to kill some time. I went into Incredible Feets to take a look around and ended up having an awesome chat with the owner about Vibram footwear and the book Born to Run. He pretty much convinced me I need to buy two more pairs of Vibrams, but I managed to get out of the store before handing over my credit card. I need to mull over these purchases because I don't wear the ones I already have as much as I should. However, if I were to buy them, I'd buy them from this guy because customer service really does make a difference.

The Stair-Stepper from Hell and Silent Sing-Alongs

I completed two solo workouts this week and I'm feeling pretty proud of myself. Normally I use conflicts with the group fitness schedule as an excuse to skip a workout, but not anymore. Today I focused on cardio. I spent 20 minutes on the treadmill. I ran 2 miles and then alternated between inclines and sprints. Then I moved on to the stair-stepper. Sweet cocoa butter, that thing is a beast! My heart rate monitor was screaming 193 bpm and all I was doing was trying to stay upright. I lasted ten minutes, but the guy next to me had been trucking along for close to thirty. I was impressed, and I'm never impressed. To round out my cardio extravaganza, I got on my absolute favorite machine: the Cross Ramp. You get to run on an incline with no impact. It's like God's gift to the gym floor. I did a solid thirty minutes plus three-minute cool down on this machine and it was joyous. 

I listen to iheartradio Real Oldies while I do my cardio machines and I sing along silently. I don't mean that I quietly sing along, or that I kind of move my mouth along with the words. I actually look like I'm singing but the volume is on mute. I get into it. Sometimes I dance. (You should just think about what it takes to keep yourself upright on a Cross Ramp at a 15 incline without holding on while doing the Carlton from Fresh Prince of Bel Air dance. That is a whole lot of freaking core strength thank you very much.) Do not judge me because I silently sing along to 1960s love songs while on the cardio machines... I burnt 781 calories and you're still not as cute as me.

On a side note, has anyone else tried to do cardio machines in lululemon's Knock Out Shorts? Until tonight I had only worn mine to kickboxing, dance, and yoga. Not to get too graphic, but those things were riding so far up my ass, I feel like I relost my virginity to them. Not fun and not cute.

Gaining Confidence to Workout Alone and March's Ultimate Arms Workout

I rarely hit the gym floor by myself. Sure, I'll hop on a cardio machine if I have some extra time before a class, or I might use the adductor/abductor hip machines (205 lbs baby, booyah!), but I used to actually show up and lift. It occured to me recently that I don't even know where most of the equipment is located at the 85th & 3rd Equinox location and I used to be there all the time. I subscribe to Oxygen magazine, which is the great women's fitness magazine, that is full of workout advice and exercises. My goal is to be able to perform these workouts on my own when I can't or don't want to attend a class.

A lot of classes are full-body workouts. You can't and shouldn't do a full-body workout every single day. This leads to overtraining, injuries, and late-night binge-eating. I've decided to focus on spin and yoga classes, and then do no more than one full-body workout class a week. I am going to do my own lifting. I tried Oxygen's March triceps and biceps workout yesterday and my arms are feeling it! I used 12.5 lb weights, and skipped the stability ball preacher curl (just couldn't be bothered to run around 3 floors looking for a stability ball when I had a class starting in 10 minutes.)

Triceps Exercises (2 sets of each)
1. Body weight bench dip (12 reps)
2. Lying triceps extension (12 reps)
3. One-arm triceps kickback (12 reps on each side)

Biceps Exercises (2 sets of each)
1. Alternating biceps curl (15 reps each arm)
2. Hammer biceps curl (12 reps)
3. Dumbbell preacher curl on stability ball (skipped but I would've done 12 each)

I chose to superset the triceps/biceps exercises during the first set, going from one triceps move right into the biceps move before resting and moving on to the next exercises. Oxygen recommended this to save time and increase caloric burn.

In Mourning

It's taken me a few days to write this post because I am still trying to process the emotions and sense of loss I feel. I do not write this in jest - I am not handling this change well at all. Yves Maco has decided to leave Equinox for another gym. We will miss him greatly and I wish him success and happiness as he moves on to different things. I also feel like I am going to throw up. And cry. And maybe throw up while crying.

Yves is more than just a great kickboxing, dance, and sculpt instructor. He brings joy and inspiration to everything he does. The women and men who take his classes count on his infectious personality to push them past their perceived fitness boundaries and reach new levels. Yves has made me feel motivated and accountable. There have been nights when I have been tired and cranky, running on five hours of sleep and a half-eaten lunch, but I knew he expected to see me, and once I arrived at class I was able to find energy reserves I didn't know existed. I have learned to jump higher than I ever thought possible, and it's because Yves made me believe that it was possible.

Yves will continue to teach his Early Birds class at Fusion Fitness (45 Cutter Mill Road) at 8am on Saturdays.