by Monica on March 12, 2010
Jean Metzinger painting from the Picasso exhibit courtesy of the PHA
Yesterday was a carpe diem day. There is something euphoric about checking off items from a “things I want to try out/do” list. There are so many that somehow never happen. Yesterday was a day of accomplishment to temper the more frequent sentiment of a ”I didn’t get enough done ” type day.
I was up at 4:30am to get dressed, stretch and drive a few towns over for a 5:15 11 mile run. Hilly and challenging, in the way that makes you finish knowing you had nothing left (and probably should have eaten something in your groggy haste). By 10 am I was off to see the Picasso and the Avant-Guarde exhibit at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Cubism art history and comparative studies, a very enjoyable show followed by a yummy veggie sandwich on olive focaccia at the cafe to fuel me ahead. It felt great to walk so much after a hard run, I often don’t have the opportunity to do that and sit stiff in my office chair. Yes, playing hookey today, an occasional must!
In the early evening, Jamie and I decided to finally try out the run/yoga sessions advertised on the Lululemon website. They offer this in many cities around the country in conjunction with local running stores, in this case Philadelphia Runner. I have run twice in one day only a few times but with all quiet on the home front (husband in town taking the reins), I could not forgo this perfect opportunity. We arrived early at the running store and browsed a well stocked, very friendly-staffed establishment. Runners are so friendly aren’t they? I love that. A group of about 20-30 people headed out from the store in small groups. A 5 mile group, a 2 mile group and a 2 mile walk/run group. Many of them were beginning a training program for the Philadelphia Broad Street 10 mile run. Broad street is a fun, flat race through the center of Philly. We opted for the 2 miler and followed a young lady and man throughout the streets of a bustling downtown. It was a beautiful 60 degree night and a welcome change from the suburban landscape that backdrops our standard route. We got the feeling that most runners were new runners, perhaps there to take on their first race. We met afterward at the Lululemon store around the corner for oranges, bananas, a little stretching and some ab exercises…yoga? Everyone was very welcoming and friendly and seemed to be catering to a new/beginning runner crowd. There was no yoga to be found, but I was able to find a pair of technikini mesh underwear in a fabulous shade of purple (which brought up a discussion for a future post topic: do you wear underwear when you run?).
We headed back to the Philadelphia Runner as we had heard there was a speaker. We felt positively lucky to find Runner’s World contributing nutritionist Nancy Clark already fielding questions. She has written several books on sports nutrition (Sports Nutrition Guidebook, Fourth Edition, Nancy Clark’s Food Guide for Marathoners, 2nd Edition, and Getting It Right From The Start, Nancy Clark’s Food Guide For New Runners) but hearing her explain the body’s needs for continuous daily fuel was an epiphany. She used the car/fuel analogy to illustrate our body’s prerequisite for an energy source , it all made so much sense. We hung on her every word and loved her warm, quirky, knowledgeable manner. She suggested we think of eating on a time-line of four meals. Breakfast (consisting of both pre and post workout mini meals), “first” lunch, “second” lunch (as opposed to snack which may be a much smaller, less healthy option) and dinner. She introduced such ideas as cutting calorie intake at dinner at the back end of the day instead of at the beginning to lose weight while training. She talked about keeping active all day vs. running in the AM and being inactive the remainder of the day. She even purposed eating a Milky Way bar or a Twizzler in lieu of yet another gel packet on long runs. She concluded with a couple of helpful websites: www.dayfit.com for nutritional info and www.scandpg.com to locate a sports dietician in your area.
This serendipitous meeting of yet another author was such fun for us. I came home that night to a quiet household and a new disc of the defiant favorite Nurse Jackie to view before lights out–great day!
by Jamie on March 3, 2010
It’s amazing when you get to a certain age, and you talk about sleep in the same way you spoke about getting inebriated… I got eight hours last night. It was fantastic! Johnny Depp
Often, on running mornings, the first thing we talk about is our state of sleep. “I got to bed too late.” “I woke up at 3 and couldn’t get back to sleep.” “I’m tired!!” Sleep, like so much of youth, was a simple activity, taken for granted. In middle age, I court sleep. And fret over it. While sleepy, I am cranky, tedious and famished. A good night’s sleep is the holy grail of comfort and restoration. I bask in it.
I recently read, Healing Night, by Rubin R. Naiman, Ph.D. Naiman is a clinical psychologist specializing in the field of sleep. He works with natural wellness guru, Dr. Andrew Weil. The book is replete with new age flourishes. But, the vast amount of information about sleep is enlightening……I thought that I would share some of it here.
Yet another debt crisis to fear: sleep debt. Chronic lost and damaged sleep has a deleterious affect on our mood, physical well being, mental acuity, athletic ability and waistline. Falling asleep within 5-10 minutes of hitting the pillow signals a sleep debt. Sleep should be a gradual process (akin to walking into a lake).
Naiman recommends that we avoid looking at the time once we begin to enter the sleep state. If 20-30 sleepless minutes have passed, he advises us to get up, do something else and await sleepiness. My obsessive mind wanders–has it been 10 minutes? 20? 24? Should I get up now? In 5 more minutes? I’d better peak at the clock. What time did I go to bed again?
The term “cognitive popcorn” is bandied about. It refers to those thoughts (often anxiety filled) that enter our consciousness and prevent us from falling asleep or wake us up mid-sleep.
Sleeploading is recommended. That is, make up for sleep debt by spending a week or so going to sleep and waking up when the body chooses…even on vacation, this transcendent opportunity rarely presents itself!
Our bedrooms should be cool, dark and quiet.
We are biologically programmed to nap.
The BFF of runner’s, NSAID’s (Advil, Motrin,Aleve), compromise deep sleep by inhibiting melatonin production.
Encountering natural light in the morning stimulates the release of serotonin (associated with energy, activation and focused attention.) Is it any wonder that our recent sunlight dappled morning runs have been so sweet?
A good run is often preceded by a great night’s sleep. For me, running is conducive to clear thinking and resolve. Sleeping promotes learning and focus. A powerhouse combination. Without dwelling on a problem, I return from my run and the solution is often illuminated.
I decide I will give a full nights sleep its due. But, waking hours are jam packed with family, work, mundane tasks and the black hole of the internet. I finally settle down to catch up on the books, magazines and newspapers eluding me all day and voila! It’s time to turn off the lights! What do I choose?
Last night, I chose the silver lake of sleep. And what did I hear? My popping thoughts. I lay there reorganizing my pre-sleep days to fit in New York magazine….and The 3 Weismanns of Westport, the Bon Appetit yet to be opened……the new season of Damages perhaps.
by Monica on February 25, 2010
It’s been over a year since I last raced and I decided it was time. Jamie and I and a few other LDFs signed up for the all women MORE/Fitness Magazine Half Marathon in Central Park on April 25th. This girl-power infused race around Central Park is a great energy boost. And although this is not the ideal course (as Liz Robbins noted in her “a bold pace questionnaire”), it is a gratifying loop around a fabulous park. Running with all women always proves to deliver a different experience than the co-ed versions. All are so polite, positive and actually throw their cups in the provided trash receptacles instead of at your feet (nothing like a little Gatorade bath during a race). Weaving through the abundance of walkers can be a challenge for runners, but the cheers and support from fellow participants can counter the annoyance. I don’t think this is PR territory, but a fun girls-day-out in New York and an open door back to race mode.
So with race mode as the goal, it’s time to do some research and planning. I hardly ever buy a book anymore. We have a well-endowed town library that is always on the cutting edge of newly released titles. Every couple of weeks I scan my favorite sources ( Book Beast, NPR Books, EW Book Reviews, NY Times, a list of highly regarded recommendations from Jamie) and fill my online library queue with a fine selection of books. They are, however, not as interested in running as I am so I am sometimes forced to resort to Amazon. I’ve had my eye on three books that I thought would fuel my training and they had all of them at a more than agreeable price. I received them yesterday and spent my night reading.
Running Anatomy by Joe Puleo and Dr. Patrick Milroy was a recommendation from LDF and running guru Dora. She is a PT and I can see how she would love the clear textbook style of this book. The detailed illustrations showing targeted muscles in motion shed light on how our bodies work when running. Insight into how specific strength training exercises can effect running will be very helpful.
Racing Weight–How to get Lean For Peak 
Performance by Matt Fitzgerald is one I read about on a blog. This is a 5-step plan for endurance athletes to improve performance by reaching optimal weight. Not a new topic, but one that plagues me when racing. So far there is nothing ground breaking here. Rules like: eat early and often, stick to whole grains, and no refined sugar can be found but the sections on timing of meals and sport specific diet concerns make it interesting. Of course I had to skip to the chapter that chronicles some of the exact training meals of such endurance athletes as Ryan Hall…no sign of donuts there!
And finally, I decided as a 47 year-old injury prone woman with menopause on the horizon, I need to run less. But I don’t want to stop racing! I thought Runner’s World Run Less, Run Faster was a program I would like to try for my next marathon. Three key running workouts per week plus cross training may be the new balance I need to get me to the starting line of the Chicago Marathon, strong and injury free.
by Monica on February 21, 2010
This morning, on my first 13+ mile run in a very long time, I felt like I could have run forever! I promised myself I would stick to the plan (and I did), but I wanted to keep going…what is it about those days? It got me thinking…”What makes a good run?” Some days can be so hard. A myriad of variables can contribute to the overall design of a run, some weigh heavier than others. A solid 8 hours of sleep helped. A nutritious well-balanced dinner that included my favorite pre-run/race food of rice kicked in a pre-run bathroom visit. OK, too much information? Perhaps, but as Rachel Toor noted in her interview a pre-race poop can be sublime. I wore my new super-soft powder pink running top (what is it about certain gear that makes us happy?). A crisp 34 degrees and sunny day contributed to the euphoria, a warm and welcoming shot of vitamin D. I was happy to be in the company of good- humored and great story- telling LDFs. I have learned over the years of running that there are some combinations of running friends that can make the miles melt. I find that personality, temperament, confidence or a wicked sense of humor can change the dynamic and mood. Some days can be like a fabulous cocktail party and others more like a PTA meeting. And then there is pace (which incidentally is never even mentioned on a day like today). We start slow and gradually work into a faster pace near the end. The negative split mentality is implied and somehow works to create a satisfying finish. We feel strong. And finally, no foot pain. When you have a nagging injury, the mere absence of of its pain can spark energy. We all need runs like these to get us through the more mundane or painful ones. I sometimes equate training runs to a “crap shoot”…a game of chance we are trying to control as much as possible. The outcome can sometimes depend on what is going on in our lives before we hit the road, but when the elements align, it restores my love of running. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that we met next to a Starbucks today and the icing on the cake was the double tall soy latte to sip on the ride home:)
p.s. I tried the Tide Sport laundry detergent and thought it was great. For $10.99 at Target , I was able to make my running clothes and my husband and son’s tennis clothes smell- free. It is strong, but not overwhelming (a hint of “Fabreze” mixed with Irish Spring Fresh). I also picked up a bottle of the new Fabreze Sport odor eliminator for the shoe closet…so much better in there now!
