Go, Amy, Go!

I am just awful at blogging more than once a week these days.  Even writing once a week has become a challenge.  How on earth do you twice a day bloggers do it?  Tips? Suggestions?  

Anyway, I have been doing fabulously well!  I'm still running injury-free and regularly and loving every mile.  And I just had the most fantastic weekend ever!  The weather was perfect and I had so much fun with so many friends.  I felt rejuvenated after my three glorious days off.  My days were filled with yoga, coffee dates, a birthday party, walks, runs, wine, an adorable baby and the great outdoors.  I savored every minute of my weekend because I knew it would be gone in a flash. 

I love birthdays.  And I love good friends even more! :)

Post-yoga bliss and a coffee date.

I am up to a 12 mile long run and shooting for a 14 miler this weekend.  I am ignoring my run plan because it had me scheduled to run 14 miles two weeks ago.  My run plan has no idea that I was just injured.  So instead, I have modified the long run portion and am safely increasing my distance.  The marathon is still months away so I am not getting my panties in a bunch over pushing back a 14 and 16 miler.  I have learned that the longs runs aren't as crazy important as I once thought.  They're critical, but I don't need to do five 20 milers to run a marathon.  Am I right, people?

I was so motivated to get out there for my long run this weekend after watching Amy Hastings earn a spot in London.  It was incredible to watch.  She gave it absolutely EVERYTHING she had!  I had goosebumps just watching.  I was disappointed when she didn't finish in the top 3 at the marathon, so it's great to see her earn a place elsewhere.  How great is this picture?  I am so inspired.  Go Amy!

Killing it! It must be the Brooks.  ;-)

I learned today that Amy trains in the Brooks Ghost.  So do I!  Twinsies!  I bet we would be BFF if we ever met.  :::Daydreaming:::  Not only is she an insanely talented athlete, but she seems like such a sweetheart too!  Double whammy goodness right there!  I can't wait to watch the Olympics this summer, but I don't have a TV.  That might be an issue.

What Olympic sport are you most excited to watch?  

All of the women's sports! 

Who are you rooting for in the women's marathon?

I love them all! That question is too hard for me. 

Q&A with Scott Jurek

Being a part of the Brooks I.D. Team, I had the great pleasure of sitting down and talking with my personal hero, Scott Jurek, this weekend.  He is unarguably one of the greatest runners of our time, and it turns out he is also one of the most down to earth people I've ever met.

Scott Jurek has essentially become a household name since the release of Born to Run in 2009.  There isn't a runner in this country that doesn't know about Scott and his ultramarathoning greatness.  His book, Eat and Run, was released on June 5th and has already hit the New York Times best seller list.  He is currently making his away around the country doing runs, talks, and book signings.  If you haven't already bought the book, get on it!  It is an excellent read and I will write a review soon.

Me and Vegan Running Hero, Scott Jurek

I asked him a bit about being vegan, running, and of course, some random questions that I just had to have answered.

SCRG: When I first went vegan, I was constantly asked "where will you get your protein?" and that question got a little tiresome.  Are there any questions you are tired of answering in regard to your plant-based diet?

SJ:  I get the protein one a lot.  There aren't too many I get tired of.  We've been told so many myths, like we need animal protein, and we need to break those myths.  I actually don't get too tired answering them because it is the only way people get assured.  The protein question does get old but you kind of just have to roll with it.  And it can be confusing for a lot of people because they assume you need meat and you need animal protein.

SCRG:  Have you convinced any of your running buddies to adopt a plant-based diet?

SJ:  A ton of people.  Maybe not so many buddies, but they've begun to realize the importance of nutrition and maybe they haven't gone vegan but they see that food plays a role.  As a whole, middle of the packers, back of the packers, across the board, have gone vegan.  Whole families have gone vegan after reading the article in Runner's World.  I met a family today that went vegan 6 weeks ago when it came out.

SCRG:  What is your guilty pleasure, Scott?

SJ:  Panda Puffs.  I eat them with almond milk or homemade hemp milk.  I don't do it a lot.  I eat it for dessert.  The other is dark chocolate.

Scott's guilty pleasure

SCRG:  What is the best city in the United States to live in if you are a (trail) runner?

SJ:  That's tough.  I'd say anywhere that has trails out your door or a mountain out your door.  One thing I write about in my book is that I was really surprised by Washington D.C. and how much trail is located within city and how many bike paths.  I'd almost say D.C. is one of the best running cities in the country for finding dirt within such a concentrated area.  And the cool thing about D.C. is you don't have monster skyscrapers everywhere.  Everything is low, so I thought that was really cool.  I love New York too.  It's got a cool running vibe, and that's why I ran around Manhattan when I started my tour because there is so much history there and so many things have gone on.

SCRG:  Have you been able to get in any long runs while you're on this book tour?

SJ:  Manhattan.  I ran around Manhattan, 32 miles and then on the Wildwood I got in a long run.  So basically I'm getting them in on the weekends.  Tomorrow, it'll be in the heat in Austin.  I'll run along the river trail.  So I'm basically getting in one long run a week on my off day.

SCRG:  Random question-- would you rather never eat another vegetable for the rest of your life or never run again?

SJ: I would say, I could live without running, believe it or not.  I love to run but I also have this healthy relationship with it.  I don't kick myself when I take a day off.  I don't feel guilty.  I think I could find another form of exercise, but eating is so important.  After so many years of eating a certain way, it would be hard for me to give up vegetables.

SCRG:  Okay, last question.  If you could invite any three people, living or dead, to a dinner party, who would you invite?

SJ:  Just because I like eclectic individuals, I would probably have to invite Tom Robbins.  I've always wanted to meet him because he is such a character from a writing standpoint.  Prefontaine.  And I would say Andrew Weil, from a nutrition/food standpoint because he's such a free-thinker and one of my heroes.  I think that would be a good three-way conversation.

***

I walked away from this interview so impressed by Scott's kindness and warmth.  There was a line of about 150 people that wanted to meet him, take a picture with him, and have him sign their book.  He took the time to talk with every single person and seemed genuinely interested in everyone he spoke with.  Check out his calendar to see if he is coming to a city near you!

Philip Rivers 5k

Saturday was the perfect day.  It revolved around running.  I started the day with a 5k and then met up with Scott Jurek.  Read that interview HERE!!  We rounded the day out with a nice date night where we drank wine and planned a few trail running getaways. 

This was my second year running the Philip Rivers 5k.  The first time around, I had no idea what the Rivers of Hope Foundation was and now it holds some personal significance.  As many of you know, I work in foster care advocacy at a non-profit organization, Voices for Children (VFC).  You might remember, I was raising funds for VFC while training for the Chicago Marathon last year.  The Philip Rivers 5k raises money for the Rivers of Hope Foundation which distributes funds to important agencies serving foster children, like VFC.  This year, I had good reason to run it.

Philip Rivers, Chargers QB and founder of the Rivers of Hope Foundation

The race has grown exponentially since its start two years ago.  Over 4,000 people participated in the race and over 7,000 people were in attendance.  I was thrilled to see so many runners and walkers out there on Saturday because I knew each bib signified money for a great cause.

I have to admit, I was little nervous about this race.  I was the 2nd overall female to finish two years ago, and I knew that would not be the case this year.  I haven't done an ounce of speedwork, I am just coming back from an injury, and the field was much larger this year.

To my great surprise, I managed to finish in 21:31 (6:56/mi pace) and 3rd in my age group (and I beat Philip Rivers, boo-ya)!  Angela finished only 1 minute and 1 second behind me with a finish time of 22:32 (7:15/mi pace) and 5th in our age group.  We were pleased with our times because neither of us have done any 5k specific training.

This is only the second 5k I've ever done in my life, and now I remember why.  5ks are brutal! I was in pain the entire time and by mile 2.5 I wanted to just quit.  I would choose a marathon over a 5k any day of the week.  I actually enjoy speed work and tempo runs, but the 5k is a grueling race.  In half marathons and marathons you can settle into your pace and get in the zone.  I find my rhythm and feel like I can go on forever.  In a 5k, you never settle.  You're constantly pushing from the moment the gun goes off.  I find absolutely no joy in these kinds of races, but from time to time they are a nice little kick in the butt.

I sometimes wonder what my finish time would look like if I did some 5k specific training.  A part of me really wants to see what I am capable of and another part thinks that is crazy talk.  I love the long stuff, and for now I will stick with that.

How do you feel about shorter races? Awful or Awesome? 

Marathon or 5k?

Weigh in!

Back Away from the High Heels

I was listening to my favorite program on NPR this morning, Fresh Air with Terry Gross, and her guest was Gretchen Reynolds who writes the Phys Ed column for the New York Times online. She was talking primarily about running and the latest research regarding minimal shoes, barefoot running and orthotics. Then she got to high heels. I immediately wanted to turn it off because I knew it was going to be bad news for me. I wear high heels 5 days a week for close to 50 total hours. I also wear heels if I am going out on the town, so add on a few more hours here and there. That is a lot of time for my feet to be stuck in a painful contraption we call pumps.

Source


 Basically, Gretchen said that for a person who wears heels most of the time, the foot and leg positioning in heels sort of becomes the new default position for the joints and the structures within.  And this is not a good position. 

I found an article titled The Dangers of High Heels written by Gretchen Reynolds back in January. 

"...the scientists found that heel wearers moved with shorter, more forceful strides than the control group, their feet perpetually in a flexed, toes-pointed position. This movement pattern continued even when the women kicked off their heels and walked barefoot. As a result, the fibers in their calf muscles had shortened and they put much greater mechanical strain on their calf muscles than the control group did.

“We think that the large muscle strains that occur when walking in heels may ultimately increase the likelihood of strain injuries.”

I was listening to all of this and thinking, "Wow! This sounds like an explanation of my injuries." 

The feminist in me should probably be opposed to wearing high heels in the first place because they supposedly reduce women to a sex object by sacrificing comfort for an increase in sex appeal.  And I'm a runner, so I should be doubly opposed to footwear that can potentially hinder me from running. 

So then why does a running, feminist gal like myself choose to wear shoes that I know are detrimental to my foot health? 

• I feel more confident and powerful in heels.
• They make my outfits look better.
• I feel short and stumpy when wearing anything other than heels.
• I get jealous of other people in heels when I'm wearing flats (i.e. Shoe Envy).
• Heels make my calves look awesome.

Good enough reasons? 

Not really.

Bottom line:  Heels contribute to muscle and joint strains.  Sure, they make you look taller and make your calves look defined and muscular, but they're not helping out on the running front. 

I suppose it's time to start the weening process.  This brings on a sort of anxiety and sense of loss, but I know it is time to back away from the heels. 

Sigh.

My tendons will thank me one day.

Do you wear heels to work every day? 

If so, does this information make you think twice?