The countdown is ON!

Yesterday I did my last "long" training run before race day. Ten miles seemed like a short run...but 26.2 seems like an awfully long way. I'm ready, I've trained, I know I can do it, but today I have begun my pre-race wrestle with self-doubt. This is typical "me" and always happens to me in the week or so before race day. I start having ridiculous anxiety about crazy things like...what if I need a change of socks at mile 5?? What if I forget something?? What if I'm too slow and the SAG car picks me up??? (Support And Gear vehicles will pick up runners that are too slow to meet the course time limit, lagging or injured.) Then the big fears start creeping in. What if I can't do it??? What if it's too much for me??? What if I DNF?!?!? (That's race code for Did Not Finish, and something no runner ever really wants next to their name on the results list.)

Now is the time I have to sit back, stop pacing the floor (because I'm tapering down my runs, and I can't work off the anxiety running!) and just trust my training. I KNOW I can do this. I will do this. I am strong. I am ready. Watch out San Diego. I'm going to ROCK the Rock 'n Roll!!!

Back on track!

Just a short post tonight to let everyone know I seem to be back on track. The new shoes have me feeling MUCH better. No more hip pain!! I've put about 17 miles on them this week so far and everything is feeling good again. Tomorrow is a short (ha!!) 10-miler and I'm feeling confident that it'll go just fine! I've learned a really important lesson about paying more attention to the shape my shoes are in. From now on, anything over 300 miles and I have to start checking the treads and wear, and really listening to my body. My husband wants me to start looking for a shoe sponsor because I'm wearing them down so fast now. Any takers??

Shoes Blues, Part Deux

Wow. So I got my new Mizunos. I didn't think my old ones really seemed THAT worn down from the outside, but I took a look at the soles of the new vs the old. The old ones have places that are so worn down, I'm practically running on the cushion instead of the tread. I took some pictures but I'm not sure they do the issue justice. Still, have a look.

The first shot shows the drastic wear down of the heel tread on the sole of the right shoe (the side where my hip hurts!) The interior edge of the wedge is almost completely gone. I've worn it down to the cushion area, and you can see that the cushion (white) portion has begun to start wearing down, too. The photo beside it is the NEW shoe, same location.

This is the same spot, but a different angle. Here you can see the tread is completely worn down smooth on the old shoe. I had NO idea it was this worn down until I compared it with the new shoes.

There were several other spots that seemed rather shocking to me when I closely examined both old and new shoes, but these were the most easy to see in photographs. Don't overestimate the life of your shoes, people! Tomorrow's run will be really telling. I'm anxious to see if I can tell a big difference.

Shoes Blues

I've read in a ton of places that a big sign that your running shoes are blown out (broken down, worn, crushed, whatever you want to call it) is that you start to hurt in places where you've never hurt before. I know this, and I also know that my "new" Mizunos I got for Valentine's Day have over 375 miles on them. Most running shoes are good for anywhere between 300-500 miles...depending on a ton of factors. Weekly mileage, your weight, your running style, the surfaces you run on, sooooo many things can contribute to your shoes wearing down, and it's different for everyone. The kicker is, the shoes can still LOOK fine, so it can be hard to tell when they are cooked enough that you shouldn't run in them anymore.

Anyway, I always track the mileage on my shoes, so I can get an idea of what life may (or may not) be left in them. My Nikes gave me easily close to 400 miles, so I assumed my Mizuno wear would be about the same. I figured I still had some good wear in them. But three weeks ago is when my hip started to hurt, and though it felt okay during my (mostly flat!) 20 mile, it was pretty sore afterward. Last Saturday we had 12 miles on the schedule, and I thought it would be an easy cutback. The course was much hillier than the 20 miler was, but it was a much shorter distance. However, instead of the easy run I was banking on, it was terrible. My hip started to ache less than 2 miles in, and the hills doubled the intensity of the discomfort. It wasn't a stabbing pain like I had torn something or broken something, but it was a constant aching throb. Kind of like one of those headaches that doesn't incapacitate you, it just makes you feel crummy and grumpy. It was annoying and uncomfortable.

I had to take quite a few walking breaks, just to ease up on the hip. My coach suggested I consider turning around early, but of course I was too stubborn to take his advice. I am the first one to tell someone else that rest and ice are better than pushing a potential injury, but do as I say and not as I do!!! I managed to get all the way through the run, even pushing my pace a bit for the last few miles, but when I stopped, I was hurting.

As I began to try and unravel what had changed to cause the problem in the first place, I finally thought of what I SHOULD have considered first. My shoes were probably done. I did a little research and found that many other runners experienced the lighter weight Mizunos breaking down a bit faster than their slightly heavier competitors. Many reviewers of the shoes said they felt they got about 350 miles out of them. Since mine are at 375, I considered that this might be a big part of my trouble. I cut my scheduled mileage for today from 8 to just over 6, and ran in my old Nikes just to see if the difference in shoes was noticeable.  It was. The hip was still sore, but nowhere near as achy and throbbing during today's run as it was on Saturday. Afterwards the recovery has been noticeably better, too. Time to break out the NEW new shoes!

The moral of my story is, TRACK your shoe mileage, and even when you do, consider the condition of your shoes FIRST when you get out-of-the-blue pain. I'm cutting back miles a bit more than my taper calls for this week in order to continue to rest and recuperate the hip. Lots of ice and massage, too. Hoping a fresh pair of Mizunos will help put this behind me. Luckily I still have two weeks to get them broken in and race ready!!!

Warning: Gross Stuff Ahead

There are some things about running that you just don't find out about until you get deep into your first long runs. Gross stuff. Toenails fall off and toes bleed. Everything chafes. Sweat dries and leaves cystals that feel like you've been sandblasted, furthering the chafing problem. Snot rockets are pretty much a necessity. And when you run for a long time, blood is diverted from your digestive system to your muscles, which can cause extremely nasty lower intestinal upset. I'm going to tackle a few of these icky beasts, so those with weak stomachs might want to skip this post.

First, toenails. I used to have lovely pedicured toenails. I would get them painted in bright colors, with decorative flowers and other cute things adorning them. Heading into my second year of running, I now paint my own toenails in deep, dark shades of black, purple and red to hide the fact that underneath the polish, the nails actually ARE black, purple or red. Two toenails have fallen off completely, so I just paint the nail beds so they LOOK like toenails are there. And yes, I do have good shoes, they were professionally fit, my socks are in decent shape...it just seems to be a fact of life for me that a couple of my toenails do not like it when I run. So they quite often choose to fall off. I haven't had a pedicure in ages. I'm too mortified to go in and have them see what's left of my nails. Gross. One toe in particular is now referred to by my family as the "Zombie Toe," because it looks so scary.

Then there's the chafing issue. When I first started running, I heard about men whose nipples would bleed due to their shirts rubbing against them on a run. I thought this was horrific and surely only happened to people who ran hundreds of miles at a time. I have since learned that not only is that extremely commonplace, almost everyone I know that runs has a story about chafing in some horrible place at some point during their running lives. Myself included. Suffice it to say that I now buy and use both Body Glide and Vaseline and I'm not afraid to use it. I once put my housekey in the pocket of my shorts during a long run of about 10 miles. I came home and realized blood was dripping down the side of my leg, because the key had rubbed my hip completely raw. On my 20 mile run, I wore a newer but exactly-the-same-style-as-I've-always- worn sports bra. It still had a tag on the back with wash instructions, size, etc. I didn't think to tear it out. While I put body glide all around where the bra band goes, I couldn't reach the middle of my back. Right where the tag was, apparently. I still have a giant scab where it rubbed me to bleeding. And absolutely do not underestimate the pain that chafing can cause when you are rinsing sweat off yourself in the shower. Salt + raw, open wound = OW. Ick.

Next up, snot. It happens. Especially if you're running early in the morning and it's cool out. Your nose will run. I used to carry tissues in my pocket or in my belt and try to stop and blow my nose on the run. Problems with this include sweaty hands and face and tissues that stick to the sweat as well as the issue of where to put the nasty tissue after you're done. Then I started wearing gloves on colder mornings and began just wiping my nose with the gloves. (Yes, I washed the gloves post-run, and no, don't ever shake my hand if I'm running in gloves.) One day a friend of mine said, "You just have to let it go and learn how to shoot a snot rocket." WHAT? EW!? Also known as a "farmer's blow", you pinch one nostril shut and blow out the other one, preferably NOT into anyone who might be behind you. Blech!!! But it does keep the gloves a little cleaner. This tip is handy for beginner runners running their first races, too. Watch out for snot rockets if it's a cool day. I always try to check behind me before I do it, but some people just aren't that polite.

I will leave the digestive runs that often happen to runners for another day, but I'll leave you with this warning. If there are 47 port-a-potties with a line on race day and 3 with no line, just wait in the line. There's likely a reason those 3 remain empty...

All this and I still run. Toenail-less, chafed and snotty, I run on. Call me crazy.

Music to my ears

A lot of people have been asking me what I like to listen to when I run. I've mentioned some things before, but I thought I'd share part of the playlist I used for my 20 mile run. I say part because I have 7 hours worth of music on my current running playlist. That's because the San Diego Rock N' Roll Marathon has a time limit of 7 hours. I know if I get to certain songs on the list, I need to speed it up. Of course I'm not planning on it actually taking me 7 hours, but you never know what can happen in 26.2 miles...
Anyway, here's a portion of what my iPod's currently playing for a long run. I've included links to MP3 downloads on Amazon whenever possible. Maybe you'll find something that inspires you in here:

15 Step - Radiohead
Life - Beckah Shae
Let it Roll - Matt Dally and Superchick
Old Dirt Hill - Dave Matthews Band
Hey Hey (Vampires vs Cheerleaders mix) - Superchick
Avalanche - Manafest
Karaoke Superstars (Shiny Car Advert mix) - Superchick
Boomin' - tobyMac
Anabasis - DJ Steve Boyett (Podrunner podcast, about an hour long, can be found for FREE on iTunes)
Strobe's Nanafushi - Kodo
Lion - Kodo
Kashira - Kodo
Strong - DJ Steve Boyett (another Podrunner podcast)
Here in This Moment - Beckah Shae
Hearing Damage - Thom Yorke
Jump - Van Halen

Recovery time

Running distances over about 8 miles, at least for me, is pretty hard on the legs. I've learned that it's a good idea to help your muscles recover by eating or drinking something with carbs and protein as soon as possible after running to help speed up the process. I have been experimenting with lots of different recovery drinks and foods, and I thought I'd share some of the things that I've tried and liked.

Chocolate milk - Chocolate milk is said to have the perfect balance of carbs, proteins and fluids to aid recovery, and it tastes really good!! New shelf stable boxes make it easy to take along, but let's face it, warm chocolate milk after a run doesn't sound all that appetizing. I find it's a great choice, but only if you have the means to keep it nice and icy cold while you're running. Running from home, super. Running out in the middle of nowhere, unless you have a cooler of ice, maybe not the best option.

Slim Fast Chocolate Shake - The balance of carbs to proteins is a little off from milk, but these shakes still serve up a solid helping of both, without a lot of added fat or sugar. Plus, it helps to take the edge off the hunger if you've been on a really long run and come in starving. It helps keep me from grabbing empty calories after a run and allows me time to put together something more healthy and satisfying than whatever happens to be close and easy. It tastes pretty good, but again, it's one of those things that needs to be kept cold. REALLY cold. Even slightly room temperature and this one's gross. Another one for the cooler if you're not running at home.

Luna Chocolate Cherry Almond protein bar - Highly portable and pretty palatable, this one can go anywhere. Also not perfect in the carb/protein ratio, but still a decent option. I liked the flavor a lot. I did not like that it got too warm and the chocolatey coating it's in melted all over the place. A cooler isn't necessarily necessary, but in warmer temps, don't leave it in the hot car or lying around in the sun or you'll have a gooey mess.

Pomegranate juice - The antioxidant properties of juices like blueberry, cherry and especially pomegranate juice have been shown in studies to reduce post workout soreness. I've tried POM Wonderful juice, and it did seem to help. It tastes pretty good, too, if you like the tartness. Better cold in the cooler, but works at room temp, too. A friend of mine turns hers into pomegranate tea by heating it up. A hot car would probably have the same effect!

Once you get home, you can whip together a good meal with a nice balance of carbs, protein and a little fat. Here are a couple I've tried and liked:

Huevos Rancheros (thanks to Active.com for this recipe!)
Serves 2

1 can non-fat refried beans
1 can diced tomatoes, drained
4 oz. can diced green chilies
1 clove garlic, minced
Four eggs
Cooking spray
Two flour tortillas
1 cup shredded monterey jack cheese
Plain, non-fat yogurt or low-fat sour cream
Salsa
Chopped cilantro

Mix cans of beans, tomatoes, and chilies in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic and bring to a simmer. Simmer for at least five minutes. Fry eggs to taste in a nonstick skillet using cooking spray. While the eggs are cooking, place half of the cheese on each tortilla and broil until melted. Set each tortilla on a plate. Spread about one-third to one-half of the bean mixture on each tortilla. Place eggs on bean layer, and top as desired with yogurt, salsa and chopped cilantro.


Favorite breakfast omelet (my own recipe!)
Serves 1


1 cup baby spinach
¼ cup chopped tomato
1 tablespoon feta cheese
2 eggs
salt and pepper to taste
In a bowl, scramble eggs, salt, pepper and feta. Set aside. In a non-stick pan over medium heat, add spinach and tomato. Pour egg mixture over the top. Cook slowly, solidifying the eggs but not browning them. It should take about 4-5 minutes. You can serve as an omelet, scramble, or in a tortilla for a breakfast taco! Have a banana with it and you've got a great recovery meal.