July 2012 – Page 3 – Salty Running

5 Superfoods for Runners

Posted by RosemaryJuly 20, 2012 6 Comments

What questions pop into your mind when you hear the term “Superfood?”

1. “Is this like food on steroids? I thought hormones in chicken were out of style.”

b. “Did she mean to type super hero? Green Lantern is pretty speedy.”

III. “Is this going to be another list of foods I don’t like to eat? If I have to read about how great salmon is one more time…”

Well, you’re in luck. The answers to the above questions are no, no and no. Superfood, according to Oxford English Dictionary, is “a nutrient-rich food considered to be especially beneficial for health and well-being.” Hmmm.. if that’s all a superfood is, I suppose it could be argued that ice cream is good for my well-being because it makes me smile and therefore is a superfood. Right? Read more >>

Hello, Sassy-Style

Posted by SassafrasJuly 19, 2012 8 Comments

Hello Salty readers! I let out a big “Woohoo!” when I got the email saying that I’d been chosen as a Salty blogger, so I figured it was time to get down to business and introduce myself.

I’m the Salty known as Sassafras; I mainly chose my spice name because it’s fun to say (go ahead, say it out loud), but when I realized that I could shorten it to Sassy, well, then, I was sold! I love using the phrase “___ pants” to categorize a mood, whether it’s mine or someone else’s. For example, one can have on their Tired Pants, Grumpy Pants or Cranky Pants, but my favorite kind are Sassy Pants!

First, the basics: Read more >>

Fight the Bonk! Train to Avoid Glycogen Depletion in Your Fall Marathon

Posted by SaltyJuly 19, 2012 37 Comments

ING New York Marathon is just one of many great fall marathons. It is one of those amazing experience races – don’t go ruining it by bonking! Image via NYTimes.com

Marathon season is upon us and we at Salty Running know our readers take their marathon performances seriously! So over the next few weeks, we’ll be featuring articles about how to prepare for your fall marathon. From training tips, to picking a race, to what to wear, we’ll be your go-to source of information for your big fall races!

Our first topic in the series is how to train to prevent bonking. Have you ever bonked? Hmmm. Wait. Maybe you don’t know what bonking is (besides an obnoxiously goofy word). Let me tell you a story. Read more >>

Introducing Sassafras!

Posted by SaltyJuly 18, 2012 5 Comments

How can you not love a girl named, Sassafras She’s spunky. She’s dedicated. She’s focused on that all-important 4-hour marathon mark. And yes–you know it!–she’s Sassy! This native of the Buckeye State and current resident of the Bluegrass State (that’s Ohio and Kentucky for those not up on their state nicknames) was a competitive high school and college runner, but as happens a lot gave it up by her junior year after experiencing injury and burn-out.

And as also happens quite frequently (raise your hand if you can relate), got back into running several years after college in hopes of getting that healthy runner body back. And what started as a means of improving her health with the added benefit of fitting into her old pants, turned into a love of the sport. A bazillion half marathons and half-a-bazillion marathons (slight exaggeration) and two races in a tu-tu later, she’s as dedicated as ever to becoming the best runner she can be. Read more >>

Great Lakes Relay – Pepper and the Gingerbread Girls!

Posted by PepperJuly 18, 2012 25 Comments

This past weekend I found myself on a team of 10 kick-ass girls from Michigan ready to run as hard as we could for 3 days covering 278 miles of scenic northern Michigan. It was 2012 Great Lakes Relay time! We came to run hard, to have fun, and to make a statement that fast women runners could contend at this annual race which normally is dominated by collegiate/post collegiate male or co-ed teams. We were called The Gingerbread Girls and we were ready to prove that no one would catch us if we brought our A game.

Help! I Need Advice for this Weekend’s Race!

Posted by MintJuly 17, 2012 12 Comments

On Sunday I am running the Capitol Mile. It is a mile race around the beautiful capitol in Madison, Wisconsin. Despite my fixation on the marathon, I also LOVE getting my speed on and racing the mile every summer. In fact, my boys and I have participated and/or trained for this race every year since 2006.*

We – along with several good friends – have been training for the Capitol Mile for the last 6 weeks with the Madison Fleet Feet Miler in Training. Every Tuesday night we meet up with our group at the track to get worked over by our two coaches. Unfortunately it has been a brutal training season with the heat. Due to cancellations and unexpected life craziness, the boys and I have only been able to run 2 of our workouts on the track with the group so far. Unfortunately, we just received word that tonight’s workout (our last one) is cancelled too due to the extreme predicted temps. That means I will be up and at ’em bright and early doing my workout on my own tomorrow (well, hopefully with my friend Michelle too). Despite the heat and other set backs, I have worked hard to make sure to get all of workouts in. I will be ready to race on Sunday!

With the race right around the corner, however, I have a dilemma and I am hoping that you will provide me with some advice. That’s right Salty readers, I need your help!

To Gel or Not To Gel, That Is The Question!

Posted by SaltyJuly 17, 2012 48 Comments

kid in a candy shop. — Not too different from a runner in a running store these days. (Photo credit: rhoadeecha)

I love walking into my local running store when it’s time to buy energy gels. I feel like a kid in a candy store! How could I not with all those shiny packages and fruity flavors to choose from? They’re fun to buy and they look like astronaut food; surely they will make me fast! When out on the run and feeling tired the temptation to rip open the sparkly foil and suck down that sweet sweet nectar can feel overwhelming… anything to feel better and get the miles in, right?

But what if I told you that the average runner these days over-relies on gels and is not only harming her training, but needlessly holding onto extra fat and letting go of far too many dollars? The title may be a little sensationalistic, but it’s time to ask the question: are gels making me (relatively) slower, fatter and broker than I otherwise would be? Read more >>

Cinnamon’s Training Log 7.16.12

Posted by CinnamonJuly 16, 2012 2 Comments

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

Two weeks left! Only two weeks until I can run! Sing it from the hilltops! Cinnamon’s gonna be back very very soon, baby!!

I went to the doctor last Friday–no small feat for me with no health insurance–and got a very simple diagnosis, no expensive X-rays or other imaging necessary. He said as long as I stick to his plan and start slowly I can be running in as soon as 2 weeks! While the physician I saw is no specialist, he works for entertainment professionals so he does see an awful lot of dancers. He said it was readily apparent to him that I have a minor ligament tear (I guessed right) and that I’ve been having trouble healing due to inflammation.

And how do we rid ourselves of inflammation? More on that later…

Believe it or not, this trail is in Manhattan!

Other than that I’ve been resting this week a little more than usual since I’ve been worried about my knee. I have been riding my bike for transportation but it’s been in the shop much of the week. I also stopped keeping track of my mileage in the interest of focusing on healing – why rush around when I should be resting?

The big excitement is that I’m back to the…uh…er…running club (more on that later too). I’ve been walking the trails, but it’s still a lot of fun!

Monday, 7/9 – Rode around Brooklyn on some errands and then dropped my bike off at the shop for a little tune-up business

Tuesday, 7/10 – Rode to the City for dinner plans and got crashed-into by a drunk guy on Bleecker Street!

Wednesday, 7/11 – Dropped my bike off at the shop for a new wheel 🙁

Thursday, 7/12 – Picked up my bike and rode around on principle!

Friday, 7/13 – Rode my bike to the doctor and then rode around on some errands

Saturday, 7/14 – Walked an awesome 6 mile trail through the woods (and into the river) with the running club

Sunday, 7/15 – Rode my bike to Central Park for some good quality relaxing with some friends

Man, what a wussy training log – I can’t wait to post in two weeks though!

Post-Run Fuel: Focus on Protein with Pancakes!

Posted by RosemaryJuly 16, 2012 20 Comments

My kitchen counter. (yeah, it’s really not.) Image via accessexcellence.org

I’m no nutritonist, but by now, my secret is out: I am a foodie. I come by it honestly from both sides of my family. My grandma Jean could talk about food all day long. And as any Italian knows, get-togethers and holidays are very food-centric. I don’t just love food though. I also love science. I love learning about food as fuel for our bodies. I love experimenting, myself as the subject (n=1), with different nutritional approaches. So what do you get when you blend a science nerd with a food geek? A person with constantly evolving nutritional philosophy, an easily convinced diet-phase companion and a lot of interesting experiences. Read more >>

Ginger’s Training Log – 7-16-12

Posted by GingerJuly 16, 2012 Leave a comment

As mentioned in today’s post, I took it very easy this week due to shingles. By Friday, I had completed the medication and was feeling pretty normal again. My runs were slow and secluded to avoid spreading anything. This upcoming week, I’ll continue to focus on building up more miles and strength.

Sunday: 5 miles easy. Felt fine but that was about to change later in the day.

Monday: Rest. This was the worst day with the virus.

Tuesday: 5 miles very easy, felt a little out of it.

Wednesday: Rest. Dizzy!

Thursday: 5 miles easy that felt pretty good.

Friday: Rest for precautionary reasons.

Saturday: 5 miles easy on trails. Nearly 100%.

Total: 20 miles running.

Pepper’s training log 7/15/2012

Posted by PepperJuly 16, 2012 Leave a comment

This week was all about GLR. Running some easy miles with strides to get the turnover up early in the week, and keeping it light so as not to be going into GLR tired. Obviously I didn’t have the ideal build up into this race with the last few weeks training, and I really just haven’t felt like I have gotten back up to pre Boston fitness yet. But I think for the terrain/surface/craziness that was GLR I did really well. But boy are my legs sore now and my foot is obviously peeved. I am seriously considering a big block of no running to see if I can finally have a pain free heel.

Monday- Bike commute to and from work = 23 miles. 4 mile run with 10* 30 second strides

Tuesday- Bike commute to and from work = 21 miles. 4 miles easy run.

Wednesday- Rest

Thursday- 18 minutes easy run with GLR gals

Friday- 12 miles with two legs at GLR

Saturday- 14 miles with two legs at GLR

Sunday- 7.5 miles with one leg at GLR

Achoo! Running While Sick

Posted by GingerJuly 16, 2012 4 Comments

Running while sick is similar to running with an injury. Or running while pregnant. If you are going to do it, you need to make sure your ears are tuned in to listening to the rest of your body. It’s been said that most non-running doctors have trouble understanding runners. Rest. Ice. You crazy runners. Common phrases I’m sure we’ve all heard. I don’t know about you, but when I come down with a cough, cold, or shingles (yes, I came down with shingles last week!), the first thing I do is scour the internet message boards for tales of other runners who continue running while sick.

What I’ve learned from this approach is that it must be done cautiously. If you are a borderline hypochondriac like myself, you might actually be entertained and put at ease by the number of way-more-freaked-out-hypochondriacs out there. You might even find yourself saying, “Dude, calm down,” to the user writing about that brief pain they felt in their stomachs when pushing a little too hard on the pot. Nonetheless, the internet does provide a great resource for the sharing of other runner’s experiences with sickness (and injuries and babies!). Read more >>

Mint’s Training Log – Week 5 – 7.15.12

Posted by MintJuly 15, 2012 Leave a comment

This week was a cut-back week for me which was probably needed as the ball of my left foot is a little tender this week. Mother nature really turned up the heat here too, so the timing was good. Overall, it turned out to be a chaotic, but high quality week for me.

Monday is always my rest day. I did my arm weights and core, however.

Tuesday I had my scheduled track workout, but it ended up a complete fail. Instead of running intervals, we spent the evening in urgent care!

Wednesday morning I was still very rattled by our Tuesday night adventures and did not want to have to focus my mind on intervals. I just wanted to run! So that is what I did. I ended up with 7 miles at 8:28 pace – which goes to show that I really did need to just get out there and clear my head. (My target easy pace is 8:45-9:00.) I thought about running 30 minutes easy after work to make up for some missed time, but Johnny (my husband) invited me to happy hour instead. Yes, please!

Thursday morning I got up ready to log my track work. The workout du jour was 300s progressive (first 100 fast; 2nd 100 faster; 3rd 100 fastest). I already had my starting line marked with chalk in front of our house and the 400 marked off down the road. So during my warmup, I marked off chalk lines for the 300. I did my drills (butt kicks; high knees; quick steps) then another warmup with pickups mixed in. I then set off for my 6 x 300s. Recovery was walking to the 400 line (so 100m walk). Once I reached the line, I turned around and set off on another 300 back toward my house. My times were (1:01, 1:04, 1:06; 1:04, 1:05; 1:04). I wasn’t particularly excited about my times or how I executed them (not quite progressive or too progressive – aka too slow at first), but what do you do? I then did 2 x 150 hard (5:06; 4:50 paces) and a cool down.

Who needs a track when we have sidewalk chalk?

Thursday night John and I had a nice 2 mile walk on the trail. His back has been hurting for months, but we did 2 minutes of easy jogging and he had no pain – big improvement!!

Friday I was feeling my Tuesday morning workout. Oooh wee. My hip flexors were definitely yelling a bit, which I guess is probably a good thing. But I was insanely tired when the alarm went off at 5:15 again. I dragged myself outside and got in 7 easy miles, but it took me a while to get to my target paces.

Since I was sore and super tired, I decided not to race on Saturday morning. We all slept in a bit and the boys agreed to do their track workout. I told them I’d get them started on it and then do my own run. So we did a warm up; drills; pickups and then I got ready to start them on their 300s. James really wanted me to run with him, so I said I would do one. Well, I ended up doing 4. 🙂 I stopped at that point, not wanting to overdo it. James did all 6, however, and rocked them. Jake, on the other hand, started complaining and I told him he didn’t have to do it. So he did part of the workout. I didn’t care – I was just glad he was out there doing something. Believe it or not, my 300s were actually better this morning and I did a better job with running them progressively. They were 1:01, 1:04, 1:01, 1:05 (the differences is the slight grading – downhill 1&3; slight uphill 2&4). We then did our 150s and both of mine were at 4:50 pace. James blew me away.

The boys then went swimming and I continued on for a cool down + 4 x hills at sub-5k pace (6:11; 6:44; 6:25; 6:25). It wasn’t easy – particularly since it was getting really hot – but I felt very strong. And pretty badass for getting in such a solid workout. Woot.

Sunday I did not get up early and paid for it on my run. It was already “feels like” 94 and full sun when I started. I had a 9.6 mile sufferfest (8:58 pace), but I got it done. Then later in the afternoon John and I went on a 7.5 mile bike ride. Cycling in the heat is WAY easier than running in the heat.

Totals:

36 miles running

2 miles walking

7.5 cycling.

Next weekend is the Capitol Mile and I am praying it is not as hot/humid as it is today…..

Salty’s Training Log – 7.15.12

Posted by SaltyJuly 15, 2012 4 Comments

20 weeks! More than half way to baby, already! This week I decided to cut back a bit as I was pretty pooped after my 50 miles during the previous super hot week. I figured I could afford to run *just* mid-30’s this week. Plus, I was racing on Sunday to some extent and I didn’t want to overdo it.

I did end up racing today and it went better than I expected. I wanted to average under 8:00 for the 5 miles and best case I thought I could do 7:30’s. I’ve run one mile under 8:00 pace in the past 2 months, I’m up a lot of pounds and you know, 20 weeks pregnant. Much to my surprise I went out with my friend Joanne (who took the Salty Challenge and ran shirtless!) at 7:20 and felt pretty comfortable. I maintained effort and according to the mile-caller-outer guy ran 15:33 for 2 miles meaning the uphill second mile was seriously slow (8:13!)

But then I’m not sure what happened. A fire was lit under me and I just decided to go nutty and picked up the pace and flew down the downhills in the third mile coming into mile 3 in 22:09. Ha! That means I ran under 6:40 for that mile! Couldn’t maintain that pace on the last 2 flat miles. If I recall correctly mile 4 was about a 29:20 (or 7:11 pace) and the I finished up with a 7:02 to cross the line in 36:22–way better than I expected! (I wonder if the mile-caller-outer guy for mile 2 was a littler further along the course than he should have been. I’d peg that mile for 7:50 and the other for closer to 7:00, but whatever!)

I ran back and forth with a guy who was 70 for the last three miles. He was awesome and really pushed me. I passed tons of women over the last 3 miles and somehow managed to win my age group. This is particularly sweet because I’ve won my age group in this super competitive race most of the years I’ve run it every year but the year I was pregnant the first time) and age group winners get photos in the local paper. Fun souvenir for Booboo!

Way easier and more fun than I expected!

Mon: 4 pushing the kids. Tired.

Tue: 6 pushing the kids and feeling a bit better.

Wed: 10 pushing the pace a bit on the bridle trails – 8:40’s.

Thu: 5 pushing the kids. Hot, hungry and tired.

Fri: off

Sat: 0ff

Sun: 11 with 5 mile race.

Rosemary’s Training Log 7-15-11

Posted by RosemaryJuly 15, 2012 Leave a comment

Another week on the books! It was kinda rough getting back to work and running after a wonderful vacation last week. A little distraction early in the week (see below!) didn’t help either. By Friday, I was beginning to feel like my coming-back self again. Capped it off with a long run with one of my amazing teammates and hope/happiness has been restored.

Monday- 6 miles. Got my oil changed and found a stray kitten in the parking lot at work. All before 8:00 AM! Named the kitten “Nugget” while he stayed with me. I think he is about 4 weeks old. I knew we couldn’t keep him because we already have two cats, so I emailed/facebooked everyone I knew to see if we could find him a home!

Nugget! SO darn CUTE! I am definitely a cat person.

Tuesday- I took the day off. My distraction of the week made it easy to do nothing. He was quite demanding as I had to bottle fed the little guy and show him to use the kitty box. Then, I handed him over to his new momma, Tayler.

Wednesday- First track workout in months. 12 x 400 at a conservative pace of 1:55-1:58. This revealed that I cannot be trusted to run conservatively on the track right now. My splits ranged from 1:35 to 1:48 with slower times early on and quicker splits with increased reps. The last rep, I through good judgment to the wind and ran 84. It felt amazing. So, maybe I’m in doing minimal damage and maintaining better shape than I thought?

Thursday- weight class and 20 min swim

Friday- 5 miles after sleeping 13 hours! I think I was fighting off a bug. I also think I was still asleep on this run. ART (Active Release Technique) maintenance appointment in the afternoon with Rhonda at Primal Kneads. She knocked out some IT band and calf gunk and spent a good amount of time on my plantar fascia.

Saturday- 5 miles in an very, very, very light rain. Almost too light to call it rain. But I really enjoyed it!

Sunday- 12 miles with my friend and CRC teammate Paige. Always leaves me in a positive frame of mind. Good to have people who believe in my comeback for the many times when I doubt it myself.