July 2013 – Salty Running

10 Commandments of Runner Etiquette

Posted by GinkgoJuly 31, 2013 23 Comments

Etiquette (Casiotone for the Painfully Alone a... — Etiquette: Don’t be the alligator out on the trail, road, or track. (Casiotone for the Painfully Alone album) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The other day was an unseasonably cool day, hence the increased number of runners out and about on my usual neighborhood trail, which I love to see. The sense of community among runners can be phenomenal; we just get each other. With a little nod or wave, we fellows acknowledge one another like we’re members of a secret club.

Most of the time my waves are reciprocated with a reaffirming nod or a smile. Other times, I’ll pass one who doesn’t dare break a determined pace and stares blankly ahead, seemingly ignoring my gesture. Should I feel dumb or silly for trying? Are these people just plain rude? This got me thinking about unspoken runner etiquette. Do some runners have it and some just…don’t?

Similar to etiquette in the workplace, at dinner parties, and in team sports, runners should hold themselves accountable to a standard of politeness. I know I certainly do, and if you follow my Ten Commandments of Runner Etiquette, you’ll be making friends on the trail in no time. Read more >>

The Comeback Series Part III: Overcoming Hopelessness

Posted by SaltyJuly 30, 2013 6 Comments

Go ahead and call it what it — Call it whatever the heck you want to.

Imagine attempting to climb Mount Everest. Imagine the effort it takes to climb 20 feet, 50 feet, 100 feet. Imagine what it must be like to dodge falling rocks and nearly careen off the side. Imagine making it half-way to your goal, the summit, only to fall off. You take a rest, get yourself together and start back up. On one hand, you’re happy to be back on the mountainside. Other the other, that summit suddenly feels higher than ever. Hopelessness is a natural emotion in this circumstance.

Of course, this is a metaphor for a running comeback and the hopelessness that often sets in early in the process. And believe me. I know how it feels. Read more >>

Licorice’s Pregnancy and Training Log – Week 23

Posted by LicoriceJuly 29, 2013 Leave a comment

The weeks are just flying by! The good news is that this week I (finally) took my licensing exam on Wednesday, so I was able to sort of get my life back in the second half of the week. I had grand plans for getting right back on to some sort of productive schedule first thing Thursday morning, but the reality was that I was too fried to even think about it. So I spent Thursday and Friday being a lazy bum for the most part.

I did make a triumphant return to prenatal yoga on Wednesday night. However, after my two week absence, one class was enough to leave me sore for a couple of days. That felt… a little pathetic.

On the pregnancy front, I had my 24 week appointment on Friday and everything looks good and is right on track. For the first time in, well, ever, my doctor didn’t have to chase the baby down to hear her heartbeat. Apparently she’s now big enough that she doesn’t have anywhere to run :-)

Monday: Studying

Tuesday: Studying

Wednesday AM: EXAM! No more studying!

Wednesday PM: Prenatal yoga

Thursday: 3 mile walk

Friday: Rest

Saturday: Rest

Sunday: Rest

Totals for the week: 90 mins prenatal yoga, 3 miles walking

Racing Your First Half Marathon

Posted by CinnamonJuly 29, 2013 5 Comments

Announcement cards available at Zazzle.com

Finishing is nice, but you love racing. You’ve got some 5k and 10k races under your belt and you think you might be ready to take the next step and try a half marathon.

13.1 miles can seem daunting if you’ve never raced that far before, and with good reason–pushing yourself for that many miles is tough to get used to! Lucky for you, the half is a very accessible distance, especially if you’ve run a few 10ks. Many veteran runners love the half because it’s short enough to not require the monster training of a full marathon but it’s long enough to be a challenge, especially if you want to push your pace to its limit.

And if you’re a half-marathon vet, please share tips and stories from your first half marathons to help our newbies get a better sense of what they’re in for.

Here is the Salty guide to racing your first half marathon:

5 Reasons to Try Swimming

Posted by VanillaJuly 26, 2013 6 Comments

Lots of people do it. People are talking about trying it. And yes, even some of us Salties have talked about trying it or getting better at it. It can be somewhat intimidating to those of us who prefer our endurance activities on land. Yes, I’m talking about swimming.

Sure, Salty Running is all about running and getting faster, but we also respect cross-training and those of us who attempt the craziness of triathlon and other endurance sports. As we look for ways to maintain our running fitness, get faster, stay injury-free, and (gasp) get older, we need to think about ways we can continue to do the sport we love so much. Swimming is an excellent way to build endurance and work muscles that aren’t used in running. Don’t turn your back on swimming just because you’re intimidated or feel like it’s not a good workout. Here are five reasons to consider swimming as a great cross-training activity. Read more >>

Leaning in

Posted by ChipotleJuly 25, 2013 Leave a comment

Image representing Sheryl Sandberg as depicted... — Cheryl Sandberg. Image via CrunchBase

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve at least heard of Facebook executive, Sheryl Sandberg and her book, Lean In. Sandberg wrote the book to encourage women to pursue their ambitions, and to change the conversation from what we can’t do to what we can do. Sure, sexism exists. Whether we like it or not, men, in large part, still rule the world. However, using that as an excuse to abandon ambition will get us nowhere. Instead, assume you can reach your goals and act accordingly.

Leaning in gives us permission (as if we really need it) to imagine what we would do if we were not afraid of running into glass ceilings and to find ways to get us to our goals.

This can so easily apply to our running.

Salty’s Training Log – 7.21.13

Posted by SaltyJuly 24, 2013 1 Comment

The heat wave descended last week, but I still managed to get in my training. Sometimes it wasn’t pretty and I had to improvise, but in the end I GOT. IT. DONE!

And I raced. My favorite local race is an old-school competitive 5 miler. I run it almost every year (only time I haven’t since 2006 was in 2010 when I had a 3-week old). And every year, but 2008 when I was pregnant for the first time, I’ve won my age group, even last year when I was pregnant with my third! So, I wanted to get out there and try to keep my streak alive, even if I’m not in race shape just yet.

A little past mile 1 and climbing! Maribeth Joeright/MJoeright@News-Herald.com

As you probably know, I train with an elite development team. We’re currently an all-women team of 9 awesome runners all training under the same coach. Three of my teammates are super-duper crazy amazing fast. They are all hoping to run sub-1:15 half marathons this fall to qualify for the Olympic Marathon Trials. One has a PR faster than that already and the other two are certainly more than capable of doing it. They inspire me!

Besides them, there’s me, of course, Barb Broad, who you’ve met, and several other 20-somethings working to take their running to the next level. I like to think of them and me as the farm team. I’ve just recently started doing workouts with the farm team and expected to come in somewhere behind my teammates. Surprisingly, I came in with them. The three of us on the farm team came in 9th, 10th and 11th place and all within 11 seconds of each other. I was 10th. I went into the race with NO GOAL TIME. I was hopeful, but not expectant. As per my coach, my mission was to push myself from start to finish and ignore the watch. So I left the watch in the car and did just that. It worked great. I’m sure if I knew that I was on pace to run 1:00 slower than my course best, I wouldn’t have pushed myself as hard as I did. And I found that even with a “slow” time, when you really do your best it’s hard to feel disappointed. Aw. Little Salty is growing up. Heh.

Anyway, here’s how the week went:

Mon: 5 easy on the treadmill during kids’ swim classes averaging 8:14.

Tue: a.m. 3 easy on the treadmill (no stroller because of rain) and later 9 with track.

Ew. It was 89 and sticky for the entire thing. Workout was 1600, 1200, 800, 400, 6 x 200. Goal paces were probably still a little out of my reach on a good day: 5:50; 4:21; 2:52; 83; 40; 40; 39; 39; 38; < 38. But today was not a good day. 6:10 (that hurt); 4:35; 2:59 (better); 83 (not sure how I managed that) and then I did 3 x 40 200s and 3 x 39. 39 was about the best I could do without my form going to heck.

Wed: Off. It was 94 and I took all three kids to the zoo from 9:45 – 3:00!

Thu: 8 with 5 @ 7:15 on the Y treadmill with no a/c. It was unbelievably hot, humid and the air did not move. So gross, but I had no choice and got it done. I would have liked to get in 7 @ 7:10, but it was just too hot and I settled for getting in the miles over the pace.

Fri: 7 again on the Y treadmill with no a/c. Was hotter than the day before. Wanted 8, but I just couldn’t. Averaged 7:57.

Sat: 6 with a new friend including 6 x :30 strides. Averaged 7:40 and great conversation!

Sun: a.m. 10.5 with 5 mile race in 32:16 (6:27 average). p.m. 3 super easy shake out shuffle.

Total: 51.5

No Boys Allowed: One Woman’s Thoughts on Women Only Races.

Posted by GinkgoJuly 24, 2013 29 Comments

tiaras — Not on my list of preferred race gear (Photo credit: alicetiara)

I’ve been a subscriber to Women’s Running magazine, ever since our very own Salty was featured! I’m like a little kid at Christmas when a glossy, new magazine appears in my mailbox each month, but, I must admit, I was a little bit taken aback when I opened the front page of the August issue. The headlines flashed at me:

Reward me with a glitzy medal! Pamper me in the freshen up lounge! Celebrate me with a Bubbly toast! Treat me with a cookie cafe!

Hmmmm…where was this going?

Oh yes, Women Only races. Upon this realization, I think my eyes rolled across the room. Read more >>

What to Do When You Have to Poop or Pee but There’s Nowhere to Go

Posted by SaltyJuly 23, 2013 33 Comments

It’s early. Really early. So early you can finish this run and get ready for work and be there on time. So early you woke right at the alarm and headed straight out the door, skipping your usual pre-morning run routine. Today is a good day for an out and back, you think. So you head 3.5 miles out the lonely quiet road and turn around. And of course, as Murphy’s Law dictates, just as you’re at the farthest point from home base (and a bathroom) nature calls.

You try to ignore it. The impulse subsides, only to come roaring back like a wave. You make it three waves or so before you realize you are going to have to take care of this business or the business will happen anyway. In your shorts. You look around and see neighborhood houses or trees or open fields or whatever, but no official places to do your business.

Aw, crap.

What the heck are you supposed to do?

Licorice’s Pregnancy & Training Log – Week 22

Posted by LicoriceJuly 22, 2013 Leave a comment

This week was focused on one thing and one thing only: studying for my licensing exam next week. Which means there wasn’t much of anything else going on, unfortunately. It was head-down-in-the-books, and by the end of the week I was counting down the days until this will all be over.

On the baby front, I’m feeling her moving around more often and have also begun to experience the joys of swollen hands and feet. I did pick up a pair of compression socks, which have been helping immensely considering most of my day has been “sitting and studying” recently. I keep hoping that it’s just a function of the heat, and that it isn’t around to stay for the next 4 months, except that “heat” apparently means 70 degrees when it comes to increased puffiness and by the time it’s cooler than that on a regular basis? I’ll be far enough along that I’d have puffy hands and feet anyway. Woe and alas. Just part of the magic of life and all of that.

22 weeks.... and the belly continues to grow — 22 weeks…. and the belly continues to grow

The one thing I did do this week was volunteer at an aid station for a local 70.3 race. From 8-3 on Sunday, I was outside, standing, and spending at least half of that time pouring water from gallon jugs into cups for the athletes. It was a blast as usual, but by the time I got home? Everything hurt. My feet and low back hurt from standing in essentially one spot all day, and my upper back was sore from throwing jugs of water around. Not to mention the raging sunburn I wound up with on my legs, which did not get as sunblocked as they should have. By the time I went to bed that night, I was pretty sure that I felt worse than I did the year that I actually raced the event.

Take home lesson: race volunteering is not for sissies. Of course, the upside was I had several friends racing (all of whom killed it on a ridiculously challenging course) and I got to see them on their run. Totally worth the end result.

Monday: 3 mile walk

Tuesday: Studying

Wednesday: Studying

Thursday: Studying

Friday: Studying

Saturday: Studying

Sunday: Volunteer at Lake Stevens

Total for the week: 3 miles walking and 20+ gallons of water poured out

A Mysterious Kind of Marathon Training Plan

Posted by GingerJuly 22, 2013 5 Comments

Question mark liberal — These days I like the odds of not knowing (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

In my line of work of family therapy, one of the first things taught is to focus on the process versus the content of an interaction. For instance, when a family is in session and the mom angrily proclaims that her daughter refuses to pick up after herself or won’t clean her room, it’s easy to get caught up in those pesky details. Instead, the therapist might turn to the daughter and ask, “What’s it like to hear mom say that?” The shift away from such details and a focus towards the interaction itself is what leads to eventual change.

Now you ask, what does any of this have to do with running? And Ginger, where have you been? Well, as of late, I’ve been shifting the focus of my running to the process itself, rather than the content of weekly miles to hit or paces at which to run. Last summer, I attempted a similar approach but when everyone else around you speaks in miles, it becomes a challenge. Unintentionally, I’ve been away from the site and some of my running friends as of late. As much as I miss those days, the little break has helped me to understand more of why I run.

Cinnamon’s BQ Attempt Training Log 7.22.13

Posted by CinnamonJuly 22, 2013 1 Comment

This week was all about avoiding the heat. New York burned up so bad the zucchini plants in my front yard shriveled up and died. Not wanting to join them, I made sure to carry extra water and stick to routes with drinking fountains. I had to go a little easy on myself where pace was concerned, not getting too upset when my 1000 repeats came in closer to 4:40 than 4:25. By the end, my legs still felt heavy and overtired, so I think I worked hard enough. On Thursday my tempo run became a Fartlek when a rough patch of dizziness made it all too clear there was no way for me to sustain race pace for 5 miles at 95° Farenheit (after sundown!), even though I was pouring water over my head and down my back every quarter mile mark and sucking down water from my handheld like a fish.

There’s no way to be sure, of course, but it seems to me like the heat gets to me worse than others. In groups I’m often the first to tug my shirt over my head and tuck it into my waistband. I’m always complaining about the heat, even in the springtime, and I love the winter, sporting shorts in all but the coldest weather. I like the sun of course, but in the summer I grumble at it and seek out the shadows like a vampire. When I’m running beaches and open fields are my enemy, and the sunscreen is so thick on my face and arms it feels like I put it on with a spackling knife. Maybe it’s because of my fair skin? Although I can hardly say that now, since my runner’s tan has browned and freckled me like a Thanksgiving Turkey.

Whose bright idea was a fall marathon, anyway? Read more >>

Vanilla’s Training Log 7-20-13

Posted by VanillaJuly 22, 2013 Leave a comment

Well, I fell off the training log wagon last week and didn’t post, but I am back. It was a busy week kicking off with a triathlon on Sunday and ending as a participant on a 12-person relay team through Colorado.

Sunday: Boulder Peak Triathlon, which is Olympic distance with a very tough bike course. The first 8 miles is a steady climb including 1/2 mile at 15% grade, but after reaching the top, it really is downhill. My swim split for 1500 was decent (for me), and my 10K run at 8:00 pace was slower than I would have liked, but I ran conservatively for the first 2 miles at 8:15 because my right foot was a little sore. But, any time I can run negative in a race, especially in a tri, I am a happy camper. My intent was to treat it as a training race, and it was a lot of fun.

Monday: Weights/core in the morning. Easy 3.4 miles at lunch.

Tuesday: Early morning ride of about 21 miles. I ran back and forth to work, which was 7 miles, total.

Wednesday: Weights/core in the morning. 2,800 swim followed by 2.3 miles.

Thursday: Self-imposed rest day! I really needed this. I have been fighting it the past 2 weeks, and I really just needed to take a day, not worry about the training plan, sleep in and let go. It was wonderful!

Friday-Saturday: Epic Relay through Colorado consisting of 190 miles between 12 women. I had 3 legs assigned, including the hardest of all legs which was an 1,800 ft. ascent starting at 9,300 feet! The scenery was beautiful throughout the entire relay. We even saw a cattle drive and a cowboy riding his house along one of the paths! Although we had little sleep, ate things only from wrappers and smelled awful, we all got along well, and there was no drama to report. I ran an additional leg to help out an injured runner. Total mileage was 21.5 miles.

Weekly Totals:

Running: 41 miles

Biking: 53 miles

Swimming: 2.5 miles

Weight Training: 90 minutes

5 Reasons Running During a Heatwave Makes You a Badass

Posted by SaltyJuly 19, 2013 4 Comments

Hot hot hot. Wooooooooooeeeeee! Has it been hot and humid everywhere this week! Yuckity yuck yuck yuck.

Even with extreme heat and mugginess, or “the soup” as I like to call it, our training plans don’t care. We have workouts to get in and mileage goals to meet! Armed with Mint’s tips for safely getting in the training during heat waves, many of us sucked it up and got it done this week despite the weather from heck. And for that, we deserve a badass badge.

Here’s why: Read more >>

Namaste: Finding My Runner Zen

Posted by GinkgoJuly 18, 2013 3 Comments

yoga — (Photo credit: GO INTERACTIVE WELLNESS)

I’ll admit it. I used to be one of those people. I was a skeptic of the whole downward dog-loving, lululemon-addicted, tree-hugging yogis that wandered around with their expensive yoga mats and were actually “smiling” without a drip of sweat after their “work-out”. Yes, I thought yoga was for wimps; for people who didn’t like to sweat; for flexible thirty-somethings who found a source of relaxation in the whole Vinyasa routine. I was a runner, after all. I liked to pound that pavement, test my heart to the max and get those endorphines flowing. Then, I gave yoga a try. Read more >>