Born to Run, Infant Style
Born to run x 3.
I—Dimity—just dropped off our kids at sleepaway camp until Friday. It’s the second year for Amelia (just turned 11) and the first for Ben (8). Once we got them checked in and lower bunks made—we weren’t early enough so they could grab a prize upper bunk—they were done with me. “Can I take a quick picture of you on your bunk?,” I asked Ben, who, after 20 minutes, was outside running around with his soon-to-be-best pals. “No.” This is what I got instead.
Love that Claire, our model, drooled on her high fashion. Rest assured, all the items we ship are saliva-free.
I’m not complaining; Lord knows, nearly six days of no kids is good for all aspects of my life. (My main focus until July 4: Mother Runner Book #3. And I can’t wait. I looove working on it.) But what I am saying is what you likely already know: Where did the time go? How did my Ben, who I swear could’ve just fit into this onesie, now at sleepaway camp for a week? (And you just know he’s coming back way more independent. Hope he still allows me to love on him.)
Shower a future mother runner with this combo.
Which is a long way of getting to the point of this post: the born to run baby onesie is AMR’s first shot at clothing for the offspring. We’ve got it solo ($15) and packaged with a signed copy of Run Like a Mother ($25), which makes a pretty awesome baby shower gift. (Something for the mom; something for the peanut.)
As for me, I’m considering grabbing a onesie, rubbing mashed up carrots and black beans into it, spilling grape juice on it, washing it about 40 times, and stashing it with the other clothes I’m saving for when my kids have kids…and I get to start this process all over. For now, though, I’ll happily enjoy a week of peace + quiet.
Do you want us to start carrying more kids stuff? If so, any styles and phrases appeal to you?
#116: Sage (Rountree) Advice about Yoga
Sage Rountree going with the flow for stretching.
[Note: We’re hard at work on their third book this summer, so today’s podcast has previously aired. Don’t worry – we’ll be back next week with a new show!]
Sarah and Dimity get their “om” on with noted yogini and triathlon coach Sage Rountree, author of “The Athlete’s Guide to Yoga.” The gals discuss the best type of yoga for runners (you Type A’s might not like the answer), and they touch on the hot button issue of hot yoga. Sage shares easy, post-run stretches that’ll open your hips and release your lower back (oh, yeah, right there!). And Sarah feels a release: Sage gives her permission to stop fretting about her tight hips and hamstrings.
[audio:http://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/podcasts.pagatim.fm/shows/amr/amr_062914.mp3]If you’re digging our podcasts, we’d be super-grateful if you’d take a minute (because we *know* you have so many to spare!) to write a review on iTunes.
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Martini Fridays: Socks and Training Plans
The socks in question.
Here’s Adrienne Martini, of the popular Martini Fridays, last column until July 7, when she starts in on her 13.FUN journey, and then she’s back to add an olive to our Fridays on a weekly basis. (You can join her—and us—in 13.FUN by registering here.)
Before I delve into what’s currently on my running mind, I have to take a moment to thank all y’all for the kind thoughts about my family’s loss. It means a lot to me. We’re muddling through, as one does.
Back to my running mind. Socks are the first thing spinning around in there. Specifically the socks above.
I bought these beauties—they were prettier fresh—during a trip to Disney last January. When I got home, I tore them out of the packaging, washed them, then ran in them. It was bliss. These are my Platonic ideal running sock. But after so many miles, they are starting to look a little sad. Now, I only wear them for extra long runs so that I can make them last.
I want to replace them with many, many more pairs of their siblings but can’t figure out what they are actually called. I’ve searched websites, including Mizuno’s. I’ve trolled running shops both big, small, and online. I suspect they are an older model that has slipped out of production. What I’ve found are socks that almost look like these, but not quite. Can anyone help me out?
And then the dog decided to “help” me take a picture.
Socks aside, after so many months of not training for anything at all, other than, you know, life, I’m ready to think about 13.FUN and the half-marathon I’ll be running in Syracuse in October. More specifically, I’m thinking about which training plan to follow. There are three options: run/walk, run, and race.
Given that I have one half under my running skirt, which sounds naughtier than intended, the run/walk isn’t the right plan for me. By eliminating one possibility, I’m left with just two. It should be easy to choose between just two things. It should also be easy to get the kids to unload the dishwasher because it’s a chore they do every dang day. And, yet, as I type this, the dishwasher remains unemptied.
To run or to race; that is the question. The run plan is more or less the one I trained with for the Pittsburgh Half. It is a fine, fine plan and it got me where I wanted to go. I have zero issues with taking it on again.
The race plan keeps winking at me, though. It ups the speedwork and intensity, which is appealing since I’d like to run just a smidge faster this time around. On the plus side, there are no Tuesday 7-milers, which were a bear to fit into my schedule. On the minus, the long runs are really, really long, like 14 and 15 miles toward the end.
And the Boy had to get involved, too. Ah, summer vacation.
I know, I know. As many have said, by the time I get there I’ll be ready for them. But I think those many are out of their minds. My longest run ever was 13.1 miles — and that was a huge push. Now, 6 weeks removed from running that personal best, I don’t even know how I did it. Lately, after six miles I’m ready to pack it in and have a nice, refreshing beverage with a little paper umbrella in it. Those six mile runs have ranged from “meh” to “ugh.” How on Earth could I run 15?
And, yet, there’s still a part of me that wants to move beyond just getting the 13.1 done. I would like to go just a smidge faster. Disbelief aside— I once didn’t think I could ever run 10 miles—the race plan might be my best hope.
But there’s comfort in the familiar. I could just push myself to run the shorter distances faster on the run plan, right? I already have a decent idea about what those 15 weeks will mean, both in terms of physical and temporal commitment.
So that’s where I’m stuck. Should I go with the scary race plan, even though I have zero intention of actually racing-racing but would like to move faster? Or should I stick with the familiar run plan, even though I’m not sure I will have the gumption to push myself where needed? (Just to further muddy the waters : the race plan will be more fun for me to write about, even if ends as a cautionary tale rather than a song of victory.)
So what do you think, mother runners? Anyone care to weigh in? And socks? Can anybody help me find my version of Sock Utopia?
AMR Traveling Ultimate 6 Kit, Episode 4: Hamstring Strain
Heidi Parker, a mother runner in Reno, Nevada, was not happy with her hamstrings. Or they weren’t happy with her. One or the other; either way, her angry lower body was the next perfect recipient for the AMR TriggerPoint Traveling Ultimate 6 Kit.
What is a hamstring strain? Well, the correct term is Angry Right Hamstring (ARH), as I affectionately called it these last six months or so. Backing up: the hamstring is three strings of muscles that run up the back of the leg that, as an article in Running Times says, “is responsible for propelling your body forward with every step…If you were a car, your quads would be the springs and your hamstrings would be the engine…the hamstring muscle complex has three basic roles with running: slowing the striding leg down as it approaches the ground; extending the hip and propulsion of the body forward; and assisting the calf muscle as it helps to move the knee.” A strain is a series of small tears to one or more of the muscles, which you feel everytime you make one of those motions.
On a scale of 1 (a hangnail) to 10 (hospitalization required), I would rate this injury as a: When I first felt my hamstrings bark, it felt like a 7 when I was running and a 2 when I was going about my day. But in March, I ran the Sacramento Shamrock’n Half, despite the fact that my hamstrings weren’t any better, and after I was finished I was in pain. Not I just ran 13.1 miles and my legs are sore pain, but I can barely walk pain. My post-race pain? A 9.
Heidi, back when her hamstring was happy.
What causes a hamstring strain? They’re common in sprinters who stretch the muscle too fast or too far; for endurance runners, bursts of speed can bring on a strain, as can many other factors, including fatigue, poor form, tight hamstrings, really strong quads and really weak hamstrings. For more explanation, check out this link.
For me it was a combination of things. Like many runners, I automatically buy the next version of my favorite shoe and assume it’s going to be just like the previous version. I bought it online, so didn’t try it on.
I quickly learned that a small design tweak can make a big difference; one day, I was running errands in the old version and later headed out the door for a run in the same shoes. Halfway through my run, I realized that both my hamstring hurt substantially less and I hadn’t changed my shoes. Ding! Light bulb! My friendly Reno Running Company store fit me for the new and improved version of my favorite shoe, and the road to recovery began. It was a good reminder to buy shoes in person.
While I was playing shoe roulette, I also hadn’t been consistently running, so my mileage was random and fluctuated pretty wildly. I wasn’t following any kind of plan or the tried-and-true, don’t increase your mileage any more than 10% weekly. So I joined the AMR Prove It challenge to help me stay on track.
Lastly, I rarely stretch, roll, downward dog pose or whatever else runners are supposed to do. The roller we own collects dust in the corner and I never go to the yoga style “Flow” class offered by the women’s cross-training program I attend.
What a hamstring strain feels like: Pain in the back of the thigh and lower butt when walking, straightening the leg, bending over, or running. When I wasn’t running it felt like a toothache or itchy bug bite: I knew it was there but it was manageable. When I ran it would be ok for the first couple miles, then by the time I got to 3 or 4 miles, it loudly reminded me I probably shouldn’t be running!
Successful relay handoff: is she healed or not? Read on to find out.
You might have a hamstring strain if: Hamstrings are pretty vocal, so if you hear them, you might be on the lucky winner of a strain. The pain/discomfort is clear and targeted and um, loud. One way you know you have it is when you bend over to shave your legs, your outstretched hurt leg leg doesn’t want to be straight and you shave as fast as possible to make the discomfort stop. You also feel it if you put your opposite toe on the opposite heel to slip off your running shoes; the injured leg would much prefer you sit down, untie your shoes, and take them off with your hands. Sitting for long periods of time can get super uncomfortable as well.
What and how to roll: This was the biggest education for me. After receiving the Ultimate 6 Kit, I read through the handy guide. I read through it again. There is nothing here for hamstrings! I thought,” They must have sent me the wrong guide.” I asked Amanda, my contact at TriggerPoint if I was missing something. She explained that many strained muscles benefit from rolling/stretching the surrounding areas. This was a new concept for me, but once I tried the ones she suggested, I believed her. I was hooked.
I found the most success with the Piriformis manipulation; releasing the muscles in my butt in turn allowed my hamstring to relax. The Piriformis makes the hamstrings tight—tight in a bad way, not in a cute butt way.
That TriggerPoint striped massage ball is incredible! Sitting on it and slowly releasing the muscles had level of discomfort, but shouldn’t be painful; Amanda definitely emphasized the difference, and that knowledge helped get through the initial discomfort of the first few uses. (Here’s a TriggerPoint video that demonstrates how to release the piriformis.) Hitting my calf and the arches of my feet was also helpful; the body is a chain of muscles, and the hamstrings are attached, one way or another, to the entire chain of leg muscles.
I roller two to three times a week. Amanda suggested rolling before I worked out or ran, and then before bed. That seemed like a lot for me since I hadn’t rolled at all before. So I concentrated on rolling after long runs, and a couple evenings a week.
What else worked physically for me: Soaking in Dr. Teal’s Eucalyptus Epsom Bath Salts, walking, massage once a month, strength training, and rest. Riding my purple cruiser bike helped too. When it was at its worst, I used ice packs and ibuprofen.
How I coped mentally: I tried to keep my runs around 3 miles; I have a loop in my neighborhood that was perfect. This allowed me to keep running, but not at the level that was aggravating my hamstring. I followed the AMR Prove It plan, and especially paid attention to the increase in weekly mileage. I actually wrote the plan down in a Runner’s World training log my husband gave me so all I had to do each week was look at the plan. No guessing or overtraining.
Yep. Healed. And such a believer in TriggerPoint ways, she converted her relay team.
How I’m going to avoid straining it again in the future:
Three important points for me:
1. Pay attention to my shoes. Styles change, our bodies change—and so does our stride.
2. Pay attention to my mileage. I’ve been running for 10 years, but I still need to make sure I’m not going too far, too fast. I joined the next AMR 13.FUN Challenge to help me with this.
3. Pay attention to my tight muscles. All those articles in running magazines about the importance of stretching, yoga classes, etc. are there for a reason. I’m going to do a better job of listening to them. also am finding time in my day to stretch – those 2 minutes spent brushing my teeth? Kick that leg up on top of the bathtub and stretch at the same time. We’re moms – we can use multitasking for ourselves too!
Since I’ve been following all of the above, I was able to run about 15 miles in the Reno Tahoe Odyssey Relay on May 30-31. My three legs were up and down hills; not only did I run a pace I was happy with, but I ran completely without pain. I also brought the Ultimate 6 Kit along in our relay van, and a couple of my teammates were spotted using it too.
If you’ve suffered from a hamstring strain, how did you recover? Any other tips or ideas to share?
We’ve covered IT Band Syndrome and Plantar Fasciitis and shin splits in previous episodes, but if you have another running injury that needs some TLC from the AMR Ultimate 6 Kit, email us at runmother [at] gmail [dot] com and we’ll see if we can get some relief sent your way.
Also, if you’ve got your eye on—or your muscles are longingly aching for—some TriggerPoint products, grab 20% off with code AMR20 at checkout on TriggerPoint.
#115: 2nd Annual Summer Reading Show
With Dimity hard at work on the Another Mother Runner duo’s third book, Sarah is joined by Ellison Weist, her occasional running partner and self-proclaimed, “book bully,” for the second-annual summer reading podcast. Sarah and Ellison reminisce about how books brought them together, then they move onto recommendations for big, engrossing books to soak up this summer. The Portland runners rave about The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt, and encourage listeners to read Tom Perrotta’s The Leftovers before tuning into the new HBO series. Sarah shares Dimity’s two most recent reads, including one that could be a mother runner motto: Overwhelmed: Work, Love, and Play When No One Has the Time.
All but one of the featured books are available on Audible.com. For a free download of your choice, go to www.audiblepodcast.com/mother. And all the recommended books are here on Amazon.
[audio:http://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/podcasts.pagatim.fm/shows/amr/amr_062214.mp3]If you’re digging our podcasts, we’d be super-grateful if you’d take a minute (because we *know* you have so many to spare!) to write a review on iTunes.
**Also, the quickest way to get our podcasts is to subscribe to the show via iTunes. Clicking this link will automatically download the shows to your iTunes account. It doesn’t get any simpler than that!
Healthy, schmealthy: Sarah (left) and Ellison post-podcast after enjoying tasty pork sandwiches at Lardo.
Martini Fridays: Hugs, Cat-Sized Bugs, and Other Important Things
Three generatios of smiles at Disney.
The last two weeks could most charitably be described as “intense.”
They didn’t start that way. Early in the fortnight, I stuck to my loose schedule of runs. Shortly before I was to head out for interval day—because we all need an interval day even if we don’t particularly want one—I called my mom. She’d called that morning at 1 a.m. Neither my husband nor I had heard the phone ring, and she hadn’t left a message.
I’d talked to my mom the day before because my 80-year old stepfather was having surgery. Yesterday, all was well. Until it wasn’t. My stepfather, a label that doesn’t convey how special he was to me, died during the night.
Sometimes death pads up on little cat feet, one wee step at a time; you can see death coming. And, sometimes, it leaps out from behind the bushes and blindsides you.
After I hung up the phone and started to make some preliminary travel plans, I went to the gym and ran my intervals. Because I could—and because the full weight of losing such a good man hadn’t settled in yet.
I worked in a long run the next day, too, just an easy six on my favorite out-and-back. It turns out that it is possible to cry and run. It is not, however, advisable.
While I am not a big believer in fate, sometimes even I can admit that the universe has arranged for what I need most to fall in my lap at just the right time. Two college friends—yes, I did make a few life-long friends at my alma mater—were staying at our place that weekend so that their teenage daughter could race a nearby Spartan run, which she finished. Her medal is a glorious sight to behold.
Quinn and family live in one of the more gorgeous parts of coastal Maine, which is saying something. We meet up once or twice a year. No matter how infrequently we physically see each other, she’s the sort of friend who always feels like she’s around. She’s also one of the best huggers I know. Seriously. If you get a hug from Quinn, you stay hugged for a good long time.
Quinn and Lucy, both doing their own versions of yoga.
She’s also a runner. We managed to work in an easy three on Sunday morning before they had to head back north. Later that afternoon, we drove up to Albany so that I could catch a flight to my mom’s at an unholy hour the next morning. But our run was a wonderful capsule of time, where Quinn and I looped the high school track and talked about nothing and everything.
Between the series of pre-dawn plane rides and endless car rides it takes to get to Lee, the wee North Florida town where my mom lives, and the house full of family and the omnipresent grief, I didn’t manage to get any runs in. While my motto may be “run anyway,” I knew my time and energy would need to be spent elsewhere. I didn’t even bother to bring running shoes.
The road leading to my mom’s, however, makes me want to run on it, despite the humidity, the snakes, and the house cat-sized bugs. Every drive up or down it—and there were a lot of those—made my feet itch to get out and get some sweat going. When I cut through downtown Lee on my way to the Jacksonville airport for my flight home, I spotted a flock of brightly colored runners who were about my shape and age running near the one traffic light. I was ready to join them, as well as rejoin my life that had carried on without me while I was in that disconnected pocket of time that surrounds death.
Insert feet here.
Re-entry has been tricky. The Tween started running a high fever the day I left and is only now close to her old self. The Husband kept the homestead running, because he is a good and capable man, but the edges got a little ragged with only one parent around. Also, the elves didn’t do any of the work I needed to get done, nor did they clean the house. Stupid elves.
Between the end of the school year award ceremonies and catching up on everything else, I’ve been running. My pace and mileage have been less than spectacular. But something is always better than nothing.
Before too long, I’ll have to transition back into training mode for 13.FUN. For now, I’m doing my best to enjoy every opportunity I have to move this body around. It all goes by too quickly, sometimes, and we forget to take notice of the good things we have.