January 2016

Kickoff to Boston Marathon Training

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Yesterday, Molly (left), her oldest daughter, Lane, and I powered through eight miles in glorious sunshine–and Saucony Bullet bottoms.

One week ago today, I kicked off Boston Marathon training–and it was an inauspicious start. I’m hoping Day 1 of training wasn’t indicative of how the next 14 weeks of it will go.

It was supposed to be the first day of school after a two-week winter break, but un-Portland-y winter weather got in the way: Freezing rain on top of snow turned the unplowed streets and sidewalks into the equivalent of a lumpy, crusty ice rink. Temps were supposed to rise above freezing by midday, but the mercury took its sweet time rising. One stroke of luck: The veterinarian clinic where my best running friend, Molly, works was closed for the day, which meant I had access to a treadmill (long story involving guest policy at her gym)…if only the roads melted enough to make driving sane. Finally at 3:00, we (cautiously) drove to her gym for a session on the treadmill.

My usual dread of the ‘mill was replaced with nearly giddy relief at being able to get in the run spelled out by my coach; all morning I’d fretted Day 1 of Boston training would have to be scratched. Molly and I nabbed adjacent treadmills, and we launched into a 45-minute “gradual progression run,” which entailed:

15:00 gradually warm up to rate of perceived exertion (RPE) 3/comfortable running.
10:00 @10-15 seconds per mile faster that warm-up pace.
5:00 @10-15 seconds per mile faster yet
2:00 build to 5K FEEL and hold
1:00 aim to go just a little faster
12:00 cooldown of comfortable running

woman running on treadmill

Saucony shorts and a tee: not typical January 4 running attire in Portland.

The air felt too close and hot, but Molly distracted me by recounting tales of a round-the-world sailing race showcased in a documentary she’d just watched. More luck-for-me: Molly misunderstood the workout, so while I was running 8:12 for two minutes, then a minute at 7:53, she was going at a wonderful chat-able pace!

The stubborn ice kept schools closed again the next day (argh!), and I did a strength circuit in my basement instead of barre class. But Molly and I were back outside in plenty of time for Friday’s “tempo/up-tempo run,” which had us running on dark neighborhood roads, pushing the effort to RPE 5, then RPE 7, numerous times.

During the second two-minute, RPE-7 push, as Taylor Swift told us she’ll, “never miss a beat, I’m lightning on my feet” (“1989” blared on my iPhone-cum-boombox in my Saucony Breeze Vest pocket) and my own feet fired surprisingly lightning-like, my mind flashed back to the weeks I spent in a royal blue cast as my fibula and tibia mended with the help of titanium pins and plates. I marveled at how freely my foot and ankle moved through each stride; how strong and unfettered my legs felt; how fit I felt. I’d overcome a lot to arrive at this training cycle; something as insignificant as icy-covered snow wasn’t going to stand in my way.

Diligent--and dorky: Molly (blue) and I doing dynamic flexibility moves post-treadmill.

Diligent–and dorky: Molly (blue) and I doing dynamic flexibility moves post-treadmill.

 

#192: How to Plan Your Running Race Calendar

Coach Christine (right) with Heidi, the mother runner who no longer stresses about tempo runs, at last year's Mother Runner retreat.

Coach Christine (right) with Heidi, the mother runner who no longer stresses about tempo runs, at last year’s Mother Runner retreat.

Sarah is joined by co-host Coach Christine Hinton to chat about planning a running race calendar for 2016. Coach Christine talks about the logic behind choosing one or two goal races for the year, and why you should consider the larger picture of your life (work, family, travel, all that good stuff!) when mapping out your goals. Before they dive into the main topic, Coach Christine shares some success stories, including how one mother runner overcame her long-time anxiety about tempo runs. The coach offers assurance that “bad races happen,” and how to recover and learn from them. Christine also helps Sarah see the logic in using a race as, “an assisted long run.” (Clever woman, that Coach Christine!) She describes how to approach a “tune-up” race, and lays out a strategy for them. Sarah suspects you might find a new running mantra—“Be smart, not stubborn.” —listening to this episode.

If you have a sound night’s sleep story like Iowa mother runner Kate thanks to Calms Forté, please share a review on the Hyland’s website on this page. (Or send us a Voice Memo at motherrunnerstore [at] gmail [dot] com—we’d love to share it with the tribe on an upcoming podcast!)

And if you are eager to train like a mother, head over to our new Train Like a Mother Club website.

Running Resolutions: Another Mother Runner Podcast Co-Hosts Version

2015 AMR podcast logoDid you hear the news on the most recent episode of Another Mother Runner podcast? Starting this week, we’re welcoming on a revolving line-up of co-hosts to chat with guests and me (Sarah) on the show. We’ll still hear from dear Dimity every week in the Challenge Corner, which will be coming from our just-launched Train Like a Mother Club. And Dimity will co-host once every four or five weeks.

If you’re a podcast listener, you’ve already “met” the new co-hosts on the air. But here’s a visual of them, as well as a look at their aims and aspirations in 2016. I’ll be doing my best to make them feel as familiar to you as possible on the show, and I guarantee the conversation (and laughter–always lots of laughter!) will flow freely across many happy miles in the coming months!

Up first this Friday is Coach Christine Hinton, the genius behind all the Train Like a Mother plans (both in our second book and now online).Christine resolutions smaller

My best running friend (a.k.a. “BRF”), Molly Williams, will join me occasionally in studio (read: basement guest bedroom).Molly resolution smaller

Another long-time running friend, Ellison Weist, who many of you know from our annual summer reading recommendations shows, will take a break from running, knitting, and (young) grandmother’ing to gab in-studio, too.Ellison resolutions smaller

And last, but most assuredly not least, Adrienne Martini of Martini Fridays and now her bi-weekly Dry Martini column, will chit-and-chat and bring plenty of cheer.Adrienne resolutions smaller

Thoughts about new co-hosts on AMR podcast? Feel free to share in Comments section below this post on our website. And remember to share your own running resolutions on social media using this template (below) or PDF and the hashtag #AMRresolutions. running resolutions blank

 

Fuel Right: How To Do a GU

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While we don’t judge, Dimity and I are always slightly aghast when we meet a mother runner who tells us she ran a marathon or completed a long training run without taking in any calories. We’ve run long and far enough–and interviewed enough sports dieticians and nutritionists–to know you’ve got to give your engine fuel (read: carbohydrates) to stay strong. For us, GU Energy Gels, in a panoply of flavors, works best, so here’s the 411 on how to do a GU.

-If you’re going to be running longer than 60 to 75 minutes, plan on ingesting a packet of GU every 45 minutes on your run. (If you prefer chewing rather than slurping, opt for four GU Chews instead.) E.g. When running for two hours, suck down a GU 45 minutes into your effort, then take another one at the 90-minute mark.

-If your calorie-flame burns brightly (usually happens in highly trained athletes, those lucky ducks), you can take in a GU every half-hour. But don’t take in more than about 350 calories/hour (each packet o GU has 100 calories; four GU Chews have 90 calories) as thats tough on the gut and diverts blood from hard-working muscles.

-Don’t eat just half a packet: A packet of GU is formulated to be consumed all at once, and an open pack is just a mess waiting to happen. (Think frosting + baby’s first birthday.) If you really only want, say, 50 calories, chew a few instead.

-Drink liquid whenever you ingest a GU–it helps your body absorb the carbohydrate-goodness in the gel. Don’t double-down on carbs, though: Water or a low-cal electrolyte drink is ideal.

-Unless you’re a pro at rubbing your head and patting your belly, or other multi-tasking moves, walk as you take a GU and follow it with a liquid chaser.

-Experiment with different flavors. There’s a veritable farm stand of fruit flavors, a variety of chocolate-y sweet ones, coffee-inspired ones, and the wildly popular Salted Caramel. Prefer plain? Opt for Tastefully Nude.

-Stash a packet in your bra, pocket, or hand to warm it up. Not crucial, but warm GU slides down easier. Especially true in colder months. So when I know I’m taking a GU at Mile 4 of half-marathon, I clutch one in my hand or stuff a packet in my bra around Mile 3. (But don’t carry gel packets in your sports bra the entire race unless you are looking for chafed cleavage!)

-Give yourself an extra jolt with a caffeinated GU. Studies have shown caffeine can lessen pain during exertion, allowing you to push harder or at least not feel so draggy. GU Espresso Love (Dim’s fav flav) has 40 mg caffeine (that’s roughly equivalent to the jolt provided by 4 ounces of java), while most flavors have 20 mg. Strawberry Banana, Lemon Lime, Root Beer, and Peanut Butter are the only non-caffeinated flavors. Pull out your reading glasses to see caffeine content printed on the “neck” of each GU Energy Gel packet.

-Bring at least one more packet than you think you’ll need. Whether you fumble one mid-race or start feeling wonky in the final mile or two, you’ll be glad to have an extra GU to fire you up.

 

Kill the Hill: Keys to Efficient Climbing

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If you’re like me—Dimity—when you come to a significant hill on your route you:
1. Curse, either out loud or in your head.
then
2. Resign yourself to the fact you have to get over the sucker, so you crank up your power within the first ten steps of the climb. You feel relatively strong for the first third of the climb, then your speed, power, and motivation go down at an astonishingly fast pace, until you’re “running” at a speed so slow, a toddler on a trike could beat you.

I spent a lot of time climbing before I did the Mount Taylor Quadrathlon (crazy, I know!), and I think doing so forced me to finally make mental peace with the incline. Physically, I still battle hills more than I need to, but I have figured out a few ways to climb them more efficiently:

Pace yourself. On a short hill–less than 30 seconds–you can put down the gas pedal and your head, and just summit the sucker. But on anything longer than that, it’s helpful to think about the climb as a well-paced race: start slow and get stronger. It’s a huge buzzkill when I’m halfway up a hill and feel like I want to quit, hurl, or both. If I think conservatively at the bottom, I have nowhere to go but up. (Hah.)

Arm yourself. Runners live in their legs, but we have four limbs for a reason. (And that reason isn’t just to fold laundry, wash dishes, pick up piglets, wipe bottoms.) Your feet follow the rhythm your arms set, so get your groove on with your arms. Keep your elbows bent to 90 degrees, then swing them tightly so your wrists to your elbows graze your sides. When I start a climb, I consciously think about transferring the power from my legs to my arms; I visualize my arms are doing at least 60% of the work of the climb.

Keep your feet quick. Big, lurching steps don’t serve you well while running in general, but when it comes to hills, they handicap you big time. Keep your steps short and quick–it usually feels pretty unnatural to me, FYI–so you can climb as effectively as possible. Also, lean into the hill slightly, making it feel like you’re not fighting gravity so intensely. Finally, do a full foot strike with every step. On steeper inclines, it’s easy to not put your heel down and stay on your midfoot, but that gets taxing on your calves, which then whine worse than any children.

Break it up. I know this is a shocker of a tip coming from me, Miss Count-10-Steps, but on tough climbs, I do not focus on the top. Instead, I give myself mini-goals: that puddle, that crack, that tree. Sometimes it’s an object that will take me 20 seconds to reach, sometimes it’s 2 seconds. Setting small goals is like listening to music during labor: It keeps your mind off the pain. Okay, not true. Really bad analogy.

Aim high. Try to not peter when you hit the top of the hill. Get up and over it; crest it; leave your badass mark on it.

Five Key Ways to See and Be Seen on Runs

ARTICLEPICTURESeeandBeSeenRunBESTONE

Since many of us have to run either before the sun raises its head for the day or after it’s gone to bed, here’s a refresher course on how to make yourself as visible as possible to drivers. (Drivers, it should be noted, who you should always assume are paying more attention to their smart phone, XM radio dial, coffee, and mascara wand than on the road ahead of them.

Yes, a lot of these pointers are Running 101, but as I—Sarah—have found with my daughter Daphne and reminders to not draw on the walls or furniture: It never hurts to be repeat the obvious.

Run facing traffic, sticking close to the curb. (I’m always horrified to see runners going down the middle of a street.)  I’m not a fan of running on the sidewalk–too many roots jutting up the surface and concrete is tougher on joints than asphalt–so I stick to the road. But most mornings, when I see the #9 bus barreling toward me, I hop onto the sidewalk to give it wide berth.

Wear plenty of reflective hits. Aim to have reflective trim on your shoes, capris or shorts, jacket, vest, or shirt, and even your hat. The Sonic Reflex Jacket by Saucony lets drivers see you coming and going, with its 360-degree hits of reflectivity. Reflectors grab a driver’s attention better if it’s on a part of your body that’s moving, so consider wearing a reflective wrist- or ankle-band (I sport these Reflective Snap Bands from FuelBelt), in addition to a reflective vest or hat. (I’m a big fan of this topper from Headsweats.)

Light your way. According to research, drivers can see a headlamp from a quarter-mile away (whereas they can only see a white shirt from 50 feet out). I get tunnel visions when I wear a headlamp, though, so lately I’ve been running with some nifty new lights called Night Runner 270. Light and unobtrusive, they easily attach to the laces of my running shoes. I’ve had drivers tell me how the lights on my shoes made them see me and stop at intersections.

Wear light colors. Yes, as I reported above, wearing a white (or yellow, bright pink, or orange) shirt or jacket doesn’t work all that well by itself, but it’s an additional tool in your high-visibility arsenal. The ViZiPRO line from Saucony designed spefically for grabbing drivers’ attention. Sure, in broad daylight, some of the pieces make me look like a crossing-guard, but in low light, they do the job.

Stay insideOf course, there’s one sure way to steer clear of cars: Run on a treadmill.

 

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