#308: Author Jay Dicharry Tells How to Be a More Durable Runner
Sarah and Dimity have a sit-down with Jay Dicharry, a well-respected sports psychologist, biomechanics expert, and author of the recently released Running Rewired: Reinvent Your Run for Stability, Strength & Speed. A lightbulb will go off when Jay makes an analogy involving 400-pound snatches in CrossFit to explain why runners get injured. The trio discuss how to develop as an athlete, not just a runner, and Jay posits we are adapted to run, not born to run. He stresses the importance of being a more dynamic, diverse, and durable runner—then goes into detail on how to achieve that aim. This leads to a conversation about the importance of taking care of all of you, not just your heart and lungs. For Sarah, Jay convincingly debunks the adage, “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks.” There’s talk about the joy of seeing progress in the weight room, then Jay details exercises and drills to make you move smarter. Jay shares a realistic Rx on how often to do certain types of moves to enjoy lifelong success in running. Nuun-chug word for this episode: bear crawl.
In the intro, laugh as Dimity tells a tale of the Petites in Pilates, then listen to the two tall co-hosts debate the difference height makes in cycling and fitness studios. Jay joins the conversation at 25:02.
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Eight Ways to Be an Earth-Friendly Runner
Going easy: on the environment and on their bodies
Sunday is Earth Day, yet we all should go easy on this beautiful, bountiful planet every day.
Just like in training, the little choices you make on a daily basis add up to big changes very quickly. Maybe you aren’t ready to carry re-usable cutlery in your purse like Sarah does (for realz!), but here are eight ways to be an Earth-friendly runner. (Mother Earth; mother runner)
Be Kind. If you see something, do something. If you see garbage on the ground, pick it up and put it in a nearby trash just like you likely, ahem, strongly encourage your kids to do in your house.
Start Plogging Along. It’s a thing now. If you already run with a Camelbak, push a jogging stroller, or keep a water bottle/doggy bag in one hand, why not keep a small trash bag in the other?
Consider using a menstrual cup. These have been popular among distance runners forever, and they reduce landfill waste.
Hydrating with friends, post-run (with an Another Mother Runner bottle, natch)
Use reusable water bottles. This one is a given. Run with a (reusable) water carrier designed to be strapped to your hand rather than stashing and tossing bottled water on your long runs. SBS likes the Hydra Fuel. You can go one step further by taking Nuun’s Clean Planet Pledge and forego single-use bottles for 30 days.
BRF? Check. Hand-held water bottle: grab and go!
Donate your underused, unloved running shoes and clothing. Heart Strides redistributes gently used running gear to mothers of children with special needs. Older items can be bagged and given to Goodwill or other nonprofits.
Terracycle. Our friends at Ragnar have partnered with GU to launch a free recycling program for nutrition packaging. Check this link to see if Terracycle is available at your next race.
Race green. Opt to run races that treat waste responsibly, everything from virtual swag bags to the cups at aid stations.
Strategizing the next day’s workout (BAMRbassador Susan, in sweatshirt, is training for an ultra; SBS, in black jacket, is not!)
Run places! Everywhere else drive a Chrysler Pacifica: The 31 percent reduction in its environmental impact compared with the outgoing Town & Country should grab the attention of minivan moms everywhere. Go greener still with a Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid like Dimity + Sarah: This first-ever-in-the-U.S. hybrid minivan has an amazing 84 MPGe.
EPA estimated miles per gallon of gasoline equivalent (MPGe). Actual mileage may vary. Chrysler is a registered trademark of FCA US LLC.
How do you try to minimize your (environmental-impact) footprint while running? Tell us in the Comments below or, better yet, take a “runfie,” then tag us on Instagram + use the hashtag #EarthDayBAMR
Move of the Month: Pre-Run Mental Focus
Whether the goal for your run is to enjoy the scenery + company or hit challenging paces, getting centered mentally prior to your run will help the run be more fulfilling.
April’s Move of the Month: Pre-Run Mental Focus, guided by Dr. Justin Ross, a Denver-based sports psychologist and coach of the Perform Like a Mother series.
In this exercise, Justin helps you set your mind pre-run by prompting you to focus on your breath, your senses, and your workout goals. Using this sequence regularly, before you head out for your miles, will help you get the most, both mentally and physically, out of any run.
Thoughts on the Boston Marathon—and How to Celebrate It Even If You’re Not Going 26.2 Today!
It’s Boston Marathon Monday!
Boston represents a lot of FIRSTS for me.
First time I qualified for a race. (No, I didn’t run track in high school or college.)
First time I tasted limoncello — the night before the marathon. (Pro tip: Don’t try your first shot of limoncello the night before the Boston Marathon.)
First time I experienced a hot flash! Not during the race, mind you, but at a fancy pre-race dinner with 8 or more MALE colleagues. The horror!
First time I DNF’d. In 2013, I was on Boylston Street about three-tenths of a mile from the finish line when the bombs went off. I wasn’t hurt. (Thank God.) I did go back in 2014 to finish.
This year, I am not running or cheering the Boston Marathon. But even 250 miles away from the start line in Hopkinton, I can feel the buzzing hum of electric energy.
What IS it about Boston?
[Full disclosure: For many years I attended the Boston Marathon for work with Runner’s World, which paid my lodgings. I always paid my own entry fee, and I always qualified.]For starters, there’s the qualifying. Boston is the only major marathon outside the Olympics that requires runners to clock a certain sex- and age-graded marathon time for entry.
Quick reminder: Women age 34 and younger need to clock 3:35 or faster. Each subsequent 5-year age group gets an additional 5 minutes, until age 45, when we start getting another 10 minutes (and another 15 at age 60, yippee!).
And as someone who has run it many times over a few decades, but always barely squeaking in by the thinnest of margins, I am here to tell you we NEED THOSE EXTRA MINUTES.
When I squeaked into the Boston Marathon, my colleagues made me a mouse. Sorry, Dimity, about the taxidermy.
Please don’t say, “Oh, the standards are softer for women than for men, and even softer for ‘older’ women.”
NOT TRUE. If you compare the qualifying standards with gender and age-graded world records, as my former co-worker and 1968 Boston Marathon champ Amby Burfoot did, you see that it is actually HARDEST on women over the age of 50. Thanks a lot, diminishing hormones.
Amby Burfoot’s proposal in May 2009 Runner’s World. The qualifying times HAVE changed since then. But they’re still too hard for women 50+.
Interesting note: The qualifying standards were put in place in 1970 because the field had grown to a “barely manageable” 1,342. (About 30,000 will run this year.)
At one point, ANYONE who wanted to enter had to break 3:10 in the marathon.
And of course until 1972 women weren’t allowed to run (too dangerous; uterus might drop out). Bobbi Gibb had to hide in the bushes in 1966 to run.
Though her 1966 Boston time didn’t “count,” Bobbi Gibb, “Hub Bride,” ran 3:21:40. Wow! (Photo credit: Greta Rybus)
And Kathrine Switzer, who used her initials K.V. to get a bib for 1967, got to wrestle with angry race director Jock Semple WHILE RUNNING in order to finish.
Semple screamed at Switzer: “Get the hell out of my race and give me that number!”
Jock Semple tried to wrestle Kathrine a k a K.V. Switzer off the 1967 Boston Marathon course. (Photo credit: Boston Globe)
The difficult qualifying standards make the field FAST. And that changes the vibe.
“You know, this marathon just doesn’t seem as FUN,” Sarah said at our pre-race brunch before her first Boston. “It seems filled with a bunch of tiny serious skinny German men.”
Haha, sorry, tiny serious skinny German men.
It is also HARD. The course basically goes down hill for the first 16 miles, trashing your quads, and then goes up, trashing your confidence (or what little of it is left by then). I’ve run it 13 times. And while it’s ALWAYS an honor to qualify, it’s NEVER easy to actually run.
It’s never easy: In 2013, I had just turned onto Boylston street when the bombs went off. My heart to all the grieving families, I came back and finished in 2014.
That aside, the Boston Marathon is the longest-running annual marathon, and it seems like the entire city and the surrounding communities turn out to cheer along the 26.2-mile route from rural Hopkinton to downtown Beacon Hill. It’s truly chill-bump-inducing excitement.
Okay, you say, but I am reading this, not running the Boston Marathon. How can I get excited about it?
Five Ways to Celebrate the Boston Marathon Without Having to Actually Run It!
1. Cheer on the Amazing Ladies
Even if you’re not into keeping up with the elite marathon scene (who run 5:30-ish per mile, nevermind!), this year is special among top American women.
Shalane Flanagan, here after NYC victory, is hungry for a home-town win. (Photo credit: Elsa/Getty Images.)
Shalane Flanagan, native of nearby Marblehead (see her famously colorful language as proof), is a local favorite. Fresh off her amazing New York City marathon win, she’s hungry to take her hometown crown. (Though she’ll have to fight off defending Kenyan champion Edna Kiplagat and a handful of Ethiopians.)
She’ll also have to fight off Jordan Hassay, 26, who has a faster PR with her 2:20:57 in Chicago last year. [NOTE: She pulled out of the Marathon late Sunday.] See also Molly Huddle, Desiree Linden, Kellyn Taylor. Wow!
Mother runner Deena Kastor will be fun to follow too: The 2004 Olympic Marathon bronze medalist, now 45, set the American Masters record of 2:27:57 at age 42. She’s going to Boston to see how she feels. What’s that mean for a superstar?
Speaking of…
2. Read Deena’s Book
Deena Kastor is the queen of positivity. But even she acknowledges that it doesn’t come naturally or easily. Using positive self-talk (instead of falling into always-there pit of negativity) takes concerted practice. Her excellent new book, Let Your Mind Run: A Memoir of Thinking My Way to Victory, co-written with Michelle Hamilton (no relation to me), tells how she puts thought into action.
Bonus: Deena Kastor is coming to the Another Mother Runner podcast! Stay tuned!
3. Eat Like an Elite
One more thing from Deena Kastor: Carmelized Onion and Fig Pizza. I’ve had this and it’s seriously good.
Pecan Butter Chocolate Truffles With Sea Salt like Shalane Flanagan (with Elyse Kopecky), from their book Run Fast, Eat Slow. I actually MADE these my very own self (I know, right?), and they’re seriously good.
Peanut Butter Bacon Burger, like no elite ever. The staff of Runner’s World indulges in every year at Bukowski Tavern. (NEVER me!)
4. Run Yasso 800s
Invented by my former coworkers Bart Yasso and 1968 Boston Marathon champ Amby Burfoot, this workout is a series of 800-meter repeats (or half miles, or twice around the track) done on a weekly basis leading up to a marathon. You start with four 800s, add one each week, and work up to 10-12. (Note: I have NEVER done them.)
Amby Burfoot (left) and Bart Yasso are seriously among the Good Guys.
The minutes: seconds of your average 800 time that you’re able to comfortably complete when you get to 10 of them predicts the hour:minutes of your marathon time.
So if you can run a 4:10 half-mile, you should be able to run a 4:10 marathon.
Just for fun, I went to the track last week and did a few 800s.
My time? 4:20. So a quick look at Boston Marathon time charts shows I should be able to qualify when I am … 60! As long as I can stay this “fast.”
5. Listen to Us Talk About It
If you haven’t already. Sarah and I chatted with four BAMRs participating in the Boston experience on podcast #307.
If you’re unable to stay glued to your TV or computer all day today following runners (me neither), you can look up any of these ladies on the Boston Athletic Associations athlete tracker. Or look up Amby Burfoot, who is celebrating the 50th anniversary of his win by running the marathon with a group of family and friends.
Happy Boston Monday! Maybe we’ll meet there some day!
#307: Boston Marathon 2018
Sarah and co-host Tish Hamilton, both veterans of the venerable Boston Marathon (SBS = 2x; Tish = an astounding 13!), aren’t running the race on Monday, April 16, but their four guests will be part of the action! First up is Jesse Blondin, who’ll be running the route from Hopkinton to Boston for her second time. Marvel as she describes doing the majority of her workouts are runs to and from her Ottawa office! She shares all the logistics involved, plus she talks about the importance of yoga to her running. Laugh along with Sarah as Jesse reveals what a “pre-shower” is. Next is Suzanne Adams, who’s run the Boston Marathon twice, but this year she’s volunteering instead of running—as well as helping coordinate a team of charity runners. On this, the five-year anniversary of the bombings, Suzanne and Tish both open up about their experiences from those horrific events. A longtime volunteer, Suzanne shares spectator tips. The next guest is Andrea Hennigan: This year’s Boston will be her seventh marathon, but the first she’s run as part of a fundraising team. Hear how she overcame the intimidation factor to sign up as a charity runner—and how homemade keyfobs entered into the equation. In addition to revealing how the team aspect of training for a cause takes the connection to a deeper level, Andrea details her creative fundraising efforts. The trio talks about the logistical challenges of a later-start marathon like Boston. Last but certainly not least is Kerry Cosneau, who’s running her first Boston Marathon after six attempts to qualify. Hear how this BAMR discovered her inner speed demon after age 40. She tells how the treadmill honed her speed and a pace group helped her reach her BQ time—a 16-minute PR! Join Sarah and Kerry on a quick side trip to the Paris Marathon. Kerry admits she’ll be doing a lot of “soaking it in” this weekend.
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Grand Canyon Training: The Climb (“Always gonna be an uphill battle”)
Red Rocks: Site of many stairs and many red rocks. SO grateful to live near here, even if the Avett Brothers didn’t do a three-night show every July.
Turns out, you can’t train for a rim-to-rim hike in the Grand Canyon in the pool.
I knew that, of course, but that thought was ponging around my head last Saturday morning, when I went out for my first “real” long Saturday morning training session.
To be sure, I have been staying active over the past four months: exercising 5 or so days a week, emphasizing cardio and strength. I overdid it on the Stairmaster (or underdid it on the foam rolling and stretching? I’m not sure) last fall + winter, and my knees let me know it. They were not happy. So I scaled back on the climbing, scaled up on the freestyle and strength training and cycling on the trainer in my basement.
And I have even done a few mini “triathlons” on Saturdays: a 25-minute easy, easy run on a flat, gravel path, followed by 1.5 hours of master’s swim practice, followed by one hour of cardio, complete with Netflix, on the elliptical or bike. About 3 hours of movement, which is definitely helpful for overall endurance, but again: Last I checked, the Grand Canyon doesn’t have ellipticals or chlorinated water.
In fact, the South Rim to North Rim, is about 4,700 feet down on a trail between 6 to 9 miles long, followed some flat, then heads back up about 6,000 feet over 14.3 miles.
Let’s just repeat that: 4,700 down, 6,000 up, and anywhere from a 20 to 23 mile day. And I’m guessing there’s no Jason Bateman in Ozark to distract us. (Joke, joke.)
The Red Rocks in a funk.
Back to Saturday: My plan was to climb the stairs at Red Rocks for about an hour, then hike around Red Rocks park for about 90 minutes, then hit the stairs again for another hour.
Ma Nature had other plans though, and had hit us with a little snow on Friday night. The stairs were slick, and I’ve done the fall-and-break-my-wrist thing once (which is plenty), so I hit the trails, which weren’t icy, straightaway.
One note about hiking alone: You have a LOT of time to think. The same holds true for running, of course, but the slower motion of hiking brings a contemplation I hadn’t expected. The freestyle-isn’t-hiking thought made regular appearances, but so did plenty of other random and surprisingly intense thoughts. I didn’t turn my music on for 90 minutes, which is like an enternity for me these days. Even though I enjoyed the (relative) quiet of my mind, I will say that I’m pretty sure hiking is always more fun with a friend.
Jess + Jo, taking one of their minimal picture breaks. (See mandate below)
By the time I successfully read the trail maps (truly: THIS is a huge win for navigationally-challenged me) to create a 10-mile loop, the Colorado sun was high in the sky, and I could safely hit the stairs.
Let’s back up to the 10-mile loop though: this is easily the most distance I have covered on two feet over the past two years. So that alone: Challenge. I was pretty much done. But I told my Grand Canyon pals, Jo and Jess, who I am coaching through this adventure that we were, under all circumstances, going 3.5 hours.
Ok, maybe I could have left out the !s.
So I had to follow my own instructions. I had about 50 minutes left, so I put on the Hamilton soundtrack, and convinced myself that I’m not throwing away my shot. Or something like that. Really, I checked my watch way too often and just kept moving forward (or up and down, actually) and cursed that freestyle doesn’t really translate to climbing.
End of the Saturday: 13 miles, 3,200 feet of climbing, and joints that were *not* happy.
Let me tell you how much my joints—knees + hips mostly—ACHED after that workout. Like an 18 on a scale of 1-5. Honestly, I don’t think I’ll be that sore when I’m 88 and shuffling down to the hearts game in the rec room of my senior home. I foam rolled (more moans and groans, much to the chagrin of my 11 year old “MOM! STOP MAKING SO MUCH NOISE!”) and stretched and ate well and hydrated, and felt pretty good on Sunday, and then ached again (hello: delayed onset muscle soreness) on Monday.
Lesson learned.
I have spent most of this week doing easy workouts for recovery–spinning on the bike, swimming, clamshelling and glute bridging and getting my alignment and strength back–and I feel like the worst is behind me. My body is, fingers crossed, ready for round II, which will be in about 48 hours. After that, I’ll be doing more climbing specific shorter workouts during the week: incline on the treadmill + the stepmill.
My plan for this Saturday is to start at the top of small local mountain, head down about 2,000 feet, head back up on the same trail, and then go down and up again until four hours is up.
The Minnesota girls–the J-Team–may or may not do a similar workout; the weather this weekend again looks again to be snowy and icy, and I don’t want them taking themselves out. (The trails were a little sketchy last week for them as well.)
But rest assured: between now and early June, when we (finally) hit the Canyon, we will have covered plenty of miles hiking, up, down, and all around.
p.s. A few of you have asked about specific training, and I’ll definitely do a post about it. I just want to be sure it works first. :)