#355: Podcast Party w/ Katie Arnold, Author + 2018 Leadville Trail 100 Winner
Sarah Bowen Shea is joined in this special crossover episode by a male co-host (a first!), Yuri Hauswald of the GU Pinnacle Podcast: The duo interviews Katie Arnold, the 2018 winner of the prestigious Leadville Trail 100 Run, at a live recording party at GU HQ. The author of a just-debuted memoir, Running Home, and fresh off setting a 50K PR in a race two days prior to podcast recording, Katie details how progression is crucial in her book, running career, and life. Katie, a mother runner with two school-age daughters, details how the motion of running helped her get out of “that worry brain” after her father’s death from cancer and during the early years of motherhood.
Katie talks at length about the state of hyperattention she is able to attain while running and how tapping into that intense “flow” state—as well as the power of nature—propels her in trail races. Katie discusses the importance of taking something big and breaking it into manageable chunks (classic AMR advice!). Laugh along as Katie details why her daughters were her “secret weapon” at Leadville.
Find out what JRA stands for (we encourage you to use it in a sentence this weekend!), plus how a whoopee cushion enters the highly engaging conversation.
Freshen up your running gear with a Mercury Mile box: Take $10 off your stylist fee by using code AMR at checkout at MercuryMile.com
Listen to Murder Book, a new true crime podcast hosted by bestselling author Michael Connelly, and check out Dark Sacred Night, Connelly’s latest #1 bestselling detective novel.
AMR Aid Station: Help for Post-Run Stomach Cramps
Post-Run Stomach Cramps Addressed
On Saturday I ran a 20-miler; on Sunday I ate all the food.
It is a cruel irony of distance running that after a long run often you just can’t eat. Even if you’re so hungry. Even if all you’ve done in the last few miles is recounted with your dear training partner the exquisite steak tacos topped with roasted shaved onions you had two nights ago or the white pizza with basil, sweet potato, black olives and goat cheese. We were like a couple of Girl Scouts forced to hike the Appalachian Trail for “fun” (that would be my daughter; don’t tell her it isn’t “fun”).
After the run, your stomach refuses to cooperate. Nope.
Daughter Nina (sitting) on the Appalachian Trail with the Girl Scouts, July 2018, came home swearing she would never again eat oatmeal, dried fruit or beef jerky. Fun! :)
The next day? Hunger rushes in. (To misquote that legendary marathon runner Elvis Presley.)
After Fast Teacher Friend finished the stunningly spiritual Canyon de Chelly 50K in the sacred lands of northwest Arizona, she inhaled the aroma of all the lovingly home-made soups and stews laid out for participants and then turned her back on that delicious spread because her stomach hurt so bad.
Many hours later she managed two sips of beer and three bites of nachos. That was it.
Never mind not eating the food; the post-long-run stomach cramps can be gaspingly painful.
I sat in my car after a particularly long run in preparation for the JFK 50 miler with my stomach twisted into such knots I had to do some serious deep breathing before I could drive home.
AND to make matters even more fun, you don’t even have to run ultra marathons to experience the post-run stomach roller coaster. It can happen to a 5K-er who steps up to a half-marathon. Yay!
In a study reported in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, 83% of marathon runners reported GI issues during or after running at some point in their careers; women were more symptomatic than men—with 74% of them reporting “the urge to have a bowel movement.” In a review of studies of GI disorders that occur in athletes, researchers found the incidence of symptoms could affect up to 96% of subjects and that rates were highest among women.
After 8 hours of running in Arizona’s stunning Canyon de Chelly, Fast Teacher Friend could eat nothing.
SO WHAT IS GOING ON WITH POST STOMACH CRAMPS?
In semi-science speak, when you run, blood is diverted to working muscles from the stomach and GI tract. And when you stop running, blood rushes in. (Elvis Presley, MD)
To quote the researchers from U Texas and Harvard: “Exercise-related gastrointestinal symptoms are frequently associated with the consumption of a meal within two to three hours of exercising. Dehydration and analgesic use are associated with a higher incidence of GI symptoms. While some studies have found an association between the intensity of the exercise and the incidence of GI symptoms, results have been inconsistent.”
Smart Mother Runner Cherith Shaffer chimed in on AMR’S TMI Tuesday: “Your digestive tract can become ischemic [restricted in blood flow] and when blood flow rushes back in, it can be horribly painful. Then you’re dehydrated, which exacerbates it, and not to mention what you ate before or what you eat after the run can cause it to worsen.
I ended up seeing a GI doc about it and getting a colonoscopy because it was so bad for me, mostly after very hard or very long runs. Your body can adapt over time, but not always. Try tweaking hydration and food choices before and during and after the run. Cut some things out the night before and be careful what you choose to eat or drink after.”
Important caveat: You all know I’m not a doctor. Severe abdominal cramping could be a symptom of a serious underlying medical issue; if pain persists, please see a real doctor.
EAT GOOD FOOD! That’s the whole point of running, right? Right?
SO HOW DO YOU PREVENT POST-RUN STOMACH CRAMPS?
The short answer to that question is: A whole lot of practical common sense.
Eating before (or during) your run?
Keep it simple (carbohydrates) and light. AMR Liz Vollmer-Buhl notes that what you eat the night before is just as important as the morning of.
Don’t take NSAIDS
(Aspirin, Advil, Motrin) before or during your run. Runners who take ibuprofen during events double their risk of acute kidney injury, according to 2017 Stanford report.
Drink up!
Make sure you’re drinking enough during your long runs (carry it with you, run by water fountains, circle back home to refill, all of the above). Some people can tolerate conventional sports drinks; Melanie Boese upgraded to coconut water. Meghan Hoobler pre-hydrates the day before a long run/race with a side of salty pretzels.
Running more than an hour?
Take in electrolytes (via your drink like Nuun, gel or Endurolytes), including sodium. Note: Many sports drinks don’t actually have much sodium; you know you need it if your post-run gear is crusted with salt stains like the New York Thruway in early March.
And if you get the post-run cramps?
Mother Runner Elizabeth Perry solved it with pickle juice and a can of regular Coke. “I was dehydrated and the salt and sugar brought me back to life!!!! Ahhhhh.” That combo may or may not work for you, but salt and sugar are both decent options to try.
Until the cramps pass and you feel human again, treat it like you’d treat your kids’ stomach issues—the BRAT diet (bananas, rice, applesauce, tea/toast).
You may have to do some deep breathing and practice mind over cramping matter, but it’ll pass eventually.
And THEN you can enjoy all the tacos, pizza, beer, Thin Mints or whatever most pleases your post-run palate.
HOW DO YOU SIDESTEP THE POST-RUN STOMACH CRAMPS?
The Struggle is Real: Help with Summer Race Schedule (please and thank you!)
A few months ago, I started daydreaming about the Lake to Lake Triathlon, a beauty of a race that is about an hour’s drive north of my house. I did the Olympic distance race six (seven? eight?) years ago, and parts of the bike portion are still clear in the cranium-shaped cobweb that sits atop my neck.
I just remember looking at the wide sky, speckled with cloud and rays of sunlight, as I pedaled along and thinking, “This is exactly where I am supposed to be right now.”
I don’t have that experience often, and while it might be a rainy race day in 2019, I’m intrigued by the idea of at least pedaling the course again.
I also might be missing structured training a little bit; it’s been over six months since Katie and I finished Swim Run: Casco Bay, and we spit-balled that training a bit.
I’m not positive I miss the must-do-this-workout today part of it, but I am positive I miss a directed plan, the structure that takes me from where I am today to a finish line in a few months.
Plus, I’ve realized I really like showing up at master’s swimming practices with no idea what the workout is, and simply just doing it. No anxiety about pulling a hard set or take a few seconds off the rest time on a set of 50s. The coach said to do it, the people in my lane are doing it, I just do it. I’d have more of that feeling on a plan.
As you might know by now, I tend to jump in the deep end when a daydream persists. If I do Lake to Lake, the cranium-shaped cobweb says, then I’ll be in good enough triathlon shape to…and I create lists of things that fit with Lake to Lake.
This situation is no exception. I made a to-do summer list, but I didn’t check it twice until I sat down with Grant and a calendar and realized the 2019 Lake to Lake is the same day as the performances of Hunchback of Notre Dame, put on by Rocky Mountain Theater for Kids. The son will have some kind of role in it—likely two roles: one a bigger role, one a chorus role, which alternate between performances—but that’s all I know.
I also realized I am probably trying to do too much—and that I haven’t really committed to any one thing yet.
So I’m in a state of limbo and asking for your help:
In the comments below, please choose your top 2 or 3 events for my summer athletic activities.
CHOICE #1:
June 2: Elephant Rock Ride: 100K
CHOICE #1:PROS
• Planning on riding with Grant; pre-kids, riding bikes together was our version of a date. I miss that, and so does he.
• I did the 100-mile ride as a training ride for Ironman CDA in 2014, and I do not think back fondly on it. I remember the second half as a slog I would not like to redo. The route for 100K—66 miles—veers from the 100-mile route, so I don’t have to redo it, but can have a better memory of Elephant Rock, an institution around the two-wheeled parts of Denver.
• Training for this will force me to get outside on my bike, hopefully with Grant. Fresh air and sunshine always trumps stale, inside air of my basement or the gym.
CONS
• I really can’t think of any, except that it’s been at least three (four?) years since I’ve ridden that far on my road bike.
CHOICE #2:
June 22: Lake to Lake Olympic Triathlon: 1.5K swim,
30-mile bike, 10K run
PROS
• See above. I’m craving this race.
CONS
• Scheduling; if Ben has a bigger role in the 1 pm performance, say, It’s gonna be tight. (And I’m going to be wiped.)
• I could do the sprint distance and cut the race time in at least half, but I’m not interested in doing that; it feels too far to drive—and too early of an alarm—for that.
• A 10k run feels like a pretty big (and possibly stupid?) stretch, given my 5K-max situation. My usual running these days is 3-4 miles, 2x a week. I would probably maintain the twice a week part, and then, closer to race day, up the distance, through a run/walk pattern, to 5.5 or so miles. Like I said, possibly—and likely—stupid.
Choice #3:
June 22: Tribella Women’s Triathlon: .5 mile swim, 10-mile bike, 5K run
Choice #3:PROS
• Same day as Lake to Lake, but sprint distance and super close: I could commute to the race on my bike.
• I love Tribella, a women-centric triathlon shop, and I know the atmosphere at the race will be so encouraging and warm.
CONS
• It feels a little meh compared to Lake to Lake.
• I haven’t ridden Lyle, my tri-bike, in years. I retired him to the garage about 2.5 years ago, when my back and leg wouldn’t shut up. I don’t know if the aero position will still cause pain. I can certainly get help with the fit of it, and I would, but I also am not sure if I want to truly know that chapter of my athletic life is over.
• The 5K is on a concrete bike path, which does my body no favors.
CHOICE #4:
July 13: Tri the Boat Aquabike: 1.2-mile swim, 56-mile bike
CHOICE #4:PROS
• This possibility—basically a Half-Ironman without the half-marathon tacked on at the end—also has the butterflies a twitter in my belly: a good thing.
• Steamboat is one of my favorite spots in ‘rado, and my memory of the Steamboat Half-Marathon, another beauty, also lives in the cranium-shaped cobweb. We’d make a family weekend out of it.
• I’d have the momentum from Elephant Rock to continue to ride the bike; and since the bike portion ends the race, I could really go for it.
CONS
• See above: The Lyle issue.
CHOICE #5:
July 20: Denver CF Climb: 3,865 Steps in Bronco Stadium
CHOICE #5:PROS
• This just looks fun to me—and remember, it doesn’t have to be fun to be fun.
•One summer plan I know for sure is to climb 14’er with Jo and Jess, my Grand Canyon pals, in early August and this would be a good little training romp around a stadium.
•Benefits CF.
• I could maybe (maybe?) talk one of my kids into doing this with me.
CONS
• It’s likely going to be HOT, and there’s no swim portion to cool things down.
• I would just wing it, training-wise. No biggie, in theory, except that system can be a little hard for the ego on event day. (I would not look this woman flying up the stairs.)
September 8:
Horsetooth Open Water Swim: 1.2 or 2.4 miles
PROS
• I’ve heard about this event for a few years, and it’s always piqued my interest.
• I could possibly talk Katie, my swim/run pal, into doing this with me, a friend always exponentially improves any race situation, even if you can’t chat in the water.
• As Katie can attest, my open-water swimming—or specifically, my sighting skills—could definitely improve.
• If I don’t feel ready for 2.4 miles, I could opt for 1.2, which is what I’d be doing in July in Steamboat.
CONS
• I’m not sure what our fall schedule will look like yet, so this may be a no-go based on volleyball or acting or some other unforeseen event.
• I’d need to spend time in open water to practice; I don’t mind doing that—it’s what Katie and I did last summer—but it is a commitment, time-wise. It’s about an hour round-trip to Chatfield reservoir during the busy month of August.
Ok, ready for your comments and perspective:
Thanks in advance!
#354: A Chat w/ New Mom + Host of “Ali on the Run” Podcast
Sarah Bowen Shea and Maggie Palmer have a ball gabbing with Ali Feller, host of the “Ali on the Run” podcast and a new first-time mom. The laughs start when Ali talks about how pizza factored into her transformation from a life-long dancer to a runner. From there, the blogger shares secrets of a great action-shot selfie. Ali, whose darling daughter is almost five months old, tells the tale of running a 10K race at 38 weeks pregnant, including why the Central Park jaunt stands as one of her favorite races ever. Bonding with Maggie over working out at OrangeTheory Fitness, Ali details why it was ideal while she was pregnant. The new mom offers return-to-exercise post-partum tips, and she shares how her marathon training for the New York City Marathon will be different now that she’s a mother runner.
Learn the biggest thing that’s helped the guest deal with mommy-guilt—and find out how it involves Beyoncé’s alter ego, Sasha Fierce. After the laughter subsides, Ali talks candidly about how pregnancy helped her stop hating her body. This conversation runs the gamut, and you’ll find yourself laughing—and nodding—along no matter what stage of life you’re in.
The laughs start (and SBS can barely stop laughing!) in the intro, in which Sarah and Maggie bond over being #DanceMoms. Ali joins the lively conversation at 21:22.
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Dry Martini: Officially Over Winter
I am now in the winter of my discontent. March — especially as we get closer to the ides — is where my resolve to not complain about the ice and snow and cold and slush and gray is worn down to nearly nothing. I am, officially, over it.
Which is too bad, because there are at least six more weeks of this crap. It’s like we are in the last 10K of our winter marathon. Despite the moments where the sun breaks through and we’re feeling good, we all know that a grinding slog remains. To misquote Churchill, the only way out is through, my friends.
Unless you live someplace where spring can already be felt. I know these places exist because I see them on social media. They fill me with hope — and not a small amount of bitterness, if I’m being honest.
I live a beautiful place, yes, but so, so frozen.
The crappy weather means that I’m inclined to take the path of least resistance for most of my runs. Whenever I find myself debating between digging out the Yaktrax or driving to the indoor track, I default to the track. I suspect that I will be able to only make left-hand turns once I’m outside again. It beats breaking my hip sliding down a hill, which happens frequently in these parts.
Besides, I’ve made friends at the indoor track. We don’t actually speak much, mind, or know each other’s names — but we are in the same place doing roughly the same things on the same days. There’s the local coffee shop owner, whose name I do know because I’m in his shop frequently, who walks insane numbers of loops with a buddy of his most mornings. There’s determined walker woman, who wears gigantic headphones and always looks straight ahead. There’s zippy dude, who’s a little older than me and really freaking fast.
Zippy dude wears this every morning.
My favorite might be the loud senior citizen, who has FaceTime conversations every morning with a relative in, I think, China? Could be Japan? My ear for Asian languages isn’t finely tuned — but I can testify that the relative is usually watching TV, because I can hear it each time I go around. He is usually yelling at her because he has chosen to not wear Aftershokz, earbuds, or use a tiny mic.
Then there are the student-athletes, who fill up the basketball court below for shot-put or lacrosse or baseball practice. What amazes me is how much standing around most of them do, as if they have all the time in the world to waste, because they kind of do. None of these young adults are middle-aged moms who have literally 45 minutes for a run that should take 50 minutes, which means they had to hustle. I did the same thing in college, too, though not for any sort of sport, unless you count hours spent in dark theaters a “sport.”
We condition our athletic fields with snowplows in these parts. Soon, the athletes can go outside.
It might be that I’m extra sensitive about wasting time because I feel like I have none to spare. It’s been busy behind the scenes in my neck of the woods. Now that the contracts have been signed, I can tell you what I’ll be scrambling to finish by mid-April.
I’m pleased to announce that Somebody’s Gotta Do It, which is about running for local office and why you (yes, you) should do so, will be published by Henry Holt in early 2020. I’m very, very excited, as you might imagine, and very, very anxious about getting this draft done. Full details about readings, pre-orders, etc., will come later. Know now that I will go just about anywhere because that’s how I roll.
But first I have to, to quote Anne Lamott, finish the shitty first draft. I’ve accepted that I’m going to be a little bit nauseous every minute of every day between now and then. It’s a do-able time-frame, mind. Just tight.
I’ve also accepted that for the next five weeks three-quarters of my brain will be working on it, even when I’m not currently at my computer. So far, my absent brain has led to my corgi getting a hilarious haircut over the weekend, when I clearly didn’t process what the groomer was telling me and she clearly didn’t state that what I was agreeing to was stupid. It’s really a matter of time before I forget where I have left my children. Fortunately, they are old enough to problem-solve, even if some of the solutions they come up with are weird.
The upside is that she is as soft as a cloud. The downside is that she is ticked off at all of us.
All of those indoor track runs help keep my first draft anxiety manageable. They are meditative, almost, as I go around and around with nearly no visual excitement. My brain uses them as a giant reset button as I write the words I am in, rather than focus on the words I have left, while I try to figure out what language that old guy is shouting in.
Is it spring where you are? Tell me all about it. Spare no details.
Mother Runner of the Month, February 2019: Meet Gina Halvorson
We’re thrilled today to announce our first winner of the Mother Runner of the Month: Gina Halvorson of Lockport, Illinois. Gina, a 35-year-old mother of two who works in recruiting, started running in January of 2018, truly fell in love with the sport, and is about to take on her first half-marathon.
When we told her about her award, she wrote back, “Running has honestly been such a game changer for me, so the more I can talk about it and network with other runners, I am happy to do so!”
Why I started running: I wanted to lose weight. I gained at least 20 pounds with each of my kids (Jack, now 5, and Caroline, 2), so was up about 50 pounds from my pre-baby days. I kept thinking that my clothes were shrinking, but they weren’t. I didn’t feel like myself; I just wasn’t very comfortable in my own skin.
My first treadmill run: was about 60 seconds. Truly. I could feel my chest tighten as I ran. I said to myself, if I want to run longer, I better stop smoking. I had been a smoker since college and tried over ten times to quit. I did the patch, the pill, everything. Nothing worked up to that point.
Let me just see if I can make it through tomorrow without smoking and run again, I thought. I was able to run about 30 seconds longer. Let me try this again. It kept working. Every single day I didn’t smoke, I was able to run longer and further—sometimes just 30 seconds more. I could feel myself getting healthier. I could feel a sense of relief; I wasn’t living my days anymore wondering when I would have a chance to step outside and smoke.
I didn’t smoke again after my first run: the cold-turkey-quit-smoking-running cure.
“My husband is slowly getting into running. He doesn’t love it like I do.”
Permanently extinguished: I fear now if I even take a drag off a cigarette, I wouldn’t be able to run as well as I want. Running and being healthy is now much more important to me.
What I love most about running: Um, where do I start?
I’m competitive by nature, and love that I can push myself to go just a little bit further or faster. I also love that I can do something that I used to think wasn’t possible for me—I’d watch runners and just be in awe of them.
I’m a wife, mom, daughter, sister, and employee, When I run, I’m just me—and I love that time alone
I was lacking confidence as well. Running has helped me find my inner strong.
And I love how I feel after a run: calm, clear-minded, focused, and relaxed.
Where you’ll find me at 4 am: Waking up to go run. I go that early on work days, and I’m up at 5 am on the weekends. I prefer to run when my husband and kids are still sleeping. We have a treadmill in our house, so I’m on that these days. But if it’s light outside, I’ll definitely go outside.
My first race: My cousin suggested we sign up for the Chicago Shamrock Shuffle, an 8k that has about 40,0000 runners. That race was hook, line and sinker for me. I loved it: everybody is out there having fun, cheering on people around them. There was so much support.
A hard-earned medal.
A race I don’t recommend: a 10K or any race in Chicago in July. Too hot!
Something else I might not recommend: Crying at the finish line. I did that at the Hot Chocolate 15K this winter, and everybody asked me what was wrong. They thought I was in pain or injured. I wasn’t. I just couldn’t believe I finished it; they were tears of joy.
Something I kind of recommend: That darn Lululemon. Somebody gave me a gift card and I bought a pair of shorts for $70—something I never thought I would do. I love them and now I’m hooked.
Conquering Chicago one (sweaty, humid) mile at a time.
My next race: My first half-marathon on St. Patrick’s Day weekend in Bolingbrook. My cousin is running is too; she’ll be waiting for me at the finish line, along with my husband, kids, and parents.
My 13.1 goal: To not walk. I just want to run the whole thing.
Half-marathon nightmare: I dreamt I showed up in shorts on race day, and it was 20 degrees. I was probably anxious because, prior to that dream, I hadn’t run outside in temperatures under 30 degrees. I have now—and I’m ready for anything on race day.
My advice for beginners: Start really small. Try 60 seconds today, and tomorrow try 61 seconds.