Rolling, rolling, rolling

Source

Last week, I decided that it was time to finally look into this whole rolling thing. 

I've toyed with the idea when I've trained for my last couple marathons, but have never been sure whether to go with the Stick or with a foam roller or what. I've also heard a lot of alternative solutions, like rolling pins, softballs, tennis balls or frozen water bottles.

So I decided to go the best sources I know for good info on what really works: DailyMile and Twitter.

And I got a lot of awesome responses, though I have to say opinions were pretty split between a foam roller and the Stick. 

Source

Ultimately I decided to go with something a few folks recommended that might help me decide: the rolling pin method.

So I rolled for the first time on Saturday evening, and didn't notice a huge difference. I did notice that it felt like it took a lot of upper body strength (which isn't exactly, ahem, my strong suit).  I mostly rolled my calves, which is where I tend to experience a lot of tightness and fatigue.

Then last night, I did some speed work. I did a little over three miles, with six sets of strides. I went home, stretched, iced my shin and ate some dinner. Then it was time to roll.

I rolled my hamstrings and my quads, and it felt AMAZING. And I rolled them foam roller style, using my body weight, and it felt so, so good. I spent a little bit of time on my calves, but was icing them on and off throughout the evening (well, icing my shins). Using it like a foam roller, I found it to be a little too low. This whole experiment did help me decide that I'll be purchasing a foam roller sometime soon!

My weapon of choice

Nuun vs. Hammer Fizz

I live in Florida, which means that training in the summer is a hot and sweaty prospect, especially with the humidity. Typically, you become drenched in sweat about five seconds after you step outside. As a result, some sort of salt tab or electrolyte replacement is necessary.

I've tried doing Hammer Endurolyte pills, and I'm just not a fan. I can't remember to take them, and I dislike fussing around with them. As a result, I switched over to Hammer Endurolyte Fizz, as they included a few samples in a Heed order, and I liked the idea of just throwing a tab into my water.

I've wanted to try NUUN as well, but hadn't seen it for sale in any of our local run/bike shops. I'd thought about ordering, but never got around to it. Recently though, I found out Jacksonville Running Company carries several flavors, so I picked up the Lemon Tea to try out on my next ride. Having used both the Nuun and the Fizz a few times now, here's how they stacked up.

Hammer Fizz 

Comes in 6 flavors: Mango, peach, grapefruit, grape, lemon-lime and unflavored.

I tried Mango and Grapefruit,  but Grapefruit only once.

Hammer's website encourages Fizz use to decrease the risk of cramping, keep up your body's necessary supply of electrolytes and "plus, in many instances, you require greater volumes of electrolytes than any sports drink or gel can provide."


Here's the nutrition breakdown from the Hammer website for Mango.

I tried the Fizz on both long runs and longer bike rides. Overall, it was a little disappointing.

Flavor: There is a baking-soda like aftertaste that was a turn off, despite the Mango flavoring. It didn't really encourage me to want to drink more water, which I struggle with to begin with.

Effectiveness: It seemed to work well. I felt better at the end of multi-hour runs or rides than I generally do otherwise, and felt less dehydrated for the rest of the day. My skin was still pretty salty though.

Effectiveness when Mixed with Other Nutrition: I didn't experience any GI issues, despite mixing this with Hammer Perpetuem on bike rides and Powerbar Gels on runs.

Cost: $4.95/13 tablets

Overall: Meh. The flavor was really the biggest turnoff. Additionally, it didn't look like it really dissolved all the way. It looked like there were little bits of "floaters" in my bottle.

Nuun Active Hydration

Nuun comes in 11 flavors: Banana, Orange, Lemon Lime, Strawberry Lemonade, Fruit Punch, Kona Cola, Lemon Tea, Tri-Berry, Grape, Tropical, and Citrus Fruit.

I tried the Lemon Tea flavor, which also features light caffeine.

Nuun's website claims that "the electrolytes found in Nuun will help alleviate cramps, help muscles function, communicate and burn energy efficiently."

So application-wise, Nuun and Fizz stack up pretty closely.

The nutrition breakdown for Nuun is as follows:

I have used Nuun for several long runs and long rides now, and have been very pleased with it. 

Flavor: It really tastes like lemon tea, which is one of my favorite flavors. It made me way more excited about drinking, which is great. I tend to not drink enough during hard efforts. 

Effectiveness: I felt great. The little spike of caffeine offered by the lemon tea flavor was just enough, and my skin wasn't nearly as salty at the end of my workouts.

Effectiveness when Mixed with Other Nutrition: I didn't experience any GI issues, despite mixing this with Hammer Perpetuem on bike rides and Powerbar Gels on runs.

Cost: $6.50/12 tablets

Overall: New favorite sports drink. Flavor, experience and quality were all awesome. And a well-designed package doesn't hurt either. 

Winner: Clearly, Nuun. At least for me. It's slightly pricier than the Fizz, but the overall experience of the product, especially the flavor, more than makes up for it.

7 Weeks....eek!

Seven weeks sounds like a long time, right? I thought so too. Until I was looking at my training plan last night and had a momentary panic attack realizing that I mostly have about 4 weeks of training left before I start peaking/tapering for the race.

This race felt so far away when we decided on it. The training period has felt infinitely long. And yet, not long enough. I lost a lot of time when I injured my knee, and while I feel like I made tremendous progress over the last training block, I'm still really nervous.

I did my first run of Build 1 last night, which was 3x8 minute intervals with a 15 minute warm up and a 10 minute cool down, with 2 minutes between each interval, and I felt great. It was a little cooler outside, a little breezy (amazing how much cooler things feel when the humidity is lower) and I knocked out the intervals, finishing the run feeling great. My legs are feeling it this morning, but in a good way. Looking forward to tonight's bike ride! If all goes according to plan, I'll actually be able to ride outside tonight!

Mini Big Day

This weekend was an interesting one for training.

My shins splints have been coming back with a vengeance, I think thanks to running bridges. And I LOVE running bridges, so I'm bummed about having to nix that part of the routine, but also frustrated that I've gone 9 months without them bothering me, and they start to act up so close to the race. I've been running for years now - why do I still have this problem?

Needless to say, after feeling the pain start up again at the beginning of Saturday's long run, I shut it down. Didn't see any point in exacerbating them, especially since I'm going into a rest week on my training schedule. Fingers crossed, with lots of ice and compression and rest, they'll heal up a bit.

So instead, Sunday became a "Mini Big Day." During E's 140.6 training last year, his plan called for two "big days" where he basically mimicked the race, with slightly shorter distances and some rest periods in between. It was a good way to test out fitness, nutrition and race routines. So he suggested I try a mini big day - start out with a 35 minute swim, and follow it with only a short break with a 2-3 hour ride.

Sunday Breakfast Routine

We used the pool in my dad's neighborhood to start the day, and I got in 1500 yards in 30 minutes, with a 200 yard warm up. Then we hopped in the car for the short ride to where we park for our long rides, though this time we opted for Mickler's Beach instead of our normal Jacksonville Beach parking. After a quick change and a quick snack, I took off.

I've been using Hammer Fizz as my electrolyte/sodium supplement on my rides, but tried NUUN lemon tea tablets this time, my first time trying them. I'm in love. The mix tasted great and kept me moving. I alternated between the NUUN and plain water, and used Hammer Perpetuem as my fuel source. I'm still not sold on Perpetuem, but since I use gels on my run, I"m not sure I want to take them on the bike too. I'm worried about how that much sugar would affect my stomach.

I did 35 miles, and finished feeling great. I had planned on a solid three hours, but as I'm still breaking the new saddle in and *ahem* experiencing some discomfort, I decided not to push it.

I'm really happy with where my training is right now. I've really made significant progress in the last few weeks, and I'm feeling much more confident about the race.

I also signed up for a race my nerdy heart is super excited about - the Rocketman Triathlon. It's next May, and it will be the first sporting event ever held at Kennedy Space Center. The bike course is designed to take athletes around space program landmarks like the shuttle launch pads, and some other great areas. I'm STOKED.

This Is Why I Run

Last night was the first cold run of the season - well, cold by Florida standards, around 48 degrees at 8 p.m.  E and I went together, and bundled up in true Floridian fashion: beanie, gloves, longs-sleeved shirt and pants.  Of course, I was hot and sweaty by mile 1.  But none of that matters because this run was EPIC.

I got out there and felt like freaking Ryan Hall.  Well, perhaps Ryan Hall's slower, less fit younger sister.  But seriously, it was one of those runs where I felt like I was flying.  It was dark and cold and crisp, the stars were bright, and I felt like I would never stop moving, would never need to stop moving.  My heart rate got pretty high, but my breathing felt smooth.  And I was extra excited when I checked my times and realized that I set a new PR by 6 minutes!

Monday and Tuesday were tough runs; my legs felt tired and heavy.  Coming into a run like this...it just drove home why we run.  It's that feeling that you can't describe to people who have never felt it, but I think it's what every runner chases.  I have a friend who started running a couple of months ago and he's still pushing through mile runs that are pretty tough.  He hasn't had that joy of running moment yet, and this was that moment I've tried to describe to him.  All of my muscles were in sync and I felt so strong.

Also, I finally got race pictures!  My chip time was  2:27 so I was really happy to be under my goal of 2:30.  I remember there was when running or cycling for an hour seemed impossible, than two hours seemed nuts, and now time is no longer something that is daunting (unless we are talking about a 140.6).

And a funny race video.  My dad took this while we were finishing the last 10th of a mile.

Recovery and Training

Over the weekend, post-half, I got a lovely case of food poisoning which laid me up for Saturday and Sunday, so I didn't get my recovery run in until Monday evening.  I did 4 miles and my legs just felt tired through most of it.  Achy.  Sore.  Blah.

Since this is recovery week, last night was a 6 mile run, and I can't say it was much better.  Well, really I felt pretty split.  It was a really nice night, and people are starting to put up Christmas lights, and it all felt peaceful (and a little creepy in the really quiet parts).  So mentally I was really digging it, but physically my legs still felt trashed.  I think today as a rest day should help. 

I am still stoked though about officially being in marathon training.  I'm using the Chicago marathon plan (I'm cheap, I didn't want to buy one and didn't like Hal Higdon's).  I started it several weeks ago, and was about on target for my half, putting me into a recovery week this week, which I'm pretty excited about. 

On another note, I mentioned a little while ago that I've started using whey protein, and being the research-loving person that I am, am always reading articles about supplements and nutrition, and came across this yesterday on Competitor,  Racing Weight:  Should you Supplement for Weight Loss? which I found to be interesting.  I think (probably more than I should) about what I'm eating, if I'm deficient in any areas, if I'm getting the right amount of vitamins, if I can cut down anymore on processed foods.  I drink green tea and the aforementioned whey protein, but worry about getting enough iron and calcium, and now I'm curious about creatine.  I think all of this mostly feeds back to a fantasy I have in which I have an amazing amount of time to train and create wholesome foods from scratch that are completely unprocessed.  The next scene in the fantasy involves me and a biggie sized double cheeseburger and fries from Wendy's, but that's why this is a fantasy, right?

At any rate, nothing really new to report.  This week is about recovery, and officially being on the road to the 26.2 with Donna on February 13, 2011!

New PRs, TGIF and what I want from Santa

It's felt like a "light" week workout wise, which has been ok.  I did 3 miles on Monday, and 3 on Tuesday, plus some light strength training.  I've been slammed at work, and E has been as well, so everyday has felt like a heavy training day any way. Last night we went for the 4 mile easy run - and I killed it!  For me at least.  I did sub-10 minutes for 4.29 miles, finishing with a time of 41:09.  Hell yes.  It's a great confidence booster going into my first half-marathon next week, and it also makes me feel like the intervals, the consistency, the strength training, just everything, is paying off.  It's a great feeling, and awesome to feel improvement on a night I was just going out to get an easy 4 in.

I also got my SpiBelt in, so I'll be reviewing that soon!

With Christmas coming up, I'm also trying to decide what heart rate monitor I want.  I've been debating this for about 6 months, and I am between these two:

Suunto t3c

Garmin Forerunner 305

E has a Suunto t3c, which I've used and really like.  However, I love the GPS, rechargeable battery (on the 305) and wireless transmission of the Garmin 305.  I  also like the Garmin 310 but it's rather pricey at this point.  My concern with the 305, which is what I'm leaning towards, is that I'm pretty petite and have really little wrists.  I'm worried it will be uncomfortable.  Does anyone have any recommendations or thoughts?   I've looked at Polars, Timexs, etc, and these are the only two that seem to have everything I'm looking for.

Understanding why the long run is also an "endurance run"

A typical Friday night means that we make dinner and relax on the couch catching up with The Office, 30 Rock and The Apprentice.  It's about the most t.v. we watch at any given time, but usually Friday rolls around and I am a bit brain dead and in need of some r n' r before Saturday's long run.  We switched it up a little this weekend though, and went to a friend's oyster roast, which was a lot of fun.  We've been a bit antisocial lately, between working and training, so it was great to see everyone and spend some time with them.  However, all that meant that Saturday I was feeling  a little beat and pretty tired.  A little more tired than I wanted to feel knowing I had to run 10 miles.

And boy did that run feel long.  By about mile 7, I was done.  Tired, felt like I couldn't pick up my feet anymore, tired.  I have this bad tendency to not want to take gels, and I fought the first one but counted down the minutes to the second one in the hope that it would perk me up (it was a Hammer Gel espresso flavor - 50mgs of caffeine!) and I was still dragging tail.  Needless to say, by the time we made it back to the car, I was done.  I don't remember the last time I felt that tired.  I've had a string of really good runs lately though, so I figure I was about due for one that was a little crappy.  E was great through the whole thing - encouraging me when I was having trouble encouraging myself.

In other news, I decided on a training plan for the marathon.  Maybe I'm cheap, but I didn't want to pay for one, and thought I would try the Chicago Marathon training plan which looks pretty do-able, and is pretty on base with what I've been doing, with the addition of one extra run a week.  I also broke down and bought protein powder, trying my first serving last night.  I mixed it with a glass of almond milk and it was so filling!  I had it with a small meal after my run, and I really could have done with just the beverage.  Having never used it, I didn't know what to get, and just chose this one at the grocery store.

To Marathon or Not to Marathon

Having only been consistently active for about 2 years, I'm really big on setting event goals (keep in mind, prior to "consistently active" was "pack-a-day smoker with a bad caffeine habit").  This year I discovered triathlon, and did a few sprint distances, culminating in my Very Proud Achievement, my first Olympic distance.  I muddled through the swimming, was decent on the bike, but my run remains a weakness for me.  And I'm SLOW.    Like I read articles and when they talk about "beginner runners" they reference their pace being around 10-11 minutes a mile, and I go "hey, I should be way faster by now."  So I decided I wanted to strengthen my run. 

I embarked on this endeavor by deciding to undertake two half-marathons:  the Outback Distance Classic on Thanksgiving Day and the Donna Half-Marathon on February 12, 2011.  Next year, I decided, would be the year I ran a marathon, but I would do these two half distances first.  However, now I'm thinking, maybe I'll do the Donna FULL Marathon rather than the half.  It's supposed to be a great race, fan support is huge, it's volunteered at and undertaken by an enormous about of people in my city and beyond, family and friends could come cheer me on. 

So I guess I'm just debating if I'm ready.  I think about it and the idea of the challenge is wonderful and I read all these blogs from a lot of you and your experiences with running your first (or 15th) marathon, and love the idea of it, the challenge of it.  Then I think about the distance and sort of feel a little pale.  So I guess I'm just on the fence.  If I'm going to run a marathon locally (and after the amount of money I realized an out-of-town event takes after my last one) this is without a doubt the one to do.  And if I hit half-marathon distance by late November, that should more than put me on track for a February 12 marathon.  I may have spent some of my lunch break yesterday looking at Runnersworld and Active.com for articles on training for a marathon and how to know if you're ready.

To run or not to run.  I'm just not sure.        

Joining the Gym

I've known for a while that a hole in all of my training has been the lack of strength work.  I have about zero muscle tone that doesn't come strictly from running and cycling and a bit of yoga.  In high school, to get out of gym that required lots of running or being outside, I was one of three girls that elected to take Weight Training.  Honestly, I really liked it.  I liked that by semester's end I could see a change in my posture, in my arms, in my overall fitness.  But I didn't stick with it.
Then, a few years ago, I started again.  I decided I wanted to get in shape again, so I started going to the gym in the apartment complex I lived in at the time.  No one was ever there, so I went 3-5 days a week, and it worked. I found my muscle tone again, and along with adjusting my diet, I lost weight and got in shape.  I loved it.  I'll admit, I even started wearing tank tops when I worked out for the sole reason of being able to see my newly toned arms in the mirror while I worked out.  Michelle Obama, eat your heart out.  Then I moved, and the strength training stopped, and I've been talking about starting again for a while now, but haven't quite made it (this includes a brief stint where I belonged to my local Y for a year but only managed to go a grand total of three times).
So today I went and joined a gym about three blocks from my job.  I really have no reason not to go, and if I run near work in the mornings, I can shower and get cleaned up there.  So, I'm telling myself, that if I have a great view of the river while I work out, and I have a place that's so close I can go on my lunch break that it will work.  I also get a complimentary personal training session as part of joining.  I go next Tuesday.  I'm curious to see what all my measurements, body fat, etc. are, but I'm also a little terrified of what I'll find out.  Fingers crossed!