Monday "Massage Day"

Today was massage day.  About once a month, I get a one-hour deep tissue massage to keep things loose. Sounds so nice, doesn't it? Well, let me tell you, about 40% of the hour is relaxing, and the rest of the time I am just trying to breathe through the pain. It feels like I am going to walk away with bruises all over my body, but instead I feel amazing after the massage!

I am fortunate that my friend referred me to Krystle about a year and one-half ago. Krystle practices just down the street from my house. She provides for me deep tissue, cross fiber, and friction massaging. I trust her completely. She follows up each appointment with great advice on stretching, and motivates me to actually do it!

Krystle focuses on specific high-needs areas of my body.
1) My calves. She explained there are layers of muscles wrapped in fascia and they can stick together. She works on separating them. Ouch.
2) My hamstrings. She works on relaxing the knots in them. Ouch. They can get pretty tight and I can tell that they need stretching out when it gets difficult to sit in a chair on them!
3) My glutes and hips. My weaknesses here lend to the overcompensation of my hamstrings, of course. So, along with massaging and stretching to loosen them up, I really need to do some strengthening work, like the side lying hip abduction (commonly called the clam exercise).
3) My back and shoulders. They get pretty stiff from hunching over a computer while I work.

Krystle uses rubber suction cups, too. They stretch and lengthen the muscle somehow--it's beyond my comprehension. But they definitely work!

Here is an example of rubber cups.

I think I rely on massages to make up for the stretching that I should be doing. So, I am going to go stretch now. Let me know if you get massages and how well they work for you!

Beat the Bunny 5K

 

Ran another 5K with my girl, and our friends last weekend! It was in Redmond and it had a bunny theme. This was a very family friendly race with many stollers, kids, and dogs. There was plenty of yummy post-race food, and they had prizes that they gave away in a drawing. We had a lot of fun dressing up for the occasion!

Here is the gang after the race.



Tried some "ears" on Hero but he wasn't very interested.

 

Time for new shoes

I love shoes!! My husband calls me Imelda Marcos, for obvious reasons. (See post here.)

My favorite shoes. If only I could get my husband to buy them for me. (Size 38, hint, hint.)

But this is a running blog, so those aren't the shoes you probably care to see.

You are probably pretty familiar with the relationship a runner has with their shoes. When you find a make and model that works for you, you stock up on them when they go on sale. My husband recently informed me: "You have SEVEN pairs of running shoes sitting by the back door."
Me: "How can that be?!"
I took a look and he had counted correctly. Well, almost.
Me: "Hey, here is a pair that needs to be retired. I really only have SIX pairs here."

How do you know when it's time for a new pair of running shoes? I try to retire shoes after 400 miles. But it's hard to keep track of the mileage because I am always alternating between 2 pairs of shoes, and I can't remember how many miles I have on each pair! Besides, shoes always look to me like they have a lot of life left in them--the sole isn't completely worn away.

I recently learned, the hard way, that even though shoes may look like they could go a few more miles, they shouldn't. A week ago I put on those shoes that needed to be retired. After 20 miles, I was feeling pain in my left Achilles and right hamstring, and pretty much everywhere else. At that point, I changed into a new pair and all the pain disappeared for the rest of my run (another 21 miles).

Lesson learned. I am keeping a log near the back door of the mileage on each pair of shoes now. I will be replacing them before going over 400 miles from now on!

How much sugar do we eat??

I was browsing through books at Barnes & Noble on January 10th. I won't forget that day. It was during Girls' Weekend--an annual event with my sisters, nieces, and daughter. We stay in a hotel in downtown Seattle for two nights and shop and eat. Sometimes we go to a movie or take a ride on the Great Wheel.

A book for sale on a table caught my eye. The cover said "I Quit Sugar."

I have been interested in the effects of sugar on the body for years. But I never wanted to know REALLY what I was doing to myself since ate a whole lot of sugar and loved it.

I bought the book and started reading it that night in the hotel room. Since then, I have slowly reduced the volume of sugar we eat in my house. It has been an eye-opening journey. Our bodies have adjusted to not having sugar, and the cravings are gone. Sweet stuff now tastes too sweet and it just isn't palatable. I have always called myself a chocoholic yet the other day I THREW CHOCOLATE AWAY because it didn't taste good to me. Whoa, what is happening to me??

My kids bought into the idea of reducing sugar right away. My daughter looks at labels on everything now. She is disgusted by the amount of sugar in boxed cereal, but she finally found Shredded Wheat (the big biscuits) doesn't have any added sugar. My son likes ham sandwiches for lunch. No one makes ham slices without added sugar. Yogurt is the biggest joke--look for full fat, plain yogurt for the least amount of sugar.

Here are the benefits I've seen in my household:
- Everyone's mood is better. Operating in the "red zone" (angry, frustrated, impatient) used to feel like the norm in my house. The percentage of time we spend in the "red zone" is much lower now.
- I feel more energetic when I run.
- My outlook each day is more positive. I used to start the day feeling overwhelmed with a huge list of things to accomplish. That anxiety is no longer present, and I am taking the initiative to say "no" to things that will add to my workload.
- My daughter is falling asleep easily. She used to stay awake, sometimes crying, for 1.5 hrs, after bedtime.

I guess I don't need this any longer.

 

We aren't completely sugar-free, yet. I will try to share some recipes and tips in the future. If you have any suggestions, let me know!

St Patrick's Day Dash

I can't believe how tall my girl is getting! She is growing up.

 

What a wet day to run! My daughter and I ran the St Patrick's Day Dash. It poured rain all day today but it didn't seem to slow anyone down. It was a record turn-out for the race. We were part of the green ribbon winding through the Emerald City. I was a little worried about running today after running 41 miles yesterday but I felt good when I got up this morning. Thank goodness!

Reppin' the Irish (although we are not Irish).

Dizzy Daze 12 Hour Run

My first test of my ability to go a longer distance. It was the Dizzy Daze 12 Hour Run. As advertised on the race's website, it was "All the pain and suffering of an ultra, without the annoying change in scenery!" The course was a 3.2 mile loop around Greenlake in Seattle. I went 13 laps for a total of 41.6 miles over a span of 10 hours and 50 minutes. I wanted to go the full 12 hours, but I was worried that I wouldn't be able to run the St. Patrick's Day 5K with my daughter the next day.

It was a wet morning, but the sky dried out after a few hours. I brought a big cooler with more shoes, clothes, and food. The cooler helped keep everything dry. At around mile 20, I changed into a fresh pair of shoes. I hadn't realized how wet my feet were until I put on dry socks and shoes. It made me feel brand new again. Although I had a bagel with cream cheese and ham in the cooler along with some roasted potatoes, it was the food that the race provided that kept me going. They served yummy pancakes (some with bacon and cheese, some with chocolate chips) and warm roasted potatoes. They also served pies (I had pecan pie) and the regular race fare such as pretzels and gummy bears and Gu. All afternoon, they served pizza!

The race organizers, Matt Hagen and Betsy Rogers, did an amazing job. They put on a perfect race despite forgetting to order port-a-potties, and they arrived after the race started (there were so many restrooms on the course that it didn't matter to me).



This is the aid station that I took advantage of at the end of each lap. (photo courtesy of Christy Hammond's husband)




Here is a good example of the dirt path around the lake. There was only about 0.1 miles of pavement on this route.

I ran the first few laps with my friend and ultra runner, Sarah. She's amazing--she completed 7 marathons in 2 weeks last fall.



Me and Sarah after 9 and 10 laps, respectively.

Tami and Baxter joined me later in the morning for a lap. I'm so happy that Tami is finally running injury free. She is slowly and methodically building up her mileage. Mad at myself for forgetting to take a selfie with them.

 

Around mid-day, my friend Mimi and her daughter joined me for a lap. I had been walking when she found me, but I was able to pick up the pace and run with them.



My friend's daughter. She was rewarded with a piece of pizza after taking a lap with me on her bike.



Sometime in the afternoon, my family arrive to cheer me on. They took about one-half of a lap with me. It was nice to feel the love!

(photo courtesy of Christy Hammond's husband)

It was a social day. I also talked to other runners along the way and picked up a few new ultra running tips. I wish I would have written them down because I don't remember all of them now. What I do remember is that eating ginger can settle an upset stomach. I also remember changing clothes periodically on a multiday race to avoid chaffing. And don't lay down for too long or your muscles will go into recovery mode--take a cat nap.


Late in the afternoon, I looked for a letterbox and found it! For more information on letterboxing, look here.

This is my letterbox log book with the stamps I found.



My last lap around the lake was a leisure one. I took pictures of the scenery.

Greenlake. Not looking so lovely this time of the year.

 

Cherry blossom trees were blooming everywhere. I think they are quite early this year due to our mild winter.

The daffodils were also beautiful.

 

I saw someone taking wedding photos!



I found this quote on Multidays.com, an ultrarunning website.

“Perhaps the genius of ultra running is its supreme lack of utility. It makes no sense in a world of space ships and supercomputers to run vast distances on foot. There is no money in it and no fame, frequently not even the approval of peers. But as poets, apostles and philosophers have insisted from the dawn of time, there is more to life than logic and common sense. The ultra runners know this instinctively. And they know something else that is lost on the sedentary. They understand, perhaps better than anyone, that the doors to the spirit will swing open with physical effort. In running such long and taxing distances they answer a call from the deepest realms of their being, a call that asks who they are …”

David Blaikie

Speed workouts begin

I have a running store in my neighborhood, and it just moved even closer to my house!! The West Seattle Runner is now a half mile away and right next to the track at the community center. This store has been so good to me. If they don't have what I need in the store, they will order it for me.

The store has weekly track workouts every Tuesday, and they are free. I've always been aware of the benefits of speed workouts (see post here) but I haven't been able to squeeze them into my schedule. I decided to take advantage of this opportunity, and I joined the group for a test run today. We did four 400 meters at a fast pace with 200 meter rest between each. Then, I had to leave to pick my daughter up from her choir practice. I am officially going to commit to doing a weekly track workout with them. Holding myself accountable to this group is going to keep me coming back. I hope to see some benefits of these workouts in the form of faster race times.

2015 Racing Schedule

It feels official now, I am really training for ultra races!

I signed up for the Fat Dog 70 mile trail race (August 15-16) and the Big Foot 120 mile trail race (October 9-11).

To train for these races, I have been considering some one-day trail runs that I can do with my hubby.
- Harts Pass to Rainy Pass (33 miles and 3,600 feet of elevation gain)
- The Enchantments (18 miles and 4,500 feet of elevation gain)
- some part of the Wonderland Trail (93 miles around Mt Rainier)

I've also signed up for a few local races that will help me prepare for Fat Dog and Big Foot.
- Sunflower Marathon (May 9)
- Pigtails Challenge 100K (May 23-24)
- White River 50 Mile Endurance Run (July 25)

Do you have any favorite trail runs in the Seattle area? Let me know what they are!

Hot Chocolate

 

The Hot Chocolate 5K has become a tradition for me and my daughter. This is our third year running it! The race starts at 6:45am, so we are up at dark o'clock for breakfast. My daughter loves getting up when it is still dark out. She doesn't get that from me; that's for sure.

 

Heading to the race. Son is eating his oatmeal!



 

 

 

 

There is a 15K run starting at 7:55am. After we finished our 5K, I handed off my daughter to my husband and I jumped in line for the 15K (yes, I registered for it). This is how I was able to run through the chocolate chip aid station twice!

 

I met my friend and neighbor at the finish line and enjoyed the swag: hot chocolate, chocolate fondue, and a really cool medal!