My run spot.

Yep. It’s official. I’m running another marathon in 16 days. 

Some things to consider - rest, recovery, and taper properly for another race. 

Rest - they say that after running a marathon, you should take as many rest days as necessary until you no longer feel any muscle soreness before running at all. I am almost there - Soreness was at a peak on Wednesday morning (48 hours post race), and am starting to feel much looser today. Things that can help with recovery time include ice bathing or massage (within 48 hours) and then heat and stretching until muscles have recovered.

Recovery - this is all about getting enough sleep, the proper nutrients and the right amount of physical activity to get your energy back to normal. Since Monday, I have been sleeping 9+ hours each night, so clearly my body is still tired from the race. There is no remedy for sleep and proper nutrition - so this is the time to eat plenty of lean protein to help repair muscle tissues and get enough sleep to give the body time to heal. I plan on sticking to cross training (lots of yoga and cycling) instead of running to give my joints the time to heal properly.

Taper - since Boston was practically a training run (I ran a 4:04 instead of a predicted 3:30), I plan on using it as a training run. After taking one week off to let my body rest and recover from the race, I will pick up where I left off. If using a marathon as a training run, runners should not build on this distance - only to taper from there. So, with three weeks to go, that means a half marathon distance (21k)  two weeks out and a 10 miler the weekend before the race.

This will be quite the experience! 

I did it - marathon one for 2012 is under my belt. And it was a killer one too - 26.2 miles in 89 degree weather - the running was the least of my worries on race day.

It wasn’t pretty. In fact, it was my slowest marathon EVER (slower than that time I ran a marathon without training). But on Monday, my goal wasn’t to run a 3:30 anymore. It was to cross the finish.

The Boston Marathon is an unbelievable experience. The race is incredibly well organized, from the race expo to the finish line. There are volunteers everywhere to help you along the way if you have any questions or concerns. It is truly an experience that I would recommend to all runners. 

What makes it so great, however, are the people along the route. Everywhere we ran - from Hopkinton, to Newton, to Ashland, to Boston - there were thousands of people setting up shop in front of their businesses and their homes to offer the hot runners water, ice, snacks, orange slices, you name it. All out of their own pockets. Since Patriot’s day is a holiday in Boston each year, it is a tradition in Boston that the residents get together to cheer on the marathoners along the course.

This year, I believe they were one of the main reasons why so many runners finished. Even with water and gatorade at every mile on the course, the people of Boston stepped up to plate and helped us out, out there. 

All that to say, the Boston Marathon organizers had quite the challenge to deal with this year. But, all things considered, they still were able to deliver. So kudos. Thank you, Boston.

Next stop, NYC Marathon. :)

I can’t believe I’m here. Writing probably one of my last blog posts before I run the Boston Marathon. I’ve failed miserably in the last few months at keeping my blog up to date for various different reasons, but I’m glad that I’m taking the time to write about my journey before I compete on Monday morning.

The training for this race has been the most challenging yet. I went through ups and downs in terms of motivation and dedication to my training throughout the last four months. I trained with a group some weeks and did some 30k runs on my own on other weeks. I skipped some track workouts because I didn’t feel up for them, and raced a couple killer half marathons just to give myself the confidence that I still had it in me. But overall, I have to say that my only disappointment is that I didn’t share any of that with other runners. It’s human nature to fall on and off the wagon - and apparently even when you have a life changing race up ahead, you still veer off to the side a bit at times.

I’m trained. My body is rested. I’ve done all the runs I’ve needed to do. And I’m going in to the Boston Marathon start line knowing that I can trust myself to finish strong. 

HOLY CRAP. I’m doing it! 

xo.

Throughout my race yesterday, I realized that I was running pretty hard, but definitely didn’t expect to feel like I got run over by a bus when I woke up this morning. 

I did. I felt like I got run over by a bus when I rolled out of bed this morning.

My legs hurt. My abs hurt. My back hurts. My brain hurts. 

It’s pretty standard to be sore after race day. Here’s why:

What I’m experiencing is Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness - or DOMS for short. DOMS is soreness experienced 12-48 hours post exercise (I’m usually most sore about 36 hours following events). The soreness is a product of various chemicals that are released within the muscle cell (due to muscle breakdown), and these products stimulate the nerve endings within the muscle (which is what produces the pain). 

They say muscle breakdown is at its peak 48 hours post exercise - therefore the accumulation of repair/damage fluids within the muscle only stops after this period. The pain is a combination of damage and pressure caused by the extra fluids within the muscle that stimulate the nerve endings.

How to reduce the effects of DOMS:

1. Ice Bathe post exercise. This will help reduce the inflammation as well as help flush some of the fluids out of your muscles.

2. Massage. I use my trusty foam roller and get some circulation going in the affected areas. It’s painful, but worth it. 

3. Get moving! As long as you are not injured, exercise can be beneficial. Low intensity, no impact activities (such as cycling or swimming) can do wonders to help get the blood to flow back in those legs. 

Happy Valentine’s Day :)

Long runs can be challenging for a number of reasons - time, distance, boredom and fitness are all important factors to consider. Hydration and nutrition durant your run is one that should not be forgotten. 

General rule of thumb, if you’re heading out for a run that will last longer than 90 minutes, water and food (many like to use gels) are super helpful. For starters, hydration pre-run is incredibly important - according to a study by Armstrong and Costill in 1985, only 2% decrease in body weight that is attributed to water loss can cause a runner to slow down by almost 7%! So by being well hydrated pre-run, you are ahead of the game on this one. In a marathon, it is estimated that a runner can lose up to 10% of their body weight..! 

Hydration during exercise, though, will help keep some of the negative side effects of dehydration (i.e. increase in body temp, elevated heart rate, decrease in performance) at bay. 

In terms of nutrition, whatever you ingest will help keep your glycogen levels from crashing too low  - and in turn, will keep you going for longer. The amount, however, is very much up to the runner. I eat every 30 minutes after I’ve passed the 40 minute mark in my long runs. Some go as far as suggesting that athletes should be ingesting carbohydrates every 10 minutes! My pick: either a lara bar (cashew cookie is my fave) or sharkies. 

What about electrolytes? Sweat is composed of water and electrolytes, right!? Yes, electrolytes are lost during sweat. But they are also (mostly) lost during urination - who’s rate decreases rapidly during exercise in order to control homeostatic levels of electrolytes. This is a topic that I’ll have to go into detail to explain, but the short of the long is that sodium lost through sweat do come back to normal levels about 48-72 hours post long run. This is with or sans replenishment via “electrolyte” beverages (ie. Gatorade). 

Finally, post run. Of course, post run is very important for recovery. Typically, I will have a meal comprised of eggs and sweet potato or oatmeal following a long run. That way, I have a good mix of protein and carbohydrates to help with muscle repair and glycogen replenishment. One study in particular has shown that post exercise, recovery-type drinks containing both carbohydrates and protein are much more efficient at replenishing muscle glycogen than beverages such as Gatorade and Powerade. So if you are stuck, go for something with a combination of nutrients.

Ok! Rest time for this girl. Tomorrow morning, I’m heading out with the “dream team” at Broadway Run Club for a 21k run. When training for a sub 3:30 marathon (my “official” goal for Boston), long runs should be anywhere between 5:30 and 6:30 min/km. I don’t plan to keep up for most of it as they run a 4:30 min/km for their long runs, but hey - one can always dream! 

Holy Moley. Last weekend, I went away on a quick getaway and of course, made sure to bring all my running gear with me. It was only when I was gearing up to head out for a beautiful afternoon run that I realized I had forgotten my trusty sports bra. All I had was my bathing suit top. Yikes. 

Every single girl that I know that runs has a favourite bra. Mine is my Pink Champion 360 Max Support Sport Bra (see below). I don’t think I could live without it. I have been wearing the same style of running bra since 2002 and I don’t plan on changing any time soon. 

Why I love it: Nothing moves. Ever. Period. It is also comfortable, is a super cute colour (it also comes in black and white), and it lasts. I have owned close to a dozen of these in the past decade and some have lasted me well over 5 years. For someone that wears this at least 3 times per week - thats pretty awesome. It’s also totally affordable - $50 a piece. 

What I love it for: Running, working out, anything high impact. I don’t love it for yoga - it is a bit constricting for that. 

Though I have experienced some chafing with this one on long runs (typically anything over 90 minutes), it is by far my favourite choice. 

Runners up: lululemon’s Flow Y Bra for Yoga and cycling. I own at least 2 of these and usually wear it for more casual activities. Another popular in fellow female runners is the Nike Pro Victory Compression Bra - great for support and comfort. 

What’s your fave? 

It is so common these days to hear about how exercise can improve your mood because of the release of endorphins. But, does anyone really stop to wonder - what the heck’s an endorphine? And how the heck does it work?! Read on, my friend.

Definition: any of a group of hormones secreted within the brain and nervous system and having a number of physiological functions. They are peptides which activate the body’s opiate receptors, causing an analgesic effect. - Oxford Dictionary

In real people language, an endorphin is a chemical that is released into your bloodstream (in various conditions) that creates a feeling of happiness in your brain. Endorphins are released into the bloodstream during long/continuous and moderate to vigorous physical activity (when you are out of breath). In order to ensure that you enjoy the benefits of endorphins, research says you should exercise at 70% Vo2Max for at least 15 minutes. 

A rush of endorphins is commonly referred to as the Runner’s High in the running community. This phenomenon is well known in runners and is usually explained as a feeling of euphoria following a long/intense run. Because of endorphin’s euphoric properties, they tend to alleviate pain and the athlete’s level of perceived exertion - which can sometimes lead to them pushing past their previous running times and limits. i.e. A runner exercising at 90% Vo2Max sans endorphins will perceive to hurt/suffer more than one with a release of endorphins.

For a rush of endorphins, try this:

5 minute warm up

3 minutes running at high intensity - should be out of breath approx. 50 seconds in

3 minutes rest - easy jog

repeat 5 times

10 minute cool down