What's the deal with bricks?

PSA: If you haven't entered my giveaway, go do it now!! Seriously, there's no reason not to- who doesn't like free stuff??  =)
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So what's the deal with bricks?

No, not the Bob-the-builder, construction kind of bricks.

"Bricks" are workouts where you do two different "disciplines" back to back with minimal interruption. People training for triathlons do them a lot. Or so I'm told.

Let me back up.

The day of my first swim lesson, my coach said something along the lines of "your big-boned, broad-shouldered, wide-hipped self would do really well at a triathlon."

Actually, that's probably not exactly how she said it. Maybe it was more of "I think you've got some swimming talent- you should combine it with your running and do a triathlon." (it was a few lessons later that she told me my broad shoulders and 'wide frame' would give me an advantage in the water)

I shrugged her off and said "I don't think I'm interested in a tri, but thanks," but in my head I was cursing her. DARN IT, another thing to feel the need to overcome! Or as Barney Stinson would say,

Well, challenge not actually accepted... yet. Still pending that open water swim.

When I got home, I opened up the storage closet to take a look at my old, decrepit mountain bike. My little Gary Fisher that got me through so many years at college... was laying limp with two flat tires, a jacked up chain, bent derailleur, worn down brakes, and countless other maladies.

I decided it might be better to put money into a cheap(er) road bike than to put money into Gary (and then decide I wanted a road bike down the road). So I set off to the multiple (ok, 3) bike stores around me. One store totally stuck their nose in the air because I said I was a runner. One store was super nice, but only carried crazy expensive bikes (sorry, I don't have $3000 to drop on a bike right now).

The third store was the charm though. They measured me, fit me, and found me a bike that would fit both my long legs and my budget (and a youth size helmet to fit my small head). Turns out my awkwardly tall self needed a size 56 cm frame, which is an uncommon size for women or something (what? you're all not giants?). That meant they still had last year's model on discount that they just wanted to get rid of. Score!

my precious.....

Then I was asked if I was a swimmer, because I had "such broad shoulders." Thanks, jerks. Go ahead, just call me a dude.

(side note- I have to special order my running shoes because no store carries size "wide." I also have to wear men's trail shoes because women's shoes don't come that big)

So back to the brick...

I headed out to a paved and secluded greenway for my first ride. I wasn't completely comfortable with the brakes or the new position (I'd never ridden a road bike until my 'fitting') and I wanted to try it somewhere far, far away from cars. Success! I biked almost 9.5 miles in about 40 minutes, hardly breaking a sweat.

Then I hopped off and went for a run. If I'm not seriously sweating and out of breath, it's not a good workout afterall. I pulled out my fastest run in months- 3 miles in 26:28, or a 8:47 pace!

Sweaty post-brick run in the car.

I look forward to more bricks in my near future (finally! A new way to torture my body!) and who knows, maybe a triathlon. Maybe.


Is your body awkwardly sized or disproportionate? I don't even want to begin to tell you the trouble of finding a good pair of jeans...

Awesome Stuff Giveaway

Ah glorious three day weekend... why must you be over already?!

We had a nice, relaxing Monday around here. Sleeping in, lounging around, and grilling out. The boys decided to gift us with laziness today too =)

"Mom, please don't put this picture on your blog- it's so embarrassing."

As promised, I have a special giveaway for all the great LMYR readers out there. I just wanted to say thanks for your readership, encouragement, and community you have given me through this blog! 

To enter the giveaway, all you have to do is follow my blog, either by Google Friend Connect, e-mail subscription, or by that Post (Atom) link at the bottom (is that RSS?). There might be another way to follow that I don't know about- just let me know in your comment ;)

IMPORTANT: you MUST leave a comment telling me which way you follow! One comment = one entry.

For an extra entry, leave another comment telling me how you stumbled upon my blog. Again, one comment = one entry... so make sure you separate your entries by separate comments!

Wanna know the stuff you could win? An awesome dog coffee cup, three Peanut Butter Gus, and your choice of a $15 iTunes or Starbucks gift card (if neither of those two options appeal to the winner, we can work something else out... possibly to Road Runner Sports. We'll see).

...assuming Crazy Face and Little Paws don't eat the Gu before it gets sent to you (they've been known to get into my running fuel stash before... talk about hyper dogs!).

"I never did that Mom, I'm as innocent as the driven snow."

Other important things: No one provided this stuff for me; everything has been purchased by myself. Giveaway will be open for one week- you must enter by June 4th. The winner will be notified on the blog on Tuesday, June 5th and MUST contact me by June 12th or else another winner will be chosen.

Again, thank you for your readership and support!! I appreciate it so, so much!!!

The mantra that got me through

"You are stronger than you think you are."

After 6 weeks of swim lessons/coaching sessions, we finally moved from the 'shallow' end to the 'deep' end. And you know what? I didn't drown.

A lot of people have asked me, "what's the big deal with going into the deep end? You already can't/don't touch the bottom." Those people don't understand the total panic of seeing nothing but a wall of water in front of your face or the claustrophobia that comes with it, nor do they understand a fear so great that you all of a sudden can't breathe.

Those people probably won't think too much of my recent triumph. But I don't care. Yesterday- I tackled something that's been on my "to fear list" for a long, long time. Yesterday, I swam in 17 feet of water.

I walked into my lesson a few minutes early to start warming up when my swim coach pointed to the "area of doom" and said she had a treat lined up for me. In an attempt to turn me into a triathlete, she had set up make-shift buoys in the dive end of the pool (hence the insane depth of 17 feet!) for me to swim around.

My first thought was panic. I can't do this! I'm not ready! Then I started thinking, I'm going to suck in so much water I'll flail/cough/drown, or worse- embarrass myself! But ever the voice of reason, she told me "just calm down- don't think about it." 

And you know what? She was right- as long as I stayed calm and didn't think about the trillions and trillions of gallons of water, or the GIGANTIC drains 17 feet below me, or the fact that if all the water were to suddenly disappear that I would fall and break my neck (yes, I do think about that thankyouverymuch!)... I was actually alright. We did some basic drills to get myself comfortable being in the water, then I started swimming around.

I ended up swimming around those "buoys" 12 times (that's about 600 meters, btw). Every time I started to panic, I told myself "you are stronger than you think you are." 

Physically, I knew I was capable of doing the exercise. I know I'm physically capable of doing so many things that I'm afraid of (including crossing the Grand Canyon and running marathons and 50ks), but mentally- I'm so weak. This was a good exercise in reminding me that my body is capable of so much more than my mind thinks I'm capable of. 

And chances are, you are too.

Next week, I've asked her to take me out for the dreaded open water swim. I know this is going to be another mental challenge for me. And if I don't overcome it the first time, I'll come back and do it again. And I'll keep coming back until it no longer frightens me and I can do it.

"I will not fear.

Fear is the mindkiller,

fear is the little death

that brings total obliteration.

I will permit my fear to pass

over me and through me.

And where it has gone

I will turn the inner eye.

Nothing will be there.

Only I will remain."

Frank Herbert, author of Dune

On another (possibly related) note, GOOD LUCK TO MEG THIS WEEKEND as she runs her first marathon!!!!! Go over and wish her luck- Watch MegO Run.

What's your mantra to overcoming a mental challenge?

If you've done any open water swimming, please advise me how not to freak out!!

Strength, perseverance, and things that suck

Hey hey! Notice anything different around LMYR? I finally took the plunge and bought my own URL domain name (to the person who has longmayyourun.com and hasn't put anything up- you're SO lame!). I also have a new banner (courtesy of my awesome husband) and have added a few more pages. I'll be adding some things here and there, so keep an eye out.

I also have a great giveaway lined up to say "thanks for being awesome!" to all my readers. Details will be coming later this week! (and if they don't, please start pestering me!!!)

Something exciting came in the mail yesterday. A few weeks ago, I donated to the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation via Ali on the Run's fundraiser and got an awesome t-shirt!

(dog sold separately)

Since I had a new shirt to try out (it's a drifit Brooks running top, by the way!) I went out for a little spin this evening. I know some people, my husband included, are weird about wearing new shirts before you wash them. But I think there's some kind of magic in that first wearing before it goes through the laundry- it's like you make it your own.

Anywho, the run totally bit the big one. It was pretty hot and sunny and I was a dork and didn't bring a hat or sunglasses. My stomach was on edge (because when is it not during an afternoon run?) and my legs felt like bricks. I could have let this run turn into a "bad run," but instead decided to take it in a different direction.

Yes it was hot and I was tired, but I knew in the long run, pushing through this discomfort was only going to make me stronger.

What kinds of things have you gone through, both in your running and in life, that have made you stronger?

For me, Becky's Bluff made me stronger. Struggling through a tough marathon made me stronger. Climbing out of the Grand Canyon made me stronger. Recovering from two knee surgeries made me stronger. And having my career put on hold has made me stronger.

My point is, it's always the things that suck that make us stronger. So you can feel bad for yourself while you're in the midst of your suffering, or you can view it as an opportunity to grow your potential into something even greater.

I ended up running 5 hot and sweaty miles in 48:04 and the only time I felt good during this run was when I finished. But that's ok, knowing a finished 5 slower-than-normal miles in some discomfort felt better than quitting halfway through because the going got tough.

And I was able to proclaim to the world how much I adore sweat. Win-win.

What about you?

Do you wash your clothes before wearing or do you dive right in?


What has made you a stronger runner and a better person?

Twisted Ankle Trail Marathon recap

I ran up, I ran down; I ran sideways and all around (and around and around). I cursed Becky's Bluff, I fell in love with The Fire Break; I ran over rocks and jumped across streams, met new running friends and kindled my love for trail running. But best of all: I conquered The Twisted Ankle Marathon.

I had more butterflies in my stomach for this marathon than I've had for any other race. It's hard to imagine I'm the one that talked Gail into this adventure, promising her 26.2 miles of dirty trail awesomeness (where was that bravery on race day morning?!)

pre-race photo

If running across the Grand Canyon ranks a 10 out of 10 on difficulty, then running the TA marathon ranks about a 7. It's no joke.

And we're off!!! 

Apparently the course had to be tweaked this year so it was a little different than years' past. It consisted of two loops: Loop 1 was about 7 miles and contained The Fire Break (which Becky the RD assured us that "the trail runners are going to love and the non trail runners, well...."). Loop 2, being about 5 miles, contained the infamous Becky's Bluff. I stress the word infamous, in other words: well known for some bad quality. 

Half marathoners ran each loop once. Full marathoners ran them twice, which meant we were subjected to the Bluff and Fire Break twice. Though fun was had by all, the marathoners experience a special kind of... suck.

Please: feel my pain!

I was able to keep up with Gail and her trail buddy, Tom, for the first 15 or so miles. Or rather, they were kind enough to slow down for me to keep up with them! Every time we came to a flat section or the roads (I know I'm turning into a trail snob because the roads were my least favorite part) Gail turned her warp speed on and took off. Not to worry, I was able to easily catch up on the downhills since she took very cautious steps to ensure she wouldn't fall. Me? I just throw caution to the wind and run down like a banjee.

I had a blast through the Fire Break area. The best way to describe this one mile stretch is to imagine a trail that isn't really a trail. There was a relatively clear pathway to run on, but tons of rocks, roots, ruts, and other forms of ankle-twisting awesomeness. There were a few tough climbs that got the blood pumping, but plenty of downhill recovery. I felt like a certifiable BAMF.

Up, up, up!!

What to say about the second loop? To say there were massive climbs and it was hard is an understatement, yet that's the only way to describe it. You just have to experience it for yourself to really, truly understand the amount of suck it contained.

If you look closely, you can see the head of some one climbing up.

Around mile 9 (and later at mile 22 ish) we began the ascent to Becky's Bluff. This section of the race got its name from a few years ago: the RD put a clip board at the top of what she called a "little hill" and asked the racers to suggest a name for that "little hill" and write it down on the paper. The rest, as they say, is history.

I had been mentally preparing myself for this exact point in the race for weeks. I told myself to treat it just like the climb out of the Grand Canyon- slow, short steps. In many ways, this was the perfect strategy. I knew the Bluff wouldn't last forever and just like everything else difficult in life, eventually it would be over and I would be rewarded with a generous downhill for my efforts. 

I saw Mullet Jesus at the top of the Bluff and thought I had died and gone to heaven.

I knew the second time I would see Mullet Jesus, I'd be home free...

A quarter mile later, I saw a giant monkey with bananas at his feet and thought maybe I was hallucinating.

There were bananas on the ground the first time around. And for the next quarter mile, there were banana peels alongside the trail.

So that's basically how the Twisted Ankle marathon went. The second time around I started cramping a little which caused me to do quite a bit of walking. As a result, Gail and Tom got away from me and I was on my own. But that's ok because I think some parts of the marathon journey need to be overcome solo to really appreciate the value.

I finished in 5:54 with an average pace of 13:30. SPOT ON to my goal! I was all smiles for breaking my 6 hour goal. When I found out I placed third in my age group, I about peed my sweaty running shorts.

Showing off my bling in front of the iconic "finish bridge."

Gail and Tom also finished with a very respectable time of 5:43 (although I'm sure they could have finished faster had they not been so kind as to wait on me).

This was *suppose* to be a stupid picture, Gail! =)

All in all, this was a pretty good little training run for my next big adventure: The Black Mountain Monster 12 hour race! 

Preparing for the Twisted Ankle Marathon

I feel like I've done enough long distance runs to know that you can never truly know what race day will hold. Instead, you have to be prepared for anything and everything.

The Twisted Ankle marathon isn't your typical marathon. For one, it's on the trails. Two, there are going to be wicked elevation climbs. I'm a little unnerved that they had to change the course at the last minute and the RD has yet to give any indication of what the new elevation chart will look like. All I know is there's going to be a ridiculous climb (a 20% grade for about .6 miles) at mile 9 and 22 (of course it would be in the last 6 miles- of COURSE!). Everything in between is a mystery, but perhaps that is a good thing since ignorance is bliss.

Interesting to note- last year's first place finisher had a time of almost 4 hours. There were 5 women in my age group, with the fastest time being 4:44 and the slowest being 6:50.

Those numbers sure give me an idea of how difficult this course is going to be. Hopefully I'll fit somewhere in between.

It seems like every time I make a goal for myself and openly and publicly declare it- it always comes back to bite me in the derrière. But I just.can't.help it!

So my goal for this race....

Based on my last 50k time and my last mountain training run, my goal is to get as close to 5:59:59 as possible. That's about a 13:40/mile pace, and I'd be lying if I thought that was going to be easy (for comparison's sake, I ran the Savannah RnR marathon with a 10:45/mile pace).

I plan to: run the down hills, "shuffle" the levels, and crawl, I mean walk the uphills. Just like the Fools run, I plan to eat something every other mile and take an e-cap every 5 miles. Hopefully, this will keep the tummy gremlins at bay.

And to end on a positive note, I'll leave you with this quote from an ultrarunning guru I know, "at least it's called the 'Twisted Ankle' and not the 'Broken Ankle' run. You can at least run on a twisted ankle."

Done anything stupid lately?

Weight training and being a runner

Some of you may have noticed my lack of NROLFW (New Rules of Lifting for Women) updates. In fact, the last stage recap was at the beginning of March. Since then I have finished Stage 5 and I’ve decided… I’m going to take a break.

Since my original plan was to see this program to the end, I feel like I need to explain myself and my decision. After all, this blogging thing is a great way to hold myself accountable to you all.

The short of it

The NROLFW program is geared toward high weight/low rep training and I’m looking for something a little more inline with low weight/high rep training.

The long of it

David and I recently joined a new gym and with our membership, we get access to a personal trainer. Having told my trainer I’m a runner, he immediately put me on a weight circuit routine of relatively low (yet still challenging) weights with high reps (15-20) and very little rest time in between. At first I was hesitant, wanting to stick with my NROLFW mentality of “the heavier the better.” But after a few weeks, I’m starting to wonder if maybe he knew what he was talking about…

So I did what anyone would do and called on the powers of Google.

I searched heavy weight training and light weight training and found tons of differing results. Apparently, everyone has an opinion and they all think they’re right.

According to livestrong.com, “high reps (15-20) should be used for endurance training such as marathons and cross-country skiing. This is done at a lower intensity to build muscular endurance and enhance work capacity.” If you’re training for endurance events, your rest time should only be between 15-30 seconds between sets. (source)

On the other hand, “explosive movements, such as jumping, throwing and power lifting… require less repetition in conditioning, which has a range of 1 to 4 reps.” You should be taking anywhere between 30 seconds to 3 minutes for rest. (source) (this ideology aligns with the NROLFW mentality)

And then this website says it doesn’t matter which road you choose, you’ll get the same results. Basically, the point of weight training is to fatigue the muscles so they can grow stronger (laymen’s terms, ok?). Whether you do that in 30 seconds (high weight/low rep) or 90 seconds (low weight/high rep) you’ll get the same results.

Let’s dig deeper.

Muscle twitching- say wha?

There are two types of muscle fibers- “slow twitch” (aka Type I) and “fast twitch” (aka Type II). Fast twitch muscles are further separated into Type IIa and IIb, but for the sake of my little brain, I’m going to forgo that explanation.

Basically, slow twitch muscles (T I) are more efficient at using oxygen to create fuel for continuous (yet weaker) muscle contractions over a long period of time (endurance running). They fire more slowly, so they can twitch for longer than fast twitch, or Type II, muscle fibers.

Kara Goucher utilizes the type I muscles while running marathons 

 Fast twitch muscle fibers on the other hand, use anaerobic metabolism (meaning no oxygen use) for fuel so they are best for generating short bursts of strength. They also get tired quicker.

The Hulk, on the other hand, has done a lot of work with his type II muscles

(source)

(As a side note: Lou Schuler in his book, New Rules of Lifting for Women says, “[womens’] type I fibers tend to be bigger than [their] type IIs; it’s the opposite in men.”)

Getting back to the whole weight lifting thing

There are a ton of reasons why runners (especially new ones) would want to weight train.

• Increase your muscular endurance, especially in upper body
• Strengthen “non running muscles” thus reducing risk of injury
• Helps in cardiovascular fitness
• Increase muscle mass and bone density (important for women!)
• Muscles burn more calories than fat, thus making your body leaner and capable of running more efficiently
• “[weight training] will not make you faster, but it can make it easier for you to do the workouts that will make you faster.”

(source)

(source) 

In the NROLFW, Lou Schuler flat out says lifting heavier weights will increase the size of your muscle while lifting lighter (yet still challenging) weights will increase the endurance of the muscles. He goes on to say that since women lack the length (not size or abundance) of type II fibers that men have, that they should “develop type II muscle fibers, which have the greatest potential for growth.”

In response to the “cardio craze” that people feel they have to go through to lose weight, Schuler firmly believes (and states) that humans didn’t evolve to excel at long distance runs, rather we’re “made” to walk long distances (I bet he could never run a marathon, but that’s neither here nor there). It’s the activities that use short bursts of energy (jumping, throwing, and other “plyometrics”) that we’re made for. Therefor it makes sense that he would dictate a high weight/low rep as superior to low weight/high rep workouts. 

Road Runner kitty disagrees....

So to summarize: the NROLFW program emphasizes heavier weights at lower repetitions to better develop the type II muscle fibers (which are the “short bursts of strength” kinds of muscles) thus making muscles bigger.

But here’s the golden ticket I got from Schuler: “endurance exercises makes your body more efficient, which is to say better at going longer distances with less fuel.”

Ding ding ding ding ding!!!!!!  

So there you have it folks- I’m taking a break from the NROLFW to focus on building muscle endurance, which will hopefully make me better in the marathon distance (and beyond).

Will I go back and complete Schuler’s routine? Probably. I like the muscle definition that has resulted from his routines, and I’m sure if I stick with his plan they’ll get even more noticeable. In fact, the next stage has TEN sets of only TWO repetitions. But that’s not for me. Right now.

If you’ve made it to the end- thanks! I hope this jibber jabber was a little helpful to you. I also hope that I’ve got all my facts straight. If not, please feel free to set me on the path of straight and narrow ;)

If you're interested in learning more about incorporating weight lifting into your running routine, this website is particularly useful.

Where do you stand on the weight lifting issue?