Time to Taper Down

It's a big enough challenge to run through a 6 mile loop.  You know where the end is and you are excited to finish and enjoy some recovery.  But when you run that loop twice, your mind fights your body as you try to talk yourself into taking that same loop for another spin.  There goes the finish line.  "See you in an hour."

The good news is this will be my final long run until the half marathon two weeks from Sunday in New Orleans.  It's time to taper down!  I am going to enjoy two days of rest and cross-training and hit it again on Monday.  As for today's run, eh, not bad.  Not great.  The right foot has some painful Morton's Neuroma I need checked out.  I am guessing it flared up a lot because of the hard cement surfaces and the cracks/uneven surfaces.

On another note, my sweetheart surprised me with a new little camera so I can document my runs and take some pictures.  I really regret not being able to take some course pictures in Phoenix and I don't plan on making that mistake with my future races.  In fact I took some pictures on my 12 mile run today and you can see them here.  My 12 mile route, as most of my routes, have some fun historical facts.  Between all my routes in Middle Tennessee I go through plantations, burial grounds, Civil War battlefields and lots more.  Check out my Maryland Farms route and see what I ran through today.

We are officially on the two week countdown where Jason and I make the 9 hour drive to New Orleans to enjoy the Big Easy.  Between Bourbon Street, Harrah's and everything else NOLA has to offer, we will be busy.  Yep, the camera is coming with me!  Heh heh.

I also have a new shake out there.  It got mixed reviews with the family but I like it.  Check it out here.

Happy weekend!

Training Course Profile #1 - Maryland Farms

Part 1 - Maryland Way
The 6 mile loop through Brentwood, TN is made up of rough cement sidewalks on gentle rolling hills.  We start in the heart of the business district at the local YMCA.  This area can be quite busy with vehicle traffic and the runner has to work with cracked/uneven sidewalks and plenty of driveway dips.  On weekends this place is a ghost town.  The nicest feature of this first part is the mature trees that lines the roads providing a natural canopy.

Much of this route has the original stone walls used for property barriers from the mansions of the past.  In the spring and fall, hedge rows with certain (yet to be identified) flora provides a great smell for the passer by.  Sometimes the smell is too strong!


The business district is full of companies, hotels and restaurants and the smell of breakfast cooking in the morning makes the stomach growl.  Watch the traffic.  Although many runners take to these sidewalks the drivers care only about getting to work.





Part 2 - Franklin Road
A right off of Maryland way continues the loop around the heart of Brentwood.  This part lends itself downhill almost the whole way before the next turn.  Franklin Road is a beautiful route that travels near a golf course on one side and beautiful farm land on the other.

A driveway to a local farm

Rolling Farm land

Golf course with stone walls

Brentwood sunrise on Franklin Road

Admittedly I am a bit of a history buff and it would be difficult to go anywhere in Middle Tennessee without being surrounded by some sort of historical significance.  For example, Franklin Road was the route the Confederate army of Tennessee headed north to Nashville to fight one last time before being ultimately defeated.  They also used it for their retreat to Alabama.  This area was also home to the Midway Plantation.

Part 3 - Murray Lane
The third part goes through the heart of the old Midway Plantation.  Sadly, today it is nothing more than multi-million dollar homes of celebrities, country musicians, and pro athletes.  :-)  The rolling hills provide a little challenge but the enjoyment of looking at homes, whose garages are bigger than my house, provide a little entertainment.

We prepare our turn onto Murray Lane with beautiful houses,
like the one in the background.

The rolling hills of Williamson County makes for
a beautiful backdrop on Murray Lane.

The route continues with a little more history planted in the median on the Murray Lane boulevard.  The Midway Plantation Slave Cemetery rests exactly where it was placed in the mid-nineteenth century.  

Original headstones

Part 4 - Granny White Pike

The 4th and final section of the 6 mile loop takes us through the interior of Brentwood where beautiful homes and private schools dominate the landscape.  Again, there is plenty to look at as you finish this course.  We head back to Maryland Way to finish the run.

 

I prefer loops so that is likely why I put up with the hills and the sub-par sidewalks.  The cement paths with cracks and uneven surfaces really take a toll on the knees and feet.  The reward to this route is the destination ends where you start: The YMCA.  Hopping inside to enjoy the hot tub or a smoothie cures the pains of this route.  The Maryland Farm 6 mile route is a staple in our relay team training and is usually very enjoyable on the weekends.

Winter Has Arrived

...but is he sticking around?  Late last week Canada decided to share it's cold, frigid air with the rest of North America and North America was quick to say "No thanks".  We must admit, we have been spoiled by the warm winter thus far.  I mean, we are all really logging the miles.  The treadmills at the gym were getting lonely as runners are putting up some quality outdoor mileage.

But will it last?  As I write this the snow flurries are coming down.  The possibility of a half-inch accumulation is making the local schools terrified.  I am just waiting for the frantic phone call where our county administrator halts all activities for the next day or two.  (Got to love the south)

But this weather has put a damper on the spirits of runners spoiled with the mild winter.  Me included.  When I check the weather and the temps are below 30 degrees I give out a sigh and head to the gym where I submit myself to the one machine destined to take over all of mankind:  The Treadmill.

Dubbed "The necessary evil", the treadmill (or dreadmill) keeps the legs active and the mind numb when the weather demands we stay indoors.  With any luck you can find some smut on TV and plug in the earphones to stay occupied.  Yesterday I enjoyed watching Jack Hanna take down some Rhino poachers in Africa.  A quick button press put me on Fox News as they were one step closer in proving the White House is full of alien clones.  No matter where the mind was submersed my legs were planted on the 'spinning belt of doom'.  And while I don't mind the occasional 3 miler on such a device, pushing 5 miles neared torture.

Luckily those greedy Canadians up north want their cold air back.  (Or did they want their Stanley Cup back?)  Either way, I was excited to see the 10-day forecast from the Weather Channel.

Good bye, treadmill!  In a few short days my Brooks will be smoochin' the asphalt again and all will be right with the world.  But keep your guard up.  This 5-day winter isn't the treadmill's last attempt to take over mankind.  While I haven't been able to prove it, I am pretty sure the belt machine is an advanced life form from the planet 'Nordic' ready to strike at a predetermined date and time.  I have my eye on you, "NTL99010".

A "treadmill"

 

    What "treadmills" look like at night
when we are sleeping

Rest, Recovery and a Radish

REST, the four-letter word

You mean, I don't run everyday?

 “Oh no!  It’s a day off.  How will I ever <insert goal here> if I don’t keep running and working out?”  “Rest?!  I don’t have time to rest.”  I am hearing all kinds of things like this from my running friends out there.  Apparently R-E-S-T is a bad word for those eager and highly motivated folks reaching for the stars in their crusade to run to the moon and back.  For a while there I thought I was doing it all wrong by sitting out a few days a week to let the body heal.  So it was time to do some searching to find out what I should do to my body in preparing for my half marathons this year. 

I was quick to discover that rest was critical to a runner’s training and was essential because the body needs rest days to recover and improve.  Joint health is one the of the biggest reasons why runners need to schedule regular rest days.  The repetitive nature of running results in pounding on the joints, ankles, knees and hips with each and every stride.  Without rest our joints may be regularly sore and inflamed.  And without rest runners can experience ‘overuse’ injuries like shin splints and stress fractures.  And we all know how long our rest becomes with one of those injuries. 

Our muscles take a beating too.  The training process breaks down muscle fibers and rest days allow the muscles time to repair and strengthen.  Body builders and muscle heads know that a good 48 hours are needed between working out the same muscle group so the muscle can repair itself.  The tearing and repairing of muscle is what gives us that lovely muscle tone.  Here is a little secret:  the building of your muscle and the performance increase doesn’t happen when you are performing the action.  It happens when you are resting.  Just read this:

http://sportsmedicine.about.com/od/sampleworkouts/a/RestandRecovery.htm

RECOVERY

So rest isn’t a bad word after all and is critical in any training plan.  I have incorporated rest in my regimen and so far I have avoided ‘over use’ issues with my joints and muscles.  I also take great care in how I help my body recover immediately following a workout.  Your body is severely depleted of glycogen and glucose following a hard workout.  (Glycogen is the primary source of carbohydrate storage.  Does “carb-loading” sound familiar?)  During an extreme workout your body uses glucose and glycogen for energy.  A deficiency in energy for a hard workout could mean “hitting a wall” and running out of steam so preparing your body before a workout is important.  But what about after a workout?

There is a short window of time immediately after exercise where conditions are favorable and glycogen synthase becomes extremely active.  Failure to ingest proper nutrition immediately after a workout will result in reduced glycogen stores and this unfavorable condition may last as long as several days.  Performance will be compromised until glycogen levels reach an optimal level. 

Pop quiz, hotshot.  There’s a bomb on a bus that’s taking you home from an extreme workout.  After a strenuous workout your body needs water, protein and carbohydrates.  Failure to recover these nutrients will hamper your future performance.  Oh, and the bus will blow up.  What do you do?  What do you do?  

If your answer is to immediately have a glass of water with baked chicken over some pasta, your bus fare will be all over the interstate.

You have a window of about 30 minutes post-workout for the most efficient replacement of protein and carbs in the body.  This is when your body needs it the most and will use it wisely.  A large meal takes too long to digest and could give you an upset stomach.  (I couldn’t imagine eating all of that immediately after running 10 miles.)  So let’s try that yummy alternative… a recovery shake.  That yucky looking brown or yellow liquid in shaker cups you often see with athletes and runners are recovery shakes.  A few scoops of powder and water will give your body the protein and carbs it needs for quick digestion and recovery. 

…but not just any recovery product will do.  Most recovery mixes out there are high for protein content but very insufficient for carbohydrate recovery.  A quick trip to GNC made it clear that not only do the sales associates believe post-workout carb intake is important but they are also astonished that their products don’t have anything to promote this important ingredient.  Have no fear readers.  There is an answer.  

Through a friend I tried a product called Mike's Mix.  It’s the only product I have found on the market that contains the protein and carbohydrate mixture sufficient for a post-workout recovery.  It tastes good too.  Many of my shake experiments include Mike’s Mix because I like the flavor and how it mixes.  Oh yeah, and the carbohydrate content as well.  Give them a visit and learn a lot more about post-workout recovery.  Who knows.  You might even save a bus full of people.

A Radish

A Fun Wun in the Wain

Saturday's are reserved for the long runs.  That's just the way I have everything scheduled.  Two medium runs in the week followed by a slightly longer run on Thursday.  Friday is a rest day and "WHAMMY, hit me hard with a big one on Saturday".  (Yeah, that doesn't sound right) 

Anyways, I woke up on Saturday and check the phone to see the weather and what kind of running wear will be required for the day.  And this is what I get:

Now, I don't mind moving a short run around to accommodate the weather but Saturday was my only chance to get in a long run for the week.  And with 4 weeks until my next half marathon, this long run was necessary.  So I hop out of bed and get ready for a wet run.  A wet 10 mile run.

Gear

• Backup pair of shoes (The Brooks Adrenaline 11's are excited to be pulled out of the closet)
• Lots of tech wear.  NO COTTON!  From the socks up, all poly.  This will prevent the chaffing a wet body will experience with the extra moisture. 
• Baggie.  I slipped the iPhone into a zip lock baggie and then into my arm band.  I wasn't listening to music this time but I did want it to track my pace and distance. 

This was my first ever run in the rain and I will be honest, it was an interesting experience.  Since I went without the music I got to enjoy the wonders of nature at her wettest and it was very soothing.  The asphalt trail meanders through the woods next to a large brook.  What I have never noticed before (because of my awesome Yurbuds *ding!*) was that nature had a lot to say on this trail.

First off, the rain wasn't all that heavy.  It was a moderate rain but it still made its music through the branches and the dead leaves on the ground surrounding the trail.  The brook had picked up some steam from the rain and provided a little thunder as it raced past the large rocks and exposed tree roots along its way.  The chorus of frogs in the swampy surrounding areas gave a slight feeling of spring and "end-of-the-world-frog-apocalypse" at the same time.  A few brave birds chirped in approval of the light rain shower.  It was nature at its finest.  As spring nears, the Yurbuds will definitely be an occasional thing as I listen to what's going on around me.

As for the run itself.  HOLY HELL.  Ok so the wet clothes added at least 50 pounds (ok maybe 3 pounds) to my total weight.  My Morton's was acting up a little too.  Probably from all the careless leaps I made over large flooded areas of the trail.  I was also missing an important piece of wardrobe: a hat.  I should have had something to keep the rain out of my eyes but I have a large head and these massive forehead veins that pop out when I run.  I am always afraid a hat will cut off that circulation and I will deprive the brain of much needed oxygen.  My legs do the running but if the brain doesn't work right I am likely to keep running in the wrong direction for 30 miles.

Would I run in the rain again?  YES.  Overall it was exciting.  But I would probably reserve the long runs for a more ideal weather situation.  And through it all I learned a very valuable lesson:  Pull out the ear buds and listen to what's around you every once in a while.