This week the running community from all over the world have pulled together and made a difference. Hearing about the wildfires in Australia really puts life in perspective. It is so devastating for all who live there. I really can’t even think about all the animals, property loss, and environmental effects. Not to mention the efforts from firefighters and all that are committed to getting the fires under control. What Can I Do? What Can You Do? I will be running 21KM on January 18th 2020.
Instagram- @samanthagash
I came across this post from @samanthagash and signed up immediately! There are a few people in this world that will make a difference. People that thru pure grit make something positive happen. I have watched this virtual run start at a few thousand donations and now it is large enough to make a difference. If this is of interest please follow the link on the Instagram Profile @samanthagash.
It is interesting that we have races that support almost every needy cause. I wonder why that is? Is the running community known for it’s generosity, or is it that runners are committed, responsible individuals that want to help their fellow man? Maybe it is just we are people of action.
This week was a busy full week back to work but my energy level was good. I did take a few days rest after the marathon, but still managed a day of weights, hill workout and a trail run. I surprisingly had no ill effects after the marathon. In the past I have had a mild cold or sore throat after and chalked it up to a stress on my immune system.
Big Horn Sheep sighting on the South Lykken Trail …took my breath away.
Welcome 2020… I am so excited for this new beginning and I hope you are too. I don’t know why starting a new decade feels different but for me it does. It seems that my focus is more clear, or maybe I have just too much to accomplish and know that if I am to succeed I need to be that focused.
So I took another break for the holidays.. I figured all are so busy with family and celebrations. But I am back and boy do I have a lot to catch you up on. I give you fair warning…. much talk about the marathon.
Nothing but smiles at the trails!
My training for the Marathon went well these past weeks. I did hill workouts, weights, core and long runs. I had some great runs and some that I absolutely struggled with. I was suppose to get a 22 mile in last weekend but only managed a 19 mile and barely made that. Just did not feel good after and took awhile to recover. I seem to be having trouble getting my body temp corrected after a run, end up with shakes and cannot get warm. The following days I would need to taper but when a hiking buddy called to get a trail hike/run in I jumped at the chance to get a bit of confidence back….which it did!
I drove to Scottsdale Arizona on Thursday and was able to relax until the Buckeye Marathon on Saturday. Weather was good, start of the race in the mid 40’s with it finishing for me in the mid 60’s. I have trained to fuel/hydrate and took precautions with my pre-race meal (cooked my own meal). Ya know.. try to control the risk factors.
The race was tough but at mile 23 I knew I had it.. I stuck to my plan and took it easy, I wanted to finish strong. And when I crossed that finish line I was so happy with my PERSONAL VICTORY. My finish time wasn’t extraordinary, and the distance or terrain wan’t the toughest but for me this was a victory. I am very grateful that I have the opportunity to set this goal and I accomplished it. Perfect segway to… this awesome article in Runners World.
This article by Jess Movold really resonated with me .. the concept of letting numbers at the end of a race determine whether I am to be happy or disappointed with myself??? Now reaching a PR, PB or breaking a course/world record is what we are told is the only factor to rate a professional athletic career. But for us mere mortals we still use these factors to rate our performance. Running brings me joy and I need to honor that and if that means to change my mindset then I am ready to give it a try. Please take time to read the whole article if you are interested in this concept.
Super Happy with 4:56..by the way my watch said 26.6 miles (habits are hard to change lol!)
I was reminded this week by something that I needed to hear…on Instagram “to find your daily wins”. Now this is not a new concept and I am not sharing with you something that you have never heard before. But if you are like me, and your day is filled with all the hustle bustle, you probably have little time in your day to recognize those wins. So why would taking time out to find your “daily wins” be important you ask?
Those wins are progress points that will lead you to your Goal!
Let’s face it the goals we set or the point we want to reach can be daunting. We all have doubts once we have decided on our path. Focusing on those daily wins , no matter how small, helps us to break down our large goal into manageable chunks. Those small wins each day help me to feel like I have accomplished something and motivate me to keep going.
Some of my Daily Wins this week-
-Fitting in a day to do weights/one legged exercises
-Pushing the Hill Workout- waking up very early to fit it in and pushing myself
-Made time to each lunch with a friend
-Catching up my calendar, listing daily mileage and work outs
-Putting up Christmas Tree, shopping for gifts
-Reaching my highest weekly running mileage= 38 miles
We always remember to review the failures. But do we really notice all of our daily wins? I challenge you to try this.
Long Run-17 miles
Hitting the trails…
Hill Work Out!
I survive by my lists. Do you make lists? A “To Do” list? I think this is another way to keep on track of our wins. Take that pen and cross it off, nothing is more satisfying that to cross something off my list.
Meal Prep today- Broccoli Soup, Roasted Potatoes, Curry Lentils with Spinach, Chia Pudding, Cashew Butter and Vegan Brownies.
Holiday treats? I need to get on it 🙂
Curried Lentils .. a hug in a bowl!
LENTILS are high in protein, fiber, and complex carbohydrates also a good source of iron, potassium, folate and manganese. Lentils come in a large variety of sizes and colors. Split lentils cook much faster and are good for use in curries. If you haven’t tried them for awhile I suggest you do.
Exercise- 38 miles running (what!) including pick ups, long run (17 miles) and a trail run/hike with elevation, and 1 day weights
Long Run Day- 15 Miles easy, trying to keep heart rate between 130 to 145
The last year or so I have started listening to podcasts on training, sports nutrition, conditioning, running and specifically Ultra Running/Racing. I still enjoy reading my magazines, Trail Runner/Runner’s World that I get but it is nice that while I am driving home from work I can get the latest info from some the leading experts and athletes. It is also very exciting to listen to a race recap especially since the sport is not consistently televised. I am just beginning to find my way thru all the many podcasts that are available. I believe it is so important to keep educated so ..down the rabbit hole I go and I am taking you with me.
Some of my favorite Podcasts.
KoopCast- Ultra Training Banter-Jason Koop- Author/Coach/Athlete
The Art and Science of Running-Malc Kent-Scientist/Athlete/Coach and Jacob Puzey- Athlete/Coach
The Rambling Runner Podcast-Matt Chittim- Athlete/Coach
Like A Bigfoot Podcast- Chris Ward- Athlete/Teacher
the morning shakeout poscast- Mario Fraioli- Coach/Athlete/Writer
These are just the top 5 that I am currently listening to. Truthfully, I cannot keep up. I am listening to one right now while typing this ( Episode 11 Tommy Rivers Puzey- the Art and Science of Running) that I didn’t get a chance to finish earlier.
Tommy ( bearded Runner) Rivers Puzey-Dec. 8th 2019 California International Marathon
I guess you can approach this like a cafeteria or a la cart menu.. pick and choose what you want. I enjoy hearing from experts but truthfully I get so much out of an episode from a non professional athletes or when the discussion involves not all success stories but the times when the race or training completely fell apart. If we are honest that is probably closer to home for us that are not professional athletes and so beneficial. I ask that if you haven’t subscribed to a podcast you need to and give it a try.
Recent Great Podcast – Reminded me how important a recovery drink or meal is- My version frozen Spinach, Pear, Collagen and water, blend until smooth.
Happy Training Week #3 to me! I am definitely feeling the mileage. Even in my 20/30’s I had not ran this kind of weekly mileage (I usually ran 3 times a week and no more than 30 miles) or had been this consistent, so I am tired and nicely surprised. Early morning running is where I feel most comfortable so that means some very early mornings (3:30AM) with my current work schedule. I am doing 30 to 35 miles a week and fitting in a hill workout, long run, pick ups/strides, and some weight sessions.
Hi All! So nice to be back , had a great holiday and hope you did too! I took the Thanksgiving week off. This time of the year is so busy. We seem to overbook ourselves in all areas, and I want to be thoughtful with this medium and not just rush thru a blog post. So lets catch up:)
The Plan- or at least the most recent plan is
Try my very best to follow the dietary recommendations after learning about my food sensitivities.
Follow the Running/Training 16 week Plan for running an Ultra.
Have you ever wondered what Lacto Ovo Vegetarian meant? Or maybe what a Vegan can eat or why they choose their dietary lifestyle? With my restrictions I fall somewhere between most dietary labels. Here is a breakdown for you:
Vegetarians have many reasons for making their decisions, Health Reasons, a distaste for Animal Products, or a love for Animals.
Flexitarian– the term was coined to describe those that eat mostly vegetarian or semi vegetarian.
Pescatarian– those that abstain from eating all animal flesh except fish.
Lacto -Ovo Vegetarian- those that abstain from eating beef, pork, poultry, fish, shellfish or animal flesh of any kind, but do eat eggs and dairy products.
Vegan– those that do not eat any animal products, even as far as not eating any animal -derived ingredients such as gelatin/collagen for animals. Honey seems to be under debate even today.
Raw Vegan or Eating Raw– diet consisting of unprocessed vegan foods, items that have not been heated above 115 degrees F. The belief is that the food consumed is more beneficial to us if not heated above 115 degrees F.
And Finally Macrobiotic Diet– includes unprocessed vegan foods and allows for the occasional consumption of fish. Sugar and refined oils are not avoided but Asian vegetables are promoted, such as daikon radish and sea vegetables that include wakame and other seaweeds.
My Diet- I currently do not eat Eggs, Dairy (also including goat), or Red Meat. This was my first holiday trying to follow my new restrictions and it was difficult. I accepted an invitation to a local restaurant known for their Buffet which has a wide variety of food choices. I assumed this would make my eating easier, well I was unfortunately wrong. Most of the main dishes had either cheese or a cream sauce added. I do find it necessary to tell whoever I am with why I need to make the choices I do and when I mention it is for health reasons that seems to be readily accepted. Why would people make a judgement on whether my food choices are for moral or physical reasons? And the other question… Why do I feel the need to give an explanation? I need to ponder on this more.
My Training Plan- I had posted the picture of the “16 week Running Plan for my first Ultra Race” in a prior blog. The weekly plan seems very doable, building from a 10 mile long run on the first week, and still leaves me with enough rest days. Today ends my second week, so I started the plan on the week of November 18th. I have stuck to the plan with the exception of moving Thanksgivings run from Thursday (bad weather) to Friday. Also I added a weight day.
Training.. Training.. Training..gotta keep it going!
Meal Prep-Vegan Pumpkin Cheesecake, Crusty No Knead Bread, White Beans, Turkey Pesto Panini, Cinnamon Steel Cut Oats, Veggie Dip. Also made a Thanksgiving meal ..just for the leftovers.
There is something to be said for taking stock of where you are. Could mean looking at where you are professionally, personally or health wise. But to truly take stock you have to be open to all that you’re going to see and that can be hard to swallow. It is not easy to look at your surroundings, your body/mind and put a value on it. To examine the choices you have made so far and to decide which of those you would do again or not. After you have come to those conclusions, what would be the next step? To make a plan…
I had been holding on to this for months!
I have spent the spring and summer building up my base. Running long easy runs, incorporating altitude training and weight training when I could, using hill workouts instead of speedwork and always conscious of the benefits of running/hiking with elevation gain. Now I can step off from my base and begin building with a plan.
Back to taking stock…Do you have an idea of where you are professionally? Do you enjoy it or spend too much time stressed out? What else do you see yourself doing? Where else could you do it? I moved clear across the country , but that story is for another day.
Looking at health, we can determine strength and weakness and what you can actually control. Age is one of my weaknesses, and I believe that my discipline and commitment is one of my strengths. Am I taking stock of where I am at? Absolutely! I have to face that I have lived more than half my life now and what else do I want? I try not to see the years as a countdown but I would be lying to say I don’t sometimes. Maybe that is why I am supper focused on preventative health. Has this helped me to push myself to do what I want to do, to take more risks …yes. But it is not easy and there is always a possibility of failure.
To Take Stock American Heritage Dictionary
To take an inventory
To make an estimate of appraisal , as of resources or of oneself
This reflection is necessary considering tomorrow I begin my 16 week Training Program for the Antelope Canyon 55K Ultra. Below is some excerpts from an awesome article about training.
In an article “Three Lessons from Running Ultras” from Ultra Running Magazine by Drew Dinan on 3/13/2019
Don’t Fear Failure-Fear the distance, fear the terrain, fear the chafing, but don’t fear the challenge of achieving something you never dreamed possible
2. Compare yourself to no one not even your former self-running is about being our best selves, whether that means finishing on the podium or just crossing the finish line.
3. The race is only a small part of a much larger picture. Before you click the register button, think about the hours hard work you will need to put forth in order to give yourself the best chance of success. Celebrate it.
Antelope Canyon ….Here I come!!!
Early morning hill workout
Hiking Buddies- Boohoff Trail 7 mile with about 1500 ft elevations gain
Exercise-17 Miles hiking and running, 1 day of weight training/jump rope
Meal Prep=Baked Shrimp, Pasta with Creamy Pesto ( Creamy Cauliflower sauce from last week + Trader Joe’s Kale Pesto , Vegan Snickerdoodle Blondies, Tabbouleh
To be continued- Still feeling the effects of my vacation in Hawaii..grateful and refreshed. I have visited the Big Island quite a few times and I enjoy looking for new things to do and new hidden gems to see. This trip did not disappoint! I had found an advertisement for a tour of the Ok Farm near Hilo and also a mushroom farm not too far, both I could squeeze in a day trip to Hilo. My tour ended up being a private tour with the owner which made it all the more special.
Rainbow Falls, One of two Waterfalls located on the land of Ok Farms.
The background story of the farm is pretty much the American dream. People with a desire to bring to life their dream and not about to give up until it happens. What was once a simple Macadamia Tree Farm turned into a farm with citrus, macadamia, coffee, spices, honey and even a few spots of land that locals can rent to farm. Besides producing the owners saw the potentials for tours and a small store to sell their merchandise.
Macadamia Nuts
Curry Pepper Tree
Harvesting Macadamia Nuts, their initial crop, is still done by hand. The nuts are not shook off the tree manually but after naturally dropping (in the green state) they are picked up by hand. After the other common island friendly crops were planted, such coffee and citrus they looked to see what else might be an opportunity for the farm to try their hand at. Spice Row was created, a beautiful exotic section of the farm dedicated to spices. I have to admit my ignorance as to how spices grow and was amazed as I was able to walk and inhale all the wonderful smells of spice row. Curry Pepper Tree, Cinnamon Tree, Clove and Nutmeg are the ones that are harvested and sold at their store and to local chefs. Now this is not a huge mass production operation just a small, trusted amount of good quality spices. I left with Christmas gifts for friends and a warm heart to see what they had made of that land. You cannot put a price on having the knowledge of exactly where your food is grown, and to see the soil and water that nourishes it. Another reason I should consider moving over there..lol!
Unfortunately the Mushroom Farm was closed for tours so I visited the Astronomy Museum on the campus of the University of Hawaii. It was a great ending to my day.
An example of a market in the town of Hawi.
After the busy week of travel, overdoing, and my half marathon race on Saturday I decided to take a week off of running.
Meal Prep-Pumpkin Pie Crumb Bars, Pumpkin Chocolate Bars, Creamy Garlic Sauce for Pasta and some Vegan Savory Crackers.
Aloha! I am back! I took a vacation last week but I am here now and this seemed like a fitting subject. I am warning you there will be vacation pics 🙂
Vacations… time off.. rest days, these all mean different things to each of us. To me vacations are not a time to sit or lay around and be idle. I typically have my vacations planned with excursions that may be physically demanding in some way or at least give me an opportunity to learn something about the location or how life is there. I last all of about 30 minutes laying on a beach or by a pool. This vacation was no different. I had planned hiking, a farm tour and visiting some old favorite spots. I admit I was most excited about hiking Mauna Kea but was disappointed to find that the controversial that has been around “the white mountain” had not ended and would make hiking impossible. Please look further into the situation if you are interested, I do not feel knowledgeable enough to explain it. Needless to say it has to do with the passions of a proud people and their protective nature on this beautiful island.
The Sun reaching the top of Muana Kea
I instead remembered a wonderful hike to a remote black beach up on the North Kohala Coast, Pololu Valley. Where is Pololu Valley Look Out? You can find it by taking Route 270 until it dead ends and park. Hike down the rather steep vertical trail to the black beach below, a favorite of the locals and surfers. If you cross over the dry creek bed (usually dry but be aware of the tides) you will find the Honokane Nui Awini Trail, 3.2 miles and elevation gain of 1200 ft.
A great hike!
I wanted to continue my training and to get my mileage in while on vacation so I also did a 11 mile & a 6 mile road run both with some elevation. The new location for my training were both beautiful and inspiring! So that brings me back to our subject here..to rest. I struggle with balance. Trust me I believe I have enough down time but I also hate to waste time and laying around a pool drinking a non alcoholic pina colada all day is not my idea of fun. I want to see all the places, eat all the food and do all the things!
Rest is an important part of training and not only physiological by psychological, muscles need to repair and strengthen and the spirit needs the rest also. What we don’t want to happen is Overtraining which can lead to an injury or burnout.
What happens during recovery? the body adapts to the stress of exercise, replenish energy stores and repairs damaged tissue. When there is a lack of recovery time, you increase the risk of overtraining. The signs of overtraining can be a staleness, depression, decreased performance or immunity, and a risk of injury. Recovery should be focused on both Short Term or active recovery which refers to low intensity exercise or cool down immediately after a hard workout and also the days following. Another part of recover has to do with replenishing the energy stores and fluids which includes Macros and electrolyte replacements. The specifics depends on many factors of the individual. I do struggle with this, I usually find myself nauseous and have to force myself to get enough fuel and enough hydration after a super tough workout. Flower Break….. then a way to self diagnosis overtraining.
White Hibiscus
The following info I found on verwellfit.com
For the full article please look for “Signs and Symptoms of Overtraining Syndrome in Athletes by Elizabeth Quinn – July 26th 2019.
Conditioning requires a balance between overload and recovery. Too much overload and/or too little recovery may result in physical and psychological symptoms of overtraining.
Signs and Symptoms- These are common warning signs:
-washed out feeling, tired, drained, lack of energy
-mild leg soreness, general aches, and pains in muscles and joints
-sudden drop in performance or increased incidence of injury
– insomnia
-decreased immunity, headaches, moodiness and irritability
-decreased appetite or a compulsive need to exercise
Self Diagnosis
There are several ways you can objectively measure some signs of overtraining. One is by documenting your heart rates over time. Track your aerobic heart rate at specific exercise intensities speed throughout your training and write it down. If your pace starts to slow, your resting heart rate increases and you experience other symptoms, you may be heading into overtraining syndrome.
Track your resting heart rate each morning. Any marked increase from the norm may indicate that you aren’t fully recovered. Another way to test recovery to use something called the orthostatic heart rate test, Heikki Rusko ( for method see article).
Well- rested athletes will show a consistent heart rate and if that rate is elevated it could be a sign of over training.
Treatment-Rest and Recover, Hydrate, Get a Sports Massage,Begin Cross-Training.
On my vacation after I had a hard workout I did take a day off to rest. Beach Break!
Early Morning before all the tourists. I visited a Farm but will tell you about that visit next week 🙂
I came back a day early to run with a friend in the Joshua Tree Night Trail 1/2 Marathon Race. This race was sooo tough, when they said sandy they meant SANDY. About 90% of the race is running in sand both hard packed and very loose. Our time was under 3 hours and for this race we were happy with that. Well organized race, a challenging course, and a gorgeous medal!
Nothing better than running a race with a buddy!
Exercise- good mileage week! 30 miles running, 1 day weights, 3 mile hike.
Meal Prep- Cinnamon Apples, Chili w/ ground turkey, beans & squash, Vegan Corn Muffins & Basil and Spinach Meatballs
ground turkey with chopped spinach, shallots, dried basil & garlic- sear and then bake for 15 minutes at 350 degrees
I could have used the phrase “being grateful” or “remembering to be grateful” but I choose to use ” Living in Gratitude” and for me that is taking it to the next level. I consider myself a normally grateful person, believe that it is in my core, but add up a decade or two of life’s stressors, the state of the world’s affairs and what came as automatic now takes effort. I took a month long gratitude challenge and it wasn’t trying to find what to be grateful for that was difficult but actually remembering to take the time to acknowledge it. What was my take away? That I need to take time to honor those feelings more and since I have a birthday coming up this is a good time to hit reboot.
Gratitude– the quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness… Oxford Dictionary
from Psychology Today -Gratitude is an emotion expressing appreciation for what one has. It is a recognition of value independent of monetary worth. Spontaneously generated from within it is an affirmation of goodness. Studies show that there are specific areas of the brain that are involved in experiencing and expressing gratitude.
Robert Emmons, Professor of Psychology, UC Davis believes that there are two parts to gratitude. First it is an affirmation of goodness. Second, we recognize the sources of this goodness as outside of ourselves. Emmons also sees the social dimension as being especially important to gratitude, a relationship-strengthening emotion because it requires us to see how we’ve been supported and affirmed by other people.
I cannot possibly list all the things I am grateful for but in this moment what comes to mind.. Nature, my health, peace of mind, my pets, my spirituality, friends, my work, my community, memories.. I plan on trying to live in gratitude and I need to make it a priority. How about you?
Super busy week, I played tour guide for a visiting friend and had so much fun. I had also felt a little tired physically so I did take some extra rest days.
Exercise- speed work, stair workout
Meal Prep- Black Bean & Sweet Potato Enchiladas, Cucumber Mint Dressing, Cream of Asparagus soup, Almond Butter, Sweet Potato & Chocolate Chip Blondies
Fear can be a tremendous motivator, and for me that is definitely the truth. Whether it is fear of regret, fear of the unknown, fear of failure or success, you have to admit we spend a ton of time with our fears. But if you look to find the positive those fears can drive you to results. At pivotal points in my life, when I am tired of being afraid, I have had to face my fears.
Facing fears can be addictive once you start and you have success. For me facing my fears even if I fail feels as if I have somehow conquered it just a little bit, taken some of the bite out of it. Now that doesn’t mean that fear can’t rear it’s ugly head again at the craziest of moments but if you look at the fact that you have already addressed it, again it just doesn’t have the same weight. I can remember being so very afraid leading up to my first running race. I came there alone, not knowing where the registration table was and not wanting to look stupid in front of the runners that were there (I didn’t consider myself a runner..). Nothing is better than that feeling of setting out to do something and knowing that I did it. Now at the next race I still felt uncomfortable but I knew what to look for and the more races I did the more comfortable I felt.
Have you heard of FOMO? I did chuckle a bit when I heard this but do recognize the truth in it. I do fear missing out the older I get or maybe I should say my wanting to ” live more”. I will be 53 yrs old in a couple of weeks and I would be lying if I didn’t say that I look to the future and try to see all the things I still want to still do. One thing I always see is a runner, running a comfortable pace down a tree lined trail with the sun not too high in the sky with a smile on her face.
Fear
“One of the greatest discoveries a man makes, one of his great surprises, is to find he can do what he was afraid he couldn’t do.”
Henry Ford
“Do the thing that you fear and the death of fear is certain.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson
“Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. The fearful are caught as often as the bold.”
Helen Keller
So speaking of facing fears… some very exciting things happened this weekend. Kipchogeeluid broke the men’s WR and the 2 hour mark for the marathon- 1:59:40 and Brigid Kosgei also broke the women’s marathon WR and came in at 2:14:04.
Absolutely Amazing!
Exercise- Another good week of training. 25 miles total including a weight day, hill workout, speed workout, a trail and a long run
4 week hill workout- each week add another hill
Meal Prep- Cherry & Blueberry Cashew Yogurt Parfait, Broccoli Soup, Roasted Broccoli and Zucchini, baked Chicken Breasts and Sweet Potatoes. Also made some Black Beans to use later in the week for Black Bean and Sweet Potato Enchiladas.
Yummy Broccoli Soup recipe- Steam broccoli and put in a blender with bone broth and salt to taste. Blend until smooth and add water for desired consistency.
Making The Effort... 