Keep running to keep young

Cross Train
Race Countdown: 86 days

Adding to the list of motivations to keep running even when all you want to do is curl up in bed:

How Exercising Keeps Your Cells Young

"There are plenty of reasons to exercise...but the effect that regular activity may have on cellular aging could turn out to be the most profound.... One could speculate that any form of intense exercise that is regularly performed over a long period of time will improve telomere biology, meaning that with enough activity, each of us could outpace the passing years."


Maybe the next time I toy with my "too busy to run today" idea, I'll remember that taking that 60 minutes out of my day could add years to my life.

First Massage!

Rest Day
Race Countdown: 87 days

The organization I work for is having our big annual Forecast Conference this week, which means long work days and no time for blogging. BUT I had to come write about my first massage experience this morning.

My back, especially lower back, has been a chronic source of pain for a while. It's probably due to a combination of my work in front of computers, my office chair, posture, etc., and the stiffness is always exacerbated when I start running more. I finally gave in and schedule an appointment with Daniel, a massage therapist that works in the Bally's near my office. He uses a combination of different techniques, including deep tissue, sports, swedish, and thai massages (for that last one, he climbs onto your back!).

I scheduled an 60-minute appointment for 7am, two hours before I have to be at work, and ended up staying there until 9:30am! This guy was great. He started out by standing me in front of a mirror and examining my posture, pointing out my strengths, and giving tips to straighten my neck and spine. The actual massage worked every--and I mean every--part of my body. Daniel is definitely not a therapist for someone who feels self-conscious or values their personal space, but he is amazing at stretching out the body. He pinpointed all the tight spots on my back and neck immediately and could tell right away that I lean harder on my left leg when I run. Toward the end of the session, he had me lay on my back and focused on stretching my right leg to help relieve some of the pressure on my lower back. What great exercises! I will definitely have to do more of those, though it makes such a difference to have someone else pushing on your leg than doing it yourself.

Not only did my 60-minute appointment turn into a 2+ hour massage, but he even offered me a discount on the original price and didn't charge for the extra hour! I will be drinking lots of water the rest of the day and my muscles will probably feel a little sore. But I'm hoping that this will really help with my running. Massages are my new favorite cross-training activity :)

Sandwiching

Logged: 6 miles
Race Countdown: 91 days

Sneaking in a quick update at work...

No, my subject line is not referring to food (rare), but rather sandwiching my week with some hardcore runs. For some reason, I always love doing hard runs on Mondays and Fridays. Maybe it's because Monday is the start of the work week and Friday is the start of the weekend--and what better way to kick off both than with a nice long, sweaty, effective workout?

My usual workout schedule looks like this:
Mon - hills or intervals
Tue - cross and strength training
Wed - EZ run
Thur - cross and strength training
Fri - tempo run
Sat/Sun - long run and rest day w/lots of yoga & stretching

I usually try to fit in more yoga throughout the week, depending on my schedule. This morning, I did a 6-miler: 2 mi warmup, 2 mi of intervals, and 2 mi cooldown. My pace these days are less than ideal, but I guess that's the price I pay for slacking off for two months. I'll get it back! I'm also trying out a new Pilates class tomorrow. If it goes well, could add that to my Saturday workout routine too. I've never done Pilates before and given how out of shape I am right now, I hope the class doesn't kick my ass (or abs) too badly!

There's another reason I love Mondays and Fridays. They are when I pamper myself with this:

Modern Friction

It's made out of rice starch and leaves my skin feeling soooo fresh and smooth. I've always been more of the get-down-and-dirty type so am not a product-enthusiast by any means, but this makes me look forward to washing my face after my morning runs.

Bring on the weekend!

Get that dirt off your shoulder

Logged: 5.5 miles
Race Countdown: 94 days

Soooo... somehow a weekend of rest after the Hartford Half turned into a few weeks of very light running, which turned into a couple of months of no running, which resulted in my current out-of-shape mess of a body. I have no one to blame but myself for this one! As sad as it is to see my calf muscles disappearing and my split times slowing way down, I must share a shameful but true secret: The 2+ months off was a glorious and much-needed break!

I started running because it kept me motivated and happy but by the end of October, it became more stressful and burdensome than anything else. I was completely burnt out, so I stopped. I told myself that I wouldn't start again until my passion for the sport returned. I could've ran less miles or cross-trained to keep myself in shape in the meantime, but I didn't. Was it the smartest move in terms of my physical health? Probably not. But sometimes, you just need a break.

Anyway, new year, new gear! Less dirt on my shoulders; more dirt on my running shoes! I have quite a few updates:

First, new shoes...

I can't believe how long it took me to replace my old pair of Mizuno Inspire, but they must have been horrible to run on by the end. I went into Pacers determined to try a different brand: Asics, Adidas, New Balance, Saucony, Brooks... I tried them all. An hour later, I walked out with the new Mizuno Alchemy haha. Can't help it- Mizunos are perfect for my small frame and tiny feet! The Alchemy gives more support but has about the same amount of cushion as my old pair. They have really helped balance out my "early pronation."

Second, new running route...
It's a bit unbelievable but after 8 months in DC, I just took my first run around the National Mall this weekend. I've run along the C&O trail, which has a great view of the monuments, plenty of times but never to the actual Mall. I don't know what took me so long considering I live less than 3 miles from an amazing view:

Finally, an upcoming race...
Very excited about this one: I will be participating in the American Odyssey Relay in April. It's a historic relay run from Gettysburg, PA to Washington, DC. 200 miles, 12 people, 2 vans, approximately 36 hours. More details to come but needless to say, it's going to be insane!

All this has also revived my spirit for blogging so expect many more (consistent) updates to come. Happy running!