A Better Road To Recovery

One thing is certain: everyone will recover from their workouts; no matter how hard or how tired they are after them. The key to sustaining intense training and being ready to train hard again quickly is in figuring out ways to more effectively recover. The faster you recover, the faster you can train harder again, and the more quickly your running will improve. For me right now, that's what it's all about. Recovery has become an art form to me.

I could write a full essay on each of these, but thought I'd quickly list out key elements of how I focus on my recovery, along with a few references here and there:

1. Full Night's Sleep. Or, as is often in my case "eight hours of head down time." I actually had to promise to this before Vince would agree to give me more intense training as I prepare for Chicago. Although not always a great sleeper, I do commit to "head on pillow" time of at least eight hours per night, with few exceptions.
   
2. Mind Body Connection. Admit it; you've found yourself in the middle of a crisis and you've gotten sick, a backache, a headache or some other manifestation of pain. When you are stressed or worried, your body releases stress hormones and kicks off a chain of reactions--chemical and otherwise--that lower the immune system and impede recovery. Your body will do what you tell it to do. Believe and visualize you are recovering and you can accelerate it. When you tell your body that you just "can't recover" or allow yourself to fret on end, your body will listen to you. Next time you have pain or exhaustion or stress, imagine your body healing and restoring itself. Visualize it several times per day.
   
3. Calcium. This coming from someone who doesn't drink milk, eat yogurt and rarely eats any cheese. And, I hold nearly every risk factor for a stress fracture (but have never had one). Calcium can be a complicated equation. Calcium supplements alone are not enough--you must assure your body has everything it needs to absorb calcium in order build and maintain bone. You need vitamin D, K, magnesium. You need to watch the pH of your food so you don't contribute to the bone loss that already occurs every day. Don't forget--sunlight is great for vitamin D. There are some things that actually bind to calcium, therefore flushing it from the body. Do your research.
   
4. Glutamine. Intense exercise drains your body of glutamine. Consider taking a glutamine supplement to boost your immune system and aid recovery during periods of intense exercise. I put a micronized powder version in a recovery drink daily.
   
5. BCAAs. Branch chain amino acids supplementation before, during, or after exercise may have a strong effect on improving muscle protein balance. A powerful combination when you are also supplementing with Glutamine. Give it some time though. My weight initially increased the first couple of weeks (which made me stop in a panic the first time I tried), but then stabilized as my body fat dropped when I decided to be more patient.
   
6. Omega 3s / Fish Oil. The Anti-inflammatory properties, mood balancing effects and cardio-vascular benefits well-proven, and are enough reason to take Omega 3s every day.
   
7. Glycogen recovery. Glycogen is the runner's primary fuel. Immediately before, during and after a workout are the times for high-glycemic carbs. Your muscles are a sponge crying out to have their glycogen replenished. This is the one time you want your insulin to rise quickly and facilitate glycogen refill. Whether you do it quickly, so you aren't lagging and sluggish for days, or whether you do it slowly is largely controlled by you.
   
8. Electrolytes. Potassium, magnesium, sodium play key roles in muscles contraction and relaxation, are required for proper nerve firing and brain function, and help wash away metabolic wastes that can contribute to sluggishness. They are also critical to the rehydration process. When your electrolytes drop, muscles cramp and fatigue can occur more quickly. Like the 30K mark for me on Ottawa (ouch!). I actually take potassium and magnesium supplements daily, as well as eat foods rich in them (like potatoes and bananas). If you experience arrhythmias and your doctor has cleared them as benign, try reaching for magnesium next time they flare up.
   
9. Stretching. I recently read somewhere for about the third time in as many months that stretching can actually be detrimental if you are a runner. Note the emphasis on "before" running and "static stretching." When your muscles heal from their micro-tears, they form scar tissue. That tissue needs to be broken up through stretching (and massage if that's available to you). Proper stretching will also increase your mobility and flexibility. Check out "Active Isolated Stretching." The Wharton's (featured in Runner's World) have quite a program around this method, that I use nearly every day. Post-run, usually in the evening, and it also helps me relax and prepare for the 8 hours of rest that's coming my way.
   
10. Chiropractic adjustments. With an extra cervical vertebrae, some lower-spine abnormalities as well as a slight leg length imbalance, this is part of my injury / pain prevention routine. If I'm not visiting Dr. Reed on a regular basis for a touch up adjustment, I will find myself in grinding pain somewhere unpleasant and need to get there in a hurry. I've found chiropractors vary widely in their abilities and knowledge. I've found one that treats runners and other competitive athletes. Every time I go, the first thing he does is measure my leg length to get a quick overview of my current status. And he's always right on. Lately, my leg length has been very even due to the routine care I receive--and I can really feel the difference.
    
11. Treadmill runs. This one may have surprised you, but it's one of my best kept secrets. Running on a treadmill is easier on everything compared to outside. It's like running in a laboratory. No rocks, no road camber, no cracks, no hills, no pavement, no holes (oh, and bonus--NO DOGS!). The impact is minimal and there is little stress on your bones. While you should never do all of your runs on a treadmill (or you will be ill-prepared for running elsewhere, and sorely regret it--pun intended), a few of your weekly recovery miles--esp. if you are watching some nagging pain or have an injury--on a treadmill will help you keep your cardiovascular fitness up, while easing your body back into harder miles. Remember, you have to keep your incline at one percent to equal the speed of a flat surface on the road (due to no wind resistance and the belt moving).
    
12. Ice. The panacea for just about every pain you've got, the more quickly the better. If you can point to a pain, ice it. It's that simple. Ice baths (for at least 15 minutes), ice soaks, ice packs, whatever works. And no you won't freeze your skin off. I can't believe how many well meaning people think you have to put a thick towel in between you and the ice bag. If it doesn't feel cold, you aren't icing it.
13. Self Massage. I wish I could find the time to go to a masseuse weekly. I can't. But that doesn't stop me from using the stick (I use this one), a hand-held massager or just my good old right and left to smooth out my quads or calves if they are a little stiff.
    

Happy 4th! Or, Oops, Did I Really Eat That?

Ok, I admit it. I blew it and did all of the wrong things with my diet on the 4th of July. And... I feel kinda bad about it. I ate crab (actually, I think it was "Krab") dip with cream cheese, lots of crackers, beer, some kind of yummy salad with dressing mixed in (a big no-no and I had two servings) and a chocolate chip bar. And other stuff I probably don't even remember. I munched myself deep into a calorie and fat glut. I'm not perfect all of the time.

How did it happen? Well, I made a few mistakes. First, I didn't make a decision beforehand that said, "OK, I'm NOT going to eat [whatever is going to be there at the party]." That's the big one. Followed by, I didn't bring my own food (lazy, but I could have). Worse, I was hungry and surrounded by ooey-gooey-yummy-fat-laden bad choice foods. It was a set-up from the start. Once I'd arrived in that state, I'd already lost.

But, that being said and done, and facing up to my shameless grazing, I'm already back on the wagon eating the right food again--it was just one day. And now I'm more resolved than ever. Sometimes, I think it's OK to blow it every once in awhile--as long as it is just that. A very rare incident. I mean, even a "terrible binge" couldn't net me more than a few thousand extra calories. Worst case: a whole 3,600 calories or one pound of fat. Sounds like a lot. Not what I'd recommend... but certainly remediable with my unusually active lifestyle and consistent diet otherwise. No need to panic. And probably just what I needed to motivate me for the next three months of serious "watch what you eat." [Dang, that means no cheese pizza!]

One of the most effective things I'll be telling myself while preparing for Chicago, and I'm tempted to overeat, or eat something that I shouldn't be eating, is "Do you really want to carry that across the finish line?" Stops me dead in my tracks every time. Because I can promise you--I don't want to carry it.

And now, I will be thinking of little else but food that will energize me and heal me; food that will nourish my muscles, replenish my metabolic needs; food that will speed my recovery and help me have better workouts. Food is powerful stuff, and my diet over the next 14 weeks will make as much of a difference in how I cross the finish line as my workouts will. Maybe more.

As a quick update on my training: My workouts are going well--really well. I knocked out roughly 40 miles last week like it was a light week. My "harder" workout felt so easy I could have done two. I'm in a good spot, and quite enthusiastic about my chances in Chicago. The thing that has surprised me the most since Ottawa is how easy race pace feels all the time. I really have no trouble locking in that pace and staying there a long time if the course and conditions are reasonable. In fact, I find myself running easily below that quite often once I'm warmed up.

The Hounds of Hell

Before I left my house, and mentally worked through the possible 7 mile routes available to me, I considered my favorite--the most hilly 7 miles possible. It's always a challenge, and hard to turn down when it's "Game On." But, I knew those two dogs would be out and I'd have to run by them not once, but twice. However, I'd been giving them the benefit of the doubt, and even though they growled and aggressively barked and chased every time I ran by, they'd never actually nipped or hurt me. I'd considered carrying mace, but I love animals. It seemed cruel. I silently grumbled about the negligent owner, and just wished people would obey leash laws--and common sense. I took off for that route anyway.

Sure enough, at mile two, here they came, two excited dogs making a beeline for me. Prominent black lab features, but yet not black labs. They chased me, angrily barking and I just ran on, ignoring them. Eventually, they got bored (or tired), and trotted back home. I know these dogs well now; this is our dance.

I mastered the tough hills, feeling unusually strong. I had more lift and spring in climbing than I've ever noticed before. Rest? Recovery? The new strength training? All three? I was feeling good--no, great! Approaching the 5 mile point of my 7 mile run, I was beaming, and picking up the pace for a strong finish. And here they came, ferociously barking and chasing, and they followed for a few hundred feet, and then suddenly, I am shocked and surprised--the bigger one sank its teeth in my upper thigh. I whirled and kicked it in the mouth and started chasing them. Where the first milliseconds were filled with utter shock and disbelief it had actually bitten me (after so many months), that quickly evolved into fearless rage.

It is said in the moment of crisis and adrenaline flow, you will experience a "fight" or "flight" response. Feeling little pain (already high on endorphins from my run), seeing the blood run freely, I hit "fight" head on. I chased those dogs, yelling at them all the way back to their owner's house. As I actually stepped onto the property for the first time ever, the dog lunged at me again. I stomped, growled and kicked towards it again, fearing absolutely nothing. It backed off. I marched up to the front door of the house, and saw the storm door only covering the entrance. I banged hard with my fist, urging the owner out. I repeated this several times, and the owner declined to come to the door. Just as well; I was furious and had nothing nice to say.

I proceeded to the driveway, blood still flowing, and called 911. Eventually, the Sheriff arrived, and as he stepped out, the dog raced for him barking and snarling. He was prepared, and immediately sprayed the dogs, who reacted quickly and backed off. He, too, went to the door and got no response. Eventually, he entered the residence and emerged with the owner. Another Sheriff arrived. Several times, they offered to call an ambulance, I declined. And yes, I filed a formal complaint. After about an hour, I jogged home (thirsty, as I didn't carry, and anxious to shower and get into see my doctor). This may have been a mistake, the pain was significant for the last half mile.

As I'd showered and was preparing to dash out to seek medical treatment, Animal Control arrived at my residence. He took pictures of the bite, interviewed me, filled out paperwork, etc. The injury was classified as "bad" on the report. The good news--the animals both had current rabies vaccinations. I would not be required to undergo that treatment.

The bite is a crushing wound. I have several puncture wounds from the teeth, and a lot of swelling and grapefruit-sized bruising. I received wound treatment, tetanus shot and antibiotics from my doctor. I am quite lucky that there is no tearing of the wound, and I did not require stitches. 24 hours later, it is actually feeling better, but looking worse.

Never again will I give a dog the benefit of the doubt. I will not run outdoors again until I have obtained appropriate defensive sprays. And any dog who runs at me or chases me will receive a spray in the face. Sorry dog owners--but you have a responsibility to secure your dogs. They may be "love puppies" on your living room floor, but when strangers run by, what you don't see: your dog turns into "Cujo."

Here's a bit of dog psychology I learned yesterday: strangers entering a dog's territory, the dog barks, the "intruder" leaves. Day after day the dog sees this action repeated. After a period of time, the dog appears to feel invincible against intruder. At that point, there's a good chance it will attack. I believe this is precisely what happened to me.

In closure, here are a few facts:

• 4.7 million people in the US--mostly children and the elderly--who suffer injuries from dog attacks each year.
• Recent statistics show the annual number of dog attacks exceeds the reported instances of measles, whooping cough, and mumps, combined.
• Dog bite victims account for up to five percent of emergency room visits.
• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that nearly two percent of Americans are bitten by a dog each year.

The following sites were used for this research:

http://www.aap.org/
http://www.avma.org/
http://www.preventthebite.com/
http://www.usps.com/communications/newsroom/localnews/ny/ny_2007_0518b.htm

The Food We Eat

Stuffing one of several (more than five) donuts in her mouth, I overhear one clinically, moderately obese (defined as more than 40% over ideal weight) woman to another in similar sorts, "I'm just going to tell her I had an egg for breakfast. I mean, I did have an egg. I'm just not going to mention the donuts." (Fire your dietician now! You aren't listening to her anyway!)

A week later, I overheard a similar conversation between two women in the same plight. "Yes, it's much better to eat those calories as protein. And don't eat late at night," whilst sipping a fat-laden, super-sized, Starbucks concoction topped with inches of whipped cream and chocolate shavings.

Both of these conversations have weighed on my mind non-stop since they occurred in the past few weeks. All four of these women blame their genes or their glands or some other mysterious malady on their obesity.

Fact: If you are doing 60 minutes of at least moderate exercise five times per week, and you are still overweight, it's your diet. And if you aren't even exercising... don't blame your genes for making you fat.

How many times have you gone to the gym, and seen the same people there, day after day, week after week, on the same machine and they never look any different? Do you ever wonder why? It's what they are eating!

True confession here: Every member of my immediate genetic family has struggled with their weight, especially once they passed their 20s. Obesity--even morbid obesity (defined as 100% or more over your ideal weight)--runs in my family. Every cell in my body cries out to weigh 300 pounds. I could be a competitive eater, especially involving cheese pizza, hot dogs or sushi. Preferably all three. At the same time. All I really want to do is lay on the couch of doom and eat cheese pizza morning, noon and night. Throw in some beer, an occasional glass of red wine... oh and maybe some cookie dough!

But this morning, as has been consistently for the past two weeks, I have weighed 111 pounds. This does not come naturally to me. I work very, very hard for it. It is most certainly NOT in my genes. And the difference of the last ten pounds that I have shaved off since about January has been exclusively, totally about a very disciplined diet.

I began with Tosca's "Eat Clean" diet, which had amazing results. It reduced my dependence on sugar, taught me to think more about eating "whole, natural" foods. This means shopping on the outside perimeter of the grocery store. If you have to go down the aisles, you probably don't need it. However, on some level, this wasn't enough to meet my endurance needs. I had a hard time processing sugar when I wanted to (and might be one reason I became so nauseated during Ottawa, forcing sugary gels into my body so I wouldn't go hypoglycemic).

Earlier this week, I had the following conversation with my husband, who was kind enough to grill the angus beef patties I had prepared for dinner. Because I was stuck on a conference call, I didn't get a chance to give him instructions about mine. And when I came out to eat several hours later, I found that he'd put cheese on each and every remaining one. Not saying a word, I began scraping the cheese off the patty.

"Nice job scraping the cheese," he commented as he walked in on the scene.

"I don't eat cheese anymore," I explained.

"Oh, since when is this new fad come to pass?" he innocently inquired.

"Believe it or not, I haven't had any cheese for over a month," I replied. (Note: I will likely allow myself an occasional slice of cheese pizza, as it is my greatest weakness and most desired food of all time. But, I need to get that under control right now.)

I currently follow a diet that is even more strict than "Eat Clean." I gave up dairy, almost exclusively (I'll probably write more about reasons for that later). I continue to live without soda (I haven't had a soft drink since March '07). I eat eggs, fresh fruit, fresh vegetables, raisins, nuts, and a lot of lean meats. I pack food most of the time when I have to go somewhere. And, I eat fairly frequently. Most important secret? It's about having abundant healthy food choices available nearby at all times. If you are hungry, and you only have unhealthy food choices, you will make the wrong choice every time.

My message for the week on diet and how you want your body to look: You have a choice!

The Perfect Friend

I arrived home from my trip to FL / GA to find a medium brown box sitting on my side of the bed. "Hmm....," I thought, "I wasn't expecting any packages." Picking it up, I saw it was from Bonnie, my BFF and co-worker. She must be sending me a test phone or something... but I was curious, so I opened it right away.

Tucked inside was a "Congratulations!" card on my new PR and finish in Ottawa. Wrapped up inside was a lightweight, white hat with "26.2" and a running girl on the front. Two years ago after several traveling trips together, we quickly bonded and it wasn't long before she was my BFF. This is a picture of us together in Mountain View after a hard day of work in the corporate office.

Bonnie, though she is not a runner, shares many similar interests. She's as dedicated to her work-outs as I am running, and even more disciplined in her diet. She constantly inspires me, lifts me up and encourages me. And this weekend, she'll be entering her first figure competition (one of three classes of this genre: body building, fitness and figure). Bonnie, you are totally going to win! When you walk out there on stage, act like you've already won! Wish I could be there to cheer you on. :-)

Knowing that we are the "fitness gurus" of the office, we are often kidded in various ways. Once, a VP teased us, "So, Alex, do you think Bonnie could beat you up?" I quickly assured him there was no doubt (I mean, look at the guns on her arms; I have sticks for arms), but concluded, "I can still outrun her."

And now, I promote Bonnie to the status of Perfect Friend! You rock, Bonnie! Thank you!!

Lost in Ft. Benning

It was still dark when I went out to run, but I wanted to be finished before the sun came up and the heat of the day began. As I was driving in town last night the local bank thermometer read 101 degrees F. So, I quickly studied the map of the complex, had a general plan (how hard could it be?) and headed out. My Garmin eventually synched, and I was off, feeling good to be running somewhere new (always a treat).

After about a quarter of a mile I got to my first planned turn, only to look at the street signs in utter confusion (remember, it's dark). This was not the intersection I wanted, but the signs had one of the streets onto which I wanted to turn at some point in the run. Hm. I must have been 90 degrees off at the start. No worries, though, this looks like a bit of a stretch ahead, I am just turning onto a street that I don’t recognize.

As I reached .74 miles, my Garmin lost GPS signal and I could not re-acquire. It occurs to me that since I am on a military compound with all kinds of radio towers, perhaps there is some kind of interference with the signal to my watch and it won’t work again. This should have been my first warning to go back, because it is now clear (a) I am off course at least 90 degrees and on a part of the map I did not study, (b) my Garmin is going to be of no help, (c) it’s dark and I don’t have a plan and, of course most importantly, for those of you who know me, (d) I have absolutely no sense of direction.

But I’m an independent spirit with a bit of a sense of adventure, so I press on. I figure that I’m running just below 9 minute per mile pace, so I would just run for 36 minutes to complete about 4 miles, and then begin a walk back to find my way. No use running and searching, because I’ll ruin the run. A nice cool down walk at sunrise will be nice, and I can read the signs and see better then anyway.

At about the 15-minute mark, a large group of military runners is going down the street, and this looks like a good idea. I think, maybe I could follow them about 200-300 yards back (with great discretion, not with them or disturbing them in any way). Surely they are out for a few miles and I’ll just retrace my steps. But, it’s immediately evident my pace is much quicker, and it would be bad form to catch up and pass them. I turn around and head the other direction.

I finish 36 minutes, and I realize I am hopelessly lost. Nothing looks familiar, and I’m not even exactly sure which direction to go to start looking. I take a swag at it, and head down a large street. But nothing looks familiar. After about 10 minutes, I sit down to think, reminding myself what an idiot I am. The sun is coming up, and I can now point due east, but that means nothing to me except it’s getting warm. And of course I didn’t carry anything with me (water or phone). I know there is a tracking mechanism on my Garmin, and I decide to give that another shot. I power-cycle it, and it eventually acquires, and I stumble through the menu to try to figure it out. It does have a “start” point recorded, but of course, I’ve been unchartered for well over 3 miles and since I’ve turned it off, so I’m not sure it’s correct. I try the hot / cold method walking towards the point that is shown, and eventually make it back—quite a bit later.

Lessons learned:

1. Know your intended direction: North, South, East or West. At some point, you can get a bearing. The sunrise was useless for me, but could have helped.
2. Once you acquire your GPS location start, go ahead and mark it as a saved location just in case something happens (like you lose signal, or reset your device).
3. If you really don’t know the area, don’t just study the map, BRING IT (D’oh!).
4. If you study the map, don’t just study the path you intend, but study a few other key roads and intersections that might come in handy should things not work out as planned.
5. If you are completely unprepared (no water, no money, no phone, no Garmin AND you are lost), and figure that out pretty early in your run, retrace your steps until you are on familiar ground and try again.

Keeping Up with Rick

"So, what age are your youngest kids?" Rick inquires after about 4 miles, seemingly not out of breath and his pulse hasn't broken 100 yet. I'm glad he's at least sweating, or I might have just given up.

"Six," I manage, thankful I can answer this in just one syllable. I want to add, "And they'll be 7 in August." But, I'm focused on one thing: Keeping up.

"You're not doing a very good job of holding back on this run!" Rick cheerfully notes, looking back, notably BEHIND himself.

What? Was it the sweat pouring off of me? Or the fact I haven't spoken more than 5 syllables in one burst for at least a mile?

All self-deprecating humor aside, this run was a lot of fun, and I felt so much better for it! By the time my shower was done, I felt quite refreshed and ready for another run again already. Too bad that will have to wait until tomorrow. And after a long conversation with Vince on Monday, I felt equally re-assured that my training would be hard enough for what is coming my way. That and today's run was exactly what I needed to shake any lingering blues!

Check out Rick's cool BIM site with Garmin data.