A Running Mom

Photo Credit: OldOnliner

Most people hate running hills. I love it. Know why? Because a friend of mine took a running class with the NYRRC (New York Road Runners Club) and she shared with me this excellent tip: it’s the one thing you must do when you’re running hills that will make all the difference for you every time!

Best part? It’s so easy!
As you start up your next hill, pretend you’re holding potato chips between your thumb and middle fingers which you cannot break. These potato chips aren’t the crunchy, kettle chips either. These potato chips are the flimsy, fragile Lay’s Brand potato chips that will crack the minute you hold your fingers together too tightly.

Try it. You will never hate hills again. Ok. Well at least you’ll never approach a hill the same again.

Here’s why: when you’re pretending to hold that chip, you’re also forcing yourself to keep a light touch about your fingers; your hands; your arm; your shoulders. The tenseness that often comes during a part of a run that runners hate — which often results in a tensing of the shoulders, especially in women runners — just won’t happen to you while you’re running up that hill. Sure the challenge will remain the same. But your experience of this challenge will change dramatically. Promise.

Just don’t break those chips!

May your next run be a good one.

Rebecca

Photo Credit: www.wickedrunningclub.com

I don’t know these people, but don’t they look like fun? They look like a bunch of friends who have run a few races together. They’re probably the kind of group of friends that gets together to run a couple of races a year. They email back ‘n forth their training schedules. They offer each other motivation to keep running. And they most likely have a blast when they run those races.

The NYRRC has a fabulous crowd of runners who get each other out all winter, spring summer, and fall, with a variety of races in all kinds of distances. You get a bunch of people to sign up and run a race together, meet up at a local, fun restaurant or pub afterwards, hang out and enjoy some good food, drinks and a bunch of giggles, and the whole thing becomes a fabulously fun time. I just love it. And I miss it, now that I’m not in NYC any more!

In my town, there are a couple of groups who get the races going and I’m now discovering a whole new world of friends who lace up their shoes on the weekends for a good run. Maybe I can get them to meet me and my fave person out for a celebratory snack, toast or beer. These people in this picture have inspired me to get out and make my next long run a really festive one. I can’t wait to deserve the celebration that will follow. Shall I try and run 9? Too soon to tell.

I’m up for some wicked good running, aren’t you? 

May your next run be a good one.

Rebecca

Each Spring, when the weather warms enough, I make the official switch from hot lattes to iced. I have a friend who does the same thing. It was beautiful one day this week. I finished a run. I went to the coffee shop to reward myself with my fave drink, a latte, when it struck me: maybe it’s time to make the switch! So I texted my friend.

She texted back. No. It’s not warm enough. Soon.

You must know that when it’s this warm, I feel the need to make the switch, officially.

I’m getting impatient.

I’m longing for sun. Warmth. A healthy glow on my skin. A nice, cold, iced latte!

When?

When to switch?

How long do we wait? 

March 21st?

Once you make the switch, it’s hard to go back. It won’t do to switch and then have more snow.

So when?

When do you start drinking your iced lattes?

May your next run be a good one.

Rebecca

Do you run in the single digits?  I’m not the biggest fan of zero degree running. Nose hairs freeze. Sometimes I start to wheeze. Don’t like the chilly breeze. No, not for me, zero degrees.

So imagine this morning, thinking we were about to get a nice warm front coming through, dressing for a nice, four-mile run, only to get out in the crunchy snow to find it is ZERO DEGREES!

Off to the treadmill I went. Like a hamster. Sweating profusely in too much clothing. (Of course, I couldn’t be bothered with changing into my treadmill gear. You know, didn’t have much time. That kind of thing.) I loathe treadmill running. So I did intervals. Lunges. More intervals. Inverted sit-ups. More intervals. I saw 150 calories burned go by and ran some more. Perfect.

And then I ordered a cheddar burger for lunch.

Did you run on your treadmill today? How did you manage to keep yourself sane?

May your next run be a good one.

Rebecca

We visited friends in Philly this weekend. We had a blast telling stories, eating yummy food, and watching the kids have fun together after not seeing each other for years. Best thing for me was that I got in a good run right in the middle. I didn’t have a lot of time, since I didn’t want to disappear for too long. So I took off in search of the best hill I could find. It was just a mile away. A gradual climb at first and then a steep finish, for about a half a mile. Perfect. Plus, in true Philly fashion, it offered me views of hills, historical homes and happy people. I loved it. I ran pretty fast and pretty hard for 30 minutes. For me, it was just what I needed to enjoy sharing more stories, eating more food and having fun playing with all six kids!

Go Steelers!

May your next run be a good one.

Rebecca

A Running Mom :: 2009 :: January ::
http://www.arunningmom.com .

I’m in a “watch it” phase right now. I’m watching what I eat; I’m carefully planning my workouts; I’m stretching and doing my pilates moves even when I can’t get to my class; I’m sieving out people in my life who bring me down. I’m watching it.

And it’s working! I feel better. I’ve dropped a few. I’m getting stronger (or at least convincing myself that I feel stronger in a short amount of time). And the peeps around me are keeping me smiling.

Here’s what I want to share with you on the food thing:

1. Oatmeal with peanut butter in the morning.

2. Cheddar cheese and apple for a snack.

3. Split pea soup or another soup-type food for lunch.

4. Pretzels and a hard-boiled egg for a snack.

5. Salad with chicken for dinner.

And for a treat, a Tofutti Cutie!  Yum.

Try it. It’s working for me. I hope it works for you. This week? Let’s get out for 3 good runs, shall we?

May your next run be a good one.

Rebecca

Always eat and drink a little something before you run.  It will give you energy, keep you comfortable during the run and help you recover more quickly after a run.

The Key, of course, is not to eat or drink too much. And to allow enough time between what you eat and drink at the run to ensure a comfort level. The amount of time between will vary from person to person. Here’s what works for me:

For example, if I’m going to run at 10:30am I eat a 1/2 serving of oatmeal, drink 1/2 cup of coffee and 1/2 water by 8:30am. This works out perfectly.

If I’m going to run at 1pm, right after lunch, I’ll skip lunch and eat 1/2 banana and 1/2 cup of water by noon. After the run I’ll drink more water and eat accordingly.

For a late afternoon run, I’ll eat a granola bar or 1/2 banana within 45 minutes of running.

At night, I never eat anything more than 6 apple slices within 45 minutes of my run. Generally speaking, nighttime running doesn’t require as much nourishment for me before or after. My challenge at this time of the day is to ensure I’ve taken in enough fluids. If I don’t, my muscles, skin and eyes will feel uncomfortable and tight. Hydration is always key, but for me, running at night presents a unique challenge. 

The only time I don’t eat anything before I run is if I’m running first thing in the morning. Sometimes I’m running within 10 minutes of waking up. In these cases, I simply drink 1/2 cup of water and go. These runs work out ideally for me because they suppress my appetite for hours, heighten my thirst so I drink more water throughout the day, and overall, provide a huge burst of energy for that day as well.

What do you do?

May your next run be a good one.

Rebecca