Remind yourself of your goals

In the words of the great Don Smythe “if you are going to run marathons, you have to decide if you want to run them fast or run a lot of them”.  Those may not be his exact words, but his point is this: you cannot simultaneously run your best time AND run marathon after marathon after marathon.   You need to decide which is more important to you- to run a great time, or to run many marathons.  Don said he decided very early on in his running career what his plan was and he has been very successful- completing his 74^th marathon just a few weeks ago.  His words echoed in my head today as I was out for one of the last few runs before the famed Boston Marathon. 

What did I want? Interesting thought to ponder.  My goals have evolved just as my running has.  When I started back into running my goals were simple- run a half marathon.  That was it.  I checked that off the list pretty quickly and was quite happy about it.  After being talked into running my first marathon my only goal was to survive the experience, to cross the finish line.  That was two and a half years ago and things have changed a bit since then.  With each step I was reminding myself of my current goals:

·      Enjoy Boston

·      Set a new PR

·      Run a marathon (or longer) in each of the 50 states

·      Run a 50 miler for my birthday(I’m sure this number will grow every yearJ )

Looking back over the last seven months recounting the events I have participated in, I kept reminding myself of Don’s words. In October there were the Triple Lakes 40 mile trail race and the Rocks 50 mile Relay exactly six days apart.  In November, the Savannah Rock N Roll Marathon and the St. Augustine half (actually 14 days apart).  In December, the Las Vegas Rock n Roll Marathon and then six days later the Jack’s 50k. January was rather quiet but then February brought with it the 26.2 with Donna Breast Cancer Marathon and seven days later the Five Points of Life Marathon. The goal for March was recovery and the Tobacco Road Marathon wasn’t a go until the last minute.  Seven races Marathon distance or longer in the last 6 months most of which were separated by a week or less and now here we are 8 days out from Boston, the first of the string of 3 in 3 weeks.

Writing it all out this way helps me to see that while I have wanted to hit a new PR I haven’t set myself up with a schedule that will allow me the best opportunity to do so.  I’m not one for giving up on my goals. I’d rather strategize better and see if I can hit them all!

So while three marathons in three weeks may not be the ideal time to aim for a PR, it is the ideal time to enjoy some fantastic runs.  I’ll run what I run and I will have a fabulous time.  As I said before my goal is to FEEL great.  Running the Boston Marathon is a dream come true.  How could it be anything less than fabulous? Besides, I haven’t run a marathon in Massachusetts so that knocks that state off for me.  The Big Sur and the Pittsburgh Marathon also move me toward my 50 states goal, as I haven’t run in either California or Pennsylvania.  After these races I’ll be 9 states in, with a total of 15 races of marathon distance or longer.

No, I’m not giving up on reaching a new PR.  I’m merely shifting my focus to working toward another of my goals.  That is the wonderful thing about having a few different goals.  You think you may have fallen off course until you step back, assess your path and realize that you are, in fact, still on track!!!  

There is more to running than trying to beat the clock

I think I may have mentioned that I have three marathons coming up in the near future.  I may have failed to mention that I did, in fact, run a marathon last weekend.  If I am going to be totally honest, I didn't really leave it out, per se.  I actually wasn't sure if I was going to run it or not. It had been on my schedule since January, but based on the terrible experience I had at the Five Points of Life Marathon here in Gainesville, I wasn't sure I was ready to get back to a full 26.2 miles.  I was on the fence until the day before we were scheduled to leave.  I had scaled back my training- both in the gym and on the road.  My runs had finally started to feel normal again.  My heart rate was back where it should be and the effort level to maintain my regular pace was on track as well.  I wasn't sure if I wanted to chance anything.  After all my goal is to feel great while running Boston...and California..and Pittsburgh, but especially Boston.

I knew I would have a great time, after all we would be staying with Katie's family and they are absolutely amazing. Her dad, Don, is a member of the 50 States Marathon Club- meaning he has run a marathon or longer in each of the 50 states. He actually finished his 74th marathon today. Her mother, Bobbie, is an avid runner and both of her brothers (Matt and Brad) are ultra runners often running 50K, 50 mile and 100 mile races.  In fact, it was Katie's brother Matt that ran across the state of Florida back in January.  I accompanied Katie, her dad and Matt on this truly awe inspiring journey. So there was no doubt in my mind that the weekend would be amazing.  It was the marathon I wasn't so sure about.

Turns out the race went really well.  I started a bit slower than normal and planned on just taking it easy letting my body dictate the speed.  I felt stronger in the second half, actually felt like I was 'on', and picked up the pace just a little bit.  Should I? Should I hold back? I just wanted to finish the race still feeling great.  I went with it and in the end was still smiling and feeling great.  I collected my gear I found my way to where Bobbie and Jenny were standing.
"How did you feel?" were the first words out of Bobbie's mouth.
"I felt great", I said.
"Oh, I'm so glad" she said.

She couldn't be more glad than I was..or could she? A family of runners, dedicated distance runners knows what this sport is all about. Feeling good, finishing strong and enjoying those around you. Less experienced people or those who do not understand the true meaning of the sport may have asked "What was your time?" or "What was your pace?".   No, not this family.  "How did you feel?" THAT is the true measure of the race.  I would be lying if I said I didn't have a goal time in my mind.  I do.  I want to run my goal time AND feel great.  Running a decent time and feeling awful is NOT my idea of a good race.  Ever.  I consider this a much better race than some in which my clock time may have been faster.  You heard me right, this was slower than some of my previous races and I consider this race more of a victory!

You see, running is more about conquering yourself, your fears, and coming out on the other side feeling great and less about the time on the clock.  I'm looking forward to coming out on the other side of Copley Square smiling and feeling great and when you see me, ask me how I felt and not what my time was. Then no matter how new you are to the sport, you'll sound like a pro!

Marathon Madness

People ask me all the time why I run or what I think about while I am running, but very rarely do they ask what I was thinking when I decided to run. When I say 'decided to run' I am referring to a certain race..well, ok, maybe a certain FEW races..that happen to be located very near each other on the calendar.  Open virtually any instructional book on running and you will see the often repeated recommendation to run one marathon a year-- or maybe one very six months if you are crazy.  So why on earth would I decide to do 3, in 3 weeks? Well, why NOT??

I have run a marathon and a 50k (31.1 miles for those of you not too quick at converting) in the same week and that didn't turn out too bad.  I will admit that my last attempt at 2 marathons in 7 days did NOT go well.  I know it is not all to blame on this, but the weather for those races was ridiculous..the first was 30 degrees and 14+ mph winds and the second-SEVEN DAYS LATER (in the same state) was 70 degrees and 85% humidity with 20mph winds.  Talk about having your first humid Florida run happen in February during a marathon.  What are the odds??

So what DID make me want to do this.  You'd think I was crazy if I told you.  Nothing.  Really, it just worked out that way.  I know what you are thinking, most sane people would just say "I have a race planned already so I can't do the other one." Hmmmm, yeah, doesn't really work that way with us.  You see, we are Team Hot Legs and we are also Marathon Maniacs.  For real. I'm sure you all have seen Facebook postings about Team Hot Legs and our travels across the country for races. If there is a race and we're free..pretty much count us in.  At least one..or two of us.  That is just how it goes. And yes, Marathon Maniacs ..look it up. It is a REAL group.  We (Team Hot Legs) are not the only ones who do this sort of thing.  There are a whole bunch of people who find this sort of thing fun.  A challenge. A goal. Something to inspire us to take the next step, to (literally) go the extra mile. We just don't normally talk about it in public to non-runners..you people think we are nuts.

So back to how this all worked out..I reached one of my goals while running the New York Marathon back in 2010.  I qualified for BOSTON! Having grown up in Massachusetts, I was thrilled to have qualified to take part in such a icon of Boston history. Being a runner, qualifying for Boston is akin to finding the Holy Grail.  I was elated! Unfortunately I had qualified for the 2011 race after the race quota had been met. Meaning I would have to sit out the 2011 event.  Thankfully that race qualified me for 2012 as well.  In the meantime Team Hot Legs had been scheming to get as many of us as possible to head out to California to run Big Sur.  This race has views that are grander than its hills, or should I say cliffs.  How could I pass that up?  Especially if all of my BFFs would be there.  Couldn't let that happen.  Sign me up for Boston to Big Sur.  Yep, that is actually a real event.  Google it.  Those of us determined enough to run 2 marathons on 2 coasts inside 13 days. Thirteen days? Heck that's almost 2 weeks.  That is an eternity! (insert sarcasm)

Ok, so that's 2 marathons, where does the third one come in? Sometimes things just seem to fall into your lap almost as if the Universe is saying "here you go.." My travel schedule for GNC had me working the Pittsburgh Marathon on May 6th, seven days after Big Sur. Huh, why NOT just run it??  I'm going to be there anyway. Sign me up!

As I sit here writing this we are just over five weeks away from the Boston Marathon.  I am still working on getting myself back up to speed, literally and figuratively, after the miserable marathon showings I had in February.  Hindsight is always 20/20 and looking back I was definitely experiencing some signs of overtraining. Inability to sleep, not feeling like myself, impaired performance, elevated sub- max heart rate and decreased appetite.  I was looking at these things as if they were separate entities, not looking at what they were all pointing to.  THAT is what lead to the miserable showings.  No, the weather didn't help, but I wasn't paying attention.  As an athlete preparing for an event it is hard to slow down, to back off, to take a rest day.  Especially if we are the only ones gauging our progress or lack thereof.  We are so attuned to pushing through those rough days, calling on our inner drive to complete every last step that we miss the signs our bodies are sending.  Slow down for a minute and take inventory..how are you feeling? Have you been sleeping well? Too much? Too little? Do you have a hard time falling asleep? Is your resting heart rate elevated? Does the same amount of work you had been doing now feel as if it takes an extraordinary effort? Is your heart rate abnormally elevated during your training? If you answered yes to one or more of these questions it may be time to back off a bit.  If you feel one of these things every now and then you may just be having an off day.  That is not the same as overtraining. The key is knowing the difference and adjusting accordingly.

If you are over training, what do you do?  What did I do?

• First and foremost, back off on your intensity and get some rest.  I scaled my training volume back- on both my running and my weight training- took plenty of naps and went to bed as early as possible. 
• Be sure your nutrition is on point. Taking in adequate calories as well as high quality protein sources to help your muscles recover.  My diet tends to be pretty good. Throwing in a few extra servings of Glutamine and Branched Chain Amino Acids (BCAAs) really helped.
• Reduce stress in other areas of your life.  All too often we look at overtraining as the inability to recover from the stress of our training when in fact we forget about the REST of the stress we have to recover from: the stress that we encounter each and every day.  Scaling back on training and failure to address other stressors may lead to a short respite and then an eventual return to overtraining-land.

After a few weeks of scaling things back I am feeling much better.  My body is back to responding in its normal way to the stimuli it encounters.  Beautiful signs as far as I am concerned.  Now is the time for caution. Jumping back to full scale too soon will leave me pahkin tha ca in Havahad yahd instead of cruising the streets of Hopkinton, Ashland and Framingham.  I would end up shopping in Copley Plaza instead of running through Copley Square. Not me, I'm smarter than that.  Besides I have 3 marathons to run!

Cowboy up!

It seems that quite often my husband and I will have conversations about people that just can't seem to 'Cowboy up'.  You know, just gut it out.  Be hard core.  Suck it up.  Focus and 'just do it' as Nike says.  It doesn't matter what the situation is. It could be at home, at work, at the gym.  Dealing with health, finances, whatever, it applies to all situations.  Why is this? Why are some people able to Cowboy up and others are not? How do you change this?

Every time we talk about this, it seems as if we come back to the discussion about sports.  Almost any sport, but most definitely bodybuilding. Some would argue that bodybuilding isn't a sport, but bear with me here. Most sports require a certain level of dedication to training.  That training at times may be intense.  It may require you to push yourself to the limit.  To the limit you have in your head..and then push a little bit further.  You see, the limit is the exact place that you think you need to stop.  Where you THINK you cannot take another step, push any more weight, run any faster or jump any higher.  But you CAN.  You just proved you could.  You dug deeper. When you faced the challenge you didn't give up, you pushed further.  You conquered the challenge. You didn't stop and cower or run away.  You did it.  That is what I mean by 'Cowboy up'.  Sports teach us how to do that.

What happens if you didn't play sports and you didn't ever face that challenge? Maybe you faced the challenge but just tucked tail and ran?  Chances are you probably fold in the face of adversity.  Let the challenge run you into the ground.  Give up.  Roll over and die.

My history in the bodybuilding world is no secret.  I competed for 15 years in fitness and figure competitions as an amateur and a professional.  My husband competed for years in bodybuilding competitions.  For those of you that have never done this or for those of you that have..but only gave half-hearted attempts, you have no idea what you missed.  This is a sport like no other.  It requires a selfishness of sorts, because YOU are the only one that can do it.  No one can help you.  Sure people can tell you what to do- what to eat how to train, how to pose, but YOU are the only one that can do it.  YOU have to do all of the training. YOU have to do all of the dieting. YOU have to do all of the posing.  You have to do it every day.  This isn't like golf or football or any other sport where you practice a few hours a day and then go drink beer, eat burgers and sleep until noon the next day. This is 100% dedication, 24 hours a day.  No matter what.  You have to do it when you are tired, hungry and cranky. You have to do it during the week while you are at work and on the weekends when you are not.  You do it while you are on vacation, on your birthday and Christmas and New Year's too.  There is no rest, there is no off day.  There are no excuses. You Cowboy up.

So for anyone trying to figure out how to take that next step, to figure out how to Cowboy up. How to dedicate yourself fully to something. How to just suck it up and do whatever it takes to reach your goal, I suggest doing a bodybuilding show.  Heck do a few.  I promise you that you will learn more than you ever thought you could..about yourself, about nutrition, about training, about commitment .  You will redefine what you thought was possible.  You will effect changes in yourself, both physically and mentally that no other process can match. It isn't all glamourous, it isn't easy and a lot of times it isn't even fun.  But it IS worth it.  I have learned things over the years that I otherwise never would have learned. The commitment and dedication necessary to survive in the bodybuilding world carries over into all aspects of life. Healthy eating, proper training, but most of all how to Cowboy up.

Calories in...calories out..or not

Calories in calories out.  Is that kind of like in one ear and out the other? You ate something, but you exercised so those calories are gone as if you had never ingested them? Some one told you something but you didn't really listen and now those words are gone as if they were never spoken? Hmmm, pretty sure it doesn't work that way.  Whether you heard those words or not, they were spoken.  If you took those calories in then you took them in- regardless of your exercise state. 

If calories in calories out were true then a calorie must equal a calorie.. Twinkie or chicken breast, it wouldn’t matter. All calories must be the same; trust me on this, they are not.  More on that later.  For now let's just think about this: for calories in calories out to hold true, those calories must exist in a vacuum.  They cannot affect or be affected by any system in the body.  If they are affected or do affect one (or more systems) body then we must look at the result of those effects and factor those results in to the equation as well.  Just to draw a picture of this, let's look at calories as a liquid. For calories in, calories out to hold true that liquid would need to be something like water. We pour 8 ounces of water into a Styrofoam cup and then pour 8 ounces out. The cup is empty. Calories are NOT like water they affect the system into which they are introduced.  Pour 8 ounces of sulfuric acid in a Styrofoam cup...and you have no more cup.  The acid has an effect on the things it comes in contact with, just like calories do. 

Maybe a bank account is a better example. You put money in and either earn interest or suffer fees and penalties. The money you put in doesn’t just sit there.  The same thing happens when we eat.  We take food in.  It affects our body and is affected by our body.  A cascade of events takes place causing you to earn interest (gain weight) or suffer a loss (lose weight).  Money, just like calories, does not exist in a vacuum.

If calories in calories out DID work, then 1 out of 5 children and 2 out of 3 adults in this country would not be obese. If it were as simple as burn more, eat less, or both then it would be that simple.  But it isn’t.  If calories in calories out DID work then there wouldn’t be a billion dollar weight loss industry.  But there is.  If calories in calories out DID work then all of the people working their butts off on the cardio equipment at the gym would be lean. But they aren’t. If calories in calories out DID work then you wouldn’t be reading this.  But you are.

Lies about weight loss and the truth no one wants you to know

Ok, I have had enough.  Yes, I am at the end of my rope yet again. Probably for the same reasons I am every time.  Lies about weight loss (read:fat loss) and nutrition with respect to health.  I say fat loss because honestly, if you just wanted to lose weight you could cut your arm off and accomplish that, but I really don't think that is what you are aiming for.

We are inundated with lie after lie about why we are overweight, how fat loss works, the best way to lose fat (which is basically the same as keeping yourself from getting fat), who to seek for help, how long it will take and it is driving me NUTS!!! Why, why, why the lies?? Isn't it just easier to give people the right information..the TRUTH about how all of this works and let them decide if they want to reach their goals? Giving people misinformation that they will then follow to the letter (and fail with regard to fat loss) will only result in the eventual resignation of their attempts.  "I am destined to be fat" they think.  Trust me, I know how this works, and so do my clients.  One of my most successful clients who spent a good portion of her adulthood 90 pounds heavier than she is now is just as frustrated as I am. She spent years trying this and that and every diet around. Each and every 'plan' was failing. She wound up more frustrated than ever feeling that "maybe there was something genetically wrong with me."  She sees the plight of the overweight and pleads with them.."just try it THIS way.  This is how it REALLY works.  Trust me, I've been there and I have done it all."

"I have tried everything" is one common line I hear from people..and my answer is this..no you have not.  If you had indeed tried everything you would have learned the TRUTH about how this whole things works.  Let's stop the lies.  Here are some of the major offenders:

1. Calories in, Calories out -
2. To lose weight simply cut calories
3. Cut calories and exercise more
4. A calorie is a calorie is a calorie
5. High carbohydrate diet is the way to go
6. Too much protein will cause kidney damage
7. All carbohydrates are the same
8. All proteins are the same- and you don't need much anyway
9. Avoid fat at all cost
10. This pill/micronutrient will make you lose weight
11. Don't eat after 6 pm

I'm sure you have heard at least a few of these..heck, maybe some of you still think they are true.  I am here to let you know, unequivocally, they are NOT.  Want to know the real story?
Stick around, it is about to get interesting...

Why are there cookies at my gym?

You probably read the title of this post and figured it was just some cute line written to get your attention and that I would then be discussing some other fun topic.  I am saddened to tell you that that could not be further from the truth.  I really want to know why there were cookies at my gym.  Chocolate chip cookies. In the break room. Right in the middle of the table.  REALLY??? I resisted the urge to toss them in the trash, although to this moment I am not really sure why.

Let's back up just a little.  What is a gym and why do people go there? Searching for the definition of 'gym' you find this: noun, 1. gymnasium, 2. a membership organization that provides a range of facilities designed to improve and maintain physical fitness and health. But nothing about cookies.  In fact, I would dare go as fas as to say that by its definition cookies do not belong in a gym. Well, unless they are designed to improve or maintain one's health. I don't care WHAT kind of cookie you find, it will not do that.  I don't care if it is all natural, 100% organic, gluten free or vegan.  It is a cookie and it will not improve your health.  Therefore it does NOT belong in my gym.

Imagine yourself as a member of the gym.  You walk in all fired up for your training session, having been focused on it and your healthy eating plan for some time now, and in walks a gym employee with cookies or pizza..or better yet, what if it was a delivery man?   What  goes through your mind?  "What the..??!!"
EXAAACCCCTLY!  That is the same thing I say when I see the evidence of such goings-on.  C'mon people, you are here to help people become healthier. Leave the crap at home.  Having cookies at the gym is like leaving a brochure for shoddy hedge-fund investing in the break room of a bank.  You are going to tell people to exercise and eat healthy, then come to the break room and eat your pizza and cookies and drink your soda.  Does that make you feel good about what you are doing? Do you even think about it?
....maybe you should.