Weekend Outlook

Another busy weekend of racing lies ahead:

• 5K4CFF (WakeMed Soccer Park, Sat @ 8:30AM)
• Movin' For Community Outreach 5K (Tarboro, Sat @ 10AM)
• Mountains-to-Sea 12-miler (Wake Forest, Sun @ 8AM)
• Raleigh Rocks Half Marathon (Raleigh, Sun @ 7:30AM)
• Umstead 100 (Raleigh, Sat-Sun)

While it would probably be "normal" to watch Prefontaine (or something like that) to get psyched up before a big race... I'm not, so I don't. Instead, I much prefer Dodgeball.

Plantar Fasciitis

I've decided to do an "injury of the week" post to explore some of the more common, running-related ones. To kick off the series, I figured I'd start with the most common injury I hear about in the store every weekend - Plantar Fasciitis.

What is it?
Plantar fasciitis  is simply an inflammation of the plantar fascia, which is a thick band of connective tissue that runs along the bottom of the foot and connects the toes to the heel. It is the most common cause of heel pain.

In general, Plantar fasciitis only affects one foot, and the pain is usually worse in the morning or after sitting for long periods of time (i.e., when the tendon is tight). Basically, it feels like someone is stabbing a knife in your heel, although some people complain that the pain is more in their arch.

What causes it?

• Excessive pronation
• High or low arches
• Over-use
• Tight calf muscles or Achilles
• Shoes that don't fit well or are worn out
• Other risk factors include age and obesity... also, it is more common in women (wonder if that's because more women wear tight / ill-fitting shoes compared to men)

What can I do to prevent it?
Calf stretches and towel stretches 

What can I do if I already have it?

• Rest rest rest...
• Ice ice ice... 
• Physical therapy
• Break up scar tissue (from past injuries) in the calf, Achilles, ankle, and/or foot (rolling your foot on a golf ball or tennis ball)
• Anti-inflammatories and corticosteroids
• Strassburg sock
• Taping your foot

What are the best shoes for it?

• Ones with good arch support... stability shoes if you over-pronate... orthotics may also be necessary.
• But, the most important thing is to REPLACE YOUR SHOES WHEN THEY NEED TO BE (the recommendation is every 400-miles).

Pursed Lip Breathing

A thought occurred to me the other day... some of the "techniques" they teach you for getting your breathing back under control when you're having an asthma attack might be applicable to "normal" people when racing (and breathing hard). One of the things that I've actually found to work is called pursed lip breathing. The name pretty much describes the technique... you purse your lips when inhaling/exhaling vs. opening your mouth more (the natural reaction to trying to get more air into your lungs). This action helps to keep your airways open longer and decrease the amount of work you have to do to breathe (I think it's a pressure differential thing). Additionally, it helps to slow your breathing rate, keeping it under control and forcing you to exhale fully.

Exercise DVD Reviews

Not too long into my search for 2012 exercise fashion trends, I came across this-- exercise DVD reviews from Cosmopolitan UK. For kicks, I decided to open it up... I have never been the exercise video type (I would rather lace up my sneakers and head out the front door for a run), but my sister swears by them. After looking through the slideshow, well...

• I'm not willing to wear a bikini to work out in my living room (or, really, any workout for that matter)
• I don't appreciated being shouted at by my TV
• I don't love Kim Kardashian

However, one thing did stand out (and the thought of it cracked me up)... DANCING (check out ~1:30 in)!

A: Gummy Bears

Jeopardy Ask Kilometer...

Q: What's better than a PowerBar, Fig Newtons, saltines, graham crackers, a small plain bagel, jelly beans, or an orange?

Yes, in terms of "foods for energy", gummy bears out-rank all of these strictly in terms of a carb : calorie ratio. The only things better (based on the Runner's World list) are Gatorade (#1), honey (#2), and dried fruit (#3)... although there was a three-way tie for fourth (with GU and hard candy). And, in case you were wondering, the world's biggest gummy worm weighs 3lbs and the biggest gummy bear weighs 5lbs (I love how they're being all scientific with safety goggles and a lab coat):

 
... I think the "gummy bear truck" might be at our run tonight ;-)

3/24-25 Race Reports

The rain didn't seem to bother team RRO/FASTcoaching this weekend, as they added some more wins to the books:

• Jarett P. won the Chic-fil-A 10K and Jonathan H. won the 5K! I know other people raced, but I haven't seen official results yet.
• Mike C. was 3rd overall in the Mission Outreach Benefit 5k. (results)
• Tim G. was 2nd overall in the NC Half Marathon, running a new PR in the process. (results)
• Tim S. was 4th overall (1st AG) and Linda W. was 3rd female Master's in the Second Empire 5k. Donna C. also ran a great race, as did our friend Pauline. (results) 

AWESOME JOB everyone and CONGRATS!!!

Weekend Outlook

Ok, there are a whole bunch of races going on in NC this weekend. Locally, we have the Chic-fil-A 5k/10k (Sat., 8AM, Raleigh), Mission Outreach Benefit 5k (Sat., 8:30AM, Raleigh), The Great Human Race (Sat., 8:30AM, Durham), Bolt for the Blue (Sat., 9AM, Raleigh), and the Second Empire 5k (Sun., 2PM, Raleigh). In terms of multi-sport racing, there's the Greenville Du (Sat., 9AM, Greenville) and the Girls Run the World Sprint Tri (Sun., 7AM, Raleigh). There's also a half marathon on Sunday in Charlotte in case you didn't get your 13.1 fill last weekend (NC Half Marathon).

And, because I was reminded of one of my favorite scenes from a zombie movie when looking up "fitness and zombies" (here's a list of all 32 rules):



For all of you who don't know, I have a few "Running Rules" (the first is non-negotiable... the rest are more "good practices"):

1. No dying
2. No getting hurt
3. No getting sick

Medicine and Running

You're sick... but not sick enough not to run. So, do you take medicine for your cold symptoms, or do you suck it up and deal with it? I have this debate with myself every time I'm sick. Taking a nasal decongestant makes it easier to breathe, but it also causes dehydration (and no matter how much water I drink, I always feel thirsty), which can make it harder to breathe. And, while not having a pounding headache makes running easier, the weird, disconnected feeling that's sometimes associated with taking nasal decongestants is less than optimal. It's the proverbial Catch 22...

So, I looked up alternatives to taking nasal decongestants... something that would have the benefits associated with taking medicine, but maybe not as many of the side effects:

• Neti Pots (ok, I know some people swear by these, but the concept actually makes me feel more sick than just plain dealing with nasal congestion)
• Vapor Rubs (given my affinity for Icy Hot, I can only imagine that no one would be able to stand within 10ft of me)

Here are some other recommendations I came across:

• Make sure you stay hydrated and try to avoid alcohol and caffeine
• Eat chicken soup
• Load up on zinc and vitamin C
• Gargle with salt water to temporarily relieve a sore throat
• Try nasal drops and sprays to relieve congestion without causing dehydration (note: they can become addictive) 
• Use a humidifier or breathe in steam

P90x

On one of our cross-training nights, Oyler showed us the first set of plyometric exercises in the P90x video. This got me thinking... (1) what is P90x? and (2) what are the other exercises? To answer the first question, P90x is home fitness program (12 workouts + nutrition guide) created by Tony Horton. I had assumed the P was for plyometrics (because that's what we did), and 90 was the length of the workout (in minutes or exercises), and then x was to indicate that you should make the workouts a "habit", but I was wrong. After looking through their website, I have no idea what the P or the x stand for... the 90 is the number of days needed to "transform" your body (6 days a week, 60min a session).

The 12 workouts (with a brief video excerpt) are described here. They work on both upper and lower body strength, as well as flexibility. No fancy equipment is required, just a TV with ~6ft x 6ft area to work out in, some dumbbells or resistance bands, and a chin-up bar. How can something so simple produce such dramatic results? Two words-- muscle confusion. Ok, now this is where I'd normally stop reading and chalk the whole thing up to another ASoTV gimmick, but you actually do have to exercise for 60min, so I decided to actually read about muscle confusion. As it turns out, Tony Horton just renamed a well-known training phenomenon... if you don't change up your routine, you'll likely stagnate (like doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results). So, even though I still have no idea why it's called P90x, it doesn't seem like a bad way to be more organized about cross/strength-training!

2012 Fitness Trends

When I started writing this post, I was going in the direction of 2012 fitness fashion (last year, this was "fashion week"). I did looked up some stuff... apparently Tangerine Tango is the color of the year. Also, it's amazing how many fitness fashion trends from the 80's are making a come-back. Other than that, I couldn't find much... probably because I don't care... and I got distracted by another, more interesting trend:

Zombies.

Yes, a quick search of "running and zombies" will produce a lot more actual results than "fashion fitness trends". There are 12 (two in MA?) Run For Your Life races... think 5k meets obstacle course meets zombie. To prepare, you could download the new Zombies, Run! (Runner's World  review) app for your iPhone and take your fartlek runs to a whole new level (they should totally make a hurdle or steeplechase course with the scene from Shaun of the Dead). And, as if this couldn't get any weirder, there's a crossfit-like gym in Chicago whose "functional" exercises are focused on better preparing you for a zombie attack (the gym is called Zombiefit).

So, somehow the undead are inspiring Americans to get into shape? Wow, that says a lot...

Do younger runners have what it takes?

Apparently not, or at least according to this article. While "us" youngsters have not improved much in the past 30 New York City Marathons, the "old folks" (65+ for men and 45+ for women) have consistently gotten faster. For example, men in the 65-69 category improved by15min, while women in the 55-59 age group improved by over 40min. These faster times are attributed, at least in part, to an increase in the number of "older" runners (up 15+ percent for both males and females).

3/17-18 Race Reports

The luck of the Irish was with Team RRO/FASTcoaching this weekend:

• Kimberlie F. was 1st female at the Tobacco Road Marathon, setting a new PR in the process. David M. was 1st in his age group (also setting a PR), David K. was 4th in his age group, and Grace J. did awesome in her first marathon (marathon results). In the half, Mark N. and Linda W. were 1st in their age groups, and Kelcey C. was 2nd in hers. Dan H., Heather D., Meghan H., Matt C. (first half ever and he broke 1:40), and John G. ran strong. I know there were other people from RRO/FASTcoaching out there, and some others may have placed in their age groups etc. and I just don't know it yet (half marathon results). Sean, Keith, Win, Rita, and Mike all did a great job pacing their respective groups, and thanks to Oyler and Laura F. for coming out to support us. Saw a lot of our friends from the Wake Forest Area Runners and others out there as well... good day!
• John W. ran great in the Wrightsville Beach Marathon, and Susan P. and Kari M. killed the half (results).
• Jason B. ran awesome in the Shamrock Marathon (results).

I don't have any official results yet, let us know if you raced and how you did, and I'll update this post as I find out more! CONGRATS everyone.

Weekend Outlook

It's 13.1 / 26.2 time! I know a number of people are either racing or pacing the Tobacco Road Half/Full Marathon, Wrightsville Beach Half/Full Marathon, or the Shamrock Half/Full Marathon. Other than that, there are a couple 5k's in Chapel Hill on Sat. (Kidney Kare Run and Franklin 5k) and the Equinoxalizer 4-Miler in Durham (which is the USATF NC 4-mile championship race this year). And, in honor of carbo-loading and St. Patrick's Day... breakfast of champions!

Kara Goucher

Just like teammate Shalane, Kara Goucher
trains with Nike. She was born in New York
but grew up in Duluth. Kara began
running during high school. She went to the
University of Colorado.
She won the 3000 and 5000,
and was the cross country champ her junior
year. In 2000, she was 8th in the
olympic trials. After college, she
was injured, but came back strong in '06.
She set a new PR, placing 3rd in
the 3000 in the IAAF
World Cup, and won the 10000 the next
year. She set the American record
in the half marathon in '07
before representing the US in
the 5 and 10 thousand in the Beijing
Summer Olympics. Debuting at the
marathon distance in '08, she placed
third. Other performances of note are
3rd and 5th in the Boston Marathon.
As for her personal life she married
fellow American runner Adam
Goucher. They have a son Colton. THE END!

Ok, I tried real hard to write that all in iambic pentameter in honor of the Ides of March, but I probably made some mistakes! 

Pi

Happy Pi Day!!! In honor of my favorite constant, I decided dedicate today's post to it:

• 3.1: most popular race distance in miles
• 4: youngest person to complete a marathon (and then some)
• 159: combined age of Rita and John Montgomery, two of Scotland's most dedicated cyclists
• 26: length of a marathon rounded to the nearest mile (that last .2 is really annoying)
• 5: the most popular race distance in kilometers :-) (I was trying to find another link and that one made me laugh)

Ok, so that's as far as Google extends out their calculator, so that's as far as I feel the need to go with this!

Proper Running Form

Seriously, watch that video, it pretty much covers everything...

St. Paddy's Day Running Accessories

Everyone's going to be wearing green shorts and/or top this weekend (which we have plenty of at RRO in case you don't)... nothing original in that... so why not accessorize with some of these options:

Neon Green Compression Socks from Zensah

 St. Patrick's Day Arm Warmers from Century Novelty

Shamrock Mesh Cap from Brooks

Shamrock Gloves from Celtic Treasures

Green Tie-Dye Shoe Laces from Unique Sports Accessories

3/10-11 Race Reports

Team RRO / FASTcoaching had a strong showing at the Run for the Oaks. Kimberlie F. was 1st female, setting a new course record in the process. Jarett P., David M, Jonathan W., and Mark N. all placed 1st in their age groups, and Bill C. and Marc B. ran strong as well (results)! The mud didn't slow Laura F. down in the Roanoke Canal Half Marathon, where she finished up as the 2nd female overall. Katie S., Crit G., and Jacci P. also turned in great times (results). And last, but certainly not least, John "Ironman" G. finished up well in the Azelea Tri (results). FANTASTIC JOB EVERYONE!

... who else is excited that they'll actually be able to see when they run at night this week?!

Weekend Outlook

There are a whole bunch of random 5K's going on this weekend, so feel free to check out active.com (whose search has really been annoying the heck out of me lately with all of their "advertised races" that are not in the date, location, etc. range that I specified) or runningintheusa.com (which is rapidly becoming my new favorite search site) if one of these doesn't fit into your schedule: Run for the Oaks (Raleigh, 8:30AM) and Miles for Matt (WakeMed Soccer Park, 9AM). In terms of longer races, there are a handful of half marathons going on: Roanoke Canal Half Marathon and 8K (Roanoke Rapids, 8AM), Corporate Cup Half Marathon and 5K (Charlotte, 8AM), and Lilly's Run Half Marathon / 5K / 1-mile (Greensboro, 7:30AM). Or, if you feel like being an over-achiever, the Graveyard 100 is this weekend ("Outer Banks", 5AM) as well as the Azalea Triathlon (Wilmington, 8AM).

SPRING AHEAD!!!

Don't forget, it's daylight savings time this weekend (so when 3AM "disappears" during that ultra... y'all aren't hallucinating!).

Abdi Abdirahman

Abdihakem (Abdi) Abdirahman has the coolest website of all of the athletes thus far, and has represented the US more times in the Olympics as well. He was born on 1/1/1977 (pretty cool birthday too) in Somalia, and lived there through most of his high school years (he attended Jhameyasin Carte High School in Mogadishu). He finished school in the US, graduating from Tucson High School in 1995, where he went on to Pima Community College. He later transferred to the University of Arizona, where he majored in retail consumer studies. He was named the Pac-10 (now Pac-12) Cross Country Athlete of the Year in 1998, the same year he finished 2nd in the NCAA championships.

Abdi represented the US in both the 2000 and 2004 Olympics, placing 10th and 15th in the 10,000m. In fact, he has a lot of experience in the 10k, finishing in the top 20 in three world championships (7th in '07, 13th in '05, and 19th in '03). According to his website, the marathon distance holds the most promise, as was apparent by his 3rd place finish at the trials earlier this year.  

C6H12O6

Contrary to popular belief, the "fake stuff" probably isn't subtracting inches to the waistline of many Americans, at least according to this article. While those who use artificial sweeteners are consuming fewer calories than if they used their "real sugar" counterparts, those consuming lots of things requiring artificial sweeteners don't have great diets to begin with (the "super-size it but I'll have a diet coke" phenomenon). Additionally, artificial sweeteners might actually "trick" the brain into increasing appetite, resulting in further weight gain. Anyways, I just thought that article was kind of interesting!

p.s. when writing this post, I realized that I could remember the molecular formula for glucose without any effort, but I still have to look up how to spell sweet every time (because sweat is a completely different word)

Mizuno... Beer... and Running

Other than the Bottle Revolution run tonight, what do they have in common? Ok friends, now this took some "research"...

Mizuno makes a performance stability trainer called the Elixir (men's; women's). The should-never-take-this-into-consideration-but... side of me really likes the shoe because the new version (men's shown) looks freaking cool. I don't feel so bad though, because it's actually a pretty good shoe if you're looking for a lightweight shoe with support.

In order to remember the categories of different shoes, I usually map the name to something I can relate to (i.e., the Cumulus, which is a puffy, cushioney-looking cloud, is a neutral-cushioned shoe). For a long time, it has bothered me that I can't remember where I have heard elixir before (I thought chemistry class). Well, I finally looked it up (from Merriam Webster):

• a substance held capable of changing base metals into gold
• a substance held capable of prolonging life indefinitely
• a cure-all or medical concoction
• a sweetened liquid usually containing alcohol that is used in medication either for its medicinal ingredients or as a flavoring
• the essential principle 

Hey oh... perfect! While beer cannot change anything into gold, it has been referred to as liquid gold (and in case anyone was thinking about starting a brewpub, you should probably check out that link... pretty interesting). And, while beer cannot prolong life indefinitely, the non-alcoholic type can boost health. Apparently, normal beer can decrease your susceptibility to the "common cold" as well. And, although it is not a cure-all, a post-run beer can serve a variety of purposes (check that link out for 7 recommendations from Runner's World). That's about as far as I'm going to take this for today... have to leave something for monthly "beer and exercise" posts (I've been slack lately in writing them the first Tuesday of each month)!  

Anyways, see y'all at Bottle Revolution tonight at 6:30. The first 100 runners get an RRO/Mizuno mug... and be sure to wear your Raleigh Running Outfitters shirt!

Where to run

I came across this kind of neat tool on the Runner's World website that lets you discover popular spots to run in different parts of the country. I looked at Raleigh to judge how "good" it was, and it hit all of the popular locals. Anyways, I figured I'd pass it along in case anyone was traveling and looking for something more adventurous than out-and-backs from your hotel (or 4 of the same 5-mile loop to get 20 in)!

3/3-4 Race Reports

CONGRATS to those who braved the disgusting weather yesterday morning to run the Umstead Marathon (results). Luckily, it had cleared up a bit for the St. Paddy's Day 8k, which saw some fast times. Nick M. was 2nd overall, Jeremy W. was 4th overall (1st AG), and Tom K. was 5th in his age group (or perhaps 2nd if they took out the first 3 Master's runners). Our friends Andrew W., John T., and Myles N. went 1-5-7 in their age group (results). Team RRO/FASTcoaching was also well represented in the local 5k's. Sean K. was 2nd overall, while Crit was 3rd in her age group, both turning in fast times on a tough course (results). Bill C., in his second race of the week, finished 6th overall (1st AG) at the Irondog 5k (results). Not sure if anyone from the team ran in the MBA Wolfpack Run (results).

NICE JOB EVERYONE!!!

Weekend Outlook

Things are starting to pick up in the Triangle-area in terms of racing:

• Umstead Trail Marathon (Saturday, 9AM)
• Get Your Rear in Gear 5k Run/Walk (Saturday, 9AM)
• MBA Wolfpack Run (Saturday, 10AM)
• Irondog 5k (Saturday, 2PM)
• St. Paddy's Run Green 8k (Saturday, 3PM)

Just remember to sign up for whatever you choose! In other news, team RRO / FASTcoaching had a good showing at the 1st Quadrennial WFAR Leap Year Lope 2.9-miler on 2/29. John W., Matt C., and Bill C. did well on the men's side, "leaping over" many women (and finishing in the top of the men's pack) despite starting 2:29-min back. And, although I managed not to get passed by any of the guys, I was no match for the high school girl that won it. Jacci P. and Isabella Frey (who was paced by Laura) held off many potential leapers as well, running strong on a hilly course! Good times...

Desiree Davila

Desiree Davila might be one of the few women who actually wears a "normal" singlet and shorts in competition (and for that, and for the fact that she is a crazy good runner, she has my respect). She grew up in CA, and played soccer in addition to running in high school (and graduated the same year as Hall and the rest of them). Davila studied psychology at Arizona State University, where she roomed with Amy Hastings (4th at the Olympic Trials). Since college, Desiree has continued to excel at distances from the 3000m up through the marathon. Among her more notable performances:

• 2nd in the 2011 Boston Marathon (fastest time by an American on this course)
• 5th (2008) and 4th (2010) in the Chicago Marathon
• 11th in the 2009 IAAF World Championship marathon 

She currently trains with the Hanson-Brooks Team in Michigan, and is engaged to fellow marathoner Ryan Linden.