Newbie Nostalgia

I hate to be a pushy Perdita, but after Ken showed a glimmer of interest in partaking in the Hermosa Beach Triathlon with me, I thought it would behoove both of us to get him outside for a run. I feel that the run is often the hardest part of the tri, not only because it is the last of the three events, but because it has a tendency to take more sustained bang to get through than a lecture comprised of reading the phone book backwards. So Saturday became Runday.

Ken is in far better shape than I was when I began running. We paced through a mile, and then ran/walked the next mile, before hitting up a steep hill for sprint repetitions (the whole time I wondered who this fitness buff next to me really was) before we ran/walked back two miles to the car. But watching him begin the process of being able to run three miles took me back three years, to a time when I was struggling to do the same thing.

I began running because I was bored. Upon finishing graduate school, and wrapping up the jobs I had held for the duration with a neat little bow, I found that I had absolutely nothing to do. All of my friends had jobs, so obviously, they were at work all day. All my friends also had money, so at night, they were going out to coffee or renting movies to watch with snacks they had purchased. I lacked the funds to do any of these things.

Where the running all began.

But I did have an old pair of aerobics shoes that I had used during three years of marching band, and two years of Jazzercise. At one time, they had been gray and lavender, though by that time, they were a uni-color of washed out brown. I put my beat up sneakers on, locked the door behind me, and started jogging up the sidewalk.

Approximately eight minutes later, I had stopped jogging, and walked myself home. My entire workout had taken me less than fifteen minutes. I went home, lay on the cushy, block patterned rug, and panted for air. My cat licked the sweat off my forehead, which under normal circumstances would have been revolting, but I was too pooped to notice his scratchy tongue.

An few hours later, I was bored again. Being that I was lazy as well as unemployed and out of shape, I had yet to change and shower from my first run. So I went outside and did it all again, and returned inside and wondered how anyone would subject themselves to longer periods of this torture. It was a boiling seventy degrees out there! And running made you so tired! What was the benefit?

Boredom prevailed, day after day. It occurred to me that I should walk around Lake Merced, which was a short drive from my house. Not only would I get exercise, but it would be an adventure at the same time. (Trust me – driving my car felt like an adventure at that time. That’s how bored I was. Or how bad of a driver I was. Either way.) Less than a mile into walking around the lake, I was bored again. Rather than turn around and head back to my trusty car, I willed myself to complete the lake path, which was about four miles. There had to be some task I could accomplish in a day, and this was it.

But I was booooooored, and wanting the walk to be over. So I started jogging. I literally started running because I was impatient. I wound up jogging most of the rest of the path, fueled by the though of being finished and getting to go sit in my cool house and probably do something completely unawesome, like check my MySpace account (why oh why could I not be doing something more cool with that time? Listening to the Mars Volta? Practicing my French horn? Watching Star Wars?).

For some reason, I made this a daily habit. I think I just needed to do something in a day, to prove somehow that I had a purpose. Eventually, I was able to run the whole lake, and much later, it stopped hurting so much to run. That is where the good part began. When the pain ceased, and the air slid down my lungs like water, and suddenly, my head was able to chew on every thought about every topic as if it were a juicy Portobello mushroom. There was clarity in my world of uncertainty. There was running.

So when I hear about any new runner who struggles, I want to give them that peace of mind. I want to encourage them to stick with walking or jogging until they get to a point where it no long hurts, where they do not have to suck down air like it is going out of style. There is sanctuary in the run, a birdhouse for your brain. You just have to work a little bit to get there.

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Welcome to StudentStuff.com!

Once again, I have found myself in a position where I get to direct you to another website to find my writing on health and fitness. I’ll be doing pieces a few times a week over at studentstuff.com, and will do my best to keep you in the loop as to what I’m writing over there!

Today was about Intramural Sports at the collegiate level, a subject I hold very near and dear to my heart.

Here’s a teaser, with a link to the post. Enjoy!

College, especially freshman year, can feel incredibly isolating. What do you really have in common with the people around you other than pure happenstance that you both were accepted to and chose to attend this university? When thoughts like this start wagging their carrots out in front of you there is no need to rush at them. What you need is something else in common with these potential friends.

You need recreation.

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It Must Be Bunnies!

I have a guest blog posted with the fantastic folks at The Mighty Sparrow! Go ahead and check it out…

themightysparrow.com/index.php/2009/08/28/mighty-ambassdors-running-at-lake-chabot/

Enjoy!

And because I like nice things, here is their nice intro to my piece:

Alicia writes about running over at A Runner’s Delight. She’s a California native, was a long time resident of the East Bay, has completed half and full marathons, has a master’s degree in creative writing, and even works at a running store. Needless to say, when she writes about running in California, she knows what she’s doing. So go ahead and enjoy this write up of the running experience at Lake Chabot.

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Don’t Be a Human Saltine

Saltines have many uses I am certain you are aware of — settling a thrashing stomach, crumbling into perpendicular lines in your tomato bisque for a pleasing presentation, substituting for toast when you want something to spread jam on and have conveniently forgotten to purchase a loaf of bread.* Saltines even have uses you may not have considered yet, such as dueling your family members in the Saltine challenge, or gluing sparkles to the crackers and stringing them with fishing line to hang on your holiday tree.**

As sublime as Saltines are however, if you find yourself not just tasting like a crispy treat, but looking like one as well after a workout, you could be in trouble. It is normal to be salty after a run (don’t believe me? Give yourself a lick). According to “Salt and Runners” from RunthePlanet.com, “The amount of sodium in sweat averages about 500 milligrams sodium per pound of sweat (and ranges from 220 to 1,100 milligrams). If you lose two pounds of sweat per hour for four hours of sweaty running, your sodium losses can become significant (4,000 milligrams of sodium).” Salt loss increases in the heat, too, which makes sense as you sweat more when the thermometer climbs. And while it is inevitable that you lose some salt as you workout, if you are building up salt residue that you can see on your skin, it could be a warning sign. ***

Being a salty sweater (as opposed to the ugly sweater you keep in your dresser for theme parties) should ring a few caution bells. For starters, low sodium levels can cause muscle cramping. But that is the least serious concern. Salt deposits are also a sign of dehydration, which, besides being extremely unhealthy, can have dire consequences. Medicinenet.com says

“As fluid loss increases, the patient may be so dehydrated that there is not enough water to sweat and heat exhaustion or heat stroke may occur. Heat stroke is a true medical emergency…In dehydration, electrolyte abnormalities may occur since important chemicals (like sodium and potassium) are lost from the body through sweat…causing muscle weakness and heart rhythm disturbances. Some examples of symptoms caused by abnormal electrolyte levels include muscle weakness due to low potassium, heart rhythm disturbances due to either low or high potassium, and seizures due to low sodium.” ****

Lots of fun stuff, right?

There are more salt-loss issues, too. More formally known as “hypokalemia,” low potassium is another concern for athletes. Potassium sounds like some mystical substance – we are told to eat bananas in order to get this electrolyte, but we are never told why. What it does is simple: potassium keeps your muscles moving, your nerves sending messages to your brain faster than the pony express, your kidneys filtering, and quite literally, your heart beating. Low potassium can lead to heart failure. Yikes.

Fear not, if bananas do not inflate your hot air balloon. Potassium is found in potatoes, tomatoes, avocados, strawberries, spinach, dried fruits, beans and peanuts. I swear I firmly believe in a spoonful of peanut butter for a runner – protein, healthy fats, healthy minerals, and now potassium? That substance is miracle food.
Last, losing salt (which means you’re losing water and electrolytes) can also mean you’re losing energy. If you’re feeling tired, and particularly unmotivated, you may need some sodium to sparkle up. Or, you may just need a glass of water. Drinking plenty of water throughout the day before you run ensures you are hydrated properly, and wards off the consequences of dehydration. Your body will adjust to drinking more water with time, and you will simply feel better if you do not let yourself be thirsty.

If you are concerned about potassium levels, I am a firm believer that eating fresh foods (as opposed to electrolyte supplements) is the best way to take in vital ingredients for your body chemistry. The healthier you are in what you eat, the healthier you will be as you run.

* But don’t substitute for using to make French toast if you are out of bread; it works out less well.
** The Saltine Challenge: to eat six Saltines in one minute. Good luck.
*** http://www.runtheplanet.com/trainingracing/nutrition/salt.asp
**** http://www.medicinenet.com/dehydration/page4.htm#complications

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Swim Paddles and Concepts From The Baby-Sitter’s Club

The Swim Paddle Rainbow has a Baby-Sitter's Club Super Special at the end of it!

They look a bit like some sort of medieval torture device, or perhaps an late nineteenth century disciplinary contraption for kids who cannot keep their hands to themselves. However, the swim paddle is not a pain inducing tool or the reaction to a bad action; the swim paddle is for…

…well see, that’s just it. Until today, I had never actually used a swim paddle, and definitely did not know their purpose. I spent plenty of time in the vicinity of swim paddles, warily leaning away from my lane partners lest their arm go wonkily-wide and whack me with the hard plastic disk fashioned to their hand with elastic. Plenty of regular lap swimmers use these paddles like they are the neatest thing since toaster waffles, but never in my years of swim team, masters swim, or even recreational swim, had someone suggested I give them a go.

And why should they?

There is a purpose to the swim paddle, besides making the swimmer feel clunky in the water. According to helium.com, “Paddles, by increasing the surface area of your hand, increase the resistance and the amount of force needed to pull yourself through the water, strengthening your arms.” The general theory is that eventually, if the resistance of the water never changes (which it won’t because it is water), you will plateau in your swimming performance and not swim faster. Thus, if you have more resistance, you can build arm strength and speed up. *

Another reason paddles are used is to clean up your freestyle stroke. Due to the increased surface area and the cumbersome shape, you must hit the water and pull through correctly in order to execute the stroke with the paddle attached to your hand. However, paddles should be removed once you have identified issues in your stroke in order to avoid injury.

Injury plays a big role in the “Should we use paddles?” debate (I know, you’re in shock that there are people debating this topic. I was surprised too. Who knew such little, primary colored guys could be so controversial?). Kerry Sullivan, a triathlon trainer who is educated in fitness, notes this in his discussion of the debate: “Paddles may also be harmful if an athlete has upper body injury issues such as the shoulder or elbow. Pulling a pair of paddles through the water may put extra stress on these areas creating more pain or break down of the area.” So it’s important to note that pain during or after using paddles is a bad sign, and you should proceed with caution. **

Other triathlon trainers take an even more stern approach when discussing swim paddles. Trifuel’s SuperCoach says, “However, guard against becoming dependent on paddles. Many swimmers swim faster when using paddles — and therefore end up using them most of the time! Using paddles too much can lead to shoulder injuries and will almost certainly cause your swimming skills & general speed without paddles to deteriorate over time. We therefore instruct you to utilize them sparingly — they can be very effective tools for improvement if they’re not overused.” Like a fin for your foot, the paddles are going to increase your speed, but you still have to swim without them to really get the benefits of the strength training. ***
My opinion? Well, here’s what happened today:

The pool I swim at now has a collection of swim paddles to borrow along with the usual suspects (kickboard, pull buoy, fins) I swim with during my workouts, and today, they lay in a  multi-colored mountain, calling out to me to give them a test drive.  How could I refuse?

Using the paddles made me feel doubly klutzy in the water – how one can be klutzy in the water is easier than you might imagine, what with lane sharing, those plastic lane lines, and the constant threat of drowning. I used the paddles with a pull buoy, since that is what I have seen done by my swimming comrades. I felt like I was clobbering the water with my hands rather than gracefully gliding through it. My father spent a long time with me working on my entry into the pull, so luckily my stroke is smooth due to hand placement; I definitely recommend that you be sure you are not a water slapper before you use paddles! It would hurt to put them on and then hit the water.

I did not feel as though I was moving particularly faster than I normally do when I pull, though that might have been due to the fact that I was exceptionally concerned with not clocking the swimmers near me with the paddles. It was a very different sensation to have the paddles whisk through the water as opposed to just my hands, but I adjusted rather quickly and did not worry too much the changes after the first few laps.

What was incredibly different was taking the paddles off. I did not feel slower, and I would if I had just removed fins; rather, I felt like centaur attempting to freestyle like a human. My body did not belong to me, and I clunkered through the water for a good 150 meters before I began to get my swimming arms back.

It will take much further analysis and use to determine if paddles are for me. Having suffered from bursitis in my shoulder before though, I am wary of how much I should considering using a shoulder strengthening device that is known to hurt shoulders.

I would recommend checking out paddles if you are interested in them and feel like your swimming is at a standstill. However, I firmly believe that if you want to jump higher, you should practice jumping higher****, and the same goes for swimming. If you want to swim faster, practice swimming faster. Pump your legs harder and for longer. Pump your arms harder and for longer.

* http://www.helium.com/debates/172732-are-swim-paddles-for-your-hands-really-that-helpful/side_by_side
** http://ezinearticles.com/?Triathlon-Training—Swimming-With-Paddles&id=2377019
*** http://www.trifuel.com/triathlon/ironman-workouts/glossary.htm#Paddles
**** I learned idea in a Baby-Sitter’s Club book, and while it was reinforced by my dad, I took the concept from #61, Jessi and the Awful Secret.

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Climb Ev’ry Mountain

While working at Runner’s High, I have met a lot of first-time runners and first-time tri-athletes. Having fallen neatly into each these categories in the past few years, I tend to overwhelm these newbies with encouragement, exuberant enthusiasm, and information about what to expect.

Of course, offering up expectations is ridiculous. The experience of a half-marathon or a triathlon varies for each individual, and nothing I say can really do much in the way of letting you know what your event will be like. Some people knock back a latte and banana before they run, while others, like myself, prefer to run their tank on empty. It’s important to remember that while I have experience for what I need and want, you will have to go out and discover your own style and desires. Maybe you need to sport a hydration belt. Perhaps you like using BodyGlide or TriSlide. These are not things I tend to recommend because they are not things I do, but I they are certainly useful tools that can help a runner.

And again, the same hold true for training. I’ll be writing more about my preparation for the Long Beach Triathlon and the Hermosa Beach Triathlon (while will probably include stories of my sneaky and ludicrous methods to get Ken out of bed to come swimming with me in the morning), and while it’s a training course that holds true for me and my style and goals, use it as you would sound advice. Consider it, even follow it, but don’t be afraid to forge your own path and do what feels right for you.

I guess that is the point that I really want to make. You can take all the advice in the world, but it is useless if it does not work for you. And the only way to know is to go out in the world and try a variety of ways until you find yours.

This is starting to sound very Sound of Music’s “Climb Ev’ry Mountain.” Which used to be my least favorite song in the musical, but I have grown into it. Whenever Mother Superior belts out “Climb every mountain, ford every stream, follow every rainbow, ‘til you find your dream!” I am more leaky than a thirty year old garden hose.

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Work It On Vacation (Part 2)

Heading out of town to a family wedding is a great time to do a couple of things: eat cake with boyfriend, dance with your uncle, attempt to dance with your nephew (and settle for dancing near him), and take a run with your brother. It has been months since I have had someone to run with, so when Drew suggested we take a run, despite my concern for my hurt foot, I could not say no. If anything, I figured I had to test the foot out sometime, and with Ken riding his bike in circles around us, there was never going to be a better opportunity.

I prepared for the run by drinking vodka tonics the night before, and nibbling on a peanut butter cookie in the morning. Ken drank orange juice and had a bacon and egg sandwhich, while my brother took in some granola. Again, I have to applaud myself on eating before a workout. I still have yet to believe this helps me in any way, but I’m willing to continue to try. The powers that be in the fitness world claim this is the healthiest thing to do, and I am determined to believe them.

We headed out to Goleta Beach and ended up loping through campus, checking out our old stomping ground. I got a little nostalgic for a linguistics class I particularly enjoyed, and my brother found some hurdles set up on the track to leap over. The best part of the run was watching Drew play with the landscape. He had not run in a few weeks, and had more energy than a kid at a skatepark. Drew was definitely freestyle running. Like a deer, he leapt fences. He hopped up on any bench in sight. Stairs sucumbed to him as he powered up and down them. In a moment that riveled Lisel’s bounding in the gazebo during The Sound of Music, Drew glided across a set of picnic tables. And he did all of this without losing a breath, and while holding a conversation about how we first learned to read, and while running away from me and back to me and around me because I am that much slower than him. The kid is a spark plug.

Some people are born to run. Their bodies are built for speed, and the possess the drive to push themselves to the limit. My brother is one of those people, the kind I’ll never be because I love running differently than he does.

—

Oh, and did anyone hear about this story?

http://www.sanluisobispo.com/news/local/story/825446.html

We were on 101 shortly after the accident, and drove right by the crashed plane, its wing broken and on the shoulder, separated from the body. It was an incredibly surreal sight. And by some miracle, no one was killed, and the injuries were minor. I like this world very much.

Drew thanked me for wanting to run a bit longer than he did. I ran out the Goleta Pier and back, adding another ten minutes to are departure time – ten minutes which might have made a difference on how close we were to being involved in the accident.

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Work It On Vacation (Part 1)

One of my absolute favorite things about getting out of town has always been having a new place to explore on runs. And this weekend, I got to tack an addendum on that favorite things list! …having a new place to explore on runs and by bicycle. Ken and I got Tetris with our truck-loading style, and loaded the bikes in the bed along with our luggage, fancypants wedding clothes, and my trusty helmet.

A tip for the bike-loader of your house: use ratchets! They are keen!

Before I go on, let me say that being active has its downside when it comes to travel: the shoes. For a one and a half day trip up the coast, Ken and I packed six pairs of shoes between us. We had a conglamorate of shoes for the wedding, shoes for the bikes, shoes for running, and sandals, all of which required a separate bag just for them. Be warned.

We awoke in Santa Barbara on a deflating air mattress, and immediately sprang out of bed. Okay, that isn’t quite true. I sprang. Ken looked at me blearily with eyes that pleaded for bacon. Breakfast was in order — I tried not to object, since as we’ve been told, it is supposed to be important to eat prior to exercise. One order of oatmeal (me) and one order of biscuits and gravy (him) later, and we were ready to ride.

Only it was raining. Yes, in California. Yes, in August. This only made me more gung-ho about the whole adventure. I am a rainchild. I wear rainpants — not the actual ones, just the figurative ones that are emboldened with the words “Precipitation Ho!” on them. Ken, on the other hand, looked a bit skeptical at the idea, but willingly agreed to accompany me through the drizzle.

Our ride was through Goleta, the small town just north of Santa Barbara. We followed the Coastal Route through the UCSB Campus, got a bit waylaid in Isla Vista while watching the locals breakfast and walk barefoot through town, and then quickly peddled through a few busy intersections in order to find ourselves on Cathedral Oakes, which joins up with another bike route, the Fairview Route. The ride was uneventful, and cars were remarkably perceptive of our existence, cultivating what I know to be a misleading feeling of safety, but it’s a nice feeling all the same.

We slowed only to get a better look at some garage sales, and eventually had to stop in order to get out Gypsy (our GPS) since we had managed to get a little lost on our way home. Other than that, the ride was continuous, and the company was entertaining. With gray skies and lots of sprinkles (mmm, sprinkles…frosting…wedding cake…) to tickle my face, I was a happy camper. Minus the camping, though. So I was simply happy. And I saw some very nice orchards in Goleta that I did not know existed. I love new things!

In other bikely news, apparently blackberry thorns are deadly to a bike’s tires. Ken rolled over one at the very end of our ride, and his tire started leaking like a Ghostbusters captive. This bizarre green goo just sprayed everywhere. Apparently, this is supposed to act as a sealing agent for when you puncture a tire, but the thorn was so large, all the goo did was slime the sidewalk. Hilariously, the agent really is called slime. Check it out: http://www.slime.com/. Perhaps it would work for a smaller leak.

Luckily, our hotel front desk pointed Ken across the street to a local bike shop for the tire to be repaired. Santa Barbara, while notoriously bad for traffic, does have quite friendly tourism employees.

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Do Things That Don’t Hurt

A self-imposed “Do Not Run” restriction is a totally runner’s high buzz kill; how am I supposed to reap the mental benefits of my usual run? How am I supposed to keep up my in-shape fit-level? What about the Long Beach Triathlon and the Hermosa Beach Triathlon?

As my father would say, do things that don’t hurt you.

Which is of course, excellent advice. So this week, instead of trotting down the sidewalks of Orange County I have been swimming daily, and engaging in strength training!

The swimming, while a bit draining on my pocketbook, has gone from being a supplement to my aerobic activity to being my aerobic activity. This probably means I should attempt to swim faster than a mile in thirty minutes, which is my usual pace, but I have yet to up the ante. A goal for next week.

Typically, I swim three days a week, so this week, I wound up doing four. My very merry usual un-swim day, Thursday, is a little different at the pool; only two lanes are open for lap swim, while the other two are used for “Senior Swim,” which implies that seniors get in the pool and swim. Really, it means the old ladies get in the pool and gossip about their friends. Their was a lively conversation about a woman who, at lunch the day before, only left fourteen dollars for her portion of the meal, and they had to call her to get another two dollars from her. Also, Thursdays have their own host of regular lap swimmers, two of whom were exhibiting my largest pet peeve when it comes to swim-attire behavior: wearing swim caps that they did not tuck their hair into.

Back to the topic at hand.

For my strength training, I required some motivation. Making my muscles quiver is about as fun to me as looking at pictures of fabric softener, so I set two goals for myself:

1. To be able to do twenty push-ups.

2. To beat Ken at arm wrestling.

The push-ups are easy. Okay, in theory, they are easy. I just have to do one more each day. So on Monday, I could do four push-ups. It is okay to snicker at that number, but that’s where I’m at. So Tuesday I did five. Wednesday I did six. Thursday I did five again. And today, Friday, I did eight! I believe that continuing to build on where you are at is a good plan.

As for the arm wrestling, I busted out my dusty purple 8-pound weights that haven’t seen the light of day since Jazzercise class in 2006. To some rocking tunes, namely “All the Small Things” by Blink 182 and “Set Your Phasers to Stun” by Taking Back Sunday, I did arm curls are tricep lifts in sets of ten. After those nine minutes, I worked on my core, by knocking out two minutes of crunches.

It’s a short, uninformed start. But I’ll do some research this weekend, and get you all on my new strength-training plan. It can’t hurt for the triathlon training, and it certainly isn’t causing my foot any pain.

Next stop — Target. Going to pick up a yoga DVD to pass the time.

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In Reference to Your Injury…

My long distance long doctor responded to my blog post about my newest injury via email. He’s about the most trusted person I know regarding sports injury, and here are his bullet points (with commentary from me):
Nice blog. (Okay, I left this in here because it was a really great compliment.)
#1 – Sounds like an acute injury- probably from soccer. (Oh soccer, how I love you, and how you always hurt me.)
#2 – Pain hasn’t had a chance to increase or decrease yet – you just injured it. (Touche.)
#3 – You don’t yet know if the pain persists with rest – you haven’t rested yet. (Touche again.)
#4 – You haven’t yet identified a specific spot on a bone in your foot that is a trigger point.
#5 – The injury could just as easily be a ligament, or other tissue – wearing a shoe could                                  decrease the pain in such a case. (Ooo, actually I seem to have noticed that wearing an athletic shoe seems to increase the pain, while wearing a slip on decreases it.)
#6 – Give your foot some ice and rest – call me in the morning and I can prescribe a couple of                               aspirin – actually ibuprofen. (I <heart> ibuprofin. It’s my go-to pain medication.)
#7 – Wrap your foot if that makes it feel better and you need to walk around. (I haven’t tried this, mostly because I had my foot wrapped at soccer and it hurt after that, almost as if it was swelling after I played.)
#8 – About the hypochondriac – interesting idea, but I suspect that you are not a wimp and it                               actually hurts you – now about projecting to the worse case scenario…(Fathers have the unfair advantage of knowing their daughters too well…)
Back to just me again.

While the pain has subsided, I have refrained from anything high impact (or any impact) other than the walking necessary to get through my day. Luckily, today I literally swam, and then spent on the couch, doing job hunting and writng from home. My foot feels better, and hopefully can survive biking around Santa Barbara this weekend.

If you are injured, rest and ice, my friends. And ibuprofin at regular intervals to keep it in your system if need be!

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