Stay Hydrated

Try to remember to, pre-hydrate, keep hydrated and hydrated back up after a run. I did find this incredible article out of the “The Health Journal.”

The key time for thorough hydration is before your race or training run, not during. Equally important is complete hydration after your workout. However, many runners worry excessively about hydration during the run, inconveniently carrying water containers in their hands or on belts, stashing water along the route and stopping unnecessarily during their runs or races.

I normally for myself drink a 4-6 oz of “Emergen-C” about 30 minutes before my run. I actually do drink water every 10 minutes of my run. Then follow my run with some gatorade. I haven’t found any problems yet, but may take it easy on my during the run drinking. I have felt nausea during my runs before. I felt a little tired today. So instead of running six miles as scheduled, I only got in five. You will have good runs & bad runs. 🙂

Today’s run: five miles in 56 minutes

Happy Running!

Enjoying the weather

So finally, the weather has been cooling down enough to run out doors comfortably! Yesterday was my long run of five miles. So I put on my sneakers and went around the loop, it felt great!

When the weather starts to get real cold, wear three layers of clothes help insulate your body and eliminate moisture.
The base layer is in contact with your skin and it should keep you warm and dry. Any of the following materials are a good choice: polypropylene, silk, polyester, wool. Cotton however should be avoided as it traps moisture and it stays wet.
The mid layer is for insulation. Materials as polyester, wool and fleece would do the job.
The outer layer should be water and wind resistant and should also allow moisture to escape. Gore-Tex is an excellent material but other options that are not so high tech would still perform well.

I think we are still far from my change of clothing attire…but useful for you northerners.

Also gladly to hear over the weekend a good friend of mine, who recently had a stroke, did her first 5k since then. I wasn’t able to make that race, but surely will the next. 🙂

Yesterday run: 5 miles in 56 minutes

Happy Running!

You scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours…

Sports massage isn’t a froufrou spa treatment. Nor is it reserved for hard-core elite athletes. It’s a method of flushing out the lactic acid that’s produced when we run, says New York therapist and marathoner Leslie Goldblatt Denunzio. This waste can build up in muscles and cause soreness over time. Removing it speeds recovery and increases flexibility, both of which can improve performance. “If you have the right shoes and training plan, and you eat and hydrate well, massage is the one extra thing that will make a difference in how well you train and race,” says Denunzio. Sports massage combines other massage techniques, including deep-tissue and Swedish. What sets it apart is that it targets and reduces tension in muscles and joints that are affected by athletic use and injury.

But don’t just take our word for it. Researchers from Ithaca College in New York recently found that massage therapy administered two hours after exercise reduced the intensity of muscle soreness 48 hours later. An Australian study showed similar findings: Post-exercise massage lessened soreness 24 hours later. Scientific evidence linking massage with injury prevention isn’t as strong, but runners who get regular massages say their injury-free limbs are all the proof they need. “I used to get sidelined from calf pulls,” says Dave Deigan, of Sonoma, California, who runs 25 miles a week and gets a massage every other Thursday. “Since I started getting massages five years ago, the chronic tightness in my calves has disappeared, and I’m not getting injured.” And the practice has medical-community support as well. “Massage is probably the best way to prevent delayed onset muscle soreness,” says Lewis G. Maharam, M.D., medical director for the New York Road Runners. “And as far as injuries go, massage is icing on the cake. Massage can supplement physical therapy as an effective injury treatment.”

All runners can benefit from massage, but it’s especially useful for marathoners and runners covering more than 35 miles a week. Not only are their bodies subjected to a greater amount of stress, but also high-mileage runners tend to have an intense commitment to their training schedules–and don’t deviate from them. “Some runners plow through runs and ignore aches and pains, and that can create problems down the road,” Denunzio says. Massage therapists get to know their clients’ bodies by taking full inventories of their muscles and how they respond to training. “If there’s something lurking in that hamstring,” says massage therapist and runner Marion Burch Cimbala of Austin, Texas, “we’ll find it.”

Massage therapy also works on a psychological level. Clearing metabolic waste from the muscles helps the entire body function optimally. And when your body is performing at its best, you feel less of the anxiety that could otherwise affect your gait, breathing, and posture, Denunzio says.

Even if you run fewer than 10 miles a week, you’ll see long-term results from regular massage. “You’re maximizing your ability to enjoy running for years to come,” says Cimbala. Deigan, who has been running for 49 years, is proof of that. “Massage has given my running longevity,” the 63-year-old says. “I’m in tune with my body. I can recognize when something is off and take steps to correct it.”

Therapists usually recommend a weekly hour-long massage, but that depends on individual need. For some runners, once every six weeks is enough. Just be sure to never get a deep sports massage before or after a race, warns Cimbala. “Sports massage changes muscle tissue at a deep, structural level, and that can have a huge impact on your performance,” she says. Allow at least 48 hours between your last intensive massage and a race.

Todays run: 4 miles in 45.35 minutes

Happy Running!

Going & Going & Going

After my long runs (which are on Sundays) I take a day of rest from running. So today, I am resting!!  It’s very important as a runner to use these rest days to let your body heal and prevent any injury.

Ease Up
If you stop seeing positive gains or your legs feel sluggish or especially sore, you’re overdoing it. Don’t wait for aches or pains to take a recovery day. That’s a sign of overtraining. Take at least one rest day per week and additional days as needed.
If you’re training for a marathon, your long-run pace should be one to two minutes slower than race pace.  Alternate hard efforts (speedwork, hill repeats, long runs) with easy ones: three- to four-mile easy-pace recovery runs, cross-training, or complete rest. Make your rest days count for more than just a day off by doing something you enjoy that you don’t have time for while training. A movie or a dinner out serves as more than a reward, because relaxation helps you heal. A study published in Psychosomatic Medicine found that a distraction can lower stress levels and raise levels of cytokines, which are hormones that help tissue regenerate.

Refuel
If you don’t eat within 15 to 30 minutes after every run, you risk delaying your recovery for up to 24 hours, which leads to diminished performance, says Leslie J. Bonci, R.D., of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. Vanderbilt University researchers had athletes consume carbs and protein immediately after exercise or three hours later. Protein synthesis was three times greater in the group that refueled right away. Bonci recommends 50 grams of carbohydrates and 10 grams of protein postworkout. Yogurt and granola, or an energy bar and sports drink will do the trick.

Baby Your Body
If you want to run like an elite runner, start acting like one. “When we aren’t running, we’re doing everything we can to recover,” says Bob Kennedy, a two-time Olympian, who is a devotee of postworkout ice baths and weekly sports massages. A recent Canadian study put Kennedy’s methods to the test. Subjects performed sprint intervals on a stationary bike followed by a cold-water soak, a massage, or complete rest. When they repeated the interval workout 24 hours later, the people who only rested showed a decline in performance compared to those who had the cold-water soak or massage. Ice baths and sports massages improve circulation and flush out waste products, reducing inflammation and soreness. A weekly sports massage is ideal, but those of us without sponsorship deals can do well with one every four to six weeks. Self-massage using foam rollers is an at-home alternative.

Take care of your body.

 

Happy Running!

Stretch, stretch, stretch!

Experts have long debated this – when to stretch, how to stretch & its effectiveness. It’s real hard to keep up with it all and know what to do. As for me, I believe it’s very important to stretch after a run. As for before, I just do a warm up like a walk or slow run.

I recommend that you stretch after you run when the muscles are warm & more pliable. Here a a few stretch exercises I tend to do after my runs:

Hamstring Stretch

Lie on your back in a supine position. Keep your right foot on the ground with your knee bent at 90 degrees. Raise your left leg up, grab it below your ankle and pull it toward your shoulders. Pull your leg until your feel a slight pull. Hold that position for about 20 seconds. Switch your leg positions and repeat.

Hip Stretch

This exercise will stretch the iliopsoas muscle on the front of your hip. Move your right leg forward until your knee is directly over your ankle. Your left leg should be stretched out behind you with your knee on the ground. Now lower and push your hips down and forward to create a gentle stretch. Hold this position for 20 to 30 seconds. Switch your leg positions and repeat.

Quadriceps Stretch

While standing on your left foot, pull your right foot up toward your right hip. Keep your lower leg aligned with your thigh. Do not pull your lower leg to the right or left. Pull until you feel a gentle stretch. Hold this position for 20 to 30 seconds. Switch leg positions and repeat.

Butterfly Stretch

This is an exercise that will stretch the adductor (groin)muscles of your inner thigh. Start in a sitting position with your knees out and the soles of your feet together. Grab your toes and pull them gently upward. At the same use your elbows to gently push outward on your knees. You should feel a slight stretch on your inner thigh. Hold this position for about 20 to 30 seconds.

Pretzel Stretch

This exercise will stretch your upper back, lower back, hips and illiotibial band. Start is a sitting position with your right leg straight. Bend your left knee and cross it over your right leg so that it rests on the outside of your right knee. Now place your right elbow on the outside of your left knee. While supporting your body with your left hand twist your body to the left. Turn and look in that same direction. Hold that position for 20 to 30 seconds. Switch leg positions and repeat.

Calf Stretch

There are two muscles in your calf that you should stretch. The largest and most visible muscle is called the gastrocnemius muscle. This is the large one you can see on the back of your lower leg. Underneath your gastrocnemius muscle is your soleus muscle. Your gastrocnemius muscle does most of the work when your knee is straight. When your knee is bent your soleus muscle contributes more work. To stretch your gastrocnemius muscle lie face down with your arms supporting your upper body in a push up position. Place your left foot over the back of your right ankle. Keep your right leg straight. With your toes flat on the ground push back so that your right heel is forced towards the ground. Hold that position for 20 to 30 seconds. Reverse leg positions and repeat. To stretch your soleus muscle perform the same exercise except bend your leg at the knee. This will bring your soleus muscle more into the stretch.

Shoulder Stretch

This exercise will stretch your shoulder, triceps and upper back. Grab your left elbow with your right hand and pull it gently across your chest toward your left shoulder. Hold that position for about 20 to 30 seconds. Reverse your arm positions and repeat.

Todays run: 4 miles in 44.29 minutes

Happy Running!

Hitting a wall

No matter how much you train or how you prepare yourself before you go out for a run…there will be days you hit a wall. And that is ok. You will have a good runs and of course you will have bad runs.

It always reminds of the part where the guy imagines hitting a brick wall in the movie, “run fatboy run.” You just need to figure out how to knock the wall
down. If not, there Will be better days.

Today’s run was 3 miles in 33 minutes.

Happy running!

Virgin to Running w/o Music

After many runner friends & reading about it, I have come to realize it’s sometimes better to run without music. I said it, without music. For the time I have been running so far, I feel that running while listening to music has helped me. Then I have been told the longer I train, I may want to run without music to help get more in tuned with my body.

So today, after receiving a day late shipment of my new shoes…I decided to take them out for a test drive. I started off pretty rough, kind of how most of my first mile to mile and a half start off. When I reached mile one, I felt I more into the groove. It felt Awesome! I was able to pay attention to my breathing (which was calm) and my landing (which was not heavy.)

Now, would I say I would do this every run….no! Girl has to have her Lady Gaga & Usher to get her body movin some days!

Today’s run was 3.4 miles in 34 minutes

Happy running!

My first 10K

So last Sunday we did a 10K race our in Clearwater. After having an ankle injury four weeks ago, I finished in an hour & 12 minutes! Can I tell you this was such an accomplishment for me. I almost cried!

The race was awesome & trail even better. Once the weather starts to cool down here, I think we would be going there more often. Plus it’s about 10-15 mins away. Can’t beat that.

This week wasn’t the greatest of running weeks. I guess you win some & loose some. Wasn’t the greatest weeks at work too, which doesn’t help with my running motivation. I am going to work on using that energy a little better the upcoming week.

 

Happy Running!

Happy St Patty’s Day

 

Pint of Guinness on St. Patrick’s Day

On any given day 5.5 million pints of Guinness, the famous Irish stout brand, are consumed around the world.

But on St. Patrick’s Day, that number more than doubles to 13 million pints, said Beth Davies Ryan, global corporate-relations director of Guinness.

“Historically speaking, a lot of Irish immigrants came to the United States and brought with them lots of customs and traditions, one of them being Guinness,” she said.

Today, the U.S. tradition of St. Patrick’s Day parades, packed pubs, and green silliness has invaded Ireland with full force, said Freeman, the classics professor.

The country, he noted, figured out that the popularity of St. Patrick’s Day was a good way to boost spring tourism.

 

 

May you live a long life full of gladness and health, with a pocket full of gold as the least of you wealth.

May the dreams you hold dearest, be those which come true, the kindest you spread, keep returning to you.

 

The Art of Burlesque

Brief History of Burlesque

The literal meaning of Burlesque is ‘to send up’. In the early 18th century, the term Burlesque was used throughout Europe to describe musical works, in which comic and serious elements were combined to achieve grotesque effect.

In 19th century England, serious or romantic opera or a piece of classical theatre was adapted in a risque style that ridiculed stage conventions. Traditional British or Classical Burlesque parodied widely known works of literature, theatre or music but didn’t contain striptease. Women were often cast in the lead male role and double entendre was the performance style of the time. Lydia Thompson and her British Blondes toured the United States in the 1860’s instigating the bawdy style of variety theatre that existed from the 1870’s to the 1920’s. American Burlesque was heavily influenced by British music hall and variety shows of the 19th century. The Victorian era, was a time where there were major clashes between the aristrocracy and working classes, and comic sketches were developed ridiculing the upper elite.

In the early 20th century Burlesque re-emerged as a blend of satire, performance art and adult entertainment, featuring striptease and comedy acts. The term Burlesque was used to loosely describe these acts where striptease artists performed but striptease and hootchy kootchy dance were already forms by themselves. Burlesque shows incorporated elaborate sets, gorgeous costumes, mood music and dramatic lighting. Novelty acts were often included, such as fire eaters, contortionists and other circus performers. Pastiche, parody and wit, accompanied with dancing girls, chanson singers, comedians, mime artists made up the typical American Burlesque show. The popular Burlesque show of the early 20th century eventually evolved into striptease which became the primary focus by the 1930’s, heralding the end of Burlesque and the birth of striptease!