2011 Highlights

Mug shot in the Nordic style of woodcarving from Wisconsin

Mid-summer rain Hiking in North Carolina

I had a busy summer.  I read several good books on training, attended a conference and numerous workshops on Functional Training.  I kept clients busy with workouts between my weekend trips and longer family vacations.  I went to Missouri, Wisconsin, and North Carolina this year leaving only Oklahoma for next year when it's 20 year high-school reunion time!  

Racing and training with Wheelworks Multisport went well.  I even won my division at the Quassy Rev3 race (photos link) in Connecticut and at the Whaling City race in New Bedford, but still, nothing motivated me to write articles.    

Then in July August, and September my trips to see family travels and to race in several new triathlons (USAT Age Group Nationals in Burlington, VT and the Pumpkinman Half-Ironman in southern Maine) kept me running strong with my fastest paces ever in triathlon and juggling clients around my travel times.  

Healthy good veggies from home

 Food continued to be a minor and fun obsession over the summer.  Fresh veggies from our Red Fire Farm CSA share filled us with kale and summer squash.  These were once again my staples for Paleo-influenced eating as whole veg, low grain eating became more my norm. I ditched a lot of sugar and refined grains except when mandated by homemade holiday celebration treats including fine pastry and sometimes, yes, homemade toffee.  There were also a few take-out treats like this meringue cookie found after seeing the Boston Ballet's Nutcracker.

Snowman that doesn't melt...he's meringue!

I barely spent any time on the computer with blogging.  August had me strong with group workouts and a good, lean body fat percent, but still nothing to write about.  Waiting for inspiration to strike, I left blogging and followed twitter feeds on exercise and health more closely.  I also joined the Google+ social networking site but still found it dull compared to Facebook.  Breaking news on exercise science and the latest tips to motivate healthier lifestyles didn't turn my head for long.  I tweeted and I waited for dialog or feedback of any kind, not just the ego-stoking retweets, but it all felt moot.  There was so much more summer to enjoy -- so I went to the river and took up rowing!    

Sculling Level 1 class was a good time!

Single person rowing, or sculling, became a minor obsession in my Tues/Thurs adult lessons at Community Rowing Inc  How I wish I'd discovered crew and ERG'ing while back at UC Berkeley and living in the Bay Area, California, not Massachusetts.  It could have been pretty great to row back then as I'm learning it a little late now.  At least I'm eating well and healthier than ever even if my local access to produce isn't quite as bountiful.

A beautifully balanced salmon salad eaten in SF, CA in Dec 2011

Finally in late October fall really did arrive and I got very busy again with clients.  My hours with SunnyDayFitness clients (~5 per week) and Healthworks clients (~25 per week) took over my planning and marketing time.  I was all about the hustle this fall, and now I feel a little sad for it.  How could I let my writing go for so long without notice?  Who did I disappoint by not sharing more ideas more often?  Anyone?  No one?  I won't really know, but I do know that I feel bad that I missed those months and wrote so little. 

So maybe you fell behind on something, too?  Could 2012 be your year to step back into stride with that lost passion for exercise?  Maybe returning to the old exercise habits won't do this time around?  Let me know if you are looking for something new, OK?  We just might find it together in 2012.  Get in touch if I can help or comment on "What you missed in 2011 and want to find in the new year".

Peaceful and Happy Holidays

Revisiting the Bootcamp Venue - Danehy Track

I missed my running buddies and bootcampers today.  So I decided to run over to the Danehy Park and Track to "run a few loops" for them.  

I used to ride on bootcamp mornings, but today I ran in an extra long-sleeve shirt since it was a little chilly.  Of course, running there warmed me up enough that I left my extra shirt where I normally left my bike.  I started on the hilly green, then made my way to the track itself.  

Just today I saw it was named the "City of Cambridge Track of Champions".  Wow, such a grand name -- and here I thought it was just a regular track for hacks and athletes, young and old alike.  

I took a few loops at a comfortable RPE 7 of 10 pace and then did some warmup moves like leg swings and hip circles, a few hops, some skips, plus a little grapevine shuffle.  The soccer players in all green at mid-field probably found it funny to see a lone runner doing all this.

I realized I should've included half track speed changes and some 1/4 track accelerations.  I start at a 4 and then up it to a 6, and build to an 8 and finally 10.  Those are really fun and make the soccer players think, "Maybe she can sprint after all..."  I really enjoyed the run and miss the bootcamp days already!

Saturday: Food & Exercise log

I began with a good appetite from a 5-6 mile run from Stade Olympique back to the B&B. Starting with the residential Rue Rachel, which features a prominent bike lane, I ran west towards the southern route called Rue Prefontaine, perhaps after the famous runner (more likely a Quebequois politician). In any case, I ran down to the gay village's main drag called Rue St. Catherine. This road, filled with bars/discos/boutiques near the center part of the Latin Quarter, is rather industrial on its eastern edge. The only scenic section was the overpass going across a few RR tracks that while running into a head-wind offered full views of downtown. The bright sun and strong breeze motivated me to run faster down through the Quarter.

People on foot were not as plentiful at 10am as they were at 1am, but remarkably I was the only one running and one of the few not smoking. People smoke everywhere here, especially on the sidewalks. It was a little sad to see so much disregard for health, lungs, and a bright Saturday morning, but I was happy to return to the B&B with my non-smoking friends.

Looking for food after the run, I was pleased that it was pancake day at the B&B and my two palm-sized cakes were nicely crisped at the edges. Add to that some syrup, a banana, two berries, a cup of soymilk, a croissant with smooth, Skippy-style peanut butter (a Nutella-like indulgence), a cup of plain yogurt and about 3/4 cup of muselix with dried fruits and oats. Whoa, that's a lot of food! It was probably 600 cals total. I drank diet soda and ate a piece of dark chocolate (only 30 cals maybe) afterwards, and thought "I should get out of this sweet-feed habit." But no...I added some gummy peach hearts to the mix for another probably 80 cals, which were entirely unnecessary. Note To SELF: Eating to win isn't about careless excess, and the race I want to win is just 5 weeks away now.

So, I continued with a rather light mid-day meal (ham on wheat) and a 100 cal trail bar that tasted like fruity pebbles but claimed to be healthier. Evening meal in Ogunquit was a lobster stew with garlic bread, and lots of it. I should have gotten a salad! Then after the dinner we went for dessert and I had a wonderful, half slice of homemade carrot cake. I felt pretty good about all that except for the lack of greens. I only disappointed myself further by eating another 250 cals at 10pm in malted milk balls while driving back to Boston. Ugh. I have got to drop that late night sweet-eating habit! More on that in my next posting on nutrition...

Good press on Trainers after the Boston Marathon

"Mr. Gordon found that training, if done right, is the ultimate performance enhancer, with effects that can dwarf those of illegal drugs, like the blood-boosting drug EPO, as well as legal stimulants like caffeine. Still, it seems, too few amateur athletes take it seriously and fewer still do it right. Exercise physiologists and coaches say most people who want to run, swim, cycle or row faster or improve in almost any sport do not appreciate what can be accomplished with training nor how to do it."

It's true, folks. The average person stands to gain a lot of fitness by becoming moderately active. The amateur athlete can boost performance and success while racing by knowing when to go hard at training vs. when to take it easy.

As a trainer of several marathoners, many half-marathoners, and some very tenacious triathletes, I know how eager amateurs can be to "stick with the plan" and run through pain. But this isn't smart training. Instead, I can come in with a "big picture" perspective to say which training days really count, and which can be missed. I can also look at injuries in the making and head them off before the dull ache becomes a driving pain. Best of all, I can see how healthy training brings improved times and better races overall. This helps the athlete come back for more racing, more training, and more years of healthy competition!

Source: NY Times "Want to Go Faster? You Need a Trainer" article, 4/23/2009

Good Friday run

http://www.mapmyrun.com/route/us/UT/Park%20City/962123940149085260



Mile 1.5~ of this run had a fair amount of slush and snow on trails near the McKonin Family Farm. A little further ahead was a nice memorial on the bridge at St. Mary's Catholic Church. Across the Olympic Pkwy was a nice footpath around Temple Bar Shalom, which is shown in construction phase on satellite photo but is now a gorgeous modern house of worship.

I did this run entirely on a multi-use path miles 3-4 along a stream and near colorful desert brush plants which had gold, red, and purple colored stems. All this under blue/white/grey clouded skies and a soaring hawk overhead. Lovely! I only wish I'd taken pictures!

MapMyRun.com - a favorite website

I think it's brilliant how this site works:  login, zoom in, click around the route you just ran, and then save it.  Tell it how long your run took and it tells you the miles per hour or minutes per mile that you just ran!  Who needs a garmin foot-pod and $200+ GPS system when you have this?!  

I use it for 

1. sharing my favorite routes runs with others
2. remembering where I've run when I travel
3. checking my paces on long runs outdoors
4. finding bathrooms or parks on other people's logged run routes
5. adding cool maps to my blog  

Gym To Fresh Pond For 2 Loops in Cambridge, Mass

Journal article: Age-related Changes in Marathon and Half-Marathon Performances

I've often wondered just how much age slows down an athlete. Cycling and running may seem like "a young person's game" when aging world-class athletes and Olympians over 35 are written off as contenders for first place. However, competition for many age-group prizes (based on 5-year or 10-year age brackets) remains fierce as aging athletes compete against one another.

But how much do aging marathon and half-marathon runners really slow down? A group of German researchers quantified the "age effect" a few years ago in the International Journal of Sport Medicine. Their answer surprised me: age is not statistically significant at all for age groups in the 20-49 range, and in the 50-69 age range each passing decade correlated to only a 2-5% loss in speed. Just 30 seconds per mile or less for a 2-hr half-marathoner!



Such a small effect from age surprised me and reassured me that age isn't everything. In fact, it's very little. The ability to exercise and dedication to training is the key factor in the older athlete's success. As the researchers conclude their abstract: Lifestyle factors have considerably stronger influences on functional capacity than age is supported by these findings from physically active and fit elderly.

Reference: http://www.thieme-connect.de/ejournals/abstract/sportsmed/doi/10.1055/s-2006-924658