Back in August at the running retreat I went to, I learned about this website, fitday.com. I finally checked it out today and it is awesome. It is very user friendly. And...more importantly...it is fun to use.
Basically, its a site that allows you to keep track of everything you do to stay fit. I love it because it is very women friendly! There is a section on calories. You simply put in the foods you eat and the amount you ate and it calculates how many calories you have eaten. It also tells you what you are missing in your diet!!!! Great!!! There is a section on activity where you plug in what activity you did and how long. It then uses your weight/height/etc... and calculated how many calories you burned. There's a section where you can journal. There's a mood section. There's a section on weight goals. The site is fabulous and highly recommend it to anyone that wants to lose weight, maintain weight, or gain weight!
http://www.fitday.com
More stories from the road to come!
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
New kicks!
So I know I have been MIA...sorry. I haven't been able to run in a couple of weeks because I desperately needed new shoes. (I now believe my shoes were responsible for giving me my shin splints!) Apparently, you need to get new shoes every 450 miles or every6 months. I was a year overdue. The last pair of shoes I bought from a popular running store in Jacksonville. I honestly was never really happy with them. They were too big. They never seemed to fit me right. They were too heavy. Yadda, yadda, yadda. So I decided I would try a new store in town. They are called the Jacksonville Running Company. And I have to say...LOVE them!!! They really took the time to help me find a pair of running shoes that felt natural to me, which is what you want.
First, they scanned my feet. This gave them lots of information like my arch height, where my center of balance is (I'm near perfect-btw!), and where most of the weight is in my foot (it should be in the heel). Then they measured my foot length and width. We had all the information we needed to begin trying on shoes.
So Ted, that was my guy's name, went in the back and brought out a preliminary pair of shoes. I put them on and was then asked to get on a treadmill. They actually film you running to see what issues you may have. I overpronate on my right leg. We also talked about what I liked about the shoes I was wearing and what I didn't like. This gave him more information, so he went back to the back and brought out 3 more pairs of shoes. (This is the kind of service a girl could get used to). I promptly tried on those 3 pairs of shoes and settled on a pair of Mizuno's. But we weren't done! Time to go outside and hit the pavement. Super!!! I get to try running in my shoes before I buy them!!!
They are fabulous. I wore them on my 10 mile run and had no leg issues at all!
I highly recommend The Jacksonville Running Store to anybody that needs shoes in the Jacksonville area.
First, they scanned my feet. This gave them lots of information like my arch height, where my center of balance is (I'm near perfect-btw!), and where most of the weight is in my foot (it should be in the heel). Then they measured my foot length and width. We had all the information we needed to begin trying on shoes.
So Ted, that was my guy's name, went in the back and brought out a preliminary pair of shoes. I put them on and was then asked to get on a treadmill. They actually film you running to see what issues you may have. I overpronate on my right leg. We also talked about what I liked about the shoes I was wearing and what I didn't like. This gave him more information, so he went back to the back and brought out 3 more pairs of shoes. (This is the kind of service a girl could get used to). I promptly tried on those 3 pairs of shoes and settled on a pair of Mizuno's. But we weren't done! Time to go outside and hit the pavement. Super!!! I get to try running in my shoes before I buy them!!!
They are fabulous. I wore them on my 10 mile run and had no leg issues at all!
I highly recommend The Jacksonville Running Store to anybody that needs shoes in the Jacksonville area.
Here are my new shoes....
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More stories from the road to come!
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
I'm Back!
So I have been completely consumed with my job the past few weeks...however I have found time, hear and there, for some nice runs which I believe have helped keep my stress level at a certain level.
As you know at the beginning of this month, I went to Blue Mountain Beach, FL (Which was gorgeous!!!) to a Galloway Running Retreat! Jeff Galloway is an Olympic runner who now helps other runners train for marathons and other forms of endurance training. He is awesome!!! So down to earth and...awesome!!! No other words to describe him.
Here are 3 things that really helped me!
First...I mentioned to Jeff all the injuries I was incurring and he said that I was waaaaay over-training. ("Really?", I thought to my self.) He said I should be doing no more than 1 to 1 run/walk ratios. Which means I run for a minute and then walk for a minute. He also said that while I recover I should do even less than that. 20 sec/40 sec ratios or 30/30s. So I've been doing that ever since and WOW!!!! What a difference it has made in my running recovery! If you're having any sort of injuries when you run...back way off!!! The point is to go long and slow! You can build up speed during short runs.
Second...breathe! It doesn't matter how your breathe, just breathe. This was such freeing advice for me, because I always get bogged down trying to breathe in through my nose and out through my mouth, and I just can't breathe that way. Since then, I've just been doing what is natural and it has really made a difference.
And last...my GymBoss!!! This is the best piece of equipment I have ever invested in. It is only $20 and it's a timer than you can set for intervals. Perfect for run/walk training. You can set it to anything you want. 20 seconds-40 seconds. 30 seconds-30 seconds. 2 minutes-1 minute. Plus you can set it to beep at you or vibrate. I love this little tool. It too has made such a difference in my training.
Anyways...as things lighten up with my job, I will tell you more amazing tidbits of knowledge I learned from this retreat.
Until then, more stories from the road to come.
As you know at the beginning of this month, I went to Blue Mountain Beach, FL (Which was gorgeous!!!) to a Galloway Running Retreat! Jeff Galloway is an Olympic runner who now helps other runners train for marathons and other forms of endurance training. He is awesome!!! So down to earth and...awesome!!! No other words to describe him.
Here are 3 things that really helped me!
First...I mentioned to Jeff all the injuries I was incurring and he said that I was waaaaay over-training. ("Really?", I thought to my self.) He said I should be doing no more than 1 to 1 run/walk ratios. Which means I run for a minute and then walk for a minute. He also said that while I recover I should do even less than that. 20 sec/40 sec ratios or 30/30s. So I've been doing that ever since and WOW!!!! What a difference it has made in my running recovery! If you're having any sort of injuries when you run...back way off!!! The point is to go long and slow! You can build up speed during short runs.
Second...breathe! It doesn't matter how your breathe, just breathe. This was such freeing advice for me, because I always get bogged down trying to breathe in through my nose and out through my mouth, and I just can't breathe that way. Since then, I've just been doing what is natural and it has really made a difference.
And last...my GymBoss!!! This is the best piece of equipment I have ever invested in. It is only $20 and it's a timer than you can set for intervals. Perfect for run/walk training. You can set it to anything you want. 20 seconds-40 seconds. 30 seconds-30 seconds. 2 minutes-1 minute. Plus you can set it to beep at you or vibrate. I love this little tool. It too has made such a difference in my training.
Anyways...as things lighten up with my job, I will tell you more amazing tidbits of knowledge I learned from this retreat.
Until then, more stories from the road to come.
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Irony
So about a month ago I signed up to do a Jeff Galloway running retreat in Blue Mountain Beach, FL. The topic of the seminar is "How to get faster without getting injured". Just my luck, huh! As you know from my last post, I have a slew of issues with my legs right now. So I guess I won't be doing any running on my running retreat. Also, I find it very ironic that I am going to a retreat about not getting injuries with a bunch of injuries. Oh well, I'm still going to go and try to get the most out of it. Maybe I'll even get the courage to run a little. I'll tell you all about it when I get back.
More stories from the road to come.
More stories from the road to come.
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
The worst thing a runner could hear...
One of the worst things about running is the risk of getting a sports injury. Since running is a high impact sport, the risk is quite high. I've been relatively blessed. I've had a few hip and knee problems...mostly just tightness in the ligaments and lactic acid build-up. Then last February I had my first ever sports massage. Now, I loooove getting massages. In fact, I love getting any services done. I could live at the spa. That was until I had a sports massage. My therapist, Kimber, specializes in myo-fascia release or something like that. Basically, it's a really deep tissue massage. Which translates into a LOT of pain. Let me describe it in this way...it feels as though someone is taking a scalpel and slicing my legs open. Apparently, that's what lactic acid build-up feels like. Back in February I was a bad runner. I wasn't stretching. I wouldn't train for long races. I would just show up and run. And I would pay for it in my torture sessions with Kimber. One session she was working on my feet and pointed out that I had plantar fasciitis which is a painful inflammatory condition of the foot. Ouch! So, I decided to take a break from running (Which lead to other problems that I will devote another blog too).
That was over 4 months ago and when I started training again, I made sure to be careful. I stretched before each run. I stretched after each run. I did yoga for cross-training. Everything was going well. And then I went for my first long run. I was sore the next day, which was to be expected, but when I tried to go for a short run...OOOOHHHH the pain!!!! So, I called my good friend Kimber. She came to my house, which I love, and started the massage. It was going well. My ITB (iliotibial band is tissue that runs along the outside of the thigh) was good. My hip flexors were good. The ligaments in my knees were a little tight, but nothing too bad. Even my plantar fasciitis was bearable. Then came the shins. She started to compress the shins and I jumped off the table! Never in my life have I felt such pain as that. And then she spoke the words, "Oh...you have shin splints." NOOOOOOOOOO! This was not good! This was really bad. Then she spoke the other bad words, "You really need to stay off of it for a week to 10 days." WHAT?!? I can't do that. I have a 7 mile run in 2 days. I'm going out of town next weekend for a running retreat. I can't not run! I pleaded my case to her. "I'll come back next Tuesday and we'll see how they're doing then. Until then, ice them for 15 minutes every 2 hours and take a couple Ibuprofin for inflammation. Oh. And no heels at the wedding." What!!! I'm also not allowed to wear heels! Well that crossed the line for me! I sweetly smiled and agreed to her conditions...with my fingers crossed behind my back.
The amazing Kimber Medrano. She is the best massage therapist around. And she is very reasonable!!! Plus, she'll come to your house. To book with her, email kl.medrano@yahoo.com or call 904.716.8236. Just mention me when you book!!!
More stories from the road to come.
That was over 4 months ago and when I started training again, I made sure to be careful. I stretched before each run. I stretched after each run. I did yoga for cross-training. Everything was going well. And then I went for my first long run. I was sore the next day, which was to be expected, but when I tried to go for a short run...OOOOHHHH the pain!!!! So, I called my good friend Kimber. She came to my house, which I love, and started the massage. It was going well. My ITB (iliotibial band is tissue that runs along the outside of the thigh) was good. My hip flexors were good. The ligaments in my knees were a little tight, but nothing too bad. Even my plantar fasciitis was bearable. Then came the shins. She started to compress the shins and I jumped off the table! Never in my life have I felt such pain as that. And then she spoke the words, "Oh...you have shin splints." NOOOOOOOOOO! This was not good! This was really bad. Then she spoke the other bad words, "You really need to stay off of it for a week to 10 days." WHAT?!? I can't do that. I have a 7 mile run in 2 days. I'm going out of town next weekend for a running retreat. I can't not run! I pleaded my case to her. "I'll come back next Tuesday and we'll see how they're doing then. Until then, ice them for 15 minutes every 2 hours and take a couple Ibuprofin for inflammation. Oh. And no heels at the wedding." What!!! I'm also not allowed to wear heels! Well that crossed the line for me! I sweetly smiled and agreed to her conditions...with my fingers crossed behind my back.
Yesterday, she came back. And yesterday, everything was worse. (Maybe I shouldn't have worn heels at the wedding, especially with all the dancing I did. Oops) So here I am, writing and not running. It's a sad place to be for a runner. But hopefully not for long!
Getting a massage in the comfort on my own...kitchen! Lol. The room that we normally use is full of classroom stuff. (See my other blog, A Dose of Reality)
Getting a massage in the comfort on my own...kitchen! Lol. The room that we normally use is full of classroom stuff. (See my other blog, A Dose of Reality)
The amazing Kimber Medrano. She is the best massage therapist around. And she is very reasonable!!! Plus, she'll come to your house. To book with her, email kl.medrano@yahoo.com or call 904.716.8236. Just mention me when you book!!!
Friday, July 31, 2009
And then I felt it...
So every morning I try to go for a brisk 45 minute walk. I basically walk down to the beach and back. Let me just interject how much I love the beach. I love the sound of the waves. I love the smell of the ocean and the sand. I love the constant cool breeze. I love it. I think that I must always have an ocean near me!!! Well, I had decided to take my camera so I could take pictures. I've noticed that from other blogs when you pepper in photographs, the blog is much more interesting. Unfortunately, my camera's battery was dead. So I was putting the camera in its pouch, not really paying attention to anything (I mean I'm at the beach...there's not much to walk into!), when I felt it... Squish! Something oozing between my toes. Then I smelt it...dog excrement! GROSS!!! Apparently someone had let their dog relieve itself and had decided not to clean up after it. Now I had it all over my barefoot!!!! It's one thing to step in dog mess with your shoes on. It's quite a different thing to step in poop with nothing shielding your skin from nastiness. It's also a different animal when you're at the beach and you have nothing really to wipe it on. Sand does not have the poop grabbing efficiency that grass has. So there I am at the beach doing the drag-your-foot-across-the-ground dance making my way to the ocean. Apparently, I stepped in super sticky poop and it was not easy getting it off. Disgusting! Eventually it did come off and I was able to continue with my walk. Of course, I paid a little bit more attention to where I was going.
More stories from the road to come.
More stories from the road to come.
Thursday, July 30, 2009
It begins...
So in exactly 5 months and 17 days I will be 30. Because I'm not quite ready to be 30 I signed up for a race that will take place in exactly 5 months and 15 days. Not just any race. I had something to prove. I'm not going to take turning 30 lying down! I have to show myself that turning 30 is better than any year in my 20s. (Don't really know why I think this, but I do.) So I signed up for Disney's Goofy Challenge. It's a half marathon on Saturday followed by a full marathon on Sunday. Yes. I have signed up to run 39.3 miles in one weekend. Ha! I laugh at you 30!!!
Of course, now that the race is less than 6 months away, I am getting a little freaked out. I have decided to run the race using the Galloway training method, so I have signed up to go on a Galloway running retreat. I also know that I am very bad at making myself run all the time so I have signed up for the Galloway marathon training group. I have also begun running, which is really the important step in preparing for all of this. Here is my training schedule right now.
Monday, Wednesday, Friday- yoga for cross-training
Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday- run
This is a very simple schedule and I know that as time goes it will have to change.
With all that said, let me tell you about my first running wardrobe malfunction.
I am no stranger to running. I have run in many races over the years. I even did the Inaugural 26.2 with Donna. I have never had any wardrobe mishaps. I've had other issues. Broken toenails, bad knees, shin splints, etc... But no issues with clothing. Until now.
It actually took me a day to realize what had caused this. Last Sunday, I had gone on my long run. It was about a 7-8 mile run. I live in Florida so it's really hot all the time and you sweat a lot. I like to run on the beach because there's more to look at and I don't get as bored. So I went on my long run and when I got home I showered and went on with my evening. Well later that night I felt a pain in the most horrible of areas...my butt. I felt around and realized I had a stripe of raised skin in the crack of my butt. I looked in the mirror and contorted my body to see if I could figure out what it was. What I saw looked like a red scratch. Now...I know you're thinking gross! But I do not scratch myself!!! That is when my hypochondriac mind started going crazy. Thoughts of rare parasites flooded my brain and images of having to go to the hospital and expose this intimate area to a doctor frightened me. It didn't put my head to rest that my legs were all tingly from some IcyHot I had put on them. For all I knew the parasite was causing my legs to tingle. I barely slept that night; afraid that if I fell asleep I would wake up to find my legs purple and limp. I awoke the next day and my legs were ok. I still had the mysterious, and painful, abrasian. That was when I had to figure out where this came from. I walked through my day, then realized it had to have happened when I went for my run. That was when I remembered that as I was running my underwear kept rubbing me the wrong way. There it was. The mystery sore was caused from a underwear chafing not a rare and deadly parasite. I have decided to invest in some underwear that is made for running so this will not happen again. I have also decided to seek help concerning my irrational thoughts, but that may be a lost cause...I am almost 30.
More stories from the road to come!!!
Of course, now that the race is less than 6 months away, I am getting a little freaked out. I have decided to run the race using the Galloway training method, so I have signed up to go on a Galloway running retreat. I also know that I am very bad at making myself run all the time so I have signed up for the Galloway marathon training group. I have also begun running, which is really the important step in preparing for all of this. Here is my training schedule right now.
Monday, Wednesday, Friday- yoga for cross-training
Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday- run
This is a very simple schedule and I know that as time goes it will have to change.
With all that said, let me tell you about my first running wardrobe malfunction.
I am no stranger to running. I have run in many races over the years. I even did the Inaugural 26.2 with Donna. I have never had any wardrobe mishaps. I've had other issues. Broken toenails, bad knees, shin splints, etc... But no issues with clothing. Until now.
It actually took me a day to realize what had caused this. Last Sunday, I had gone on my long run. It was about a 7-8 mile run. I live in Florida so it's really hot all the time and you sweat a lot. I like to run on the beach because there's more to look at and I don't get as bored. So I went on my long run and when I got home I showered and went on with my evening. Well later that night I felt a pain in the most horrible of areas...my butt. I felt around and realized I had a stripe of raised skin in the crack of my butt. I looked in the mirror and contorted my body to see if I could figure out what it was. What I saw looked like a red scratch. Now...I know you're thinking gross! But I do not scratch myself!!! That is when my hypochondriac mind started going crazy. Thoughts of rare parasites flooded my brain and images of having to go to the hospital and expose this intimate area to a doctor frightened me. It didn't put my head to rest that my legs were all tingly from some IcyHot I had put on them. For all I knew the parasite was causing my legs to tingle. I barely slept that night; afraid that if I fell asleep I would wake up to find my legs purple and limp. I awoke the next day and my legs were ok. I still had the mysterious, and painful, abrasian. That was when I had to figure out where this came from. I walked through my day, then realized it had to have happened when I went for my run. That was when I remembered that as I was running my underwear kept rubbing me the wrong way. There it was. The mystery sore was caused from a underwear chafing not a rare and deadly parasite. I have decided to invest in some underwear that is made for running so this will not happen again. I have also decided to seek help concerning my irrational thoughts, but that may be a lost cause...I am almost 30.
More stories from the road to come!!!
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