Very Specific Things I've Learned While Training for an Ultramarathon

1)  You're supposed to take in at least 20 oz water per hour (of course water intake depends on many different variables such as heat, humidity, weight, amount of sweat and so on).  All I can say is: hydrate.

2)  You're supposed to take in about 200 - 300 calories per hour.  Ensure they are calories that are easy on your stomach.  (Of course this also depends on height, weight, distance, and so on.  I know, I know - I can only be SO specific!)

3) Fuel while you can, before you get too tired.

4) Start off slow and steady so you have enough energy to finish.

5) Dr. Scholl's has a box of Blister Treatment pads that are like band aids - not only do they heal blisters quickly but they prevent them.  Since I got one bad blood blister on a run, I've been using them before every long run and I haven't gotten another blister.

6) Remember to tie your shoes correctly!



7) To get the plasticky taste out of your camelback water pack, run white vinegar through it, then rinse.

8)  Enjoy the journey, not just the ending.

Happy running!

I've become a running cliche. While training for a 50K run in May I have hurt my knee.

Big surprise, right? Running 75K plus each week may hurt. Funny thing was for the most part it didn't. I damaged my knee on a slippery run. Mud and ice on the trails mixed and I found myself sliding out sideways multiple times. By the end of the run that was that, my knee hurt. The rest of me felt great.

What really surprises me though is that it has been two weeks, one x-ray, one ultrasound, four musculoskeletal treatments and I still don't actually know what the problem is. I am still waiting on an MRI appointment, which I'm sure will shed light on the problem, but what do I do until then?

I am swimming, walking and biking. Sometimes I still get knee twinges, but for the most part these activities help keep me in shape. Enough for a 50k race remains to be seen. I suspect I may not be able to finish the full ultra, but I will stop myself from worrying about it until closer to the date when I know more about how my knee is recovering.

In the meantime, the knee hurts on the outside, slightly below my kneecap. This could be a number of things. IT band comes up immediately, but is probably not the reason in this case. My doctor suspects a torn meniscus, which I am hoping it is not as that seems more serious than my other ideas. A torn meniscus involves surgery and I'm worried it would mean future arthritis as well. Lastly, and I think probably the most likely, is a strained Lateral Collateral Ligament. At the moment the treatment for all of these is rest, ice, Advil and bracing/taping. So I guess I'm good for now.

What I've found during this experience is that everyone except runners seems to think running is bad for your knees. I just finished a book called, "Anatomy for Runners" by Jay Dicharry, and in his book, he says that yes, running 50 marathons a year probably is not good for your knees, but he also says, "Evidence suggests that some activity (running) is better for joint surfaces that no activity (not running.)" and "Mild to moderate running volume appears to be a healthy stimulus for the long-term maintenance of cartilage." His idea is that running itself does not cause injuries, it is the lack of strength training, balance and support for your joints that causes problems.

Many of the exercises he mentions are good for running are the ones that I do on a regular basis at bootcamp, so why am I hurt? I suspect I have to work on my hips, quads and glutes to help stabilize my knee. I am stronger on my right than left and my left is what is hurt, so that makes sense to me. Squats, here I come. I am also using a weight machine for my quads and hamstrings. And beyond that, I'll just wait and see.

What I Have Learned So Far While Training for a 50K Trail Run

1)   You need to be able to bring enough water.  I'm using a backpack.  It has to be comfortable.  For awhile I was trying to carry enough water bottles and I was stashing bottles.  Not good enough and a big pain in the butt.  Splurge on a good 'camelback' type carrier.

2)   Whole food is working well for me, such as Brazil nuts and dates, dark chocolate, fruit, Larabars and pureed food (okay, yes, it's baby food.  It works!).

3)  Good trail shoes are absolutely mandatory.

4)  Good music on your iPod and lots of it - also mandatory.  And it helps to have comfortable earbuds too.

5)  Bring chapstick.

6)  Wear comfortable layers.  When you're running for hours in a row, the temperature often changes and it's best to be prepared.

7) Wear sunglasses or a least a hat for some sun protection.

8)  Know your route ahead of time. Seems simple but this would have saved me a few frustrating moments trying to figure out where the heck I'm going and how long it would make my run.

9)  Ensure you know how to safely run downhill.  Google it.

10)  Enjoy the trails!

Boston Marathon 2013

I think I will always remember where I was when I first heard about the bombings at the Boston Marathon.  I was in a car dealership trying to keep the kids happy while my husband talked over vans with a salesman.  I saw it on the TV they had playing in the children's area.  At first I didn't believe it.  Who would put bombs at a marathon?  What would people have against runners?  Against family members who would be cheering them on?  People come from all over the world to run the Boston Marathon.  It didn't make sense.  It doesn't make sense.  It will never make sense because sense isn't remotely involved.

I stood there in front of the breaking news in shock.  I felt like I should take my children away from the TV but I felt incapable of moving. All you can hope for when you have children is that they will never be touched by such senseless hatred.

How About Fuelling with Whole Food on a Run?

When I first started running long distances, I used gels and chews to keep up my energy.  Lately I've been thinking more about using whole food.  On my last long run, I realized that taking dates and Brazil nuts has really worked for me.  I haven't had any GI issues at all during the training runs.    And okay, I'll admit it, I am totally addicted to dates.  They're so sweet!  And yet natural!  (I'm going to have to face my addiction another day - after my 50K run.)

Once on a run my friend had brought watermelon.  Arguably it's not easy to carry around watermelon, but I'll tell you, it tasted so good and was amazingly hydrating.  You've got to love that, right?  I mean, you wouldn't want to chow down on kale.  But a soft food?  Bring it on.

In some ways it is easier to take along bars, and Larabars are awesome and really are just dates and nuts together anyway.  You can also keep track of your caloric intake better with bars. 

I've tried dark chocolate but sometimes when you're running hard, you can't really choke back food like that. 

I have recently read about how some runners use pureed baby food!  Who would have thought?

I'm going to try this.  I also bought some organic Clif gels to use in case I really feel I just can't chew on anything.

Mostly though, I'm going to keep trying my luck with whole food.  What do you eat when you run?