Signed Up For A Marathon?

I have committedagain to the regiments of training for a marathon.  This will be the third for me.  It wil be Kelowna's BMO Okanagan Marathon.  This week I pushed my times to see if I could get back to my old ones and am taking a few days to rest my poor butt.  Literally!  Stretching my hip flexors and massaging will keep the injuries that come to me with speeding up away!

Its been a humid summer for running which is a hinderance to speed for me as well, but I am seeing good gains.  My goal was to amp up the mileage to over 40 km per week and keep raising it. 

Have you signed up for a fall marathon?  The serious training starts soon depending on your plan.  One rule I try to stick to is to not increase more than 10% per week in mileage for the long run and over all, as I pay for it in injury, feeling it in my glutes.  Stretching and masaging helps stave off long bouts of recovery.  Happy training everyone!

Beating My Body , and Other Reflections

So far so good,I seem to be holding up pretty well.  I have had a very busy and draining week, exhaustion has set in every day as i have started a new position.  An update on the ol' bod...

my feet hurt!  The bottoms!  It could be the distances taking the pounding.  It may be the silly shoes i have been wearing in my new profession.  The bottoms feel bruised!  Morning hurt the most as i roll out of bed.  Feels like I have been walking for hours on really rocky shores in bare feet.

My piriformis and my ITB are holding up remarkably well, which to me is such a joy and I am experiencing much less hip stiffness than I previously did.  Today my right calf hurts.

So all in all, my training is goin as planned.  I am not following to the letter any runner'sworld for newbies on the first marathon plan, but in my head I know my goals.  I am pushing the distance per week less than 10% each time to get to just below 42 km.  I have edged up and backed off a couple of time s to give my bod recoup time.  I am letting recovery runs be just that.

It is getting colder in the mornings.  Almost time to break out the winter gear, I would say, which is a pain since all the training I have done is in summer garb, so hopefully no huge amounts o chaffing wil happen.  Just in case, I have bought my first "glide" stick.

Some reflections.  I will be emotional for this race.  The half last year was emotional for me.  It represented so much, was very personal.  I have put a lot in to my training.  Not jsut physically,  but spiritually and emotionally as well.  All this year's challenges seems to be in the training.  From a new home to a family trial to a huge change up in career and all the uncertainty that came with it, my running times were the bread and butter of my coping, of reflecting, of problem solving, of coming "unravelled", of my being in the moment when I was feeling anxious, and my prayer life, my sweet worship times.  So this race in Oct will be like the expression of all that investment.  Which gets me thinking about beyond that, how the winter will be, I need to have some goals over the dark winter months.  Maybe not such lofty ones.  I have one month to gear up, taper and prepare for this race.  tIt will hopefully be the first in many, but I like to start with a bang!  My friend Jeremy will not be joining me this time.  This was a nice distraction last year,  Maybe Not having him might keep me more in the moment. Who knows.

I am thinking now of a word from scripture:

 1 Corinthians 9

24Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win! 25All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize. 26So I run with purpose in every step. I am not just shadowboxing. 27I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified.

I know th point of this script is not about running but metaphorically about seeking to love on God with all we have for a crown you can't receive here on earth.  But to appreciate the metaphor, it is so enriching to understand what the author is talking about in the discipline of running a race, the effect of things that hinder on your training and being purposeful.  those who win arent just kidding around, they are focused, they say no to  things others may not understand because they are saying "yes" for so long to the prize they envision.

Hebrews 12:1

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.

When I look at this last scripture, I think of my father., Terry Teigen  Since he passed away, I have wondered what those who are with Jesus in glory get to see of our world once gone.  This scripture makes me think that I not only have him as an example, but as one who is allowed to rejoice with me in victory, to pray for me in trial and hardship, and to be a witness to God's work in my life.  He left a legacy, spiritually that continues in me.  One for running, especially, I think of him a lot while I run.  More on that again soon, me thinks. Sometimes, although i know I can't talk with the dead, i ask Jesus to give my dad a hug for me or to give him a message of love.  The veil is up, but it wont be forever, what a  day that will be!  So I run in the meantime.

How do you prepare for races?  What do you think about , especially on your firsts?  Let me know.

 Cheers!

Daunting Long Runs

Honestly,I have felt the lst week that doing more than 27 km like I did last weekend quite overwhelming.  How can i keep up this training?  over 30 km every weekend?  My abs hurt for some reason from last weekend.  My abs?  My legs are still a bit stiff too, which is normal for a couple of days after my long run, but thinking about doing it again each weekend for through august feels like "really???" right now.  

I read a lot of blogs on running, many are 'ultra-marathoners" donig stupid amounts of km.  How do they do it?  It requires retarded amounts of time, for one, but how does their body not break down?

I know this will pass and I will probably look back and smile at how I always feel like this taking on a new challenge.  I did this for getting for 5 km.  Dang it, 10 was a huge hurdle to jump!  but this 30 km, I am so proud of myself yet , wondering, can I keep it up like I need to for a marathon training?  

I am not following a training program specifically either.  I have read enough of them to know I need to get over 30 km for a few weeks long runs in training and then ease off just before in tapering.  I have my running bud that is following a very detailed regime.  I have been running a lot longer runs for a consistent time though, so its not such a surge in mileage for me.

Anyhow, I thought I would just say this feeling out loud as I psych up for Saturday.

Massage and stretches for Hips, Bands, Butts, and Knees

Pulling backa bit today.  Did 5 k nice and easy.  Just felt like I needed to take it easier from the longer run on Saturday.  I bumped into my chiropractor friend, whom I know is a faithful reader of this blog ( you know who you are, GRANT)  :) .  He checked my hip and confirmed that it is still my piriformis/gluteus minimus that is the culporate, which is an overtraining issue.  My foam roller being found the other day in a box from my move, I am now working on preventing an actual injury while training.  I have been stretching as much as I possibly can, which has warded off any further injuries.  If I had not started this, I would most likely be not running right now because of the terrible piriformis syndrome.

Let me stop here and just say that I am not a massage therapist and am no expert other than what I know for my own research and experience!  Check things out for yourself and get seen by professionals when the time is right!

My Two Main Office Stretches

I am including some pictures of the stretches I use in my office and at home for the limbering up of my glutes hips and knees.  One is called the figure four.  The sketch at the top of this posting  is a "laying down" version of the same stretch. 

The ITB leaning stretch, shown here:

gets at the Illiotibital Band, but I have found helps with my hip soreness from this piriformis muscle tightness and inflammation.  Also a good one to use at the office, although it looks  a little strange when you are stretching and tlaking to someone, like a lady who has to pee. HA.

This stretch, which can be difficult to nail the appropriate glute area, has been taught by a few different professionals to me, so it is a common one for piriformis issues.  I dont do this one in the office... it looks a little strange.

Myofascial Release and Massaging Tight Muscles

FOAM ROLLER Stretches...

I have blogged about this with video

but here are a few pictures of how this might look for those with the foam rollers.

For IT band

Another great idea is the use of a tennis ball for getting to trigger points, which is more specific to the spots that get pretty trigger-ish.  Be warned, foam rollers and tennis balls are not for the faint of heart int he pain department!  Trigger points and myofascial release are quite touchy and can be acute in the pain department.  This is partially how we know it is working, but is also why many people think its just torture!

For more, check out this site, it is very helpful with great photos of these and many other stretches and strength excercises.  Thank you to Patrick Ward, MS CSCS LMT for the great post he made on the subject and where all these great instructional photos I swiped come from!

Geared Up for Winter

2nd Winterfor me in running. Well, second and a half.  I began back in the January of 2008.  That makes two years of serious running.  My body has changed, my clothes have changed, but now I am geared up and looking towards a winter of running with all my barriers addressed.  I have just received from Roadrunner sports.com my thermal compression tights.  They are Pearl Izumi Therma Phase Tights. I don't feel the liner inside will be able to keep my nether regions warm enough,  so an extra pair of underwear is necessary, also for support on longer runs.  Why cant they make them more 'brief-like'??  I do feel like a superhero in them!  I am hoping they keep me warm for the really cold weather.

I also have a high-visibility marathon jacket (illumiNITE Marathon Jacket) I have purchased so I don't look like a dark ninja on the road.  Both were affordable and I got a great discount from the site for having a VIP membership, with free shipping!
If you are inclined to stay indoors, there is a site which may interest you :  It is devoted to reviewing treadmills and there are some quizzes to do!  Unfortunately, I cannot afford the space for a treadmill, in my home thus my heading outdoors in the wind and snow.  I have to say, wind is a bigger difficulty than is snow in my books.