Stubborn Muscle Knots?

Recently I had some calf issues and went to see a Physical Therapist.
Since I was there I brought up every problem I had, (one stop shopping).

My other chronic issue is pain in my upper traps, mainly between my shoulder blades.

I tried a chiropractor, acupuncture, massages, but the knots would always be there. Finally after 3 PT sessions, I realized the Electric Massager the PT used was very effective. So I went to Amazon and bought this one. There are many brands and prices. I just went for the cheapest with pretty decent reviews: XFT-320A Electrical Massager..

I love this. its the best $24 I ever spent. I blast my knots and I can move my neck again.

I know it doesn't solve the underlying issue (which I'm sure is related to posture and training) but it definitely feels Great!!

My Addiction

Over the years, as my body has grown accustomed to long distance running and endurance, it is true, endurance training is highly addicting.. but why?

Yes, on many levels there are hormones and enzymes in your brain and body that love it and keep you wanting more. Everyone has their own personal thoughts and feelings.

But I've noticed, in myself, during on and off season training, my stomach is what drives me the most. Now its not just the justification of gorging 3000-4000 calories a day, (that of course is fun) but its the way my body reacts to food is a whole other story.

During my off season, I wasn't running as much, and therefore I wasn't as 'hungry'. I feel like I've reached a point in my training, where my body just knows how many calories it needs to sustain itself. On my off season, I probably have 1000-1200 a day. Mainly I just don't "feel" like eating more. I get full, I stop. Yes, I get hungry like most normal humans, but the main reason why I don't eat more is because food just "taste" ok. Imagine eating something that didn't "taste" good. You'd obviously just eat enough to sustain life, and stop.
Even some of my favorite foods are just "good". Food was becomes something I had to do for survival because everything I ate was 'bleh'

why?

When I do long runs, my body gets so hungry, so drained, the tiniest morsel of the most mundane food tastes Phenomenal!! As I chew, every taste bud is dancing erotically on my tongue, and every bite is almost orgasmic. Then consuming the food re-energizes my soul, my mind, my eyes, my ears, everything. Everything just tastes so g o o d!

Its like playing a Super Mario Brothers  with only 1/4 a heart left, then you find that Magic Mushroom, and *BAM* 20+ full hearts back.

It wasn't like this all the time. It took years to get to this point and realization.
When I don't have my long runs, I miss the "taste" of food the most. I do love training on the road for hours, being at peace with the world and myself. But that meal at the end is what really drives me home. I 'crave' to crave food.

what's drives you home? :)

The Search for a Tri-Bike

Since my bike got stolen (prior post) I needed to quickly find a new bike because Barb's Race Half Ironman was quickly approaching and I needed to continue my training.

I debated between a road bike and a tri bike, and decided to go with the a tri bike. When I did my last half ironman, my hamstrings were really tired, so I hope to avoid that feeling with a tri bike.

Now finding a size was difficult. I'm 5'2 and petite. Its hard to find a bike small enough to fit me, and with a top tube short enough for my torso. Also I want to get a good deal on a bike too. Of course you can spend $$$$ on a bike, but I decided my limit was $2000-$3000. Closer to $2000 would be best.

I visited a few triathlon stores to get fitted for a bike. I didn't know how a tri bike should feel and it was my first time riding one.
I tried a QintanaRoo, Fuji, Cervelo, and Felt.

It took a couple weeks of searching and researching. Also it was hard to take the time out to drive to stores to try the bikes out.

My local bike store had a GREAT deal on a Cervelo P2 and P3. They looked so pretty, but the smallest size would not fit me.

My last stop was at Triathlon Lab where I saw a good deal on a Felt B16W. I really needed to find a women specific bike because those were the ones small enough to fit me. The workers at TriLab were so helpful, and they set up 3 different bikes for me to try out so I could feel the difference. They didn't force me to get the expensive bike, because I was really drawn to the Cervelo. They recommended the B16 because it fit me really well.

after a few test rides, I fell in love with my Felt B16W. It was comfortable and a great deal! I ended up getting it for $1700 a full carbon and full ultgera bike.

Here's a picture of my new 'Mint-Chip' (its light green and black, but it looks blue in the pictures)

Special Thanks to State Farm for making this happen.

My Bikes Got Stolen

Over MLK weekend, my garage was broken into and my 2 bikes were stolen.

Here's an homage to 'Little Red' - my 2010 Fuji XS SL Comp 1. 

My second bike was a 2009 Trek WSD FX 7.5 - that wasn't ridden very much, so all I have is stock photo. 

I'm writing this post to let other's know how the whole process goes in case this happens to someone else and they need some solace. 

Once we got home and realized the bikes were stolen (along with other stuff in the garage) we called the "non-emergency" police line. 

About 30 mins an officer arrived and gave us some forms to fill out to file a police report. He said there's pretty much nothing they can do, and usually the stolen stuff never turns up. 

I went to bed feeling very sad, thinking why did this happen.

The next day, I called my homeowners insurance to get an idea of what can be covered. My Statefarm agent said they wouldn't be able to provide much details. I would need to file an "inquiry claim" to see if its worth filing a claim. 

After talking to a claims agent, who was very helpful, he said, that State Farm would cover the amount to replace the objects minus the depreciation. So for example, to replace and purchase my Fuji SL Comp today, the retail price is $2300. State Farm believes a lifespan of a bike is 10 years, since I had the bike for 2 years, they took off 20% for depreciation. So $2300 - 20% ($460) = $1840 + tax back to me.

Not bad since I bought the bike on sale for $1800. So I got the full value that I paid for it. 

State Farm knows you don't keep receipts for everything, but for the larger priced items, if you did have a receipt it would be helpful. Luckily I did have my receipts for my bikes, but they were ok if I didn't have receipts for other things, like my pedals, bike computer, etc. 

The insurance process was very fast. After I submitted the paper work, I got a check within days. The process was over in a week. 

I also notified local bike stores and scoured craigslist and ebay to see if my bike was posted. I even made flyers to post, but after I got my $ back, the flame to search for my bikes died down. 

It would be nice to find my road bike so I don't have to go through the process of getting another one which is a PAIN.

If you rent, you can get renters insurance. It covers the same things as home owners insurance (in case your bikes or possessions gets stolen) 

Get insurance! better safe than sorry :)

and here's a note for the thief: 

Charity Miles - Run/Walk/Bike and Save the World

If you have a smart phone Download this free app - Charity Miles. 

Its awesome.

For every mile you walk or run, it will donate $0.25, and $0.10 for every mile you bike. And that's just for doing your Normal workout!
This app doesn't interfere with your other training apps, you can use MapMyRun or Nike+ or other apps at the same time.

Workout and Save the World!!

Stress and Snacking

I know everyone talks about stress, depression or any unhappy feelings leads to overeating, but I never "really" understood it until it happened to me. I always thought it was a lack of willpower on the person, but its much more complicated than that.

Now I wasn't going through anything traumatic, but I had was having a tough day at work and an overall stressful day. Suddenly deadlines, fire-drills, urgent projects, and my dog wasn't helping being mischievous every other minute.

I felt at my wits end. And all I wanted to do was eat. I felt hungry, even though I just ate, so I snacked and snacked and snacked.

Near the end of the day, I had an out of body experience where I mentally stepped away from myself and realized what I was doing.

My day wasn't going in a positive direction.. but what 'was' positive? The candy bowl in front of me, the chips and pretzels, etc. It was something I was "doing" that was "right". It gave me continuous "positive" reinforcement. I wanted more and more to fill the void of my crappy work day.

I now understand how a person can get lost in that. Luckily tomorrow, will be a better day, and all my deadlines will hopefully be gone, and I will need to workout to burn off all the candy I ate. :)

Cheat Days?

Do you condone or forbid cheat days? 

I love fitness, health, and working out.. but what I love even more? Brownies, cheesecake, and food (plant and animal)!

I went to a seminar where a very well respected author and weight loss doctor talked about his extremely stringent diet that he holds himself and with his patients. He did water fasting (fasting for days to weeks with just water), and only ate veggies, rice and beans. Beans were his sole source of protein. 

What really shocked me, was that he compared "cheat days" the same as giving a recovering alcoholic a drink. 

I know his methods do work, but I believe through the power of training and fitness, you learn self control and you learn how eat right. And with that control, I believe you can have that snack, dessert, 'cheat day'. 

I understand its important to watch what you eat to perform at your best, except the Michael Phelps diet, but we're not all training to be Olympic athletes, and whats the point of doing all that if you can't enjoy the simple brownie bites in life. 

Train hard, and don't forget to treat yourself :)

Burn-out & Recovery

After a few years of events and races, I was burned out. I was upset at myself because I hit a plateau and I couldn't get myself out. Worse, with back to back events, there was no time to train or improve, so I was just rolling with the motions. I actually dreaded all the events I was participating in, because I could already forsee the results.. they would be the same, the same and the same.
It was like Groundhogs day,  over and over again.

At the end of 2011, I told myself, no more races in 2012, (except for a very select, but awesome few) but I had nothing planned, (event-wise) except to cross-train, strengthen and improve. It was weird when people would ask me what events I had coming up, and I'd reply "Nothing". Then they would ask, "well then what are you training for?" and I'd answer, "Nothing."

Nearing the end of 2012, I'm quite happy I took this year off. I feel so much stronger and better. I see results when I train, and even the very select few events I did, I saw a lot of improvement even without much training.

I'm looking forward for this year to end and for 2013 to begin. I have some events lined up, and a training schedule set. But most of all, it feels great to feel excited again.
:)
happy racing!

Barb's Race 70.3 Fundraising

Hi Everyone!
http://www.active.com/donate/vineman13/RunLily

After a long time of prepping, I'm finally going for my 2nd Ironman, Barb's Race. (info)

This year, 2013, they are requiring all 450 participants to raise $250 which will ALL be donated to fight cancer.

Even $1 can be made as a donation, which is Tax-deductible.

Thank you very much for your support in the fight against Cancer!

http://www.active.com/donate/vineman13/RunLily

The Worse Part of the Run are the First 2 miles.

Ever since High School Cross Country, I've always noticed that my feet are BRICKS for the first 2 miles.
I've always thought there was something wrong with me, or my shoes, or the terrain.
But shoe after shoe, run after run, asphalt or grass, the same thing would always happen.

Recently I attended a "Shoe-Lab" and I brought up the question to the presenter, to my surprise he said almost everyone goes through that. It seems like it takes 2 miles for the body to "warm up" and for the blood to finally circulate its way down those little toes.

Quote: "The first 2 miles are the worse! Those starting out, if you never get past 2 miles, you never get to see why people love to run. You're always stuck in the worse part. If running a marathon felt like the first 2 miles, I'd never run again."

So if you hate running, but have only been in the <2 mile range.. that may be the reason.. Keep going, keep running.. I promise it gets better. :)

Happy Running!

1st-Distance, 2nd-Speed

A while back, I was working with a newbie runner. She had never ran in her life, and she quite out of shape. She set her sights on a completing a half marathon within 6 months.

This is a goal that can easily be completed by sticking to a good training plan. And 6 months was more than enough time to train.

I worked with her for the first few miles, assessing her fitness levels. Working up from .25 mile runs, we were up to doing 3+ miles comfortably with a 12-14 min mile pace. A really good pace for a newbie and for her fitness level.

However, after the first few weeks, she got the idea stuck in her head that she needed to be faster.

Rookie mistake. I've been there. We've all been there. 

You tell someone, "Hey I'm training for a half marathon"

and they (non-runners) instantly ask, "how fast can you run a mile?"

and honestly NO matter WHAT number you tell them, it most likely wont impress them if its not Kenyan time. 

So I usually reply, "How fast can you run a mile?" and change the subject.

So she ditched our training plan, and said, she didn't want to run any more distance until she could run a mile in 7:30. Then at that point, she would run mile 2.

umm.. 7:30? that's a really good pace, that even experienced runners have trouble getting towards. To drop from a 14 to a 7 min pace in < 6 months, and then to add 12.1 miles to that.. is gonna be a little tough, (aka.. nearly impossible)

I kept urging her to just focus on doing the distance. Don't worry about the time. Once your body can handle the endurance, the speed will come. You will get faster.

In the end, she didn't get past mile 1, and she never made it to her race.

Remember to just focus on distance. Don't be embarrassed by whatever time you're coming in at.
You have the courage to start, which most people will never have.
Focus on finishing the race. That's all the counts.

Happy Racing!

Taste your Food

Recently I read the book "Way of the Peaceful Warrior" and certain parts of the book really stuck with me.

The author/protagonist writes about how he inhales his food, and how he learned to slow himself down to really taste all the flavors in his mouth.

Now I know this is not a new concept, but for the first time, it really made sense to me.

During an insanely scrumptious meal I was inhaling, (like I've always done with all my meals), I paused and thought to myself..
"Wow I want to eat more, even though I'm getting full, I want to eat more!"
Then I thought to myself, "why?"
"I want to consume more of this food because it tastes so good, I want to taste more of it"

Then I realized, I can taste more of it if I just chewed it a few more times, instead of consuming more food.

For the "math geek" in me, I thought, I chew 3 times before ingesting.. If I chewed 6 times, then I would have doubled my amount of "taste" without consuming more food.

At your next meal, ask yourself if you're really hungry for more food, or are you not really tasting your food?

Happy tasting

Diversify, Diversify..

As you all know you should diversify your 401k and IRA's, its also best to diversify your workouts.

Doing the same thing over and over, no matter how many body parts are moving, will become stale, mentally and physically. You will find yourself reaching a plateau.

If you're primarily a runner, add in cycling, yoga, and weight/strength training.
If you're primarily into aerobics or zumba, try adding a spin class and stairs.
If you're doing bootcamp and circuits, get some long distance cardio in.

Embrace change and embrace something new. Your body will thank you for it.

Nike Women's Marathon 2012 San Francisco

aka.. "The Tiffany Run"  (because you get a custom made Tiffany Necklace as your "medal") Its actually the only "medal" I wear around and show off. hehe

Entry into the Nike Women's Marathon is by a random drawing lottery system. Around April, they will open the registration period for 2 weeks. During that time I think +40k people try register for the 20-25k spots they have available. You register, and if you get "chosen" your credit card will be charged the registration fee of $100-150.

For the past few years, I've tried to get into Nike, but I never won the "lottery". I would get the sad email saying "Thanks but no thanks" from Nike and I'd feel depressed and defeated.
However, every year, I've noticed that 1 month before the race, they'd send out an email saying, "Hey you can still register with this 'last minute entry code!' " but by that time, I would have had no flight or hotel booked and it would be impossible for me to get to SF. So I'd pass.

Finally, last year, 2011, I won the "lottery" and it was amazing.

Fast foward to 2012.. during registration period, I felt that I was going to be a sure win. I booked a hotel during Day 1 of registration. Then after the 2 weeks, I instead of a "congratulations confirmation" email I was expecting.. I got the dreaded "Thanks but.. No thanks" email..

I read it over and over and over again.. This can't be.. I felt sad. I felt angry. I felt cheated.

However, I never put 2 and 2 together until this year 2012.. I decided to keep my hotel and wait for the 3 week "last min entry" into Nike. I waited and waited.. It usually happens around 1 month before the race.. As that week approached, I started to give up hope and made other plans.. The day before I was about to cancel my hotel, my runner friend Pam, who won the lotto this year, got the last min entry code and informed me about it.

I raced to the nearest computer and quickly registered. Hooorray!!! I was IN!

Now the tough part.. I didn't train, at all, all year. The most I ran was 5 miles.. So I had 3 weeks to train for a half marathon.

I know I could do it without training, but I wanted to race well, and to finish strong. I didn't want to walk and half ass it, since I wanted this all year.

So I trained hard for the 3 weeks leading up to the race. I had a bad case of runner's knees. Every night my knees ached and throbbed. But I pushed forward with my training.

Finally race weekend arrived. My running partner Connie and I drove up from LA to SF early Saturday morning.

Sunday Morning, Race Morning, we "planned" to leave the hotel around 6:15 and arrive at the starting area by 6:30, however it didn't happen. As we repeatedly hit 'snooze' we remembered, it took us 30 mins to get to the start line last year.. We can wait.. So we left our hotel at 7am, (race starts at 7am) and got to the area in 12 mins. The corrals were still slowly walking to the start line. Perfect timing!

As we ran, we felt strong. We didn't need to stop or walk, but we did have to pee. We passed through the 3 massive hills during the course. I love hills because its a great way of passing people who see the hill and immediately give up.

If you do have to pee, during any race, wait for mile 5 or 6. the lines will be significantly less. Mile 2 port-a-potty will have a crazy long line. Even though I had to pee really bad, I wish I didn't have to stop because I'm sure my end time would've been 5+ mins faster. after we collected our T shirts and our necklaces, I grabbed all the food I could, and headed straight for my $20 shuttle ride back to our hotel where I got a late checkout and slept until housekeeping woke me up. :)

Overall a fantastic weekend.


Tips for Nike Women's Marathon

1. If you don't get in, try again during the 3 week "last min entry period" 
2. Buy the shuttle ticket when you register $10. The Price doubles at the expo $20. 
3. If you don't buy a shuttle ticket during registration, but really need to take the shuttle at the last min, try to sneak on. They didn't even check if we had our tickets. Then use the $ you saved and donate it to charity!! Karma will get you. 
4. Pee after mile 5.
5. Run to the END of the water station. Everyone crowds in the front. 
6. If you need to walk, Move to the right, and don't form a line with the person next to you. Leave space for people to pass you
7. LOOK behind you when you stop and move out of the way. You will most likely get run over the by runner behind you.
8. There are 3 major hills, which get progressively worse. 
1. After Fisherman's Wharf. ~mi 3
2. When you see the Golden Gate bridge on your right ~ mi 6
3. When you're out of the park and enter a residential area, (worse hills)  ~ mi 9
9. After when you enter the Great Park, you only have 3 miles left, and its pretty flat. 

great video from RW.com

Off Your Butt: 8 Exercises to Combat Sitting Too Much

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pR04Qvjf-6A

Cool Down with some Dynamic Stretching

Love to Multitask? I certainly do.

one of my favorite ways to "cool down" is to do dynamic stretches. With dynamic stretches not only are you stretching to recover your tired muscles, you're cooling down, and getting a muscle endurance workout at the same time.
Most of the time people focus on the warm up but not on the cool down. Its good to do some static and dynamic stretches both before and after your workout to prevent injury and promote recovery.

Here are a few of my favorites to do after a good run.

1. Walking Lunges
• Advance : Add a side twist to work the obliques and abs ( if the left leg is stepped out in front, twist torso to the left side)
2.  Squats
• Advance: Squat Jumps
• Advance: Squat with side step
3.  Toy Solider March
• With an arm outstretched at shoulder level, back straight and legs straight, swing your leg up so your toe touches your hand. Repeat on other leg and arm. For me, I sometimes swing opposite arm/leg or same side arm/leg. 

Happy Cool Downs! :)

Long Beach Sprint Tri 2012

My goal was to take 2012 off from participating in events. I felt September was 'late' enough in the year, and my 'training' has been pretty good. So I opted for the Long Beach Sprint Tri.

In 2010,  LB Tri was my first triathlon, and what started the addiction, so I was excited to do this race again and have some fun to PR. I recommend this race to any 1st-timers. Its not super crowded and everyone is insanely nice. Other "hard core" events I've been to have some "serious-no-nonsense athletes" who aren't too forgiving to the newbies. LB Tri is full of newbies, so everyone just has fun, and shares the love.

While doing this race, I forgot how FUN events can be. I loved, LOVED, every single second of this race, and can't wait to do it again.

I had so much fun, and I bet my previous time by 6 minutes.

Why Run?

http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,s6-238-520--14403-F,00.html
By Marc Parent
From the July 2012 issue of Runner's World

Honestly one of the BEST articles I've read in a long time. Loved every single sentence. 


my favorite parts which are so super-duper true!!

"Now that I've been running for a while, I have less advice to give. That's because advice is a recommendation to do something in one particular way. But if you run long enough, you'll do so in every conceivable way. You'll run smart and stupid, fast and slow, short and long, in good weather and bad, with dogs, with friends, with children, alone, on a full stomach and nearly starving, in fancy shoes and old beaters, on college tracks and over mountains, on country roads and city streets. Identical runs will be easy one day, grueling the next. You'll have long runs that fly by, short ones that grind on forever. One day the syrupy waffle bogs you down, the next day it fuels the final sprint. "

"I hated running for over a year. I know, hate is a strong word. You know what a stronger word is? Superhate. In my first year and a half, I superhated running every time I went out."

Running makes you beautiful. Look around and you'll see unattractive people on every corner. I used to see one when I looked in the mirror. Pick out a random unattractive person and imagine what they'd look like running. I've never seen an ugly runner. Running changes everything. I know, never is a strong word–you know what a stronger word is? Supernever.


I read this article on the plane, and the guy next to me thought I was crazy for laughing and smiling as I read this.

HUNGRY....

Due to heavy rain, I had to opt for training at the gym on the "dread-mill".  One of the many things I dislike about the "dread-mill" is that you're stuck facing a mirror, staring at yourself while you watch all your unflattering areas jiggle around.

As I stared at myself in the mirror in front of the "dread-mill" to my surprised, I wasn't focused on how bored I was or how time literally stands still on a "dread-mill." Instead, my only thought was how "hungry" I was to hear these 5 words; "Lily, you are an Ironman."

Oh how much I want it, it makes me ache. The thought consumes me. The 'want' consumes me.

During my workout, I didn't care about how heavy the weights were. I didn't care how my sweat burns my eyes. I didn't care how tired I felt. I didn't care how my lungs burned. My only thought was, 'everything I will endure, will only make me that much closer to my goal.' It makes me feel so alive with such passion. I love every moment of it.

Be Hungry..

Earn the right to shower

Commonly, we "treat" ourselves after we accomplish something. Often we say, if I run 5 miles, I'll get to eat that cookie. Instead of making the reward a treat, make it something you want to/need to do, like shower.

For me, it first started off as laziness. I didn't want to shower twice in a day, (do you know how long it takes long hair to dry?), so I'd make sure I'd schedule my workouts before I needed to shower. And if I showered before I worked out, I knew I wasn't going to "work out" later on that day, no matter how much I told myself I would. So in order to make myself workout, I wouldn't be able to shower until I did. Subconsciously, I've made my "treat" the right to shower.

if you're having trouble keeping up with your workouts, try to make you treat the right to shower. You'll be much more inclined to get it done, or face you family and friends being really stinky. :-D

Lots of people practice this in their own way. What's your treat?

happy showering :)