I did a sampling of them on Tuesday along with a few of these cool dynamic stretches, then I did the hip exercises before my interval session on Wednesday and by that evening, I was aching in places I didn’t know I had.  I actually woke up in the middle of the night with my hips screaming at me. This a wonderful sign! It means I really do need them. The more I think about how it all connects to the core and posture and lengthening of the stride, the more excited I am to work on it.

Revealing my Ugly
Consider this a public service announcement.  In some weird, twisted, masochistic way.

Also, this had my name all over it, “Excess body fat is also known to increase thermoregulatory strain during exercise, so by shedding fat, athletes can go faster without overheating.”  Boy, would I love a little help in that department.

Another great weight-related motivation was a post I read yesterday at Lauren Fleshman’s blog.  Btw, thanks Julie for turning me on to it, her blog is a truly fantastic read.  Lauren’s an elite runner with an engaging writing style who gives great advice, too.  Check out this entry, which is an excellent piece for anyone wanting to lose weight for running.

This really struck me, “…especially once I got to college and tended to carry an extra 5-8 pounds in the fall and winter.  Every year I would get beat by flash in the pan athletes, and it absolutely killed me.”  Now this gal is 5’8″ and 122!  So if 5-8 lbs got her beat by “flash in the pans”, than that’s just more confirmation of how that same amount of extra weight might affect a shorty such as myself.

Just remember folks, with all my blathering on the subject, it’s not just weight we’re talking about, but excess body fat, so if any of you apply this stuff to yourselves, please be healthy about this, don’t eat too little and do some supplementary exercises to keep your muscles strong.  They’ll only thank you for the trouble.

It’s In The Hips, Baby
Adam often supplies me with links to great articles on running mechanics.  This latest has to do with a conversation we had after I posted that gait video a few weeks back.  He suggested I “engage the hips more” and while I was all, “Oh yeah, ok, sounds great” I wasn’t sure exactly what he meant.  Then he sent me this article yesterday which made me a believer in the power of the hips.

The article has a link to RW for some hip exercises that are not only wonderful for getting your hips into the act, but are excellent for strengthening the lower back (bridges) and even address that hamstring injury I got last week, in particular, the last drill mimics the feeling I was going for in my LT workout before it tweaked – the lengthening that accompanies a stronger push-off.  I’m sold!  Did them today before my run and will keep on with them, too.

My Fancy New Air Popcorn Popper
I have to share this, because it’s too cool.  I hate microwave popcorn packets, they stink up the place and the taste is always a bit weird to me.  I used to have a special air popper bowl for the microwave but hadn’t gotten around to buying another.  Then I read that you can make air-popped popcorn in your microwave with a regular paper bag!

The bag has grease on it because for my first batch, I used a little oil, but then realized you don't need any.

All you do is throw in 1/4 – 1/3 cup of popcorn, fold over the top of the bag a couple times and stick it in the micro, you’ll have to experiment with time (mine takes 3:10).  No oil needed, it comes out perfectly!  Afterwards, I squirt some “I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter” spray on it with salt and yum.  A 1/3 cup makes a huge bowl, only 204 calories, 50 grams of carbs and 10 grams of fiber.  Yeah, baby!

Oh, and if you don’t have a bag, apparently you can use a bowl with a plate on top, though I haven’t tried it.  Just be careful when you take it out, it’ll be hot!

If I’m to be honest, I’m pretty certain that weight is the main culprit behind my plateau.  I’ve thought this for months, in fact, but didn’t say it aloud because talking about the power of a few lbs sounds silly and minor, but it isn’t.  I’d hoped that continued training would compensate for being heavier, and it probably has by equalizing it, but it hasn’t been effective enough to overtake it.

Despite eating clean – whole grains, tons of veggies and fruit – I snack when I’m not hungry and I’m also portion-challenged.  Worse still, is when my weight is heading downward, I sabotage myself with “I can eat this extra-mammoth bowl of pasta because I’m skinny right now” – which totally counteracts the loss.  It’s a childish diet defiance that amounts to shooting myself in the foot.

So enough with this loosey-goosey crap.  This weekend I plunked down some dough at Amazon for a super fancy Tanita scale that gives body fat% and even body water%, which will be especially useful, given my proclivity for thirsty hospital visits.  Supposedly it’s quite accurate as long as you’re consistent with when you take the readings.

I’m also pretty sure this new scale will reveal my current cheapy scale to be off by a couple lbs (something already suspected from doctor’s office visits).  If so, I’d like to get down to true 115, not the 117 I think I thought my 115 was.

Speaking of potentially false readings, I also own a hand-held bodyfat device from Omron that insists I’m 24% body fat.  I’ve nicknamed it “that piece of shit”.  I found some pictures online of what people look like at different bodyfat percentages (scroll down for the ladies), and please, I’m not 24%.  Anyway, I’m looking forward to what the fancy-schmancy scale says.

I also ordered Matt Fitzgerald’s Racing Weight book and have started back with measuring food and counting calories (1800/day), at least until I get a handle on portion sizes again.  I’ll still have fun food (mmm…pancakes) and enjoy those fab margarita dates with my pal Lara, but no more standing at the kitchen counter with a package of crackers in one hand, a tub of hummus in the other and no idea of how much I’ve just ingested.  Mindful: that’s the word from here on in.

Lastly, I did something entirely prepubescent: I found an Elite Masters racer who’s got a similar body type as mine (albeit thinner), printed off a couple photos of her and stuck them on the wall.  No, she won’t get those sweet kisses I once gave Bobby Sherman, but she reminds me of my goal and confirms that you don’t have to look like a tendon to be in the game, you can be healthy-looking, strong and beautiful.

Some Fun Links
Coupla things.  In a comment to one of his posts, my blogger pal Joe posted links to some cool slow-motion videos of elites at the Boston Marathon so you can see the variety of different landing positions.  From forefoot to heel-striking, everyone’s represented.  Check out the Elite leaders and Ryan Hall.  Also, watch Jack Daniels talking about footstrike.  Good stuff.

Another fellow blogger, Julie, started a new site a few weeks ago about women hoping to qualify at the Olympic Trials, called Houston Hopefuls.  So far she’s interviewed another blogging friend (and super fast chick) Jaymee Marty, along with a couple other fast babes, so take a look-see for some speedy female inspiration.

Oh yeah…my runs

Running was extraordinarily hot this weekend, 90 heat index at 6am, but I took it slow so it wasn’t that bad.  6 on Saturday, 14 on Sunday, rounding out a 59mi week.  The hamstring feels great!  The ankle feels great!  Today was 8mi with 12 x 30/60 hills (museum ramps).  A break in the morning temps made it fabulous.

The hamstring injury had me nervous as it hadn’t completely left the building.  And while I’d said I wanted at least one perfect hamstring day before attempting this session, tomorrow and Sunday are going to be “feels like” high 80s by 6am, so it was now or never.  And it feels much better, so I thought it worth chancing.

When I left the house at 6:30am, it was “feels like” 82, deeming 10k pace a concept rather than an absolute – I just needed to manage 8 at “whatever”.  I had a 2.5mi warmup which included some strides, then I stretched the hamstring, jogged a bit more and began.

In the end, I completed 5 of them, the first 4 pacewise went 7:05, 6:59, 6:58, 6:58, then I gave the hamstring a long stretch which had the opposite effect as intended, making it announce its presence, so the 5th one fell in at 7:18 and at that point, it was time to pack it in.  Honestly, it was the hamstring, feeling cooked from the heat and a bad attitude.

On the bright side, I managed almost 18 minutes of effort-filled running, so it wasn’t a waste by any means, just not the most efficient bang for the buck.  But I feel better than if I hadn’t done anything hard this week.

Injury Reflection
I think I know how I got the hamstring injury in the first place.  It’s no secret I’m always on the hunt for improving my form and something I’d been playing with recently was stride length.  A couple sessions ago (the one before I strained it) I’d noticed that if I increase my pushoff and lengthen that back leg, I gained some speed.  The problem, I think, is that my hamstring wasn’t accustomed to supporting this exaggerated movement.   Live and learn.  That’s a potential byproduct of experimentation.

Pace or Effort?
There’s an interesting thread going on at MRT about whether you get the same workout running slower paces in hotter weather.  I’m of the opinion that you don’t get an equivalent workout in poor conditions.  Not to say you don’t get benefit, just that you get more improvement when you’re able to fire on all cylinders.

With this in mind, I don’t see myself having the outcome I want for the RNR Philly Half (aka Distance Run) in September, which is a PR.  So if you look at my At The Races page, I’ve removed the note “goal race” from that one and added the Philadelphia Half Marathon in November to the schedule.  It’s a tad slower course than the September Half, but I’ll have another 2 months to train and in cooler weather, so at least I’ll have a clue about where I stand.  Right now, I’m so mixed up with the sludge and my last races, that I don’t know what to expect.

But this is not a boohoo situation!  It’s a “try to see clearly and plan accordingly” type of deal.  I know good things will come, but it’s a matter of time.  This is all about discovery and realization and frankly, even though I whine a lot, I love it.  Yeah, I get frustrated not moving ahead the way I’d like, but running is like nothing I’ve ever experienced before – the way it unfolds is such a mystery.  It keeps us on our toes, gives us a menu of emotions to choose from and makes life exciting.  How many things can you say that about?

On to the video…

For all you water-carrying individuals who find your bottles get harder and harder to open, this little tip from the kitchen will save your teeth and keep your bottles in tip-top shape.  Extra bonus features: a zit on my left cheek and a variety of unattractive grimaces…all yours for free!  Enjoy.

My internet investigation revealed the hamstring owie to be a Grade I strain that, barring any reinjury, ain’t no big thang.  Under some wise Adam advisement (thanks, Coach Man!), the week has a few minor changes: a 5k pace workout on Tuesday is now an easy run and Friday’s 8x1ks @ 10k pace will morph into 8x800s, which I’ll cut short if anything feels weird.

Other than that, the homemade compression sleeve and slushy icepack continue to work their magic.  I got out this morning for a reaaaally slow 7 (10:17 pace).  Last time I went that slow was the first run after Boston and before then?  2008!  Lol.  But I could feel the hammy’s presence and was reminded further when I rushed across the street to beat a stoplight, so “leisurely” was the word.

It was actually quite an enjoyable run – you don’t heat up half as much in “Feels Like” 86 when you’re going that slow.  Clothes still needed wringing out, but it could have been 70 degrees as far as comfort level.

The Running Gods Replied
Just last Monday I beseeched the Running Gods for a sign, any sign, to instill a touch of confidence back into my running.   Oddly enough, I got my wish during this injured weekend…

Thanks to this summer being unusually hot and humid, I stopped wearing my heart rate strap a few weeks ago since all it was doing was making me feel inadequate.  However, I still check my resting rate a few mornings each week because I like keeping tabs on the trend.  The lowest it’s ever been was 45 (and that was a temporary flicker during my big improvement period last year), usually it’s 48 and in the last month or so, 49.

So imagine my shock when I put the strap on this Saturday and saw the numbers do their usual descending dance, only to hit 42.  42?!  Huh?  This was so unexpectedly weird that I thought my Garmin was flaking out on me.  So I turned it off and on…still 42.  Ever suspicious, I dug out the old Polar heart rate monitor and…well, will you look at that? 42.

But wait, there’s more.

Sunday, I again put on the strap wondering what I’m going to see and you could have knocked me down with a feather: 44, 43, 42, 41…40 beats per minute! Granted, it didn’t stay there long, but Oh. My. God.

My heart, the primary organ in all this running stuff, is giving me an unbiased indication that something good is happening.  Whether it’s from more sleep (average 6.75 hrs/night for July so far and getting better) more rest days, lowered average mileage, or all of the above, I am on track!

Sure, it still remains to be seen as to how or when this will reflect in my paces.  But even if they don’t drop in time for a PR in September, I’m cool with that! Because if nothing else, this says I’m getting healthier.  I’m not stagnating, I’m not moving backwards.  The Girl, she is in motion.

I got home, made my blog post and immediately set about following good ole RICE: Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation.  I managed R, I and E with no problem, but what to do about C?  The only compression things I have are for the ankle, so I looked around the apartment for a McGuyvery-type alternative (because after limping home 4.25 miles, the last thing you want to do is hobble over to the drugstore).

I tried wrapping a towel: too bulky.  My homemade neck gaiter: too big.  Then it hit me…the lingerie drawer!  Aha!!  I have a bunch of old tights and pantyhose that I wasn’t going to be wearing in the foreseeable future, if ever, so I started pulling out stuff, ending up with a pair of thick black tights and an old pair of Leggs Sheer Energy Pantyhose, especially perfect because they’re support hose, so they’re thicker and tighter – in fact, I think they’re from when I started running (which I feel the need to mention because I’m not a supp-hose type of gal).  Anyway…

You’ll want 2 pairs.  Take the hose/tights and cut the panty part off and the toes, so you’re left with 4 tubes.

These are it!  Depending on how tight they are and what area you need to support (I’m mostly hamming it up here, though I wanted the top of my calf, too), the toe end is usually smaller so if you want to favor the thigh, pull the toe end up first.  Also, put the looser tubes on first, which in my case are the black tights.  Lastly, ask your wife’s permission before you go cutting up her stuff.  Et voila!

Not the prettiest thing but dang if it doesn’t work well – I’m a sausage!  So there you go.  R-I-C-E.  Done.