Posts Tagged ‘pictures’

So those hip exercises I linked to in the last post are da Bomb! I honestly didn’t think they’d do much for me, they seemed too easy and I’ve never lacked in the hip-action department (let’s just say I’m a really good dancer ).

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.

I got my copy of Racing Weight yesterday and am pleasantly surprised to like it as much as I do.   One thing that struck me (and confirmed my numbers from last year when I lost weight) was a study that found a body-weight increase of 5% reduced performance by 5% – which  coincidentally, is the amount I need to lose.  That’s major and does indeed confirm why I’ve been stagnating all this time.  Consider this: a 21 minute 5K – 5% = 19:57.

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!

Life continues, the hamstring is getting better daily.  This week has been 7, 8 and a 9-miler today, each one picking up speed (I’m pacing to the injury, not going above whisper status).  Today I hit normal paces, so that was nice.   As for the Friday’s speedwork,  I think I’ll be pushing it to Saturday or even Sunday.  I need at least one day (better yet, two) where I feel perfect before challenging it.

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.

The Frugal Runner is back again, this time with a tip borne out of this morning’s hamstring injury.

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.

Heya folks, hope you had a good weekend with some fine running and other entertaining escapades.  My weekend brought a recovery 6 on Saturday and then yesterday, a 14-miler w/5 progression to Half pace, closing a 61mi week.

The 14 went well, though the progression was peppered with that negative brain chatter I can’t seem to stop.  “I’m afraid I can’t” or “I should be doing this better” does not help me, yet it’s constantly there for anything more than easy or recovery pace.  So I beseech the Running Gods, “Please, please, let this cycle crack the plateau and give me back some confidence.  Just a little something – like one of those runs I used to have where you’re going so fast but it feels mysteriously easy, or you average a wickedly low heart rate or gee I could do 3 more of those…something.”  please?

Or another thing those ole Running Gods could do is get rid of my ankle annoyance, which disappeared while I was Ibuprofening my groin last week, but now that I’m au naturel, it’s back and ain’t going anywhere.  Which leads me to this weekend’s entertaining little DIY project…

Ice Packs!
OK, so yeah, a bag of frozen peas makes a usable icepack.  But my favorite ice pack ever was a slushy gel one – it molded perfectly to the body’s nooks and crannies and seemed colder than anything.  Alas, I left it with Nick when we split, so lately I’ve been making do with a half-empty bag of crappy tasting green beans.

I’ve been wanting a proper ice pack, though – something sturdier and “real”, so I was looking around the web on Saturday and not liking the price tags on the fancy ones, when I happened upon a recipe for making your very own slush ice pack!

The Recipe
3 parts water and 1 part rubbing alcohol.  That’s it!

Pour the mixture into a ziplock (with at least one other one around it for leak insurance) or better yet, and what I did, get one of those comic strip looking ice packs at the drugstore because they don’t leak or sweat like a Ziplock will.  Stick it in the freezer overnight and voila!

Here’s my funny rubber icepack and some extra I put in a ziplock.  It’s green because I got wintergreen rubbing alcohol.  And it’s huge because I tried someone’s recipe of 2:1 which resulted in a very liquidy mix so I had to add a ton more water.

The rubber thing was definitely a good purchase ($11, but you can get them for 1/2 that online), it’s super sturdy and retains the cold well. As for attaching these (or any other ice packy thing) to a body part, I use a velcro IT Band strap I bought last year during my IT Band drama.  It makes a good clincher, but you can use a scarf, too.

Little tip on the recipe: if you want it to be less slushy, increase the water ratio – for a softer pack, add more alcohol.  Also, it’s toxic, so don’t go serving it in a daiquiri glass by mistake.

No, this is not another tired video about running drills, nutrition or hill sprints.  It’s time to get real and tackle the truly important subjects that we, as runners, must face on a daily basis in an effort to make a difference in the sport.  Like neatening up your headphone cord.

Note: I feel it’s important to remain consistent in the videos I present to you, so I made sure you get the same low quality you’ve come to expect.  You even get an added bonus with this one because I didn’t realize auto-focus was changing the lighting, so crossing my fingers…no epileptic seizures for you!   Until I get paid for this shyte, I’m not sweatin’ the particulars – it’s just fun.

Btw, if you want better quality, change the settings on the video from 360p to 480p (at the bottom of the YouTube playback window…it’ll sound way better).

Got My Insurance Bill
…via email today from the heatstroke 5K.
Hospital charges for ER + one-night stay: $34,988 (plus $600 in incidentals)
What the insurance company turns it into: $4760 (gee, somebody must know someone)
What they’re charging me: $150 in copays and another $150 for the releasing doctor to say I could leave.  The second $150 is total bullshit (I’m appealing it), as is the whole inflated pricing system.  I really don’t get the health system and never will.

The Sleep Nazi’s New Gadget
I’m loving my new-found affair with sleep – I swear, I feel rejuvenated and motivated again (thus the new video).   This is serious stuff!

So wouldn’t you know, after 7 months of nobody living above me, I finally got a new neighbor: a sweet, petite young woman who volunteered she’s “never around”…music to my ears.  That said, although she steps way lighter then the asshole did, the floors are always going to creak and I can hear stuff through the walls (not just hers).

So…I ordered this very cool white noise machine.  It’s got 1000 reviews and people love the thing – many of them apartment dwellers with my exact scenario.  Granted, I’m not thrilled about replacing sound with sound, but if it makes sleeping easier and deeper, I’m all for it.  I’ll keep you posted when I get it.

The Hot Week Ahead
It’s going to be a challenge with another heatwave of 100s and 90s.  I also pulled something in my groin on Saturday’s run which is still hanging about despite yesterday’s rest day, so hopefully it’ll be fine by the time I need to run hard, though considering the temps, we’ll see how hard “hard” is.  I had to bag my hill sprints today which bummed me out, but I’ll do them later in the week.

Be careful everyone, get out there early as you can, drink up and don’t be macho with your paces.