Mister Jangl’y Keys
I implore you: Please pass me
You’re annoying me
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Today’s haiku
Posted on June 5, 2006 by threlkeld
This week’s inspiration: A hamster named Mike
Posted on June 4, 2006 by threlkeld
Sure, long distance running is an endurance sport, but have you ever considered what a hamster in a recycling plant has to go through? This story about a hardy hamster named Mike makes running 26.2 miles look like a cake walk.
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Don’t overtrain. Just don’t!
Posted on June 4, 2006 by threlkeld
This week I was reminded of what “overtraining” means.
Work demands have meant lots of last minute changes to my training plan. This past week, I somehow managed to schedule “hard” (or “quality”) runs two days in a row. Unfortunately, I didn’t notice this and paid the price.
On Tuesday, I did a hard tempo run. A few miles easy, followed by 20 minutes at 5K race pace, followed by a mile or so easy. Fine.
Then, on Wednesday, I’d somehow managed to schedule a 14 mile “cutdown” run. This is a long run that’s done at an easy pace, but ends at a faster pace. This helps you build the sort of speed endurance needed for longer races, as it teaches you to leave some energy in reserve.
For the first few miles of this run, my legs felt like wood. My leg muscles felt very tight and fatigued from the get go. I waited for the pain to go away. After about six miles, I was able to relax a bit, but running still hurt. I finally threw in the towel at 10.5 miles.
Then (yes, I’m this dense) I remembered that just 24 hours ago I’d done my tempo run. No wonder I felt like dog shit! No recovery time!
On Thursday I felt awful, especially after waking up for half the night due to leg pain. I was walking like a spastic all day and going downstairs was a challenge. By Friday afternoon I felt fine again and did an easy 9 mile run that evening.
So this is a reminder to check your training plan (or run log) and make sure you’re not scheduling two “hard” days in a row. Doing this regularly not only results in pain, but also raises your chances of injury. And it makes you mighty cranky too.
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Recipe: Glycogen-loaded burritos
Posted on May 31, 2006 by threlkeld
“Carbo loading” is a term familiar to anyone with a glancing interest in or knowledge of running. Eating carbohydrates helps stock your muscles with lots of glycogen, the chemical that keeps them humming over the course of an endurance event, whether it be a long race or a long run.
Here’s one of my favorite carbo-loading recipes, Chicken and Goat Cheese Burritos. I originally found this on Three Fat Chicks. There are lots of other good recipes there. But I’ve since modified it a bit to bring down the sodium, make it spicier (I like really hot food!), and add more carbs:
Chicken Goat Cheese Burritos
Serves: 4
recipe ingredients
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 Tbsp. chili powder
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
1/4 cup tomato sauce
1 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
8 whole wheat tortillas
1 can (15 oz.) black beans, rinsed thoroughly and drained
1/2 cup (3 oz.) soft fresh goat cheese, broken into small chunks
1.5 cups cooked brown rice
recipe directions
Cut chicken into 1/2- by 3-inch strips. Seal tortillas in foil and warm in a 350* oven until hot, about 10 minutes. (Alternatively, heat them in the microwave for a few seconds just before serving) Meanwhile, place beans, tomato sauce, vinegar and spices into a 1-quart pan and cook covered over medium-high heat until bubbling, about 5 minutes. If too dry, add a little water or chicken stock. Bean mixture should be moist, but not soupy. Spray a pan with PAM and heat it over medium-high heat. Cook chicken, stirring until meat is no longer pink in center, about 6 minutes. Lay tortillas flat. Toward 1 edge, fill each with 1/4 of the chicken, beans (including most of liquid), rice and cheese. Fold over sides and roll up tightly to enclose.
Tip: These burritos travel very well. Just freeze them, then put them in a cooler with ice for the trip. Since I was nervous about eating strange food, I ate them the night before my half marathon in April (I got a room with a fridge and a microwave), and I was well-fueled for the race the next morning.
Caveat: If you’re not used to eating beans, you should experiment with eating these during a time when you don’t have a critical event coming up. If you have trouble with beans, there are two things you can do to remedy the problem. The first is to eat beans more often. Your body may get used to them and be able to process them better if you eat them regularly. If you’re not a big bean fan, you can always try Beano, which contains the enzyme that your body needs to digest beans without discomfort.
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Tracking your progress
Posted on May 30, 2006 by threlkeld
Once you make a running a habit, you’ll probably want to chart your progress by keeping a running diary. The best one I’ve found to date is Running Log. Best of all, it’s free! You’ll need Excel, but what with the Microsoft hegemony being what it is, who doesn’t have access to that these days?
My favorite feature is the way it tracks mileage on your shoes. If you rotate several different pairs (which you should if you’re a daily runner, since allowing the midsoles a day or two to “rebound” helps your shoes last longer), this program makes it a lot easier to keep track of the miles so you know when to retire a pair.
In addition to its overall usefulness for tracking training and race runs, weight and mileage trends, the spreadsheet has some other fun features, like a chart that shows you how close you are to the equivalent of running around the earth — or to the moon! Somehow, my total mileage looks very unimpressive when placed in that context.
Full review of Running Log (and link to download) at RunningTimes.
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Today’s haiku
Posted on May 30, 2006 by threlkeld
Without warning, a
Suspended vortex of bugs
The midges of May
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Walk like an Egyptian? No, eat like a Kenyan.
Posted on May 29, 2006 by threlkeld
To make running less grueling, eat more gruel. Or, at least, that’s the message in a study of Kenyan runners’ diets. Is this the nail in the coffin for low carbohydrate diets? No, just more fuel for the dietary flame wars on CoolRunning.com’s Carbo Canteen message board.
Full details and a delicious gruel recipe on Active.com.
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Old guys rule!
Posted on May 27, 2006 by threlkeld
Check out this guy. 95 years old and running marathons. I want to be him in 50 years. But I might have to trade wine and beer for ginger curry. I’m hoping the turban is optional.
Someone should tell him about this site. Too bad they don’t sell tech tees.
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Westchesterites: Downloadable library audiobooks are coming
Posted on May 27, 2006 by threlkeld
Like lots of runners, I have an MP3 player. Believe it or not, it’s not an iPod. I’m a fairly loyal Mac user, but the cost of an iPod is daylight robbery! Besides, I wanted something with an FM radio and a decent belt clip.
I have a Creative Labs Muvo TxFM and I like it very much (although I often wish I’d sprung for the 1GB model instead of 512MB). I also tricked it out with a pair of noise-canceling headphones from Shure (but I don’t wear them outside because they really do block out all sound…very dangerous). These are perfect for hiding the sound of my treadmill, so I can actually hear what I’m listening too. Also good for blocking out the white noise on commercial airliners.
Anyway, while perusing the Westchester Library System’s web site today, I discovered a pilot program for downloading audiobooks from the library. This is exciting stuff! So far, I’ve been using interlibrary lending to get my books on CD, then a laboriously ripping them in iTunes into MP3 format in order to get them onto my player. With this program, life (or at least this aspect of it) promises to get much easier.
My favorite recent audiobook “read” was Stiff by Mary Roach.
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How to guarantee a race award
Posted on May 27, 2006 by threlkeld
I ran in the Bronxville 5 Mile race this morning…and won my first award! First place for gender/age group, which netted me a hideous plastic trophy.
In the few races I’ve run, where I’ve placed in my gender/age group has depended on the size of the race and the quality of the competition. I’ve come in anywhere from the top 40% (big half marathon) to the top 10% (little 5K). My times are improving, but I’m not exactly straining the mantlepiece with the weight of awards.
Well, today I am a champion. My secret? Run in a race that almost no one runs in and that is scheduled on a major holiday weekend when most people are out of town. It’s that easy! 95% of the people doing the “fun run” were just running the 2.5 mile race. I’m not even sure how many of us ran the full 5 miles, but it did seem like the award:runner ratio was very high.
My time sucked, admittedly. I won’t even post it here. That was owing to the fact that it’s warm, extremely humid and the race is very hilly.
It will be interesting to see how my time compares in this race next year. I was the second or third woman to come in (not sure), so maybe I’ll make it my goal to be the first one in 2007.
Now it’s time for pizza and beer. Yay!
Postscript: It turns out that when I ran the course earlier in the week, I ran it backwards, which was a lot hillier. Going in the opposite direction front-loaded some of the most brutal hills and gave the most of the last mile or so a slight downgrade. I flew down that on the second lap, although some guy I’d passed earlier managed to pass me 20 yards from the finish line. I hate that!
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Races Like a Girl 