Officially Done with Physical Therapy!!

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Last night I headed out to Fast Track Physical Therapy in Falls Church for what I was hoping would be my last PT session. Liz, my physical therapist there, gave me the great news that I have in fact officially “graduated” and am done with PT.

It’s not easy for me to admit injury (main reason things got so bad in the first place!), and it’s even harder for me to stop running, so starting PT and being told I needed to give my body a break was a bit hard to swallow at first. Turns out this whole injury thing might have been one of the best things for me. I’ve become so much more aware of my running form and what muscles need to be working when. Thanks to run analysis my form is getting better and more efficient. I learned the hard way just how important strength training and flexibility are for runners. This seems obvious, but I love to run so much I wasn’t always making time for the other stuff. That’s changed.

Liz did a final video run analysis last night and my form has improved a ton from the first time we did this. I’m still dropping my hip a little bit, but it’s getting better and I’ll keep working on it. My feet are landing in a very neutral position and I’m doing a better job of pulling my legs underneath me. We did a quick run through of my home exercises and stretches that have helped me get so much better over the last few months, and she gave me a few more to add to the arsenal to make sure I don’t end up hurting myself again.

I’m amazed at how much more flexible I’ve become. There’s still work to do, but I always just assumed I wasn’t very flexible and didn’t realize I just needed to put the time and effort in to work on it. It has been so amazing to run pain free these last couple weeks. Seriously, I think it’s been a couple years since running felt like this. Liz and Fast Track are the best! If you live in the NoVa/DC area and need to see a physical therapist – I highly, highly recommend them.

I’ve never been so excited for a race season, and can’t wait to go after some new PRs and a Boston Qualifier!

So excited, I can't stop smiling!

So excited, I can’t stop smiling!

Keeping It Light!

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Winter running brings with it all sorts of obstacles. It seems like a lot of my runner friends would rather be too chilly than too hot on a run, but I’m the oddball who loves nothing more than getting out on the roads on those 100 degree hot and humid D.C. summer days. I’ve made a big effort over the last couple years to not listen to my inner cold weather wimp, and keep running outside as much as possible during the winter. I’ve already shared some posts on my favorite cold weather gear and getting out there even in sub-zero temps, and having spent the first two-plus decades of my life growing up in Syracuse I have to admit getting out on the roads down here in the winter is much easier than they have it up north.

Battling the cold or slippery snowy streets aren’t the only obstacles winter brings, however. There’s so much less daylight! I hate leaving work and having it already be dark out, and I can totally understand how people can suffer from seasonal affect disorder…it’s really depressing! Running in the dark brings out a whole bunch of safety issues. As a female runner, I try to never run in the dark alone. Obviously running in a group is safer for anyone who is running in the dark (or anytime for that matter), but I definitely think it’s something we women runners think about a lot more.

AllLitUpOn occasion that I want to do an early morning run before daylight this time of year, I get myself up at an ungodly hour to meet up with a Pacers Fun Run Group for a 5 a.m. run. If you can’t tell, I’m not much of a morning person! The route is mostly well lit, but at that time of the morning, it’s dark for the whole run even in the summer. I also like to run or bike home from work a lot, which takes me along a well-populated mostly well lit route. There’s one stretch though without street lights where the trail runs facing a busy road, so you have to battle the headlights coming at you to still see the road you’re running on. I got a headlamp for Christmas that has completely solved this problem. It’s amazing how a little light can provide so much power and light up my line of sight. I have no problems spotting the paved trail, staying on my side of the yellow line and seeing any bumps in the road I need to avoid.

The headlamp helps me stick out too so other runners, bikers and drivers can easily see me. I don’t think runners always realize how hard it is for drivers to spot them once dusk hits, and knowing that you’re battling with so many other distractions (put your phones down in the car people!!) for their attention, I want to make sure I’m as visible as possible. In addition to the headlamp (which makes  me look oh, so cool!), I rock a Nathan reflective vest that has two built in bright red solid or blinking lights. Just to ensure I look as much like a Christmas tree as possible on my early morning or evening runs, I like to set it to the blinking setting. I also have a couple reflective snap bracelets that help as well. I might get made fun of for looking like such a dork, but I’ll take that over ending up as a newspaper headline for runner hit by car any day!

Stay safe out there and remember to keep it light!

Car Troubles

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Well, this is an all too familiar site for Ian and me. Just more than a year ago, my little blue car was on the back of a AAA tow truck. That New Year’s Eve adventure included breaking down in the middle of nowhere, a 90-mile tow to the “big city” of Scranton, an entertaining cab ride to an airport and finally a rental car to our NYE party. If you didn’t catch my post on that one, get all the details here.

Ian's Car Getting Towed :-(

Ian’s Car Getting Towed 😦

Ian and I did the long distance thing for quite awhile, so I couldn’t be more excited that he moved here just after Christmas. Two people in a junior one-bedroom apartment is a tight squeeze, but we’re making it work and enjoying every minute of it. A fringe benefit of having him here is having a car again! I flew out to Minneapolis before Christmas to make the trek back with him. I figured he’d made that drive on his own enough times…he figures I was coming to get him and making sure he actually came! Either way you look at it, we managed to avoid all the snow storms and made a successful trip back in his Volkswagen Golf.

Getting to drive the Golf though means relearning how to drive standard. My first attempts at driving standard were back during my freshman year of college. I used to occasionally work at my cousin’s bookstore in Rochester and over the summer when I was back home, he would drive me down for the day to help out. He put in a long day though, so he’d let me take his car and get out of there for a bit during the day.

One such day I went to Nazareth College to use their pool. I parked facing in on a slight downhill with another car parked facing me in the lot. Starting in reverse was not something I had tried yet, and as I inched closer and closer to the car in front of me with each try I started full on panicking. I finally got out of the car ready to give up and saw an older couple walking by. I sheepishly explained my predicament and asked if they could drive standard. The man laughed and said no problem he’d be happy to back the car out for me, so I handed my cousin’s keys over to a complete stranger. His wife joked with me about remembering when her husband first learned on a stick shift, and said he wasn’t very good back then either, so not to worry, I would get better. Thankfully he backed the car out in a flash without any problem. I’m not sure I ever told my cousin as I was a bit embarrassed, but if anyone sends this on to him, well, sorry Dave! I still think handing it over to a stranger was better than me hitting the other parked car though!

Flash forward to this past summer, Ian made the trip by car rather than flying since he was staying for the whole summer, not just a quick visit. I didn’t drive standard all that many times freshman year and hadn’t done it since then, so I really needed to start over. After one lesson around our parking lot, we had a weekend wedding in Annapolis coming up that Ian was in. I didn’t have enough vacation time, so we planned that he would catch a ride up earlier and I would take his car up after work to meet everyone after the rehearsal dinner.

One piece of advice if you’re learning to drive stick…driving through D.C. and Maryland in rush hour traffic is not recommended! I stalled 15 times just getting out of our parking lot. I wish I was exaggerating. Amazingly I didn’t stall the rest of the trip, but I was still a nervous wreck. Somehow I managed to turn the back windshield wiper on on a sunny, 95 degree day and couldn’t turn it off, so I think the other drivers knew to just give me some space. I made it to the restaurant, handed Ian his keys while still shaking and informed him that he was now the DD for the rest of the night.

The next few practice runs were in a much more manageable empty Target parking lot. I felt like I’d gotten the hang of it and would be ready to drive on my own this winter. I was doing OK, or so I thought, until I stalled on a hill on the way to an early morning spin class last week. I struggled to get it started for a minute and noticed a burning smell. We thought everything was OK, and Ian was able to keep driving the car for the rest of the week.

I gave it another shot Monday morning since I had agreed to sub for an early morning boot camp class. I was so proud that I was able to get it started each time without revving the engine or squealing the tires. The trip is all uphill with a lot of stop lights, so this was a big accomplishment for me. As I got closer though, the gears seemed to have trouble catching and the smell was back… and it didn’t take me long to realize I’d burned out the clutch, ugh!

I tried pushing the car to a side street, but it kept rolling back down onto the main road. I’m sure it was quite a sight! Thankfully some kind soul stopped and helped me push it up onto the side street – unfortunately in a no parking zone though. Of course, I’d just grabbed my licence that morning leaving my wallet with my AAA card at home, so panic mode set in again. I first left a panicked voicemail for the CEO of the boot camp company saying I didn’t know if I’d be able to get there. Then I called my Mom – because of course calling Mom in a panic before 7 a.m. won’t cause any panic on her end either.

I told her I broke Ian’s car, couldn’t get to boot camp, couldn’t call AAA, didn’t know what to do… pretty much all in one breath and not in the calmest of voices! She told me to take a breath, leave a note on the car, go to boot camp, she’d text me the AAA number and I could have Ian meet me at the car with my AAA card after class. I might be 28, but sometimes calling Mom still makes everything better!

After leaving a note on the car in hopes of not getting a ticket, (this is Arlington, so I was lucky and just got a warning ticket even with my note) I took off running and made it to boot camp just in time. Ian, who is much calmer in these situations than I am, met me at the car after class and we were able to have the car towed to a dealer in Fairfax who replaced the clutch for us. Ian tells me it’ll be easier to learn on a new clutch, but I’m not so sure I want to drive it again. My car luck is not exactly that great, but I also don’t like giving up on things, so we’ll see.

Shoe Showdown: Newton Gravity vs. Nike Free 5.0

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I LOVE running shoes. They’re one of my favorite things to buy. I think most runners would agree – you can never have too many in your closet! I currently have six pairs in my rotation. Two of them are probably ready for retirement, but sometimes it takes me a little too long to throw them out. I know this isn’t good for my legs, but sometimes I get attached!

I’ve been wearing my Newton Gravitys and Nike Frees for the longest, so they’re my back up shoes right now. I leave the Nike’s at work in case I forget my sneaks and want to go for a run at lunch or at the end of the day. I left my Newton’s at home after Christmas so when I visit – especially when I fly – I don’t have to stuff a pair in my carry-on.

Here’s how they stack up…

Newton Gravity 2012

Just The Facts:
$175
Women’s Size 8
7.6 oz
3mm heel-to-toe drop

How they Lace Up:
Putting on my new Newton’s was love at first step. I got to try them out in a series of four Friday 5ks wear Newton reps showed up with tester pairs, but it only took 2 weeks – and 2 PRs – to win me over. They’re incredibly light and breathable. Like all Newtons they feature their trademarked Action/ReactionTM technology and a biomechanical metatarsal sensor plate. Check out the lugs on the bottom that make them so unique and while still providing cushioning, give you a very engaging and responsive feel making you more efficient and costing you less energy with each step. The sensor plate lets you run more naturally since it allows you to sense the ground better making your stride more efficient and more stable.

These shoes are prefect for neutral, midfoot strikers like myself. They can also help encourage a midfoot strike if you’re looking to transition, but you should definitely take it slow and only run a couple miles at a time in them until you build up and strengthen the different leg muscles you’ll engage.

Newton’s bright colors are super fun, and combined with their patented technology they make me feel like I have an extra bounce in my step. I ran my fastest 5k ever in them, and yet they also were supportive enough to carry me through a marathon (also a PR) and all the long training runs along the way to it.

Nike Free 5.0

Nike Free 5.0s

Nike Free 5.0s

Just The Facts:
$100
Women’s Size 8
7.4 oz
7mm heel-to-toe drop

How They Lace Up:
The Nike Free’s are super light and feel like there is barely anything on my feet. They’re also incredibly flexible. I think they’re a good first step into more minimalist shoes. Most of my runs in these shoes were on a treadmill since they were my back up pair at the office for when I’d fit in runs at the gym there. I was stuck doing most of my runs for that training season on the treadmill though, including three of my 20-milers (ugh!) so they saw plenty of miles.

After wearing heavily cushioned shoes for years, I was warned to ease into these, but I loved the light weight barely there feel right from the start. Again, these are best for neutral runners. The heels don’t have a lot of cushion either, so if you’re primarily a heel striker these might not be a good move.

Showdown – The Verdict:
Both shoes were great to me, so this is a tough call, but the Newtons win out. Both were pretty breathable, but the open air mesh upper of the Newtons dried a bit faster. The Newtons also force you to focus on your form a lot more. It’s easier to slip into a heel-first strike with the Nikes, which isn’t easy on the foot with their lack of cushioning.

While any specialty running store would lecture me about not choosing a shoe based on color, the Newtons fun, bright colors are definitely a plus! Sometimes it just comes down to feel and my Newtons felt great on every run, gave me support without weighing me down and most importantly – made me feel fast!

Footprints: Monday Morning Recap

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Going strong! I ran a total of 14.25 miles this week and spent a lot of time at the spin studio.

Here’s the training breakdown by day:

Monday: Spin Class

Tuesday: Track Workout – 2 mile warm-up; 6X400m repeats with a 100m jog recovery; 1.5 mile cool down

Wednesday: Spin Class

Thursday: 4 miles easy – I ran home from work Thursday night completely overdressed since I was expecting freezing temps and snow, but instead it was completely dry and over 40 degrees.

Friday: Spin Class – Body Ride

Saturday: 4 miles easy – Great weather for a Saturday morning run through Georgetown along Rock Creek Parkway and back over the Memorial Bridge past the Iwo Jima Memorial. All was great except for a spill I took near the end ripping up my favorite winter running gloves…better them than my hands though.

Sunday: 1.25 miles easy on the treadmill to warm up for a lower body workout. Spin Class – Body Ride

Spin Class: High Energy + High Intensity = Great Workout

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I’ve jumped head first (or more accurately, bike shoes first) back into spinning this past week, taking classes at Revolve’s spin studio in Clarendon. I took a break from spinning while doing the physical therapy thing, and while I was able to ride my regular bike as long as I didn’t clip into  the pedals, it definitely feels good to be back in the spin studio for my favorite kind of cross training.

I joined the Washington Sports Club in Clarendon about a year ago primarily for their group classes. I already have free access to gyms at home and at work for the basics, but I missed spinning and was interested in trying out other classes like body pump. Unfortunately, their class times don’t fit well into my schedule anymore, so I’m considering ending my membership there after my year commitment is up.

I took advantage of a free pass to try out the relatively new Revolve Fitness studio in Clarendon last week. I’ve seen rave reviews about their studios in NYC as well as the one here. It’s not a gym, but rather is a dedicated spin studio. The class was awesome and really kicked my butt – a great way to start the week off. I bought their discounted intro package for one month of unlimited rides at $60. It gets a bit pricey, at least for me, after the first month is up, (although I have no doubts about the quality they provide) so I don’t think I’ll continue with the monthly unlimited memberships going forward, but you can also buy packs of individual rides to spread out over several months as well.

Bike Shoes

Bike Shoes

In the meantime, I plan to get as much use as possible out of my intro month. I took classes Monday, Wednesday and Friday of this week, and already have spots reserved for weekend classes. They offer three types of classes: Real Ride, Body Ride and Barre Ride. The Real Ride is similar to what I’m used to having taken classes at other gyms, and it simulates an outdoor ride with challenging sprint intervals and hills. I took my first Body Ride class this morning, which combines light weights to work on your upper body while riding and still getting the cardio impact. We did the weights for one longer song and I loved it – very cool change of pace.

I’m not sure how I feel about the Barre Ride. You spend the first half of class riding your way to a great cardio workout then hop off the bikes for a series of barre-based exercises using the bike’s handle bars as a bar. I’ve never done this type of exercise, but will try to fit it in sometime during my intro month, and will let you know how it goes.

I love the high intensity, energetic atmosphere at spin classes. It can leave you exhausted and provides the best cardio benefits of the cross training activities that I do. I’m never bored, as can often happen on the elliptical at the gym, and both the 45-minute and one-hour classes are over in a flash.

Stretch!

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Last week I shared my favorite core workout. One other thing I’ve been really focusing on since starting physical therapy in October is my flexibility. I was unbelievably tight at my first session, which really limited my mobility and was causing a lot of the pain I was feeling. I was given a series of stretches to do 2 to 3 times per day at first, and was told that it can take 10 to 12 weeks to really see the benefits.

I’ve been diligent about keeping with my stretching routine and am really starting to notice a difference. I’m down to going through the routine once a day and usually do an abbreviated version of the stretches again later or after working out, especially if I’m feeling tight muscles. I know it’s really important for me to keep this up if I want to keep running healthy. Check out my stretching routine below. I hold all stretches for 3 minutes each with the exception of the last two, which I do 3 sets of 10.

Book Review: Once A Runner

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Once A Runner is written by John L. Parker and was originally published in 1978. Just about every running website or magazine has this book listed as a must-read if you’re a runner, but somehow I’d never gotten around to it until recently. A quote from Runner’s World on the back cover reads, “The best piece of running fiction around. Beg, borrow, or buy a copy, and you’ll never need another motivator.”

Once A Runner

Once A Runner

The story follows collegiate runner Quenton Cassidy as him and his teammates train for cross country, indoor track and the spring track season. It shows the devotion and effort it takes to be a competitive runner, and I think anyone who played sports in high school or college can relate to what it takes – particularly in individual sports.

Cassidy dislikes the cross country races and specializes in the mile. The story turns when he brings a petition from the student athletes complaining about athletic dress code and conduct issues that results in his suspension from the track team. It continues to follow Cassidy as he drops out of school and pursues Olympic goals with an unbelievably strong commitment to training.

I’ll be honest, it took me a little while to get into this book. The beginning came off as dated, (probably because I didn’t live in this era) and I didn’t really see how it related to running. Eventually I would see the tie in though, and as it focused more on Cassidy’s dogged pursuit to get faster climaxing in a one mile race against the fastest miler in the world, I was completely entranced. I couldn’t put it down and could not believe how motivating a fictional book could be.

One of my favorite parts of the book was during an interval workout Cassidy completed that perfectly sums up why runners (at least for me) keep going and keep training no matter how hard it is when they’re working towards a goal. I love this quote:

…just as each repetition made the next seem more and more impossible, he knew that without question he would do it. There was no refuge in injury, his body could not be injured in this way. There was no refuge in mercy, there was nothing to forgive and no one to issue dispensation. And at last he saw: there was no refuge in cowardice, because he was not afraid. There was no alternative, it just had to be done.”

If you like running and are looking for a quick read, this book is interesting, relatable and very motivating. Give it a read.

Speed Session

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One of my favorite parts of running is hitting the track for a speed workout. Some think I’m crazy for this, but I love the feeling of pushing myself as hard and fast as I can around the track. I’m always exhausted at the end of a track session, but I also get a rush that’s not usually matched by my other runs.

I stopped speed workouts even before starting physical therapy so I can’t even remember when my last trip up to the track was, but I started back up today. It was cold, dark and rainy when I pulled up to the track before 6 this morning, but I was excited to be there. I’ve only started adding speed workouts to my training in recent years and noticed huge gains when sticking to them regularly. Today’s track session came after three weeks of easy running, and will be my only speed session this week since I don’t want to do too much too soon. Next week I plan to start adding in a weekly tempo run as well to help pick up my pace and get back to where I was at…or even faster!

On tap for today was a 2 mile warm-up, 6 400 meter repeats with a 100 meter jog recovery and a 1.5 mile cool down. It wasn’t anything too hard or intense, but it felt great to be cranking up the pace again and pushing myself to new levels.

Do you like speed workouts or just endure them because you know they make you better? What’s the toughest track workout you’ve completed? Let me know in the comments!

Footprints: Monday Morning Recap

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Last week was another good week of training. I’m still high on motivation and excitement from getting back into things after time off for an injury. I took my first spin class since before physical therapy last Monday and it felt great. Spinning is my favorite form of cross training. It’s high-energy, fun and blasts away calories while boosting my cardio fitness.

For the week I ran 18 miles. Here’s the training breakdown by day:

Monday: Spin class in the morning and 20 minutes on the elliptical at the office gym in the afternoon.

Tuesday: An early morning run took me 3 easy miles up Wilson Blvd. to a session with one of my personal training clients.

Wednesday: I got in 50 minutes on the elliptical at the office gym.

Thursday: A very early run with the Pacers Fun Run group took me 5 easy miles through Georgetown and back over the Memorial Bridge.

Friday: I hit the gym at my building before work for 45 minutes on the elliptical.

Saturday: I got to run in shorts and a tank in mid January on the sunny streets of St. Pete in Florida for 6 easy miles.

Sunday: 4 miles easy once again in sunny Florida before my quick weekend trip to visit my grandparents came to an end. Looks like temps will be a bit cooler to run in back in D.C. this week.