Spring has Sprung in Brooklyn

It's time to take some of the hard work you've been doing indoors and see how it translates outside.  Having taught many outdoor classes, I see how participants push themselves even harder when workouts are taken outdoors.  Regardless of your fitness level I have some ideas for you to get in some exercises while enjoying the outdoors.

• A walk or jog over the Williamsburg Bridge, which is 4 miles total from NSP.

• Wander over to McCarren Park and do a segment of walking/jogging and body weight exercises.  Remember all those killer jump squats, jack squats, push-ups with rotations from tabata class and cardio class?  Simply set a phone timer with intervals and get to it. 

• At the track combine bodyweight and cardio on your own.  Run/speed walk one lap (1/4 mile) followed by 5 minutes of a circuit of three exercises like lunges, push-ups, and side planks.

•  Get your bike tuned up now, and take advantage of all the bike paths that get you over the bridges and to the west side Hudson River Park or Prospect Park. 

• Bike a 6-mile waterfront course all the way to Red Hook, stop at Fairway and picnic at the park at pier 44.

• See Apps map my run and map my bike for ideas on courses and to log your activities.

I'm looking forward to biking and running without so many layers in preparation for my return to triathlon in June.  Hope to see some familiar faces out there.

Get out of that chair now!

Do you wonder why one shoulder feels different than the other, or why on just one side your low back feels tight?  It probably has a lot to do with your everyday movement patterns, including sitting too much.  When I started as a personal trainer I had no idea how much of my programming for clients was going to be geared toward fixing pre-existing postural and alignment problems.  There are simple everyday actions you can take to prevent further damage.  Maybe you think its all OK at the moment, well take a look here to see all the health hazards associated with sitting too much. 

Best Darn Deviled Eggs

I’ve never been a big fan of deviled eggs because of the mayonnaise, but this healthy fat recipe is amazing.  Don’t think of them just for dinner parties, they are great accompaniment to a salad or soup, or as snack.  Healthy fats leave you feeling satiated and helps you burn body fat stores.  They will hold up for about three days. 

6 Organic hard-boiled eggs

1 small very ripe avocado

1 ½ teaspoon coconut oil (in liquid state) or olive oil

1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar

½ dill pickle chopped (optional)

¼ cup chopped cilantro (optional)

salt, pepper, cayenne and cumin to taste

Sriracha

Slice eggs in half.  Remove the yolk from each egg and place in a large bowl.  Use a fork to blend yolk, avocados, coconut oil, apple cider vinegar, pickle (if using) and seasonings.  Mix to desired consistency.  You can use a blender if you prefer the filling creamier, but I like texture so use a fork.  Spoon the mixture into the center of each egg.  Place a dot of Sriracha onto each egg.  Sprinkle with cilantro if using.   Nosh!

My recovery from a Trimalleolar ankle fracture

It's been a really long time since I've added any content to my blog and decided that with all I have learned in the last six months I wanted to get this information out to anyone who may be researching what recovery is like for an athlete who has suffered a trimalleolar fracture. My accident was on July 15th 2014. I was out for a run on a 90 degree plus day when a cyclist hit me full force from behind. When I landed I knew i was not going to National Chammpoinships (triathlon olympic distance championships were less than 4 weeks away) this year as planned. The cyclist called the ambulance while I tried to hold my composure as I looked at my left ankle which was dislocated and facing the wrong direction. If you live in NYC area, I highly recommend Bellevue for their trauma center. I was in Brooklyn. When the ambulance arrived I insisted on getting me out of Brooklyn, I wanted NYU but I got Bellevue. I won't go into the details of the rest of that day but x-rays showed three fractures in my left leg. two on the tibia and one on the fibula called a trimalleolar ankle fracture. I could see from the images how my ankle was clearly unstable and I would need surgery. They splinted and used a soft cast and sent me home.

Surgery was set for seven days later (7/23) at NYU. Swelling needed to go down before surgery could be performed. Prior to surgery I was told I would need 1 or 2 perminent metal plates and a screw. I could expect to be fully recovered in a year and would be able to run again, but not at 100% of my former capacity. I was told it would take about 6 months for the bones to completely heal which meant no running until February. I ended up with two plates and a screw. My main concern was that I was never going to be a good runner again, or perhaps that pain would remain and I wouldn't want to compete anymore. POST SURGERY- WEEKS 1-4 If you are suffering from this or a similar injury you must be patient. This is not my strong suit, and I was miserable sitting around during my favorite months of the year missing out on just about everything. I was able to perform my personal training work. I simply mmodified my client programs so that I could remain either kneeling or sitting throughout our sessions. I think between the injury and surgery I took off 5 days of work. Pain during the day wasn't too bad, it was nights that were usually pretty bad. Getting around on crutches was not an option. I needed to be more mobile than that so I rented a kneeling scooter for about 10 weeks.

Within a week of surgery was my grandmothers 100th birthday. My surgeon said I could fly but didnt recomment it. I'm so glad I rebooked my flight for two weeks later. I was in a cast post surgery for 2 weeks. That was by far the most uncomfortable time. Its very difficult to address swelling with icing when you are in a cast so elevation was key. The the stitches were then removed at two weeks and I was placed in a boot but could not bear any weight at all for aonther 6 weeks. The surgeon showed me my xrays and I almost cried. I had so much metal in my ankle. I had not imagined all the screws that would be needed to hold the two plates in place. The positive at this point is that the boot could come off at night and when I was resting, which made sleeping a little more bearable and icing more effective. I was also encouraged to move the ankle around. Drawing the alphabet with my toes when I was resting with my foot out of the boot. Also massaging the area, icing regluarly, and keeping the leg elevated as much as possible.

I continued to use training peaks to log all my workouts. I just wanted to have confimation that I was staying active and keeping a plan of some sort. Every day I had to play things by ear. Note, I did get approval from my surgeon to do the workouts i'm describing here. The more time I spent with clients, the more sore the ankle was and the more time I had to lay around with my foot elevated and read books.

Five days post surgery I started doing some workouts. It varied from just mat/core work to open chain leg movements like leg extensions and leg curls. Because my gym is in my building I was able to go in the middle of the day when I had the place to myself and just take my time. Lying chest press, lat pull downs, lots of upper body in seated or lying positions. Again the scooter was a great help. I focused on slow movements with lighter weights for about the first two weeks. My body was fatigued, I was not taking any pain killers during the day but understood my body's need to heal and listened carefully. The first month after surgery I was not myself at all. My body felt terrible, I was tired, took naps, was depressed, but kept to as much of my regular routine as possible.

WEEKS 5-12 It took about five weeks post surgery for the surgical area to heal (stitches were on the inside and outside of ankle) which meant I was approved to start swimming. I was really looking forward to taking that step and found swimming extremely beneficial to my recovery over the next 5 months. The bones were less sore so I was able to increase the weight on my leg extensions and hamstring curls. Right after surgery I took tape measurements of various parts of my body. My left thigh and calf had lost an inch of muscle in just two weeks. So with my leg feeling much better I focused on putting time almost daily in strengthening the legs. Hip abduction, lying glute bridges, superman (back extensions) along with any variety of leg extensions and curls I could think of (even just body weight).

About 6 weeks post surgery was my second follow up with the surgeon including a series of xrays. Now I could start physical therapy and start bearing some weight on my foot. I got all excited thinking I could go right to using a cane. No such luck. Really painful to walk and at first could put maybe 30% of my weight on the foot. So now I had to use crutches. I used the scooter around my home and in the gym environent with clients as it was much safer and I could move around more freely. But whenever possible I would walk with crutches, then just one crutch, and about three weeks later just a cane. I continued with my weight training, still all single joint work for the legs (squats and lunges were out of the questions) and got into the pool at least 3 times a week. Now I could get on a bike as well but had to be a stationary bike with the boot. Not very comfortable as the boot is neoprene and ick!

Prior to getting approval to start PT I did my research and figured out where I wanted to go. I couldnt walk far, couldn't use the subway so choose NYU Langone PT center. I was able to take the ferry, basically from my back door to 34the street, and scoot or walk up 2 blocks to NYU. Perfect. Plus the selling point here was they had an Alter G anti gravity treadmill that had my name on it. I was so happy to see that machine. Had read about them, but never seen one in a PT center. A tip I will share also is that in metropolitan areas good PT centers are quite buisy. I knew before getting my prescription for PT that I would have to wait two weeks for an opening at NYU. Before I saw the surgeon for my 6 week post op appointment I asked that he submit my script so that I was all set up in the system and could make my appontments! So week 7 I started PT. Just like with personal training it starts with assessments. I worked with a team of two who monitored me very closely with notes. The first couple of sessions they just massaged the area, worked on blood flow and mobility of the joint. Then we got into stretches, some strengthening while bearing some weithg, but mostly only slightly painful mobility work. All of this I was able to do at home with bands and was diligent with my daily PT.

11 weeks post surgery felt like a big leap for me. My ankle was genearlly no worse than a 4 for pain on a 1-10 scale (10 being what I experienced about 36 hours post surgery). I was able to ditch the boot and just use a cane for added support (mostly crowd control). Could go to concerts, and generally had less fear of falling. I started seeing an accupuncturist which was helping with blood flow and swelling and therefor pain. Physical therapy incoprorated body weight balance challenge exercises where I saw progress about every 5 days or so. All this lead to a better mood and feeling of wellbeing.

WEEKS 13-20 Swelling and mobility are good enough now that I can wear my cycling shoes so I added work on my indoor trainer. Varied my workouts depending on how the ankle felt while on the bike. Some days I could handle lower RPM sets and other days I had to keep the resistance light and focus on leg turnover. Also a good time for single leg drills focusing more sets on my left/ injured leg. At this point, not including PT I was putting in about 7 hours of training between weights, bike and swimming. My therapist has been very happy with my progress and I know my diligent work is paying off. Whenever I had a bad night sleep, i knew I had to plan for less stress on the ankle that day. Basically that is how I judged my progress. The night pain wasn't terrible, but if I wasnt sleeping well it was because my ankle was bothering me.

Week 15 I met with my surgeon.  Initially I was told 6 months from surgery before I could start running.  That day I got the approval to start running.  This was based upon NYU having the Alter G anti gravity treadmill.  First attempt was 25 min at 70% of my body weight at 6.5 MPH.  Could feel the support I was getting from the air but also the enclosre around the hips helps stabilitze laterally.  I was sore going into the workout but not additionally sore finishing.  The second run was 48 hours later at 80% and felt a little better.  I recognize now that I need to do more hip (glude medius and minimus) on left side.  All daily activities I feel pretty balanced, but when running I feel the hip drop on the left and integrated more isolated strength work for hips.

Week 17 I went on vacation.  Scuba time!  Had been anticipating this vacation since August but didnt actually book it until October because I wasnt sure what I would be capable of.  Spent a little time on most swims the last 6 weeks working with fins to buildup ankle sterength with fins.  Also choose a destination known for easy diving, not much current, drift diving mostly, and short rides to the dive sites.  Turneffe Resort about a 90 min boat ride from Belize city was exactly what I needed.  Basically I rested all day except for the 2-3 tanks of diving.  Having built up the biking and adding the running I was ready for a recovery week.

Upon resuming physical therapy I was able to run at 90% of body weight then had to back down again.  There were a couple of trying weeks where I was not recovering very well from the running, was anxious to get on a regular treadmill but still not ready.

WEEKS 21-28

NYC Marathon 2011- Still the best marathon ever!

RACE WEEK I had a good week going into the marathon. Was really focused on the marathon itself and tapered quite well.  Monday I ran 6.6miles 9mm pace over the Williamsburg and Manhattan bridges.  Tuesday I did an easy spin for 30 min indoors.  Wednesday was 6 miles flat with some marathon pace intervals.  Thursday off.  Friday did 3 miles and a massage, which was a great call. Saturday ran 2.3 miles.  I was anxious and nervous until Friday and then settled into a good mindset on Saturday once I started packing up my gear.

Saturday was indoors all day feeling really good.  Went out for a 6pm dinner, pasta but not too much food.  Can’t remember what I had for desert but know I had something.  Was in bed by 10pm with wake up time of 4:45 plus an extra hour of sleep for daylight savings.  That would give me almost 8 hours.  I slept well the first 5 then tossed a lot the rest of the night.

RACE GOALS, EQPT, PLANS

The ultimate goal is to run 3:30 or better which requires an 8:00 pace. This was my goal in Rome and Paris and I really feel by race morning, that with these perfect conditions  I can do this.  The weather is sunny, high of 53 and no wind.  My body feels great, my equipment and clothing feel good, and I’ve been training for a 8mm pace and think its totally doable.  The secondary goal is to have fun.

I changed some settings on my Garmin so on the first page I have current pace, current HR, average pace, and current time.  The wrist band I am wearing will guide me with the current time so I don’t have to rely so much on the GPS working properly.  My HR goal is 176 average, although I expect that to go up the last 3 miles.  I’m not using the garmin mileage except to check on it occasionally.  I’m using the lap button at each mile marker to get a sense of my average pace per mile, although not totally accurate, think will be more accurate than using the garmin’s preset mile splits.

I have 8 scoops of my Infinit Nutrition amongst two flasks attached to my trim wallet.  That is about 800 calories.  I also have 2 gels for back up and can pick up gel at the 21 mile or thereabout if I need it.  I plan to stop every 2 miles for water, carry a flask in my hand at all times so can have a little nutrition at a time throughout.  Start taking nutrition at mile 3 and finish first flask by 13-mile mark.

I know the course pretty well.  No substantial hills until 12.5.  I’m taking the first half on average 10 seconds per mile faster then my planned 8mm so I’m looking for a 7:50 pace.  That means look for down hills and pick up pace there, not to run a consistent 7:50 for the first half.

GETTING THERE

Woke up with plenty of time to have coffee and gather up my things.  David drove me to the ferry which took at max 25 minutes.  Approaching ferry terminal getting nervous.  Working on drinking my 32 oz of water with want more energy electrolytes and not hungry at all.  Took the 6am ferry, should be eating around 6:30 for a 3 hour lead time but I’m in transit and feel I wont digest the food well so will wait until I get there.  The bus took longer than I remembered.

MARATHON VILLAGE

Once I got to marathon village I looked for the robin hood tent where I have an invite to hang out from a friend racing with them.  This was the only good part about the morning. The rest of the village is cold and damp (probably 45 degrees out and no wind) and the tent is heated.  Ate right away (probably 7:15 by not) but slowly and chewed all my food well.  My regular race formula, which was cherry yogurt soaked overnight in ¾ cup rolled oats, topped with frozen berries.  Still not hungry but totally hit the spot.  Spent about 15 minutes on the foam roller and surprised at how good everything feels.  Got all the gear together, placed on my 3:30 goal bracelet which I will use to pace myself as opposed to the mileage on my garmin which can go through spots of inaccuracy.  Used the flushing porta pottie before I left at 8:10 to find my green area to congregate.  Also had a banana around this time too.

Found the green area, this village is huge and confusing but signs are everywhere to help you out.  I’m alone, none of my friends are here.  They are all on the 7am ferry and start later than I do.  Put on my disposable pants along with a long sleeve shirt and disposable jacket too.  I love these.  Bought them at the expo, they are light-weight, warmer than a sweatshirt and waterproof which is ideal for sitting on the wet ground.  I also have gardening gloves ($2.99) to throw away en route.  Handed over my bag and heading to the coral but stop for the bathroom again.  Feeling rushed and hearing announcements that the first wave should be lining up.  I made it to this corral area which is new to me.  Now we are in another fenced off area just for the #17 starting group.  There are porta potties here too which I wasn’t expecting.  Its still 1:10 min before race start and I’m not liking this standing business.  I find a small patch of ground to sit on amongst everyone else.  People are not really talking to each other and I’m just wanting this thing to get started so I turn on some tunes.

About half hour before start they move us along to the actual race start on the Verrizano bridge ramp.  I’m confused because before I was on the upper deck and now we are on the lower deck.  I didn’t realize there was a group that ran down here.  I find a place along the wall to hang out.  I take off the pants which are kind of restrictive and do a bunch of dynamic warm ups for upper and lower body for about 15 minutes.  I turn off my phone because my battery is draining and I’ll never make it through without tunes.

RACE MILE BY MILE

We started about 5 min late, which is going to cause some confusion with my friends on the route who are trying to follow me.  I know I started out too fast but everyone was too fast.  Many were passing me and I just held back a bit.  Because I’m on the lower portion of the bridge my Garmin is not picking up satellite and without the sun I cant see my HR either.  Just going with my gut and having fun.  Wish I were on the top level, much better view.

Throughout the whole race I was happy with the group of runners around me.  We were definitely assigned well, the pace was consistent, there were very few dodgers and very few people dropping back.  Nobody running in groups.  There were a few handicapped running with leaders, which was tricky at points.  This was the BEST paced group run I have ever experienced.  I noticed in my corral that a lot of people around me were international runners. Absolutely no rediculous costumes.

Miles 1-8 were fun and felt great.  Mostly flat if not downhill.  Average pace was about 7:40 so I was building up some extra minutes to use later.  My HR was high, in the mid 180’s, yikes, need to reel that one in.  But my breathing was not labored so I didn’t freak about it, took it as adrenaline.  Started my nutrition at mile 3 as planned with water.  This was probably the most crowded part of the route.  Had to pull over around mile 4 to tie my shoe.  Sun feels good and temp is great.  Got rid of the gloves around mile 5.

Mile 8-13 were still good although I was now 3 min over my goal and decided to taper back a bit and be mindful and get it into cruise control.  Now my average is more like 7:50 so I’m still adding to the bank and my HR is dropping from between lower 180’s to upper 170’s.  Temp still feels great and happy to see David along with other friends between 11 and 13.  Running through my neighborhood was a good spot, smelled something fresh baked and reminded me of the pizza I was going to be enjoying post race.  I’m doing well with my nutrition.  I’m stopping for water more than planned because I’m concerned I’m not getting enough in each cup.  Because the flask is in one hand I have only the other free to grab water.  Kind of wishing I had a third hand.

Pulasky bridge was a bit of a reality check.  I know there are plenty of other bridges ahead and I slowed quite a bit, everybody did.  So it’s not like I’m worried at this point because I’m not falling back, but I’m recapping all the hills ahead and know my average pace per mile is going to drop at every bridge/hill and there are at least 5 more.

Long Island City was not very memorable.  More turns than I remembered and my body felt real hot for a short while there but I knew the Queensboro bridge was coming up and we would be shaded and likely windy and cool.  I stuck to a pace that was consistent with the people around me.  In the shade with my sunglasses I cannot read my Garmin.  Picked up the pace more than others on the down side of the briged although it is quite steep so I didn’t over stride and was cautious.  Mile 15 was 9:02 ave pace (I never saw this till after the race) and 16 was 8:42.  I didn’t realize I slowed that much.  It was quite cold and a nasty cross wind, in my mind I felt I should go with the flow of traffic considering I could not read my Garmin.

First Avenue felt pretty good.  I should have been more focused on running a straight path.  Looking at my time I see I’m still ahead about 3 minutes.  Now I can’t see the seconds though so its easy to slip (the frame is not large enough to show seconds and I didn’t realize that).  First Ave were miles 17-19 and average pace there was about 7:48, so making up for time lost on the last two bridges.

Although the Willis bridge is short, it is pretty steep, and we got a bit bunched up there.  This is also the point in the race (20 mile mark) where I started to feel pain.  My HR is still really high at 181 bpm average for the race and pretty consistent average mile to mile.  I feel I’m getting enough nutrition, but maybe could have used more at this point.  I do know that my stomach felt good, I didn’t feel slushy from too much water, wasn’t thirsty, and wasn’t hungry, so maybe this is just what it feels like to run really hard even when your well fueled.  Regardless I didn’t like how it felt and the Bronx is barren, lots of turns, and not much to look forward too.

Aside from the 15-17 miles of Queensborough bridge I am still running all miles better than 8mm until now.  20 was 8:17, 21 was 8:08 and 22 and 23 I picked it up again.  Those were the 5^th avenue miles in Harlem where the sun was in my face, I wanted to see my friends and family but just had to push on and stay really focused.  Also there were two songs that came up on my play list during this time that were not motivating me but didn’t want to take the time to pull it out of my pouch and fuss with it.  Good call on that.  Had a falling out with a guy at a water station who came up from behind to pass me, then cut in front of me at a water table just to stop dead in his tracks where I almost fell on top of him.  ASSHOLE.  I’m starting to worry a bit about finishing in 3:30 now because central park is getting close and I have some hills to address.

I remember seeing the 22 mile marker and thinking I only had 3 miles to go.  Somehow I missed something and I lost my nerve a bit when I realized I had 4.2 miles left.  The 5^th ave portion along Central Park was terrible.  I could see all the runners in front of me but I couldn’t even focus on the crowd.  I just kept my chin up and trudged up that long hill.  Even though I ran this portion of the course about 5 weeks ago, I don’t recall this being such a long hill.  Today this hill felt worse than heartbreak hill in Boston,  Ran 8:32 for mile 24 which is the 5^th ave portion to around the entry point into CP.  Mile 25 is when my quads really hurt and I was concerned about pushing though the pain.  Felt like they had grown by 1/3 their size and were big water balloons ready to burst off the bone.  Not a good feeling.  I had seen an injured runner around the 22 mile mark and It always gives me a reality check when I see someone in that much pain.  So the CP portion I didn’t push too hard and mile 25 was 8:22 pace.  This is all what I’m expecting, but not looking at the total running time on my Garmin any longer.  My wrist band which would tell me whether I am on target is twisted in such a way that I cant see the 24-26 mile times and it doesn’t really matter at this point anyway.  I can’t run any faster,  We leave CP for a flat portion of 59^th street and I’m doing OK again.  I’m not feeling emotional as usual when finishing the last mile.  Its sunny, the crowd is a blur to me, I hate that some people are passing me now because its usually me who’s passing others and me finishing strong…not today.  I’m just holding on.  Miles 25-26.2 were run at 8:00.  I crossed the finish, pressed stop and was not surprised to see I missed my goal time.  It read 3:31:25.

As is typical at all marathons we all feel like complete shit.  The only sounds are the voices of the volunteers asking us to move along and congratulating us.  I think this is the first time in recent memory where I looked around at a crowd of people and nobody is looking at, or talking on a cell phone.  We are all toast.  Quickly getting cold.  I cried a bit, not sure why.  I’m not un-happy, I am in pain, I am glad its over.  Woman next to me is sniffling too.  Mostly guys, who are not crying.  I turn my tunes off.  And the texts are coming in from my family and friends.  That made break into a smile and really felt accomplished with what I had done.  This course was much harder than I had remembered.

REACTION TO FINISH

I really don’t know how I lost a whole 1:25 when I was so far ahead of myself for 3/4 of the race and I didn’t fall apart once.  No stopping.  No digestive problems.  Even now analyzing the averages per mile I don’t understand how I ran 18 miles sub 8mm and the other 8 were not terrible 8:04; 9:02; 8:42; 8:17; 8:08; 8:32; 8:22; and 8.  My garmin said I ran 26.51 miles at an average of 7:58.5mm.  SO THERE..Once I saw that I actually ran further than my planned 26.2 I made a concession, gave myself a break and acknowledged that although I did not meet my goal of 3:30 I did run at the required sub 8 mm pace that I had been training for.   it makes sense with all the turns and the weaving along the wide avenues that I would run further then 26.2 but didn't put that into my plan.  Also amazed that I ran at an average HR of 181 BPM and my goal was 176 BPM.  My last marathon was Paris where I ran an average 176 and I really have not trained any of my workouts leading up to the marathon in the 180 range.  All my MP tempo work was 171-176.

I was happy about my starting coral #17 because it was a great group of runners.  We all belonged there and were courteous.  Because of that the pacing went well and I’ve never experienced that in a marathon.  I finished all my nutrition.  My first 400 calories were finished at the 13 mile and the other 400 calories I was working on until the 23 mile mark.  I liked carrying the flask in my hand because it helped me to take small amounts more frequently so I didn’t always need water.  I think I could have used more nutrition though.  Next marathon I  need a belt that allows for bigger flasks.  My fluid consumption was perfect.  I noticed when I got home that my urine was a good color.  I was cautious to drink early and frequently.  Probably stopped at 2/3 of the tables which line the route every mile.  Also thinking maybe I should carry some of my own so not as reliant on race water.  Vary hard to tell how much you are ingesting.  I would have preferred to take 2 cups at a time but was holding on to my flask with one hand. Also don’t like thinking about the action of making that stop for water, much better to be able to just cruise right by and not stress over the slippery areas, which cup to grab, and which runner is likely to cut you off.  I didn’t want to get too wet, especially in the early phases of the race so I probably slowed a lot more than I would  if I had two cups at a time.

I felt very comfortable in my race clothes.  New shorts, tank, hair band, new sunglasses and absolutely loved my new yourbud headphones, which were comfortable and never slipped out of place.  I think my garman was set up well in terms of capturing the most important information on the first page but wish I had seconds for my race time once I passed the hour mark.

I’m very happy that my body felt so good throughout except the last 6 miles of general fatigue.  IT band fine, hamstring insertion/origin good, ankles and feet good, no joint pain at all.  I felt very “balanced”.  Definitely will get a massage before my next marathon.

Sleep could have been better.  5 hours plus 3 restless is not so good.  Also wonder if some of my fatigue had to do with iron loss from my cycle.  Should I have been more thoughtful about iron intake the week before?

Food pre race and days going in were good.  I didn’t follow a carb load diet but did consume less protein and more carbohydrates the 3 days prior.  My appetite during my taper week was manageable and I didn’t restrict calories but was careful to not over eat.  My weight overall should have been less.  I weighed about 5 pounds more than my “comfortable” weight and that was annoying, but I trained with that weight on my frame so I don’t think my performance would have been any different had I lost weight in the last month.

MEETING UP

Picking up my gear at the UPS truck was a breeze.  Had I finished 15 minutes later it would have been a madhouse.  I brought my black, flat Merrill shoes and clean socks to slip into and it felt good for my feet to get out of my sneakers.  Oh, my shoes felt a bit loose at the start of the race.  I wore my most thin socks and was a little worried that my heel was slipping in the beginning.  Also thought my feet would swell shortly and it would all work out.  Well it all worked out.  I didn’t have to walk far to get my gear, maybe 15 minutes (78^th street between CPW and Columbus) and I was meeting David at 77^th and Columbus so that all worked very well.   We walked very gingerly to the subway.  I had to walk down the stairs sideways one step at a time.  My quads are shot.  I was offered a seat on the train and questioned taking it.  Felt good to sit but the rest of the day I could not get out of a seated position without using my hands to assist me.

Of course when I got home and all I wanted was a bath my mom had to call and chat.  So I took time out to do that and then soaked with the bubble mat for about 15 min.  Tub is much better than the pins and needles feeling of water with a shower.  Took a hour nap, cleaned up, and had some friends over to celebrate with Pizza.  I ate 4 slices without an ounce of guilt.

That’s it.  Marathon # 6, 2^nd NYC marathon and my 6^th personal best race.  Every race I’ve gotten faster, every race I’ve learned more to take to the next one.  Writing these recaps is definitely a required component to achieving my goals.  Next marathon will be Barcelona, Spain.  March 25^th 2012.  So I have about 3 weeks off including a aptly timed scuba diving vacation to the Turks and Caicos then back into training.  Should be interesting.

Fueling Your Body During Exercise

There are a number of factors that determine what you should consume during exercise. The most notable factor is duration. The primary concern during short duration exercise is to maintain proper hydration. I require that all my clients bring water with them during our trainings, a sip here or there from a water fountain is not enough. If your exercise lasts less than and hour then purified drinking water should be adequate at low intensities. Bring the effort level up with heavy weight training, or exercising above that so called fat burning zone and now your workout should be accompanied by a sports drink or electrolyte replacement drink. If you are pregnant, have low blood sugar or are diabetic you should bring some carbohydrate based food as a back up for times when you feel your blood sugar dropping. In some cases a sports drink will work well for this population as well, the point is to plan and experiment.

Before I go further into sports drinks and electrolyte replacement I want to delve into the importance of water. Most people are dehydrated before they even begin exercise. Do you ever experience headaches and unusual fatigue during a workout? If so you are most likely dehydrated. Do you check your heart rate and notice that it seems a bit high for the level of work you are doing? This can also be a sign of dehydration. Before you even begin your workout you should be consuming water. The amount I recommend to start with is half your body weight in ounces of water. If you weigh 160 pounds, you should start tracking your water consumption and be sure to drink at least 80 ounces a day. On days you exercise you will need to consume even more. For those who workout first thing in the morning you should be aware that this is the time of day that your body is naturally most dehydrated, so drink up as soon as you roll out of bed.

What is in a sports drink or electrolyte replacement drink? An electrolyte replacement drink is designed to replace the fluids (that would be water) and electrolytes (which are sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, chloride, etc) lost during exercise. Sports drinks and electrolyte replacement drinks are one choice for instant energy during moderate to heavy exercise and also for muscle recovery afterwards. The idea is to start hydrated before you workout, drink an appropriate amount of electrolyte fluid during exercise to maintain blood glucose levels and then perhaps ingest some as well after exercise to balance fluid losses.

Here’s the scoop on electrolytes and why you should think about whether you need to add this to your workouts. Electrolytes are minerals that, when dissolved in water, break into small, electrically charged particles called ions. They are present wherever there's water in your body, such as your blood, cells and cell surroundings. Electrolytes regulate your body's fluids, helping to maintain a healthy blood pH balance, and creating the electrical impulses essential to all aspects of physical activity; from basic cell function to complex neuromuscular interactions needed for athletic performance. Many people know sodium and chloride are among the body's most important electrolytes, they both help excite nerves and muscles, but don't think dousing your food with table salt (sodium chloride) is the key to proper electrolyte replacement. Consider these other key electrolytes:
Calcium - aids muscle contraction
Magnesium - aids healthy cell function
Potassium - helps regulate pH balance
Phosphate - helps regulate pH balance
If you eat a balanced diet you are probably consuming adequate quantities of electrolytes for normal human function. When consumed, electrolytes separate into positively and negatively charged ions in the water inside or surrounding each cell and in the bloodstream. As long as your hydration and electrolyte levels stay in balance, you enjoy normal physical function. However, add exercise to the equation and that balance begins to shift, first by increasing the concentration of electrolytes in your body and then, over time, depleting them from your blood stream. This circumstance can seriously hinder athletic performance and in extreme cases can lead to serious illness.

With so many options on the market, from Vitamin Water, to Gateroade, it can be difficult to make a good choice for a sports drink. Because so many of them are marketed as performance and so called health foods one may think that any of these popular brands would be appropriate. Look for these qualities in a sports drink and avoid the products that meet these criteria. Avoid high calories per serving, and pay particular attention to the serving size. During an hour of moderate intensity exercise most people will not need more than 120 calories. Look for sugars glucose, fructose, maltodextrin, and cereal starches. These are carbohydrate sources that are not recommended for people looking to reduce fat, maintain weight, or who are diabetic. Look carefully at the labels and avoid products with added coloring and dies. My favorite electrolyte replacement is called “want more energy” is only 35 calories a serving, is added to your water as you need it, and replaces all electrolytes. It also includes minerals which assist in absorption of the electrolytes and is all natural with no additional colors or dies.

There is also a time and place for drinks that are higher in calories and carbohydrates. Power events of short duration require rapid use of carbohydrates for fuel. For example a sprinting event, power lifting event, a race of short duration such as a 5K, as well as long endurance events all require additional carbohydrate and a drink or gel that includes electrolytes plus carbohydrates will be beneficial. If you are an endurance athlete participating in events that last more than an hour then you will need to replace carbohydrates throughout your training and racing. You will want to choose a product or combine products to replace fluids, electrolytes, and carbohydrates. It is extremely important to practice with the nutrition you will race with and recognize that it may take some time to come up with the right combination. Generally endurance athletes will choose to use gels or powder formulas for the additional calories along with electrolytes required. I highly recommend a line of products by Infinite Nutrition. They have both pre-formulated options and custom-made training and recovery products. If interested in ordering go to www.infinitnutrition.com and use “compleat” as your discount code during check out and receive 10% off all your orders.

How do you know if you are getting enough fluids and replacing enough electrolytes? There are some very simple tests you should perform to determine this. First start by assessing your urine, is it yellow or almost clear? If it is dark yellow then you are already dehydrated. Keep in mind that when you take supplemental vitamins or eat certain foods it will change the color of your urine, so this is just a guideline. Try to get to a hydrated state before you exercise. Before you workout get on the scale and weigh yourself and then weigh yourself again after the workout. For every pound of body weight lost during exercise you need to consume 16 oz of fluid. Now look at your skin and clothing post workout. Are their white sweat marks on your clothes, are your clothes fairly damp, is your skin a little tacky or can you feel salt granules on your skin? These are all really great indicators of your sweat rate and the amount of electrolytes lost during your workout. Wet clothing means you lost a lot of water during your workout and based upon ho heavily you sweat you should consume 6-12 oz of fluid every 15-20 minutes of exercise. That amounts to a minimum of 18 ounces to maximum of 48 ounces in an hour. Now back to those nasty sweat marks. If you are salty, then you lost a lot of electrolytes and need to consume an electrolyte drink during and after exercise. Remember this does not necessarily need to be a high calorie drink, the key is to replace vital nutrients.

The key to properly fueling your body during training is to experiment with which foods in what quantities work best for your body. Consider the type of exercise, intensity, duration of exercise, time of day, when your last meal was, and your ultimate goal. Still feeling a bit at loss? Then contact me for a free nutrition and exercise consultation.

Virtual Training- A Solution for Everyone

Aside from having someone else do the workout for you, what changes would you like to introduce to your exercise regimen?  Most people are never completely satisfied with their exercise practices as well as the associated results. Therefore they find it very difficult to stay the course.  There are a number of reasons why people are unable to reach their fitness goals such as:

* Not sure what exercises to perform and with what frequency

* Unable to motivate themselves to workout

* Don't know how best to use thier limited time for a workout

* Are repeating the same progarm at the same intensity for months at a time.

I now have a very affordable and results driven program that addresses all of theses issues and more.  I call it virtual personal training, and is a method of coaching that offers my clients a tremendous chance for long-term success.

" I live five states away from Carla and all our coaching has been via email and phone and she STILL gets me better results than my local trainer. She is very skilled at asking the right probing questions to help identify the roots of issues and concerns. From there, she works to build a tailored solution and work plan for you and your specific goals. She doesn’t just broadly apply some basic concepts and let you flounder around like some in her field. She is truly engaged and when working with you, she is focused solely on you" - Peter Z

Click HERE to find out how invaluable working with me as your virtual personal trainer can be.

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Fueling Your Body Pre-Exercise

Here are some questions my clients ask me.  Should I eat before my workout?  Is it better to exercise on an empty stomach so that I tap into my fat stores and burn them away?  I run out of energy during my workouts but have a sensitive stomach and can’t seem to figure out what works.  How much should I eat before going out for an easy jog?

If your goal is to perform well during exercise then you definitely want to eat prior to exercise.  The bottom line is that when you eat carbohydrate-rich foods before exercise, you will perform better, both mentally and physically during the workout.

If you have a sensitive stomach or find that you basically don’t feel great when you eat before exercise choose low-fiber and low-fat foods, they are easier to digest.  Also try to eat at least an hour before beginning your workout.  Avoid foods like peanut butter, cereals, bread and grains before your workout.  Both fat and fiber hold food in the stomach longer and if you have a sensitive stomach you will want to eat food that will be digested and out of your gut when you start exercise.  Some good low-fat, low-fiber options are banana, fruit salad, fresh berries, steamed non-gaseous vegetables, kefir, low fat yogurt, organic milk, soy milk or almond milk.  For those lifting weights a meal replacement shake may be appropriate such as the Isalean Shake. 

How much to eat is dependent on your body size, the type of exercise, intensity, duration, and ultimate goal of the exercise.  If you are exercising for fitness, at a low to moderate intensity for 60 minutes or less experiment with consuming 120 calories and see how that feels.  If the workout is very light, such as yoga, walking, or light cardio you may not need to eat.  In these cases an empty stomach may feel best or you can consider liquid calories like a half serving of 100% juice added to water, coconut water, or an electrolyte replacement drink.

What if your ultimate goal in exercising is to burn fat?  It is true that exercising on an empty stomach allows you to burn fat during exercise, but this does not necessarily translate into a reduction in body fat.  Why?  Because when you go into a workout with a low carbohydrate reserve you will feel less energetic and are likely to drop the intensity of your workout.  When you have low carbohydrate reserves generally exercise feels much harder.  Therefore if you were to get on a stationary cardio machine with low carbohydrate reserves and attempt a moderate to high intensity workout you would probably run out of fuel within 20 minutes resulting in a reduction in intensity and perhaps even total time of exercise.  But if you were working with the cardio machine and are planning for a very low intensity workout you would be more likely to sustain the intensity for up to an hour even if you had not had a meal or snack prior to exercise.  If your goal is to loose body fat you should be working at a moderate to high intensity.  In order to sustain that type of workout your body needs carbohydrate as fuel.  Therefore if you have not had a meal within approximately 2 hours you should consume a low calorie, carbohydrate rich food.  Some examples are ½ cup cooked oatmeal with some berries; whole grain bread, look for sprouted bread, along with no more than 1 Tablespoon of almond butter; or a small serving of organic yogurt with ¼ to ½ cup of fresh fruit.

If your goal is to  build muscle the pre workout meal is only a little different.  As stated before, any high intensity workout requires carbohydrate reserves for fuel.  Carbs power exercise and weight lifting, cycling, running, tennis, soccer, volleyball are all examples of high intensity workouts.  If you have not had food within 2-3 hours it is easy to blow through your glycogen stores and then your mental and physical energy will drop during your workout.  When trying to build muscle choose pre-workout meals that provide carbohydrate and a bit of protein.  Great options are hummus and raw veggies, oatmeal topped with seeds or nuts, baked sweet potato with a little cheese, slice of sprouted bread with 2 ounces of chicken or other lean meat, or snack on edemame.  I like to buy the edemame in the pod, it’s available as organic and already cooked in the frozen food sections.  The meal I am most likely to consume prior to weight training, running over one hour, or cycling over and hour is an Islean Shake which provides 23 grams of carbohoydrate (more if I add some fruit) and 23 grams of protein.

The key to properly fueling your body is to experiment with which foods in what quantities work best for your body.  Consider the type of exercise, intensity, duration of exercise, time of day, when your last meal was, and your ultimate goal.  Always keep in mind that with all exercise, except very low intensity, the purpose of the pre exercise meal is to provide the nutrition your body needs to complete the exercise for a given intensity with a particular goal in mind.  Contact me for a free nutrition and exercise consultation.