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A word from the driver

Apr 29th, 2010
by Jane.
8 comments

People. Training for this relay was TOUGH. Just look at the preparation I’ve gone through the last few months…well, weeks. Okay, hours:

  • Flexing and extending my foot. A lot. My ankle is feeling very warmed up and limber. I should be able to brake AND accelerate NO PROBLEM.
  • Staying up late watching old episodes of 24. Season 2 was pretty awesome. How is an atomic bomb not awesome? I digress. All this TV watching was a total sacrifice for the team. If I can’t keep myself up for Jack Bauer, how am I going to for a bunch of crazy runners? I’m ready. Jack has trained me well. Including how to really effectively torture someone…no slacking off, runners. I have powers of persuasion you will not want to experience. That should keep you running. None of this “Rah rah rah! Shish koom bah!” nonsense.
  • Planning my outfits. This may have been the hardest part of my training. There are two completely opposite ways to take advantage of the fact that all the people I will be with for 2 days will be sweaty and, well, gross (no offense). 1) I just relax, wear sweats and sneakers, pull my hair back in a ponytail and enjoy not being stressed about how I look. OR… 2) Um, hello?! With minimal effort I will look 10 bazillion times better than anyone I’m with this weekend. Normally I’m the schlub at preschool pick up with the perpetual ponytail…now’s my chance to shine. If I flat iron my hair, throw on some lip gloss and wear some cute shoes, I’ll look like a supermodel in this sweaty crowd.  Since one should not divulge all training secrets before the big event, you’ll just have to wait and see what approach I take.

So there you have it. The grueling training regimen of a running relay van driver. Those runners should be GRATEFUL all they had to do was RUN. Easy peasy. ;)

Posted in: Training.

Blistex is Saving Our Lips

Apr 28th, 2010
by Marie.
2 comments

Thanks to our friends at Blistex, our lovely lips will be kept hydrated and medicated all through our relay. It’s SPF 15, helping shade the sun from blistering our mouths while we run, as we’ll be running for 200 miles. That’s a lot of sunny and windy weather.

The best part is that they are sending us GREEN Blistex, so our lips will be matching our shirts for the race (well, just the container is green. How cool would that be if it colored our lips green too?!)

Go EAT. BLOG. RUN.!!

Posted in: Running.

Ramping Up the Conditioning

Apr 27th, 2010
by Meg.
5 comments

Since I was late to the game in terms of signing up for EatBlogRun, I felt like I needed to pump my training into overdrive.  I was in the process of trying to work out five to six days a week; EatBlogRun pretty much guaranteed I met that goal (awesome perk, btw).

When it comes to sports and working out, I consider myself a runner.  It’s not something I’ve ever really loved (or hell, even enjoyed until very recently), it’s just something I’ve always been able to do.  In high school I loved soccer.  And sucked at it.  Horribly.  Cross country?  Loathed.  But routinely scored in the top five of my team.  Go figure.

I haven’t been in race shape since, and more to the point, haven’t kept running as a daily part of my life.  Especially during my travels.  I’ve had bouts of fitness here and there where I’d run a few times a week, but always to be “healthy” and “in shape” and never racking up mileage or gunning for speed.

All this to say, I hadn’t run like it mattered in years.  And when you start running again, it’s hard.  Huffing and puffing, lumbering like a water buffalo, with only one thought going through my brain: WHENISTHISGOINGTOBEOVER?!

There were concerns voiced about doing too much too soon and injuring myself and training wisely, not foolishly.  My knees would be a little stiff or sore after runs, which hadn’t happened since my race days.  I wanted to keep pushing myself and improving, but I didn’t want to hurt myself.

So I did something I’ve never done before: spinning.

Have you taken a spinning class?  Holy Hannah that stuff is hard.  We’re talking dripping with sweat, soaking through everything you’re wearing, hating your life, flat out DYING on a bicycle.  I mean, I’ve heard spinning is hard stuff.  But spinning is HARD STUFF.

I have absolutely no idea if spinning will help with my runs or The Relay, but it was a high-intensity workout that was easy on my knees (and hard on everything else).  I figured not running for a day would give my joints a breather, but I’d still get in a full load of conditioning.  And then on Thursday I doubled up and did spinning in the morning and ran in the afternoon — and then promptly died.  It was so hard I was practically dragging myself across the pavement.  Which is probably how I’ll feel come leg #3 this weekend.  Oof.

No idea if I’ll stick with spinning post-relay; at the moment I’m leaning toward not.  Today was my third (and final) spinning class in preparation, and it was marginally easier than my first two.  Which is always encouraging.

In any event, I’m pleased I squeaked in some solid conditioning.  I’m sure it’s all mental, but it feels good feeling better prepared for the big race.

Posted in: Running, Training.
Tagged: · ·

What a Fine Sweater Set!

Apr 27th, 2010
by Kari.
4 comments

The pre-race jitters kooky dreams have set in.  Either that, or I just finished The Relay in a delicate pink sweater set, and now must apologize to the masses for getting rather lost and adding hours and hours to our team time.

I’m Leg Nine. I know I’m Leg Nine. But in last night’s freak-fest, I thought I was Leg Six, which in my math-deprived state meant I thought I’d be the first runner of Van #2, rather than the last of Van #1. But for the purposes of my nightmare, Leg Six was indeed the first to pop out of Van #2.

Run, Run, RUN! God Kari, just GO!

I wasn’t prepared. It came on too fast. I hadn’t changed yet! What, were the Van #1 runners really that speedy that Van #2 wasn’t even ready? Worse – why was I wearing the aforementioned sweater set? After all, as thankful as I am to the fabulous GM folks, I don’t think I’m wearing a delicate sweater set and pearls to our dinner with them Friday night; and I certainly wouldn’t wear pearls to bed.

Realistically, had I been caught off guard Saturday morning I should be in sweats, hair all askew. Instead, I looked like I was doing the interview portion of Miss America. What I feared most though, as I took off running in my pumps, wasn’t that the sweater would rip, or that my skinny dark jeans would be too constricting. I didn’t mind my hair curled around my face just-so, which would likely bug me once the sweat came. Nope, it was all about the bra. After all, when wearing a delicate sweater set, the bra is dainty, not heavy armor.

I found a bathroom to change my bra - yup, just the bra – during which time I saw tons of The Relay runners sprinting by. They all wore those underwear-like track bottoms that shows every inch of their well-groomed-down-there-anatomy with sleek singlets displaying their endorsements. They looked like they were doing 50 meters, not a race involving “miles.”

When I emerged, the runners were gone. Instead, I saw a bunch of skinny folks on lounge chairs by a spectacular pool. Not knowing which direction to run,  I took off into the forest. Why I chose the scariest place, I’ll never know. But believe me, next time I have that choice, I think I’ll just hang by the pool.

So apologies in advance if I show up this weekend wearing pumps, pearls, and a delicate pink sweater set.

Posted in: Training.
Tagged: · · ·

Hydrating

Apr 26th, 2010
by Emmie.
11 comments

When I was in high school, I joined a new soccer team with a coach who actually paid attention to our overall approach to training – not just which soccer drills we did when. One weekend we were to play in a tournament somewhere in the Central Valley where the temperature was forecasted to surpass 110 degrees. For those of you who don’t know, most soccer tournaments require playing 2 full-length (90 minute) games per day for two days straight (assuming you play a second game for 1 – 4th place on the second day of the tournament). Playing soccer in 110 degree heat for 180 minutes per day for two days is a sure fire recipe for dehydration.

In order to combat this inevitability, Coach T told us to start hydrating earlier in the week. He wanted us to drink at least a gallon of water by the time of the first game. What Coach T forgot was that we were teenage girls who left EVERYTHING to the last minute. Including hydrating.

That little oversight on his part meant that on the drive to the tournament, during warm-ups and even during the game (!), each of us took turns running over to the bathroom to relieve ourselves.

I learned that day that waiting until the last minute to hydrate is a very bad idea. With The Relay just four and a half days away, there’s no time like the present to get hydrated. Exhibit A:

My desk along with six bottles (101.4 ounces) of water so far today.

Posted in: Eating, Running, Training.

So happy to have Luna Bar as a friend of Eat.Blog.Run.

Apr 26th, 2010
by RookieMom Heather.
4 comments

I am super excited to share my hometown favorites with my Eat Blog Run teammates this coming weekend. I have delicious (and nutritious) bars to share from the good folks at Luna Bar.

Why do I love these guys?
One reason is the high quality ingredients. According to the Luna website:

We use 100% natural, organic, wholesome ingredients – good stuff like heritage whole grains, soy protein, nuts and seeds. And we’ve got you covered on the nutrients women need most like calcium and Vitamin D, folic acid, and iron. Our food has no artificial colors, flavors or preservatives either.

If it was just up to me, we would have chocolate brownie, chocolate chip peanut crunch, cool mint chocolate Clif Bars chased by peanut butter cookie, nutz over chocolate, and chocolate peppermint Luna bars. Good thing I asked the ladies, because there are some fruit bar lovers in the mix so we added in a few surprises like apricot and carrot cake (carrot might not be a fruit, but it sure ain’t chocolate!) into the mix.

Luna Bar recently created protein bars so we’ll each have the chance to try them after our running legs.

When I ran my 8.2 mile practice run this weekend, I was fueled by the Clif Shot gel (chocolate flavor, notice a trend?!) and I loved it so I’ll be packing some of that as well.

A huge thank you to Clif and Luna. We’ll be thinking of you many many times as we run (and recover) this weekend!

Posted in: Eating, Training.

A Little Prep for One Week to Go

Apr 24th, 2010
by Marie.
4 comments
  • Cut your toe nails. You don’t want them to turn purple and fall off after the race!

  • Shave your legs. Maybe this has been my problem for being so slow. If I shave my legs, maybe it will cut minutes off my time!

  • Middle of the night run. Try waking up in the middle of the night and putting your running clothes on. Just see if you could run at 3:00am, then you can go back to sleep… this time.

What else needs to be prepped?

Posted in: Running, Training.

Ready To Rock (I Hope!)

Apr 23rd, 2010
by Christine.
5 comments

I hope I’m not jinxing myself by writing this, but I’m feeling really excited about Eat. Blog. Run. As in, I’ve moved from the petrified zone to the optimistic one. I’ve been training well — logging 3-4 runs per week the last 8 weeks. And I’ve been eating well too. Inspired by my fellow Shredhead pal Bill, I started to keep a food journal on April 1, which has made me much more mindful about my food choices. Even though I’m the only one who looks at the journal, it keeps me honest. I even decided to cut out desserts this month (not a light decision — I have a monster sweet tooth), which has been remarkably easy, in large part thanks to this awesome yogurt parfait. (My one exception was two days ago because I baked a lemon angel food cake — complete with lemon icing and lemon curd — for the first time from scratch for my mother in law’s birthday and wanted to see how it came out.)

Anyway, yesterday I did something that would have seemed impossible when I started experimenting with running last summer: I hit the 8 mile mark. And it actually felt good. I mean, I still don’t feel like a natural runner in the sense that I don’t run along breezily, able to carry on a conversation, but I now am at a point where after I hit the halfway point in my run, I feel an energy lift as I turn and head towards home, excited as I pass each landmark that reminds me that I am doing it. I am running. Which I never thought I could do.

My leg of The Relay is about 13 miles; I now know I can do at least 8 of that. I think I’m ready to rock this party.

Posted in: Eating, Running, Training.

(Running) Shoe Tree

Apr 20th, 2010
by Kari.
5 comments

If I were to post using only words, it would go something like this, “Yeah! Hooray! I’m so psyched! OMG! Wooooo!” I am thrilled to be part of Eat. Blog. Run. (And then I also think, “Eek! Scared! Nervous!” but I’ll suppress that for now.)

So I’ll add a photo:  I can balance my running shoes, creating a “shoe tree!”

Running Shoe Tree

Okay, you all are groaning now.  I swear I have other “talents.”

As you can see, I have three pairs:

The outside pair is my “for the trails” pair. They appear gray rather than white, even after being hosed down repeatedly, natch. The shiny thing is a RoadID shoe pouch.

The center pair is my road pair. Their blinding whiteness seems to indicate I’ve never used them, but I promise they have some miles in them. There is probably some pixie dust in there since I used them for the Disney Princess Half-Marathon last month.

And then of course the Vibram Five Fingers are perched on top, the “shoes” to which Brenna referred during the previous post: Barefoot Running. (My son picked out the aqua color. I was quite indecisive about which pair to select.)

So which will I use for The Relay?

I’m bringing my princess-approved blindingly-white ones and the Vibram Five Fingers.  I haven’t decided for certain whether I’ll start out in the Five Fingers, but I expect I’ll wear them for at least one leg. After all, I do everything barefoot. My neighbors think I am completely crazy for taking the trash out in the rain barefoot, or for weeding in the mud barefoot. But, I’ll bring the standard shoes just in case my calves and shins cry foul or if I chicken out trying to do the Five Fingers on “unexplored territory.”

I know shoes are supposed to be “the most important” piece of the running outfit, but I definitely admit being fickle at this point. (Plus, I’d say my bra is the most important piece; but that is a whole different topic.)

Yet being fickle has its upsides, because I can create a tower with my shoes!

Posted in: Running.
Tagged: · · · · ·

Barefoot Running

Apr 15th, 2010
by Brenna.
10 comments

I’m going to start this by saying barefoot running is completely new to me.  I just started two and a half weeks ago.

Basically, the idea is that shoes can promote bad running form.  If you are wearing really cushioned shoes, striking the ground with bad form isn’t going to hurt (until later when your knees, hips and/or back get sore).  If you don’t have shoes on, the pain is evident much sooner and you self-correct.  Some people who want to run barefoot but are worried about roughing up their feet wear minimalist shoes like Vibram FiveFingers.  I ran into a guy at the park last night wearing a pair.  He had really bad Achilles problems even when wearing running shoes that were fitted for him.  Then he switched to VFFs and now he’s good to go.

I don’t even know when I first heard about barefoot running but I definitely remember when I met my first barefoot runner:

A few days after my magical encounter, a friend forwarded me this article with the note, “BAREFOOT RUNNING!”  A few months after that, another article and then another appeared in my inbox.  During this time I was training for my first marathon and while barefoot running sounded really fun, I didn’t see time for it in my training schedule.  Then I saw barefoot runners during my marathon.  Without even thinking about it, “You’re my hero!” blurted out of my mouth as I passed them.  A few weeks after my marathon, I finished reading Born to Run.  It is a really inspiring book about ultramarathoners, a superhuman tribe in Mexico that can run hundreds of miles without getting tired, and a barefoot runner named Ted.  After reading it I was determined to add some barefoot runs to my training routine.  I was thinking something like running on the grass after a workout.  Then I went to watch the LA Marathon.  There were 10 barefoot runners.  One of them was super fast, finishing under 3 hours!  You better believe I was shouting, “You’re my hero!”

It only took a few hours for me to realize I wanted to be one of them.  That night, before I had even attempted running without my shoes on, I decided I was going to run the LA Marathon barefoot in 2011.

While I understand some people switch to barefoot running because of injuries, really I just want to do it because it seems really badass.

Posted in: Running.

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