I went for an hour run yesterday. That was my longest since the Army Half. It was good. Hard, but good. I set my watch at a timer instead of a distance, and just ran for a half an hour, then turned around and ran home.
Things are so busy here lately, and on top of everything my husband just had shoulder surgery. It’s nothing too major, but he’s stuck in a sling for three weeks and then forbidden to lift anything with his left arm for three months (including kids) (which sucks). And while I rarely take my husband’s contribution in our home for granted, let’s just say that there’s nothing to make you truly realize how much someone does than restricting them from doing anything.
Plus, I’ve had a minor head cold for ten days now and while it could be worse, I’m also really tired of feeling half fuzzy in my brain. So.
(This whole entry won’t be me just whining, I promise.)
My run yesterday made me feel better. As did the homemade turkey soup we had for supper. This morning I’m creating power points and studying for midterms and thinking about how much I don’t really want/have time for a run. I’m not sure why I’m so burned out (midterms, colds, jobs, gimpy husband… err, I guess I do know why!) but it always seems that the thing I need the most to stay focused on everything I have on my plate, is often the thing that gets pushed to the bottom of my list. Shoved in late afternoon just before it’s almost too late.
I haven’t had a great run since the Army Half, to be honest, and while post-race slump is something with which I’m quite familiar, it’s been a month now and I’m ready for some juice to come roaring back into my legs any day.
So, inspire me! Tell me about your goals! What are you training for? Where are you running? Have you discovered any new trails or routes lately? Gotten a new pair of tights that make your butt look so good you can’t wait to run? Revamped your playlist? Help me out, here, iRun nation! I need some motivation!
Have you ever had the experience of “forgetting” about a recipe? You used to make it more often but then it dropped off your radar? I hadn’t made this recipe in a year or possibly more but I have no idea why. It’s delicious, easy, healthy and uses only one pot. Plus, I usually have all the ingredients on hand so it’s a great one for nights when the grocery shopping has been put off for a few days. We originally found the recipe here.
Ingredients
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 onions, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons fresh ginger root, finely chopped (I sometimes use the frozen cubes or the paste)
6 whole cloves
2 (2 inch) sticks cinnamon, crushed (I sometimes use ground cinnamon)
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
salt (I always omit the salt)
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper (I usually reduce this to 1/4 because 1 tsp of cayenne is pretty intense)
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
2 (15 ounce) cans garbanzo beans (I use 2 19-ounce cans)
1 cup chopped fresh cilantro (I often omit this)
1 300g package of frozen squash, thawed (I added this to the original recipe because the author had recommended you use the liquid the chickpeas are preserved in. Yuck.)
Heat oil in a large frying pan over medium heat, and fry onions until tender.
Stir in garlic, ginger, cloves, cinnamon, cumin, coriander, salt, cayenne, and turmeric. Cook for 1 minute over medium heat, stirring constantly. Mix in garbanzo beans and their liquid and squash. Continue to cook and stir until all ingredients are well blended and heated through. Remove from heat. Stir in cilantro just before serving, reserving 1 tablespoon for garnish.
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It’s been a great day for Canadian runners at the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon. While Jerome Drayton’s 1975 marathon record still stands, two Canadians qualified under the Athletics Canada Olympic A-Standard of 2:11:29, and Canadians took 6 of the top-10 spots. On the women’s side, 2 Canadians were in the top-10.
Meanwhile, defending champion Kenneth Mungara just edged out Shami Abdulahi Dawit for first overall, making it his 4th straight STWM victory.
Ed Whitlock finished the race in 3:15:51 (chip) to beat his own record of 3:25:43 for Men 80-84.
100-year old Fauja Singh of London, England, became the world’s oldest marathon runner after finishing the race in 8:11:05 (chip).
MyNextRace.com mascot, Jefferson the Dog, beat the record for a mascot running a half marathon by finishing in 1:46:52. Represented by David Hiddleston, Brand Manager at MyNextRace.com, Jefferson beat his own record of 1:59, established at the Gasparilla Distance Classic Races in Tampa earlier this year.
Mizuno Canada is fortunate to work with some excellent accounts, one of these being Tri & Run Sports in Trenton, Ontario.
Nine years ago, Sandy and Jeff Musson opened Tri & Run Sports, and now after two relocation’s and added staff, they are thriving in the Trenton community! Sandy comes has an extensive background in both Running and Triathlon having competed in various events from 5 & 10k races, marathons, 1/2 and full Ironman’s and last but not least her 2006 100-mile Ultra in Sulpher Springs.
Adding to Sandy’s value at Tri & Run Sports, she is trained as a Certified Pedorithist, ACE Personal Trainer and has her Level 1 Theory Coaching Certification.
“Sandy opened the first store location in an office of her husband’s business, but with the addition of more products, shoes and bikes we continued to need more space,” says Patti Teske, Sandy’s assistant manager and Sister-in-law.
At Tri & Run Sports, you not only have the option of being fit for running shoes by knowledgeable staff with a passion for the sport, but you can peruse the abundant selection of road and triathlon bikes, running and triathlon apparel and more. Once you have found your shoe and apparel selection, you also have the option of signing up for one of their popular running clinics ranging from learn to run 5k to their 1/2 marathon group. Personal coaching is also offered for those wantingto run a marathon, achieve a new PB, race an Ironman or attempt their first triathlon.
If you are looking to get into Running or Triathlon, train for your next race or peruse their selection of newly arrived Autumn and Winter apparel, make sure to drop by their store in Trenton! You can also catch the Tri & Run Sports crew at some of their upcoming races:
The Fat Ass Trail Run – Batawa, Ontario
November 13th – This will be Tri & Run Sport’s 7th year with this race, and the first year it will be Chip Timed!
Egg Nog Jog – Trenton, Ontario
December 4th – This 5k & 10k race helps raise dollars to go towards the Coats for Kids program with cash donations!
Resolution Walk/Run – Trenton, Ontario
January 1st- This Kids Fun 1k Run and 5k Walk / Run event helps to start the New Year on the “Right Foot”!
For more information on Tri & Run Sports, their clinics, events and more
be sure to check out their website at:http://triandrunsports.com/index.html
My mother served these fudgy little treats after Thanksgiving dinner and they were delicious. As you can see, the icing in the picture is a bit smudged because she kindly packed up a tupperware to take home. Strangely, there are now only a few left. Must have been fridge gremlins!
1/3 cup quinoa
2/3 cup water
Cook and cool
1/6 cup milk
2 eggs
1/2 tsp. vanilla
3/8 cup butter (melted and cooled)
Combine above ingredients with quinoa in a food processor and mix until smooth.
In a mixing bowl combine:
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup cocoa
3/4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
Add egg/quinoa mixture to dry ingredients and mix well.
Pour into a greased 8″ pan. Bake @ 350 until knife comes out clean — about 35-40 minutes.
Cool in pan.
When cool, cover with icing.
(When I am icing a chocolate cake, I use strong coffee instead of milk with the icing sugar)
2 Tbsp. butter
1 1/2 cups icing sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
enough strong coffee to desired consistency.
This recipe came from a friend who is very exact with measurements.
Because I made it for the first time on Sunday, I followed the measurements as exactly as possible. Although how one measures 1/6 cup of milk, I don’t know — I used a little less than 1/4 cup and it seemed to work.
I went for an early morning run today. It’s not really my style to hop out of bed and into my sneakers, but a pending Thanksgiving dinner got me going.
It was cool, still, and the sun wasn’t quite over the trees. My legs were tired and hamstrings tight but I started out on an uphill and pushed myself to be strong.
About 3k into my run, I saw the first person. A middle aged woman out delivering morning papers with her dog. Hair not brushed, eyes still puffy from sleep.
Then the next: an older man wearing a ratty toque, a wind breaker, shorts and socks hitched up high walking his dog.
And then the third: Hunting pants, dirty jacket, dog.
I live in a subdivision with fairly big sized yards and as a result it’s one of those neighbourhoods where you don’t really get to know your neighbours very well. People drive nice cars and women walking their dogs after the school bus rolls by wear Lululemon pants and tight jackets. There are a lot of jogging strollers and make-up at the grocery store. But this morning, it’s like I saw this other side to my neighbours.
It was as if we all stepped outside without our guard up because we knew no one would see us.
It made me smile, because we all spend so much time focusing on making our own lives look perfect, that it’s so easy to forget that not one of us are. We all have bad breath and messy hair in the morning. In this world of tweets and facebook statuses and texts and layers and layers of guarding ourselves, this morning I was able to see people for who they are in their ratty toques and old hunting pants and puffy eyes. And it was beautiful.
This weekend is full of family and friends and food and wine and children running around here with me. And I am so thankful for all of it – for our health and our happiness and the food we buy each and every week. But this morning, I was the most grateful for the glimpse I had into the secret lives of others: visible only before 7:00am.
Happy Thanksgiving, all. Tell me, what are you grateful for?
So I think that I mentioned I’ll be training the TNT winter team here in Halifax for the Disney Princess half and the Madrid Rock and Roll Marathon, right?
I’ve done some coaching through the Running Room, but nothing as long as a half or full marathon. My own personal running experience combined with the coaching experience I have leaves me feeling mostly confident about my ability to help the team cross that finish line.
However, I wanted to get in some reading before the clinics get underway early next month, so after browsing for a while online, I ended up buying two “light” reads. Daniel’s Running Formula (this book is written by the man who holds the TNT coach certification clinics, so I figured it was a good resources for my own TNT clinic) and The Lore of Running (this bad boy is almost 1,000 pages long!).
I flipped quickly through the first chapter of each book and while there seems to be a lot of talk about skeletal muscles scientific sounding stuff, I think they’ll be a great resource. Let’s face it, I’ve pretty much memorized my other book on running and need to move onto something more detailed.
So, my request from you, iRun readers, is to leave a suggestion of good coaching resources (or even good running reads!) here in the comments. I have three weeks to get my running read on and learn all I can learn about running… stuff…
(Also, Heart Rate Monitors. Yay or nay? I know I’ll be getting some questions about them and since I’m not a user myself, I need input from those of you who are. And if you are very persuasive, I may even ask Santa for one for Christmas!)
Where to begin…the Disney Wine and Dine Half Marathon takes place at Walt Disney World in Florida at 10:00 pm. Yes, you read that right – with me being an early morning runner, the race start was right in and around when I would normally be in bed reading trying to gear down to sleep. And of course, I was at Disney World, so I didn’t exactly spend the day resting. While I did go back to my room to put my feet up for a few hours before the race, let’s just say I’d had a long day.
So when I arrived at the start area, I had no expectations at all. I was pleased that the weather was cooler than it had been – I am not really sure what the temperature was as I don’t speak Fahrenheit and can’t remember what numbers were being kicked around, but it felt good anyway. This was the first race I can remember being at where there was actually entertainment at the start – it was brilliant – I only went to the bathroom once because I was distracted enough not to think I needed to go every 2 minutes.
As with all runDisney events that I have heard about, they started us off with fireworks instead of a gun or an air horn – but the best part is, they didn’t just start the race that way – they started each corral that way. With each wave starting 5 minutes apart, I felt pretty special that we got our own fireworks!
As we headed off into the darkness, the pack eventually began to thin out, and we passed several entertainment stations. I was most impressed by the people on stilts giving out high-fives – or to them, low-fives – it’s a wonder no one got knocked down! We also passed several characters (the line ups to have your picture taken with the characters throughout the race were 3 times the length of the port-o-let lines, so I never stopped!), a live band and a couple of floats from the Electrical Parade before heading into the Animal Kingdom at approximately 3 miles.
The route through the Animal Kingdom was the same as it had been for the Disney Halloween 5K that morning, but it looked completely different at night – the Tree of Life and Mount Everest features were lit up, and they had soft lighting throughout so as not to disturb the animals.
We left the Animal Kingdom and headed back the way we came for a few miles before arriving at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. As you might expect, the lighting throughout the park was downright theatrical – from the creepy purples at the Tower of Terror to the Christmas lights on the streets of New York, the giant Sorcerer’s Apprentice hat to the bright lights of the Lights, Motors, Action stunt track. At the stunt track they had a camera that was broadcasting the race to the Finish Line Party so spectators could look for their runners, but they also showed the feed on the track’s jumbo screen. Throughout the park there were lots of characters to see, from Buzz Lightyear in the Pixar area to Darth Vader outside of the Star Tours attraction.
We finally left Hollywood Studios at around 12 miles, and I was starting to feel pretty tired by then. As if the video wasn’t doomed enough by my inexperience, the footage from my wee onboard camera just kept getting worse – but of course I wasn’t to know that until I reviewed it later. Hey, if I were doing a documentary on pavement or my own elbow, it would have been award-winning footage!
We ran along the water, then along the Boardwalk, past the Team in Training cheering squad, and headed towards Epcot. This is where things started to get a little dicey. In building up excitement for the finish, they were playing music like the William Tell Overture and the themes from such films as Superman and Rocky, while course marshals frantically yelled things like, “you’re almost there! Just straight that way!” That sounded great, so I picked it up – finishing kick and all that.
When I went straight that way, you know what I found? A curve. With more course after it. Keep in mind that by this time, it was after midnight, and I was getting pretty tired and delirious. I was wearing my Garmin but all I could see across the screen was a LOW BATTERY warning – no time, no distance. It never even occurred to me to think about when I might have seen the 12-mile marker to try and guess at how much farther I might have to go before encountering the 13-mile marker. No, I just followed twists and turns through the darkness, reading signs that said things like, “now it’s time to wine and dine!” wondering, just where is this mythical finish line, anyway? I was so relieved when I finally saw the 13-mile marker – while I completely lacked the capacity to calculate how many metres were left, I knew I really was almost there.
I crossed the finish – which I have to say, after all that build up, was a tad disappointing – it was just a flag at either side of the course that said “Finish.” Somehow I expected something more – glittery lights or balloons or something. But at that point I was too tired to care, and I was overjoyed when I was given the opportunity to select a cold beer out of a wagonload of ice.
Unfortunately, however, in all the excitement of running at Disney, I didn’t take in all of the carbs I had planned to en route, so I felt slightly sick and dizzy – and in no shape to drink beer. After I found my husband, we wandered (well, he wandered while I hobbled) around the International Food and Wine Festival – the whole while I clutched that can of beer thinking as soon as I felt better I was going to drink my victory drink! In reality, I managed to choke down some Powerade, a banana and half a bagel before insisting we go back to the hotel so I could shower and go to bed. But really, can you blame me? By this time it was 3 o’clock in the morning and I had just run a half marathon.
When all was said and done, I had a spectacular time. It really was like running through a Disney movie – or more accurately, a medley of Disney movies on speed. It was completely surreal to have the parks to ourselves in the night, and I was truly shocked and slightly giddy at the moment I noticed we were halfway already. Those folks at Disney sure know how to throw a party – this was truly one of the best runs of my life.
That's not the camera - I actually was blurry by 2am
In Chi Running you align your posture and lean forward to move your whole body weight in front of where your ankles contact the ground. If the muscles in your lower legs are completely relaxed so there is no tension in the ankles, you will fall forward. You use the momentum resulting from your forward fall to pull you forward so you don’t have to use the muscles in your legs and feet to push you forward.
The Unicycle Drill described here is a very simple exercise designed to teach you what it feels like when you have properly setup the forward fall and are moving under its momentum rather than using the muscles in your legs and feet to push you forward. This is first practiced as a walking drill. However, at the end of this document is a description on how you can use this during your runs.
Introduction to Drill
When an unicyclist wants to move forward he doesn’t start by first pedaling the wheel, instead he leans forward slightly and begins a forward fall. Then he starts pedaling the wheel slightly behind his center of gravity to keep up with his forward fall. The wheel is not what’s moving him forward, it’s the momentum of his forward fall. He is just pedaling the wheel behind him to keep up so he doesn’t fall on his face. If he did
not lean forward to move but instead began by first pedaling the wheel, he would have fallen on his back.
The same principles are used in Chi Running. When you want to move forward you don’t start by moving your feet, instead you lean your entire aligned posture forward slightly from your ankles with limp lower legs and begin a forward fall. As you begin to move forward you start picking up your feet behind your center of gravity to keep up with your forward fall. If performed correctly your feet are not moving you forward; it’s the momentum of your forward fall that is moving you forward. You’re just moving your feet to keep up with the rest of your body so you don’t fall on your face. In fact while you are in the forward fall you feel like you cannot stop moving your feet! The feeling that you cannot stop moving your feet is what you use to determine if you have properly setup the forward fall and are using its momentum rather than using the muscles in your legs and feet to move forward.
Execution of Drill
There are three elements required to create the forward fall: (1) aligned posture; (2) lean; and (3) completely relaxed lower legs so there is no tension in the ankles. If you miss any one of the three elements then you cannot create the forward fall. The steps of the drill below are executed to demonstrate the importance of performing all three elements.
When instructed to align your posture in this drill, simply push up the sky with the crown of your head (to lengthen your spine and straighten your neck) and use your lower abdominal muscles to pull your belly button in towards your spine (to level your pelvis).
When instructed to lean your posture forward in this drill, put a finger on your lower abdominal muscles to better sense the location of your center and move it forward just slightly in front of your ankles so that your whole body weight is in front of your ankles. Leaning forward by focusing on moving your center in front of your ankles prevents you from bending at the hips when leaning, one of the most common mistakes made by beginner Chi Runners. Engaging your lower abdominals by pulling your belly button into your spine prevents you from bending at the waist when leaning forward.
Step 1 – Walking with aligned posture, relaxed lower legs but no lean
In this first part of the drill align your posture, do not lean, relax all the muscles in your lower legs and start walking forward with a very short stride length. Keep your mental focus into your lower legs and feet. After about 20 steps or so, try to stop moving your feet to stop your forward movement. You should be able to easily stop. Since you are not leaning forward, you are not properly falling forward and your feet are still responsible for your forward movement.
Step 2 – Walking with aligned posture, lean and tensed lower legs
In this next part of the drill align your posture, purposely add tension in the muscles in your lower legs so they are not relaxed. Lean your posture forward slightly and start walking forward with a very short stride length. Keep your mental focus into your lower legs and feet. After about 20 steps or so, try to stop moving your feet to stop your forward movement. You should be able to easily stop. Since you have tension in the lower legs you are not properly falling forward and your feet are still responsible for your forward movement.
Step 3 – Walking with aligned posture, lean and relaxed lower legs
In this last part of the drill align your posture, purposely add tension in the muscles in your lower legs so they are not relaxed. Lean your posture forward slightly and start walking forward with a very short stride length. Keep your mental focus into your lower legs and feet. After about 20 steps or so, completely release the tension in your lower legs. At this point, if done right, you will feel a sudden change in the feeling in your legs as you are now moving under the momentum of the forward fall. After another 20 steps or so keep your same angle of lean and try to stop moving your feet. You shouldn’t be able to if you are doing everything right because your legs and feet are not controlling your forward movement and they need to keep up with your forward fall or else you will fall on your face.
If this is not working properly for you at first, (1) ensure you are really releasing all tension in the lower legs and feet, (2) your posture is aligned; and (3) you don’t subconsciously decrease your angle of lean to come back upright when you try to stop your feet. You could even have a friend walk beside you with one hand on your shoulder to keep you from subconsciously decreasing your angle of lean.
Unicycle Drill while Running
If you want to use this during your runs, then while running with aligned posture, lean and relaxed lower legs, simply try to stop moving your feet. If you can, you are doing something wrong and you should check that your posture is truly aligned, your center is ion front of your ankles, and that you have completely relaxed lower legs and ankles.
If you can’t stop moving your feet then you know you are in the forward fall and using its momentum. Once you can get to this point your whole thinking should change. You should now realize that your feet are not required to move you forward and can now try to let go of any remaining tension in their legs and feet since its wasted energy.
This recipe was sent in by iRun reader, Caela. She says: “My mother concocted this recipe to give my Dad and I the necessary fuel we need for races. They are nutritious and easy to digest – a perfect pre-run snack. Substituting chocolate chips for blueberries makes them kid-friendly.”
Fenton Power Muffins
Dry Ingredients:
4 ½ cups whole wheat flour
1 ¾ cups bran
1 ¼ cups ground flaxseed
3 cups brown sugar
4 ½ tsp baking powder
3 tsp baking soda
1 ½ tsp salt
Wet Ingredients:
6 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
3 tsp vanilla
3 ¾ buttermilk
3 cups mashed bananas (approximately 6 large bananas)
Add-Ins:
3 cups chocolate chips
OR
3 cups frozen mixed berries
Directions:
1) Whisk together dry ingredients in a very large bowl
2) Whisk wet ingredients together in a separate bowl
3) Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients. Add in the chocolate chips or fruit.
4) Stir until combined – don’t over mix.
Bake at 350 degrees in a greased muffin pan or in paper cups. Bake for approximately 17 minutes (depends on the size of the muffins). You’ll know that they are done when the top springs back when touched. Makes 6 dozen muffins.
Mizuno Canada is fortunate to work with some excellent accounts, one of these being Tri & Run Sports in Trenton, Ontario.
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