This is my blog about my running and running in general, so I don't have to make posts on FB about my intervals. I like to run on the road but when summer comes I escape to the mountains. I hope to hear from all the runners out there, especially female athletes, it you're a vegetarian like me I could use your advice. Nah, everyone is invited.
This is not a running related post but let’s make an exception, mkay? Thing that you might not know about me is that I’m a Christmas freak.
(long awkward silence)
But it’s not the main reason I’d like to write this post.
I love waiting for Christmas, all the festive atmosphere, preparing myself for the festive season, christmas songs, etc., etc. I try not to force this on other people because I know it can be annoying if you don’t like Christmas and someone is trying to make you to sing ‘jingle bells’.
This year I observed a strange trend on social media. People openly hating Christmas and saying the usual: oh everyone is pretending to nicer during this period, Christmas is just a huge shopping feast, f… Christmas, who cares about Christmas…
Probably I’m more sensitive to this types of posts because I really like Christmas but if you pay attention you’ll see that similar comments appear before New Year’s Eve or any other festive occasion.
I have only one comment to all those arguments: Christmas is what you make of it.
Christmas is just a shopping feast
Don’t do it. Plan your gifts ahead and if you can’t think of anything buy presents in the last moment online. Don’t like buying stuff? Make something, write something, bake something. Make it personal. Wrap up presents by yourself, even if you’re not with manual things. You don’t have to go Martha Stewart on baking cooking or wrapping up presents but at least try. You’re afraid that people you know will prefer ‘real presents’ instead? Too bad, because you are choosing to give something non material, you’re making the rules.
(you see? you don't need a tree to hang festive decorations)
During Christmas you have to meet with people and family and everyone is so fake
You’re not fake, that’s what matters. Maybe you’ll have to face unwanted questions at the dinner table,maybe you dislike people can’t stop arguing even during Christmas. Don’t participate in it and don’t be rude if being asked some questions you don’t want to answer. Seems easier to say than done? It’s not easy but being rude and putting yourself in the middle of the conflict is bad energy, it will make you bitter and angry. Yes, staying away from it is difficult but worth it.
Christmas lost its true meaning.
If you touched the subject let’s dig in. What is the true meaning of Christmas? What is it to you? If you answer is : I don’t know, it’s stupid and it’s only an excuse for people to buy stuff and eat...I’d say it’s you who’s making the excuses. If you’re not into buying, eating and pretending to be nice ask yourself what ideally Christmas should look like. If you’re not willing to put an effort and make it the way you want it or at least try...well, than don’t complain about cheesy songs, decorations and all the Christmas frenzy.
(that is my Christmas tree from last year. Told you I'm a xmas freak)
I know that changing Christmas you hate into Christmas you’d love is not easy but here applies the rule that goes with everything: change it if you care or don’t complain other people do the change for you.
I know, you probably expected something more cheerful from a Christmas freak…
I probably say this to you because if you’re reading , you probably came here because you run, swim, bike or you’re interested in sports. You probably know that in race or run you have to work hard to get what you want but you do it because you love it. If you’re reading this you know that in your running history you succeed, you get injured, you come back, try, fail, try again, win, lose. Why all that fuss? Because if you care, you go forward. That’s why I’d like to wish you all:
care for yourself and others. Relentlessly move forward.
Few days ago I saw that question on Daily Mile and it made me think. After few months of falling out of love with running I guess I’m slowly starting to love it again.. Not easy but it’s happening
And all of the sudden this question: what’s on your athletic bucket list.
Do you want to be a marathon runner again? You want to get faster or just run?
My bucket list is somehow the same: run injury free.
Once I manage to do that I want to run half marathon in Pisa in 21st of December. And that would be my final race of the 2014.
What’s next?
If everything goes well my next marathon will be Paris marathon in April. Which is funny because I promised myself to run more in Italy. I’d really like to run Turin marathon, Florence marathon and Venice marathon. I really like racing in Italy and I’d recommend to any runner. I like even more running trail races here, the views are breathtaking although trail running in Italy can be very demanding: technical and with changing rhythm. You have to run, jog and climb.
My athletic bucket list has core training on it. I have almost finished a month long push-up challenge and squat challenge and although it’s not a big step forward it made me realise how weak I am. I really enjoy strength training so I can’t wait to jump into some kind of routine #workinprogress
The biggest challenge of next year and one of the points on my athletic bucket list will be and ultra. I’ll tell you a secret: I’ve already registered for the race. I guess I’m too superstitious to talk about it (for now).
I realised while writing this post (it actually happens to me quite often to discover something while writing) that my main goals is to run without limits. I know, sounds like Dean Karnazes new book title but I am done with planning for a while. I don’t want to get too attached to dates and races, I want to be smart and strong with my running but not stuck in the routine. I want to have training regime but be ready to take chances. I used to be more brave (read: stupid) and daring with my races and then I got ‘smart’ and fell into planning trap.
I thought I could post as an experiment a post containing only photos.Sometimes my days are quite plain (ok, most of the time) but I still take pics because I treat them as my diary.
I love fruits and I like to eat according to seasons. Now it’s the autumn time which means: chestnuts, persimmons, plums, apples… This week I made this mousse/coctail, it was pretty simple: persimmon blended with kiwi. Kiwi breaks the sweetness of persimmon and gives the tangy taste. #fruitismycandy
I changed my running route recently and look who I found on my path: a pig and a pony! I swear there’s no anecdote behind this photo. The two are ‘friends’ (that’s what locals say) and she’s pregnant. Don’t judge. #loveisblind
The post run photo. These were solid 20km, I was present but relaxed. After that I had my usual shake that helps me recover better. #fakeittillumakeit
The non-competitive run at Ossona. Off-road, chilly and so much fun. That was my first in months run without garmin. I’m not that zen, I just forgot it. After 12km I had hot tea and some fruits. Oh, the bottom right is changing room at Ossona. #runhappy
That's it, I hope you liked it! If so, you might want to follow me on Instagram, there are plenty more!
How was your week? Do you take post or pre run selfies?
I read another book about running! That’s quite weird because I rarely do that but when I felt unmotivated (unbelievable but true) I decided to search for some motivation in a book.
Matt Fitzgerald wrote an impressive number of books and it's hard to find a bad one among them. No exception this time.
'Run by feel' is not a book for every runner. Fitzgerald gives you a great tool for making the most out of your running routine and to prove his point he lists a great deal of professional runners and their experience.
Who should read this book?
A runner with some experience. I suppose if you just started your journey with running it could be quite intimidating and confusing reading about professional runners and how they figure out their scheldue. But if you have some experience you will this book quite refreshing and informative.
If you a runner who trains on its own, who doesn’t want to have a coach but wants to structure his/hers workouts and get better, this is a book for you.
It’s a book for runners who would like to run happy but also get faster while avoiding injuries.
What is it about?
Yes, it is about listening to your body and mind but it doesn’t mean you should have a rest day every time you don’t feel like running or your quads are killing you. It’s about observing how your body reacts to certain workouts or mileage. It’s about understanding that not every fear is bad fear, that you should embrace anxiety to some extend. It’s also about learning that not all runs should feel comfortable. This book is not a boring manual and it's very well structured.
What surprised me in this book?
Two things. First of all this book is not about taking deep breaths and visualizing yourself crossing the finish line (although there is a part of the book that touches this aspect of running). I kind of hoped for that because I was quite desperate at the time I started reading it. What I got instead was something better. Fitrzgerald takes as examples different professional runners to demonstrate that there are different types of runners: those who benefit from high mileage and those who bring the best while scaling back. When I say that this book is not for newbies I mean that it teaches you how to take advantage from your running experience.
Another surprising thing was Fitzgerald’s recommendation of yoga as cross training. I practice yoga and I love it but I wouldn’t expect a very down to earth author to promote it. I know, stereotypes. Why yoga is good for runners? It not only makes you to listen to your body which can help you to detect injuries on early stages but it also makes your muscles work the way running can’t.
Should you put it in your reading list?
Yes, especially if you’re your own coach and there are things in your training you want to figure out (great chapter on injuries!). Overall very pleasant reading!
The episode in which my head gets me where my legs won't
...and I could finish this post on the title.
Keep your fingers crossed but my recovery is going good, last week was first with most of the runs without pain in my knee. I haven’t run a marathon this Fall and I’m not going to and apparently I’m fine with that. Who would have known.
Am I thinking and overthinking this?
I used to, because that was ‘my marathon’ but my few attempts to run before marathon ended with pain and that pain explained everything. Who cares about the finish line if I can’t run 1 km painless? Running with pain and I call on you, my fellow runners who will go on even if it actually hurts, is stupid. We know that and we all did that. And we probably will do it again. I was on point where it was close to associate in my mind running with pain. That was a signal to stop and I’m so happy I did that.
What’s next for you on your running path?
I don’t know weather I want to run a race this year, I was thinking about a half marathon but for a few weeks I won’t be planning anything. I enjoy just thinking two workouts ahead and not making plans. I realised that the most important thing in running is that you keep liking it. I know, shocker. The thing is, at some level of proficiency in running, when we ran half marathons, marathons and other races and we have some sort of experience we stop asking ourselves why we run. Yet, it’s your brain that gets you where your legs won’t. So I'll focus for the next few weeks on getting my mojo back and once it's back everything else will follow.
While reading the Matt Fitzgerald’s book ‘Run: the mind-body method of running by feel’ I came across this quote from Khalid Khannouchi, an amazing runner who struggled with lot of injuries
‘It’s frustrating when you want to go and compete and improve, but your body doesn’t allow you to but I’m always a true believer that whatever is there for you, you will get. (...) If something is there for me, it’s going to wait for me.’
I’ll leave you with that and a photo from my latest run. Autumn is great, if it’s not windy,cold and rainy
Yes, I’ve been away for a while and I haven’t been running much. To keep things short I’ll just say that while we haven’t heard from each other
I fell over a tube at the end of my long run which resulted in 2 stitches in my eyebrow, bruising my forearm, my knee and destroying completely my garmin 305 (Resting In Pieces. Separate pieces).
I run in Dublin two days later and I realised it wasn’t one of my best ideas and that people stare a bit when you run with stitches
I purchased the shiny and very vibrating garmin 220
for the remaining period of time I tried to rest and run, I tried so hard to run but while everything was slowly healing my knee was hurting
I jogged through 30th Marathon du Medoc, the one where you drink drink and run some more. Strangely my knee hurt only for the first 10 km. Probably it was wine numbing my pain.
I talked to Jesus during this marathon. Seriously, there’s a guy who runs it every year dressed like Jesus with bib 33. Me and Jesus talk to each other in French, just that you know it.
the week after this I ran freely and then my knee rebelled again (bad, bad knee)
I went to Berlin where I didn’t run the Berlin Marathon (see previous point) but I was offered place in next year’s race. Still hesitating if take it or not.
As you see my running life is like a long soap opera with twists and turns. My knee is slowly coming to its previous shape, the biggest problem know is that the right quad (I injured right knee) lost its volume and that causes a bit of disproportion. How am I to shy away from disproportion? Well, in the long run (and in the short one as well) it results in different pains like the one in my calf. Life and human body are so complicated.
I’ll be slowly coming back to running (keep your fingers crossed) and for now I’m not planning anything, this year is definitely not good for planning ;)
On a more positive note: have you read the latest Laura Fleshman’s article? Well, now you have no excuses, I’ll give you the link!
Better late than never! This are my July running related favourites.
Once I have disclosed that I’m vegetarian I guess Ill be posting more vegetarian and vegan related news and articles. Sorry, that’s life (on veggies).
Anyway, one of my favourite blogs about running in No Meat Athlete and I think this article is so on point! People imagine vegetarians to be...well, read yourself!
Favourite article: Veg-Curious? Don’t Be Fooled by These 7 Myths About a Vegetarian Diet - by Matt Frazier http://www.nomeatathlete.com/vegetarian-diet-myths/
Favourite Shoe: adidas Energy Boost 2
This is the first time after I guess 3 or four years that I regularly run in something different than a Saucony shoe. It feels like a betrayal but so far it feels good. When you walk in them they seem almost too cushioned but you get the right amount of it while running. I seriously think about running my next marathon in them.
Favourite piece of garment (that I don’t own, sadly) : Lululemon’s runsie. I won’t buy one only because Lululemon’s stuff is so expensive.
Favourite run: non competitive 5.8km run at Boffalora sopra Ticino
Lombardy is full of non competitive runs organized by locals, either a sports comminities or the villagers themselves. This one was an evening run in one of my favourite spots near Milan and it was short so I decided to do it. Well, it wasn’t competitive on paper but apparently short distances are equivalent to ‘it’s on’. And it was ups and downs all the way. I felt very brave (during) and satisfied (after).
(me looking brave)
Favourite new gel: yes, I know, I’m always eating..but I have always serious issues on getting something in my belly on the run that wouldn’t upset it. The longer distance I run the worse it gets (opposite on the bike, I’m ready for a sandwich just after 40km). I still didn’t tell you what it is, I know.
Honey Stinger Energy Chews (Pomegranate Passion flavour). It’s even better than Clifbars Shot Blocks. Trust me, I know my chews.
You probably have a very clear idea of how ‘run like a girl’ looks like even if you profess yourself a modern and open minded person.
You may think of a girl breathing heavily and waving arms around and looking really miserable or looking like ‘oh my mascara will smudge, is it smudging already?’
I have in my head two images of ‘running like a girl’. The women that feel a bit ashamed of their bodies or, calling it politically correct: self conscious. Girls running with a hoodie or a shirt tight around the waistline because they’re embarrassed of their butts. Young girls who even in the middle of the summer will run in leggings because they’re so self conscious.Some of the women I know will always run in make-up because they always go out with make-up on. That for me is one of the aspects of running like a girl: being not entirely secure to say ‘screw it, I have enough to think about when I run to think about my waist or thighs' and being convinced that you have to be perfect and that sweating makes you ugly. I don't want to make fun of women who are so self aware. Maybe I'm just lucky because before I start running I think I look ok and then I don't care because I'm too tired. I feel a sort of admiration for women who run even if they feel insecure and every time I see one of them I just want to yell: you’re beautiful!
The other image of running girls I have in my mind is image of my fellow runners who just rock. Some of them have completed Ironman, other ran numerous ultra races (both trail and road). They have families and somehow manage to work, run, race and have social life. Their race results are awesome not only ‘for a girl. They’re awesome for anyone who run.
I can't decide which is more brave: running when you feel a bit out of place but you still do it or pushing yourself forward and going over your limits. It might be the same thing. Getting out of your comfort zone.
(Talking about awesome female runners...)
There's another side of running like a girl and that is how others see it. I know, the best thing would be to apply 'who cares' approach but we all know that people’s reactions affect us.
I don’t know what is the situation of women’s running where you live, here in Italy it’s still not so obvious. At the Rome Marathon this year women were only 20% of all runners and it reflects the overall situation. I normally don’t pay much attention to this because so many of people I know run and so many of my female friends are runners.
I start to notice it when I travel for races. At the airport an organized group of runners, usually middle aged (don’t ask me why, that how it goes) start to chat with you because you’re dressed like a runner traveling for a race (t-shirt from x-race, running shoes that you use now for walking, bad or gadget from another race). Oh, wait, they actually chat with your male companion. For half an hour, ignoring you. When your partner says: oh, you know that my girlfriend is also running that race? they finally notice you to say with a tone that could be perfect for a child on first attempt to ride a bicycle: Really? Good for you! It happens in different configurations, before or after the race. They will never ask you your result.
I mean, gosh, it’s amazing that you run at all!
You’ll probably think I’m exaggerating and the reality is completely different. It depends where you live, it depends if you surround yourself with active people, it depends if your partner is an athlete or practise some kind of physical activity. Once you get out of your usual ‘circle’ you may notice the difference.
What I wanted to say after all? Women who run are still facing some issues. First of all, how they see themselves, if they allow themselves to be less than perfect and to dedicate some quality time to sports (or other activities). That’s on women’s side. Guys...there are some great, supportive men who encourage us to run and take it as something normal without taking it for granted.
The other day I was finishing my long run when I saw a young women running and pushing a stroller. I was about to finish 30km but somehow she seemed to me much more resilient than I was.
Then I download the results from Garmin to Strava and I add a comment.
Then I write about the same run on Daily Mile. You never know, the world could actually end if not informed about my intervals.
Then I update my workout file so that my coach can see it.
Then I reply to comments on Daily Mile.
I honestly think running can be exhausting.
(That’s me trying to look graciously exhausted #smilebetter #failbetter)
Once it was much more easier, I just ran. I had no idea about other people who run and I had no idea what fast and slow could mean and it felt good. Now I think that not being aware of what people can think of you and not comparing yourself to others is the biggest bliss in life.
It’s hard to be so blissful these days. Let me come clean about my relationship with social media. I make post-run selfies after my long runs. Honestly I would make more of them if only I knew how to make a good one. Still, a post long run selfie is a reminder of my journey to a specific race, I like to go back to those photos to see how it went.
I’m on Daily Mile because people I met there motivate me and are always there to cheer me up and give good advice. It’s a great community.
I’m on Strava because I started downloading my workouts there when Garmin Connect had some technical issues and from now on I continue doing it.
Plus I have a blog and I read 2 or 3 different magazines about running and other blogs about running.
Yes, running is what I love but once in while I have a feeling like running is such a small fraction of this passion. I feel good about sharing my runs on social media dedicated to sports because that’s what they are for.
Most of my friends are doing sports so I don’t even get angry any more about different status updates on FB stating
- I went for a run (details about pace and distance, like I care about your intervals)
- I went for a run and I suffered oh how I suffered (we all do, if it was easy it would be called jogging)
- I went for a run and I got injured, here’s the photo (oh, so you’re one of those people who in case of fire take a photo and put it on Instagram. I’ll make sure to never take an elevator with you)
(The after run selfie: show them that you’ve heard about protein recovery shake)
In the past few years running/cycling/you choose became such a social activity that even if you’re doing it on your own you still have million possibilities to share it with others. Most of the apps will let you post your run on social media while you’re running and let people cheer you on your run (I think I would have a heart failure if some siri-like voice read to me ‘gogogo’ comments).
(After run mess. No, I don’t arrange it for photos and I don’t clean it afterwards #likeaboss)
If you’re struggling to find motivation I guess this side of social media can help you to go on but personally I feel (still) safe with ‘less sharing is more’ approach.
Still, I’m not one of the most anonymous runners and sometimes I cringe when I think how many times I’ll report about my run. Do I care? I care about what coach says but deep down I know a bit better what that pace that day meant. I care about my DM community as they have more objective view of what I do but they won’t mind me going slower as long as I’m injury free and happy.
(That’s my running shoe. #becauseblue)
Then I think about my friends who are super talented athletes and...they almost never share. No pace or distance. No photos of blisters, scratches. No #nopainnogain #justdoit #failbetter #runfast #pusharder (ok,I’ll stop that’s just another Daft Punk song).
They just post a breathtaking view of the mountain they climbed or the lake seen on the bike ride. They write about how much fun it was to run, climb or bike and their joy is almost child-like or similar to someone running for the first time. Then you discover they ran 100 and something km in the mountains and you realize they were just too busy having fun and living. I want to be like that when I grow up.
Some of you may know that I’m a vegetarian. It’s not something I’m bragging about partially because it was a work in progress (I was a pescetarian for a long time), partially because I think being vegetarian or vegan can be a great starting point to being a good or better person but not a point of arrival. So now you know, I’m a vegetarian tending to eat a lot like vegan because I have some issues with milk and dairy.
Having said that I wanted to talk about a few vegan athletes. In the past years they became quite famous because it’s still a novelty that someone not eating meat and animal derived products can achieve so much as they did. They became a spokespersons for vegan lifestyle and clearly an inspiration for many. Do I look up for them?
In some way, yes. I am aware that you can do sports and be a vegan at the same time but still what they do is amazing even if they were meat-eaters.
Scott Jurek
How I knew about his existence? I love trail running and Scott Jurek is one of the most famous ultra trail runner. He won numerous times Badwater, the Western States 100 Mile Endurance Run and even the Spartathlon. If not for those victories you may know him from ‘Born to Run’, the famous book I haven’t read but that should be read with caution (may cause wearing minimal shoes). I got to know Jurek better through his book ‘Eat & Run’, describing his childhood and career. How he got into plant-based diet? He tried to get faster. If you know how his story went on (or you can guess) you know that clean vegetarian and subsequently vegan diet helped him to become such a successful athlete. Like many other people in his situation he had to face people questioning his lifestyle. Now we know that you can achieve a lot as an athlete and eat vegan but I guess it’s thanks to people like him that we can say that for sure. For me Scott Jurek would be an inspiring athlete just because he ran and won these amazing races but knowing that he’s a vegan makes a journey into veganism less scary.
http://scottjurek.com
Rich Roll
His story is so incredible that I’m wondering how come it wasn’t made into film yet. I think he was a bit unfortunate when it comes to timing of his book, ‘Finding Ultra’, it came out too close to Jurek’s and everyone jumped on ‘Eat & Run’ but hopefully they’re catching on. I did and I have to say that it’s written a bit better, gives you more insight into emotional state of Roll and overall the descriptions are more vivid.
Anyway.
Who’s Rich Roll? He’s a former: lawyer, alcoholic, overweight middle aged guy. He’s still middle aged guy, I mean, a good plant based diet can help to reverse your biological age but it won’t do that kind of miracles. The difference is now he’s the guy who did and won not only Ironman but also the Ultraman (multiple Ironman) and completed 5 Ironman’s distance in one week.
Rich Roll is a former alcoholic. Normally you would think that ditching an addiction is the happy ending. You can be a little bit overweight but if you’re not obese it’s not a drama as long as you fit your pants and doors. One day Rich Roll decided that being a chubby dad is not the health ideal. He decided to do something with that and the first thing he did was turning to vegetarian and quite quickly also to vegan lifestyle. What followed was sport. To be fair, Rich Roll was a very good swimmer through childhood and most of his college years, so he wasn’t new to athlete’s life. Still, it was vegan diet (according to his words) that allowed him to bring his workouts into completely different level. He’s not only an athlete, he promotes a plant based diet and lifestyle through speeches and his podcast. I’d highly recommend the latter if you want to know more inspiring people: artists, athletes and many more. I listen to this podcast when I run and I truly enjoy them.
http://www.richroll.com/category/podcast/
Tim Shieff
I’m not sure if I heard about him first from Rich Roll podcast or Jamie Oliver Food Tube episode.
He started as a breakdancer and then moved to free running. He didn’t think that he could make life out of it but once he started different offers came along, like filming ads (freerunning is used quite frequently these days in advertising). Shieff won different competitions like Barclaycard World Freerun Championship and now he’s considered one of the most successful freerunners.
Out of three athletes I decided to present you, Tim Shieff is the only one that decided to make passage to veganism out of ethical reasons first.
TIm became vegan 2 or three years ago after meeting Gary Yourofsky, vegan activist, and from now on he’s very active when it comes to promote veganism and vegan lifestyle. He admits that choosing plant based diet make him flourish both as an athlete and a person. Just like in case of Rich Roll I recommend to follow his podcast, in case of Tim Shieff I’d tell you to check out his You Tube channel. You’ll notice that he’s focusing on vegan positive message as much (if not more) as on his sport/practise.
http://www.spiritoftim.com
https://www.youtube.com/livewire
As you can see there are different figures that you can look up to learn, motivate yourself but most of all, to discover new possibilities. You don't have to be strict vegan or vegetarian to get inspired by their stories. Who knows where it may bring you?
If you know or personally admire other plant-based athletes please let me know in the comments, one never stops to learn!
I read somewhere that racing is a celebration of one’s training. Neat, right?
Training for a big day, aiming at a race. For a few years now I’ve been scheduling my workouts is sessions that lead to the d-day. I want to run faster in half marathon, a marathon and so on.
Goals,goals,goals.
I do have a date on my running calendar, 28 of September but it’s not my goal, to be honest,
I’m getting back to running and trying to get back in shape and not relapsing.
It’s a tricky period when I run to become better runner, I run because I like it and I’m trying not to lose this enthusiasm but I can’t really muster in me a race motivation.
Partially because I’ve achieved my goal I’ve been chasing for more than a year: going under 4 hours. I assume it will take me around a year to beat my own record so although Berlin marathon is coming I can’t put myself into competitive mindset.
Am I training without a goal? Hard to tell, I feel so slow and unprepared now that I feel like race is light years away from my possibility. Training without a goal in daunting and relaxing at the same time. I blew two marathons in a row (Berlin and Vienna) because I was so focused on a result that nothing else mattered leading to me being stressed and missing my goal.
So I guess I’ll continue to train without a goal and searching for one. While writing this post I realised that I need some new challenge and that’s why I can’t see my goal in marathon. I need something new and I have no idea what that would be. Have you ever been in this kind of situation?
Speaking of new challenges: I say that marathon is not enough but I struggle (evidence below) to run 22 km. For my defence I can say that was the longest distance I ran since Rome Marathon (end of March)
I waited a while before writing this post and I'm not sure if I shouldn't wait some more but hey, I wanted to write it before I'll forget my own good advice.
Dealing with injury, minor or more serious is never easy and you probably have some issues dealing with it. I'll try to point out some things that normally can happen and give you some indications on how to deal with it. I'm not saying I've mastered how to be a patient injured runner but I'm working on it.
My injury was connected to sciatica, piriformis syndrome or both. I spent almost 2 months dealing with it and here comes my first suggestion
Find out what is it. I know, it sounds pretty obvious but it's not always so easy. Once you know it, get informed and be critical to what you read or hear. Get info on the internet but trust the respected sources, ask your doctor, ask your physio, ask your fellow runners who got the same injury. Confront informations and find out how can you be proactive in this situation, maybe there's a specific stretching or strength exercise routine you can do?
Cross train if you can. I couldn't run but I could ride my bike so I rode it because it was the only form of activity I could do. Maybe in your case it will be weights, swim or something else. In any case, just like with getting informed about your injury, be proactive. You will probably lose some of your fitness but cross training will prevent that in some percent.
Watch out your diet. Like with losing your fitness there will be some inevitable damage. Partially because we runners relay a lot in our training hoping that an additional treat will do no harm as long as we have our runs to burn those calories. Another trap our appetite that remains more less the same though our activity level decreases. Take a look at waht you eat. You probably know the drill: more fruits and veggies, less if no sweets, the same with alcohol. It's not easy but it's worse to seeing yourself gaining weight and feeling even worse in addition to feeling bad about not running.
How do deal perfectly with injury?
Honestly, I don’t know. You can read all the tips and still you’ll freak out or you will feel bad at some point, depending on how the recovery is going. Mine was quite slow, partially because I wasn’t sure what was wrong and I could have done something wrong.
Sometimes you get worse before it will get better, sometimes it’s just slow so the improvement is imperceptible. The most important thing I’ve heard on one of the running podcasts from an athlete with a stress fracture was: hardly any injury is permanent.
You should stick to it and use your injury time to prepare to as smooth as possible return to running. Cross train, sleep and think that you will come back even stronger. That’s what I was doing.
Once I was back (I’m still very cautious about saying I’m back as it is only a month) I immediately made a mistake of doing too much too soon so watch out for that.
I know, I know, long time no see...well, I have a valid excuse now, I wasn’t running so I had nothing to write about. Seriously, I was injured. As always, when it comes to my life, the injury was a bit embarrassing: sciatica or piriformis. I don’t know which one but it was a real pain in the ass, trust me.
That is why the last month favourites will be a little bit different.
Favourite fitness related item:my road bike! I got it just at the beginning of my injury and although I didn’t expected that, my bike became my companion during those non-running weeks. I still felt some mild pain on the saddle but it wasn’t dangerous or unbearable so I continued to ride on. But I have to say, passing runners on my rides felt really badly...
(that's my bad boy. I didn't give it a name and I'm still thinking on it..any suggestions?
Favourite podcast/article ClifCast podcast with Ellie Greenwood http://bit.ly/1pwOhHs (btw the first female at Comerades Marathon, hellooo http://bit.ly/1nXaEUz) who had a stress fracture last year so she practically skipped one racing season. I was taking one of my first runs after the injury while listening to her. She was quite blunt about her injury and the fact that she had no idea how serious that was and how long it would actually take her to recover. Once I stopped to stretch a bit I heard her saying to the podcast’s host: you have to remember, most injuries are not permanent. Sometimes you need someone else to say obvious things to realise how true they are.
(photo source: http://www.clifbar.com/blog/C18)
Favourite run/race: that’s easy, there so few of them ;) Seriously, it was Prague Marathon Relay. It was like a breath of fresh air for me: new place, new people and race environment. Although I’m not ready to race seriously now, the 12 km in Prague was a sign for me that I can start training again! You can read about it here http://bit.ly/1vKhVL
(Team MoTravels. From the left: me, Monique, Natalie)
4. I would forget... I finally tried Gu in flavours: salted caramel and peanut butter. I love them both but I can’t get them online :( I’ve searched on Wiggle but they have only regular ones...
Any new entries on your side? I love new fitness accessories, new sports shoes and all that jazz, so if you have something to share, please do!
Can you believe I’ve never been to Prague before? You probably can but for me it’s a bit weird considering I spent a big part of my life in Poland that confines with Czech Republic. I guess it’s normal you don’t know well things you have close to you.
When Monique asked me if I’d like to run Prague Volkswagen Marathon relay I was excited to run again and quite curious how the marathon would be. There’s a thing: I’m quite picky when it comes to races and I will notice the details. After all you train and you make an effort into this event so I guess everyone else should make an effort as well to make this day special for you. Relay is a good way to check out the marathon and maybe come back next time.
On my way to the Expo I met a local runner who talked me a bit about it. Well, sort of. I was so afraid to get lost which happens quite a lot, that when I spotted someone dressed like runner I just thought he might help me and I asked some questions along the way.
Prague Marathon is the only marathon in the Czech Republic, he told me. Not a good sign, I thought but I changed my mind once I saw the expo: well organized and with lots of expositors. At the expo I finally met my girls: Monique and Natalie. Monique I knew from my previous relay in Milan, she organized the whole thing. Natalie was new to ‘international relay’ but my guess is it won’t be her last race in this formula ;)
(Team MoTravels: Nathalie, me and Monique)
The race
I was a bit afraid how that would go considering I’m not training for over a month and i got back to running a week before the relay but it went better than I thought. Having said that I have to admit the course is quite challenging. Ups and downs and very strong wind made me consider myself happy I was running only 12 km. If you know beforehand that the Prague Marathon is not a flat race you will definitely enjoy it. The town is beautiful and you see a great part of it while running.
And now for something different...the organisation
My favourite part to judge and I have to tell you that Prague Marathon gets an A+. I did a few international races and IMHO the Prague Marathon is one of the top ones when it comes to organization: a huge number of volunteers, very detailed and exhaustive brochures and very impressive change points for the relay.
Would I do it again?
That’s a difficult question. I would definitely do a relay or if there was a half marathon option...A full marathon? Maybe if I wanted to do a beautiful marathon without aiming at a new PB Prague would be a good option.
Overall I would recommend this race to anyone who loves great scenery during a race. If you consider a relay, that’s definitely race for you. A weekend in Prague combined with a 10 or 12 km run? Yes! There’s no better way to see the city than running it! Trust me, I know.
P.S. Here are links for Monique and Nathalie blogs, check them out!
You all know (now you know) that I’m tapering this week so I wouldn’t come up with anything creating and useful. Sooo, I decided to put in one post the odd thoughts or things that happen when I run but somehow don’t into one useful post. From what I know they happen to lot of you as well. That’s right folks
The Murphy’s laws for Runners
you run your intervals, you run at your best pace, you run smoothly: no one sees you. Once you’re dying at the side of the track because you just can’t go any faster/it’s not the day/karma sucks: all of your friends/colleagues/ex boyfriends pass by.
Wind is against you but you tell yourself it’s not a problem because at some point you have to turn and you’ll have the wind behind your back. Somehow the wind has to turn with you.
the chocolate gel spilled all over you does not look like a chocolate. And no, no one is interested in your explanation.
You prepare your next race for four months and everything goes smoothly. Then this knee pain /calf pain (choose the pain of your preference) kicks in. Two weeks before the race.
you thought you ran peacefully and that it was pretty good race so how come on all of the race photos it seems like you’re in labour?
I’m sure there are many more and even though we’re so different in our passion for running the Murphy’s law is something that brings us together ;)
I’d love to hear yours, i can bet once i see then I’ll recognize them immediately…
Most of the times I buy my running shoes online but from time to time I'd like to try something new so I have to to to a physical shop. In occasions like these I realise that finding a good running shop is not so easy. How can you recognise a good, reliable place to buy new running shoes or accessories?
Once you enter the shop assistant asks you how they can help you. What then?
They should ask you what you need your shoes for. I know, so funny. In practise it means: walking, jogging, fast run or training.These questions implies others like, how often do you run and at what pace. Are you looking for a training shoe for long distances or maybe you want a shoe for speed work only.
The answers can be different depending on your running history and you should act as if you were in a doctor's office, tell them your running history. You're a newbie? You should probably start with trying a different models to find your own. What's more you should find out together what type of feet you have (no, smelly is not a right answer).
They should speak your language. That is, if you’re new in the business there’s no point of throwing words like ‘pronation’, ‘racing flats’ or ‘ITB syndrome’. Instead you should be given info on how to take care of your shoes and when to change them. With my first pair of running shoes no one at the shop told me that mileage counts and that at some point I should buy new ones. That one hurt. Literally.
Ok, so the assistant seems to be knowledgeable, asked the right questions, listened, gave you different shoes to try.
The key question is: where you can try them. Most of the shops have treadmill, if they are super cool (that word is still used?) they will let you to try it outside for at least 300-500m. The feeling you get on the road is completely different from the treadmill . If they don't even have treadmill and they refuse to let you run outside, just walk or run away and never come back.
Signs that you're in the wrong shop
- shopping assistant insist on one brand or model
- you have a feeling they don't actually know the shoe, for example they listen to your impressions and then they repeat what you just said (happened to me)
- they don't ask you any questions and it's actually you who have to ask for another model of shoes
- when you ask you what size are you and you say that your normal walking shoes are for e.g. 9, they bring you the exact size of running shoe
- there's a Supermarket sign on the building
You may think I’m overthinking this but at the end of the day shoes are the most important thing of your gear and so much depend on this. Don’t be afraid to be picky, to ask for assistance and of course you don’t have to make a decision right away.
How about you, do you have good, bad experience with running shops? Feel free to share!
If you were curious how a good running shop looks, like here’s a link
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