Vacation Sunday - Sand Dunes

Sunday morning I woke up in Denver and headed out for a run.  I'd been warned repeatedly that there's little to no oxygen in Colorado and that I should only run "a mile or two" and it would feel like I'd never run before in my life.  To prevent the feeling of death, I did a run-walk program of 90 second running, 30 seconds walking for 20 minutes in a park near the hotel.  Happily, I lived. 

We packed out of Denver on our way to Alamosa and Great Sand Dunes National Park.  We stopped somewhere along the way (I could look at a map and tell you...) and it was an hysterically funny place.  We ate at "All Gon" Pizza and shopped for what I'll loosely call antiques.  The drive was gorgeous.  We passed over a mountain range and stopped in the San Juan Valley.

Great Sand Dunes were fun until it started raining.  We went on a ranger lead hike (Thanks Ranger Sara) and then got out on the base of the dunes.  Lightning scared us back inside the building and ultimately back to town for dinner.

      

Vacation - Days 1 and 2: Driving

Two Fridays ago (can't believe it's been that long) I headed out for a morning run, did my once a month "Liz works on Friday afternoons" thing, and then headed out for vacation.  Friday was also exciting because I got to try out my new running shoes.
First stop: the middle of Minnesota to drop off a cat.  Followed by a trip through Southeastern Minnesota, Iowa, all of Nebraska and then into Colorado for a stop in Denver.

 New running shoes.  They have a lower cut than I'm used to but super light.  I think I will like them.

 Beautiful day at Lake Nokomis.

 Rations.

 Hotter than blue blazes in Nebraska.  Thank goodness for air conditioning.

Ever seen a rain storm on the plains?  They don't sneak up on you.

My turn to drive

Theme song for the day: Heavenly Day - Patty Griffin.  Also called "I'm so over heights".

 

So high!

My mom is a bad ass because she's the only one I know who isn't bothered by heights.  Turning around too quickly makes her dizzy, but an 1100 foot canyon?  No problem.  Bad ass.

Theme song for the day: Poco - Keep On Trying.  

Mountains Beyond Mountains

Mountains Beyond Mountains - meaning when you get to the top, you can always sees what lies beyond.  Which makes the trip up totally worth it.  What are you looking at?

Wordless Weekends - Thanks. You Too!

How to do long runs in the heat: It's awesome until it's not

It was long run Thursday today.  I'd thought about doing one Monday but decided to have a fever instead.  This was the next day I could schedule one and the weather looked like it was going to be decent.  It wound up being around 70* and 85% humidity (you think I exaggerate) when I started.  It's still in the 70s now and the humidity is still deadly.

Those of you from around here, or who have run the Twin Cities Marathon will recognize this route as miles 11-21 of that course.  I was going to do the same course as last week, but decided it will be better to mix up routes and prevent boredom and frustration. 

This was a surprisingly good run, until my mind left my body and I got tired, and then it was hard.  When I originally saw the weather report I thought "I'll just galloway the whole thing".  (See here for an explanation of the Galloway method).  Then I was all "you have to go to work today too; run the first four miles outright or it'll take too long".  Then I though "run the first eight" and then "try running the first 12; you made it to eleven last week".  I was surprised to make it 12, and still feel basically okay.  At the beginning of the run I'd expected the humidity to destroy me.  I'm feeling stronger than at this point last year (not faster, just stronger) and also better able to find a proper long distance pace, find the rhythm and stick with it.

I used the galloway method to cover the rest of the miles back home.  I'm doing runs with running and galloway miles to build miles quickly since I was on schedule to run a marathon the last week of October and now I'm running one the first week instead.  The end of the run was rough.  My brain left my body so  I couldn't really concentrate or focus and the heat was starting to get to me.  (It was so hot.)  Also, my left shoe was soaked and I have no idea how that happened.  I was sweating a lot but not quite that much. 

How to survive long runs in the heat - lessons from today:

• Go early.  Aim for sunrise or slightly before as a good starting time because those are the coolest temps of the day.
• Bring water (or whatever) and drink it.
• Learn the galloway method and use it.  Adding scheduled walk breaks has the advantage of keeping your heart rate lower and keeps your body from working harder than it needs to be
• Plan a shady route - Duh! right?  If you can run a route along water (river, lake, etc) that's good too.
• You can always stay close to home and do a couple loops of a shorter course.  Staying close to home is good, less far to walk if you have to stop early.
• Keep drinking your water
• Go as close to naked as legally possible.  Side note here - I was totally caught starting at these two guys today who were running with no shirts on.  Smooth.
• Keep a realistic, steady pace and be patient with yourself.  Hot days are not the days to set a land speed record.  That's what fall races are for.
• Try a shorter run in the heat before trying a long run - then you know what to expect and how your body will react.  I remember my last hot run and I just expected my body to collapse after it.  Today was much better.
• Trust your training.  Long runs in the heat are harder than long runs in 50*, but still totally possible.  I always think of those people who run Badwater and think, 'well if they can do it in 120*, my body can probably handle this'.

Musical highlights from the run:

• Celebrate Life - Kato feat Jeremy Carr.
• Waka Waka This Time for Africa - Shakira.
• Rumor Has It - Adele which was playing as I was running up the River Parkway/Cretin Ave hill, where I did not have to stop and walk.
• Boom Boom Mama - Da Family
• Disturbia - Rihanna.  I love Rihanna.

The Best Headphones for Running and Working Out - a Review

I've been having ongoing issues finding the right pair of head phones for working out.  Am I seriously the only girl in the world who sweats and then the ear buds get all wet in my ear?  Ewww.  I have some information for those of you seeking the perfect pair.

The earbuds I've tried over my running career are:

• Apple iPod Earphones because who hasn't run with these?
• MEElectronics M6-CL Sound Isolating Ear Buds, my newest pair.
• Nike HJ030 Vapor Sport Headphones You'd think the metal clips would hurt but they really didn't.
• Sony MDR-AS40EX Active Style Ear Buds (who makes up these names?)
• Sony MDR-J10 Headphones - oldies but goodies
• Sony MDRE9LP Earbuds - the original from when I literally ran with my Palm Pilot in my hand.

Here's my annoyances, complaints, and loves about headphones:

• Fit - ones that fit are good; ones that pop out of my ears are bad.
• Crazy long cords - are super annoying; all they do is bounce around.  I hate bouncy cords.  They're visually annoying and the cheap ones make that cord slap noise.
• Two part cords are only slightly better.  I've never run across a two piece cord design that made sense.  The short cords are always just long enough to clip an iPod Nano on my collar which is awesome until you realize that my collar is the first line of defense in all the sweat that I produce when I work out.  Awesome.  Seriously, make it long enough to clip onto my sleeve.  
• Clips - if you're going to insist on a crazy long cord, at least give me a clip to attach the middle of the cord to my shirt. 
• Cord tangle - light cords are great because they're quiet and don't flop around, but they tangle like no other
• Sweat - all these things say they are "sweat resistant" and I don't seem to be able to break them but I hate it when sweat gets in my ears with the ear buds.
• Noise isolation/cancelling etc - I have mixed emotions on this one because I like to be able to hear cars and people when I run outside but I love to shut you all out at the gym.
• Durability - I beat the crap out of these headphones.

In order of my owning these headphones, and also in order of expense -

 
Sony MDRE9LP - the old school items that I had when I started running.  They fit me but were definitely a "one size" kind of deal.  The cord was crazy long, and it was with these that I developed the method of wrapping the cord around my bra strap to prevent cord flying, slapping and tangling.  I still use this method but that's a different blog post.  For sure there was no clip.  I don't remember the "sweat in my ears" issue.  They did not have noise isolation/cancelling (they're like $8 at Target, what'd you expect?)  I feel like these were fairly durable and I beat the crap out of them in heat and cold.

 
Sony MDR-J10 Headphones - I've owned two or three pairs of these, and still have one in working order.  The little hook around my ears is really nice and keeps the earbuds in place.  I usually run with a bandana and that holds the hooks down as well.  Everything I said about the cord (length, stupidity, etc.) for the little ear buds goes for these guys too. 

Apple iPod Earphones have always fallen out of my ears for any kind of activity.  There's no point judging them on any other merits if they wont stay in my ear long enough to enjoy.  Sorry guys.

Nike HJ030 Vapor Sport Headphones were a brief flirtation with anything other than Sony.  They fit well.  That metal hook was actually pretty comfortable and locked those things in place.  It also had a two part cord (thank you), although I usually used both pieces.  The cord was thinner so more prone to tangling.  Ultimately these were the least durable of any of the many many earbuds I've tried.  That hinged hook that held the earbuds in place broke much sooner than I thought it should've.  The earbuds can't be used without that piece as they're super heavy and fall out.

Sony Active Style Earbuds - apparently I learned my lesson and went back to Sony.  These things have a two part cord and were also my first experiment with noise isolation.  When they say "noise isolation" what they mean is "this piece of rubber is like a suction cup in your ear - except it will let sweat in".  The cord is super tangley.  Like I wanted to give my pocket a boy scout badge in knot tying for the crap it produced.  When not in knots, these things fit super well and I was able to figure out how to place them in my ear to still hear traffic when I'm outside.  I have some reservations about the durability of these because the connection of the two piece cord is starting to erode, perhaps becuase I use it to work out and it gets covered in sweat.  (How did you not see that coming?)  These were also the first earbuds I had that would get covered in sweat and seal the little sweat beads in my ear.  Gross.  That said, these may be my favorites on the list (which could change if I could ever get this last pair to fit right). 

MeElectronics Sound Isolating Earbuds - I took a chance on these because I read a good review and they were wicked on sale at Amazon when I bought them.  They have six different ear bud ends to ensure a perfect fit.  I haven't found the right one yet.  Serious.

These are the five sets I'm not using; the one I am using goes in between the one on the right and the pair second to the right.

They are noise isolating and prone to the sweat goo issue as well.  (Maybe I should just go back to the cheap $8 ear buds and be done with it?)  These win for having a cord that is impossible to tangle (I've tried, I assure you) and for having a clip on the cord so I'm not tying it in knots around my sports bra.  I haven't owned these very long.  The only comment on durability I have is that they get full of my sweat and continue to work.

Runners, bikers, and everyone else - what earbuds do you use when you work out?  Do you have the perfect pair?

Wordless Weekends - SO HOT

       

Indoor summer workouts - Circuit is your friend

It's hot here.  Perhaps I've mentioned this already?  Yesterday and today there was no hope of an outdoor workout so I headed inside.

Circuit is a great workout and cross training.  I go to my particular circuit class because it also helped me learn proper form for weight lifting.  And they kick my butt.

Zumba is fun.  Just fun.  I'm considering going tomorrow morning but we had a sub on Thursday so I'm a little gun shy.  The normal teacher, Bernice, is a rock star.  Probably because she's a good teacher.  This other lady tried to have too many dance moves in one song and it got confusing.  Also confusing because I didn't know all the songs.  Still fun.  Thursday is my favorite night of the week.

Elliptical has played less of a roll in marathon training lately, which is probably a good thing.  I did jump on it today for an hour.  I didn't get my normal elliptical at the gym so I did a little different workout (intervals instead of 'hills'). Still a great time.

Eleven - now Thirteen was my "finisher" for the day.  Finisher 1.  Liz 0.  See here for a description of the first time I tried this.  It goes like this:

• 12 walkouts + 1 goblet squat = 13
• 11 walkouts + 2 goblet squats = 13
• you get the idea

In other news, I found a team for running Ragnar.  I could not be more excited.  Plus, it's all dudes.  Nice.

Should I have Ice Cream or Beer After My Long Run?

I had a fantastic run today.  I had an otherwise okay day as well.  I watched Tour De France (Go Bradley Wiggins), I worked a short day and had Japanese (Tanpopo) for dinner.

Wake up - Why is 5:45am so early?  It was 70* and 65% humidity.  (Man up; the marathon was hotter than this.)  I had a granola bar and got my stuff together.  Food was 1 gu pack and 1 pack of Gu Chomps.  One pack of chomps is actually *two* servings.  Try to stay with me.

RUN!  I had a new route in mind and I really enjoyed it.  This was a great route because I knew what to expect (and how not to get lost) from biking but there were some surprises, especially along Lake Cedar.  New routes are always fun the first time.  The biggest revelation is that Lake Cedar (already becoming a favorite) has true pedestrian trails that are quite separate from the bike paths.  So separate that even Google Maps didn't know about them, so the mileage on this route is not quite perfect.  (I'll deal.)



I had a recent change in marathons (from Dublin to Twin Cities).  I needed to move marathon training, or long runs at least, up a bit to get on the right track for Twin Cities which is about a month earlier.  Originally I had been scheduled for 10 but thinking 11 and needed to boost that to about 14 or 15.  The plan was to do a long run of 10-12 miles and Galloway the rest of the run.  

Long run - 11 miles.  This was a perfect run.  I just felt good.  I was able to keep a solid steady pace, but not too fast or too frustratingly slow.  I finished what I thought was 11 miles in around 2:20:00 (allowing for a few minutes walking at the beginning and some stop lights along the way) and was encouraged when I came home and realized it was probably more like 11.5 miles when I stopped.  Thank you to High Intensity Water Running here; I can feel it paying off.  I felt like I had better form and better control which are things I learned in class.  Part 1 looked like this.  The two spikes are around food break times (which involved taking the Camelbak off) and I basically got faster the whole run.  Nice.



Galloway - all the way back home.  I learned that I should just put on my big girl pants and actually use the Interval training program on my iPod (which doesn't always play nice with Nike+ so I didn't feel like it) because I didn't have clear goals for run/walk times around the lakes.  In the neighborhoods there are some easy land marks and ways to be consistent (run 2 blocks, walk 1) that don't exist on the lakes.  I also learned I should have a better hydration plan in the long run, especially early on.  By this time I was gulping water down.  I kept waiting for it to upset my stomach but it didn't.  I should've hydrated better in the beginning and then I wouldn't have had this issue.  Here's what part 2 looked like:

Ice Bath - my own personal nemesis.  I was so excited today I broke one of my ice holders.  Oops.  I did some stretches at home and also took a walk around the block to get some of the crap out of my muscles.  When I got home from work I took a second walk and did some more stretches.  I have what I'll call a recovery run tomorrow with Herself, the birthday girl.

Food - I had some good food today; probably not enough.  I was debating eating a second dinner (not quite Fourth Meal, but almost) when I learned that in moderation, beer is just as good as water for post run hydration.  Instead of ice cream I'm having my calories in liquid form.  (Really, it was the only choice because I can't write and eat ice cream at the same time and I wanted to chat with you all.)

Music - The other thing that made this run so great was a playlist of almost completely new (new to me) music.  I found some running play lists on the internet and went a little crazy.  Here are some of my new, soon to be favorites.

• Ginger Ninja - Bone Will Break
• Jamelia - Beware of the Dog
• Cage the Elephant - Aint No Rest For The Wicked
• 311 - Hey You
• Placebo - Pure Morning
• Empire of the Sun - Walking On A Dream
• Rihanna - Distrubia
• Rizzle Kicks - Mama Do The Hump

 

Wordless Weekends - just hot.

If your street looks like this,  I am so sorry.

Not sure how that leg got dirty from my bike.

Take me to the place I love, take me all the way...

At the Lock and Damn - closed at the moment becuase there's too much water.

      

Best Bike Paths in Minneapolis - a review

I woke up early this morning, possibly because the entire planet is on fire and it's too hot to sleep.  I felt more like going outside (only 80* at 6am) than staying in so I got on my bike and planned to stay out for a long time.

Here's what wound up happening:

Because Minneapolis rocks it for biking, all of this ride was on bike paths or bike boulevards.  See why we're the most bike friendly city in the US.  I'm coming very late to the party for cycling, but quite happy that I showed up.  I was on several different paths or trails so I'll tell you all about them.

Hiawatha LRT Bike Trail follows the Light Rail tracks southeast.  I'm reserving judgement on this trail for a later date.  Today I was only on it for less than a mile.  As has been mentioned previously there's a northern section that's so torn up even Google Maps noted the detour.  I love the part of this trail down by Minnehaha Creek.  It's gorgeous and well paved.

West River Parkway is a familiar place.  I run here a lot.  I love that the trail was recently paved and it's generally in fantastic condition.  I also love the trail is well shaded and connects to about a billion other trails.  My dream is that someday they will paint this trail they way they did the greenway with three lanes (running lane, northbound bike lane, southbound bike lane) but it may just be too narrow for that.  The runners and the bikers tend to cooperate on this trail, but it can get confusing who is supposed to be where.

The Midtown Greenway is, in some ways, the jewel of our biking crown.  It's a bike/walk only road that runs the entire east/west span of Minneapolis and connects to all kinds of things including the river and chain of lakes.  More information here.  The eastern portion of the trail is a bit exciting because it crosses some big streets.  (27th Avenue and Minnehaha Avenue, I'm looking at you.)  After that, the trail is below street level and some businesses have patio level doors that can only be accessed from the greenway.

Cedar Lake Trail I've found out is much longer than I've ever taken advantage of.  I just use it to ride around the lake.  Lake Cedar is what I refer to as "where they keep all the white people" in Minneapolis.  Just go there sometime to see what I'm talking about.  The only downside of this trail is the railroad I have to cross (serious) to get onto it.

The Kenilworth Trail is a newer trail. More info here. The bonus of this trail is it's the only way back into Uptown and the lakes that doesn't involve a giant freaking hill.  It supposedly connects to Lake of the Isles, but I've never found the connector path that even Google Maps swears exists.

Lake of the Isles is underused for bikes, or at least I think so.  All the bikes are running around Calhoun and Harriet or playing on the Greenway   Fine.  I'll stay here by myself.

Lake Clahoun is overly popular for bikes.  Pluses are this it's gorgeous.  Minus for the bumpiness of the bike path.  Although, it wasn't the worst paved path I was on today. 

Lake Harriet is my favorite lake.  Mine and everyone else, which is why it's so busy.

The River Lake Greenway (see here for more) is one of the newer Greenways.  It's the one closest to where I live.  I also call it "the one no one has ever heard of".  Really.  If you're not on it, you don't know it's there.  I'm on it the most and so have the most to say about this one.
Pluses for this Greenway are this it's close to my house and takes me to Lake Harriet.  I also use it for running in the winter when the sidewalks are all icy.  Also yeah for having a walk light button at Cedar Ave in a place that bikes can get to it without having to dismount.  How thoughtful.
Question marks - What's with all the stop signs on these little neighborhood streets?  Did they just run out of money to take them down or change directions?  I thought it was just one by my house but when I headed east this morning I found several new examples.  I understand the bikes need to be stopped before crossing major streets like Chicago Ave, but these are all dinky little side streets.  I thought the idea of a bike boulevard was to give priority to bike traffic.  Why give priority to cars on some little side street? 
Serious minus - For part of this road, when they say "bike lane" what they mean is Go ahead; that part of the road is so chewed up I wouldn't drive my car on it, even if I could.  There's a particularly rough patch between Lyndale Ave and 35W that's so chewed up it's painful to ride.  There's about a million construction projects going on in the Twin Cities so I'm hopeful that eventually they'll re-pave the bike lanes and smooth them out.

The ride was about 24 miles and took me around 2 hours including a little break for food.  It was the last thing I did outside today.  The weather was predicting 95* but the rain they called for last night failed to appear so it's actually even hotter.

How to Work Out in the Heat

It's super hot here.  Like record breaking and miserable.  (Sorry Texas.  We're wimps up here I guess.)  I even considered not going to fireworks tonight.  But I did need to get in a workout today.  Since I slept in and then watched the Tour De France, that meant I was going to be having a workout outside.  In the middle of the day.  In the heat.

Some things to remember for working out in the heat:

• Find shade.  Stay in the shade.
• Be as close to naked as legally possible.  It's 100*; this is not the moment to be dainty.
• Find water or take it with you.
• A little ice down your bra never hurt anyone.  You think I jest.
• Slow the pace and/or take longer breaks between intervals.
• Chills are probably a bad sign.
• Work out close to home.
• Cool the body down when finished.  A jump in the lake or pool is an excellent method to stop your body from cooking.

For my hot workout, I did two quick hard workouts in the heat and then a long moderate workout in the pool.  

Eleven  This was a modification of a "21" workout.  I did 11 instead of 21 becuase I had a second workout in mind.  It works like this:

• 10 Walkouts + 1 Goblet Squat = 11.
• 9 Walkouts + 2 Goblet squats = 11

And so on.  Walkouts are harder than they look.  I thought about starting with 21, maybe on a cooler day or inside.  It's good to have goals.

The Finisher is something I learned in Circuit.

• 10 squat jumps followed by 10 Push ups (I do girl pushups)
• 9 squat jumps followed by 9 push ups

You get the idea.I took breaks between some of the longer intervals, the 10, 9, and 8 ones.  Then I started doing a few intervals together before taking a minute break.  (It's hot, I needed to bring my heart rate down.) My newest playlist addition (and how did I ever miss this one?) helped me get through the end here.  Who else knows Nelly - Warrior?  Total winner.
  
Pool running was not nearly as intense as would normally happen on a Wednesday morning at the gym.  I spent an hour running in the pool.  It was a more steady, slightly slower pace than High Intensity Water Running class.  (I know becuase I was able to keep a conversation and not gasping for air like normal.) Also different from class is that I took no breaks, the entire time. 

Monday: How to train for a marathon in the HEAT

Short answer: find someplace air conditioned.
Long answer: this is one thing you can try...

We're under an extreme heat advisory here in the Twin Cities.  It's a little like the time last year when we set a record for the highest dew point on the planet outside of the Amazon Rain Forest.  It was around 80* when I woke up.  Late.  Obviously, I did not get in any exercise before work.

After work I headed over to the gym and did a couple workouts.  The track is usually well air conditioned but not so much tonight.  The workout floor (weight room and cardio equipment) was actually less humid.   My goal was 11 "miles" total.

Workout Number 1 - Track workout.
I ran a sort of ladder, sort of descending workout.  It went like this:  Run 1 lap, walk 1 lap; Run 2, walk 1; Run 3, walk 1; Run 4; walk 1.  Then Run 1 lap, walk 1 lap; Run 2, walk 1; Run 3, walk 1.  Followed by Run 1 lap, walk 1; Run 2, walk 1.  Finished with Run 1, walk 1.
I can't tell you if this is more awful than the 2,3,4,5,4,3,2 pyramid track workout, but it definitely belongs in that level of hell.
This is a five mile workout at my track.

Workout Number 2 - Drills
I did drills on the short ends of the track and ran the long sides, six laps totaling one mile.  Drills were two footed hops, walking lunges, criss cross side steps, high knees, kick butt, and running backwards.

Workout Number 3 - Elliptical
It's the elliptical.  My goal was to keep my heart rate in check, meaning 150 or less.
The stupid thing about doing sprints as part of a 'long' workout is it screws up your heart rate like no other.  So this is more an example how to never train for a marathon.  Whatever.

  
Music from the workout that should be on your running playlist (if you don't mind bad words)

• Eminem - Lose Yourself which I still remember from my first marathon. This is the "uncencored" version so we'll have to thank YouTube for that gem.
• Carly Rae Jepsen - Call Me Maybe.  Yes, seriously, right after an Eminem song.
• Jencarlos Canela ft Pitbull and El Cata - Baila Baila  Dance, dance, move yourself for those of you who are not speaking Spanish.
• Dance Bailalo - Kat DeLuna.  I discovered this song in Zumba but it works well for running too.
• Levantate - Pitbull.  Get yourself UP!

It was so hot after my workouts that my legs were sweating.  And I didn't know my shorts could get soaked through with sweat.  I'd seen it with my shirt before of course.  But my shorts?  Everything was sweaty and disgusting.  Thank goodness for showers.

 
To survive the heat wave I've been sleeping next to my air conditioner on my air mattress.  It's nice not to wake up covered in a layer of sweat.

Wordless Weekends - Before and After

Before

After - 1

After 2

After 3