Archive for November, 2009
Baby Aspirin
Posted by: | CommentsThere’s an interesting column on runnersworld.com called Ask the Running Doc. The running doc recently posted that he’d been part of the medical crew at my marathon and a 32 year old man collapsed at the finish of the half and was resuscitated. There’s a theory about sudden cardiac death in runners that the running doc addresses which is that muscle breakdown from exertion during a race causes a small clot to form which interferes with normal cardiac rhythm. Apparently taking baby aspirin the morning of a race is the best preventative. The running doc says to ask your doctor if you are ok to take baby aspirin and if so, do it.
The running doc and his colleagues in the International Marathon Medical Directors Association are going to discuss a research project on sudden cardiac death. And guess what, you can be part of the research. Check out his post for more details if you are planning to run a half marathon or marathon soon. My brother is running a marathon on Sunday so I’m going to be sure and send him the baby aspirin info.
How about a little Charlie Brown Christmas for your running mix today.
Holiday Gift Guide
Posted by: | CommentsYou know how the holidays sneak up on you every year? I have to get a leg up this year since we are spending Christmas in Omaha and are leaving a week before Christmas. And Hanukkah is really sneaking up, this year it starts on December 11. So if there’s a runner on your list, here are a few ideas. Or a few things to put on your list and hope the Hanukkah fairy or Santa determines that you’ve behaved sufficiently well enough to deserve them.
For that runner with a sweet tooth (hmm, I wonder who that might be), how about some runner themed cookie cutters. How cute are these things?
We all love Tiffany but sometimes we love a cool bargain even more. Lift your sole has awesome charms for a great price, the marathon mom one is just $14! I love the charms and the chain I bought and have had lots of people ask about them.
Anyone who works out knows that stinky workout clothes are the one downside. Sometimes it’s hard to get out that stink, but there are several detergent products just for attacking it. Like Win. Specialty running stores often sell some detergent or you can order Win online.
And speaking of stink, who wants to get their car seat all sweaty and stinky after a run or a workout? Well IGOActive invented a cool thing called the NeatSeat. It’s a seat cover for your car so you can protect your car seat. And you can use discount code “twitter” at checkout for a discount. I got one for my brother and he loves it.
Now that our daylight hours are limited, chances are lots of runners are doing at least some runs in the dark. Safety lights are an inexpensive way to make sure your runner is seen.
If your runner finished a marathon this year, CafePress has tons of marathon and running themed gifts like mugs, t-shirts, ornaments, and car stickers.
Here’s a Hanukkah song for your running mix that will help you figure out that age old problem, applesauce or sour cream on your latkes. I love potato cakes. With sour cream.
A milestone
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Yesterday morning we started our Thanksgiving by doing Austin’s Turkey Trot. It’s the first time I’ve done it and boy was I surprised. The Turkey Trots I’ve done have been a few hundred people at most. Well, in the spirit of doing it big in Texas, 14,000 people turn out for this Turkey Trot! The greatest thing was the 1K race for kids. My daughter was very excited to do it, she got her own race bib and a race t-shirt. They smartly send the kids off in waves grouped by age so the big kids don’t trample the little ones. By the time we got to the little kids, my daughter was raring to go. She refused to hold my hand so I let her just run and followed behind. She had a great time and ran the entire distance, not bad for a two year old! At the finish line she was admiring her finisher’s bracelet and a dog came out of nowhere and walked up to her and licked her face. The official finish line kisser I guess.
We then did the grown up 5 mile race which was challenging with a jogging stroller but my husband was a speed demon and managed to navigate the crowds pretty well. It probably would have been more enjoyable if our daughter hadn’t spent the first two miles whining and crying because she wanted to get out and run, but that’s the nature of the toddler I suppose. It was a great way to start our Thanksgiving though and I hope it will be an annual tradition for us. And now I’m excited to frame Ellie’s race bib from her first race, how cool is that to do a race when you are two?!
I hope all of you had a great Thanksgiving and hopefully some of you trotted before your big meal as well.
I love the holidays so now you’ll be getting holiday songs for your running mix. Even though we don’t see snowflakes here, I grew up with snow and I love Marvin Gaye so here’s a cool one.
Log it
Posted by: | CommentsWhether you are training for a race or just logging miles for fitness, keeping a log of your miles is helpful. I’ve kept track several ways, with an excel spreadsheet, in a paper running journal, and now I’m trying out a new iphone app. Keeping tabs on your mileage serves several purposes. The biggest benefit is a tangible reminder of what you’ve accomplished. I challenge you runners to keep track of your mileage for a whole year. You may have low mileage weeks where you feel like a sloth but at the end of the year when you see all those miles added up, you’ll be impressed. If you have a great run, note it. If you have a crummy run, note it. Maybe you’ll see a pattern emerge, maybe you’ll find out you always run better in the morning, or over your lunch hour. Maybe you’ll notice that once you go over a certain mileage you start to get burned out. Sometimes you can pinpoint the origin of an injury.
When I’m training for a race, it’s pretty clear what my goal is. But when I’m not training, I still like to have a few goals in mind and those are good to log as well. Like a weekly mileage goal or long run goal or a speed workout. All those weekly goals add up. They give your confidence a boost and you can build on the momentum. If you aren’t logging your runs, why not make that your New Year’s Resolution? Here’s a few tools to help you.
Fitbook Check out my buddy Joanna’s post on Fitbooks, they are a great way to log your fitness and nutrition goals. Use promo code givethanks to get $1 off and a $1 of the purchase will be directed toward a needy child.
iphone App – Winkpass Running Log – This is a great running log and I noticed they now have a shoe tracker as well. Keep track of multiple runs per day (for those of you who are really dedicated), your mileage and time, running route, and type of run.
Garmin Training Center A nice complement to Garmin hardware that logs your workouts where you use your Garmin GPS device.
Online Training Log Just google online running log and you’ll get lots of options. Runner’s World has a free online running log that’s worth a look.
Here’s something for your night-time mix. It’s not a great running song but it’s a great song. There are many reminders this week to remember what we are thankful for and one of the things I’m most thankful for is my daughter. Motherhood didn’t come easy for me but just like all those things (like marathons) that are accomplished after a lot of determination and pain, it’s been so worth it. This is a lullaby for my little one.
