Running The St George and Nike Womens Marathon Back to Back

After 2 weeks I finally am sitting down to document my experience running 2 marathons 8 days apart. For some who are  crazier than I, know that this is possible with a lot of dedicated training and an attitude that says "I run to see what I'm really capable of achieving". Those of you who are not as crazy might think this was a stupid idea! Well stupid or not, it is finished :)

For anyone knew to the idea of the marathon and distance running a marathon is 26.2 miles long (blame her Highness the Queen for the .2) and is quite the feat. Yes, 26.2. It is far. Drive it sometime on the freeway going 65+mph and imagine running that distance. But with a lot of work and preparation the hugely impossible distance seems somehow possible (although perhaps not easy). If you are interested in learning the why behind someone would want to run a marathon I highly recommend the documentary The Spirit of the Marathon.

I have spent the last 7 months planning, training, and preparing for these two events. They were to be the highlight of the year. It was my third time running the St George Marathon (STG) and first running the Nike Womens Marathon (NWM) in San Francisco. And let me just say they were both fabulous!

So in order to redeem myself a little bit let me explain how I ended up running both races a week apart as it wasn't my original intentions. Early March I became involved with Team in Training (TNT). TNT is the fundraising, run-for-a-cure, organization of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. After coaching them for a few months I decided I wanted to get involved and fund raise the money and complete the NWM (Interested in donating to a the cause? You can still donate to help me beat cancer! Click Here to donate.)

For anyone who knows me knows I'm not always as detail oriented as I should be. When I committed to the race Josh and I had already decided to try to get into the STG again. We entered their lottery and got into the event. We were thrilled! The one problem was the NWM would be only 2 weeks later, or so I thought. It took me about a month to realize the STG was on Oct 6th and the NWM was on Oct 14th which meant they were only 8 days apart! Gulp! By that time I was already committed to both and so I figured, what the heck, why not try? I believed in myself at this point that if I was able to complete the training I would be able to do both races and live to tell the tale.

As I previously stated I have spent the last 7 months training for both of these events and I can honestly say it was such an amazing experience! I would do it again in a heart beat. STG marathon is definitely one of my favorites for its beautiful scenery, wonderful race organization, and support. The NWM offered awesome energy, tons of estrogen power and an extremely coveted medal, a specially designed Tiffany's necklace. That's right the medal was a Tiffany's medal! HOW cool is that? Be jealous, be very  jealous ;0)

St George Marathon in St George, UT

Oct 6 was absolutely perfect weather for running! It started off a little chilly, 48 or so deg F at the starting line. We started in Snow Canyon outside of St George, UT and followed SR-18 all the way till we reached St George. Running through red rock country in the early morning hours is breathtaking and awe inspiring. I couldn't help feel sorry for the runners who were stuck running around a track or on a treadmill. I have yet to find any other experience that leaves me feeling so empowered and strong as it does to know that my own two feet and legs can travel that distance.

Josh and I stayed together off and on throughout the run, I left him once and he me. But we managed to meet up around mile 16 and finish the race together. We managed to forget our water belts and so had to use every aid station, which always slows you down a little. Not to mention having to use the bathroom. It was hard, but we did really well and finished in a time of 4:03 mins a PR! Josh was mad because he didn't beat my sisters time of 3:59. Next year Anna, next year.

Crossing the finish line I still felt pretty strong, tired, and some sore spots but not like death like I would have expected. Guess that means I could have gone faster ;0) We definitely tried though. One of the biggest challenges of a marathon is knowing how to pace yourself so that you do your best, without failing and fatiguing to soon.

After the race I was only mildly tired and sore. Which was definitely a good sign. Josh was in a little worse shape than I was, mainly because he doesn't ever train as well. Sunday I was a little more sore and stiff so I forced myself to walk around lots. Monday we left for our San Francisco fun and did TONS more walking, which I won't get into here, but it really helped me recover for NWM on Sunday.

Nike Women's Marathon in San Francisco, CA

Sunday started out a little chilly, about 55 F. At 6am I was making my way to the starting corrals to get in with my pace group for the race. When the gun went off it was just like watching a slug move across the sidewalk. It took me 7 mins to get 2 blocks to the starting line from where my starting corral was.

It stayed dark for the first 30 mins or so but the sun never came out. The infamous SF fog was thick and seeped all across the race course which ran along the bay, or as close as it could get for the majority of the race. It was awesome weather! I was so grateful for the fog, even if it did spoil the view of the ocean and could hardly see the Golden Gate bridge at all. At mile 4 I stopped and waited for my friend Nicole to catch up. She had started two corrals behind me so we decided we'd just meet up after the crowds had thinned up some (which by the way, with 25,000 runners it didn't thin till we split from the 1/2 marathon group). It took her a while, apparently the starting line was slower than snails for her, and we continued on our marry way, taking pictures as we went. I have included some of those pictures for your amusement :)

Starting line ahead! poor SFers trying to sleep in on a Sunday morning!

The crowd behind me

Ready and pumped to start!

It was truly impressive how many women were out there! The race is obviously geared towards women, and while there were some men it was only about 1-2% of 25,000 participants out on the course. We had no problem enjoying ourselves and the views, despite Nicole having serious fights with an ankle that was giving her a lot of grief and caused us to do a fair amount of walking. I must say she was a trooper. Josh joined us at about mile 16 and finished the race with us. He's such a swell guy. Nicole and I finished the race together in 5 hours and 40 minutes! It was awesome! We crossed the finish line, received our Tiffany's necklace and enjoyed eating our post race snacks on the beach watching the waves roll in. No better way to end a race I do believe!

Beach at the finish line

Goofing around at the TNT Finishers tent 

Ahhhh.... sweet success :)

So, two marathons in 2 weeks. I did it. It was a challenge, but we took our time during the NWM and so that definitely helped and made it so I felt relatively good post race. I was hardly sore at all! and I'm thankful to report No blisters, missing toenails, or excessive chaffing! Woot!

Hope you have a great run yourself!

Creating Your Own Endless Pool: Product Review

So a long while back I received a fun opportunity from a company called AquaGear. They are a family owned company based out of Florida that specialize in water sports such as swimming, water aerobics and scuba diving. And they were looking for blog authors (like myself) to test out and review their site and one of their swim products. So of course I couldn't say no and took them up on the offer.

 

I spent a fair amount of time perusing their site looking for something... some fun toy that I don't already own. I looked at a variety of things, including underwater cameras, paddles, and swim fins. Their inventory is quite extensive and really well organized. As you can see when you visit their site along the left hand column there is a variety of options for searching for what you need and want. They have their products organized by activity, as well as by brand. I must say I always appreciate a straight forward, easy to navigate website and theirs was just that.

I also liked that they sell a wide variety of styles for each product, so its like shopping on Amazon or some major retailer, but is a family owned specialty shop. Their prices are also very comparable to other specialty shops and the few times I've been on their site they also seem to have sales quite frequently.

Once I picked what I wanted I placed my order and it came within the time promised ~ 5 business days. I was thrilled when I received the package! It always feels like Christmas a little not to mention I always love new training toys.

I am sure you are all intrigued to what I picked? Well... Dun Dun Dun!

 

Training Leash by Water Gear
Item # 68757

Ok so you may be wondering what it is? Well, its a training leash! Basically its a resistance band like you would use in the gym but it is obviously made for swimming. Fun Huh? So there are two reasons why I chose this item 1: as a resistance band I can use it to help improve stroke strength and efficiency. And 2: when rigged correctly I can use it to create an endless pool for swimming in hotel pools or when I am training for Tri's and don't want to bother with turning at the wall. So while this product is not necessarily designed to be rigged for shorter pools, it can be safely done and that is what I used it for this week.

Josh and I were staying in the Hilton Hotel (I know I know fancy right?) in San Francisco before I ran the marathon and we a cold, cloudy day to test it out in their outdoor heated pool.

The leash is 20' long and comes with an adjustable belt that wraps around the waist and a yellow strap on the end that can be used to loop around the ladder or blocks (in a competitive use pool). Their are three resistance options, yellow, blue and red. Yellow being the lightest of the three. After testing it out, I think I would go with at least the blue for anyone who has had significant swimming experience, technique and training like myself. The yellow is appropriate for Josh a more novice swimmer however.

 

Josh attempting to swim laps in this ~5yd pool

 

Pertty ain't she?

 The leash is 20' and therefore took a little rigging to make it small enough so that it would allow for adequate stretch without reaching the other end of the pool. This took making a loop knot around the ladder and then fully wrapping the leash around the ladder 1 1/2 times. We then attached the leash to the belt and then to Josh.

 As you can see Josh is able to get almost all the way down to the other end where he can stay in place with a moderate amount of resistance which will increase his workout intensity only slightly.

Another pic of the set up

As you can see this is really quite easy to use. I did film Josh using the leash... you'll have to pardon my mouth in the first few seconds... My bad...

We spent about 1/2 hour testing out the leash and playing around with it. I was successfully able to use it for all 4 of the competitive strokes (front crawl, backstroke, breast stroke, and butterfly) and while the leash is a little bothersome as you tend to kick it and what have you it wasn't so bad that it drove me crazy. I do have a very steady kick however and Josh found it to be more of a nuisance than myself. Another point, which I brought up before is that the yellow is very light. And while you can put a significant amount of stretch on it, the band is so thin I'd be worried that a strong swimmer would wear out the rubber leash much more quickly. The band is made of the same rubber material as therabands/tubes you'd use in the gym and if you've seen those they crack and tear with age, friction, and use. I am interested to see how the material holds up in highly chlorinated pools but as of now have no idea what the life span of the rope is. 

The Water Gear Training Leash is right now on sale for $39.95 which is a pretty standard price for something of its quality. They do sell another training leash that is quite a bit more expensive ($80) that also looks fun to try. For the price, I'd definitely say this training leash is a good deal and would recommend it to anyone interested in either the endless pool or increase resistance functions. 

Check out AquaGear.com for more info on this as well as other swim products for all your swimming needs!

Discount on Massage

Hello!

So my friend Holly, a licensed massage therapist is offering a discount on massages for the month of October just for you! See below for more info!!!


ROCK-TOBER"

Always wanted to try a hot stone massage and see what it was all about?

Well now you can at an affordable price!!

October Special

is $75 for 90min hotstone

Save an additional $5 if you book your appt online at

www.symmetrymassage.net

$70 for 90min of Heaven!!!

call or visit our website today!!

Benefits of a Hot Stone massage include:

deeper relaxation

 muscles and tension release with ease.

Feels fantastic!!

Holly Crofts LMT
Symmetry Massage
3900 South 715 East Suite 212
Salt Lake City, Utah 84107
801-897-7929
www.symmetrymassage.net

Conquering the Half

So as always these posts are long overdue, I can't help it! :) I'm just that lazy.

On August 25th I completed my very first Half Distance Triathlon, more specifically the Bear Lake Brawl Half Distance Triathlon. For those of you unsure, triathlons come in a variety of distances most commonly known as Sprint, Olympic, Half, and Full. Each of these distances is roughly 2x's the distance of the one prior to it. The distances of each sport in the half is 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike, and a 13.1 run.

Training for this race was a little haphazard as I have been training for multiple events this year including smaller distance triathlons, marathons, ultra-marathon, and bike century ride. Due to how the schedule worked out as well as some of my other hang ups with biking I really neglected training on my bike, simply hoping that the outrageous numbers of miles I was putting in running would help me squeak by on the bike. I did however spend a significant amount of time training the swim which really helped me to feel prepared and confident to be able to race the swim. Thanks to two previous triathlons and several outdoor swim training sessions I had also gained better control of my anxiety in the open water that had somehow still managed to plague me at the start of the year.

So I guess you could see that I was at least decently prepared in 2 of the three events. Which only left me the tiniest bit nervous about my overall performance and time to completion. Not to get ahead of myself, but I did manage to do better than I expected on the bike.

Friday we drove up to Garden City/Bear Lake from our house in West Jordan. What should have taken only 2 hours took us 4 freakin hours! The traffic was awful! Between the Utah/USU football game, LOTOJA, and rush hour traffic we just couldn't get ANYWHERE fast. Josh was so cranky by the time  we arrived in Garden City that it took all the effort that I had to not die of laughter when he saw the condition of the motel we were staying in. Ha ha ha oppsss...

Josh, like everyone, has his hangups of things he does not tolerate or like very much, and one of those things is nasty hotel rooms. I found this out on our "honey moon" which, was not really a honeymoon but that is neither here nor there.  I booked the motel a few weeks before thinking that with the race it would be dreadful to find a place to stay and so I literally booked the first room that google showed available. It was dreadfully ironic because just the week before (Labor Day weekend) my sister had wanted to share a hotel room with us in St George and Josh whined and complained when he learned there were cockroaches in the room (heaven forbid). So when we arrived and saw this he was not pleased with me. However, despite its grubby outward appearance it was at least a clean grubby look on the inside. So he eventually forgave me for the indignity.

Here are a few shots of the room:

Sorry I couldn't figure out how to flip this. But this was our sinkfridgestove. Pretty nifty huh?

Settled right in! He didn't even require a sheet to lay on top of :)

Super modern and high tech TV, closet and bathroom.

Once fed and moderately settled we laid down to watch some shows on that killer tv set. All's I can say is I felt lucky to have DirecTV :p  We had found out that they had pushed back the start of the race until 9am the next day! And because I was in the 3rd wave of swimmers I wouldn't start until 10 am! I was bewildered not knowing what to do with myself! I had never done a race that started so late. Normally at 9pm I'm going to sleep because of how early we have to get up, but this time... I felt like we had all the time in the world. So I didn't feel the urge to go bed. So what did I do instead? Got myself pumped up by watching 2 hours of CSI before going to sleep.

The next morning we arrived to set up the transition area. Typically Josh is racing with me, but since he wasn't this time he got to play support crew. Lucky him. He helped me retrieve things from the car that I had forgotten and buy me extra food and what have you. Then... I had to wait. The race was super small. Only 183 people in all. Which is both frustrating and nice all at the same time. Typically races are so big that you feel very anxious and stressed because you are constantly being pushed around and kicked in the swim and there is no space for you in the transition. So having practically no one made the stress and anxiety levels much lower. However, fewer racers means that you kind of lose that racey feeling that you love so much.

By the time I was in the water warming up it was about 9:40 and I was still getting use to my new wetsuit (big no-no by the way, I should have practiced in it multiple times prior to race day). Luckily my wetsuit and I bonded quickly. Once the swim started I felt strong, but wanted to pace myself a little in the beginning. We ended up doing an out and back 2x's and it was so crazy but both times once I turned around and was heading back towards the beach I felt like I came to a stand still. No matter how hard I tried I didn't feel like I was moving forward at all. I can only assume it was either in my head or there was a weird current there. The swim went well and I was pretty quick out of the water and onto the bike. One thing I learned that I need to consider for future racing is bringing a water bucket to rinse my feet in... they were covered in sand. I ended up using someone else's water bucket :) and no I never said thanks.

Once on the bike it was really just the mental games, since the route was incredibly easy and beautiful. Basically I rode completely around the lake. It was SO pretty I am tempted to do it again. Mentally it was challenging for a few reasons. One, I was not 100% sure what intensity I should be holding. If I go to slow, I miss knowing what I'm capable of. If I go to fast I burn out and my run will suffer. The whole time it was like a game of slowing down, speeding up, etc. Not too mention I was also trying to get used to the aero-bars (another first time no-no). Then there was this whole getting passed by what felt like everyone... ok not quite, but it felt like it. No matter your reasons for signing up for a race it is difficult to not let the mental game of wanting to compare yourself to others get to you. However I did the best I could.

Once on the run I felt fatigued but still fairly strong. I wish I had my gps on me because I must have been going pretty fast, according to our best guess I hit mile 2 in about 15 minutes. Of course I wasn't able to hang on to this speed, but I did pretty well until about mile 7 when all of a sudden I started to feel something similar to COPD. Or in laymans terms I was hyperventilating. The pressure of my sports bra on my chest in combo with my rapid rate of breathing had increased the pressure between my lungs and the outer plueral layer which meant that I was not able to fully exhale and I couldn't then get enough air into my lungs. So basically it came down to only two options 1. slow down and walk or 2. take the bra off and finish without it. well... I chose option #2. So after taking it off I still had to go pretty slow while I attempted to recover, but it did get better. Well, that was until my abs then started to cramp :) I was able to hang on until about mile 10 then had to start walking on and off. At mile 11.5 a girl was trying to catch up and pass me which gave me the motivation to pick it up and push through all of the pain and discomfort. I managed to go fast enough that she never caught up!

I crossed the line at 6 hours and 3 minutes. Not competitively fast, but due to the small number of females and the fact that the top 3 females over all were in my age group I managed to come in 3rd place in my age group. Ha ha not something to really brag about but I'll take it.

Here are some pictures of the finish.

Swim Start!

Start of the run

Finish line! I wanted to die! :)

The Coach's Role

Ok I'm only joking, this post is not about a handbag

So this article comes to you after much thought and provocation. A couple of weeks ago I had, well… a little tiff with another trainer and while my behavior was in the wrong, I felt that my points were valid and correct and so I couldn’t let it go. I feel the need to publicly state my thoughts and feelings on the subject, even though this particular individual will never read them (which is probably a good thing). So here I am getting up on my soap box for you all to read. Hopefully you will use your own judgment whether I am correct or not.

I am sure you are now curious to what we argued about, well this individual and I did not see eye to eye on a certain fitness program. While the program was the subject, my real annoyance was and is concerning the role of a coach, personal trainer, or group fitness instructor.

Before I begin its important that I make these notes, while each of the three individuals above are different, they all should have the same principles guiding them and most of my thoughts and ideas will apply to all three individuals. For that reason to keep things simpler I will refer to these three different roles as your trainer.

The Background of the Argument

After spending the last 5 years in school learning about exercise physiology, psychology and coaching I have to say that I have built a pretty high standard for myself and for other trainers (and a really high soap box). And after years of studying and working hard to do things “the right way” it is a tad bothersome to see trainers and coaches out there who do not give a crap (pardon my language) what’s the best way or even a good way and as a result, their clients do not learn anything except bad habits, motives, and information. Now before you all start jumping down my throat please don’t misunderstand me. I recognize there are A LOT of really good trainers out there and that everyone, every trainer, including myself makes mistakes and they do not know everything. I will be the first to admit that I am not yet a great coach. I think it takes time, experience and education to make a truly great coach. But even with my limited (2+ years) working as an instructor, coach and now a personal trainer I still can’t help be shocked at some of the things I hear and see.

Below I have compiled a list of 10 traits and roles that I believe you should expect to see in a “quality” coach and which will hopefully help you decide who you want to be your trainer. These are traits and behaviors that are based on experience as well as formal training and common sense. I will attempt to illustrate with both “imaginary” as well as real life examples while trying to be sensitive to those who are doing the best they can. Please read through the items and consider them, not as hardened rules but as tools to guide you as you next work with your trainer, or as you seek to find a new trainer.

I know this is quite lengthy and I do apologize for that! But hopefully you will find it worth your time.

* Not all of the items I have listed will be relevant to every coach or every instructor, for example, a group class instructor will not be able to create the same individuality in a class as a one-on-one lesson with a trainer.

Your coach/trainer should:

 

1.       Seek as much formal education, experience and training they can within their respective areas of training. Including maintaining any certifications that are appropriate.

A while back I went in to certify as an indoor cycling instructor. During which a conversation broke out among a few of us instructor-wannabes on a controversial topic, which is better, experience or education. I for one am a big fan of having formal training, credible certifications as well as experience. In case you are unaware there are many training and coaching certs that only require you to pass an exam, no formal training or education needed. Some certs however require formal education (bachelors or higher) in exercise science by an accredited university. See www.acsm.org and www.nsca.org for examples.

One of the other instructors had the opinion that formal education didn’t make a big difference whether you were a good personal trainer or not because you could learn all you needed to with experience. I couldn’t have agreed and disagreed with her more, based on her experience of watching trainers with bachelors who didn’t exactly come off the block running. My response was simply this; it’s true, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to tell a healthy individual how to lift a weight up and down 12 times, or how to use a treadmill. In fact, helping someone lose weight or gain strength doesn’t require a hard and fast understanding of all of the below the skin information that I have gained. And since training is as much an art as it is a science there will be many trainers who lack all formal education but are incredibly successful because they are gifted artists.

From personal experience I contend that without the deeper knowledge all your trainer can give you is the surface training. And as long as you fit the mold of their previous experience you will do just fine. However, if you do not fit the mold (ie. disease, injury, highly competitive athlete) these trainers will struggle a lot more to get you where you need to go.

2.       Improve their own knowledge and ability through continuing education and by broadening their own horizons through learning new skills or observing other types of training and education.

      In case you aren’t aware I am a certified Tri coach, yoga instructor, cycling instructor, personal trainer, on top of having a bachelor’s degree in Fitness Leadership and working on a masters in Exercise Physiology. Josh (my husband) thinks I just like to spend money. But the real reason for all of the certifications is that I like learning, and each class and training has made me a better trainer and I think, has given me a broader perspective on health and fitness. It’s a shame to see trainers/coaches that think there is only one way to get fit. No, I do not think every trainer needs to have multiple certifications, in fact its better to specialize in one area, however they should at least be trying and learning new things that will help them train you.

       Not to mention, many certification programs out there (most of mine do anyway) require continuing education credits (CEC’s). CEC’s basically assure that I am staying on top of my game.

3.       Follow guidelines for training set by their certifying body, national guidelines and those established by their respective training facility.

There’s a reason why some exercises, techniques, and styles of training are NOT recommended and go in and out of style quickly. Most often its due to the benefit/risk ratio of participating in that activity. Don’t get me wrong, every activity has its risks, but when performed correctly according to guidelines it helps to decrease the odds of injury. Take biking for example, there are many many “wrong” ways to bike, like not wearing a helmet, biking against traffic, or in an indoor class trying to lift weights while biking. Believe it or not there are nationally recognized governing agencies that release guidelines that tell you the safest way to bike based on research as well as experience. 

 

When your trainer knows and follows these guidelines they will be able to not only increase safety, but also improve your training efficiency.

4.       Provide you with quality, up-to-date information that is founded on scientific information as well as experience.

Ever heard of the “fat burning zone”? It’s a myth. What about that lactic acid causes soreness? Also a myth. Ever seen this add “7 old tricks to lose weight quick”? More than likely a load of crap. 

It doesn’t matter where you go someone or some company is looking to get rich off of your naiveté by pushing their gimmicks down your throat. When I see those ads the only thing I can think of is a big old lazy lion lying in the grass waiting to pounce on its unsuspecting prey. Why do you think every week/month there’s a new fabulous, guaranteed fix to your problem? Well… could it be that the 1,000 tips before it didn’t work??? Hmmm…. 

 There is a lot of bogus info out there, and while some may be harmless, some bad info can be dangerous (have you heard of phen phen?). In a day with as much information at our finger tips you can’t assume that everyone out there writing articles in your favorite health magazine actually know what they are talking about, same thing for your trainer. I’m having recall error here, but I believe that it is estimated that every minute a new research article is being published. That means that your trainer needs to stay up to date. 

 

 

5.       Know how to “periodize” a training plan which involves knowing how to manipulate intensity as well as the training/recovery balance.* 

Example of a periodized plan. Notice the high and low volume weeks during the "taper" phase.

As an endurance athlete there are 4 main phases to my training program in a year, base phase, endurance phase, speed/strength phase and race skills phase. Yet somehow each year I get stuck in the endurance phase and never seem to move past it. You wonder why I’m still the same pace as I was last year? However I can say this for myself, I make sure to take adequate recovery between hard workouts as well as after severe increases in training load. 

Experience and research have shown that using a structured, progressive training plan (ie periodized program) that uses different phases of training and a variety of intensities while allowing for adequate recovery will optimize results and improve efficiency. 

*This is much harder to do in group classes at the gym where you have people who attend rather inconsistently. 

6.       Create programs that are about YOU (not them) and help you meet your goals. 

Have you ever met with the trainer on the very first day and they already have a program written for you? Or maybe, they give you a program that really isn’t what you need or wanted. Well… then you are probably a victim of the “canned approach”.  I’m sure you’ve all heard of the “canned approach” in case you haven’t basically it’s the “one size fits all” of training programs. In the health and wellness world that can be all too common.

However, worse than being canned is being caught on the wrong end of the Ego. I can’t tell you how many stories I’ve heard of coaches/trainers pushing their clients to become THEIR success story, which in the end drives the athlete out of the sport entirely. 

7.       Minimize inherent risks as well as warn and advise concerning the risks that are inherent to the sport, but perhaps not always controllable.

I want you to look subjectively at the picture below. What are your first thoughts? Are they “wow those guys are so tough” or is it more along my line of thought “Oh my HELL (pardon my thought) what are these idiots thinking???” My guess is you probably thought more along the lines of the first statement, and that’s fine. In fact, that is exactly why the trainers and coaches devised this exercise, to look and be tough. So now you’re probably wondering why I would think the way I do. I suppose its because I take safety very seriously and anyone willing to let someone else “run/walk” with a barbell with that much weight on it is clearly not considering safety. 

The barbell mile... aka run/walk a mile with the barbell and some serious weight.

Here’s what I see wrong with this picture. I see someone putting their body to the maximum test of fatigue and strength in a way that is compromising to their joints (spine and knees) and without any spotters or assistance. They are in the dangerous position that one misplaced step could land them in crutches or in the extreme case a wheel chair. I’ve heard a trainer try to justify using a barbell for this exercise by saying “it’s the same thing as doing squats”. To them I say “you’re lying to yourself”. First of all with squats, particularly back squats, you should always have a spotter, in case you get stuck. Not to mention, typical weight lifting you might do anywhere from 5-20 reps at one time with rest in between and then maybe repeat that 3+ times so that you are able to hold proper form. It’s nowhere near the same impact. Giving the benefit of the doubt, lets estimate it takes them 11 minutes to do a mile, at that slow rate 120/min or approximately 1,320 steps. Now if I was a bio mechanist I could then calculate the force and impact each step has on the body and while I can’t give you the exact number it’s a lot, and it’s enough to be concerned about the impact on the spine (compressed disks?) as well as the meniscus in the knee.  This is a big problem, particularly since the goal of the exercise is to take you to extreme fatigue. Once your main muscles start to fatigue form and technique go out the window, which with that much weight could ultimately lead to injury. 

The other excuse that this trainer handed me was that every sport has its risks, well true, but shouldn’t you do everything you can to minimize those risks? For example, rock climbing can be very dangerous, especially with increasing difficulties. So while these people are not going to quit, they have done what they can to minimize the risk (e.g. using proper equipment and a trusted belayer). Well… there are many ways to still have the alter ego and eat your cake too. You could use a back pack, give piggy back rides, use resistance belts, pull sleds, carry a dead body, etc. In case you aren’t sure why this is so unsafe there are 2 main reasons. 1. The hands are occupied holding onto the weight behind your head. If you fell or tripped you’d have to have lightning reflexes and superman strength to throw that bar over your head before it came down on top of your head or neck. And 2. The weight is centered exactly over the upper spine and as fatigue sets in, form fails, and you start to slouch over more you increase the risk of compressed disks.

A very good example of a bad example is what was known as one of the best rock climbers ever DanOsman (check out the link). He would frequently climb without ropes and was fast and strong (I’m not a climber so forgive me if I screw up the lingo) and confident. He took risks in his sport that I would never dream letting anyone I know take and he was pretty lucky. Read the caption and the comments on the youtube video to find out how he died. It takes one mistake or accident, that’s all. One mistake like in Dan’s case where they failed to check the rope thoroughly. Odds are you will not die due to a mistake made by you or your trainer, but that doesn’t mean you might get off easy either.  Just be smart and careful. 

 

8.       Practice only within their scope of knowledge (and certifications) and offer a support team of professionals to guide you as the athlete to full health and wellness in the areas where they should not. 

Every time one of my runners comes to me with an ache or pain I automatically want to diagnose it. Well I could get into a lot of trouble doing this. I need to be very careful that I leave the job of the injury specialist to the injury specialists. This doesn’t mean I can’t make recommendations and help them find ways to stretch, strengthen, and modify. But I shouldn’t throw out diagnosis like I have x-ray vision either. Instead I should help advise that they go see someone who can help them. 

It would be awesome if every trainer or gym had their own sports medicine physician and dietician on hand, but most gyms don’t. Ask your trainer or someone else you trust if they have anyone they recommend to you when needed. 

 

9.       Provide you as the athlete with the necessary knowledge, tools, skills training and supervision that will offer the best chance of success and injury prevention.

There are some secrets which should never be kept, especially when it comes to your health, safety and success. Would you ever walk into an advance gymnastics class if you can’t even do a handstand? No, you would be smarter than that. So should your trainer. They should teach you everything you need to know about the program they are giving you including but not limited to, technique, strategy and purpose. So that you feel like you can achieve the goal in front of you. It’s that simple.

I have been coaching a marathon training team on the weekends and I have a wide variety of fitness levels and experience. While I love coaching this group it can be both difficult and nerve-wracking all at the same time. As an assistant coach I am to help these team members reach their goal of completing a half, or full marathon. Easy right? WRONG! Why? Well because everyone is different with different problems, fitness levels, and experience. So while practices are the same for everyone it is my job to make sure these individuals know proper technique, know how to stretch and strengthen to avoid injury as well as providing them with a workout that will give them the right amount of work without causing injury. What makes it particularly difficult is when I don’t see the team on a regular basis to know how they are faring with the program.  

10.       Foster motivation and lifestyle changes that will improve your quality of life now and in the future.

Your choice but your trainer's student.

 

         One of my areas of study is motivation. What an interesting and complex topic. Each one of us is motivated by slightly different things and the decision to act is always up to you. So while your trainer can’t shove motivation down your throat, they should create an environment that is going to improve your motivation so that you make a lifestyle out of healthy living.

No trainer is perfect and they are all going to make mistakes. In fact a good trainer will probably make more than a few, especially in the beginning of working with you. Why? Because each individual is unique and if they are trying to adapt to your needs it will take learning. Training is as much of an art as it is a science, so just like in art class in middle school, there might be a lot of “color testing” before they find a “color” that really fits with you. But the majority of the items I listed above should not be affected by how new they are, how challenging your needs are, or even the art.

 

Hiring a personal trainer, or paying for that gym pass is not cheap and you definitely don’t want to waste your money on bad information and instruction, just like you wouldn’t intentionally take medicine that was going to hurt you. So whether your trainer is brand new or has years of experience. Find one that fits your needs, budget and these guidelines.

Hopefully this list gives you a good idea of how to pick someone that you can really trust and that you want to invest in. But as I mentioned in the beginning, these are just my opinions, you should judge for yourself.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Run-A-Thon Re-Cap

If you were on Facebook this last Saturday and kept seeing me post repeatedly (~1xhr) and saw me "bragging" about the distance I was running you were witnessing the live updates of my Run-A-Thon "38,000 Strides to Cure Cancer". If you are just tuning in check out the page on this blog titled  "38,000 Strides to Cure Cancer".

While it may have seemed that I was just trying to clog your newsfeeds and brag about my wolf-like running ability you were wrong. My purpose was to create awareness for my cause which is to raise money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) through Team in Training.

The LLS exists to raise money for blood cancer research, fund patient support programs, public education programs, and send lobbyists to Washington, D.C.. There are many forms of blood cancer, all of which I do not know, the big or most common types are Leukemia, Lymphoma, Myeloma, and Non Hodgekins Lymphoma. I'm sure that you are aware that there are many different types of cancer and while the LLS only deals with blood cancers, its research team has developed more than 29 cancer treatments in the last few decades, many of which treat other forms of cancer besides blood cancers.

Here are some facts about blood cancers in the U.S.

•  Approximately 957,000 people are currently living with blood cancer
•  Every 4 minutes, someone new is diagnosed with blood cancer
•  Every 10 minutes someone dies (this used to be every 6 minutes, yay research!)
•  Leukemia is the #1 killer of children between ages 1-14yrs old

My role has been to fund raise money to fight blood cancers through LLS's fundraising campaign group, which happens to be the LARGEST training/fundraising team in the world, Team in Training (TNT). TNT came into existence over 24 years ago when a man, frustrated by the diagnosis of his then 2 year old daughter (Leukemia) set out to raise money to fund research for a cure. He and his buddies committed to running a marathon in order to raise money. That first year, those 6 men raised $32,000 and consequentially started the "running for a cause" movement and Team in Training. 24 years later, TNT has raised $1.6 billion with the help of 54,000+ volunteers like myself. 24 years ago the children with Leukemia had a 50/50 chance of survival, today its 90%. That's what I'm fighting for.



So I know I've been rambling on for a little while now and I'd like to do what I started out to do, recap my run-a-thon. So here we go.

Friday night before the run we (Josh and I) spent several hours arguing about where to go, where to stop, what to do about the dog, etc, finally at 10pm after almost driving to Provo (twice) we went to bed with the plan to run to City Creek Canyon in the morning.

I'm going to be throwing in some of my facebook posts, which as you can see for yourself quite negative at first (I've never been a happy morning person).

Saturday morning we started a little later than we had wanted, leaving the house at 5 am.

The start:

Starting an hour later is not the best way to start the day, but I for some reason just dreaded waking up this morning. Progress reports every hour as we go. Stay tuned

We ran south on Redwood Rd for 5 miles and back home with Buttercup so that she would get a run in with us this weekend (without having to go the full 35 miles). Being first thing in the morning, the darkness, sleepiness, and heavy legs made the first 5 miles feel painfully slow but it was manageable.  

Merp... At this point I'm not sure 30 more is possible.
Feel free to donate and make me do it out of obligation and guilt. I need the motivation.

After turning and heading back for home things started to improve, well... as much as it could for with over 2/3 of the run left.

Potty Break: Mile 10 back at home

While the pace was still pretty slow, things started to feel better. Josh, who was on rollerblades for the first 10 miles put on his running shoes and joined me for the last 25 miles. So we started North East to the Jordan Parkway Trail. We stayed on the trail until reaching 400 S in Salt Lake. We found we really enjoyed using the trail, because there tended to be more shade than the city streets and the air was a little cooler due to the proximity of the Jordan River. Here are the then live updates:

Mile 16



Mile 20

Striking a Pose at mile 21 or something...

Besides some light cramping that made me walk here and there things were going slowly but steadily. The side cramps I learned quickly were coming because I was attempting to talk while run... apparently my diaphragm and abdomen thought I should be quiet and just enjoy the scenery... Josh didn't agree. In fact he chattered on and on the whole way. I don't even remember what we talked about now. I'm sure it wasn't to important. I do remember one thing I learned, apparently Lance Armstrong was finally convicted of doping and stripped of all his titles???? What?? That's messed up. I can't even tell you how grateful I am for that man and his willingness to go on all these crazy challenges and adventures with me and be my support and confidence. As things got harder he managed to stay positive and just enjoy the experience. His attitude made a big difference, he helped me stay focused on the positives, including the beautiful day, the distance we've already covered, the goal of finishing, etc. I honestly would not have finished if it were not for him.

At 400 S we turned East, heading off of the trail and into the heat of the city. We both needed to refill our hydration packs and we had run out of salt, which we have learned is crucial for Josh's success while running, and less so, mine as well. So we headed to the Wendy's on 400 West. They were kind enough to let us use their bathroom, refill our water packs, and let us steal their little salt packets.

Wendy's Potty Stop





We were both thrilled for the opportunity to take a short breather and refill. We had been out of water for only 20 mins, but it was pretty hot and being over 4 hours into the run we couldn't drink enough water in order to stay hydrated.

Running was definitely starting to take its mental toll, especially as we zig-zagged through the city towards State Street and South Temple. Its amazing how much difference the shade and even the slightest breeze makes. It has an overwhelmingly sweet feeling to it, especially when fatigued. We welcomed the change of scenery as we entered Memorial Grove and  headed towards City Creek Canyon. We were short our distance, only at mile 27 when we entered the Grove so we knew we'd have to do some loops around the Grove if we were to finish there.

Mile 28, City Creek Canyon

Mile 28! At city creek. So nice. We've slowed down, but we're feeling strong. 7 miles to go!



While the scenery and the temperature had improved by running into the shady woods of City Creek, the intensity of the run did not. Everything was uphill for the next few miles and my legs could no longer produce the power needed to propel my body up and forward at the same time. Walking was the only option when things got much steeper than being flat. We even tried running up a steep trail section on Bonneville shoreline trail, it was not a good idea. We had to turn around and follow the road that traces the perimeter of the Grove and over to the Avenues. We were so close to finishing but it was hard to stay motivated knowing our destination was just 2 miles behind us where we just left.

View from the Road: State Capitol



Once we turned around to start heading back to the grove it was a little uphill and then mostly downhill, which felt so much better. I think the muscle that was most fatigued was my abdominals... (looks like I need to take some pilates classes) but my legs were definitely a close second.

Once back in City Creek we ran to the bottom of Memorial Grove again where we chased down a man and his dog, literally. We saw a man leaving the park with what looked like a Bouvier! We were soooo excited! This is the dog Josh and I really want to get! (After our dogs get old and pass on). She was so pretty, old but sophisticated. 

Anyways, we were distracted talking to the owner for about 10 minutes and so when we finally started again we were at mile 33 at 7 hrs and 20 mins, you can imagine how badly we wanted to be done, and how annoying it would have been to do another two laps of the grove. So we simply ran back up to the spot in the creek that we had picked out for our ice bath and stopped there about 1/2 mile short of our goal... but I really didn't care much... it felt soooooo good.

Done! Mile 34.5 I know its cheating, but we couldn't pass up a good soak



This task was incredibly difficult for me, but I didn't do it for me and that helped, this run was dedicated to my family and friends who's fight is a lot more difficult and important than any run I could ever do.

Disease does awful things to your body and each type messes you up in a different way. Cancer... well that starts out as just the small aches and pains and soon the small things become bigger, and often the treatment is worse than the pain of the cancer, but the treatment may mean hope, a chance, a fight for survival. So day after day these people in my life will fight a battle tougher than my 8 hours running. Whether its going in for radiation every day for 7 weeks (you are so strong dad!) or fighting with time and destiny that it doesn't come back (Jeff and Michelle you are amazing!) or praying that a permanent cure can be found before its too late, these people are the real warriors. They are my hereos.

So while it was ooooh so tempting to back out and not even do the run since I didn't meet my fundraising goal I stuck with it, because like I said, it wasn't about me, it was about these people:

In honor of:Mile 1: My father Wayne Eschler- prostate Cancer
Mile 2: Jesika May- Acute Leukemia
Mile 3: Lisa Polita- Age 2- Leukemia
Mile 4: Bud Rigby- Lymphoma

Mile 4: Ronen- Age 3  ALS (Leukemia)
Mile 15: Richard Steele- Multiple Myeloma
Mile 16: Ed Tucker- Multiple Myeloma
Mile 33: Kathryn Rodgers

After all was done I'm glad I did it, it was by no means a PR and it was not easy, but I did what I said I would and I fulfilled my commitment and honored the people we care about by running, an ability they do not all have the privilege of doing right now. As is stated on my fundraising webpage, my goal was to raise $3,000 and I only just raised 42% of that, but I'm not done trying yet. I still have a month and a half to go and I have plenty of other tricks up my sleeve :)

Although my race is over, the race to cure cancer is not. Therefore, if you are reading this and would still like to donate to my run-a-thon, please do! I would love to accept your donation on behalf of these wonderful warriors. Donations are secure and easy through my fundraising webpage (an e-mail confirmation will be sent to you with tax deductible ID) at:

http://pages.teamintraining.org/ut/nikesf12/rblackamix

There are so many good causes out there, TNT is just one of them, but its the one that really spoke to me. As a runner, I couldn't help loving the idea of running to fight cancer! It has helped me to feel so much more motivated and less selfish about taking time away from school, work and family to run. Running with Team in Training and fundraising hasn't been easy, and I'm far from being done. But it is worth it. Because while some of you might think I'm being annoying and that I'm wasting my time. Today I found a quote that summarizes my feelings on the subject:

So once again, Thank you, Thank you for your love, generosity, and support. It means so much to me to know that the few of you who read this, care. I hope that you one day have the opportunity to participate in some sort of "cause" and have the opportunity of feeling like I do right now, proud to be alive!!!