Race Club | Triumph Wellness

Running the Houston Marathon Vegan Style

February 17, 2013 by Emily Segal 1 Comment

Today’s guest post is by Triumph Wellness reader and vegan runner, Kanishka deSilva. I want to thank Kanishka for writing this post for us and congratulate him on his vegan marathon finish!

As soon as the gun went off, the rain started. I knew it was not going to be a day for a PR (personal record)! I was among the 12,000 marathoners and 13,000 half marathoners who had trained hard to achieve a personal goal and the time has come to execute it. The weather on January 13, 2013 in Houston, Texas was wet, cold and windy. The wind was gusting at 15 to 25 mph. The Cold Front bringing arctic cold air slammed into Houston around 6.30 am on race day just before the 7.00 am start time. Despite this nasty weather and the challenges I faced over the next few hours, I am proud to say that I completed the full marathon that day in a time of 4:24:29!!

I started running about 10 years ago. As years went by, I needed a goal to keep me motivated and continue running. I did 5K’s and 10K’s for a couple of years. During this time I was a non-vegan and ate a typical meat centered diet. I love nature, wildlife and the environment. As an environmentalist, I participated in local environmental causes and supported national organizations such as WWF, Sierra Club and the Environmental Defense Fund. As I read about what causes harm to the environment, I realized that raising meat is one of the worst environmental offenders! So I started to cut back on meat consumption. I also started to realize the effect of red meat on my health and the benefit of eating vegetables. I slowly removed meat, poultry, and finally dairy from my diet and became a vegan in 2009. I was still running and competing in 5K’s and 10K’s.

Each year in January, the local TV station provides live coverage of the Houston Marathon. When I watched the coverage, I wished that I was at the starting line ready to run rather than watching it from the comfort of the living room couch. But running 26.2 miles was a huge jump from your typical 10K. In 2011, I joined a running club that was formed at my work place and started to run with some co-workers. We had folks who were Ultra Marathoners and some who couldn’t even run 1/2 mile. Each week we added miles and our training runs extended to 5 miles. A few times we did two laps and I was able to finish 10 miles! It was an awesome feeling to complete a 10 mile run and I knew that I was ready to do a 1/2 marathon. My fellow runners urged me to register for a local 1/2 marathon in March 2011. My goal was to finish the 13.1 miles. I finished in 2:10:16 at a pace of 9:56 min/mile.

By this time I was a total vegan and my vegan lifestyle certainly didn’t stop me from finishing a half marathon in good time. So I set my sight on the next goal, the Houston marathon. During the training for the full marathon I read about Scott Jurek, one of the top ultra marathoners in the US who is also a vegan. Jurek writes about running, veganism and how to get proper nutrition when you are a vegan runner. He was an inspiration for me as I prepared for my event.

In 2012, the runners in our club were running hard and fast in July-August, the worst times to run in Houston. Some days the temperature would be 95F with 98% humidity in the evening and we would still go out and run. My times were slowly improving and I PR’d most of my races in 2012. I PR’d the 5K, 10K and the half Marathon distances in 2012. I shaved off 15 minutes from my first 1/2 marathon and finished in 1:55 at a pace of 8:49 min/mile. My vegan lifestyle was definitely helping as I was running faster despite getting older.

On January 13th my big day arrived and with it, that horrible winter storm! As the marathoners started off, the atmosphere was electrifying and my adrenaline was in full swing. I was not used to running in a rain poncho (rain coat) and it took me some time to adjust to it. At 5K, I was running at 8:52 min/mile pace and realized that I was going too fast. I slowed down and was still making good time. At 15K, the weather was taking a toll. My pace has decreased to 8:56 min/mile and the cold windy rain was still coming down in bursts. My fingers were numb and I could not even reach into my pouch to get my energy gels! At the half way mark (13.1 miles), my pace has dropped to 9:06 min/mile. I was really slowing down and if I ran slower than this my finish time would be over 4 hours. At 30K, my pace was 9:28 min/mile! I resigned to the fact that my goal of finishing below 4 hours was over. A few miles after the 30K my legs started to hurt. The muscles were screaming for oxygen and energy and I had to slow down and walk as my legs refused to run.

At this point my goal was just to finish and forget about getting a PR! I think I lost interest in the race when I knew that I would not be breaking the 4 hour mark. The mind does play an important role in racing! If the mind is not fully engaged with your goal, things starts to fall apart. I believe training the mind to keep your goal in the radar is as important as training your body to finish 26.2 miles. As I was so tired and exhausted, I slowed down considerably and added a some walking to give my legs a break. As we headed back to downtown, the rain had ceased and the crowd was getting larger. I grabbed some oranges that folks were handing out and that gave me a little boost. As I got closer to the finish line, I gathered up the last few grams of energy and pushed on. My wife was there to cheer me and I put on a brave face for the camera. As I crossed the finished line, I was overcome with mixed emotions. Happy to finish the marathon but dejected that I could not achieve my goal.

The hardest part was walking back to the car to get home!

The weather affected everyone who braved it and ran that day. None of the top finishers in the full and the half marathon established records or PR’s. The local newspaper mentioned that only 40% of the marathon runners started the race. The normal dropout rate is about 10%. Out of the 60% who started, 98% completed. Which is really good. I guess only the die hard runners were at the start line. I am still trying to figure out what I could have done differently that would have changed the outcome. During the last two months of training, I had started to change my diet based on Dr Fuhrman’s Nutritarian program. I feel that I may have not consumed adequate calories as my weight went down by about 4 pounds during the last month before the race. Maybe I should have increased my long run from 20 miles to 22 miles and increased my calorie intake to compensate for the change in the diet? I will take notes of all these issues and adjust my training plan for next year.

Personally, completing the Marathon was a great achievement for me and the most physically demanding event that I have done.

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Filed Under: Exercise, Goals, Growth, Positive Thinking, Running, Triumph Race Club, vegan Tagged With: Achievement, Goals, Nutrition for Athletic Performance, Race Club, Running, Team Triumph Race Club, Vegan Athlete, vegan diet benefits

Jenn Runs Vegas

January 15, 2012 by Emily Segal 5 Comments

This is a guest post from my friend, fellow vegetarian, and Team Triumph Member, Jenn R. Jenn is a veteran of many races of all different lengths. She recently completed the Las Vegas Half Marathon – a night run which was plagued with problems. Hordes of people reportedly got ill from the water that was handed out. There were many exposure-related injuries from runners not dressed warmly enough for the cold desert night. I read numerous reports from participants who were completely frustrated by course and crowding issues and just ending up quitting mid-race.

Jenn, however, persevered. Despite shuttle bus screw ups that caused them to miss the start, and a whole cascade of ensuing problems, she finished this race. (Oh, and not to mention creatively overcoming a medical diagnosis that probably would have put many people off of running permanently!)

Things don’t always go as we plan. But on race day, when tensions are running super high, any bump in the road can spell psychological disaster. I am really inspired by Jenn’s report and hope that if faced with similar problems, I won’t just throw my hands up and quit.

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Team Triumph Rock ‘n Roll Las Vegas Half-Marathon 2011

A little background on me: I started running about six years ago, after we received an invitation in the mail to “Train to End Stroke” with the American Heart Association. I had never run a day in my life, but always wanted to, and the same could be said for my husband. We signed up, and trained to run a half marathon (Rock ‘n Roll Phoenix). We went from 0 to 13.1 miles (21 km) in five months of training.

In the years since, we have done probably 12 or 13 half-marathons, many 5k’s and 10K’s, and some full marathons. I, myself, completed two marathons, the second in May 2009, before I finally admitted to having an issue with my hip, and sought out a doctor. I didn’t have a traditional injury to recover from, but I do have a structural issue in my right hip and I had some tendinitis (and the start of arthritis). So at that time, I was told that I could still run, but that I should stop for a while to heal the tendinitis and that when I was healed, I could run no more than a 10k consecutively. If I wished to do half-marathons, I could, but I had to either run half and walk the rest, or alternate running with walking. Considering that I pretty much did that anyway, I was okay with those orders. Or so I thought. I actually quite enjoyed my running-free life for quite a while.

In fact, I participated the the 2009 and 2010 Las Vegas Half Marathons, happily walking them both. We were going to sit out in 2011 until we heard that it was going to be a night race. Then we decided that we had to experience it.

The training:

At the time I signed up for the race, I was still walking. I hadn’t a desire to run. I remembered what had happened in 2010: During my training, I was only able to get up to 8 miles. That came back to haunt me for the race. I got ill during the race and felt crippled when it was over. I was determined that this year it would be better.

Somewhere in the Spring however, I started running some intervals and tried the C25K (Couch-to-5K) training program, which I actually found to be difficult and gave up on. Yeah, I did. It’s not easy to admit that, but it turns out that after 18 months of not running, and gaining 30 pounds, well, it is hard to run longer than 5 minutes and I am one of those people who gets easily discouraged. So I gave up on that. I decided that there was no shame in walking the half marathon – and besides it was still nine months away and I had lots of time!

And then, as sometimes happens, the Universe works to inspire us, and my sister-in-law and cousin-in-law decided that they want to train to run in a half-marathon in their town in February and want my husband and I to join them. Well, not wanting to be the only non-runner for that race, and be left out, I immediately started trying running again!

I start following John Bingham’s plan to walk three minutes and run one minute. I followed this plan for the next four or five weeks until the Las Vegas Half Marathon and everything went smoothly. I felt great, I ran fast, I had no pain afterwards. During this time, I even ran a 5K Turkey Trot which I managed to finish in approximately 41 minutes, which isn’t so far off my average “running only” time of 36 minutes, which means that I ran a lot more of that race than I walked.

We had beautiful weather in Pittsburgh during my training, which was totally unexpected for November. Usually it is cold and snowy, but it felt like spring. I can’t complain. In fact, the weather is probably the number one reason I was able to train so well and so easily.

In my training, I had time to work up to running about 4 miles with intervals. So my plan for the race was to try to do 5 or maybe 6 (since I run better at night) miles with the intervals and then walk the rest of the race. I expected to finish in 3:00, 15 minutes faster than last year’s walking only time of 3:15!

Race Day:

I wish I could report that race day went as well as I had hoped and that this could be the victorious story. But unfortunately, it was not. I woke up that morning not feeling great due to women issues, but that was the least of my problems.

There were so many problems with this race. The organizers of this race are very experienced and we didn’t expect this at all.

It started with shuttles that couldn’t get us to the start line on time. Yes, we were late for the start. This has happened to us before and with the use of a timing chip, it shouldn’t even matter. It didn’t matter before. But it did this time!

When we got to the start, the race was 25 minutes in. My corral wasn’t even scheduled to start yet, however, so I should have been fine. But they had let everyone pass and they were already shutting down the start line. I know there were at least a few hundred more people behind us on shuttle buses.

I could not get to a porta-potty before the race, I had to carry our gear that we were planning on checking, the race was crowded and nobody had room to move, whether they wanted to run or walk.

It was freezing cold. There were people there not taking the race seriously. They were there for an evening stroll – a very long evening stroll – they had on pj’s and one couple were carrying a baby. A BABY for pete’s sake!

The fact that I had to carry gear on my back and had to use the potty made it pretty impossible for me to run. The lines for any potties I found were so long I wasn’t willing to wait. I just kept on walking and walking. Eventually, the need got too great and I found a shortish line and waited, and watched the hoards of people pass me by. That was pretty demoralizing to me. I didn’t like the idea of being in the back.

Eventually, I was out of that line and able to join back in to the runners and walkers. It was around mile 5.5 at this point and although my legs felt like icicles, I did do some running as I had some ground to make up. It certainly wasn’t five miles worth, but I think I did do okay.

At mile 12, it started to rain. That was the cherry on top of the pie. Yay. I finished in 3:36. Not quite the 3:00 I planned on! But, hey, at least I didn’t give up at the start when I got there late! And physically, I felt fine, which I can’t say for many of the participants.

At the finish, I am handed a medal. Guess what? It was a medal for the full marathon! Yes, they ran out of medals for the half-marathon. I just heard that they have mailed out the medals to those of us who didn’t get one. I guess it could be worse, I could have been given an unripe banana for recovery! Oh wait … that happened …. too.

For a complete and very detailed description of the catastrophe that was this race, please see my blog at http://www.jennriffle.com/

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Congrats Jenn! Jenn did not come in last – far from it – but I keep this slogan in my mind at all times:

Filed Under: Events, Exercise, Goals, Inspiration, Running, Triumph Race Club Tagged With: Achievement, Exercise, Race Club, Running, Team Triumph Race Club, Vegan Athlete

Tel Aviv Marathon T-minus 21

November 4, 2011 by Emily Segal 1 Comment

Oh my.

If you had asked me 2 weeks ago as I lay immobile on the sofa, if I was still on for running my first full marathon in March, I would have hit you with the Ben-Gay.

After a plantar fasciitis flare-up in early October and then a back attack 2 weeks later, I was feeling pretty dismal about the possibility of being able to train for and compete in a 42.2km running event. But I didn’t give up. I started back with a few easy runs last week. Then I super carefully pushed a bit harder this week and found that, despite the set-backs, I am still able to easily and joyfully run a one-hour 10K. I haven’t lost very much. I can still do this.

I printed out the training plan I’m going to follow, translated the miles into kilometers, and plugged the schedule into my appointment calendar. The training plan is for 18 weeks and presumes a starting base of the ability to run about 25K per week. I have 21 weeks until my race and am pretty much already at base level. SO, assuming no more calamity, pupupu, I should be good to go!

This week’s training went down as follows:

Sunday, October 30, 2011: Walked 1 hour + light strength training full body

Monday, October 31, 2011: Ran 9.5K in 70 minutes

Tuesday, October 1, 2011: Rest

Wednesday, October 2, 2011: Spinning 60 minutes + abs only

Thursday, October 3, 2011: Rest

Friday, October 4, 2011: 10.5K in 59 minutes

Training Chow: Lots and lots of Red Lentil Hummus, Oatmeal, Green Smoothies, Roasted Veggies and Polenta

Training Song of the week: I prefer the Glee version, but would rather not be sued, so here’s Beyonce. Can you imagine what it must be like to be a girl growing up during a time when songs like “Girls Run the World” are played on the radio? Even though Beyonce’s version of running the world involves skimpy outfits, gyrations, and high heels, still, we’ve come a long way baby! (Email subscribers need to click the post title to watch videos on the blog itself)

Filed Under: Exercise, Goals, Running, Tel Aviv Marathon, Triumph Race Club Tagged With: Achievement, Exercise, Goals, Race Club, Running, Self-Improvement, Team Triumph Race Club, Tel Aviv Marathon, Vegan Athlete

Orange-Roasted Carrots and Scallion Pancakes

October 31, 2011 by Emily Segal 1 Comment

Wow, the last day of Vegan MoFo! Aside from lots and lots of cooking this month, I “met” so many other awesome bloggers through this event. That said, I am not sorry that it’s over and I won’t feel the pressure to get my cooking done before sunset each night in order to photograph it!

In honor of our last day, I am giving you, not one, but TWO new recipes!

But first things first: Tomorrow, 11/1/11, several of our Team Triumph Members will be running in the Tel Aviv Night Run 10-K! I just want to wish you all luck and tell you to just run and have FUN! Then come back, and tell us all about it.

Lisa, Mia, Michal, Sharon, and anyone else who’s running, Wooo Hoo RUN LIKE THE WIND!

Orange-Roasted Carrots with Mellow Miso Sauce

This wonderful Fall recipe was inspired by the Ginger-Roasted Carrots at www.mynewroots.blogspot.com. Wow, the carrots come out sweet like candy! The smooth, salty miso sauce is the perfect foil to the sweetness of the carrots.

Ingredients

For the Carrots:

7 large carrots
zest of 1 orange
juice of 1 orange
pinch sea salt
1 Tbsp. fresh ginger, grated
1 tsp. maple syrup
1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1 Tbsp. sesame seeds

For the Sauce:

¼ cup light miso
1 Tbsp. olive oil
½ tsp. toasted sesame oil
1 Tbsp. brown rice vinegar (or apple cider vinegar)
1 tsp. maple syrup
2 Tbsp. water
½ tsp. tamari or soy sauce

Instructions

The Carrots:

Pre-heat the oven to 200C.
Lightly oil a baking pan.
Peel the carrots and cut them in half lengthwise. (If you carrots are organic, just wash don't peel)
Mix together all of the ingredients and toss in the carrots until coated.
Place in roasted pan and roast for 15 minutes.
Remove from oven and baste with sauce.
Roast for another 5-10 minutes until starting to brown and carmelize.

The Sauce:

Mix all ingredients until smooth. Spoon over carrots before serving.

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Scallion Pancakes

A little bit more of an effort than my usual recipes, these scallion pancakes are still not difficult to make. Plus, the result is absolutely worth the effort! The recipe comes from www.olivesfordinner.blogspot.com.

Ingredients

2 cups flour
1 cup boiling water
toasted sesame seed oil as needed
2 cups thinly sliced scallion greens
vegetable oil for frying

Instructions

Blend together the flour and water until smooth.
Form into a ball and place in a greased bowl.
Cover the bowl with a damp towel and let it sit for about 30 minutes.
Remove the dough from the bowl and knead a few times on a floured surface.
Separate the dough into four round spheres.
Using a rolling pin, flatten out the first sphere into the thinnest, roundest shape possible.
Place about a tablespoon of the toasted sesame oil in the center.
Using a pastry brush, distribute the oil so it covers the top of the pancake.
Now, roll up the pancake tightly, so it forms one long, thin cylinder.
Coil the cylinder into a round shape, like a snail shell.
Taking your rolling pin, flatten it out again and shape into a thin round pancake.
Take a handful of the chopped scallions and scatter them evenly across the surface of the pancake.
Roll up the pancake tightly, so it forms one long, thin cylinder again.
Coil the cylinder into a round shape again, like a snail shell.
Taking your rolling pin, flatten it out again and shape into a thin, round pancake.
Set aside and make the other three pancakes.
Heat 1-2 tablespoons of oil in a flat-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat.
Place one of the prepared pancakes in the skillet and fry until golden brown (about 4-5 minutes) on each side.
Repeat with the other 3 pancakes, regreasing the skillet as needed.
Using a pizza slicer, cut into wedges and serve with soy sauce for dipping.

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Filed Under: Recipes, Running, Triumph Race Club, Uncategorized, vegan, Vegan MoFo, What Was For Dinner Tonight Tagged With: Race Club, Running, Team Triumph Race Club, vegan mofo, Vegan Recipes

10K Race Report by Daphne!

October 23, 2011 by Emily Segal 2 Comments

Readers will surely recall that very inspirational post by Team Triumph member Daphne, about training for her first 10K. Well, Daphne completed her race and lives to tell. I’m sure you will join me in congratulating her on a race well run! Take it away Daphne…

I completed my first 10k today. I really enjoyed it and I’m pleased with my finish time which was a bit faster than my best training runs even with the fact that the second half of the course was much hillier than anything I had ever run before. (It helps to have a coach to put your training program together!).

But as I shared in my other guest post, although it is important to me to do the best I can, the races for me are not about my finish time. They’re about an opportunity to access raw positive emotions that are not always available in the routine of my daily life. Joy, pride, exhilaration, gratitude. You know, the good stuff.

Here’s one of the memories from this race I’ll carry forward with me:

I had anticipated that I would feel emotional at the point of the race where the 5K runners turn to the finish line and the 10K runners continue on. It was one of the things that motivated me during the training. And indeed it did feel great to recall at that moment that just three years ago I was struggling to finish my first 5k without walking (really struggling!) and now I was cruising confidently past that mark.

Just as I was drinking that in, I noticed a little boy, about five years old, standing with his parents cheering on the runners, his arm outstretched, shyly holding out his hand for a “high five.” So cute!

I gave him a high five and he broke out into a huge grin. Remember what I shared about the thrill of being a participant and not a spectator? I’m sure that little boy has forgotten me, but I’ll remember him for a while.

Here’s my ode to Emily:

Without her blog, I don’t think I would have run this race today. This is why: Note in the accompanying race photo that the temperature is 45 degrees Fahrenheit, I’m wearing a short-sleeved shirt, a running skirt, and no leggings. From the outset, one of my biggest barriers with exercise, particularly running, has been dealing with feeling hot. It makes me extremely anxious and managing that anxiety has been an ongoing challenge.

In the past, I’ve managed it during the winter months on my home treadmill by arranging multiple fans to blow on me at once and by pouring water over my head (yes, really).

In the spring and fall months, I would run outdoors and stash water bottles along my route so I could pour water over my head (yes, really).

I live in the Northeast of the U.S. where it gets humid… not Israeli coastal plain humid, but still plenty humid. The late spring and summer months have naturally been my most difficult challenge. One I have not been particularly successful at meeting. Last summer, for instance, I abandoned my running routine completely and tried Zumba. I thought I could keep my same fitness level with Zumba and pick up where I left off with running in the fall. Wrong.

This year, around mid-May, on cue, my anxiety started to return. How to get through the summer? How not to repeat my past negative pattern?

Then I read Emily’s blog post, Non-Negotiable. I’m inspired by most of Emily’s blog, but her message in this post was one that really spoke to me. And I started doing something I never, ever (ever!) considered as a viable option.

I started getting up at dawn to go running. Dawn as in… 5am.

At that time of day it was just cool enough that I could tolerate it. And here’s the kicker about running at sunrise. Turns out I loved it!

I stayed realistic. I didn’t overdo or try to improve. And of course there were mornings where I would wake up feeling anxious and not want to get up and run. But my non-negotiable was to get through the summer months running three miles every other day. And that’s what I did.

In late July Emily formed Team Triumph and invited others to choose a race. Hmmm. I tucked that in my brain but wasn’t ready yet.

It was late August when the weather started to turn. I had gotten through the summer and I was still running. By now I had momentum on my side and I committed to train for and run the 10K.

And that’s what I did.

Thank you, Emily. Shine on!

And thank YOU Daphne for being so inspirational! When I read about someone else’s experience like this, it really motivates me in my own training as well! 5am huh? Sounds like a great idea!

Filed Under: Exercise, Goals, health coach, Inspiration, Running, Triumph Race Club Tagged With: Achievement, Exercise, Goals, Race Club, Running, Team Triumph Race Club

Guest Post: Why Do I Race

September 26, 2011 by Emily Segal 3 Comments

Today I’ve got a guest post from Team Triumph member, Daphne:

I’m four weeks away from running the Saratoga Great Pumpkin Race 10K October 22. I have run 5K’s before, but a 10K is a new challenge. Training is going well. I did a long run of 6 miles last week, I just finished a (much needed) recovery week, and I’m ready for the homestretch.

A little back-story. When the idea of running a 5K was first suggested to me by my health coach, I laughed. Literally. I had lost about 20 pounds and did plenty of walking, but probably couldn’t even run for a minute at a time and had no interest in trying. Well, I didn’t start running immediately after that conversation but the seed was planted and eventually it did sprout. My first 5K three years ago at the age of 45 was my first athletic endeavor EVER. My goal was to finish – and I did with a time of 42 minutes. I was one of the last people to finish which made me a little anxious, but I can still remember my husband Michael’s huge smile when he met me at the finish line. I could feel that he was proud of me and that made me feel proud of myself.

Running my first 5-K

The most recent 5K I ran this past April was ten minutes faster (and I’m about 50 pounds lighter):

So… why do I race? It’s fun to get the T-shirt and it’s rewarding to improve. But the main benefit is I find it exciting to be a participant and not a spectator. I had never pictured myself as anything other than a spectator so it’s not an exaggeration to say I find it thrilling to look around and see that I am one of the group that is doing the running and not the group watching. That experience gives me a boost of self-confidence that I use to help me cope with various moments of self-doubt in life. (I’m a natural pessimist so I need an arsenal of strategies to combat that tendency. One of which is reading Emily’s marvelous blog!).

When I decided to up the distance of my next race to a 10K, Michael suggested we drive the course to check it out. What a great idea! During the reconnaissance trip, we had two opposite reactions. Michael was concerned that it was too challenging, but my reaction was “I can definitely do this.” Very empowering! I’m likely going to be at the very back of the pack once again, but I’m okay with that now. Practicing yoga has enlightened me that comparing myself to others is not what this process is about.

For those of you on Team Triumph running the Tel Aviv Night Run 10K, know I am very jealous! Israel is always in my heart.

A few tips:

1. Whether you are well-endowed or not, a comfortable and supportive sports bra is a must! I like the Moving Comfort Juno for the adjustable straps.

2. The right running shoes for your particular foot and gait are important. Road Runner Sports has a great quiz.

3. If you have the opportunity to hire a supportive and knowledgeable coach such as Emily — do it. My work has been with another talented coach and after years of struggle it has been the key to all the positive physical and mental changes I have made. See photos for the evidence.

Daphne, that was such an inspiring post! We wish you tons of luck in your race and can’t wait to hear all the details.

Team Triumphers, write your stories! Send ‘em on in and I’ll post ‘em.

Filed Under: Exercise, Goals, health coach, Inspiration, Running, Triumph Race Club Tagged With: Achievement, Exercise, Race Club, Running, Self-Improvement, Team Triumph Race Club

The Care and Feeding of Sports Injuries

September 25, 2011 by Emily Segal Leave a Comment

So, I’ve been back in Israel for a few weeks now. Upon returning home, I plunged right into writing my holiday recipe e-book. I was also super busy with a wonderful round of new clients who all started up in the last few weeks.

During this time, I have also written a number of blog posts. They were all very eloquently, well-written versions of:

WAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH! ARGH!!!!!!!!!!

I have been reluctant to hit “publish” on these posts because I felt crappy and discouraged and that is never fun to share. But things are on the upswing and now I feel ready. Plus, several of you have mentioned that, you too, need this post.

So here’s the deal: After my last glowing post about my Vibrams, I must report a sad downturn of events. The Plantar Fasciitis that I bought the Vibrams to cure, is not going to go down without a fight. There was about a week there where I almost couldn’t walk, let alone run, and I have had to delay the official start of my race training until I heal.

Now, I am not a doctor or a physical therapist. I’ve taken ONE college-level course in anatomy and I know the difference between quadriceps and biceps, but I claim no official medical knowledge. None-the-less, I can tell you this:

DON’T. TRAIN. THROUGH. INJURIES!

When you get hurt, you need to stop and rest. Rub arnica into your sore spots, ice them down, get massaged by a professional, try foam rolling, and do other things in the meantime, such as swimming, yoga, spinning, walking… whatever does not aggravate your injury. But most of all, be patient and wait.

I know it is an ugly suckfest to get derailed right when your train has begun forward momentum. I know because I am super crabby about it myself. But it happens and if you keep going, you will get really, really hurt and that’s when people start with the “running is bad for you” business. It’s NOT bad for you if you listen to your body and don’t push through injury pain.

So, there’s the pain of injury but there is also the pain of plain old soreness. Do you know how to tell the difference? This is important, because that good old soreness responds best to MORE exercise, whereas injuries, as we said need to be rested.

Soreness can feel very painful, but if you try to exercise again, it will probably start to feel better. If it doesn’t, it feels worse with exercise, or if the pain is very SHARP and localized, it might be a more serious injury.

Soreness is a “hurts so good” sort of pain. It may make you whimper, but you’ll laugh while whimpering. Injury, on the other hand, may make you weep and swear.

Here are some of the most common running injuries you may experience:

1. Shin splints

I don’t know exactly what shin splits are but they hurt like the dickens. If you have them, you will feel terrible pain anywhere along the top of your foot up your shins to your knees. Once when I was running track in high school, I had such bad shin splints I had to stop and sit on the side of the road while the team ran on without me. I don’t remember how I got home, but it wasn’t on my own two feet!

Shin splints are usually caused by over-training and they are especially common in new runners. The cure is to stop running for awhile until they stop hurting. There is also this cure I use myself (but remember I don’t know jack, so at your own risk, baby):

Sit on the edge of a chair. Put your feet on the floor. Now put your right foot on top of your left foot (pigeon-toed). Push down hard with your right foot while pulling up hard with your left. Repeat on the other side. Do a couple of times to build up your shin strength.

2.) Plantar Fasciitis

PF happens when the ligament on the bottom of your foot is too tight and tears every time your foot strikes. The tear isn’t what hurts but the calcification that builds up around it hurts like an SOB. This is felt as stabbing or throbbing heal pain, arch pain and sometimes ankle pain. The classic symptom is not being able to walk to the bathroom first thing in the morning. Yes, I have honestly crawled to the toilet and apparently I’m not the only one. As the day progresses, the pain lessens, except after periods of sitting or inactivity.

PF is fickle. It can come and stay, or appear suddenly and disappear just as quickly. Current treatments involve custom orthotics, steroid injections, a boot to wear at nighttime, and some sort of laser or sonogram wave treatment. I have never had any of these treatments. I get PF and I stop running. It goes away and sometimes doesn’t come back for years.

But I can tell you that if your arches are low or flat, or your calves or hamstrings are very tight, you MUST spend a good amount of time stretching the bottom of your feet, calves and hamstrings. Down dog pose in yoga is a good one, as is that runner’s stretch where you lean against the wall and stretch your calves out behind you.

3.) Knee pain

There are so many causes of knee pain, I’m afraid I can’t offer much help here. Your best bet is to ice sore knees, rub them down with arnica, take ibuprofin, and if the pain persists, get to your doctor.

It’s always a good idea to make sure the muscles surrounding your knee are strong and balanced. That takes quite a bit of strain off the knee itself. Consult a personal trainer or physical therapist if you are not sure how to strengthen these muscles.

4.) Other foot pain

Some foot pain can indicate a stress fracture. If it doesn’t get better, see the doc and get an xray.

5.) Hip pain and back pain

This can be anything from alignment issues, poor strength levels, muscle strains, or arthritis. Doctor, doctor, doctor…

For all of these injuries, athletic taping can be a real lifesaver. But again, you need a pro to show you how to tape, so don’t be shy to get help.

Overall, exercise should feel good. Yes, there will be soreness and pain as you push your physical limits, but you really must not live in denial about being injured. Err on the side of caution and treat pain before it ends up being something seriously wrong.

This is one of my favorite quotes about exercise. It’s by former Ironman (and Vegan Ironman, at that!) Brendan Brazier, from his book Thrive:

Training is really nothing more than taking advantage of our body’s ability to heal itself. When faced with post-exertion muscle damage, the body will surmise that it must grow stronger to perform the task more effectively next time it is called upon. Really, the body is taking the easy way out; it’s easier for it to grow stronger now to reduce strain placed on it next time it must perform. Little does the body know, as soon as it demonstrates its improved strength, more demand will soon be placed upon it.

Filed Under: Exercise, health coach, Recommendations, Running, Triumph Race Club Tagged With: Exercise, Medical Help, Race Club, Team Triumph Race Club, Vibrams

How to Get Started with Your Race Training

August 18, 2011 by Emily Segal 4 Comments

First things first. Last year I read Born to Run, by Christopher McDougall and well, it’s predictable to say “This book changed my life” but yeah, it kind of did.

I was already a runner when I read the book, but this book changed things in my mind. I’m not going to try to summarize, because Christopher himself does that in this TED Talk:

McDougall’s main point is that humans are born to run. We are natural runners and running is the one thing we can do that keeps us strong, healthy, happy, balanced and peaceful.

I often come across people who say things like “Running is boring” “Running is bad for your joints” and “I could NEVER run!”. YOU, my dear doubters, you are the ones who need to listen to that TED Talk and then read the book!

We are runners. We are runners. We are runners. Old people, young people, nursing mothers, children. We are all runners.

End of ranting section.

How to start running? There are TONS of free (and not free) running plans on the internet. Here are my faves:

Couch to 5K

HalHigdon.com has loads of training programs for every distance and every level of runner. This is the plan I have always used.

RunnersWorld.com has training plans (mostly for a fee I think) and TONS of running info, nutrition info, and inspiration!

So here’s what you do:

1. Look at the different plans and choose the one that looks like it suits you.

2. Decide how far out from your event you need to begin your training.

3. If there is a baseline level you need to reach first, then get started on that.

4. PLUG THE TRAINING RUNS INTO YOUR CALENDAR! Why am I yelling? Because you don’t want to just wing this or it won’t get done. If you wake up on a dark Wednesday morning and your running schedule has not been previously decided upon, you will negotiate with yourself and you won’t do it. Trust me and read my blog post, Non-Negotiable, for more on the subject.

5. If you find yourself getting injuries, aches and pains, you probably want to work with a running coach. You might be making mistakes with your stride or have an alignment issue. You also might want to learn to run barefoot! Yes, I said that. Again, you’ve got to read Born to Run to be convinced of the evil that is modern running shoes. The minimalist and barefoot running movement is in full swing, even here in Israel! I even saw a couple of barefoot runners running the Tel Aviv Marathon! Yup, totally barefoot for 42km.

Yesterday I went to Wertheimer’s in Herzliya to try on Vibram 5 Fingers for myself. I could have paid 570 nis at Wertheimers but instead I ordered them from RoadRunnerSports with my VIP discount for $80 and will pick them up in the US when visiting my folks next week. I got the Bikilas, yay! I’ll keep you posted on how it goes with the Vibrams of course.

6. If you’re a group-type person, find a runner’s club in your community and join. You’ll get company, advice, coaching, accountability and fun to keep you going!

To see who is participating in Team Triumph, click HERE.

To get on the list, email me, healthcoachemily@gmail.com

Filed Under: coaching exercises, Exercise, Inspiration, Running, Triumph Race Club Tagged With: Achievement, Exercise, Race Club, Team Triumph Race Club

Let’s Race! Part One

July 27, 2011 by Emily Segal 9 Comments

OK, here’s the deal. As most of you know (because I rarely shut up about it), I am planning on running the Full Tel Aviv Marathon on March 30, 2012 in honor of my 45th birthday. I have run 3 Half Marathons, but never a full and it has long been a dream of mine. Frankly, I have no idea how I will run a full marathon, when half marathons seem pretty much the limit of my ability, but I strongly believe that “where there’s a will, there’s a way”.

Continuing with the well-worn sayings, “Misery Loves Company”, which is why I’m planning to take as many of YOU on this journey with me as possible.

And I don’t mean vicariously, chicas!

My dream/plan/desire, is to form a racing TEAM of participants all over the world, competing in any sort of sporting event and using this blog as Motivation Central to cheer one another on, get and stay inspired and on track.

It doesn’t matter if you have never run, biked, or swum before (What’s the deal with English past participles and why can’t I remember how to use them?) We are each going to choose an event, in a time, place, distance and sport convenient for us.

ANYONE can participate in a race! Every race that I have run in, there have been fat people and out-of-shape people and old people and handicapped people. In the Tel Aviv Half Marathon there were religious Jewish women running in skirts and headscarves and I even saw one Muslim woman running completely covered up!

And I must mention that the reason I saw all those various people is because they all PASSED me. I am slow and you can be too. What’s the rush? If you pick a race and need to walk it, fine, you will have lots of company. I am not going to run the marathon for speed this time, but rather just to finish it. The power is in the intention, the planning, the effort and hopefully the completion. You can set whatever kind of goal you wish.

Honestly, just set aside your excuses and step up to the plate. I swear your life will be eternally changed for the better.

So… our first step is to choose a race. I am going to refer you to this post on No Meat Athlete about how to choose your first race, HERE. Then come back and bookmark these sites so you can investigate and choose a race that suits you.

My only requirement is that you choose a race within 12 months from now. My race is a full 9 months away but my preparation is already underway although not in the way you might expect. I’ll explain in an upcoming post.

I’m giving you a full week to let this idea percolate and to explore different possibilities. By next Wednesday I want you to all have an event in mind. I’m not sure what format will suit us best, either the comments section, or maybe a facebook page or sparkpeople team? But I want to keep it public so the ~~chickens~~ people who think they aren’t ready yet, can be inspired.

The Tel Aviv Marathon site is HERE. There’s a Full Marathon (42.2 km), a Half Marathon (21.1km), a 10-K and a 10% race (4.2K).

The Jerusalem Marathon site is HERE. They’ve got a Marathon, Half and a 10K.

The Israel Women’s Triathlon in Herzliya is HERE. You can do various lengths and even put together a relay team with 2 other women, each taking one sport.

For those who read Hebrew, you can find a full calendar of races and events at Shvoong, HERE.

For races internationally check HERE. North America, check HERE. Or just google the name of your city and “race” and see if anything comes up. Almost every town has a turkey trot or charity race. Kfar Saba and Raanana also have local races.

So your assignment for the week is to find a race, sign up if it’s soon, and post it in the comments section here. I will be giving a shout out to all who are participating!

Don’t worry yet about how to train and what to eat, what to wear etc etc. I will be walking you through all of it, OK? Free coaching, community support, public accountability, how great is this?!

Come on, claim your medal!