“You need to take two full rest days immediately.”

My trainer was scolding me! I couldn’t believe I was hearing this — again. I thought to myself, I’m running less, like he asked. I’m cross-training MORE, like he said. I even have biceps from doing nearly 30 straight days of workouts! He should be impressed!

I could feel my skin getting warm. I felt ashamed of myself for not being able to do more and ‘get away with it’. He could see it on my face, yet . . . → Read More: Being Held Back: The Dilemma of Rest]]>

“We need coaches to prescribe rest rather than workload, as athletes will always overdose.” –Jureg Feldman, FACT Canada

“You need to take two full rest days immediately.”

My trainer was scolding me! I couldn’t believe I was hearing this — again. I thought to myself, I’m running less, like he asked. I’m cross-training MORE, like he said. I even have biceps from doing nearly 30 straight days of workouts! He should be impressed!

I could feel my skin getting warm. I felt ashamed of myself for not being able to do more and ‘get away with it’. He could see it on my face, yet he continued to lecture me. He asked me honestly why I am afraid of a rest day. Is it because I am afraid I will lose all the I’ve worked for and gain 100 lbs back because of too much rest? I replied that that’s part of it, but it’s also that I feel this need to cross something off my list every day. That workout is one thing I know I can do, and do right. The satisfaction I get can’t be gained from RESTING.

When I rest, it feels like everything is on hold. I feel like someone hit the pause button on my progress and growth, and I’m not getting any better that day. When in fact, all the gains we make from our workouts are made when we are resting and recovering. In my case, my heart rate was incredibly high, a sure sign of overtraining. My heart couldn’t repair itself when it hadn’t had a rest day in 30 days. My heart. I need my heart! I took those two rest days, plus some.

The dilemma for athletes isn’t that we can’t and won’t do more. We’ll do it all, if you ask us. We’ll run every damn day, each one harder than the next. We’ll push it with two-a-days, always rise to the occasion, and we cannot say no to a challenge.

Our bodies will pay the price for it. We’ll suffer injuries, fatigue, burnout.

My solution: in order to be able to FEEL like I did something to better myself on my rest days, I decided to stretch really well on those days. I’ll warm my body up just a bit, and then stretch it out. I can ‘check’ that off my list and try to remind myself I’m getting better that day.

How do you react to being ‘held back’? Is it hard to take a rest day? Does anyone remind you to get the rest you need?

Source: thinfithot.tumblr.com via Kathy on Pinterest

For some people eating healthy comes naturally. Others find it easier to exercise consistently but have a hard time being as diligent with diet and nutrition. I’ve always fallen into the latter category. You’ll have to hold me down to get me to take a rest day from running but when it comes to food, I want it all. There was an interesting article in Time magazine a couple of years ago called “Why Exercise Won’t Make You Thin.” While I think the title is a little disingenuous, I could totally relate to some of the points discussed. For . . . → Read More: Rediscovering Food Journaling]]>

Photo by o5com.

For some people eating healthy comes naturally. Others find it easier to exercise consistently but have a hard time being as diligent with diet and nutrition. I’ve always fallen into the latter category. You’ll have to hold me down to get me to take a rest day from running but when it comes to food, I want it all. There was an interesting article in Time magazine a couple of years ago called “Why Exercise Won’t Make You Thin.” While I think the title is a little disingenuous, I could totally relate to some of the points discussed. For example, I’m a big “rewarder” when it comes to exercise and food. Just finish a long run? Let’s have a hot fudge sundae! Complete a big race? Order pizza! While it’s fine to celebrate these accomplishments with our favorite foods from time to time, it was getting to the point where I was rewarding smaller and smaller things. As in, “I worked out this morning!” or “I just ran 3 miles!”. You know, things that probably didn’t need to be rewarded with french fries and Skittles.

Anyway, a couple of months ago I decided it was time to take a harder look at what I was eating and why. I wasn’t gaining weight (ok, maybe a couple of pounds!) but I didn’t feel as good as I thought I should for how much working out I do. I could be better and I knew it. So I decided to revisit a little thing called Food Journaling. I know, there are TONS of calorie counting sites out there. (Calorie Count, My Fitness Pal, and Fat Secret to name a few.) But I’m not even talking about counting every single calorie that passes your lips. Sometimes all it takes is a notebook, pencil, and the willingness to be honest about what you’re putting into your body.

I started out the day after Thanksgiving just wanting to write down what I ate. Not the calories, just the foods. Interestingly, just having to put the pen to paper made me want to eat better things. Something about the accountability of it all made me start to change my habits.  I started eating a lot more vegetables and fruits and cut way back on processed foods and sugar. I mean, do I really want to write down that I ate an entire jumbo bag of Sour Patch Kids? Nobody else was seeing these logs but I still didn’t want that staring back at me. After a couple of weeks I did transition to logging foods on a calorie count website but I’m starting to move away from that again since I don’t like all the numbers running around in my head. I feel like it’s too easy to get obsessive about hitting an arbitrary number instead of just eating the foods that your body needs.

Food journaling works for me in spurts. It’s not something that I feel like I can do all the time, every day of my life. But it’s a great way to get back in touch with healthy eating habits if when I feel like I’m getting out of control. Right now I feel like I’m in the “zone” nutrition-wise and I don’t really need to log things anymore. I managed to drop a few pounds in December of all months and got my butt back into some jeans that I had almost given up on. I also feel more energized in my workouts, which had begun to get a little tedious after a summer of big training ended. I’m sure I’ll have set backs and slip ups down the road but journaling is something that I can always come back to in order to get my mind and body in check.

What about you? Do you keep a food journal?

Photo by Edson Hong.

It happened again the other day. Another fitness-related Groupon fell into my inbox. A few months ago I would get wide-eyed and snatch them up right away, but today’s deal was simply met with a blank stare followed by a *SIGH*.

I can’t even say any bad things about the Groupons and Living Social deals I’ve purchased for various places around town. In fact, every place I’ve been to has been just great. The ones I actually redeemed, that is. And that is precisely the problem. I get super excited at the idea of trying a new bootcamp, . . . → Read More: Group Fitness Deals: Win or Waste?]]>

Photo by Edson Hong.

It happened again the other day. Another fitness-related Groupon fell into my inbox. A few months ago I would get wide-eyed and snatch them up right away, but today’s deal was simply met with a blank stare followed by a *SIGH*.

I can’t even say any bad things about the Groupons and Living Social deals I’ve purchased for various places around town. In fact, every place I’ve been to has been just great. The ones I actually redeemed, that is. And that is precisely the problem. I get super excited at the idea of trying a new bootcamp, group fitness class or yoga studio and within a few clicks BOOM! I’ve instantly over-committed myself.

Fitness deals aren’t the only coupons that fall to the wayside for sure. But since those are the deals that usually stand out to me (along with spa deals!) that’s what I’m going to address. When Groupon first started getting big it was actually how I was introduced to Bikram yoga. I used up the entire pack of classes and ended up going back for more. Worth it? Absolutely. The second deal I bought was for another yoga class that I really enjoyed but had dificulty fitting into my schedule at time so I only used about half of them. Did I still end up ahead with that one? Sure. Then after that it gets a bit sketchy. First I accidently let a deal for a kettlebell class expire. Then a massage deal. (Ok, that’s not fitness related as much as “recovery” related.) Right now I have two offers sitting in my account: one for a boot camp class and one for another yoga studio. I honestly don’t know if I will use them or not. Yet when I saw the new deal this morning I still perked up.

It seems that even though I’m very dedicated to running and working out, I’m always wondering what else I can do. I get dreamy sometimes thinking about having the time to try out every new class that comes my way. I can picture myself rock climbing, kickboxing and Zumba-ing every free chance I get, but I eventually have to face the fact that it’s just not possible to do everything- no matter how cheap it is.

Sometimes realizations like these are hard. But I now it’s good for me to recognize potential problem before it spirals out of control. I’m sure my future bank account will thank me for it.

What do you guys think about fitness Groupons? Over them or still totally worth it?

So what’s my approach to the month of December? First of all, I . . . → Read More: Holiday Balancing Act]]>

As I’m sure a lot of you out there are, I’m completely wrapped up in holiday preparations and celebrations for the next few weeks. When it comes to this time of year I’m always trying to find the perfect balance between indulging in the things I love and not going completely overboard. It’s know that it’s time to kick back a bit and enjoy the comforts and traditions of the season but I also don’t what to wake up on New Year’s day feeling guilty. And it’s oh-so-easier said than done.

So what’s my approach to the month of December? First of all, I look at the calendar and I plot out which days are going to be considered “freebies.”  Not that I sit around and eat pie on those days but maybe there’s a holiday party or some other kind of get-together where I know I’m not going to be concerned about tracking the calories on that particular evening. Then I try my hardest to eat as clean as possible on the days leading up to these events. It makes it so much easier when I know I have specific days to look forward to.

Second, I like to think about the specific foods that really symbolize the holidays for me. For example, I know that I’m definitely going to have pumpkin pie at some point and I’m also going to enjoy some nog on Christmas Eve (and if we’re being honest, on a few other occasions as well.) What I don’t do though is a bunch of mindless eating of all kinds of foods under the excuse of it “being the holidays.” Instead I try to stick to indulging in the few things I know I won’t be able to enjoy the rest of the year.

Third (and the most fun!) I plan some workouts with friends. Last year we did a group run on Christmas Eve day that not only burned a bunch of calories in anticipation of the night ahead but really put everyone in the holiday spirit. We also have a mini-tradition going of participating in the Run Into the New Year 5K/10K at the State Fair on December 31st. It’s really a great way to cap off the year.

What do you do to offset holiday indulgences? Any tips?

I’ve been finding lots of fitness-related pins lately. Some are inspirational sayings, some are quotes, others are workout routines.

Source: Pinterest

Here’s one saying I found on Pinterest that I think is very fitting this week: Do something today that your future self will thank you for.

I don’t know about you, but I look at Thanksgiving as a day to be with my family, eat lots of . . . → Read More: Fitspiration: Be Thankful]]>

Have you caught the Pinterest bug? Did you ever cut photos, articles and inspirational sayings out of magazines and collect them on a bulletin board or in a notebook? Pinterest is the virtual version of that.

I’ve been finding lots of fitness-related pins lately. Some are inspirational sayings, some are quotes, others are workout routines.

Source: Pinterest

Here’s one saying I found on Pinterest that I think is very fitting this week: Do something today that your future self will thank you for.

I don’t know about you, but I look at Thanksgiving as a day to be with my family, eat lots of food, watch football and play board games. Oh, and drink copious amounts of wine and/or beer.

But I have been examining this view a lot recently. As someone who struggles with food and is trying to lose weight, is indulging in the gluttony of the holiday really what I should be doing?

This year, I’m going to do something that my future self (aka 8 p.m. Thursday night self) will thank me for. I’m not going to have seconds of mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, rolls, green bean casserole or pumpkin pie. I will have a reasonable serving of each. I want to be truly thankful for the many blessings I’ve received during the past year. And I want to be thankful for learning to say no to seconds.

On this Thanksgiving Day, what are you going to do that your future self will thank you for?

Recently . . . → Read More: Meet the Milwaukee Running Group]]>

One thing I tend to hear a lot from runners of every level is “I wish I had a running buddy or a group to run with!” I’ve been lucky enough to find a core group of friends that I really enjoy training with but I also remember how long I ran by myself before finding them.  Running with a group is great because the time seems to fly by when you have people to chat with and push you along. Plus, you’ll be less likely to bail on a run if you know you have friends waiting for you. Accountability!

Recently I came across The Milwaukee Running Group. They just got started a couple of months ago but already have regular runs throughout the week at various places around the city. I met up with a few runners from the group yesterday at Alterra for a 5-mile lakefront run and I’m hoping to come back for more. There are runners of all levels and paces in this group so a lot of times they’ll break off into smaller groups or pairs according to pace. Still, everyone meets up at the end for high fives and a stretch.

The Milwaukee Running Group has a page on Meetup.com where they arrange all of their group runs. Right now they are asking a small fee of $5 a year to join up. You can check out their group on Facebook as well. If you’re looking for some friendly company and encouragement while you run, this is a great place to start.

One of the benefits of having a large network of fit friends is that, by reaching out on Twitter and Dailymile, I’ve been able to gather lots of advice regarding how to heal my . . . → Read More: Recovering from an injury: a collection of good advice]]>

If you’ve ever dealt with an injury as a runner, you know it is frustrating and your brain tries to take over and tell you that you are being lazy by resting, and that you should push it past the point of pain no matter what the consequence. But, you and I both know that’s the wrong way to approach things.

One of the benefits of having a large network of fit friends is that, by reaching out on Twitter and Dailymile, I’ve been able to gather lots of advice regarding how to heal my hamstring injury.

I know some pretty smart people, so I’d like to share what I’ve gathered… Keep in mind that although the advice was given to me to recover a hamstring injury, it’s absolutely applicable across all types of injuries… because most of it centers on patience, faith, and creativity.

* * * * *

Photo by Jesslee Cuizon

“I was off for 4 weeks and came back stronger. Bikram, swimming, cycling, and whatever else that doesn’t hurt your hamstring will support your endurance. Doing NOTHING will set you back, doing something will make you STRONGER.  I have complete faith you will be back to yourself soon, as long as you stick to the plan.”

* * *

“I hurt my hamstring in October 2009 and was more or less out of running commission for the better part of two years. I don’t want to scare you…just caution you not to make the mistakes I made of trying to run too much, too fast, too soon. Let that sucker rest. You mentioned that it alternates between not being too bad and so sore you can barely sit on it…mine was exactly the same. The original injury started mid-hamstring but eventually made it’s way to upper ham / lower glute. I had to sit on something (like a tennis ball) at work sometimes to relieve the pain. Don’t freak out about the two years. I think there were many things I could have done to drastically shorten it…like proper physical therapy…but I didn’t. I alternated between doing nothing and running too hard. Just go easy…super easy…and do other stuff. Maybe a couple weeks off … or maybe a month off. Then very gentle stretching and strengthening. Find some sort of cardio other than running for a while.”

* * *

“With less training hours, you can focus on improving your health. Fitness and health are not the same thing. And before you work on fitness, you need to establish a strong health foundation.  Taking more time to rest, fine tuning dietary needs and focusing on improving overall health will lay the ground work to start adding miles safely when you are pain free again. Down time from training is a great time to lose extra weight, work on flexibility, do a cleanse, improve your mechanics and do all the things that get pushed off to the side when you are focused on your goal.”

* * *

“Instead of NO running and then right into two- and three- a days… ease your way back in and try to stay as consistent as possible when you get back. The seesaw of doing lots, getting burned out, not doing much, getting inspired and then going at it HARD (with not much build up), getting injured and being forced to rest, etc, … seems more frustrating than just going out for a run when you don’t feel like it, because you know it will help guard you from future injuries.”

* * *

“The best way to do it is to always finish the run and the week feeling like you could’ve/should’ve done more. You know you could have done more, so you’re comfortable pushing a little harder next week. You feel like you should’ve done more, so you WANT to do more next week. If you can do that every week (difficult, but not impossible), you’ll always have the confidence and the motivation to do the next thing.”

* * * * *

Here’s hoping you can rest and rehab through whatever injury you’re dealing with and that you come back stronger and ready for great tings. I also hope that when you DO recover you will reach out to another who is struggling and let them know you’ve been there, too. It can make all the difference in the world.

When I run, I normally follow the same route or a variation of the same route. It’s comfortable to do that, and I know my mile markers. I also run in the dark of morning, so I tend to stay where the streets are well-lit. But once in a while, I . . . → Read More: I Know a Place]]>

“I always loved running…You could go in any direction, fast or slow as you wanted, fighting the wind if you felt like it, seeking out new sights just on the strength of your feet and the courage of your lungs.” – Jesse Owens

When I run, I normally follow the same route or a variation of the same route. It’s comfortable to do that, and I know my mile markers. I also run in the dark of morning, so I tend to stay where the streets are well-lit. But once in a while, I turn down that street I’ve always wondered about and end up somewhere new. These are the places that make me grateful to be a runner, and excited about finding these surprises.

For me these place are:

Airport Park

Plane landing over Airport Park

If you are in Bay View and you head down Clement Ave or Whitnall Ave, eventually you’ll run straight into a hill that kinda looks like the Teletubbies are on the other side of it. But, on the other side is NOT Teletubbies – it’s PLANES. If the wind is right, they fly in low right over the park to land on the runway. In the evening, the twinkling lights of the airport are breathtaking. I could stay there for hours watching planes and wondering where people are going, but I just keep moving.

Danger Cliff

Sunrise over Danger Cliff

Take the Oak Leaf trail south from Bay View… a bit past Grant Park, and soon the trail will wind around past a clearing to the left. You can’t see Lake Michigan until you venture down the path a bit. Watch your step though, because there’s a dangerous, steep eroding cliff back there. I stop here to watch the sunrise over the lake and I swear it’s different every time.

Red Lighthouse

Red lighthouse at sunset. Photo by Mike Collins

This place isn’t really a secret, because it’s somewhat of a landmark in the area. But many people don’t know you can get there to start your run here. Just drive allllll the way down Erie and then turn left at the Riverfront Pizzeria, go under the Hoan and there’s a parking lot down there. In the summer, I like to sit in front of the lighthouse and ruin the photos that the people on the boat tours are trying to take of the lighthouse.

* * *

I’m pretty sure if I wasn’t a runner, I never would have discovered any of these places. It’s just one of the many reasons running is my favorite activity.

Do you have a secret or special place where you run that you stumbled across by accident?

That’s what I tell myself when I’m approaching one, anyway.

Whether it’s a ‘NEHOD’ along Lake Drive, (Never Ending Hill of Death, as we like to call it)… or ‘Vomit Hill’ which got its rightful name after a runner vommed after forcing herself to run right up it, or ‘The Wall’ at Lapham Peak, which a fellow runner once told me “I was looking for the ladder to climb up it”… I use the same mental and physical prep.

I shift my focus from gazing straight ahead to looking down at the 3 or 4 feet of personal space on the . . . → Read More: H-I-double-hockeysticks]]>

“Hill, what hill?”

That’s what I tell myself when I’m approaching one, anyway.

Whether it’s a ‘NEHOD’ along Lake Drive, (Never Ending Hill of Death, as we like to call it)… or ‘Vomit Hill’ which got its rightful name after a runner vommed after forcing herself to run right up it, or ‘The Wall’ at Lapham Peak, which a fellow runner once told me “I was looking for the ladder to climb up it”… I use the same mental and physical prep.

I shift my focus from gazing straight ahead to looking down at the 3 or 4 feet of personal space on the ground directly in front of me. That way I only see the tiny little section of hill I’m conquering at that time. I don’t have to think about all the hill that lies ahead, just the few steps that are next.

I keep my arms low and to my sides, I shorten my stride, and I slow down a bit. I try to use the same amount of energy I would if I was running fast. I imagine being at the top of the hill, winded, relieved and proud, but not so out of breath that I need to walk.

I keep moving, pushing off with each step with a steady force.  I tell myself I’m strong. I block out everything but those steps. It hurts for a while.

But I summit that hill.

How do you get yourself up a big hill?