Osteo-what?? But I'm only 26!

Bone density is not something you hear a lot about in the exercise world. We harp on blood pressure, cholesterol, etc., but most poeple think low bone density and osteoporosis only affect old women. Wrong. It's not something that doctors regularly screen for either, so take it upon yourself to have this screening done if you get the opportunity, say at a health fair.

We recently had a bone density screening at work offered by St. Vincent. They perform a scan of your heel which shows your bone mineral density (BMD). The lower your bone density, the higher your chance of bone fractures, breaks, etc. I will admit, I know that my diet is lacking in dairy, so therefore probably calcium, but I was still shocked that out of our whole department, I had the lowest bone density of anyone who was tested! Mine was low enough to be classified as osteopenia--the warning stage leading up to full-blown osteoporosis. Bone density reaches its peak around the age of 30, and from there decreases throughout the rest of life...and I'm only 26 now!

First of all, had I not happened to squeeze in this screening, I would have never guessed or known...so good thing I did! As I was reading through the risk factors, the only ones that applied to me were that I am female, caucasian, and that my diet is lacking in calcium....so only two of which I can impact. I'm not sure if my family genetically has low BMD, so that is one thing I can check into. Since I've been logging my food in My Fitness Pal recently, I ran a report to see how much of my recommeded daily value (RDV) of calcium I was getting (which for women my age is 1,000 mg per day). On most days, I was falling between 40-60% of my RDA. Not good!! I saw 2 days, where my calcium intake was through the roof--like around 110-120% of my RDA. When I investigated further to see what I ate on those days that boosted my calcium so much, I found that both times, a Starbucks latte was what did the trick!!

I have been making a more conscious effort to include dairy in my diet in the past few days. Other sources of calcium include things like almonds, broccoli, which I eat very often, but just not enough apparently. I am going to start taking a calcium supplement as well, but you just really never know how much of the vitamins/minerals that you take are actually being absorbed by the body. For instance, I've known for a few years that my iron is low-- I rarely pass the "test" to be able to donate at blood drives due to low iron. So, I talked to a dietician friend who told me that if you take iron and calcium at the same time, the iron is blocked. So what things block calcium? From my research lately, I've learned that drinking any kind of cola--diet or not--can block calcium absorption. I woudn't say I have a lot of diet coke, but 2-3 per week would be average. I also learned that a way to test your supplement or multi-vitamin is to drop it in 6 ounces of water. If it doesn't dissolve within 30 minutes, that means your body isn't going to absorb it all. Typically, the chewable or gel vitamins are the most effective in this regard.

My only other thought was, I wonder if all this marathon training had any negative impact on my bone density? We're always taught that resistance exercise and activity that includes impact will help increase BMD, but marathon training is obviously beyond just fitness. I have yet to find any correlation here, so I'm sure it was a pre-existing condition.

My takeaway from all this is that I now have permission to eat more ice cream and make afternoon Starbucks runs :)

What to do with your collection of race medals

Do you ever wonder what to do with your race medals? Sure, some of them are meaningful and worth keeping, but there comes a point where you have collected several, and you don't feel sentimental about every single one of them. Unless you have a trophy room, you may find that your race medals are just stashed in odd places-- say, the jeans drawer of your dresser, like mine.


I recently heard about the organization "Medals 4 Mettle." You can donate your race medals and they are then passed on to kids with chronic illnesses or diseases as rewards for making it through stressful treatments, say chemotherapy. Check it out! www.medals4mettle.org/index.php

Now, for those of you who may be super-sentimental (the scrapbooking types), and you can't bear to part with your medals, even for a good cause, I've come across some cool ways to display them. If you run races in several cities, like I want to start doing, check out this idea!

Runners: Do more than just run!!

I've said this so many times that I sound like a broken record, but it's worth repeating once more. As a runner, the worst thing you can do for your training, for your appearance, for your entire body's systems, is to JUST RUN.

Every now and then, I come across an article that makes the Hallelujah chorus play in my head, and this was one of them. This article perfectly sums up all the pifalls and myths of running. Definitely worth the read: http://articles.elitefts.com/articles/training-articles/women-running-into-trouble/

Since the article explains in detail how just running will NOT shave off fat, will NOT guarantee a slim, sleek physique, and furthermore, will NOT automatically keep your metabolism on the rise, I won't say anything more on those points. What I will say is that strength training needs to become a runner's best friend. Why?

-With extreme amounts of running, i.e. marathon training, you can whittle away at your muscle if you aren't careful. You are burning a lot of calories, and (assuming you don't binge eat) you could very well lose weight. It starts with unnecessary body fat, but make sure that the pounds you may lose during running programs are the right kind. Have your percent body fat measured by a professional, ideally through the skinfold method, underwater weighing, or Bod Pod. Bioelectric impedence (i.e. the machine or scale with the metal strips where you grip it and it spits out a number) is not as accurate. The importance here is to track the breakdown of fat weight versus lean body mass weight. That way, you know the truth behind the pounds on the scale. I personally had my percent body fat tested before the training, halfway through, and 4 days post-marathon. My numbers were: 14.9%, 14.2% and finally, 13.6%--exactly what I was hoping to see. Obviosuly, overweight people should hope to see a decrease in their percent body fat, but with those of us at our ideal body, the goal should be that our percent body fat will either drop slightly or remain equal. My weight was the same each time I tested--there were weeks in between testings where my weight was way under normal for me, but could have been due to dehydration or coming off the heels of a long run. More importantly, the breakdown of my fat pounds versus lean fat pounds stayed the same, meaning I never lost muscle.

-Secondly, strength training = making your muscles stronger = making your muscles faster. All runners, but especially those looking to decrease their race times need to build up all the running muscles (quads, hamstrings, glutes, core). Why don't people grasp this? I have one friend in particular who has completed several half-marathons, always hoping to break 2 hours, but never does. After his last failed attempt, he came to me and said "Ok, I've got to try something new." I told him that strength training was the missing link, and even gave him a program of exercises. Never once saw him do any of them, although he was out running probably twice as much as I was all summer. Guess what...his last half-marathon time was 2:08. What does it take to convince people?

-Last, but certainly not least, resistance training strengthens the joints, and makes them better equipped for running. Stronger hips/knees/ankles and surrounding muscles lead to fewer injuries. Plain and simple.

Runners: if you already know these truths, TELL YOUR FRIENDS!

What's Next?

I called my grandma the day after my marathon to fill her in on my news. At the end of the conversation, she said "Are there times where you can just hardly believe how well your life has gone according to plan? You worked hard in college and had several job options waiting for you at graduation. You said you would like to buy a house after two years of renting, and you did. You must be in great health to even think you could sign up for a marathon. Does it all just hardly seem real?" Of course any grandmother thinks their firstborn grandchild can do no wrong, but honestly, she's right. Sometimes I'm amazed at how great I have it. So amazed in fact, that all throughout my life, I've had this lingering scare that something really bad is bound to happen at any point. Don't get me wrong--I've had my fair share of trials to work through, but when I look at people around me, even people within my own family, I've led a charmed life.

Finishing my marathon has been surreal. They say that .1% of the world's population has completed a marathon. (I just checked that stat to make sure it's still true--a recent estimate says that .13% have completed it, but that's not taking into account how many of them were repeats.) Whatever that small percentage is, I've officially joined them. Going back to work today made me feel like a celebrity--all of my clients knew about this weekend, so they asked me about it, then other people overheard and started congratulating me, so I really felt on top of the world.

At the close of a major phase of my fitness life, I am forced to think about what my next goal will be. While I do intend on backing off the running for awhile (just in time for holidays and colder weather!), I need to guard myself against staying in that downtime for too long. While my job certainly keeps me in shape, that alone won't cut it.

Triathlons have never appealed to me, mainly because of the swimming aspect. My idea of swimming is a quick dip just to cool off in the middle of a sunbathing session. There is also so much equipment involved in triathlons--wet suits, road bikes, etc. Things like mudathlons, urbanathlons and adventure races don't really peak my interest either, although I think they are very cool things. I'm just a runner at the core.

I've mentioned that I would like to start running other half-marathons either in different states or other ones in Indiana that I haven't done yet. I've officially decided I'm not running the Mini this May. While it is a major attraction for runners, after 3 times, it gets old. There are more exciting races I would rather spend time and money on. I want to map out my runs for 2012, almost making them into trips, and possibly planning other fun things in those particular cities. I would like to improve upon my half-marathon time, as well. An 8:30 pace will be my new goal for that distance.

The biggest goal for anyone's fitness is simply to have a goal. Realistic, specific, measurable, time-bound goals. It doesn't have to be anything crazy--maybe 5 real push-ups on your toes. Or running a race as small as the Drumstick Dash 2.3 mile version. Make a goal. Don't be stagnant.

I'll Always Remember the 5th of November!

For the past few months, I've been saying that November 6th would be one of the happiest days of my life. Well, I think November 5th at 12:45pm kicked it off. And the feelings of relief, accomplishment, life satisfaction, physical strength (and sore knees) has spilled over into today.

Except for waking up at 4am and never falling back asleep, I got a good night's rest on Friday. Saturday morning was brisk and chilly, but not nearly as cold as it could have been. Honestly, the nervousness never really kicked in at all. Usually those pre-race jitters in the corral are the worst, but this time I was relaxed and ready to start. It definitely helped that my friends Katie and Drew were there with me--I think anytime you have someone there to chat with either before a race or during, you'll feel more relaxed and not think about the crazy fact that you PAID MONEY to be shivering in the cold, at 7am on a Saturday morning, about to run for 4+ hours.

My overall pace was 10:45 min/mile, giving me a finish time of 4h 41m. I think it's funny when you tell people your finish time, and they tentatively ask, "And were you happy with that?" Almost like they wait to congratulate you until they know that you are personally satisfied with that time. So, yes, I am thrilled! My last long training run, the 23 miles, was at an average pace of 11:14, so to shave off 30 seconds per mile, AND to run 3 miles further, was great in my eyes. If you look at the splits between my first and second half, they are almost dead even. The first half was 2:19, and the second half was 2:21. My friend Dan told me that the winner of the marathon was a whole 15 minutes slower during the second half than the first, so I felt accomplished to know that my overall pace was very consistent. What those splits don't tell you is that within the second half of my race, my pace varied a LOT. Anywhere from 11:18 to 9:52, which will be explained later. I'm proud to say that my fastest mile was the last one!

I have to say, I felt that my training prepared me well for the marathon. If I haven't made it clear already, Jeff Galloway is THE man. The only thing I still question is how he says that your race pace will be 2 whole minutes faster than your training pace--for someone with my "magic mile" time, he predicted I should be training at a 12-min pace. But then, his estimate for my marathon pace was 9:52--where does that come from?? Good thing I didn't set out with that goal in mind. Even if that was possible for my body, I think I probably would have felt terrible during the race and missed all the cool parts because I was pushing too hard. Overall, I would recommend Galloway's programs to anyone.

Since a marathon is quite an experience, and it's overwhelming to describe everything that goes on in 4.5 hours, I'm going to sum it up by the high and low points...

Lows first:
1. I have NEVER had this happen during a run, but from pretty early on, my left arm was aching. Newbie runners fall into the trap of tightening their shoulders or holding them up too high when they run, which will make them ache after so many miles of arm swinging. I haven't had that happen in ages, let alone in just one arm. My left shoulder was getting more painful by the minute, almost like a nerve pinch back in my shoulder blade, and traveling all down my arm. My hand was swollen and red--both hands were at first because of the cold temps, but the right one warmed up and was fine--not the left. I got really concerned around mile 9-10 when my hand was practically going numb. I would squeeze it with my other hand and couldn't feel a thing, but my fingerprints would leave indents in the hand, it was that swollen. It eventually subsided, but at the end of the race, as soon as I stopped running, my shoulder KILLED. Just goes to show you, the things that happen during races are sometimes things you couldn't prepare for! I'm just thankful it was my arm, not my leg, so although it was uncomfortable and painful, it didn't affect my speed.
2. Somewhere around mile 14 I hit a wall mentally. Maybe because we had just passed the halfway mark, and as exciting as that was, it was only halfway. It also coincided with 2 miles worth of south on Meridian Street with lots of hills and pavement that was torn up from road construction. That's where the 11-min miles come in. I hadn't used my iPod at all until then, but I suddenly needed it.

Now all the highs:
1. Could the weather have been any more beautiful or perfect for a marathon?! October is a fickle month for running, but November is even more so. It just as easily could have been cold and rainy all day long, but instead it was pure sunshine and a temperature in the mid to high 50's by the time I finished.
2. Having friends to run with. After always running half-marathons alone, I have to say that the company was a welcome change for a full marathon. Even though the 3 of us all split up eventually and had different ending times, over half of the race was spent together.
3. Unexpectedly seeing my husband cheering at the corner of Kessler and College just before mile 13. The race route passed this corner which is just about 2 blocks from my house. (Tempting to just run home and stay there!) We thought for sure Chad would have gone back to bed the second he dropped the 3 of us off downtown, but he surprised us all!
4. Having a women stop to say that I had a beautiful running form. She said it looked like I was just effortlessly gliding...which is not exactly how I feel when I run! During one of my labs in college we studied running gaits, and I was one of the people the professor specifically had everyone observe while she pointed out the quirks in my form (short stride, slight right heel whip...), so a compliment about my form is something I never thought I would hear!
5. The energy surge I got around mile 17. I don't know if it was that I had started using my iPod and was just focusing on running at tempo with the songs or if it was the gel pack at mile 16 that did it, but either way, at mile 17 I was out of my funk and ready to start pushing it. From there on, the miles just ticked by: 8 to go, 7, 6, and then finally, those last 3 that I had never done before.
6. Having the opportunity to cheer on some hurting people that I passed. Not everyone feels good in those last few miles. Since I was lucky to be having a great run, I decided I would be that person that said a few words of encouragement to the strugglers who were walking. Some of the people I passed were clearly in pain--one guy in particular even looked like an experienced marathoner who may have pulled a muscle. All I said were just a few words like "You're doing great! You're almost finished!", but the smiles of thanks that I got back were priceless.
7. Um...finishing? That was the whole goal, after all. Beyond finishing, beating 5 hours was my time goal. I wouldn't be sorely disappointed if it didn't happen, but I would be lying if I said it wouldn't have bugged me. Thankfully, I smoked that :)
8. Having Chad there right at the finish line so that my emotional, post-race self could immediately start crying into his shoulder and saying "It's over! It's over!"
9. Crossing off one of the bigger points on my life's bucket list. This feat has been on that list since high school. I considered taking it off when I realized how hard running was initially. I thought maybe I could settle for just doing a half. But like I've said before, if there's a half, I've gotta do the whole. Beyond being on a bucket list, this was one of my life goals to complete before I have kids. Don't get excited...it will still be awhile :)
10. Running 26.2 miles when I'm 26. This just occurred to me back in October after my birthday, but what better year in life to run a marathon?

The obvious question is, would I ever do one again? It's like I was saying in the post where I compared running to a relationship--you just remember all the awesome parts about it, and at the end of the day, you think "That wasn't that bad!" But, I have to remember all the sacrifices I made during training, and the moments when running was anything but uplifting. I've decided that the only way I would do another marathon would be if my pace dramatically improved to the point where I could shave off about 30 minutes of my time. Since I don't foresee that being the case, I'm happy with one and done!

The rest of the day's activities included a hot bath with a sore muscle relief soak--just over-the-counter stuff, but it was awesome. It loosened up my tight back and hamstrings, and the eucalyptus scent was relaxing! For dinner, Chad and I went to Mama Carolla's to celebrate, then I made great use of that extra hour of sleep--what perfect timing for daylight savings! Today, the only lingering pain is in my knees--no muscle soreness to speak of--but standing up and straightening out my legs is a real chore.

To finish this post, THANK YOU to all of you out there who at any point asked me how my training was going or gave me good luck wishes or other words of encouragement before the race. It's so great to know I have a network of people who support me and who will be waiting to hear about all of my runs.

PS...the 26.2 sticker is already on my car :)

Marathon Tips from Bill Rodgers

For those of you who aren't familiar with the pro runner Bill Rodgers (I wasn't until about 4 days ago), he's a repeat winner of several marathons including Boston. He was announced as one of the Expo speakers during the Monumental packet pick-up, and someone at work told me if I ever had the chance to hear him speak, I should. Since I had today off work, I thought why not? He's now 64 years old, and still running marathons, although he said these days he prefers the half. We all know that running is hard on the body, especially the joints, and I couldn't help but notice as he made his way onstage he had a pretty distinct hunchback as well as what looked to be either a limp or funny gait.

While he didn't say anything that was completely new to me, most of what he said that you should be doing during your training, were things that I have been following over the past 6 months. Good thing, since it's the day before the race! Here were the tips he gave in the short 20 minutes that he spoke:

1. Get a shoe that fits your foot type, whether rigid or loose.
2. Cross-train. Do more than JUST run. He suggested weight lifting and yoga in particular.
3. Ease into a running program, and take time to figure it out. His opinion was that Galloway was the best running coach out there.
4. Spend 5% of your training on grass or dirt roads, which ease the impact of your foot hitting the ground.
5. Pace yourself on race day by either signing up for a pace group or using a watch.
6. Make it fun! Go out to dinner with your spouse or friends to celebrate all your long runs and races.

He added a few reasons why he personally enjoys the sport of running so much. First of all, it's uplifting to everyone involved. During a race it's not about a competition with others (except maybe for the Kenyans who are neck and neck at the finish). It's about everyone doing their personal best on that day. Secondly, it's something you can always return to, unlike with most other sports. Rodgers said he met a man earlier who's last marathon was 27 years ago, but he decided to make a comeback and do this race tomorrow. It's so inspiring to hear about people like that who are in the same crowd as you.

My agenda for the rest of the day is making a fun, new playlist for my iPod. I probably won't use it the whole time, because during races, I like to be more aware of what's going on around me, but it's good to have motivation with just the click of the "Play" button. Dinner tonight is homemade spaghetti and breadsticks, then hopefully falling asleep early. I still feel too relaxed, considering that tomorrow is THE day. Maybe the nervousness will hit me in the middle of the night. Or maybe it won't until I'm standing by the start line waiting for 8am to hit.

Barring any unforeseen injuries, next time I write, I will be a marathoner!!

T-Minus 2 days, 14 hours, 37 minutes, 39 seconds

Before you think I'm neurotic, I got that time off the race countdown clock on the Monumental's website. :)

I can't decide if I think the past 26 weeks of marathon training went by fast or slow. To think that I started back in May, right after the Mini, makes it seem like I've been training forever. I feel the same way when I think about all those runs in the hot, humid summer months. But then, to think that November has arrived, and the marathon is in THREE days? Crazy!

So the question of the week from everyone is "Are you ready for Saturday?" My definitive answer is YES! I know that I have followed a set training program, written by a pro-marathoner to a tee (almost--with the exception of the 26-miler). There were a couple weeks where I may have skipped out on one of 3 mile runs, but usually because I was doing some other form of equally strenuous exercise. I even ran during my two vacations--if that's not discipline, I don't know what is! Aside from following the training program, I've already posted about how I breezed through my 23 mile run, so that eliminates the question of can I physically run 26 miles. I can't guarantee how fast I'll be, but that's true for any run on any given day.

The stars are even aligning to the point that the weather forecast for Saturday is a high of 62 and sunny! Which means that the morning temps will in the 50's or so, and perfect for a run. I'll just bring a few layers of clothes and peel them off and toss them on the side of the road as needed. I secretly find some weird pleasure in doing that---it's just a freeing feeling to rip of a sweatshirt, "litter" it in the street and run away.

I will say that the reality of running 26 miles hit me hard when I looked at the race route. I almost wish I had never opened the file. The starting point is downtown at West and Washington--same as the mini. From there, we run south towards Lilly campus, back north to Monument Cirle, then on the Mass Ave cultural trail, then up north to Broad Ripple (practically passing my house), THEN instead of going straight back downtown, we run west to the IMA and finally back to the start/finish line. Hence why it's called the Monumental Marathon--passing all the major sites in Indy.

I decided to take this Friday off work. I had a "bonus day" I had to use anyway, so I thought what better time than the day right before the marathon? That way, I can sleep in to feel well-rested and spend the day hydrating, picking up my race packet, stocking up on some gel packs, etc. I'll be sure to check-in with one more post before race day!