New Year, New plan, New Goals.

With 2012 drawing to a close, it's time to think about not only what we did in 2012, but what we plan to do in 2013.  It's time to think about what we can do to get us fired up and do better. Here are a few tips to help plan and improve for the new year:

1) What are your goals for 2013? Write it down, and put it in a place where you have to look at it every day. Put the plan on your phone calendar. Look at it every day. Tell other runners about your plans, so that they know as well. A training plan will not work if it's ignored or not discussed. Also, be realistic about your plans, you should see it as a goal, it shouldn't scare you to death when you look at it.  Your 2013 goals should be a very logical improvement on your 2012 goals. Be realistic. 

Here's my 2013 plans. It's on the fridge. I do have to eat every day.

2) Plan your year right now. Want to run the Chicago Marathon? Great. July is not the time to start thinking about it. Training starts now. Every race is an investment of your time, effort and money, if you don't plan well, it's just going to be just about having a very expensive running shirt, and your disappointment that and you've squandered your investment. Plan you training days and your mileage. Make sure vacations and holidays or work don't interfere with training, and if they do, what adjustments can you make to keep training. Make sure you can train properly for the races you want to excel in. Also, plan your breaks from running as well, allow yourself to rest, saves you from injuries and illnesses.   Many races already have their race dates and schedules already up for 2013. Once again, be realistic. 

3) Fix the issues that screwed you up your 2012.  Didn't run the pace you wanted? Time to invest into speed work. Had injuries? Time to see a doctor, chiropractor or a massage therapist. Lost interest or got distracted?  Time to join a running group. Need Strength work? Work on getting stronger. Improvements will not come if you don't realize there might be an issue.  No runner is perfect, every runner has had an injury or a set back. But the improvements should come now, not in the spring, not when you start racing again. It starts now. This is the time to really work at it. Runners call it building a base. The base is what supports the running that you want to do. Bigger the base, the more that you'll achieve.

There is always something to work at, and the benefits of improvement, make the investment of hard work even more worthwhile. There's no better feeling when it comes together at a race.

Warning: Running can kill you!! (Again)

In the last few weeks many have my friends have sent me a article about how a medical research has discovered that by running farther, and longer can kill you. Of course my friends knew how I would respond, and well here we go:

It's complete horseshit. That's it.

If you take a look at the article, written by Dr. James O’Keefe, head of preventive cardiology at the Mid America Heart Institute at Saint Luke’s Health System, says that extensive working of the heart causes damage, and scar tissue and releases dangerous chemical that is released during heart attacks. Dr O'Keefe believes that the heart was not made to work at that volume for long periods at a time, and that can causes serious damage.http://todayhealth.today.com/_news/2012/12/03/15625246-running-farther-faster-and-longer-can-kill-you?lite

Now, I could go further in the article and find it's major, major faults in it's scientific reasoning, I'm not going to do that, but I'm going to post the article that does scientifically rebuke's Dr. O'Keefe's article: http://www.runnersworld.com/health/too-much-running-myth-rises-again

What bothers me is not only the laziness of the article itself, but really bothers me about Dr' O'Keefe's article is it's bland mediocrity when it comes to running. It's clear he doesn't like running very much. That you can should run only 1 hour of running a day, any more is too much, doesn't really makes sense. Even Dr. O'Keefe cannot say in his article what is deemed to be strenuous.

So what's the point of the article? To scare you to death, and to give some of those non running friends some ammo at Christmas dinner about how running kills you, this is of course, after you pass them the potatoes. For a lot of people who we know, runners have a death wish. And for those of us who know people who make fun of us, or joke, about our running, they have to feel better about making the wrong decisions.

But why pick on running, it has an extremely low death rate.  The overall mortality rate from running the London Marathon in the 20 years is one in 67,414, or roughly one death for every two million miles run. That's unbelievably low when you consider that nearly 600,000 people died of heart attacks in the US in 2011.  Thanks, but I'll take the run, over Lipitor any day over the week, thank you very much.

I run to be free to compete, to test myself, to push myself, and to leave it out on the road. I don't give a rat's ass about my heart rate and is what I'm doing is enough, that answer belongs to me alone, not to some doctor telling me to back off. 

And another thing. No one ever said that running was the key to the fountain of youth. We're all going to die. Runners die of the same issues as the rest of the population, heart attacks, cancer, and strokes. Ultramarathon legend, Micah True died of a heart attack this year during a training run. Marathon great Alberto Salazar almost died of a massive heart attack, and was without a pulse for 14 minutes. He survived, and he still runs.

So why do I do it? 

Because it's about the quality of life, not about quantity, It's about getting to an older age and looking back, and having no regrets. It's about climbing the stairs to the "L", and not being out of breath. It's about a fear of being pumped full of meds sitting in an retirement home. It about choice. I choose this life and my fate. I choose to run whenever and whatever. 

That's for me to decide.

Running on Thin Ice

(No, don't put this on your IT Band)

As a running coach and a massage therapist, you hear a lot of complete silliness about training, and treating injuries and recovery. One of those themes I hear about over and over about is the use of ice and injury.

So let me just say, you're overusing ice as a treatment. 

There, I said it. That felt really good.

When you're a runner, here's when you use ice:

When you have swelling. Like a sprained ankle.

You've broken something.

When a muscle strain or pull occurs.

That's it. And when you use it, you use for only 36 hours after the injury. 36 hours. Acute injuries only. Not 5-6 days.

Then you're done. 

Ice should be used on area for 20-30 minutes, and then removed. You can repeat the process, and add the ice on the area after has warmed up again. You can contrast the ice with a heat treatment as well.

Ice or cold treatments do two things, they stop swelling, and they stop pain. When an area is injured, they body sends extra fluid in order to send additional nutrients to the injured area, and the areas swells with the additional fluid, causing swelling, redness tightness and pain. It's a normal biological function. Placing Ice on the area can help to slow the process of swelling and some pain. But it's temporary. After 36 hours, you're better off with an anti-inflammatory, to help with the pain and the healing process.

Why do we like ice? Because it stops the pain. But the problem is we're not cold blooded. We have a rather high body temperature by circulation and blood flow in order to keep us warm from our organs to our muscles to our skin. Adding cold stops this process. Cold makes our muscle restricted and contracted. It impedes blood flow and causes the muscles to tension. It slows down recovery. So, if you suffer from back spasms, and sore knees after a regular run, and you regularly use ice as apart of the recovery process, you're not helping yourself. Ice is no more effective than a pair of compression socks.

http://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/news/20120214/ice-baths-for-sore-muscles-can-work

 In fact, a lot calf cramps and strains can be caused muscle ischemia, a lack of circulation, that can be caused by a preexisting muscle tension. That's right, muscle tension. You're muscles are tight and cold. You're range of motion is limited. You're not stretching enough and there's no flexibility and the muscles. They're over taxed, and zing, a strain or cramp occurs.

When my hamstring cramped at mile 2 of  this year's Chicago Marathon. After I finished, it never occurred to me to put ice on it. It stretched it, and massaged it and I used heat on it. I was running in 3 days, pain free. When you have a situation like this and a muscle cramps or pulls,  Ice can't fix it, it's really because there is a muscle overuse or muscle imbalance, there's something more systematic going on.

For old reoccurring injures, Please use heat. Heat, Heat, Heat. Keep warming the area. Take a hot shower, put on a heating pad, and get the areas stretched and relaxed. Move. Get massages. Use a foam roller. And get rid of that Ice pack. Keep it for emergencies. This stuff is not predetermined, to happen over and over again. Unless you really want it to.

Winter is coming..............

Winter is just about here, and that dread kicks in about running outside. Even if you're a dedicated treadmill runner, it's still good to get outside as much as it you can. And, since there are more and more races in the winter, Training for early spring marathons elsewhere or local races, such as the F^3 Half Marathon in January, you just don't know what you'll be running, or be talked into running yet. So you might as well keep running.

So, running in the winter is not a big huge thing, it just takes a little planning. Here are a few tips:

The closer to the body, the more it's going to cost: Your going to need a good running jacket, It's going to be the most expensive running related item you're going to buy ($100-$200), but unlike a pair of running shoes, a good running jacket can last for several years, so it's a good investment. You're looking for a jacket that can offer you protection from the wind, and breathable to stop you from getting overheated. You'll need tights, maybe two pairs of different thicknesses, and for guys you'll need an protective under layer under your tights to protect your..umm...area (You don't want to get frostbite on that. You really don't.), and you may want to get a layer to keep your core warm under your jacket. Here are some nice jacket choices:  http://www.irunfar.com/2011/01/top-running-wind-jackets-for-fall-and-winter.html

Be cheap with the accessories: Sure, you're going to be tossing major dime on a running coat, so, you might as well buy those sweet matching $20.00 matching fleece hats, and $25.00 matching running gloves?
Nope.
You lose one on a run, and you're out 25 bucks. One thing you should know is, fleece is fleece. It really doesn't matter who makes it. So buy hats and gloves and balaclavas from Walgreens, CVS, and Target. They're cheap, and you can buy several pairs, and they do the exact same thing as the more expensive kind with your favorite shoe logo on it. You'd be surprised how long a pair of $1.00 knit gloves will last. And, hey if you lose one glove, or a hat, it wasn't a major investment.

Get acclimated:  Just like running in the heat, it takes time to get used to running in the cold. You might want to run during warmer parts of the day, such as the afternoon or early evening.  Run into the wind first, so the wind is at your back on the way home. Understand your local weather.  Learn to wear the correct amount of clothing, and stops you from being too hot or being too cool. In the winter, runners have a tendency to layer too much, you over perspire and they you may find yourself overheated with too many layers.  As you get used to the weather, run and see which amount of layers is right for you. It's trial and error, but it's worth it. Think of it his way: At the end of the winter, if anything you're going to have mad weather skills like Tom Skilling. And you're going to be a tough runner when most of your friends want to wimp out.

Sorry, but your lungs will not freeze: You hear this running myth constantly at this time of year. So let me bust this myth by saying that cold frigid air will not freeze your lungs. The human body is adaptable to all weather conditions, and your body's heat will warm the air before it hits the lungs  However, inhaling cold, dry air can cause shortness of breath, chest tightness and a cough. And if you have exercised-induced asthma, yes you might have more problems with these issues.  The best way to take care of this, is to wear a scarf or a balaclava over your mouth and nose, and that will warm the air before it travels into your nasal passages and into your lungs.

Be Seen: It's going to be dark, earlier and sooner. If you run anywhere near cars, you shouldn't take any chances at all. You should never assume someone will see you. So, don't wear dark clothing when running. Wear brighter colors with reflective sections. Illuminate yourself with small, inexpensive, running lights that can clip to your arm or jacket.

Watch your step: In most cases, you running shoes really need no modifications, but if you want more traction in the snow, get yourself some Yaktrax. They provide excellent traction in the snow, and they're easy to take off and put back on. https://www.yaktrax.com/product/run. New version even has options for spikes, so you can run on ice.

Protect your face: Just buy this stuff, gives 50 SPF protection, and stops windburn damage. it protects your face and nose and stops if from freezing and falling off. Well, it really won't fall off, but this stuff works great. http://www.kiehls.com/Cross-Terrain-UV-Face-Protector-SPF-50/911,default,pd.html?start=3&cgid=men-moisturizers

Ok, you're totally out of excuses. See you on the roads this winter.

What I've learned from a "Secret".

Just got finished reading disgraced cyclist Tyler Hamilton's Biography/tell all "The Secret Race" Which tells all kind of gruesome details about doping and cycling from the late nineties and into the late 2000's. It's a must read for anyone interested in sport, and in cycling. This books major highlights is, the details of the doping practices of 7-time winner Lance Armstrong, and the US Postal Team, which Hamilton was a member of, for 3 years. 

After following cycling, for 20 years, the book is a searing revelation for me. I'm shocked by it, but I'm glad I read it. I hope it finally clears the air.

Without giving away too much, this is a few things I've learned from the book:

1) Tyler Hamilton and members of Postal were doping even before Lance became a member of the Team in 1998: The team got tired of losing to other teams who were doping, so they started their own doping in order to stay competitive. If you weren't competitive, you team could lose it's sponsorship, and you'd lose your job. So you doped.

2) For 15 years, almost every competitive cycling team doped: Doping was so prevalent in the pelaton, it was seen as a minor issue, and everyone knew you took it, so everyone did, you just didn't say anything out loud. Even the governing body for cycling did nothing for most of that time when came to improve testing for cyclists. Why? Because no one died from it.

3) Riders did quit because they refused to dope, but not as many as you think:  Only a few riders either retired, or who returned to the US, and compete domestically to get away from doping. Everyone who stayed, became apart of the madness. On US Postal, if you didn't follow the plan, you became a pariah, and you were thrown off.

4) Dr. Michele Ferrari is the real bad guy. Dr Ferrari is a cycling coach, who coaches riders to train better, but also told you how doping products could be used in order to improve your cycling performance. He coached Lance, and several prominent names in cycling in the early 2000's. He is so in demand, that after being banned, and contact with him is illegal for cyclists, he still makes millions from cyclists working through underground means in order to get training with him. He is facing criminal charges after the Lance Armstrong doping allegations.  He really needs to be put in jail.  And everyone should know his name.

5) Being on EPO is awesome: EPO or erythropoetin, the blood boosting drug that most cyclists take to improve performance makes you feel and ride like a million bucks. Until you need to take it again. Which is every 7 days or so. With as needle under the skin, or a transfusion. Good luck with that.

6) Tyler Hamilton has the arms of a heroin addict: After receiving and giving so many transfusions, he has scar tissue built  up around the veins in his arms. Gross.

7) If you want to dope, you should go to Spain: Spain has far less stringent laws about doping (France has the most, BTW) than any European country, And that's why it has the biggest doping scandals. Go Spain!!

8) Don't let a veterinarian handle your doping practices: Let just say he might give you someone else's blood, and almost kill you. 

9) Lance Armstrong is the Admiral of the fleet of Douche Canoes:  He comes off as looking so bad, so selfish, you almost feel sorry for him. His constant bullying, nagging, shit talking, staring, and misplaced anger and insecurity are almost comedic. I'd watch that reality show for sure.

10) Tyler Hamilton felt he could be caught doping every day of his career: He was always 99% sure that he wouldn't get caught, but there was that 1%, and when he began winning, he felt even more exposed. More testing, and he got paranoid. He was afraid he would lose everything. 

Doesn't sound like winning, does it?

The Secret Race: Inside the Hidden World of the Tour de France: Doping, Cover-ups, and Winning at All Costs by Tyler Hamilton and Daniel Coyne is available at Amazon.com. http://www.amazon.com/dp/0345530411