Posts by ttrodriguez

Jun 18

Nasal Breathing

One of the benefits of going home to visit family (other than getting to see my family of course) is I get to learn what new and exciting things my super speedy runner cousin has been up to. Well other than letting me ride his Elliptigo, (so much fun!!), my cousin shared with me a few awesome fitness websites, a few new books, and a little info on nasal breathing.

Question: How do you breathe when you run? It’s not something I typically think about either but based on my running pics, I can say for a fact I breathe through my mouth and not my nose. Mouth open, oxygen in, aerobic glycolysis starts, and I keep running. It’s what comes naturally to me, right?

Well I did a little reading after my information session with cousin Dan, and it seems breathing through the mouth is in fact, not natural. Infants breathe through their noses and it is only when something prevents them from nasal inhalation, that they open their mouths. It’s an emergency response.

Here are some of the things I read about nasal breathing:

it allows you to better utilize oxygen
you breathe cleaner air because it is better filtered
it slows down your heart rate
it stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system which calms the mind and rejuvenates the body
it produces less metabolic waste than breathing through your mouth
and the most common thing I read about nasal breathing… it’s hard!

Yesterday I tried a little nasal breathing during my run. Other than feeling like I was blowing snot everywhere (sorry, gross I know), I felt like I was suffocating . I was only able to get up to six breaths at a time before I had to open my mouth. But I did notice a little increase in pace. That was probably because I was at the end of my run, but maybe a little nasal breathing helped. Today I have a hard speed workout so I doubt I’ll be trying my nasal breathing at the track. Perhaps I’ll save it for my easy run tomorrow.

Happy Trails & Happy Running,

Tracie

Running Update: Last week I ran 45 successful miles. I had two speed workouts, one at the track and one tempo run, and they both went very well. This week is my low mileage week so I’m enjoying a few shorter days. And Friday will be my long run day because we are leaving for San Francisco on Saturday. So excited!! Yesterday’s run is here.

Jun 6

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Workout Fears

Sometimes I’m afraid of workouts. Strange, perhaps. But when I see some of the track workouts my coach has planned out for me, I can’t help but to experience a little anxiety. It’s not the distance that has ever bothered me. It’s the speed.

Yesterday I decided there are two main reasons I’m “afraid” of my speed workouts…

Reason #1: Pain

Track workouts can be intense. Right now, because we are so early into my training, we are doing shorter, faster intervals. (Not my thing.) Tuesday, I was reminded why I like long distances. Short and fast equals painful. The workout was 4-5 sets of “split 1000s,” which means a 200, 300, and 500 at around 5:30-5:40 pace with a one minute break between intervals. The 200 interval – not too bad. The 300 – a little more painful. The 500?? Oh my gosh, I have to do how many of these!?!? By the 4th set, I was done. Not even 3 miles and my legs has a nice little burn going on. The 85 degree weather and hot track didn’t help make the workout any less painful. I asked coach how do you get over the pain? His response, embrace it and know it’s making your stronger. Okay, I’ll do my best coach.

Reasons #2: Failure

When I saw my Tuesday workouts for the next month, I started to tell myself, I can’t do this. This is too fast for me. Well if that’s not setting myself up for failure , I don’t know what is. I’m not use to doing a lot of speed work on the track and I’m afraid of not meeting my goals. What if I can’t run the splits that I’m aiming for? What if my last interval is significantly slower than my first? What if I fail? Before we started on Tuesday coach said to me, I think you’re faster than you give yourself credit for. And that got me thinking… Who cares if I don’t meet my time goals as long as I try my best? I am fast and I know I can be faster. Pushing myself to the point of failure is the only way I’m going to know how fast I really am.

Happy Trails & Happy Running,

Tracie

Running Update: Tuesday’s track workout is here followed by yesterday’s 8 miles. I was amazed at how easy and fast 8 miles felt after Tuesday. Today is an easy 6 mile run. It’s been a great running week.

Jun 3

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Helping Others

I don’t really consider myself a selfish person. However, when it comes to my running, nothing will interfere with my workout time. Well, almost nothing…

Wednesday my sister called to remind me of the charity day at her school that I had volunteered to help with on Saturday morning. What time did I need to be there? 8:00 am and it is a 45 minute drive away. My first thought was holy cow, when am I going to run my 14 miles? It would be too hot to run during the afternoon and Sunday morning I was hosting a baby shower. Saturday morning really was my only chance to get in my miles.

Of course I told her I would be there because it was the right thing to do. She is my sister and she always does so much for me. However, I was really stressing out. (One of the few things I ever stress about.) After thinking about it for a day, I realized that I could still run, if I got up really early. And as Thich Nhat Hanh (my new favorite Buddhist monk) puts it, you should always put others before yourself. I got over my selfishness and then sent out an email to recruit a few more volunteers. My plan would be to get up by4am be out running by 5am. I’d run as far as I could and be headed to the event by 7:10am.

At the event, I had way more fun than I was expecting. I had two of the cutest 5th graders follow be around and help me with whatever I needed. One of them asked if I’d stay and play with her after we were finished, which I thought was really sweet. There was a 1 mile fun run that I ran with the kids. The 6th grade girl who won, crossed the finish line with her mom in a time of 6:58. She was awesome! There was face painting, tug of war, a dunking booth, and my personal favorite… a basketball shoot out.

When I was younger, basketball was my absolute favorite sport to play. Then I stopped growing and gave up on my basketball dreams. Here was my chance to relive my childhood. My task was to shoot 30 free throws and whoever made the most, won. I was the only female in the adult group but I was oh so excited to play. After rebounding for Alissa, a middle school basketball player, and Matt a varsity basketball player, it was my turn. Turns out I’m a 50% free throw shooter (15 out of 30) which I thought was pretty decent since I haven’t touched a ball in 10+ years. I didn’t win but I still had a lot of fun. Maybe I’ll play a little more ball this summer.

The lesson I learned from this weekend is that running doesn’t have to be my life. There are so many other things that I enjoy such as working with cute little 5th graders, cheering on students to their fastest mile, face painting, and playing basketball. More importantly, I learned that putting others before myself is an opportunity for a new experience. And I can always get in my miles… I just might have to run really early and in the dark.

A fun Saturday helping out the kids. I couldn’t do the face painting but I didn’t mind having my arm painted.

Happy Trails and Happy Running,

Tracie

Running Update: I ran a total of 40 miles last week. Unfortunately I didn’t get in 14 miles Saturday morning because I didn’t have the time. But I didn’t let it stress me out. However, I will say I thoroughly enjoyed running at 5am in the dark. It’s so peaceful.

May 28

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Pain.

Pain is an interesting thing. People do not generally submit themselves to pain and it’s generally not a fun thing to experience. However, sometimes in order to improve, we must experience it.

This afternoon, in nearly 90 degree weather on a hot track, as I ran my 3rd interval, I started to question why I wanted to experience this discomfort. Yesterday I learned about the difficulty of running with a bloody blister on my foot and today, I was reminded of the pain. My shorts were too short today which caused some chafing and oh yea, it was hot. Somebody please, remind me why I want to do this? Oh that’s right. Now I remember…

I can not achieve my goals without a little hard work. I will never get faster unless I am willing to hurt a little. Training in the heat and on the hills, it’s an added advantage. I saw a video once and it said the following: In any fight, it’s the guy who’s willing to die who’s going to win that itch. I realize that unless I’m willing to do more than the next person, I’m never going to get where I want to be. Pain and hard work are part of the training. Embrace it. Welcome it. And let it make your stronger. Stay focused on the goal and it’ll always be worth it.

Here is the video:

Happy Trails & Happy Running,

Tracie

Running Update: A successful track workout today but I was a little tired afterwards. Going into the workout, I was a little down because I wasn’t looking forward to working out in the heat. However, after the workout, I was proud of my consistency, my effort, and how I felt my form was improving. My next marathon is many months away but I’m really excited to make a gradual progression to (hopefully) my peak condition. Stats are here.

May 25

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Calf Tightness

Hello blogosphere! After one week of no blogging whatsoever, I can now say that I miss it and am ready to contribute my two cents once again.

Running has been going okay. Not the amazing, pain free running I woud like but I’m still doing my workouts. Tuesday was my first track workout since January and thankfully, I was able to hit my goal times (actually a little faster), with no problem. However, my coach was there and he was quick to point out some things going on with my form that need a little work. For example, too much twisting in the hips and a left arm that barely moves and is held up significantly higher than my right. I’m working on it.

Thursday was an easy 5 miler out at the greenway and I couldn’t believe how tight my calves were. They hurt some kind of bad and thoughts of being sidelined for a month due to injury started to enter my mind. What the heck am I doing wrong? When I got back to my car, I decided to put on my Minimus shoes for a short jog just to see if they felt any better. Immediately the pain went away and my form corrected itself. I ran another mile pain free.

So my question is, why are my calves so darn tight?

I carry around a lot of tension in my body when I run. Because I’m always thinking about form, I don’t just let things happen. Foot strike and arm movement are the two main things always on my mind.

When running, the calf muscles are used to stabilize the ankle and absorb the impact during push off and landing. For some reason, when I get more miles on my legs, I start shifting my foot strike to my toes. I can feel it now and I could feel it back in January. I imagine that running on your toes requires a lot of extra effort from the calf muscles because the ankle and foot really have to be stabilized.

I read this from TheHungryRunner and thought this sounded about right for me:

Interestingly, calf tightness can also be symptomatic of weakness elsewhere in the leg. If your glutes and/or hamstrings are weak, your calves will often try to make up for that weakness, which means the muscle gets overused, which in turn exacerbates calf tightness. In that same vein, calf tension is rarely experienced in isolation; rather, if there is tightness in the calf muscles, there is also a good chance you are tight in your hamstrings as well, due to the synergistic nature of the hamstrings and calves for much of our daily movements.

Tomorrow I’ll spend time really focusing on my glutes, quads, and hamstrings. I’ve also been using the Rumble Roller (ouch!!!) to work on releasing some of these knots. And the final thing that I am going to do to work on my calf tightness is…. meditation. Perhaps that sounds a little odd but I have got to release this tension that I carry around. I think meditation is a great way to do this.

Happy Trails & Happy Running,

Tracie

Running Update: Today I did 12 miles in my Minimus. It was a little tough because I was up too late last night and only ate a small salad for dinner. On the plus side, however, my calves didn’t bother me one bit and my form felt a lot better in the Minimus. Maybe it is also important for me to alternate shoes more consistently. Stats are here.

May 18

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Lesson #1 – Persistence

One year ago today I was sitting outside still sulking over my Boston DNF and my injury that kept me from racing again in May. As I sat sulking, I vowed to do something about it. I vowed to learn, to try, and to never feel that same way again… disappointed. Since then, 365 days have passed. During those 365 days, I have grown to be a runner that I never once thought possible. I am stronger mentally and I am stronger physically. Perhaps none of this would have been possible without the DNF in Boston and the glass of wine that brought me to my decision that Friday night. I am grateful for everything that has happened since I made that promise.

Boston, 2012

Earlier this week, I wrote down my five lessons learned throughout all of this and lesson #1 was about how running is a journey. However, I changed my mind. Last night I was fortunate enough to have dinner with Thomas Keller, one of the best chefs in the world. (You can check out a couple of his restaurants here and here.) As he was making his rounds and talking to people, he stopped at our table. I asked him what is the best piece of advice anyone has ever given him. His reply, persistence. Don’t ever let anyone tell you that you can’t do something.

Mario and me with Thomas Keller

Over this past year, the most important thing I have learned is persistence. There was a time, many years ago, when I thought qualifying for Boston was an impossible dream. Now that I’ve done it the last three marathons I’ve run, I know I do more. Before becoming the avid runner I am today, I had set my own mental limitations and boundaries. Running under 1:30 for the half was crazy and my marathon goals (which I’m keeping to myself for right now), were impossible.

The race that led to 5 weeks of no running. Lesson learned – never run/race through an injury.

I have seen my running go from point A to point B, and now I no longer think in terms of the impossible. I believe in myself and I know that if I want these things to happen, I have to continually work for them. A sub 1:30 is in my future, and with enough hard work (and no injuries), I believe it’s in me to run around 1:20. My marathon goals give me butterflies just thinking about them, and I’m not going to tell myself I can’t do it. I’m certainly not going to let anyone else tell me I can’t do it either. These are my dreams. My goals. I will always strive to make them a reality. I will always be persistent.

In 365 days, I have learned to always keep trying.

Tracie, 2009

Tracie, 2012

Happy Trails & Happy Running,

Tracie

It has been a wonderful experience this past year and I am thankful for everyone who has followed along with me. After this post, I will no longer be blogging every single day. Instead, I plan to take this blog in the direction I’ve been envisioning for quite a while. I will miss the daily blogging but it will certainly be nice to have some of my time to do other things. There are a few other things I’m trying to get accomplished and it will be nice to dedicate myself entirely to these tasks.

It’s crazy how quickly a year goes by! But at the same time, so much happens within a year. This blogging journey has made me a much better runner, both mentally and physically, and I am thankful for the many hours I spent in front of the computer. It has all helped me to become the person I am today.

Thank you everyone!

May 17

Lesson #2 – Perspective

Perspective… perhaps this has been the hardest lesson for me to learn. For so long, I have been running for one run, and one run only – my run that day. It’s been extremely hard for me to realize that the ultimate goal is not to finish every workout with a faster time than the previous. The ultimate goal is on race day.

As long as I can keep my running in perspective, I will not get frustrated when I miss a day of running. I will not push my easy days because I will remember that easy runs also have a purpose. And most importantly, I will take a break, if my body needs a break. No one running injury has been as mentally and physically difficult as the one I had in February. I trained through the pain and I raced through the pain. The next 5 weeks were absolutely miserable and I really learned the importance of listening to my body. The goal is to be a lifelong runner and a race or workout (or even a week of workouts) missed, is okay. As long as I keep perspective.

Happy Trails & Happy Running,

Tracie

May 16

Lesson #3 – The Power of The Mind

The third most important thing I’ve come to learn over this past year is the importance of the mind. We spend so much time training our bodies, that we often neglect perhaps our most important muscle… the mind. Just as we must be physically fit, we must also be mentally fit.

While reading Chrissie Wellington’s book, I remember a chapter where she wrote that a lot of her training took place on the couch. Sitting, Thinking. Visualizing. Mentally preparing. She actually devotes quite a few pages to expressing the importance of the athlete’s mental techniques. It matters when you’re asking so much of your body.

As my training was derailed in September and October for my race in November, I took those words of wisdom and diligently applied them to my training. If I couldn’t do the miles, at least I could mental training. I spent hours coming up with a bank of positive images, mottos, and distraction techniques to get me through the City of Oaks Marathon. Those 26.2 miles were probably the most difficult I have ever run, physically. But mentally, those miles were the easiest. My mind was in the right place and my mind carried me to a time much faster than what I had planned. It was when I crossed the finish line that I truly understood that mental training is just as important, if not more important, than physical training. The mind can truly do amazing things.

Happy Trails and Happy Running,

Tracie

Running Update: Today was suppose to be an easy run. I went out to the greenway again and my calves said they were tired of the hills. They hurt! Almost 5 miles and then 2 miles with run club (but I went with the walkers). I was so hungry when I got finished. I am really look forward to my rest day tomorrow. Stats are here.

May 15

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Lesson #4 – Running is a Complete Body Sport

Perhaps one of the most valuable lessons I have learned over this year long journey is that running is a complete body sport. It’s as much about every other muscle group in your body as it is about the power of your legs.

From my personal experience, I can tell you that your back and hips play an important role in efficient running. In particular, if your back muscles are tight or weak, some other part of your body will start compensating. At first, this isn’t such a big deal, but over time it adds up. Back muscles might not be such a big area of concern for other runners, but for me, it is. I take 10 minutes before every run and do stretches specifically for my back. So far, so good. And I’m thankful I came to realize this.

With regards to hips, I’ve always thought I had pretty flexible hips. Many of the hip opening yoga poses are fairly easy for me. What has needed work is my hip strength. Back in February when I really injured myself, I think it was a combination of weak hip flexors and tight back muscles. I spent a month working on my hip flexors and the difference has been amazing. I can now feel my hip flexors engage and facilitate smooth running. I feel more upright when I run and overall, my hips feel stronger. Hip exercises have become a routine part of my workout schedule.

Runners get injured. It happens. But I think it’s incredibly important to analyze why we get injured. What part of our body is weak or tight? How has our mileage increased? Have we been too hard on our bodies without enough rest? We have to reflect and we must get in tune with our bodies. Many injuries don’t have to happen.

Happy Trails & Happy Running,

Tracie

Running Update: I have to admit, I didn’t want to run today. I was incredibly tired and it was almost 90 degrees outside. But I spent some time reflecting on my running goals and made it out the door. It was hot. Really hot. And I had 8 miles on my schedule. Much to my surprise, in spite of the heat, I had an awesome run. The goal was to focus on easy and not push to a point where I felt like I was really trying. My last two miles were 7:40 and 7:35 and that actually felt easy. Perhaps all the hill running is starting to pay off. Stats are here.

May 14

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The Top 5 Things I’ve Learned in a Year- #5, Running Form

In five days my one year blogging journey will come to an end. In 360 days, I have learned A LOT of things but there are 5 that I think will carry my running a new level. I would like to share my list of the most important things I’ve learned this past year…

#5 – Running Form

Running form is particularly important to me right now because I’m coming back from an injury that I know was caused by bad running form. I could feel it when my form started to deteriorate, and because I chose to ignore it for so long, I realize how incredibly important it is.

Back in June, after seeing a few race photos, I realized my form needed a little work. In comparison to the super fast runners out there, my form was a mess. In July, I took a Chi Running class and was amazed at the things I learned. For a while, I focused on my chi running techniques and it worked quite well. However, over time, as I got more interested in speed in distance, I let the form go.

My lesson from this is the following: bad running form exacerbates a running injury. Everything in the body plays an important role – your legs, your hips, your core, your back, your shoulder position, your head position… everything. Two Saturdays ago a guy went flying past me. His running form was beautiful. Efficient. Effortless. And clean. I immediately tried to imitate it and found my pace quickly increase.

I have learned that when you feel your form start to go, slow down. Rest. Take a break. Stretch. Speed and distance are never worth the numbers, at the price of bad form. It will catch up with you.

Happy Trails & Happy Running,;

Tracie

Running Update: I had a pyramid fartlek run today. 1-2-3-3-2-1 minute intervals with :30,1:00:1:30 minute breaks in between. I was not excited about it. I found myself really taking it easy on the warm up mile because I didn’t have the energy to do anything else. I did my intervals and at the end I realized I only did 1-2-3-2-1 and missed my second 3 minute interval, or so I thought. I made up my second 3 minutes at the end. Turns out I was wrong… I did do all of my intervals plus an extra one because I can’t count. Or at least speed and hills make me forget how to count. I did a 2.5 mile cool down and was incredibly happy with how strong I felt up that one beast of a hill. For 7 miles with some intense speedwork, I was very happy with the end result. Warm up mile is here, fartlek run is here, and cool down miles are here.

Seeing my bad form for the first time…

An improvement after my chi running class…

I think I have good for in this too…

"Because effort – nobody can judge. Effort is between you and you. If tomorrow wasn't promised, what would you give for today?"-Ray Lewis

Posts by ttrodriguez

Nasal Breathing

Workout Fears

Helping Others

Pain.

Calf Tightness

Lesson #1 – Persistence

Lesson #2 – Perspective

Lesson #3 – The Power of The Mind

Lesson #4 – Running is a Complete Body Sport

The Top 5 Things I’ve Learned in a Year- #5, Running Form

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