Considering all the snow that has been smothering New England lately, I've been forced to avoid hitting those roads--hence, the writing hiatus. But I've lived here all my life, and I've finally come to terms with the fact that snow dances and hoping for a warm spell usually produce the opposite effect. So rather than fighting Mother Nature, I've been doing a bit of cross-training to fill in the time. One product that's really been useful in getting me through what seems like another Ice Age is Gaiam's Total Body Challenge Balance Ball workout. It's surprising, because the DVD came with my balance ball as a freebie when I bought it, so I didn't expect it to be as good as it is. Tanja Djelevic, the instructor, is calming yet encouraging. She seems like someone you could be friends with, which is a breath of fresh air among a slew of annoying DVD instructors you'll find out there. And she keeps it active and interesting by combining muscle groups during sets--she'll add a lift at the end of a lunge to work the shoulders, or a leg extension during an overhead press to get those legs moving. I'm one of those people who needs to multitask in my workout in order to hold my attention, so her technique definitely does the trick.
FYI: I've been peeking around Gaiam's Web site as I write this, and it's fantastic, so I'll definitely be returning!
Available online at www.gaiam.com for $30, or at your favorite retail location. Mine came from Target.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Cutting down on slips
Just wanted to share this quick article from RunnersWorld.com--I feel like I live on that site these days--about little exercises to improve balance and posture and avoid falling on these icy winter roads. I can't even count the number of slips and slides I've had in the past couple weeks since we've had snow on the ground up here in Boston. And my mom, also an avid runner, ended up on a drift on the side of the road about a month ago after sliding off the road in an area that has particularly bad drainage after storms. I'll be trying these moves over the next couple of weeks to see if I notice an improvement--I know I'm not the most agile person in the world, so it's worth a shot!
Friday, January 9, 2009
Runner's Resolutions
I'm a few days behind the pack on the New Year's Resolution front, but better late than never, right? Here are my running resolutions for 2009.
1. No injuries. This is a biggie, because it's so easy to get hurt without realizing. But now that I know my own limits, there's no reason to ignore those little aches and pains. That said...
2. Gradual improvement. Every two months, I want to see some kind of indication that I'm getting better--whether it's a faster speed, increased distance, or even just more flexibility and better form. I've tried the too-fast-too-furious approach, and it didn't work, so the lesson has been learned.
3. Cross training. At least twice a week, and that's tough for me. Especially when it gets nice outside and I'm just itching to be out on the roads. But my plan is to find other outdoor activities on days off--tennis, biking, basketball, whatever it takes.
4. Run my first race. Even if it's just a 3K. Just to see what it feels like.
1. No injuries. This is a biggie, because it's so easy to get hurt without realizing. But now that I know my own limits, there's no reason to ignore those little aches and pains. That said...
2. Gradual improvement. Every two months, I want to see some kind of indication that I'm getting better--whether it's a faster speed, increased distance, or even just more flexibility and better form. I've tried the too-fast-too-furious approach, and it didn't work, so the lesson has been learned.
3. Cross training. At least twice a week, and that's tough for me. Especially when it gets nice outside and I'm just itching to be out on the roads. But my plan is to find other outdoor activities on days off--tennis, biking, basketball, whatever it takes.
4. Run my first race. Even if it's just a 3K. Just to see what it feels like.
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Taking the workout in stride
I've had to come to terms with one thing over recent months in my training regimen: I can't overwork my body.
I'm an overachiever by definition, so I tend to feel like the more work I put into something, the better. Over the summer, I was running every day, or close to it. The weather was great and it was light in the morning, so I'd get up super-early and be back before the sun had even risen above the trees. I felt energized and like a completely different person for the rest of the day. Generally, I would run around three miles a day, but as I became more and more addicted to it, I began to sharply increase my distance.
It sounds awful now looking back on it, but I bumped up to between four and five miles a couple times a week and then suddenly jumped up to a couple of eight-milers. I was in my glory--never before had I been able to achieve an eight-mile run, and I felt like I was at the top of my game.
Before I knew it, I developed shin splints. I wasn't all that surprised--I had been working hard. I applied ice and tried to avoid downhill inclines, thinking that would cure it.
One day, I went out and got about a mile away when my shins literally started burning. I'd never felt anything like it, but for once I was scared. I turned around and rested for a good several days.
But then my iliotibial bands became unbearably tight. My hips and knees hurt all the time, and I couldn't seem to give them a good enough stretch to relieve the soreness. For the icing on the cake, my low back was immovably stiff one morning when I woke up. My body was falling apart.
I realized I hadn't been stretching as much as I could or caring for my body in between runs. I was lax about icing and resting injuries, preferring to just run through the pain. But I knew I had to make some lasting changes.
In November, right after I had been researching the IT band injury to figure out how to heal it, I found this article from the New York Times Online. It talked about the benefits of dynamic stretching, which focuses on motion rather than the toe-touching brand that we learned in high school gym class. I felt stupid, but I started crawling around like a spider before heading out for runs when I started up my training routine again. I'd march around kicking my hands with the toes of my sneakers and gently twist my spine around to keep it moving.
And guess what? It worked. I had to learn about the tolls the roads would take on my body and to learn to respect it. It just takes a bit of perspective. I know my limits, and when my body tells me it's had enough, I force myself to stop.
It's the only way to keep a lasting practice.
I'm an overachiever by definition, so I tend to feel like the more work I put into something, the better. Over the summer, I was running every day, or close to it. The weather was great and it was light in the morning, so I'd get up super-early and be back before the sun had even risen above the trees. I felt energized and like a completely different person for the rest of the day. Generally, I would run around three miles a day, but as I became more and more addicted to it, I began to sharply increase my distance.
It sounds awful now looking back on it, but I bumped up to between four and five miles a couple times a week and then suddenly jumped up to a couple of eight-milers. I was in my glory--never before had I been able to achieve an eight-mile run, and I felt like I was at the top of my game.
Before I knew it, I developed shin splints. I wasn't all that surprised--I had been working hard. I applied ice and tried to avoid downhill inclines, thinking that would cure it.
One day, I went out and got about a mile away when my shins literally started burning. I'd never felt anything like it, but for once I was scared. I turned around and rested for a good several days.
But then my iliotibial bands became unbearably tight. My hips and knees hurt all the time, and I couldn't seem to give them a good enough stretch to relieve the soreness. For the icing on the cake, my low back was immovably stiff one morning when I woke up. My body was falling apart.
I realized I hadn't been stretching as much as I could or caring for my body in between runs. I was lax about icing and resting injuries, preferring to just run through the pain. But I knew I had to make some lasting changes.
In November, right after I had been researching the IT band injury to figure out how to heal it, I found this article from the New York Times Online. It talked about the benefits of dynamic stretching, which focuses on motion rather than the toe-touching brand that we learned in high school gym class. I felt stupid, but I started crawling around like a spider before heading out for runs when I started up my training routine again. I'd march around kicking my hands with the toes of my sneakers and gently twist my spine around to keep it moving.
And guess what? It worked. I had to learn about the tolls the roads would take on my body and to learn to respect it. It just takes a bit of perspective. I know my limits, and when my body tells me it's had enough, I force myself to stop.
It's the only way to keep a lasting practice.
Monday, January 5, 2009
Sweating it out
All I could think was that I didn't even know my ears could sweat. Every time I raised my arms, I thought I might faint. I was surrounded by about 30 half-naked strangers, all dripping with sweat in what felt as hot as the eighth circle of hell: my first experience of bikram yoga.
Let me back up for a second and explain why I'm talking about yoga on my running blog. It all started when I realized that this winter weather is severely cramping my running style. I still have the drive and want to go out for my runs, but it does become a bit dangerous after heavy snows, when there are no shoulders on the roads and I spend most of my run playing Frogger and just trying not to get run over.
A couple weeks ago, I was interviewing Mike Walsh, a personal trainer from Brookline, for a freelance story I was working on, and he asked me if I was an athlete. I told him I was a runner, and we got to talking about having to give up a training schedule during these brutal winters. I asked him what people should do during these long New England winters if they traditionally do a sport that's outdoors.
"It's a good time to do something else," he told me. "Use it as a chance to break away from your mode and to become a more well-rounded athlete."
A few days later, my cousin came over and happened to mention that she had been trying out a couple of yoga studios and had been to a heated class that weekend, where the teacher had lit candles all around the room for atmosphere. It occurred to me that this fell under the category of trying new things to get through the winter, so I thought I should give it a shot.
So yesterday afternoon, I found myself at Mystic Fitness Studio in Framingham, Mass. It's a small place in the back of one of the clusters of plazas off Route 9--something I never would have noticed on my own. We took off our shoes at the door, and the receptionist had us sign a waiver and asked us if we'd eaten anything in the past couple of hours, which made me nervous. I didn't ask what the worrywas, I think I understand after I entered that room.
No candles in this bikram class, but there was a dark-haired Ukranian woman clapping rhythmically and counting breaths as she paced around the room and helped us shape our bodies into the series of poses. It was about a hundred degrees and so humid I felt like I was drinking water every time she told us to take a deep breath. In the first couple minutes, I started getting panicky, thinking I'd suffocate before the 90 minutes was over, but my lungs seemed to adjust after a few poses so I didn't get the same drowning sensation.
All in all, it was certainly different from any yoga practice I've experienced before, in style and in atmosphere--and I'm not just talking about the sweaty ears. Where other yoga focuses on flow and connecting movements, this had longer poses that were a bit more disjointed and required a bit of a rest in between. The instructor was loud and kept us focused on the way our bodies were moving, rather than playing music and creating that reverie that I typically associate with relaxing yoga experience.
It was intense, to say the least. That's the only way to describe it. Just when I thought my body couldn't push any further, we would take a few second rest and then try again.
And that second chance turned out to be what I loved about it. I expected the repetition to be monotonous, and every time she'd say "second set" after a really trying pose, my stomach would turn over in dismay. But my muscles are extremely tight and inflexible by nature, so I was shocked when we'd come back for a second try and I had really found my mode in the pose.
At the end, we were all lying on our backs, and I had my knees bent because my low back was bothering me--I threw it out a couple months ago and have had trouble with it ever since. The instructor came over and quietly asked if I was having low back pain, and when I nodded, she had me pull my knees up to my chest and slowly guided my legs in a circular motion, providing a bit of pressure to stretch out my back.
And guess what? The pain went away, and hasn't been back all today. I felt clear, limber and focused all day. And I was able to resist the temptation to have an after-lunch cookie... maybe not related, but I'd like to think so.
Look at me--I'm officially a yoga convert.
Let me back up for a second and explain why I'm talking about yoga on my running blog. It all started when I realized that this winter weather is severely cramping my running style. I still have the drive and want to go out for my runs, but it does become a bit dangerous after heavy snows, when there are no shoulders on the roads and I spend most of my run playing Frogger and just trying not to get run over.
A couple weeks ago, I was interviewing Mike Walsh, a personal trainer from Brookline, for a freelance story I was working on, and he asked me if I was an athlete. I told him I was a runner, and we got to talking about having to give up a training schedule during these brutal winters. I asked him what people should do during these long New England winters if they traditionally do a sport that's outdoors.
"It's a good time to do something else," he told me. "Use it as a chance to break away from your mode and to become a more well-rounded athlete."
A few days later, my cousin came over and happened to mention that she had been trying out a couple of yoga studios and had been to a heated class that weekend, where the teacher had lit candles all around the room for atmosphere. It occurred to me that this fell under the category of trying new things to get through the winter, so I thought I should give it a shot.
So yesterday afternoon, I found myself at Mystic Fitness Studio in Framingham, Mass. It's a small place in the back of one of the clusters of plazas off Route 9--something I never would have noticed on my own. We took off our shoes at the door, and the receptionist had us sign a waiver and asked us if we'd eaten anything in the past couple of hours, which made me nervous. I didn't ask what the worrywas, I think I understand after I entered that room.
No candles in this bikram class, but there was a dark-haired Ukranian woman clapping rhythmically and counting breaths as she paced around the room and helped us shape our bodies into the series of poses. It was about a hundred degrees and so humid I felt like I was drinking water every time she told us to take a deep breath. In the first couple minutes, I started getting panicky, thinking I'd suffocate before the 90 minutes was over, but my lungs seemed to adjust after a few poses so I didn't get the same drowning sensation.
All in all, it was certainly different from any yoga practice I've experienced before, in style and in atmosphere--and I'm not just talking about the sweaty ears. Where other yoga focuses on flow and connecting movements, this had longer poses that were a bit more disjointed and required a bit of a rest in between. The instructor was loud and kept us focused on the way our bodies were moving, rather than playing music and creating that reverie that I typically associate with relaxing yoga experience.
It was intense, to say the least. That's the only way to describe it. Just when I thought my body couldn't push any further, we would take a few second rest and then try again.
And that second chance turned out to be what I loved about it. I expected the repetition to be monotonous, and every time she'd say "second set" after a really trying pose, my stomach would turn over in dismay. But my muscles are extremely tight and inflexible by nature, so I was shocked when we'd come back for a second try and I had really found my mode in the pose.
At the end, we were all lying on our backs, and I had my knees bent because my low back was bothering me--I threw it out a couple months ago and have had trouble with it ever since. The instructor came over and quietly asked if I was having low back pain, and when I nodded, she had me pull my knees up to my chest and slowly guided my legs in a circular motion, providing a bit of pressure to stretch out my back.
And guess what? The pain went away, and hasn't been back all today. I felt clear, limber and focused all day. And I was able to resist the temptation to have an after-lunch cookie... maybe not related, but I'd like to think so.
Look at me--I'm officially a yoga convert.
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