Rest

Why is it that the "average" person has no problem taking a "rest day" ( a day off of exercise) but us exercise nuts freak out?

As an intelligent person, and on a logical level, yes, I understand the importance of a rest day...

-Better recovery- replace glycogen stores ( bring on the carbs!) and allow muscles to repair

-Reduced chance of injury- training for a marathon is inherently over-using the same muscles and joints, over and over

-Mental break- so you don't "burnout"

But... on a gut level, its hard to justify to yourself and to believe that NOT training could possibly HELP and make me perform better in the long run. It's hard to wrap your head around...

Its like the angel on one shoulder and the devil on the other...

ANGEL: Your body is screaming for a BREAK: My eyes have been twitching ( like crazy), I am not getting enough sleep (avg 6 hours is no bueno), my muscles feel heavy and don't "feel rested," I am having more emotional-type days (no one should cry for 4 days in a row...girl or not), my appetite is all off...

DEVIL: Your brain is screaming at you to SUCK IT UP: You feel guilty. You feel lazy. You are mean to yourself, you beat yourself up: Lauren if you can't run 5 today, what makes you think you can finish 19 on saturday, let alone 26...You only have 5 more weeks, push through it...So what if your knees/ankle/toenails hurt, keep going!

Isn't running/exercising supposed to relieve stress?!?! ....so why am I stressed about running (or NOT running as the case may be)....

Okay body....I give in....you win....let's rest...

Happy Running and Resting!

~Lauren

Are you a good run or a bad run?

That's a great question Glinda... I wish I knew the answer...

Why is it that some days you feel like a Kenyan-running-rockstar and other days you feel like...well... you just feel like crap when you go out for a run? How does this happen?

The good days are great...endorphins flowing...feeling light on your feet...that feeling like you could run forever (ok...I might be exaggerating here....but those endorphins make you kinda kooky!)

The bad days are B-A-D! You feel like an elephant....your lungs somehow forgot how to process oxygen at their normal rate, your brain forgets how to regulate your body temperature and you are running around looking like a bright red tomato...and your heart, your poor heart, its pumping so hard and furiously it could quite literally explode....you knows this because its all you can focus on...

The problem with the bad run day or a good run day is you never know when its going to happen. When will it strike?

You can be feeling sluggish and having a bad day and then go for a run and POOF! Instant high---great run!

A good run:

OR

You can be having a great day, totally pumped to get out there and do your run...and then BAM!---bad run...WTF?!?!

A bad run:

Throughout the past 3+ months of training for this marathon...I have had some GREAT runs and some NOT SO GREAT runs.

Luckily its about a 70% chance of a GOOD run and 30% chance of a BAD run. I guess that is what keeps me coming back for more...

Holla Back: How do you deal with the BAD days? Share please!

Happy Running!
~Lauren

Sleep

So....life has been very busy lately...it picked up so fast, I don't think I really realized it. I am so used to running (no pun intended) on little sleep, tons of meetings and tons of social events on the weekends (not to mention that little race I am training for), that I realized I have not been resting all too much....or as much as I should be.

Now that I am training so much and with such duration and intensity....my body needs more sleep now, more than ever! I know this intuitively, and I know this as a health educator/ health- knowledgeable type of gal.

What made me realize this?

Well my left eyelid has been twitching now for 6 days straight....will I die? NO probably not....is it hella annoying? YES (and I use the word hella to emphasize just how annoying it has been)

After doing what any other overly-worried hypochondriac rational gal would do...I headed to the Internet to self-diagnose....

Enter Mayo Clinic, a reputable source of medical information....here is the list of causes of eye-twitching....

-Alcohol---yes, ok I had some vodka this weekend, but that was after the twitching began
-Caffeine---yes, i have been an addict since high school, long before the twitching
-Fatigue---yes, hello?!?! did i mention i am training for a marathon
-Irritation of the eye surface or inner eyelids--kind of and many times in the past
-Lack of sleep--- HHHHHHHMMMMMM......yes....
-Physical exertion---yes, see answer to fatigue
-Smoking--no, never
-Stress---um, hello....!!!! :) But all joking aside, not MORE than normal


So I succumbed and called the advice nurse... who seemed to be worried it has been lasting for a week.

I proceeded to Kaiser. I was out of there in 5 min ( weighing me and taking my blood pressure took longer than my "appt"). The doctors brilliant diagnosis: yes, your eye is twitching. Solution: Get more sleep. I left pissed thinking, yes I know I should, but how....

Unless I magically turn into Evie from my one of my favorite old shows "Out of the World" and can suddenly freeze time...I will have to TRY to get more sleep....

Would you like to swing on a star.... Carry moonbeams home in a jar... And be better off than you are..... Or would you rather go to earth

Happy Running and Resting! :)

~Lauren

An open love letter to the gym

Dear 24,

Absence truly makes the heart grow fonder...

I know its been a while since we last saw each other. Our serious, intense, and often sweaty relationship, from 2005- 2009, were some of the best years of my life. I just never really realized it until now.

You pushed me. You challenged me. You transformed me.

My new boyfriend's name is 26.2. He is similar to you in so many ways, yet so different.

You like to be indoors. He likes to be outdoors.

Dates with you are filled with variety: jump-roping, weight lifting, spinning, lunging

Dates with 26.2 are sometimes monotonous; we do the same thing, over and over and over...

26.2 likes to keep me all to himself-- we often hang out together, just him and me. Sometimes I even have to listen to my Ipod just to keep myself entertained, he can be so boring!

With you 24, we had alone time, but we also had all our friends around to keep us company:

Bodybuilder Bob-the one who's grunts all the time when he lifts weights and then throws them on the ground, he's also good friends with Steroid Steve---who tries SO hard to cover up his back acne and stares intently at himself in the mirror...

And then there's Cardio Courtney- the girl who does the elliptical every day for two hours--and nothing else---in full make-up, she's also good friends with Abdominals Annie---who's "super-intense" workout includes slow/short walks on the treadmill, talking on her cell phone (loudly), who then goes and does a maximum of 50 crunches and calls it a day.

26.2 and I have not been getting along lately. We have a love-hate relationship.

I foresee my relationship with 26.2 to be over in early June. After that I'd love to see you more often. We can go back to the way things used to be: seeing each other 5 days a week, spinning together and lifting together.

What do you say? Can we give it another shot?

Until then my love....

~Lauren

SMILE its time for your race photo!

Why can I never take a GOOD race photo....seriously...

I want to capture the triumph and glory of finishing my first marathon with a GOOD race photo...one I can order, frame, and actually not feel embarrassed to show other people.

After my race photos from the Old Augora 10k showed up in my email inbox (see below) I was more determined that ever to ensure that my marathon photos are good ones.

Looking constipated with a slight under-bite...you just have to laugh...
its ok, I am laughing with you...

Looking pretty good (probably one of my "best" race photos),
its almost like I am airborne, with an actual smile

And as a side-note...

why are those race photographers like camera-wielding ninjas....?!?!

They pop up out of no where! Usually after you just ascended a large hill and look winded and in pain....this never makes for a good photo.....NEVER!

Someone needs to share a few tips with these people:

1) Wear coordinated or bright colored shirts...seriously I am so focused on the race and my breathing, I literally don't see you until its too late, so you usually catch me adjusting my race belt, looking down, or in deep exhale...again not a cute look...

AND

2) Not to sound like Mariah Carey or anything ( aka: photograph me on my "good" side) but people propelling forward in a running motion look strange from a straight on side view...try to take my photo from a distance, front view please!

I hear that at marathons they have a staged photo area for after the race where finishers can get a picture with their medals in front of a nice banner, but something tells me I will look less like someone off of the cover of Runner's World and more like my good pal Amy Winehouse after running for 5 + hours straight...


Regardless....I promise to share my marathon photos after the race, so we can get a good laugh see if I succeeded in getting the elusive GOOD race day photo! Fingers crossed!

Holla Back: What are your best race photo tips? Post your comments!

Happy Running!
~Lauren

Dedication # 4: Tara

Having a sister is like having a best friend you can't get rid of. You know whatever you do, they'll still be there. ~Amy Li

Similarly...Tara might say:
Big sisters are the crab grass in the lawn of life. ~Charles M. Schulz

ha ha ha :)

For those of you who don't know Tara is my little sister. We didn't always get along the best when we were younger....good thing we are over that now! :)

Tara is always there to support me and cheer me on! And I am always here to do the same for her. I am so proud of the smart, sassy young lady she has become!

THEN

NOW

I love you!
~Lauren

For your reading pleasure...

Long time, no post... What a busy past week I have had!

In light of sharing some seriously intriguing, thoughtful, poignant, funny writing....don't be shy, you can tell me how great this blog is.... :) I wanted to share some great links and articles that have caught my eye lately:

Wanna see how your marathon time stacks up against the celebs?
Check out this slideshow....Will Ferrell? Seriously?!?! Who knew...
http://www.thatsfit.com/2009/06/02/stars-whove-run-marathons/

Would Your Pantry Make Great-Grandma Proud? A nice follow-up to my grocery shopping post from last week...
http://www.mambosprouts.com/mambo-articles/food-nutrition/would-your-pantry-make-great-grandma-proud/

Women have to exercise 1-hr (minimum) EVERY DAY to maintain our weight...WTF!?! can you say "unfair?" Dust off those gym bags and lace up those running shoes ladies... http://articles.latimes.com/2010/mar/24/science/la-sci-women-weight-gain24-2010mar24

Spring Tune-up: Breaking the Hibernation...if the couch and In-and-Out burgers have been your best friend this winter...read these tips to get ready for spring fitness!
http://www.active.com/running/Articles/Spring_Tune-up__Breaking_the_Hibernation.htm

What do you mean? Don't you guys read online articles in bed....in lingerie? .... ha ha ha j/k :)

Happy Running....and reading! :)
~Lauren