Running in the cold and body fat percentage

I ran 14 miles this morning in 10 degrees weather. I met up with my friends the Sue(s) @ 7:30, all filled up with oatmeal, blueberries and coffee, as well as the excitement of having company for the first 10 miles of the run. To our surprise, the Arlington bikepath was filled with runners from the Dana Farber Boston Marathon charity group, and this got me excited about running the Boston course in March and April. We kept the pace pretty slow, which was fine with me, and chatted comfortably for the first couple of miles, and uncomfortably for the last miles due to the cold - I speak with a slight accent, and when you add slurring from the fact that my face is 1/2 frozen, well, it's pretty hard to understand what I am saying. About 5 miles into the run our water bottles were completely frozen, which meant no Nuun or water for the rest of the run! I think next time I am going to fill one of my bottles with hot water (seriously!). To top this off, when I got home I experienced the worst case of cold weather urticaria. I have been getting this on and off in really cold weather, since I was a kid. No, I am not willing to take drugs for it (I am as anti s as meds as one can be). The only thing that stopped me from scratching the soul out of my butt and thighs was the fact that I am planning on swimming tomorrow and I don't want to start any rumours at the neighbourhood YMCA!
14 miles @ 8:11; first 10 @ 8:30, last 4 @ 7:28.

On a different note I finally purchased a scale. I rarely weigh myself bc I can tell when I gain or lose weight (though interestingly my weight does not change based on training, but my body shape does). However, I just finished reading "Racing weight" by Matt Fitzgerald and became really curious about finding out my body fat %. Thanks to google shopping I found a scale with great reviews for little money (yay for me). I set it at the Athlete Mode based on the fact that I probably exercise for 9-10 hours/week (including stretching and strength training). The weight was accurate, but I got a body fat percentage of 11.7 the first day, 12.5 the next, and 12.00 the third day. I know these vary based on hydration, etc, and the variation is pretty small. Still, these numbers are v low and there is no way I have this little fat. My BMI is a healthy 19.4. DO any of you used these scales and have any idea about their accuracy? Am I doing something wrong using it? Should I not pick the athlete mode? I looked on line and found that the body fat range for women elite runners is 12-20%. However, I find it hard to believe that Paula or Kara have that much fat on their bodies or that I have that little.

Happy Running and stay warm! We are getting about 10 inches this afternoon or tomorrow, and I am super excited to go sledding! The only way to survive New England winters is to embrace it and enjoy it!

Good things

It's amazing how much appreciation for health one gets after being sick! I am sublimely happy to wake up every morning healthy and energetic. I am so excited about starting training. My running is back on track. I ran 38.5 miles next week split between 5 days: 8, 5, 5, 8 and 12.5. On Saturday I met up with a few friends for an easy 6 miler to which I added some progression miles. FUN!
Winter has made its appearance and it reminded me how much I love running in the snow and cold. I am lucky that the bike-path near my house gets plowed and I have 18 miles to run on no matter the weather. The only problem is when the path is icy, but that is not that often. Running in the snow and cold makes me feel so bad ass, so invincible. The air is fresh and sometimes I am the only one out on the path that is super busy in all other seasons. I often have these moments that everything is perfect as is when I run in the snow! It's mesmerizing.

My body seems to be adjusting to the 5 weekly runs. Granted, I ran fairly slow, but I would say at least 33% of my miles were 7:30-7:50, so that is good. I need to figure out how to incorporate more biking and swimming in my plan. The other day I tried one of Matt Fitzgerald's bike workouts (from Triathlete magazine), where you do 20 sets of 20 sec all out and 10 secs rest, and wow, that was tough! I have a hard time staying on the trainer for more than 30min, but I don't really need more than that at this point. On Sunday I went to the pool first time in 2 weeks. I did not sink!!!! I actually had a great swim. My free style is definitely improving, and I felt so happy in the pool. I had a lane to myself which helps a lot, since it is much easier to follow the blue line, rather than worry about bumping into the person who shares the lane with me. Swimming in a straight line is so hard!

We are having an "open Christmas" here, meaning, we tell each other what we want, and get everything on line. So easy! My husband and I have a $50 budget for each other - I really feel I can buy myself whatever I want, I don't need him or anyone else to get me stuff. I often get so many things that end up becoming clutter. This year I am telling everyone to not get me things! Hopefully it will work!

Three more weeks 'till Miami. Although I love winter, I don't love it as much as sitting at the beach, with my face in the sun and a book in my hand, while the entire extended family drools over my son!

Getting my self back

Yesterday I finally had a good run. It was cold and snowy, but my cough was mild and I was able to take deep breaths. Oh, what a treat to be able to inhale and exhale deeply. I tell you, it's all about the little things. I ran 8 miles, with 6 of them sub 8, a couple 7:30s. Good, particularly since I ran 26 miles total this week, and have a planned longer run for Saturday.

This sickness has really gotten to me. I am a busy body, and usually have tons of energy. I am always on the go or doing something. I never "just" watch TV, I always have some research going on the computer, or I play a game, or fold laundry. I strive on doing. So these past couple of weeks have been challenging. They made me think about getting old and slowing down, and boy, that is difficult for my 36 y old brain to comprehend. I also realized why I am always so motivated and excited about running. I rarely dread a workout, even during peak marathon training. I just love going out there, because 99% time I hit the pace I want. But this week I did not have any motivation to run. I ran slow, and even had to take rest breaks to catch my breath. I knew that there was no way I lost fitness, and the breathing issues were a function of my lungs being invaded by phlegm, but nonetheless running was not rewarding. There is one thing to work hard and hit your pace; that is reinforcing. There is another thing to work hard and run slow; that is plain frustrating.

But I did get through it. I did push myself to get out there because I knew that the alternative - staying on the couch -would be worse for me. And now I feel well, and my perky self is returning. Again I have a ton of things going, and they don't feel overwhelming, they feel like getting back to normal. Last post about being sick....hopefully for a loooooooooooong time coming! Things are good!

I've been...

1. getting a sore back from too much coughing.
2. enjoying my mom's company and her amazing help with Petru, cooking,and cleaning.
3. feeling spoiled (see nr 2).
4. running painfully slow - I don't even get my Garmin with me, I am just focusing on running 5X/week and getting the mileage up.
5. working - nothing like talking to patients while coughing a lung!
6. not Christmas shopping. Yes, I am one of those people who avoids malls like plague during the shopping season. Shopping malls depress me anyway, but this time of year is the worst. My son is only 4 so I am still getting away with a low key Christmas, thanks to the grandparents and other relatives, which are actually giving way more than I would like Petru to receive.
7. getting excited about a trip to Miami for New Years, followed by a cruise!
8. trying to get excited about training for Boston, which is supposed to start last week in December.
9. getting used to running with wet feet.
10. not swimming - have not swam in 2 weeks. I still can't take a deep breath without coughing, so better to stay away a bit longer.
11. asking myself every night whether the next day is going to be the day when I am not going to be sick.
12. learning that nr 11 is not a good mood inducing strategy (since I continue being sick).

Back into it

I went for a longer run yesterday. The cough was still there (and still is), but the fever was gone, and I did not feel like passing out while putting my running clothes on. Plus, mom arrived from Romania for a couple of months, and she begs to babysit for Petru. Have I mentioned that pleasing my mom has always been my first desire? I plan to do a lot of it while she is around, to let the Petru-Buni bonding grow stronger and stronger.

The run went better than I thought. I managed 11 miles while listening to "Would science make psychotherapy more effective" (NPR's science friday) and Run Live 2.0. I absolutely love listening to podcast while running. The pace was: 9.04, 8:54, 8:50, 8:35, 8:30, 8:35, 8:20, 8:10, 8:00, 7:50, 7:40. Nothing to write home about, but nothing embarrassing. Just happy to be running. My coughing bouts scared a couple of walkers, I think, although I was careful to cover my mouth and turn away from everyone. These days coughing in public brings so many dirty looks....it used to be sympathy...

This week I am back to increasing my mileage. I decided after-all to run 5 times a week. I'll be doing something like 8-10speed, 4 easy, 8-10 tempo, 4 easy with hill sprints, and a 13-24 mile run. Hopefully I'll manage a couple of 50+miles week. For now, I am just building the schedule and adding a few strides at the end. My recent 5K pace puts me at 3:19:02 for the marathon, which makes me happy particularly since I did not train for this 5K. Funny thing, I am excited about running slow for a while and getting my body recover fully from this super-potent bug. The night I am going to sleep through, without coughing, will be such a celebration!

Congrats to all those who raced this weekend, especially to Aron who got her BQ. Her one year journey is inspirational and it was wonderful to watch her get stronger and tougher and push through so hard to make her dream real! nicely done!

Reading

I've spent the past few days on my couch with my son on top of me, reading while he watched "Dinosaur Land" and "Cars". Yes, we've been sick. Our house is layered with snot, and the sound of our communal coughs is shaking the walls. My husband, who somehow escaped this superpotent bug, is considering buying earplugs! I say, add glasses and a mask, too! We are, unfortunately, not done!

So yes, not much running over here. I really don't miss it at all and am not worried about losing fitness (weird, I know). I look at this as being great timing. I am not training for anything really, and I rarely get sick (last time I was this sick I was like 10 years old or something), so this awful week should buy me a dozen or so years of feeling well (at least this is my plan!). Go positive thinking:)

So running I did not do, but reading about running I did...a lot. I finished 2 books. I don't remember when was the last time I had the luxury to read 2 books in 4 days (not for work), probably highschool. Nothing like just sitting on the couch, all day long.

The extra mile; One Woman's Personal Journey to Ultra-Running Greatness.
This is the story of Pam Reed, one of the most accomplished women ultrarunners. The book is inspirational, for a couple of reasons. First, it shows that success can come out of mental illness. Pam had pretty serious anorexia from an early age. She is blunt about it and does not make excuses. She agrees that she still struggles with it, yet it seems to me that she successfully incorporated it into her lifestyle, by finding a way to use her disorder to excel in running. The years of dieting have lowered her metabolism so much that she does not need much fuel, yet she is able to run 50 miles on nothing. Her body temperature is so low that it gives her an advantage in hot races like Badwater. She also has the energy of 10 people, which is likely a product of her low calorie diet. This is fascinating to me in light of all the research on aging and low calorie diets. It is also fascinating because while to the outsiders Pam can seem really sick - she is actually living a happy life, with family, kids, friends, and career, while channeling her demons into productive accomplishments. I am not saying that anorexia nervosa or athletica are desirable and that we should all eat coffee and a muffin in the morning, sour candy during the day and maybe dinner in the evening, while running 4X6 miles/day. But I think we are so ready to judge others on being "too skinny" (which Pam actually does not appear to be), perhaps because of some inner jealousy that we are never going to be that way. Anorexia is a serious disorder, and finding a way to come to terms with it is a huge accomplishment, even when one's eating is not "fitting" the norms. The other reason I like this book is that it does speak to the inequality between man and women is sports, when it comes to media coverage and reimbursements.

Second wind. The rise of the ageless athlete.
This book is a compilation of 18 stories about athletes with unbelievable achievements in their later years. Don McNeilly ran over 150 marathons AFTER age 80. Clarence Bass in his 70s has the body of a 20 year old. You get the idea. These people challenge the idea of what aging is supposed to be. The only issue I had with the book was that all athletes portrait here either picked up their sport in later years, or took a break from it and returned stronger in their later years. I wish the book made this point, because one can be mislead into thinking that, for example, a person who started running in their 20s can get better and better with age, though all the evidence shows that is not the case. However, it seems that when one takes a break, improvement becomes possible (at least in some sports). I don't think this has to do (fully) with the fact that the body gets an extended rest. I think this has a lot to do with the fact that the mind gets a rest from training and pushing through, and other areas of life are worked on (family, career, etc). Also, older athletes coming back seem to be fearless and much more mentally strong that their younger selves.

I fully recommend these books if you, like me, are into reading anything that has the word "running" in it. Now I have to find myself another book to read, since this bug seems to be here to stay a little longer. Any suggestions?

Gifts to you

OK, this may not be what it seems. No giveaway here! But I think these are even better than a material giveaway. So here we go:

For those with an upcoming marathon/race:

Check out this NY times article, with great insights on how to push through pain from Kara and Chrissy!


For those who are parents:

Check out NPR's On Point Episode of "Helicopter Parents: Can't stop hovering".
You can read a bit through this link or listen to the entire show via I-tunes!


For those who need proper form modeling:
The forever young Joan at the NYC marathon 2009! Wow!





Hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving!