Running in the Rain...

You either love it or hate it…or tolerate it I would suppose.

Up until today I could easily say I hate running in rain. It ruins sneakers, it gets in my eyes, it clouds the sunshine that I so need on a daily basis.

Now this runner was smart- wore "old" kicks!

This morning RunnerBud Jen and I got doused in the rain, sprinkled by rain and spit on by rain. It was 4:45am, we were dressed and ready to run. Our friendly weather guy said it was raining. We were outside – it was not raining. We did a quick walk to warm up and felt a little spitting rain. Let’s try it and see what happens we decided.

We ran about a block from our houses when the misty rain began and within a few more steps started coming down heavily with wind to boot. Nice...

This is gonna be a short run…

We finish about ¾ of a mile and come to the point of no return. We either head down the road to home or keep going. That's when the rain stopped. So like the good runners we are, we kept going. All was well ‘til mile 2 and it started to come down pretty hard, but if you stop running, you never get home! We trudged on…

At yet the next point of heading home or continuing you will most likely guess that YES! the rain stopped again. So we kept going…right into the kind of rain that runs in a stream off of your ball cap and into your sneakers…yep that was us this morning.

Figuring we were already out there we might as well get in a 5K so that’s exactly what we did. We kicked out about 3.5 miles and then decided it was time to call it quits. So much for starting off the week with a long run.

So I guess I am no longer a fair-weather runner. 

Because we DID run in the rain and it wasn’t too bad. At one point I was even Yahoo-ing just because I could. (Can you just imagine ME in the darkness before dawn, rain streaming down all parts of my body Yahooing? OK, well I guess it isn't really that big of a stretch to visualize that...)

The neighbors were probably awakened and thinking WTF? But the temperature was warm enough and I was sweaty enough that I thought a Yahoo was in order.

Will we run again in the rain? If we get caught in it, I’ll go with yes. If it’s a downpour before we start, I’m figuring we will hit the gym...unless we dig out an old pair of running shoes that is.

Are you a fan of running in the rain?

Do you have any good running in the rain stories?

Kick on my friends – in the sun or in the rain, log them miles!

If you run, you are a runner!

~Rachel

FOOD Glorious FOOD!

Food, Glorious food…I can hear the music now…

My thoughts for today have come from hearing people talk about skipping meals or not having time to eat. No time to eat? Really? If there is time to check email and get on Facebook – you got time to eat.

I do, I really do!

 

I’m a self-proclaimed foodie. I love to eat. I can’t remember the last meal I actually skipped. I’ll often say at lunchtime, to my Teacherbud, Jeanine, I’m so hungry I could eat a small child!

My family knows that dinner time takes place every night at the dining room table and chances are you will have a balanced meal on the plate complete with a vegetable (of which you WILL be required to take at least 3 bites).

Not saying I don’t enjoy a good pizza, just not eating Fast Food every night at this house!

 

Those who believe that skipping meals is healthy or helps to jumpstart a good eating plan you are wrong…very wrong.

Research shows that folks that skip breakfast are more likely to binge later in the day. By eating breakfast you are kickstarting your metabolism for the day. If you don’t fuel you can go into starvation mode. Check out this link about that first meal of the day!

I'm a huge fan of cereal and fruit...YUMMY!

Why Breakfast is important 

But let’s do lunch…

This is the meal so many people can’t find time for. As athletes we all need to fuel our bodies. Especially if you take a late afternoon run or workout later in the day, it is crucial to eat a good lunch. (For early morning runners or gym rats who hit the gym early, we need to fuel up because our metabolism is cranking and burning up the calories! Definitely a plus for my pre-dawn runs!)

If you are one of those “I’m too busy for lunch…” folks think about my top 4 favorite lunch rules.

Lunch Rule #1

Eat Your Fiber

Active ladies you need 25 grams of fiber a day!

It keeps you full longer…helps with regularity (won’t go any further with that as we wouldn’t want to share TMI)…

Lunch Rule #2

40-30-30 eating…(I don’t like to say diet…)

40% Protein 30% Carbs and 30%Fat

Originally this came from the Zone Plan I believe, but following this plan you stabilize your insulin & blood sugar levels and increase satiety. SO YOU ARENT CONSTANTLY HUNGRY! Milk actually is very close to being a 40-30-30 ratio on its own, but generally I try to go with a combo of foods to get this ratio.

A cottage cheese fruit salad is a good combo…for example:

3/4 c cottage cheese, 2% lowfat
1/3 c strawberries, sliced

1 apple, medium, sliced

1/3 c grapes, green or red
2 1/4 tbsp nuts (almonds, pecans, or walnuts)

Lunch Rule #3

Portion Control

Learned this first hand…don’t eat out of the bag, box or carton (ice cream!) You will eat way more than a serving.

Bag your food choices so you are controlling what you eat. Mindless eating can sabotage even the best intentions! I try to actually count out crackers, pretzels or chips when I pack my lunch according to the package.

Lunch Rule #4

Take a break!

Work is stressful and tiring. Hello teachers, I don't need to say this twice to you! We need to rejuvenate our bodies and minds so that we can do our jobs well! Eating away from your desk with co-workers or friends helps us relax and de-stress. Just a few minutes of chilling out can help us find our focus and energy for the rest of the day!

(Speaking from an educator’s point of view, I find this very important each day. The students need a break from me and I need a break from them!)

As always, I’m not a nutritionist or expert, I just like to share my thoughts. We have one body and it’s our job to care for it the best we can.  Sometimes I think it’s a shame that I didn’t learn this until my late 30’s…I eat breakfast and lunch because I’m hungry and I know I need the fuel. Don’t deprive yourself of anything, just eat smart!

If you run, you are a runner!

~Rachel

Do you have any good breakfast, lunch or snack options? Please share!

Treadmill ~ Love/Hate relationship

Whether you are a runner or just a gym rat, you have most likely been on a treadmill at some point. I'll admit that before my running days I did like the treadmill...to walk on in winter. I've now come to call it the dreadmill because some days I truly dread getting on that thing. Take this morning at the gym. I had cranked out about 5 1/2 miles and was getting pretty bored with my people watching. That's when it decided to develop a mind of its own and start decreasing my speed. I was jabbing at those stupid buttons every 30 seconds as I tried to finish my run. It seemed to think I'd had enough and it was time for a cooldown. Well Hello Mr. Treadmill, I had not gotten the miles in on my plan and I was not stopping until I reached my goal. In case you are wondering, I won the battle this time!

I also have this fear of turning into one of the contestants on Biggest Loser who falls and gets zipped off the back of the treadmill in front of everyone. Nothing like being all pumped up for a cardio workout and end up on the floor with the treadmill still running. It's kind of like this video...

Runnerbud Jen is on vacation...sniff, sniff...I miss my running buddy. (It is well deserved relax time for her, but how am I supposed to run in the mornings alone?) Obviously I am not hitting the pavement this week predawn by myself. Not that I'm afraid I'll get lost (yea yea I know I can't find my way through the mall), but there are way to many crazies out there stalking runners and the like. (OK I'll admit I have a VERY vivid imagination)

So it looks like this runner-girl is going to have to get her game on in the evening - post work, after picking up kids, making dinner, delivering to sports practices...ugh it makes me tired just typing about it! (Which also makes the point as to why I wake up so early to run before all of this happens!)

This is my morning mantra...

The other option is obviously continuing my early rising and hit the treadmill to crank out some miles. On the plus side of things I'll be able to catch up on the news while running this week and I'll be able to do some speedwork and hill repeats without going anywhere! (Can you hear my enthusiasm?)

But a run on the treadmill is a run and I'll be going faster and further than sitting around doing nothing...so Mr. Treadmill, here I come!

If you run, you are a runner!
~Rachel

Do you like the treadmill or running outdoors?
How do you combat boredom on the treadmill?

To run or not to run...

I don’t know about you, but I hate being sick. I’ve got too much to do and don’t have time to lie around and nurse myself back to health. It also messes with my running schedule, which in turn messes with Runnerbud Jen’s running. (Since we run predawn having a buddy is a MUST!)

Last weekend I started that sore throat thing that eventually turns into a cold. Well as luck would have it (not) I also got the draining and cough with it by Monday. Luckily Tuesday is rest day for us, but by Wednesday there was not a chance in the world that I could drag my body out for a run. Just breathing in hurt and caused me to choke up a lung. Of course after taking some meds, drinking tea with honey and a hot steamy shower; I did begin to feel like a human again. That’s when the guilt set in. Maybe I could’ve run…

SO what do the experts say on this?

Using the “neck” rule, doctors say if your symptoms are below the neck (chest cold, bronchial infection, body aches) it is time to take a break. If your symptoms are above the neck (stuffy nose, sneezing, runny nose) it is okay to keep going.

That made me feel a little better for backing out this morning since I was really coughing up a storm.

There is also research out there that says good ol’ chicken soup has anti-inflammatory effects can ease the symptoms of upper respiratory infections. Not only does the chicken broth ease sore throats, the carrots have beta-carotene (immunity),  & garlic and onions  (anti bacterial properties).

Thinking I need some of this for lunch tomorrow!

I believe I am on the mend at the time of this posting so I will hopefully be back out there pounding the pavement in the morning with Jen.

How about you?

Do you rest when you are sick or do you muddle through?

Have you ever run while sick and made it worse?

To read more on this topic:

To Run or Not to Run 

Running While Sick 

If you run, you are a runner!

~Rachel