As any trainer I have ever worked with could attest to you, I am fully confident in saying that I am the neediest runner on earth. The last two years of high school, I was very fortunate in that I worked one-on-one with a coach who also happened to be head of the sports performance lab at Intermountain in Salt Lake City-In other words, he knew quite a bit about performance, injury, and recovery. So, basically anytime something hurt for more than a few runs, I would text him and ask what it was and how I could get rid of it. I was an extremely spoiled athlete in high school (and if we're all being honest with each other, I still am). There was a brief period after I entered college that I wasn't quite as needy as I typically am. The head trainer for the track team my freshman year was not conducive to needy recovery habits, as she largely encouraged athletes to just roll out and stretch on their own rather than coming into the training room for "prehab" treatments. This year, however, we have an absolutely stellar group of trainers who absolutely pamper the athletes. Seriously, these guys are too good to us. I don't know how they do it. With increased mileage and all of the little quirks that occur with it, I am probably in the training room five days a week most weeks and they still haven't told me I need to chill out, which is really a testament to their patience.
As I've started running higher mileage, I've learned more and more just how crucial recovery is. You may be able to get away with not rolling out and stretching after workouts on a thirty mile week, but when you try to on a seventy mile week, it doesn't really work out. You are going to feel like your joints and muscles aged ninety years overnight. So, because I don't want any of you to feel like eighty-five-year-old arthritics, I'm going to share some of my favorite recovery methods with you. Yeah, you're welcome. I do it for the fans.
The first and most basic method that most of you probably already utilize is the one-two punch of stretching and rolling out. If the basic foam roller isn't doing it for you, I would definitely recommend upgrading to a PVC pipe because those puppies are absolutely savage on the IT bands. Also, tennis/lacrosse balls are the best and worst. Just roll around on one of those until you hit a tight spot, then use it to really dig in.
The next step up from just rolling out is scraping. During cross country, I had a plethora of bizarre issues crop up, including cramping in my calves so bad it resulted in the father of a teammate informing her that I closely resembled a lame animal at the end of a race. No matter how much I stretched and rolled out, upped my calcium intake, made a few sacrifices to minor deities, and stayed hydrated, my legs kept sabotaging me, so the lifts coach recommended that I ask the trainers if I could try scraping. Holy cats, guys. It was a game changer. If you've never been scraped out before, basically it just involves using a curved plastic tool to scrape your muscles, breaking down scar tissue and resulting in some pretty gnarly bruising if you're lucky. The experience of scraping out my IT bands was once compared to driving down a gravel road, so I guess you could say I'm the grossness standard every athlete should hold themselves to.
Recovery boots are BAE, which I think goes without saying. I tried those for the first time this year and my life was completely changed. The NormaTec website says their function is to "mobilize fluid out of the extremities", which is a fancy way to say that they flush the junk out of your legs and make you feel fresh as a daisy. I probably overuse them, if such a thing is possible. If I could, I would live in the recovery boots. That's how much I love them. Contrast baths are also up there just because going from cold to warm is probably up there with crack cocaine in terms of instant euphoria, and similarly is supposed to help improve blood flow in the area and get the trash out of your muscles.
DMS is the living WORST. I hate it so much, but there's no denying that it's magic. This weekend, someone on the team was an idiot and ran all of their races (which were supposed to be used as a workout) at paces significantly faster than what their coach recommended, then accidentally ran their long run faster than they should have the following morning. This person then convinced themselves that they had re-strained both of their hamstrings, and entered the stages of grief in preparation for their coach's reaction when they had to tell him what their actions had done. (Okay, spoiler alert this person was me.) I went to the training room on Monday after having entered the Acceptance stage, and asked if there was anything at all that could be done. First the trainers established that I had not, in fact, strained anything and that I was dumb as it gets, briefly shamed me for not following the recommendations of my coach, then took the DMS to my hamstrings. Initially, I wasn't sure if it was actually meant to help or punish me for my disobedience because I have never known pain like that. I probably would have teared up a little, had I not lost my tear ducts in the war. But the next day it was confirmed that it actually was supposed to help. Both my hamstrings and the tendonitis that has been showing up off and on since cross felt significantly better and I wasn't walking like the old man in a Scooby-Doo movie that you think is the villain but just turns out to be a super creepy old dude anymore.
Prehab/rehab is my recovery/prevention jam. I have a scheduled time to sass the trainers twice a week, and honestly, it makes me feel absolutely shredded. I can accept that in reality, I am still a distance runner with little muscle mass and should probably not fight anyone ever in my life, but rehab definitely boosts my confidence and makes me feel like if I did have to get involved in gang activity and start fighting people in the streets, I totally could.
I have to say, though, of all the recovery methods, blood doping is definitely my favorite. There's just something about getting that fresh stream of erythrocytes illegally before every major competition. More efficient oxygen transport is such a rush, and knowing that it's a violation of both NCAA and IAAF regulations really gives one that extra drive to succeed.
Wednesday, March 29, 2017
Friday, March 3, 2017
Turns Out Eating Healthy Doesn't Have to Make You Hate Your Life
I am a proud and self-proclaimed human trash can when it comes to dietary habits. Any of my teammates, friends, or family members could tell you with dismay that some of my favorite snacks include Kit-Kats dipped in Nutella, peanut butter chocolate Oreo milkshakes, and donuts (really any kind, but if you're looking for a donut that will revolutionize your entire life, I would recommend checking out Dunford Bakeries' double-chocolate donuts. Seriously. 10/10). I get a seriously thrill from watching those cooking videos on Buzzfeed because the process of a dessert coming together is a beautiful thing. I have been known from time to time to classify a Snickers bar as a protein bar, and I had cookies for lunch before my personal best performances in both the mile and the 5k. I have a real problem.
But, lately I have (kind of) turned over a new leaf. Because I could never leave my love affair with desserts behind completely, I still make time for them once or twice a week, but I have started seeing someone new. We'll call him Health Food. For years, I avoided even the mention of health food because frankly, it is my opinion that raw vegetables are for people who hate their lives. One of my teammates used to bring sliced bell peppers for snacks during travel meets, and made the mistake of offering them to me a few times which led to some offensive comments by myself about vegetables and the types of people who genuinely enjoy them (so sorry). While I was home over this past break, someone mentioned an individual who had given up one of his vices for the sake of running and seen a huge improvement as a result and watched a video on an elite cyclist detailing what he called "marginal gains"-the seemingly tiny details that separate the good from the great when everyone has equal talent and the same volume details, and when I reflected on what small changes I could make to improve my running, eating was an obvious one. So, I started looking up healthy recipes that actually taste good. One cookbook that I would definitely recommend is The Feed Zone, a cookbook made specifically with endurance athletes in mind. It took a few weeks to really adapt to eating that many vegetables in one setting and learning how to get over the texture of chia, but I have definitely noticed a difference in energy levels, how fresh I feel, and general fitness since making some small changes. A few of my favorite recipes are for chocolate peanut butter chia pudding, chicken quinoa veggie bowls, and banana bread (I know this isn't technically super health food, but when I'm eating desserts that have fruit in them, it definitely seems noteworthy), and being the kind benefactor that I am, I've decided to share some of them with you. There will no doubt be more to come as I discover more foods that appeal to me.
Chocolate Peanut Butter Chia Pudding
Just about the easiest thing you can make, for real.
-1 cup almond milk
-1/4 cup chia seeds
-3 tbsp cocoa powder
-2 tbsp peanut butter
-2 tbsp honey
Whisk those puppies together and toss them in the fridge for a few hours or overnight if you're really feeling wild, then brace yourself for the weird texture of hydrated chia.
Chicken Quinoa Veggie Bowl
-2 yellow squash (what actually is the plural of squash? Is it still just squash? Squashes? Squish?)
-1 bell pepper
-2 medium tomatoes
-1 small can of corn
-1 can of beans (optional if you're feeling it)
-1-2 chicken breasts, depending on how much protein you're in the mood for
-2 solid handfuls of cilantro
-1 cup quinoa, cook according to instructions on bag
Dice up your vegetables and sautee them for ~5 minutes, then add in the corn, beans, diced tomatoes and cilantro. Stir in the quinoa, then cook and shred the chicken before stirring it in. Easy as it gets. Also, this is super versatile so you can heat it up and throw it into just about whatever you want. I use it as a quesadilla filling sometimes, and this morning I got really wild and mixed it in with some scrambled eggs.
I don't know if this counts as a recipe technically speaking, but I just have to share this information because it was honestly the best sandwich I've ever made for myself. You spread pesto on one side and guacamole with sriracha on the other, then fill that guy up with cheddar, some generous slices of turkey, tomatoes, lettuce, and some diced bell pepper. Fair warning, if you have an esophagus that sucks at its job like me, I can guarantee you will get gnarly heartburn from this, but just stock up on some famotidine and you'll be fine. For real, eating that sandwich was a borderline religious experience. This isn't really related to this whole "healthy eating" segment, but it is food-related and mentioning pesto just reminded me of this sensation burger I had. One of my friends made burgers and mixed pesto in with the meat before cooking them. Guys. So good. Try it, I promise you won't regret it unless you're an angry pesto hater, in which case I'm not sure I can respect you because pesto is my exotic delicious Italian lover.
But, lately I have (kind of) turned over a new leaf. Because I could never leave my love affair with desserts behind completely, I still make time for them once or twice a week, but I have started seeing someone new. We'll call him Health Food. For years, I avoided even the mention of health food because frankly, it is my opinion that raw vegetables are for people who hate their lives. One of my teammates used to bring sliced bell peppers for snacks during travel meets, and made the mistake of offering them to me a few times which led to some offensive comments by myself about vegetables and the types of people who genuinely enjoy them (so sorry). While I was home over this past break, someone mentioned an individual who had given up one of his vices for the sake of running and seen a huge improvement as a result and watched a video on an elite cyclist detailing what he called "marginal gains"-the seemingly tiny details that separate the good from the great when everyone has equal talent and the same volume details, and when I reflected on what small changes I could make to improve my running, eating was an obvious one. So, I started looking up healthy recipes that actually taste good. One cookbook that I would definitely recommend is The Feed Zone, a cookbook made specifically with endurance athletes in mind. It took a few weeks to really adapt to eating that many vegetables in one setting and learning how to get over the texture of chia, but I have definitely noticed a difference in energy levels, how fresh I feel, and general fitness since making some small changes. A few of my favorite recipes are for chocolate peanut butter chia pudding, chicken quinoa veggie bowls, and banana bread (I know this isn't technically super health food, but when I'm eating desserts that have fruit in them, it definitely seems noteworthy), and being the kind benefactor that I am, I've decided to share some of them with you. There will no doubt be more to come as I discover more foods that appeal to me.
Chocolate Peanut Butter Chia Pudding
Just about the easiest thing you can make, for real.
-1 cup almond milk
-1/4 cup chia seeds
-3 tbsp cocoa powder
-2 tbsp peanut butter
-2 tbsp honey
Whisk those puppies together and toss them in the fridge for a few hours or overnight if you're really feeling wild, then brace yourself for the weird texture of hydrated chia.
Chicken Quinoa Veggie Bowl
-2 yellow squash (what actually is the plural of squash? Is it still just squash? Squashes? Squish?)
-1 bell pepper
-2 medium tomatoes
-1 small can of corn
-1 can of beans (optional if you're feeling it)
-1-2 chicken breasts, depending on how much protein you're in the mood for
-2 solid handfuls of cilantro
-1 cup quinoa, cook according to instructions on bag
Dice up your vegetables and sautee them for ~5 minutes, then add in the corn, beans, diced tomatoes and cilantro. Stir in the quinoa, then cook and shred the chicken before stirring it in. Easy as it gets. Also, this is super versatile so you can heat it up and throw it into just about whatever you want. I use it as a quesadilla filling sometimes, and this morning I got really wild and mixed it in with some scrambled eggs.
I don't know if this counts as a recipe technically speaking, but I just have to share this information because it was honestly the best sandwich I've ever made for myself. You spread pesto on one side and guacamole with sriracha on the other, then fill that guy up with cheddar, some generous slices of turkey, tomatoes, lettuce, and some diced bell pepper. Fair warning, if you have an esophagus that sucks at its job like me, I can guarantee you will get gnarly heartburn from this, but just stock up on some famotidine and you'll be fine. For real, eating that sandwich was a borderline religious experience. This isn't really related to this whole "healthy eating" segment, but it is food-related and mentioning pesto just reminded me of this sensation burger I had. One of my friends made burgers and mixed pesto in with the meat before cooking them. Guys. So good. Try it, I promise you won't regret it unless you're an angry pesto hater, in which case I'm not sure I can respect you because pesto is my exotic delicious Italian lover.
Big Sky Indoor Championships/Indoor Season 2k17
Man, what a difference one season can make. When I opened my second indoor season, frankly it was a fiasco. I arrived back in Bozeman after a month at home the night before classes started and two days before the first home meet. The following morning, I felt a little under the weather, but I chalked it up to being worn out from the stressful journey from Utah that had changed from a six hour scenic drive to a ten hour snow-induced nightmare, so I proceeded to do my morning run as usual. By the time I got to my first class, I had a splitting headache and a slight fever. I spent the next day in bed with the flu and a fever, but determined that I would still be totally fine to race that Friday. When Friday came, I made a valiant attempt to race the 5k, but ended up dropping out of a race for the first time in my life with over a mile to go. A few days later after a visit to the student health clinic, I was informed that I had the flu, and as a result, my breathing was only at about 70% of what it should be, and that I shouldn't expect to feel completely better for at least two weeks after the period I initially started feeling sick. I spent the next week wheezing my way through easy runs, and didn't even attempt to race again for three weeks, briefly even considering taking the rest of the season completely off from competing.
My first race back was nothing to write home about. It was my first time racing the 5k indoor, having focused on the mile and 3k my first year, and though nothing went noticeably wrong, my time was nowhere near where I felt it should have been (Actually, it was significantly slower than the time I ran in time trials on a dirt course before the cross country season started) and I still didn't feel much like myself. I was incredibly frustrated, especially because my workouts indicated that I should have been significantly faster. I was plagued with doubts about whether the training I put in over the summer and the big jump I had made again over winter break would really pay off or not. The following week however, things started to get back on track. A Wednesday morning workout went much better than I had anticipated, and my second 5k in Poctello that weekend cut 24 seconds off of the converted time I posted just one week earlier, putting me only three seconds behind my all-time personal best. The next weekend, I raced the 3k and finished just two seconds behind my converted personal best, giving me some hope that I would be back and functional enough to race my best for the conference meet.
My last pre-conference workout definitely had me feeling like myself again, and I went into my first race of the weekend calm and confident like I haven't been since cross country season began. I ended up earning my first all-conference honors with a third place finish in the 5k, getting a 22 second indoor personal best and a 19 second overall personal best, and blacking out on the track immediately after. Racing the 5k indoors is an entirely different beast than running it outdoors. Somehow those 25 laps, though they come out to the exact same distance as the 12.5 on an outdoor track, manage to feel substantially longer, and since I focused on the mile/3k indoors last year, coming through the 3k and realizing I still had a full ten laps to go was quite a shock to the system the first few times I raced it. (Actually, I've only raced the 5k indoors a grand total of three times, so I have to admit it's still a shock to the system). The following day was when I got to experience some of the rewards of the fitness I worked for over the summer and winter break. Changing my mileage from 50 a week to 70 a week over the course of the year didn't feel like such a huge difference until the day after the 5k when I lined up for the 3k feeling as fresh as daisy. I ended up doubling back with a second place finish in that, and an eleven second personal best. I finished the conference weekend finally feeling like I was seeing some of the breakthrough I had been anticipating since last summer, though I still have a long way to go before I reach my goals.
Now that indoor is officially over for my team, we have already set our sights on outdoor. Immediately upon arriving in Bozeman, my teammates Weezy and Andrew joined me for a late-night run to herald the arrival of the outdoor season. This week I'm back up at seventy miles after a short taper pre-conference, and holy cats ya girl could use a nap and some dessert. (Seriously, if you make dessert anytime soon and have extras, hit me up for my address and send it my way). But when it comes down to it, I love running so the effort will always be worth it for the opportunity to continue improving and chasing my goals. This outdoor season, I am planning on seriously competing in the 10k for the first time and aiming for a 34 minute converted time, which will ideally be enough to take me to the national meet. I am also shooting for a sub-16:30 5k, which would be good enough for a Montana State school record and another step in the journey towards that sub-16 5k, which is strange to say considering that my freshman year of high school, all I really wanted was to go sub-20 during the cross season. But hey, always gotta stay chasing improvement.
My first race back was nothing to write home about. It was my first time racing the 5k indoor, having focused on the mile and 3k my first year, and though nothing went noticeably wrong, my time was nowhere near where I felt it should have been (Actually, it was significantly slower than the time I ran in time trials on a dirt course before the cross country season started) and I still didn't feel much like myself. I was incredibly frustrated, especially because my workouts indicated that I should have been significantly faster. I was plagued with doubts about whether the training I put in over the summer and the big jump I had made again over winter break would really pay off or not. The following week however, things started to get back on track. A Wednesday morning workout went much better than I had anticipated, and my second 5k in Poctello that weekend cut 24 seconds off of the converted time I posted just one week earlier, putting me only three seconds behind my all-time personal best. The next weekend, I raced the 3k and finished just two seconds behind my converted personal best, giving me some hope that I would be back and functional enough to race my best for the conference meet.
My last pre-conference workout definitely had me feeling like myself again, and I went into my first race of the weekend calm and confident like I haven't been since cross country season began. I ended up earning my first all-conference honors with a third place finish in the 5k, getting a 22 second indoor personal best and a 19 second overall personal best, and blacking out on the track immediately after. Racing the 5k indoors is an entirely different beast than running it outdoors. Somehow those 25 laps, though they come out to the exact same distance as the 12.5 on an outdoor track, manage to feel substantially longer, and since I focused on the mile/3k indoors last year, coming through the 3k and realizing I still had a full ten laps to go was quite a shock to the system the first few times I raced it. (Actually, I've only raced the 5k indoors a grand total of three times, so I have to admit it's still a shock to the system). The following day was when I got to experience some of the rewards of the fitness I worked for over the summer and winter break. Changing my mileage from 50 a week to 70 a week over the course of the year didn't feel like such a huge difference until the day after the 5k when I lined up for the 3k feeling as fresh as daisy. I ended up doubling back with a second place finish in that, and an eleven second personal best. I finished the conference weekend finally feeling like I was seeing some of the breakthrough I had been anticipating since last summer, though I still have a long way to go before I reach my goals.
 |
| #DramaQueen #WhenYouSeeYourGPA |
Now that indoor is officially over for my team, we have already set our sights on outdoor. Immediately upon arriving in Bozeman, my teammates Weezy and Andrew joined me for a late-night run to herald the arrival of the outdoor season. This week I'm back up at seventy miles after a short taper pre-conference, and holy cats ya girl could use a nap and some dessert. (Seriously, if you make dessert anytime soon and have extras, hit me up for my address and send it my way). But when it comes down to it, I love running so the effort will always be worth it for the opportunity to continue improving and chasing my goals. This outdoor season, I am planning on seriously competing in the 10k for the first time and aiming for a 34 minute converted time, which will ideally be enough to take me to the national meet. I am also shooting for a sub-16:30 5k, which would be good enough for a Montana State school record and another step in the journey towards that sub-16 5k, which is strange to say considering that my freshman year of high school, all I really wanted was to go sub-20 during the cross season. But hey, always gotta stay chasing improvement.
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