good to know | LexRunLadies

May 14 2013

LRL Volunteer Opportunities

LexRunLadies is such a huge part of my life. However, my life is becoming increasingly busy. And, for LexRunLadies to continue the way it has been, I need some help.

And that’s where I hope you will come in. Do you love LexRunLadies? Do you have a little time and effort to take some of my load? Unfortunately, there will be no compensation other than awesome karma and regular hugs from me. I’d love to be able to pay for some help, but considering there are no fees for LRL (and that will not change!), we’re just gonna have to be paid in good feelings – myself included.

Here’s what I’m looking for help with:

Point of Contact for Weekly Activities

I’m looking for 3 ladies – one to represent each of our weekly activities. I’m looking for someone who can commit to be at ~~West Sixth Running Club on Tuesdays~~ (thanks a ton, Libby!), ~~West Sixth Yoga on Wednesdays~~ (thanks for stepping up, Jaime!), and Polo Club/Deer Haven on Thursdays.
If you can’t be there on a particular week, just find someone to be the point of contact for you. You would leave this info in the FB post with the weekly schedule.
You will be responsible for responding to any questions on facebook about the activity. Ladies (or dudes) who are coming for the first time will find you at the event.
I will forward any email questions about the specific activity to you for response.
You will be the person who makes decisions about cancelling due to weather and to announce on facebook and twitter. I will give you the twitter information so you can tweet from the LRL account.
I’ll also ask that you write up a little post for the website. I’ll give you details, but I’ll just ask you to introduce yourself and tell a little about the specifics of the activity and including any necessary details (address, where to park, what to bring, what time to show up, etc).

Social Activity Coordinator

I absolutely love getting together in “real clothes” or just outside of running. I’m looking for someone to schedule and plan a monthly social event.
This is wide open. Picnics, potlucks, art hops, shopping in Woodland Triangle, SurfSet class, Bikram yoga. Anything. Wide open.
Coordinator would plan activity, make necessary reservations, post info to website/facebook/twitter (I would provide log-in info), coordinate any necessary details.

Tshirt Coordinator (Kelly has graciously stepped up for this! Thank you!)

I am hoping to continue the trend of ordering tshirts two or three times a year.
I will handle the design of the shirt, receipt of money through paypal, and paying the vendors for the shirts. (So no money will have to pass through the hands of the Coordinator!)
I am looking for someone to coordinate the order. This would include posting details of the order on the website, facebook, and twitter, putting reminders on facebook and twitter, maintaining spreadsheet of orders/payments, and getting final order to vendor.
The Tshirt Coordinator will also receive all email questions about the shirts.
The Coordinator would also be responsible for distributing shirts by organizing a time and place for pickup. This will also need to be announced on the website, facebook, and twitter.

Blog Coordinator

I love reading Race Recaps and Runner Profiles. And I think we need more of them on the website. I’m also interested in adding another feature – “the best place I ever ran,” “runner shout-outs,” “hidden local gems,” etc. I think the more personal content we have, the more intimate our little group is and the more comfortable we feel running with each other.
I’m looking for someone to reach out to group members to write for the blog. I have questions for runner profiles that I will provide.
The Blog Coordinator will edit and post member content through WordPress. The Blog Coordinator will announce on twitter and facebook that the links are active.
I will forward all email and questions about writing for the blog to the Blog Coordinator.

Blog Contributors

Help us out! Be on the lookout for running and group related topics to write about. Race recaps, awesome routes, funny stories. If you think, “Man, I’d love to tell the LexRunLadies about that!” then DO IT!
Willing to write up a Runner Profile or a Race Recap? Please do!

If you are interested and able to help in any way, please shoot me an email to LexRunLadies@gmail.com and we’ll get the ball rolling!

Thank you in advance, friends. This is truly a labor of love. I hope you will join with me.

Jul 11 2012

8 Comments

excitement!, getting started, going long, good to know, schedule

looking forward to fall!

We are at that point in the summer where we need to be committing to training plans for fall races. Also, some of the registration fees go up in the next few weeks, so I wanted to let you all know what races the LexRunLadies would be focused on!

July 29th – The Color Run 5K

I am very very excited about this race. It is going to be a blast! It is very laid back. It isn’t even timed! Registration is still open and I assume carpooling will be encouraged. I ordered shirts last week, but I will have a few extras, so hit me up quick if you’re interested!

If you haven’t registered, check our FB page as someone had a few open registrations at the early bird price. I can also send you a link to save $5 that I can dig out of my email if you need it.

August 11 – this is a BIG DAY.

Part 1 – At 8:30am, we’ll take a group of ladies down to run the Run with All your Hart 5K in honor of Sarah Hart. I volunteer to drive a carload down. I think this is an important race. We need to show our support and love in response to this senseless tragedy.

Part 2- At 8:30pm, we’ll head downtown to the MidSummer Night’s Run. This is one of my favorite 5Ks. It is also the graduation race for our current C25K class. 2 races in one day? It doesn’t get more hardcore than this, ladies. (And it’s good double-run practice for us Bourbon Chasers.)

September 22 – CASA 10K.

To my knowledge, this is the only fall 10K (and a popular race for PRs). It is a nice course at Coldstream. I’ll have the training program up in the next few days, but it will start with a long run of 4 miles the last weekend in July. You can do that, right?

September 28-29 – The Bourbon Chase

Just go poke around the site and see how cool this race is. Lots of your fellow Ladies (and Dudes) will be running. We’d love to see familiar faces at aid stations and the finish line!

October 14 – The Iron Horse Half Marathon

This race is amazing. Wonderful course.nGreat size. Great medal. Lots and lots of our Ladies will be there. The training program starts next week! I’m hoping to have enough volunteers to have a LexRunLadies water station just like we had at RunTheBluegrass. Oh, and there will be tshirts!

October 21 – The PTA 5K

This will be the graduation race for the next class of C25Kers. We are partnering with the YMCA and the 16th District PTA to train new runners for this race. Volunteer Coaches are needed for weekly training sessions and I’m hoping some of you will pay it forward! I should have more concrete info in the next few days.

October 26 – The Black Cat 5K

I love night races. And I love running in Frankfort. So I’m putting this one on the schedule. It is such a fun race. You’ll love it!

November 11 – The Marshall Marathon and Half Marathon

EEK! Yup, you read that right. Marathon. Marathon training for this race started last week, and half marathon training still has a few weeks until it kicks off. I know already that Kelly has committed to the full and Lydia to the half. I’m sure they’d love to have your support or company! This race is pretty stinking flat compared to anything we run around here. The crowd support is what you’d expect out of a small race, but it is really pretty flat.

I will not be there, however, because Nathan, Amber and I will be
running the OBX Marathon the same day. This is going to be a big weekend!

So where will we see you? Will you be running, cheering, or volunteering?

Jul 05 2012

4 Comments

fuel, going long, good to know

going long

The 10K yesterday was so much fun! You all did so well! And just think, C25Kers. Next year, YOU’LL be out there!

I heard the clammer yesterday in person and on facebook today. A lot of you are thinking about what’s next. And for some of you, that will be the Iron Horse Half Marathon. I cannot tell you how excited this makes me. I love that race. For first time halfers and for repeaters. It will be a great time and we will train on the course a lot this summer so you will be ready. Never fear.

I wanted to talk to you a little about what to expect with a half. Just so you would be able to make an informed decision.

I have outlined a training plan for the half that started this week, but you do have little time before you have to commit. The first run longer than a 10K isn’t until September 1. So as long as you ran the 10K (or could comfortably do so), you have a few weeks before things ramp up.

A few notes on following a training plan:

Be realistic. I know the plan calls for workouts most days, but that isn’t always possible. I personally plan on 5 runs a week, knowing that I will consistently make 4. And that’s okay for me. If I planned for 4? I’d probably make 3. So it is good for me to overshoot. If you are a more rigid schedule-follower, you may just want to plan as many as you know you can do. Shoot me an email if you want to talk about how to specifically tailor the plan to your schedule.
The longs runs are absolutely necessary. The mid-week runs need to happen as well, but are a little more flexible. I read somewhere that the long runs make you able to complete the distance. The more shorter runs you get in, the more comfortable it will be. I believe that.

Other hints from me:

Set yourself up for success. Commit to this distance only if you have the time to train, don’t let us peer pressure you.
Believe in yourself. If you can run 4 miles today, you can do this race in October. You can.
Make a plan. Put the training plan into your phone or google calendar. Find buddies to run with. Plan routes. Discuss options for childcare if necessary. Remove as many excuses as you can.
Make a committment. Pay the race fee. Tell everyone you know that you are running a half-marathon. Post your training calendar on your fridge or at your desk (or both). Talk about it. People will ask you about it, and you want to be able to brag on yourself.
Do not set a time goal. If this is your first half, your goal is to finish. And have a good time. With it being your first, any time is a Personal Best!

So, who’s in?

Anyone else have any other hints/tips?

(Also? I’m planing on getting specific LRL Iron Horse shirts for us to wear to the race. It will be EPIC. We even have a LexRunLady coming all the way from Kansas!0

Jun 05 2012

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good to know, website overview

LRL Website 101

So you’re part of LexRunLadies.

You might visit the website from time to time. You might keep up with us on facebook or twitter. And maybe you’ve signed up for the newsletter.

But have you spent any time poking around the archives here? Do you really know what’s here on the website for you? I think there’s some pretty nifty stuff, so I thought I’d show you!

Look up at the top of the page, right under our lovely logo.

Let’s start under the “About” tab on the top.

From there, you can find info on how to keep in touch with us all over the place. You can find the links to our twitter and facebook. You can sign up for our weekly newsletter. It is also the place to find the link to our SpreadShirt store for LRL gear. The email is there, and some information about me. (And if you write for the group a few times and want your info up on the contributors section, just let me know!)

There is so much useful stuff under the “Resources” tab too!

You’ll find useful articles that we have written about a variety of running topics. Links to running calendars are linked for Lexington, Louisville, Cincinnati, and the Huntington area. Also linked are general training programs and running resources. Lots of places to learn more about running.

The “Summer Runners” tab is the information for our newest runners.

I just renamed the Resolution Runners tab and added the 10K info. This is your easy stop for the training calendars for these groups. Resources specific to these groups and the flyer are posted here as well.

The “Schedule” tab keeps you updated on what we have coming up.

Details for the upcoming week are listed here. (I schedule updates to happen on Monday mornings). I will link to parking and meeting spot details. Sometimes it is just weekend runs, sometimes we have mid-week activities. (There will be more mid-week activities this summer!)

Also, two very important google documents are kept here.

The Schedule Spreadsheet is our sign-up sheet. This tells me who to expect and keeps you accountable. This way, we know to expect you. I quit using this for a while because no one was using it, but it is really helpful to the organizers of our events. I strongly encourage you to sign up if you know you are coming to an event.
The Calendar is posted here as well. Even though I only post details of runs a week in advance, I usually have a full month of runs outlined here. This helps you plan a little farther in the future. You’ll also know the next time we will run your favorite routes. (I’m looking at including a trail run or hike one Saturday a month through the summer, just so you know!)

The “Training Groups” tab lists specific training plans that the group will be using for a variety of distances.

You can always modify as you need, but this is the general plan you can expect to follow if you you come to a group run and look for others training for the same race. The plans for 5K and 10K started last month. Half and Full Marathon plans start in July. Want to check them out? They’re posted up there in google calendar and excel files. Through the summer, we will have Ladies training for the MidSummer Night’s Run 5K, the Bluegrass 10,000 (10K), Iron Horse and Marshall Half-Marathons, and Marshall and Outer Banks Marathons. I think that’s pretty awesome.

But that’s not all…there’s information along the bottom of the page too! (I’ll wait while you scroll down and then come back up.)

Tweets! For those of you that aren’t on twitter, our feed shows up here. This will show tweets that @LexRunLadies has tweeted, retweeted, or favorited.
Subscribe by email. By putting your address in here, posts made here are sent to your email address. Makes sure you don’t miss them. It does not sign you up for the newsletter. It does not give you updates to any tabs across the top. It just alerts you to new posts like this one.
Categories. I try really hard to keep all of the posts here organized. So if you are interested in what races people have ran, just click on “race reports” and it will take you to all posts that have been categorized that way. Want to meet some of our members? Click on “Runner Profiles.” “Maps” will take you to all posts that have route maps in them. Want details about Shillito Park? There it is! Want to learn more about the Iron Horse Half Marathon? Click on that category and you’ll see a few different takes of it.

So look around in there!

What else would you like to see?

Feb 17 2012

3 Comments

fuel, gear, going long, good to know, weather

preparing for the long run

I’ve gotten to the point where I find it funny when people say that running is cheap, that it doesn’t require a lot of gear. And I guess, for most people, that’s right. But as I gathered my gear for my cold 14-miler last weekend, I had to laugh. It takes a lot of gear to run that long!

my running backpack (for times the belt isn't big enough)

the water I hoped didn't freeze (it didn't!)

lots of food, since I didn't know what I'd want. Ended up taking 2 Gus and one Clif shot

entertainment in case of boredom or exhaustion (didn't need it)

necessities: kleenex. carmex, keys, garmin, shades

my new favorite blister-preventing socks

2 layers of pants - Nike combat tights topped with cotton pants

long sleeve tech and short sleeve tech tee

and the layer I knew would end up in my backpack - headband, gloves, and my sauna raincoat

And I was right. The jacket came off at Mile 1. The gloves around 3. But I wore the headband the whole time. I never got out my phone for entertainment.

It was such a good run, but I think I feel so confident because I feel so prepared.

Is there anything I need to add next time? Any gear suggestions?

Feb 07 2012

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gear, good to know, guest post, well-rounded runner

making a case for a heart rate monitor

Kelly loves her heart rate monitor and makes a good case for one. Makes me want to dig mine out of…um, somehwere.
Come back tomorrow for details of this weekend’s runs!

~krissie

Running is a simple sport. It’s a natural motion like chewing or walking. Sure, there are things that can be done to make it more efficient, and practice always makes you better, but it really doesn’t require much. Even less if you buy into the barefoot running movement. I, myself, prefer to run in shoes, and I’m ok with that.

Navigating the needs and wants of running gear can be difficult and confusing. Shoes, clothing, fuel belts, smartphone apps, GPS, Heart Rate Monitors, MP3 players, earbuds, the list goes on and on. None of this stuff is cheap. I started running with just an Ipod. Then I got a smartphone app that would track my distance. Then I made the leap to a Heart Rate Monitor.

Initially, I bought a heart rate monitor to track my burned calories. It tracks your heart rate and uses your height and weight to calculate the calories you’ve burned during your workout, which also helps if you’re counting calories. If you’re running, you can estimate that you burn about 100 calories per mile, but that can vary depending upon your effort and your weight. For example, running a 12 minute mile took more effort for me when I began running than it does now, so I burned more calories doing the same workout a year ago because I weighed more and it took more energy. Energy burned=calories burned.

I’m a numbers kinda girl so I love to see those numbers on my wrist tick up as I go. The monitor I use shows the burned calories readout under the display of my actual current heart rate so I can monitor these at the same time. In the beginning I didn’t pay much attention to my heart rate. It was just incidental that when I glanced down at my wrist to look at the calories display, I also saw my heart rate.

It wasn’t until I had been using the monitor for a while that I noticed a change in my heart rate, especially on routes that I ran often. I’d be plugging along, usually up a hill, look down and see that my heart rate was slower than the first few times I’d run the exact same route. I noted the difference and attributed it to a slower pace. I didn’t seem to be working as hard as in the past either. So when I sat down to analyze and track (I said I loved numbers) the data from my running app and my heart rate monitor, I was surprised at what I found. I was running the same or faster pace than when I had begun and my heart rate was lower! There was only one conclusion to draw from these findings: I was getting fitter!

So there I was. Working hard and seeing quantifiable results in my fitness. Reduced blood pressure, lower resting heart rate, lower working heart rate. All of my “numbers” were trending down, surely my weight would be too. I hopped on the scale and found that I was the same weight as the last time I weighed two weeks earlier. Bummer. I had been eating well, working out and listening to my body, but had seen no changes in my weight. The shape of my body had even changed! It was then and there that I decided that the numbers on the scale were not the only important ones.

I use my heart rate monitor as a guide depending on the kind of run I’m doing. If I’m doing a long run, I try to keep my heart rate under a certain number. If I’m doing a tempo run, I use it to gauge my effort and make sure I’m putting in the work that will make me improve. Lately, I’ve been having some trouble pacing myself and I run out of gas too soon, so I use it to make sure I’m not working too hard to fast.

There are all kinds of ways to train with a heart rate monitor. You can find some of them here, but those involve percentages and equations that I’m just too impatient to deal with so here’s my bottom line. I started to use a heart rate monitor when I was a very novice runner. I wasn’t any good at listening to my body and still struggle with it. My HRM translated my efforts into a readout that I could see. Over time, that readout became something that I could understand and use as a training aid that I still use. I’m still learning how to use the information it gives me to my advantage. I may not use the formulas and percentages of maximum heart rate and all that jazz, but you don’t have to do that to get the benefit out of it.

If you’ve taken up running, jogging, run-walking, race-walking or just plain ‘ole walking for the benefit of your health, like I did, a heart rate monitor can help you see the subtle progress you’re making that you may not see anywhere else yet, including on the scale. You can see quantifiable results just by tracking the numbers on your wrist. If you’re counting calories, it can give you an accurate number of calories burned to track.

As a new runner, it may be hard for you to listen to your body. There’s a reason for that. IT’S HARD! We’re conditioned to sometimes ignore the things our body is telling us because we’re busy with work or kids or whatever else. Sometimes we need cues that tell us that we’re working too hard or not hard enough. A heart rate monitor can give you those cues. Everybody is different and what is training too hard for me may be different for you. It takes some time to learn what your cues are but when you do, I promise, you’ll be amazed at the progress you didn’t even know you were making!

Feb 02 2012

4 Comments

fuel, going long, good to know, guest post, half-marathon, marathon

Tackling the Long Run Part 2: Nutrition

More from Erin!

Proper nutrition for your long run can make or break your performance and recovery. I am not an authority on nutrition so much of what I am going to say is what I have learned through reading and personal trial and error.

First, think of your long run in terms of time instead of miles. This will help you determine when and if you need fueling. For this blog post, we will consider anything longer than an hour a long run.

Before your run:

If running greater than an hour you need to give your body something to use for fuel before it starts relying on your stores. Eat anywhere from 1-2 hours prior, with a meal containing a mix of carbohydrates/protein that is easy on your stomach. Carbs should make up at least 75-80% of your meal. There should be little fat. Caffeine is okay and some studies show it can enhance performance. Drink fluids so you start your run hydrated. Tidbit: train your body to go to the bathroom now so that you are, ahem, cleaned out before your long run and don’t have the dreaded CODE BROWN or runner’s trots.

Suggestions: peanut or almond butter on bread or bagel, oats with nut butter, smoothie, banana, energy bar

During your run:

Your source of fuel during a long run is your glycogen stores. If you run long enough you will use up your stores and bonk, also known as hitting the wall. The trick is to figure out when you typically bonk and start fueling PRIOR to this point. Personally, I found that when running an hour and a half, I would get really tired and cranky around 1:15. I experimented and found that eating every 45 min prevented that from happening. At this point, you need simple sugars that are quickly digested. The key is to find something that tastes good and doesn’t upset your stomach. Stomachs are notoriously finicky when running so trial and error is usually needed to figure out what will work best.

Suggestions: gels (i.e. GU), chomps, chews marketed as performance foods, raisins, jelly beans, gummy bears, honey

Hydration:

Hydration is widely variable based on person, temperature, humidity, and intensity of run. For me, during the winter I can run an hour without water breaks, but if I run longer I bring along a bottle to drink roughly every 20 mins. However, last summer I found myself stopping every 10-15 mins to drink water or Gatorade, no matter the distance. When sweating a lot drink something to replace electrolytes, but otherwise you should be fine with water. Again, this is personal preference.

Hydrating tips: drink 4-6 ounces every 20 minutes. If you are thirstier than this, drink more! Hydration the day before and day of your run will affect how you feel, as well.

Alternatively, calculate your “sweat rate”: Weigh yourself before a run, run an hour, then weigh again. Each pound lost is equal to 16 oz of fluid. So 2 pounds lost means you need 32 oz fluid during your run, at intervals of 15-20 minutes.

After your run:

Nutrition after the long run is critical for the recovery process. Your muscles are tired and depleted of their stores, so you want to replenish that glycogen with carbohydrates. But you need protein too–it helps heal muscle damage and speeds up glycogen replacement. Most suggest a carb:protein ratio of 3:1 or 4:1. Ideally, eat within 30-60 minutes to get the most benefit.

Suggestions: low fat chocolate milk, greek yogurt, apple with peanut butter, recovery smoothie

Special thanks to Runners World and No Meat Athlete for providing me with a lot of the above tips over the past year!

Feb 01 2012

1 Comment

going long, good to know, guest post, half-marathon, marathon, well-rounded runner

Tackling the Long Run Part 1: How in the $#%^ do I run that far???

So my running buddy Erin was sweet enough to write out a few posts about running long so there wouldn’t be crickets here while I was out of town. Thanks so much, E!

Now that you have mastered your initial goal, which was to begin running and build a nice base, you may wonder “What next?” For some of us, part of the lure of running is always having a goal to work toward. That usually comes down to either going faster or going farther. I am a self-proclaimed slow runner so someone else can help us with the speed part. However, going farther is something I’ve accomplished and working toward again (shout out to my fellow Flying Pig’ers!!). The key to remember: Running a long run is not as intimidating as it seems. Remember when running a mile seemed impossible? But with a plan and hard work, you ran that mile. Same thing goes for big mileage.

First, what is your mileage goal? Do you want to run a 10k, a half marathon, or marathon? Or some other distance in between? Then research plans either online or in books and magazines to help you get there. Most 5k or 10k plans last 6-8 weeks. Half marathons typically 12 weeks, and marathons about 16 weeks. Choose a race (or deadline) that your plan can fit into. If you need to add a few weeks that is okay, but don’t take out too many weeks or your plan may not get you there. Sources I like are Hal Higdon, Cool Running, and Runners World.

Training plans typically will have you do one long run a week (usually on the weekend when you aren’t working) and a varying number of shorter runs during the week. You will gradually build up your mileage on your long runs until you reach your goal. Then, if you are doing a half marathon or marathon you will end with a few weeks of tapering. You will be plenty rested and injury free for race day.

But how do you actually choose a plan for you? BE REALISTIC. I found a great marathon training plan that called for five runs a week. I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve managed to run even 4 times a week so I knew this plan was completely unrealistic for me. Instead, I kept the long Saturday run of the schedule and changed the mid-week runs. Using another schedule, I inserted what I knew my body could handle. Combining plans helps you to tailor the schedule to something you are more likely to accomplish.

Tip: I always schedule long runs for Saturdays so I get it out of way. However, it also gives me leeway–if the weather is bad or I’m not feeling well, I always have Sunday to make up my run.

Do you need cross training? Maybe. If you want to strengthen your core or want to get aerobic exercise without putting more strain on your knees and feet, then go for it. I have a blast at Zumba so I want it in my schedule. I like yoga. So I keep it there.

Rest days are important. I have 1-2 rest days per week. Others do more. Find what will work with your time and body.

In summary, find a good outline of a plan and change it to suit YOU keeping in mind your body and how much time you realistically have. If you get a few weeks or a month into it and it’s not working well for you–change it!! Training plans are not one size fits all.

Stay tuned for Part Two: hydration and fueling during your long run.

Jan 25 2012

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gear, good to know, group run/shuffle/walk, guest post, photos, well-rounded runner

YMCA Strength and Conditioning Clinic

Huge thanks to Kelly for the pictures and write-up from the Strength and Conditioning Clinic last weekend at the YMCA. I was especially bummed that my body didn’t cooperate well with this event. Looks like you had such a good time – and learned so much!

The LexRunLadies took it downtown on Saturday January 21^st, at the YMCA on High Street. Ten ladies braved the potentially icy roads to meet with Y personal trainer, Jason who gave us some instruction and ideas on Dynamic and Static stretching, strength training and injury prevention.

Jason showed us 10-12 dynamic stretches and we followed his lead in performing them. Some of them were a bit silly (walking like Frankenstein’s monster) and some were very simple (skipping). He assured us that even though we thought we looked silly, our bodies would thank us, and even reward us for doing these with fewer injuries and sore muscles. (Stretching instructions to come!) Jason suggested doing this type of “dynamic stretching” after a few minutes of moderate running to warm up your muscles, and then go on with your scheduled run.

We moved on to static stretching. Everyone remembers static stretching from Gym class in school, but it turns out that there had been research showing that doing these kind of stretches before running can actually do more harm than good. Jason said that we should be doing these stretches after our runs to lengthen our muscles, improve flexibility, and work out some of the stiffness that creeps up during our runs.

Jason also talked a little about injury prevention and gave us a few tips on how to deal with sore muscles and muscle knots. He told us that it’s important to be consistent and use the dynamic and static stretching as a tool. Stretching is just as important to improving as the miles you put in. When you get sore or stiff muscles, it’s critical that you take the appropriate action to prevent further injury. This is where things like rest days come in. It can be tempting not to use rest days when you are seeing improvement or when you’re in training for a race, but rest days are just as important to your training as your runs. They give your muscles time to build and recover, and be ready for your next workout.

Jason introduced us to some tools to aid us in dealing with sore muscles and knots.

The Stick:

The Stick is sort of like a rolling pin with multiple short rollers instead of one long one, though he said an actual rolling pin would do the same job. Basically, you roll The Stick along your muscles to smooth out the tight spots. You’ll be able to tell the tight spots or knots in your muscle as they’ll be hard and likely painful to roll over. This is normal. You need to work these knots out because they can cause more damage to your muscle if you don’t.

The Stick is available at thestick.com, amazon.com, John’s and a ton of other online retailers and cost around $30 depending on the model you buy. There are also different brands that are similar to The Stick available.

The Stick relies fully on your arms to do all of the work and get the tool to penetrate into the muscles where you need it. This can be difficult for a lot of us who are still working on building upper-body strength. That’s where the foam roller comes in.

Foam Roller from Foamerica:

Grid Foam Roller from Running Warehouse

The foam roller is used for the same purpose as The Stick would be. To work out the kinks and knots in your muscles. Unlike The Stick, foam roller exercises use your body weight to work the knots in your muscles. There are all kinds of different varieties, lengths, and diameters of Foam Rollers out there. These take a little practice and a lot of balance to use effectively. There are classes given in the use of the foam roller, but you can easily find video tutorials on youtube. They’re available to purchase at John’s, amazon.com, running warehouse, and other online retailers and start at around $10. A Grid roller will cost you around $40.

After the clinic at the Y, some ladies went for a run around downtown covering distances from 4 to 10 miles. Luckily the weather didn’t get as bad as it could have and we didn’t find one icy spot.

We had a blast on Saturday and learned a lot. Thanks again to the High St. YMCA for lending us your space! Thanks to Jason for giving us your time, your expertise and your photography skills. Thanks to all the ladies who came out and made this even a success!

Jan 20 2012

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good to know, group run/shuffle/walk, maps, schedule

YMCA Clinic + Group Run

It is a great weekend to be a LexRunLady!

We’ll start off Saturday at 8 am with a Strength and Conditioning Clinic at the High Street YMCA!

Anyone who wants to run from there is strongly encouraged! I don’t know if I’ll make it, though. My body has thrown me a little curveball. I’ll be playing it by ear. But I have found a few routes from the YMCA.

2 miles.