Janky, janky

At the race expo last week, I underwent a gait analysis. I've always been instructed to wear a neutral running shoe, and this instance was no different. However, I received some different running advice this time around.

The man performing my gait analysis (we'll call him Mr. Gait Analyzer) asked if I was dealing with any injuries. I told him about my bout with IT band syndrome, which has thankfully been under control these days. I also mentioned my stubborn piriformis syndrome.

Mr. Gait Analyzer showed me a video of my stride. He pointed out that my lower leg exhibits a noticeable angle when my foot hits the ground (he gave me the actual angle measurement in degrees, but I forget the exact number). Additionally, my footstrike exhibits a distinctive outward roll.

The technical term is that I underpronate. I believe it's also called supination.

I am the poster child for the underpronation diagram on the left.
Source

I have actually been keenly aware of my janky footstrike for quite some time. The outer soles of my running shoes wear down much more quickly than everywhere else. Plus, the underpronation is visible in some of my race photos. Here is an example from the 2013 Prairie State Half Marathon:

I always cringe when I see the jankiness caught on camera. I think it looks horrifically awkward. But when I am running, my footstrike doesn't feel awkward or painful to me. It's just my natural stride.

Mr. Gait Analyzer explained that the underpronation puts added pressure on the piriformis. This is because the foot's outward rotation forces the piriformis (and the entire lower body, really) to compensate for the uneven motion and unequal distribution of weight. He advised that I try to work on changing my stride to a more centralized footstrike.

The diagnosis and Rx both make perfect sense. However, it is much easier said than done to change your pronation.

I've given it a couple of tries. During my short runs, I've been focusing on trying to land more on my inner foot. However, it feels incredibly stiff and awkward. I feel like I lose all fluidity in my stride and that my feet are slapping the pavement. Plus, my feet hurt afterwards. In short, I feel like a fish out of water. Or maybe a fish trying to learn how to run.

On a side note, this is actually the second time I'm working on changing my stride. I used to be a heel striker, but several years ago I turned myself into a midfoot striker. That transition was not very difficult. It felt like a much more natural change than altering my pronation.

Honestly, I'm surprised that I am still being diagnosed to wear neutral running shoes. My footstrike looks anything but "neutral" to me! But, I will leave this to the experts. It probably says something that different experts have all given me consistent shoe diagnoses over the years, too.

I'm not sure if this pronation change is something that just requires time (a lot of time) to get used to, or if it requires more specialized focus? I'm going to keep working at this in the coming weeks and we'll see what happens.

To be continued.

Sticking up for myself

I had an interesting moment while traveling to DC last week.

At Midway Airport, Adam and I got randomly selected to go through the TSA PreCheck lanes. It was so nice not to have to remove my laptop, shoes, or 3-1-1 bag. Wheeee!!!

Alas, lest I sashay too gallantly through security, the TSA agent working the bag x-ray pulled my suitcase off of the conveyer and set it aside. He called for an inspection. Ruh roh.

???

I started racking my brain for what might have triggered the inspection. Were they going to nail me for the bottle of BodyGlide that I had stuffed into my running shoes instead of inside my Ziploc bag? I was pretty sure the bottle was less than 3 ounces but maybe not? Or perhaps the foil in the GU packets was causing suspicion. It would be terrible if they confiscated those. I had brought the Salted Caramel flavor, which are my favorite!

The inspection agent came by. She picked up my bag and asked me to confirm that it was mine and that I had packed it myself. Yes and yes.

She brought it over to the inspection table and showed me what had come up on the x-ray.

I peered at the screen and instantly realized the problem. It looked like I had a police baton in my bag! E.g.:

The culprit for the offending picture? It was actually my portable massage roller ("The Stick"!)

Since The Stick is much more portable than a foam roller, it is easily my go-to muscle-rolling tool when I'm traveling.

I tried not to laugh while I told the agent what it was. I offered to take it out of the suitcase for closer inspection. Adam, who was standing nearby, jokingly added, "...and if anyone is in need of some muscle relief..."

The agent smiled when she saw The Stick. She swabbed it for explosive residue and found none, of course. Then she said, "I had a pretty good feeling what it was. But the guy working the machine is new. He doesn't know." I also smiled and told her, "No worries, I'd rather that we are safe with these things."

--

Linking up with April, Patty, and Erika for Tuesdays on the Run.

Rock N Roll DC Half Marathon race recap

Rock N Roll DC Half Marathon completed this past Saturday!

Despite weather challenges, I had a great time running this race! I've got a lot to share. Today we'll go with the "Good, Bad, and Ugly" recap format.

The Good

• The course was stunning. The amazing array of scenery included the National Mall, the Lincoln Memorial, the Washington Monument, the White House, the Memorial Bridge, Rock Creek Park, the Potomac River, Woodley Park, Calvert Hill, Howard University, the Kennedy Center, Adams Morgan, etc. etc. etc.

The starting line.
Due to rainy conditions, this was unfortunately the only picture I took on the course.

• There were a lot of touching elements to the course, too. In Rock Creek Park, there were dozens and dozens of signs with pictures of fallen soldiers and their names/ages. Along Calvert Hill, there were folks lined up along both sides of the street holding American flags. These all brought tears to my eyes.
• Despite very rainy, inclement conditions, the volunteers, spectators, and my fellow-racers were unbelievably energetic and spirited. 
• At the water stations, the volunteers were amazing. They did a great job keeping things upbeat. Some made jokes like, "Don't be shy, there's no water shortage!" or "We're just putting out the cups. The rain is filling them up for you!" 
• Dozens of spectators were cheering us on in costume, setting up dance stations for us, offering us all kinds of food and beverage. Bacon? Oreos? Bloody Marys? Ask and you shall receive.
• The runners were very diverse - I must have heard a half-dozen different languages being spoken. Folks were cheering each other on, singing at the top of their lungs, kidding around, and overall just having a marvelous time.
• The DC Metro couldn't have been easier or more convenient when getting to the race expo or the starting line.
• My father-in-law, being local to the area, knew of a McDonald's near the starting line that we could stop at. This enabled me to do all of my pre-race prep indoors. It was a godsend.

Donning my stylish garbage-bag dress pre-race to ward off the rain.
Look for this to hit department stores soon. Accept no imitations! 

• Consistent with my prior Rock N Roll race experiences, the event was very well organized with excellent offerings for the runners. I loved the race shirt and medal. I also appreciated the on-course bands, Clif Shots, great selection of post-race food and drink, and space blankets at the finish.
• Military personnel happily handed out the medals at the finish line. This again brought tears to my eyes.

The Bad

• As was feared, it started raining on Friday night and didn't stop until Saturday afternoon. The precipitation kept going throughout the ENTIRE race. Obviously it made for some uncomfortable circumstances. (If you're keeping score at home, this is the third time in the last nine months that I've run a water-logged race. Maybe I should start running races in California to help ward off their awful drought?!?!?)

This is what the DC-area radar looked like on race morning.

• There was no corral enforcement. I think there were 32 corrals, and I saw plenty of folks from later corrals lined up in the earlier corrals.
• This race was not intended to be a PR attempt. However, I did sign up to run with the 2:15 pace group. The pace leader (I think his name was Charlie) was supposed to be stationed in the same corral as I was. I looked for him several times but NEVER saw him. Additionally, other pacers seemed to be positioned weirdly. For example, I saw the 5:00 pacer in an earlier corral than mine. Then, Adam said he saw the 2:15 and 2:30 pacers at the 10K mark only about a minute apart from each other.
• Adam and my father-in-law planned to cheer me on at the 10K area. My father-in-law was wearing a neon orange jacket and Adam was waving his Terrible Towel. They should have been easy to spot in the crowd. I looked all around for them. Unfortunately, we never saw each other. This made me feel bad, considering the effort they made to be there.
• The course was hillier than I expected. It wasn't outrageous, but Calvert Hill near the Mile 6 marker was tough. Additionally, the pavement on the course had some rough patches. Presumably these were the lingering after-effects from a rough winter in DC.

Obligatory race photo body spasm
This was listed on the photo site as "Drumberton Bridge" but I can't find info on it.
My uneducated guess is that it was somewhere around Mile 10.

• My Garmin indicated that I completed the course in 2:16:44, plus or minus a few seconds. However, my chip time was 2:17:27! I think I know what happened. At the starting line, there were two timing mats - one directly under the starting line sign, and one a few feet prior. The organizers/volunteers had my corral line up just prior to the timing mat under the sign. However, some of us, myself included, crossed the other timing mat while we were waiting. I think it activated my chip before my corral was released. I have emailed the race organizers to inquire.

The Ugly

• The race finished at RFK Stadium. It was a lengthy walk from the finish line to the stadium's Metro stop. The walk also included either going up a long incline, or traversing a long flight of stairs.
• Worse yet, once we got to the Metro station, there was an EXTREMELY long and slow-moving line to get onto the train. Had the weather been good, it would have been much less of an issue. However, on this day all of the runners and spectators were exhausted, cold, and wet. There was no place to change clothing or to sit down, either. It was torturous to be standing outside waiting. It took a good hour before we got onto a Metro train.
• Once we did finally get onto the Metro, it was jam-packed, of course. We all couldn't wait to get moving so we could get home. But then, the conductor ended up having to stop the train because a passenger (probably a runner) got sick onboard. Yikes!
• Remember when I said here that my piriformis pain was gone? Yeah, scratch that. During and after the race, my piriformis reared its ugly head again with a vengeance. Sigh. I've clearly still got my work cut out for me.

In closing...

It is really too bad that the relentless rain marred everything, because Rock N Roll DC was a fantastic race. The course was one of the most scenic that I've ever had the privilege of running. The energy was astounding and the sense of patriotism was unparalleled. I would give this race a HUGE two-thumbs up.

Post-race medal glee

Finally, I have to give a very, VERY special thank-you to my wonderful family. Adam and my father-in-law were both up at a truly ungodly hour on Saturday morning to get me to the starting line. As I mentioned, my father-in-law's local knowledge of the pre-race McDonald's location was an absolute godsend. Then, Adam and my father-in-law spent the morning riding the Metro all around DC amidst the rain, crowds, and long lines to spectate, meet me at the finish line, and get me home in one piece. My stepmother-in-law was unfortunately unable to join the day's festivities due to foot issues, but she couldn't have been more supportive, hospitable, or accommodating throughout the entire weekend. Huge thanks also go out to Aunt Marylin, Uncle Marty, and cousin Matthew for all of their wonderful hospitality over the weekend, as well!

MY NEXT RACE: The Shamrock Shuffle on March 29

Thinking out loud

Another new-to-me linkup! Today I'm participating in Thinking Out Loud Thursday, hosted by Amanda.

Weather stalker
Over the past week, I've been watching DC's weather forecast like a hawk. Things are not looking good for the half marathon this weekend. Originally, the meteorologists were forecasting rain almost the entire week and weekend. But now, they are only forecasting rain starting Friday night through Saturday night. PERFECT timing for a Saturday morning half marathon!

After the torrential rainstorms that I experienced at the Chinatown 5K and Disney Wine and Dine last year, I thought my luck would swing in the other direction. But then I remembered the unexpectedly fantastic weather we had at the F^3 Half Marathon in January. It's quite possible that I've used up all of my good weather blessings for that day. (It was very well worth it, though.)

Fingers crossed for this Saturday.

Race-cations!
Yesterday, I talked to my friend Smita, who I haven't seen her in forever! She's considering signing up for the Rock N Roll Philadelphia Half Marathon and some other races. I told her that I would love to go to Philly to visit and either spectate or run the race with her. That got us talking about other races we could do together, whether in Philly, Chicago, or as a getaway weekend. Maybe even to a tropical destination?!? I have never run with Smita, ever, so I am beyond excited to plan something!

This year's Disney Wine and Dine is under consideration, since Smita has a 4-day weekend. Also under consideration would be any other races within driving distance of Philly that same weekend (November 6). Does anyone have recommendations or suggestions?!?

A triple tangent
Since we're talking about (west) Philadelphia... I LOVED watching the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air as a child. Over the past week or two, I started watching it again in syndication. To this day, I still love it and I still think it's the funniest show ever!

Carlton always knew how to let loose on the dance floor!

Since we're talking about dancing... my Zumba instructor is an amazingly good dancer. Even when she is improvising, she still looks great. She is really inspiring me to work on my dancing skills. These days I'm learning to let loose without judging myself. I can really see the difference in the mirror when I'm dancing halfheartedly and/or self-consciously.

Since we're talking about fitness classes... I got an email promo for a 30-day new-client membership at the Bar Method (my thoughts on them here) for $50. The normal price is $75 so this is a great deal. The only thing is that my company's fitness center already offers a wide bevvy of great, FREE classes (although, no barre classes). I'm debating whether it would be worth it to fork out extra dough just for barre?

Other randomness

• On a recent run, I was wearing New Balance shoes, Feetures socks, Pearl Izumi tights, a Nike sports bra, an ASICS shirt, a Sugoi jacket, Mizuno gloves, and Saucony hat. No joke. A brand ambassador I am clearly not.
• Adam and I flew Southwest to DC. Yesterday, Adam checked in within 30 minutes of the check-in window opening. He got an A58 boarding pass. Comparatively, I forgot to check in until almost three hours had passed. I didn't buy any special upgrades or anything. Yet, I got an A27 boarding pass. Very bizarre!

Tempting fate

The lottery for the 2015 Chicago Marathon opened up yesterday.

In remembrance of the 2014 Chicago Marathon lottery
Source

Going into this year, I had no intention of trying to run a marathon in 2015. The thought hadn't even crossed my mind. I knew that the Chicago Marathon would be doing a lottery again this year, but I didn't pay any attention to the details.

Then, a coworker brought up the lottery to me and asked if I was planning to enter. I gave him an emphatic no. But I also joked that I might end up changing my mind on the last day of the lottery.

When I said this, I really was joking. Then later, I started thinking about it more seriously. Maybe I should just go ahead and enter, and then let fate decide???

More remembrances from the 2014 Chicago Marathon
Source

Why would I want to attempt another marathon?

1. I feel much stronger as a runner now than I did in 2012. Over the last few years, I've learned a lot and have made so many improvements to my training, health, and diet. I would love to see the positive impact of those changes when applied to a marathon performance.
2. I ran the 2012 Chicago Marathon amidst painful injury. I was happy to have crossed the finish line in one piece, of course. But I know I could have done so much better, even back then. I would really, really love the chance to experience the race on better terms. I want redemption!

Why would I want to bypass a marathon again this year?

1. Motivation is lacking. Who has the time or desire to do all of that training? I have a hard enough time just getting motivated to do the 10-12 mile training runs for a half marathon. It is beyond me how I'd work up to 20+ miles to train for a full.
2. Bluntly, I am scared. Scared of not being able to succeed. Scared of injury. Scared of dealing with the aftermath. It took me months to regain my joy of running after my first marathon. I don't want to go through that again.

Why oh why must the starting line always look so tantalizing?

At this very juncture, I do not plan to enter the 2015 Chicago Marathon lottery. With or without the lottery, I have too many doubts clouding the back of my mind right now. In general, I believe that you should truly WANT to run a marathon in order to ensure yourself the greatest chance of success. 

But, I do have six weeks to ruminate back and forth, haha. Let the countdown progress...

Weighing in

Linking up with Erika, April, and Patty again for another edition of Tuesdays on the Run.

This week's subject prompt was "weight loss or maintenance during distance training."

Interesting topic. Let's go back a few years ago in history.

I was definitely guilty of gaining weight while I was training for the Chicago Marathon in 2012. I thought that putting in the double-digit training runs every weekend gave me a free pass to eat whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted, and in any quantity that I wanted. Combine this with one of my worst fears, which was bonking due to improper fueling. These perceptions were a terrible combination. My philosophy basically boiled down to, "When in doubt, eat more!"

After challenging runs, it was a common practice for me to order in a deep dish pizza, proclaim that I could eat the entire thing by myself, then do my very best to make it happen. I was very liberal with carb-loading both before and after the long runs. I did nothing to hold myself back from desserts, Gatorade, chocolate milk, energy gels, candy, the list goes on and on. You name it, I ate it.

I never weighed myself while I was marathon training. However, my clothes became noticeably tighter. At the time, I should have gone up a dress size. Instead, I selectively chose to wear only stretchy clothes or my looser articles of clothing. Call it the proverbial burying my head into the sand. I didn't really change my eating habits after the marathon was over, either.

I finally got to a point about seven or eight months after the marathon that I just couldn't stand myself anymore. I stepped on the scale one day and was horrified to realize that I was almost 15 pounds heavier than I was on my wedding day. It was my highest weight ever.

My company, with all of its amazing benefits, offers free membership to Weight Watchers. So I signed on up.

The first few weeks were hell. I basically got smacked in the head with the realization of how bad my eating habits were. But after the initial shock died down, I learned the importance and magnitude of a healthy way of life, as opposed to dieting.

Over time, I got into the habit of food journaling. I started keeping myself accountable for what I ate. I began implementing changes to keep the healthy habits as easy as possible to maintain. For example, I always have healthy snacks on hand for when I'm on the go (almonds are a favorite since they're portable, don't smush easily, and are very shelf-stable). I try to never let myself get too hungry so that it's easier to maintain control. I try to stay well hydrated so that I'm less likely to confuse thirst with hunger.

It took me a little over a year to drop 22 pounds. I've maintained my weight, with very minimal fluctuation, for well over six months now. I am proud to say that I'm now at my lowest weight since high school.

The Weight Watchers program definitely helped me to understand why I gained so much weight during marathon training in 2012. Without going into all the intricacies of the program, in summary all foods, beverages, and activities/exercises are assigned a point value. You are given a daily allotment of points to consume, and you can earn additional points for working out.

When I sat down to do the math on my points, I was really shocked at how much effort it took to earn activity points and how easy it was to consume points. Often, all the extra points that I earned from my long run were pretty much cancelled out by just the GU, Gatorade, and some moderate post-run refueling. That's all. In short, I was completely overestimating the amount of calories that I was burning during my training. Looking back, I'm honestly surprised that I didn't gain more weight than I actually did.

I've heard it said from several friends that "You can't out-exercise a bad diet." I completely agree with this. I find it requires much less effort to maintain a healthy diet than it is to eat poorly or too much and then try to work it off.

To this day, I still try to journal everything that I eat. Every week, I still go to Weight Watchers meetings to get weighed in. When I am doing double-digit training runs, I will allow myself some reasonable post-run recovery food. Beyond that, I try my best to maintain the same eating habits that I would if I weren't training.

Nobody said that it would be easy. I have my really good days and my really bad days. I still crave chocolate and ice cream and deep dish pizza and salty/fried snacks. I still fight myself from going overboard anytime I'm at a buffet, and I still wish I could order every dessert on the menu. But the difference now is that I've learned how to enjoy things in moderation. And in the end, the effort has definitely been worth the results.

Where the sidewalk ends

It feels like springtime in Chicago! This past Saturday morning, I awoke to see glorious sunshine with temperatures in the 30s and rising.

As I am sure many Midwestern runners did, I eagerly dashed out the door to log some miles. The warmth and fresh air felt amazing. It had been months since I have felt so rejuvenated from a run.

Normally I zone out while I'm running. But this day, I was being more observant of the neighborhood and noticing other folks enjoying the warmer weather.

I ran by Union Park. There was a gathering of protesters holding up signs and chanting something about human rights. There was also an enormous plume of either smoke or steam wafting through the grounds.

This was an unusual sight which drew my curiosity. I didn't want to stare, though. I attempted to feign nonchalance by just making a few quick glances to the side as I ran past.

It was at this moment that my foot caught an edge in the sidewalk.

I felt myself start to lose my balance. In a brief moment of desperation, I fought to remain upright. Normally when things like this happen, the world goes into slow motion, right? Not this time.

A split-second later, I fell forward and faceplanted directly on the concrete. Right in plain view of the protesters.

Humiliating AND painful for the win! I refused to look at the protesters for fear of seeing their reactions.

I scraped myself off of the sidewalk. Then, I stood with my hands on my knees for a few moments, trying to regain the wind that had been knocked out of me. I had taken the brunt of the fall on my hands, knees, and the, uh, lower-lower abdomen (i.e. a bad spot). The impact stung badly. (How do professional athletes deal with stuff like this so frequently!?!?)

I took a few minutes to walk it off while I evaluated my situation. I was about a mile away from home and I didn't have my transit card, phone, or any form of payment with me. In short, there was only one way to get home. All right. If we need to walk the whole way back, so be it.

Thankfully, I did eventually felt good enough to slowly start running again.

Enroute, I was praying that the pain would go away. My mind was racing over the half marathon that I'm supposed to run next weekend in DC. I was thinking how awful it would be to have to DNS the race because I had sustained an injury the week before. How awful it would be to have to tell all my friends and family how the injury happened. How awful it would be to have to go to the doctor and get x-rays taken of that bad spot.

Another note: I was wearing a white jacket when I took that spill, of course. Because of course I would be wearing white on a day when I would get dramatically smeared with post-winter sidewalk gunk in various shades of brown, grey, and black. Sigh.

FAST FORWARD TO TODAY.

Much to my relief, the pain has substantially disappeared. I have some bruises and scrapes, but otherwise I am fine. Embarrassed as all get out, but fine.

Note to self for next time.

In the meantime, thank goodness for the magic of industrial-strength stain remover when liberally applied to a white jacket.