Happy National Dog Week!

National Dog week started on September 25th.

My dog, Emmy is a small Yorkshire Terrier.  She's too small to run with me, but she love to cuddle during my stretches after a long run.   Emmy is also good at providing motivation during planks, pushups and squats by lying under me.  If I fall, I'll fall on her.  Maybe she's a little too trusting...

Coach Emmy keeping me up during my squats

Do you run with your dog?  How far?

The Prognosis

"You're weak."  Not exactly what I thought I'd hear from the doctor when I went to have my hips checked.   But after a physical exam, the doc's conclusion is that my hip pain is caused by a minor strain.  The strain is caused by having weak abs, gluts and abductors (the muscles in the hip responsible for moving your leg to the side).  He suggested physical therapy, which I start today.  He also recommended that I use KT tape on the hip so that I can continue running without pain.

This is mostly good news.  It sucks to have pain.  The doctor said I can keep running as long as there isn't too much pain.  I went out for 3 mile yesterday in my Brooks Pureflows and pain was minimal.  It looks like I'll be able to keep training as normal, I'll just have to include more strength work.  I'll describe the physical therapy exercises after my session.

When I can't run, I get irritable.  After a weekend of rest, I found myself feeling stressed out and cranky by Sunday night.  Everyone around me should be relieved that a long rest is not a part of the doctor's orders!

Ouch! My hip!

I've been having pain on and off on the outside of my right hip for the past month.  I've tried the following at home remedies which have helped to relieve the pain to some extent:

• Sports massage: I've had two 30 minute massages which have focused on that hip.  After each one, the pain subsides until I try to run fast again.
• Foam rolling: I've rolled my glutes and quads to loosen up the IT band and the piriformis.  At the suggestion of my massage therapist I've also picked up some lacrosse balls to massage the bonier areas of my hip that I can't get with the foam roller.
• Strengthening: Squats, lunges, monster walk, and frequent planks to try to strengthen the hips and abs.

Last week I had a sport massage on Wednesday.  I then ran 5 miles on Thursday morning and felt fine. Friday night I went out for an easy three mile run.  About halfway through, my hip was killing me.  

My hip continued to hurt Saturday morning.  Although I was looking forward to running the Fifth Avenue Mile on Saturday, my long term goal is to complete the Goofy Challenge.  I didn't want to risk running through the pain and making it worse so I skipped the race.

I've only felt pain from runs after wearing my Vibram SeeYas.  Note, not all runs with them cause hip pain.  I haven't felt the hip pain after wearing my Brooks Pureflows though.  

I'm planning to experiment with shoes a bit.  I'll wear only the Pureflows for two weeks to see if I feel less pain.

Also, I'm going to a sports medicine doctor tonight just to make sure nothing is terribly wrong.  Update to come!

Playlist: NYRR 5th Avenue Mile

NYRR's 5th Avenue Mile is a twenty block run down 5th avenue.  As an endurance runner, I never run just one mile.  This race is particularly fun because I can go all out to see just how fast I can complete the mile.  Last year my time was 7:52.  I've sped up a lot since then so I'm excited to see just how I'll do!

The playlist (at nine minutes):

Dog Days Are Over  Florence + The Machine
Bionic  Placebo

Audiobook Review: Hyperion

Dan Simmons' Hyperion is about a group of seven pilgrims on a journey to the world Hyperion.  Along the way they share stories with one another about why each of them is going to Hyperion.  The novel therefore is a collection of short stories within a larger story.  The short stories are somewhat interrelated, and you learn quite a bit about the world and the mysteries of Hyperion while listening to them.

The book was ok as a background to runs.  The back and forth between character stories and events that occur during their journey make this not well suited to the audiobook format as its difficult to go back and reference earlier portions of the book.  Most of the characters weren't very likable, and there was little suspense leaving me eager to listen for more.  The book is twenty hours long which took me about a month to get through.   I've decided not to continue with the series right now as I'm just not interested in the story.

Recap: Fitness Mind, Body, Spirit Games

Saturday's Fitness Mind, Body, Spirit Games 4 mile race was comprised of two races, one for men and one for women.  Because of this, I got to be a spectator during the men's race.  The course was horseshoe shaped, starting on the east side of Central Park and finishing on the west side.  A festival area setup in the middle of the park had handouts (Fitness Magazine and raisins) and an area for yoga.

The fastest men getting ready to go.

Alek off to a strong start!

After I saw Alek pass me at the start, I walked over to the finish line.  The winner finished in just under 20 minutes.  It was fun to watch all of the runners approach the finish.  Alek set a PR for his race at 34:53 with an 8:44 pace.

Looking strong approaching the finish

Now it was time for me to head back to the east side for my start.  The pressure was on to keep a faster pace than Alek.  After all, I've been running for 21 months, he can't catch me after less than a year!  My goal was to finish in 32 minutes, Alek pointed out that it wouldn't be easy for me to do.  I accepted the challenge and completed in 32:11!  I was eleven seconds off my goal, but thrilled with a new PR nonetheless!  

Finishing strong!

This was a fun race with gorgeous fall weather.  Full race results for the men's and women's races are available on NYRR's site.

Playlist: Fitness Mind, Body, Spirit Games

Tomorrow NYRR will hold the Men's and Women's (separate races) Fitness Mind, Body, Spirit Games in Central Park.  For this 4 mile race I went with a playlist theme of strong and sexy.  The list is 40 minutes long.  On a cool September morning, I expect to be quite a bit faster than that though.

Here it is:


Nobody Move, Nobody Get Hurt We Are Scientists
What Makes You Beautiful One Direction
I'm Too Sexy Right Said Fred
SexyBack  Justin Timberlake
Titanium (feat. Sia) David Guetta & Sia
Stronger Kanye West
Sexy And I Know It LMFAO
Sexy Bitch (feat. Akon) David Guetta
S&M Rihanna
Hips Don't Lie (featuring Wyclef Jean)  Shakira
Baby Got Back   Sir Mix-a-lot

Gear: Sports Bras

For long runs, having proper gear is important.  For women, nothing can cause more pain than the wrong sports bra.  Sports bras need to provide support and compression without chafing.  So what should you look for?   Flat inner seams and synthetic fabric without too much give.   Seams that are even slightly raised will cause chafing and possibly even bleeding during long runs.  The chafing becomes even worse on hot days when sweating leaves your skin grimy with salt as the wrong bra is rubbing your skin open.

Before you start trying sports bras, make sure you know your bra size.  If the bra is too loose, you'll get no support, if its too tight you'll chafe no matter what you do!

I spent the summer evaluating four different bras.  I should note that I don't care too much about how the bras look since I always wear a shirt over them!

Nike Pro Bra:
Pros: Easy to find - every sporting goods store has the Nike Pro Bra.  This bra is relatively cheap as it can normally be found on sale for as little as $25.   It provides good support and compression, and is great for running for an hour or less.  It is also easy to wash and can be dried on low.

Cons: Raised seams (pictured below) along the bottom band of the bra can lead to chafing to the point of bleeding.  Even when using anti-chafing balm, I've still chafed and bled from these bras.

painfully raised seam!

Lucy Race Me Bra:
Pros: Good support and compression.  Easy to wash and can be dried on low.

Cons: I'm not a huge fan of clasps on sports bras, but I'll deal with it for a good bra.  This bra's clasp area also has raised seams on the inside which chafed my back to the point of bleeding on a long run.  Additionally, its only available on Lucy.com for $49.  The price comes in a bit high for this one.

Raised seam at clap hurts!

Under Armor Armor Bra
Pros: Good support and compression.  No chafing anywhere even on a long run!  Easy to wash.

Cons: $57 is a bit pricey.  Cannot be machine dried.  This one also has a back clasp which I'm not a huge fan of but since the clasp doesn't chafe its not too bad.

Brooks Infiniti Bra:
Pros: Good support and compression.  No chafing at all, even without anti-chafing balm!  Easy to wash and dry.  No clasp.  Not badly priced (between $35 and $48).

Cons: I haven't seen this one at stores, so you may need to order online.

The winner for me this summer was the Brooks Infiniti Bra.  I ended up ordering a bunch more of them when I found they were on sale for $28, as I'll need them through my fall Goofy Challenge Training which includes many long runs.

Race Recap: Lehigh Valley Health Network Half Marathon

Yesterday's Lehigh Valley Health Network Half Marathon was my tenth half and Alek's first.  The race started out in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania right in front of the Hotel Bethlehem.  There were no corrals and with a field of about 680 runners it wasn't that big of a deal.  It was surprising and awesome for such a small race to have bibs with runner's names on them!

The crowd getting ready to start.

At the start showing off our Team Sad Pony shirts

At the signal of a firetruck horn, we were off!  The race started on a fairly wide street (as you can see above), but after the first half mile went on to trails by a canal.  The quick narrowing made it difficult to get around people and any sort of run-walking was difficult.  In addition, the sun was at our faces for the first three miles and Saturday's storms left the trail with many puddles.

After the first three miles, the group spread out and running became much easier.  There were only four spots for spectators to watch along the race course, but at each of them there were cheerleaders from local high schools and few enthusiastic race spectators.  My parents made it to every spectator spot to cheer us and the other runners on!  It was exciting each time we saw them.

Coming down the trail toward a spectator area

Running away from the final spectator area (before the finish).

The course for the race was beautiful.  When Alek and I got to ten miles, neither of us had felt like we'd run ten.  The race seemed to be going by very quickly.  

At one point during the race, another runner asked us what Team Sad Pony was.  Alek and I explained that it was just us and told him about the blog.  We need a bigger team!

A dam we ran by on the race course.

The terrain varied, as I mentioned we were mostly on trails.   This meant we alternated between running on pavement, packed dirt, grass, and in some cases stones.  This was my first half marathon with the Vibrams.  Most areas were fine but the stones hurt. We also ran across an open grate bridge at one point. While running on that bridge I worried about getting my toes stuck and slowed down to be safe.  

In addition to puddles, the previous night's storms also left some branches on the ground.  Around the eleventh mile, Alek got hung up on one and the accidentally kicked it toward me.  It left a tiny scratch that bled a lot (because I'd been running).  

The race finished in Easton, PA near the Crayola store.  There was a cheering crowd and in addition to the normal medal and heat sheet we also received face towels to wipe off some of the sweat.  The finish treats included local favorites Peeps and Mike N' Ikes (along with bananas, pretzels and powerbar gels)!  We finished in 2:06:43.  Full results are available on active.com.  

Finished with medals!  Showing off my wound to everyone!

Finish area with the greatest parents a runner could have!

This race was a lot of fun, I would definitely run it again.  Special thanks to Alek for running it with me and my parents for their devoted spectating :D

Our race shirt, medal and face towel!

Playlist: Lehigh Valley Health Network Half Marathon

This Sunday Alek is going to join me for his first half marathon!  We'll be running in our Team Sadpony shirts to celebrate my 30th.  I've chosen party songs as the playlist theme.  The list is 2.5 hours long (plenty of time for Alek to finish his first).

Let's Get It Started The Black Eyed Peas
The Party Song   Blink-182
Chemical Party Gavin DeGraw
Crash the Party    O.K. Go
Price Tag (feat. B.o.B) Jessie J
Drunken Lament Ludo
Hurricane Drunk Florence + The Machine
Badfish Sublime
Moves Like Jagger Maroon 5
Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.) Katy Perry
In da Club 50 Cent
Where The Party At (Remix) So So Def Allstars
Good Girls Go Bad (feat. Leighton Meester) Cobra Starship
Dance, Dance Fall Out Boy
Blow It Out The Features
Mr. Brightside The Killers
It's My Party  Lesley Gore
Shake It Metro Station
The Good Life Weezer
Evacuate the Dancefloor Cascada
Guilty Pleasure Cobra Starship
Stereo Love Edward Maya & Vika Jigulina
Ma Ya Hi (Dragostea Din Tei) O-ZONE
Sexy Bitch (feat. Akon) David Guetta
One More Time Daft Punk
Mexican Wine Fountains of Wayne
Hey Ya! Outkast
You Make Me Feel... (feat. Sabi) Cobra Starship
Like a G6   Far East Movement
Tonight Tonight   Hot Chelle Rae
On the Floor Jennifer Lopez
SexyBack   Justin Timberlake
Blow Ke$ha
Telephone (feat. Beyoncé)   Lady GaGa
Party Rock Anthem LMFAO
Raise Your Glass P!nk
Give Me Everything (feat. Ne-Yo, Afrojack & Nayer) Pitbull
Don't Stop The Music Rihanna
Darts Of Pleasure Franz Ferdinand
Hips Don't Lie (featuring Wyclef Jean) Shakira
Livin' la Vida Loca Ricky Martin
Bulletproof La Roux

Goofy Challenge Training Plan

I start training for the 2013 Goofy's Race and a Half Challenge on Monday.  My training plan is below.  I've modified one of Hal Higdon's training plans to include Saturday runs that are at least half the distance of Sunday runs.  I also had to modify to accomodate a bunch of races that I'm planning to run between now and January.

This will be my third marathon.  As crazy as it seems, I'm hoping to beat my best marathon time (4:36) at this one!

	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday	Sunday
Week 1	30-60 cross	3 miles	5 miles	3 miles	rest	4 mile race	8 miles
Week 2	30-60 cross	3 miles	5 miles	3 miles	rest	6 miles	9 miles
Week 3	30-60 cross	3 miles	5 miles	3 miles	rest	5 miles	6 miles
Week 4	30-60 cross	3 miles	6 miles	3 miles	rest	6.5 miles	Half Marathon
Week 5	30-60 cross	3 miles	6 miles	3 miles	rest	10K	Half Marathon
Week 6	30-60 cross	3 miles	5 miles	3 miles	rest	5k and 10k (9.3 total)	Half Marathon
Week 7	30-60 cross	4 miles	7 miles	4 miles	rest	7 miles	14 miles
Week 8	30-60 cross	4 miles	7 miles	4 miles	rest	7.5 miles	15 miles
Week 9	30-60 cross	4 miles	5 miles	4 miles	rest	5k, Half Marathon	rest
Week 10	30-60 cross	4 miles	7 miles	rest	8.5 miles	17 miles	4 mile race
Week 11	30-60 cross	5 miles	8 miles	5 miles	rest	9 miles	18 miles
Week 12	30-60 cross	5 miles	5 miles	5 miles	rest	8 miles	Half Marathon
Week 13	30-60 cross	5 miles	8 miles	5 miles	rest	10 miles	20 miles
Week 14	30-60 cross	5 miles	5 miles	5 miles	rest	8 miles	12 miles
Week 15	30-60 cross	5 miles	8 miles	5 miles	rest	10 miles	20 miles
Week 16	30-60 cross	5 miles	6 miles	5 miles	rest	6 miles	12 miles
Week 17	30-60 cross	4 miles	5 miles	4 miles	rest	4 miles	8 miles
Week 18	30-60 cross	3 miles	4 miles	rest	rest	Disney World Half Marathon	Disney World Marathon

Political Races!

Happy Labor Day!  This year, lets celebrate hard work of our US marathon-running politicians!

Vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan recently claimed a marathon time of around 2:50, but it turned out he misremembered as his time was actually 4:01.  This news made me curious about which other politicians have completed marathons.  Who am I faster than and who do I need to work my tail off to become faster than?  My best marathon time is 4:36:18 at the New Jersey Marathon.

Off to Wikipedia for a list of US politicians who have officially gone 26.2 (I've ordered them by speed):

John Edwards, Former United States Senator, 1983 Marine Corps Marathon (3:30:18)
Michael Dukakis, Former Governor of Massachusetts, 1951 Boston Marathon (3:31:00)
George W. Bush, 43rd President of the United States, 1993 Houston Marathon (3:44:52)
Sarah Palin, former Governor of Alaska, 2005 Humpy's Marathon (3:59:36)
Paul Ryan, 2012 Republican vice presidential nominee, 1990 Grandma's Marathon (4:01:25)
Mike Huckabee, Governor of Arkansas, 2005 Marine Corps Marathon (4:37:29)
Bill Frist, Former United States Senate Majority Leader, 1997 Marine Corps Marathon (4:54:36)
Al Gore, Vice President of the United States at the time, 1997 Marine Corps Marathon (4:58:25)
Tom Vilsack, Governor of Iowa, 2005 Little Rock Marathon (5:28:39)

It looks like I'm faster than Huckabee and slower than Ryan.  Where does your best marathon time fit into this list?  Who would you love to be faster than?  It looks like I'll be chasing down Paul Ryan and Sarah Palin next as I work to get faster!