Michelle's Run

I am the perfect example of the old adage, you are what you eat. Have you read the O’Keefe’s blog this week? Unfortunately, I can attest to every word.

I’ve been on Accutane twice in my life and wish so much I’d have known then what I know now. Unfortuantely, that was back in the day of fat-free diets being the rage and me not knowing any better. I used to live on fat-free sugar laden cereals and other junk – and I loved soda pop. And I paid the price. My skin looked awful! As a last resort, I took Accutane at 16 and again at 22. Accutane is a miserable experience. The side effects are awful and now they’re saying it could cause all sorts of intestinal issues later in life. Not good!

I have been trying to follos the Forever Young Diet and Lifestyle for several years now and have never looked or felt better. But, for the last two weeks, my skin has looked awful! I am broken out so badly. It should have been obvious from the first zit – my birthday was two weeks ago and I really overindulged. Birthday cake and pie and sweets galore for the whole week. And it’s still visible in my face. I’m well into my thirties now and bad skin just doesn’t look professional.

All those sweets didn’t taste anywhere near good enough to be worth this nasty skin. I’m embarrassed and I am hiding my face and trying as hard as I can to cover it up with makeup, etc. It’s just not worth going through this for the minute or two of pleasure that birthday cake gave me.

For the next month I’m going to try to completely eliminate easily digested carbohydrate from my diet. I’ll let you know how my skin looks next month.

I know, I know. I’ve neglected the advice I’ve received by so many people and now I’m paying the price.

I’ve been using the “too busy” excuse for not fitting in as much core and weight training as I should. I have tried to do my running, biking and swimming workouts, but that leaves very little time for weights and core exercises. Lately, I’ve neglected them all together.

My favorite triathlon of the season, The Win For KC Women’s Triathlon, was this Saturday. I did the Cameron, MO mini-triathlon as a warm-up the weekend before and that’s where I first felt the awful pain and burning in my left hip. It was almost unbearable and my run really suffered in that race. I took last week off of running completely thinking it would improve in time for Saturday’s race. Not so.

I probably shouldn’t have even done the race, but about 1/10th of a mile into Saturday’s run the burning was back… with a vengeance. I ended up walking part of the 5K and jogging a little. My time in the 5K was 20 seconds per mile MORE than my marathon pace. Ridiculous. Hopefully by not pushing through the pain I may have salvaged myself for a fall race. I think it’s time to see the doctor. I’m also going to check with some functional training friends to see what they recommend to avoid this injury coming back.

I’ve switched gears from marathon training to triathlon and with that comes lake swimming.  I love swimming, but I always seem to have trouble with swimmer’s ear and ear infections when I swim a lot.  I’ve tried ear plugs and they never seem to stay put through a long swim.  I’ve also tried keeping my cap over my ears and that alone doesn’t help either.  Enter my six year-old.

During a recent visit to my daughter’s Ear Nose and Throat surgeon (she had ear tube surgery in May), we were advised to keep her ears completely dry for eight weeks.  Difficult at best, especially during the summer.  Her doctor told us to coat cotton balls in vaseline and use as earplugs.  The vaseline creates an air-tight seal – she compared it to chewing gum – and keeps the ears dry.  What an easy (and economical) solution.  It’s worked incredibly well for eight weeks of baths, showers, and lots of swimming.  And, it’s worked for me, too!

Cheaper than earplugs and it works much better!  I’m off to the lake…

Running just isn’t the same lately. I’ve been slowed down by an injury, and it isn’t even my own. My faithful running companion of the past eight years who helps me feel safe and always pushes me to keep going is injured and I am suffering. I’m not talking about a human partner either. My favorite running companion is my dog, a 95-pound weimaraner that looks more horse than dog.

My dog, Orion, injured his leg when running off leash in the woods by our house. The vet has ordered him (me) to rest for at least four weeks. We’re on week two and I’m as lonely as can be. I don’t know what to do with my hands when I’m not holding the leash and I have no one to “talk to” and keep me company in the early morning hours. I’ve lost all motivation without him and I can’t stand to put on my running shoes and see the look on his face when I tell him “no” at the door.

No wonder Dr. O’Keefe writes so many “prescriptions” for dogs.  Seriously, there are lots of studies out there that document better fitness in dog owners.  And for good reason.  Orion is there every morning waiting for me to run.  He’ll even tap my shoulder with his paw if I try to sleep in.  He knows the sound of the drawer where I keep my running socks – he goes crazy whenever it opens and can hear it from anywhere in the house – amazing!  I can’t even spell the word R-U-N without him getting excited.

Two more weeks without my best running buddy - how will I handle it?

Last Saturday employees of CardioTabs and Good Things Health made a strong showing at the Kansas City Start! Heart Walk benefitting the American Heart Association. As a frequent participant in charity runs and races of all lengths, I was absolutely inspired by the sheer number of people who came out just to walk or to show their support for friends/family with heart disease. There were no timing chips and no prizes for the first walker to the finish line, but still thousands of people came to the event.

This is one event where setting a PR was out of the question. We simply walked and had a good time. I even refreshed my CPR skills! Every once in a while it’s good for the competitor in me to take a rest and enjoy the walk.

I think I can speak for our entire staff when I say that we had so much fun meeting long-time customers and new faces, too. We gave out hundreds of samples of omega-3 and had such great reviews! I’ll be posting pictures soon so check www.cardiotabs.com for them.

More great news: CardioTabs is giving 15% of all product sales that use promo code IHEARTKC to the Kansas City chapter of the American Heart Association. Valid through June 30th.

I did it! Stomach bug and all I qualified! For some reason, the Boston Marathon has always been my gauge. Qualifying for and running it would make me a “real” runner. I thought I’d feel different in some way upon making it, but I don’t. Don’t get me wrong, I’m excited, but maybe it’s because I never took the time to “revel in the moment” at the end. I started to tear up and get excited, but the very moment I crossed the finish line, that stomach bug had me looking for the nearest restroom.

The race really did go well. My first half felt terrific and in the last 10K, I knew I had the Boston time nailed so I relaxed and had fun with it. My brother, his brother in law (who is also a friend of mine) and my husband, who all happen to be named Jason, ran the last half mile of the race with me and those are moments I’ll never forget.
I think the real finisher’s medal should go to my parents and kids. My mom and dad got the kids up very early to watch the race and helped my husband shuttle them from spot to spot along the race course. They did a lot of work and were there every few miles cheering me on. I should also thank the other Michelle. She was running my pace for the whole first half and had a ton of crowd support – I think she knew the whole city. I just pretended it was me that they were cheering for.

Boston April 2011, here I come. My good friend and running partner will even be joining me! Thanks to all of my friends and family for the well-wishes. We did it!

Go figure!
It’s marathon week. 18 weeks of training and all has gone perfectly well. I’m finally in the taper week and guess what? My first illness of the year – a darn sinus infection has to get in my way. I have asthma and these things usually lead to breathing problems for me. I am really hoping to have this gone in a couple of days. I’m drinking tons of extra fluids, eating only healthy foods including tons of color and I made a call to my asthma doctor. I have been trying to get some extra sleep, but was up all night worrying about being sick. Ugh!

Fortunately taper week is a time for rest. I had a scheduled day off today and only a 3-mile run tomorrow. Wednesday is just four miles and then Thursday and Friday are completely off. My schedule calls for a very easy one-three mile run on Saturday and Sunday is the full 26.2. I always look forward to a few days of eating lots of carbs!

I am determined not to let this nasty sinus infection ruin what could be a great run, but I’m going to need all of the help I can get! Keep your fingers crossed!

I’ve been stealthily training for a spring marathon without really making it official. I wanted to make sure I could get through the training before I committed by actually telling people I was doing it. I wasn’t worried about the physical demands, but more so about life’s other demands and balancing it all. I almost completely quit about a month and a half ago and my husband saved my efforts. He knows I’m a much better wife and mother when I’m getting the “me-time” that exercise provides. About two and a half weeks ago, I made it official when I registered for my home-state Lincoln Marathon. I’ve done the half there many times before and I love it. The course runs right through the University of Nebraska campus, past my old sorority house, etc. The whole run is a trip down memory lane and I never know who I’m going to run into on the course as I have lots of old friends and acquaintances that do the race.

I’m getting pretty excited for this one. I’m not stressed out about hitting a certain time and I’m feeling really good. My last long run was this past Sunday and I felt great for most of the 22 miles. I don’t know exactly what it is this time around, but I have not been overly sore or tired after any of my long runs. In fact, I’ve felt like I could run the next day (but I’ve been good and taken the day off). Last year I was tired and always sore during spring marathon training and I had trouble meeting my goal on race day. This year, I was loyal to the post-run ice bath (my kids find that hilarious – they fill the tub with ice for me and like to wait for the noise I make when I get in). I also upped my omega-3 dose post-run. I took two extra omega-3 softgels on my long run days and the day after. I’ve also stuck to a training plan (the best I could with a job, grad school, and keeping my kids priority #1).

By: Michelle Kruse

As a runner and biker, I try my best to watch out for pedestrians when driving my car. As a runner and biker, I try to dress in bright colors and stick to safe paths. I follow all the rules and know that I can’t expect everyone else to do the same. I’m always on the lookout. Last month, my aunt was hit by a car and injured pretty severely. She was following the rules, too. She was crossing a street in a crosswalk, with a walk signal and a green light. A driver didn’t see her and turned right into her. Her shattered pelvis and leg prevented her from attending her father’s funeral a week after her accident.

It scares the heck out of me. I haven’t been on my road bike since and am scared to death to run anywhere but the park by my house or the nearby trails. I used to meet friends for a road run or long bike ride, but I’ve been too scared to do so lately. How does one get over the fear and get back on the bike or even the sidewalk for a run?

By: Michelle Kruse

My training partner and I like to joke that we should be “certified” for running outdoors on the days we do. Neither rain nor wind nor snow nor ice, you get the picture. It’s not that we’re really that crazy, but more that we’ve both find the fresh air and open spaces exhilarating. And I credit my at least weekly winter outdoor workouts with keeping me upbeat all winter long. I have not experienced any of the cabin fever and depression that some of my friends are experiencing because I haven’t been cooped up indoors for months. Here are a few of my tips (and some from my much more experienced workout buddy):

1. Dress appropriately. When I first started working out in the bitter cold, I was dressed all wrong and I paid for it. Invest in some lined workout pants that are made to wick away sweat. I love the pair I bought from Road Runner Sports. Also well worth the money is a thermal half-zip. Buy one made for outdoor workouts. I’ve literally had sweat freeze into icicles on fleece, etc. The thin material on mine by CW-X keeps me dry and unbelievably warm. Plus it’s got thumb holes that prevent your shirt from riding up your arms and leaving a gap between shirt and gloves. In fact, sometimes I get almost too warm in this.

2. Get the right accessories. The right ear wrap or beanie can make all the difference in the world. So can the right gloves. Now is a great time to buy this stuff too – it’s all on sale! Wear sunglasses even if it’s not sunny. They shield your eyes from the wind.

3. Vaseline. We may look goofy, but we rarely meet anyone on the trails on the worst weather days anyway. Rub a layer of Vaseline all over your face when you work out in cold wind and snow. It will save you from any chapping, chaffing, or wind burn.