On May 18, 2012,
in My energy levels have been quite good over the last six weeks, corresponding to the timing of my return to running. The reason this is surprising and notable is that I’ve been sleeping horribly and I’m starting to wonder if this is related to lower body fat, age/gender, or just a phase…a long phase.
Sleep
This sleep issue has been going on for the past two months. I’m asleep by 10:30 (sometimes as early as 9:30), but then every night I wake up 2-3 times, and always around 3:15 am. After that, I drift in and out until 4:30 or 5 when I finally get up.
The dog sleeps just fine…This means I’m getting around 5 hours of decent sleep, which just doesn’t seem like enough….or is it? I feel pretty good during the day and my workouts have been strong. I’ve had a few days where I hit a wall (i.e. kids, feed yourselves..I’m fried!), but otherwise, no complaints.
I’ve tried melatonin, GABA, and arnica, but I wake up at least twice during the night regardless. It doesn’t seem to be stress or busy-brain…neither is it the need to pee! I have NO problem falling asleep, just staying asleep. Maybe this is just the way it is going to be now, and since I feel OK I guess I just won’t worry about it.
Nutrition
I am about at my leanest right now and I am wondering if that is playing a role in my sleep issues. I mentioned in… Read the rest
On May 18, 2012,
in So after all this time, Coach Monster finally learned that he is called “Coach Monster.”
He is working with me on the SBM Book coming out in December, and as such, the blog and all its glory is now out of the bag.
Coach M – Ironman NOLA 70.3
“I don’t like being called Coach Monster,” he told me this morning.
“Well, it’s kind of late now,” I said, “What do you want to be called?”
He shrugged.
Then I worried that I hurt his feelings – that he thought monster meant monster in the traditional sense of the word. I sent him a text message after class and told him that his nickname is not as bad as it seems. I call him Monster because he loves REM (the Monster album) and is sweet and googly like Cookie Monster. (But he’s also a badass triathlete… so, really, Coach Monster is all around fitting.)
I guess he can be The Coach Formerly Known as Monster.
- The Coach Formerly Known as Monster and the Grasshopper
Oooh!
Let’s have a contest for his new name! We can present him with a list of options, and the person who came up with the one he picks, wins something! Yeah yeah! Contest contest!
Anyway. Last night, the heel on my right foot started hurting. This morning, it is killing me. I have some… Read the rest
Coach Jim’s clients span the world but I am fortunate to be among the contingent of local athletes. A few of us swim together pretty regularly but getting together to bike and run is considerably more difficult with all of our different schedules and demands. One exception is the “annual” May One-on-One Endurance day, complete with the portable transition area!
We were fortunate to have Justin back in town from his second year at George Washington and Jim from Richmond, Virginia who was able to adjust his work travel schedule to be with us! So we had a nice little group from college kids to us master’s folks — but all fairly well-matched on the bike. (Of course, I’ve been logging the miles, while Justin can just pick up a bike after his school year and hang just fine!!)
We started with a group ride and transition to a brick run, then followed that up with the 6 mile, 2400′ climb up to the top of Mountain Lake — 10 MPH up, 30 MPH down! I had done this ride for the first time in December and made considerable gains, cutting about 8 minutes off the ascent and 1:30 off the descent (about 10k). Edie and I were the first ones down, motivated by our grumbling stomachs and need for food!
It was a great day of catching up and reconnecting!!
Top of Mountain Lake
In the hoopla of the last month, I forgot to post about the awesome Another Mother Runner book release party! Ilana Katz invited me to attend and be her Plus One, so I was super excited.
The Another Mother Runner ladies, Dimity and Sarah, are the very awesome (and very TALL) authors of Run Like a Mother and the new, Train Like a Mother books.
Seriously, I thought I was tall. Sarah and Dimity are awesomely tall (and fashionable, and glamorous). Dimity is so tall, in fact, that she calls herself “Taller than the Transamerica Pyramid” on their website. I adored both of them and left the party feeling very inspired, grateful and (a tad) tipsy.
(L-R) Sarah, Swim Bike Mom, Ilana, and Dimity….Courtesy of Amerine Photography
I “met” Dimity the first time when she asked me to be a part of “Follow this Mother” on their blog. My post was featured here: https://anothermotherrunner.com/2011/11/16/follow-this-mother-71/, and I was honored to be a part of it.
When we walked into the party, I saw Dimity and Ilana introduced us. “This is Meredith,” Ilana said.
“Nice to meet you, Meredith,” Dimity said.
“Oh, I’m Swim Bike Mom.”
Squeal. “OH! Swim Bike Mom! Yeah yeah yeah!”
I love Mother books and I especially love the tagline: “How to Get Across Any Finish Line – and Not Lose Your Family, Job, or Sanity.” I am of the opinion that running (and triathlon) is… Read the rest
This is a guest post from my girl, Ilana, sports nutritionist extraordinaire at Optimal Nutrition for Life.
TEN BEST SPORTS NUTRITION TIPS
ILANA KATZ, MS, RD, CSSD
Many recreational athletes have a difficult time with weight management, especially those that took on the training as a reason for weight loss in the first place. It perplexes them when they then discover the weight gain, instead of expected and anticipated weight loss.
Don’t feel alone, this actually a very common phenomenon. There are a number of reasons for this.
First, athletes tend to build denser muscle as they are losing fat, especially in the first months of their new training program. It does not necessarily mean you are “fatter” just because the number on the scale is higher. Density shows up on a scale. It is therefore better to monitor progress by body composition rather than a weight. Monitor the looseness of your clothes, get someone to measure you with a tape measure, and get a body fat test done every few months.
Notice in this visual how different fat and muscle are in size, density and texture. These both represent 5 lbs:
Okay, then after your body becomes adaptive to your exercise, and body composition changes slowly stabilizes, then yes, the scale should start shifting somewhat (but never drastically, because although the muscle begins to burn fat, it is still getting denser). If, at this point, you feel like you are “gaining,… Read the rest
I have had two solid says of eating “clean” and…. consequently, I have been able to not scream in horror at my weight. I did not follow my own advice completely (I have gotten on the scale), but I went from 227 (Tuesday) to 216.4 today. Granted 227 was at nighttime and 216.4 was first thing in the morning…
If you don’t count the ridiculous 227 and go with my starting weight of 218.8 then I am at 2.4 pounds of loss in around two weeks.
This morning, I was walking out of ths shower, and my daughter (age 3) said, “Ooooh Mommy I don’t want to see you naked!” Then my son chimes in, “No Mommy! Put your clothes on.” Thanks, guys!
So what have I been doing re: nutrition? Many of you have asked, so I’ll tell you.
1) I am tracking every thing I am putting in my mouth with the Livestrong.com app. Everything. I am measuring everything. Everything. I cannot believe how little I “should” be eating. I have also noticed that it’s easy to remain in the calorie budget and remain relatively full with whole foods. Insert one cookie, and you’re screwed. Same with salad dressing. I have found one I LOVE with Bolthouse Farms – it’s a yogurt dressing, in the refridgerated section…they have several kinds. I like the Olive Oil and Blue Cheese – and it’s only 45 calories for 2 tablespoons, but it tastes delicious.
2) I have avoided processed food and… Read the rest
I’m very excited to finally have picked my racing shoes for 2012: Saucony Kinvara 2s in Citron and Green! The neon green Xtenex laces are on their way, then they will be perfect!
Mom, if you are reading this, yes, you DID raise me to know better. I know, I know, athletic shoes are supposed to be white. One must always be prepared for a spontaneous game of tennis and I love that you still enjoy the game! And that your shoes will match anything you wear!
But you had to know I had that rebel streak in me and better it should come out in running shoes….than say…body piercings, right?
The other shoes in my rotation are the Brooks PureFlow. In Black!!! Mom? Are you still reading?
I run exclusively in lightweight shoes with a minimal heel drop (these are 4mm). Then the color combo has to be just obnoxious enough to make me feel WILD and HAPPY.
Even though the new Kinvara 3 is out, the available color combos just didn’t give me that “thing” I needed. Plus I raced in the Kinvara 2′s last year (pink and black) and they worked great.
Is anybody else this weird about shoes??
I would like to thank Ian and the staff of Runabout Sports for four years (and counting) of shoes! It’s pretty cool to walk into a store where they know your preferences (hang-ups), training and racing volume, and even your shoe… Read the rest
On May 16, 2012,
in There are times where I don’t really plan for what I’m going to write about in my blog. I get a spark of an idea, and go write about it. Those kind of posts are really a lot of fun – and in some cases I get to use my creativity to write (hopefully) compelling stuff that you like to read.
Other times, I really do some planning. Advance work. Research.
I thought I’d give you a glimpse into some of the things I’ve got in the “hopper” and will be publishing in the next couple of weeks.
Product / Book Reviews
I am quite honored when a company approaches me and asks me to do a review of their product. While my reviews may not be as in-depth or techy as DC Rainmaker’s, I think I do a pretty solid job of rendering my opinion on products when they come my way. Ultimately, my perspective is if I like a product I will tell you what I liked about it and why. On the other hand, I’ll also be honest about what I don’t like.
Over the past year, I’ve built a relationship with Velo Press and have been able to review several really good books. Right now, I’m in the midst of reviewing Sheila Taormina’s new book Swim Speed Secrets for Swimmers and Triathletes. I’ve actually finished reading the book, and have gone back to re-read several sections prior to writing my review. Look for that… Read the rest
Crazy TRX workout. My core is STILL sore from that workout.)
Oh… and I put my scale away again last night. If you’ll remember the other day I posted my weight (218.8 – the horror)… well, last night I weighed. Which was stupid because it was at the end of the day, I had a good work out, I was very hydrated, had eaten alot of volume food and salt, was fully dressed….
Crazy TRX workout. My core is STILL sore from that workout.)
Oh… and I put my scale away again last night. If you’ll remember the other day I posted my weight (218.8 – the horror)… well, last night I weighed. Which was stupid because it was at the end of the day, I had a good work out, I was very hydrated, had eaten alot of volume food and salt, was fully dressed….
Even though I damn well knew that I was easily carrying 10 pounds of clothing, food, salt and water and
