Days like today are days when I feel really bad for three populations of people: elderly people without air conditioning, homeless people and journalism interns. The first two are obvious, but the third probably has you thinking “WTF Kali?”

When I was in college, I was a communications major. My concentration was journalism and I had dreams of seeing my name above the fold in the New York Times. So I worked at my school paper as a sports writer and editor for a few years and did two internships — one at a newspaper in Springfield, Ohio (about 30 minutes north of Dayton) and one at WCPN ideastream, Cleveland’s NPR member station.

Both were summer internships. Both times, it got so hot that I had to do a story on what people were doing to “beat the heat.” So now, every summer, I feel bad for any intern that gets stuck with that story.

And you see those stories everywhere, especially as a runner. People blog about it, you read the same tips in Runners World every year and pretty much everyone on twitter is telling you to hydrate. So here’s one more

1. Suck it up. I’m sure I said this in the winter too. But seriously, if you’re smart and take precautions, your chances of dying are significantly less and you’re going to regret sitting on your butt in the AC more than you will if you get a few miles in. I always tell myself, “Badwater is going to be 10 times worse.” If I don’t do the work, I’ll never get there and find out anyway.
2. Adjust your schedule. I’m sure you know by now the best times to exercise outside is in the early morning or in the evening when the sun goes down. Figure out what works for you and adjust accordingly. Set a bunch of alarms if you have to, set your clothes out, don’t go home after work. Whatever it takes to get you out the door. (yes, these are really my alarms…)
3. Go somewhere else. Instead of leaving from my house this morning, I drove up to Shaker Lakes and stuck to the streets around there because there’s a lot more shade than there is by my house. Hit the trails, go to a big park. Chances are you paid taxes to build them, so use them for their shade.
4. Carry water with you. Invest in a belt, handheld bottle, camelbak, do loops in a park with a water fountain, run with a friend on a bike who can carry your water, whatever works for you. I’m a big fan of the handheld bottle.
5. Know when to fold. When it was cold out, there was a point when I just wouldn’t run outside because it got to be too dangerous. (wind chills below -10? yes, those exist). Same goes for the summer. Chances of weather related illness are more likely to happen in the summer. Always check the actual temperature and relative humidity. Heed any warnings you see on the news or from weather services.
6. Wear sunscreen. Even if you’re black. If you didn’t know this by now, I’m half black. I’ve always used that as an excuse to not wear sunscreen. That was until I got sunburned for the second time ever in my entire life last week. (I honestly didn’t know what it was. I had to ask someone). But it doesn’t matter what color you are and how low your risk is, you can still burn and still get skin cancer.

What are your summer running must-do’s? 

Filed under Uncategorized Tagged with heat wave, running, summer, training

CHI marathon training week 3 — finding a focus

In case you didn’t know, when I was a junior in college, I decided to make one of the best decisions of my life and join a sorority. To make a long story short, I made some awesome friends, learned a lot about myself and how to be a leader, went to a lot of frat parties (and that’s how I met my boyfriend, for those of you who’ve asked!), and became a better person.

One of my sorority’s mottos or lessons, for lack of a better word, that we heard constantly is “to receive much, you must give much.” It’s not something I really came to realize until I was head of our Founders Day committee senior year and had to plan a brunch and program (and speech!) for more than 100 people. I’ll spare you the details, but I was stressed, at a bad point in my life and had a lot of coursework to do on top of planning. And then as the actual event was happening, I realized what “to receive much, you must give much” really meant.

And I hate to say it, but I’ve been struggling already with marathon training. My foot hasn’t been an issue. What’s been an issue has been getting back into the game mentally. I have no focus, I don’t feel like putting in the work and I’ve been lacking a lot of motivation because I’ve been doubting myself.

When I was driving to North Chagrin Reservation for a 4-5 miler I really didn’t want to do, I realized something:

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kali

Finally realized the perfect focus for #CM11 training: “to receive much, you must give much.” I did learn something from my Sigma years

July 14, 2011 3:03 pm via Twitter for iPhoneReplyRetweetFavorite

Instead of focusing so much on the negative and setting myself up for failure, I need to focus on putting in the work if I want/deserve the experience I’m seeking out of my second marathon. If I don’t put my head down and work hard, I’m not going to get the results I want as far as time or overall experience (and that’s a lot of time and money wasted if I don’t start working harder).

I’d like to say I had an awesome long run last week, but again, I let the negative thoughts get to me. But either way I still got the miles in and I know what I need to do differently this week.

Last week’s mileage: 22.25 (getting there. This week will be a huge jump.)

What’s up this week:

• Monday: lift and hour spin (I have to admit, I kind of miss the bike).
• Tuesday: 4-5 mile fartlek; lift
• Wednesday: 4-6 miles with Second Sole
• Thursday: lift; 6-7 miles at goal pace
• Friday: off…
• Saturday: long run 12-14 miles (I want to push longer this week so I can take a scale back week the first weekend of August.)
• Sunday: easy 3-4 miles

By the way, I’m running Chicago for someone other than myself I chose to support Wounded Warrior Project this cycle and would love if you help me reach my goal. Click the banner on the side of my page or here to donate.

Filed under Uncategorized Tagged with chicago marathon, cm11, running, training

three things thursday: what helped me through my injury

So you know I like doing themes for three things Thursdays… most of the time

Today I wanted to briefly talk about a few things that helped me through my plantar faciitis. Unfortunately, it’s a condition that can and probably will flare up later on, but getting over that initial diagnosis took a lot of work — physically and mentally. I wrote about the mental and emotional side of it yesterday as a guest post for Katie, so today I wanted to mention a few tips for the physical side of plantar faciitis. Don’t take this as Bible — I’m not a doctor or physical therapist. Always see a doctor first if you’re injured! (I can show you how to stretch and strengthen after you see a doctor though. I’m always open for that )

1. Ice — This sounds dumb and obvious, but ice and stretching were the only things that really helped that cost me $0. Honestly there was nothing better than zoning out in front of the TV and rolling my foot over a frozen bottle of water. It felt amazing when my heel was hurting.

(yes, I have creepy huge feet. I’m also tall, so it evens out.)

2. Rock Tape — I tried two different kinds of tape, KT Tape and Rock Tape. I wrote about my frustration with KT Tape briefly last month. So I tried Rock Tape instead and loved it! Both work equally as well, but there’s some huge differences (and one doesn’t fall off in five minutes.) I have a post almost written about the two for next week!

3. Yoga — The doctor told me to do calf stretches at least five times a day. Like this woman:

(click image for source)

So when I was at work, folding pants or doing something where I could stand still for a few minutes, I’d stretch, essentially losing count, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it wasn’t consistent. In addition to the stretching, I found that yoga helped tremendously. Especially downward dog:

(click image for source)

The pose stretches the same muscles (and more) as the calf stretches and relaxes me at the same time. Yoga became a mind-body thing, like it’s supposed to, but it helped heal both parts of the injury. I went to a combination of classes and used Yoga Download 20 minute podcasts. If you go to class (which I strongly recommend over doing it at home), make sure to tell the instructor if you’re injured. They will show you how to modify the poses if/when you need to.

(I would also like to note I would have loved to put in photos of myself for the last two pictures, but I am an idiot with the self-timer on my new camera, I’m wearing denim shorts and a t-shirt now and I’m too lazy to change and no one else is here to take photos anyway.)

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blogs in other places

So no blog for me here today.

1. Not much to say. I’m enjoying a day off (finally) with Modern Family season 1 on DVD.

2. I guest posted for one of my best blends, Katie, today!

Aside from that, here’s a guest post by Susan Lacke (who you can read regularly at No Meat Athlete) that Caitlin HTP posted the other day. The tab has been sitting in my reader since the day she posted it and I’ve been meaning to share. Her story really resonated with me for so many reasons. (If you’re new and don’t know why, read this post). It’s awesome that so many of us have similar stories to share, it makes you feel less alone

Happy running!

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marathon training weeks 1 and 2 — doubt

I’ve been really hesitant to write about marathon training so far. Since the injury, I haven’t been living up to my usual standards — lots of walk breaks, still not used to the heat, nowhere near where I want as far as mileage and I’m exhausted the majority of the time (early mornings to run, then work and then staying up late studying).

But I realized my attitude has been holding me back.

A lot.

Fear, doubt, fatigue, stress have all been holding me back from doing a better job. I know I can do better, but I keep making excuses (usually “I’m tired” or “it’s too hot.”)

It reminds me of this ad:

(click image for source)

So in order to get over it, get my butt out there and enjoy training for this marathon this time around, I’m making some promises to myself:

• Do the workouts as planned. I may have to switch some days around because of work, but there’s nothing wrong with getting up at 4 a.m. to run if I have to.
• Have fun…within reason. When I trained for Columbus, I didn’t have a sip of alcohol for 2.5 months. I rarely went out with my friends, the only people I saw were my coworkers and then-boyfriend. I had no life outside of work and running. This time, I don’t want to skip things because I have to run, but I also plan on being responsible if I’m not skipping something.
• Ask for help when I need it. I’m stubborn and don’t ask for advice or help when I need to. If I need someone to do a long run with me, I’ll ask. If I need help at work to help me be less stressed, I will for sure start asking. I need to stop making things harder for myself.
• Eat better foods. Molly mentioned something her coach used to say the other day, “garbage in, garbage out.” Part of my problem is that I’m not eating well — massive amounts of carbs, not enough fresh fruits and veggies. Nutrition is not one area I should be skimping on and I need to do a better job of eating nutritious meals and not the crap my family eats.

By the way, I’m running Chicago for someone other than myself I chose to support Wounded Warrior Project this cycle and would love if you help me reach my goal. Click the banner on the side of my page or here to donate.

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Run for the Pierogies 5K Recap

I woke up yesterday morning without my alarm at 6 a.m. (thinking I was late for work). But instead, I had something else planned:

I ran my first race in nearly two months out in Parma (parts of CLE that are not on the lovely east side seem like foreign countries to me…)

The race was a 5K and part of the Parma community’s Relay for Life event that kicked off an hour or so after the race. Myself and some awesome CLE bloggers got together to run the race as our monthly OBA meetup and our local #fitbloggin event:

From left: Why CLE?, Morgan, Courtney, Alicia, Jessica, me and Stephanie.

So you’re probably wondering how the race went…

For me, not so well. I was probably kidding myself thinking I’m ready to race already. I’ve run 3-4 milers plenty of times in the past three weeks, but not all the way through yet.

And it was hot. There was only about .02 miles of shade.

OK enough complaining.

The course was a double loop that stayed on the Tri-C West campus. I thought I was being “conservative” in the first mile, holding back a little bit and I used a child as a rabbit since she was pretty steady with her pacing (don’t act like you’ve never done that before). I hit the first mile in 8:00 (fastest mile I’ve ran since the CLE half).

I was OK for about another half mile or so, but then the wheels came off. The heat was starting to get to me and the thought of having to do that loop one more time seemed like the worst thing in the world (had I looked at the course before, I would not have done it. I loathe double loops).

I stopped and walked a few times, tried not to think about the heat and with maybe 1.25 miles left, decided I wasn’t stopping anymore and caught up with Stephanie and ran the rest of the race with her.

I finished in 28:01, according to my Garmin. The race wasn’t chip timed (which annoys me almost as much as the double loop), so I really don’t know what my actual time was. I started my Garmin when the race began and I feel as if I were always a few seconds off when I passed the guys yelling out times at the mile markers.

There were pierogies at the finish. I mean what kind of Run for the Pierogies would lack in pierogies, but I wasn’t feeling so hot from the heat and stuck with water, a banana and a cookie to try and make myself feel a little better and up to going to brunch afterward. I’m going to assume they were delicious.

I stuck around and took some photos and cheered the other bloggers across the finish line:

Overall, it was fun. It was more fun to hang out with everyone than to actually race It’s still not my best or worst time whatsoever, but I wasn’t expecting a PR. I probably raced before I was ready, but oh well. My next race (that I’m absolutely positive I’m running), isn’t until September.

Until then, I’ll just be working on getting ready to take on Chicago!

Filed under Uncategorized Tagged with OBA, race recap, races, running

it’s fridayyyy

So I really couldn’t think of anything else to post today, other than two pieces of news.

I’m running my first race since the Cleveland half tomorrow! No expectations. It’s a 5K in Parma. And part of the OBA and local #fitbloggin meetups. I’m excited to race again finally and see a bunch of my CLE blog friends again!

And I finally set everything up so that I’m running for a cause in Chicago. I decided to run for Wounded Warrior Project and would love you forever and run extra hard for you if you donate at my fund raising page!

Happy running!

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good news!

So this weekend I took an impromptu blogging/twitter hiatus. Sorry I’m not sorry. The LT came home for the weekend and I managed to get a three-day weekend to hang out with him.

Now I’m playing catch up and trying to read everyone’s posts and study and get back into the swing of things with work and sleep and one very important thing…

marathon training!

I “officially” started last week. A whopping 13.25 miles. The issue hasn’t been my foot so much, but more of I’m not mentally there and definitely not acclimated to the heat and humidity. That and I was waiting to see the doctor again.

My follow-up was this afternoon. After hitting the gym for a strength workout, I anxiously made my way to the Cleveland Clinic and sat and waited.

And of course, Molly was the first to hear the good news:

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kali

@mollyberries thanks! He told me he doesn’t want to see me again unless something’s wrong

July 5, 2011 4:17 pm via Twitter for iPhoneReplyRetweetFavorite

I’m really allowed to run again! No physical therapy is necessary, but I do have to make a better effort to stretch (I don’t like doing it. It’s fallen by the wayside…) I don’t have to wear the night splint anymore unless I “feel” I need it — which I don’t, I didn’t wear it for three nights straight (I wouldn’t be caught dead in that thing…) and woke up painless all weekend. The doc was very adamant about taking it slow and progressing slowly…

Now that I have the green light to really get back to normal, it’s time to focus on getting to the finish line in Chicago!

Filed under Uncategorized Tagged with injury, life, running, training

three things thursday

1. One of my two birthday gifts from my parents was a very generous gift card for Dick’s. I tend to buy most of my running clothes there during end of season sales or promos and yesterday happened to be the perfect day to stop there. I bought another Nike singlet, but unfortunately, I didn’t realize I didn’t have any shorts to match it.

(it’s hard to tell, but the trim on those shorts is dark purple)

Especially when I wore these shoes again today. Lots of stares.

2. Maria, whose blog I stalk read, posted yesterday about what “healthy” means to her. It got me thinking a lot about what healthy means in my life and I can’t for the life of me pin down an actual definition. I guess it’s really what my life and career is about and even though so much of my self-esteem and self-worth is focused on the number on the scale, that’s not what healthy is. When I took on the challenge of the New Rules of Lifting program, I chose not to record my weight, body fat or any other measurements and record my progress by how many reps and how much I can lift. I’ll post more about that later on after stage 1 is complete (two more weeks!). But since reading her post and thinking more and more, healthy to me is being happy with yourself and doing good things for your body. Or finishing a tough workout, sweating all over the place and lifting up your shirt, realizing that strength training program really is working (which happend 40 minutes ago No, you’re not going to get a picture of my sweet abs here…)

3. If you only read two blog posts on the entire internet today (the first is this one since it’s almost over…), make sure you head over to No Meat Athlete and read “30 Lessons My Parents Didn’t Teach Me.” Don’t wait, do it now.

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back at it

I’ve been very absent from twitter and the blog over the past two days. After an awesome birthday weekend off, it was time to go back to work and kick it into high gear with reviewing for my personal training certification exam.

Needless to say, I’ve spent most of my evenings in front of my Mac on the exam review course and with my nose in these guys:

OK, I’ll admit, I haven’t picked up Essentials since I finished reading it, but I was too lazy to take a new photo…

Anyway.

Two very important things happened in the past two days.

Yesterday, I started marathon training. I figured since I have slightly less than 15 weeks to Chicago, I should probably put together a plan and start building some miles. The foot still isn’t 100 percent, but it feels good most of the time and only really hurts when I wake up in the morning (even with the night splint, boo) or when I take a nap/sit in a chair for an extended period of time (and usually fall asleep). I only ran 3.35 miles yesterday (I was going to do 3, but I wanted to finish listening to the song) on the bridle trail at North Chagrin Reservation. Other than avoiding horse poop (some points of the trail felt like running in a minefield) and hitting a closed-off area and having to turn around (though I did watch a man run right through it. I’m not that daring), it was a really awesome run. I’m definitely not where I want to be at all in terms of speed, but my main focus is on building the miles back up and focusing on speed again as the race nears closer.

Today, I had an extremely long day at work. Or I guess I worked the amount of hours a normal person does, but this week won’t end no matter how hard I try (I have a three-day weekend! And someone important will be here ). Anyway, at work today, I guess I realized I really made a good decision:

I had a customer who was trying on clothes in our store after losing a significant amount of weight. On her own. We talked for a while, more about weight loss and exercise than the clothes, and she asked me a bunch of exercise questions and I even showed her proper form for a squat. Talking to her really made me realize I made the right choice by becoming a personal trainer and I can’t wait until I get to be inspired by people like her and help others every day.