Let's Talk Nutrition!

Eat, I LOVE to eat!  Now that my mileage is a little higher it seems not only am I running and sleeping more, but eating a whole lot more too.

So let's talk some of my favorite things to eat.

Favorite thing to fuel with while running: Definitely GU energy gels, preferably Jet Blackberry or Tri-Berry, and GU Brew, Blueberry Pomegranate flavor.  Thanks to the wonderful support at GU, I have received some GU Goodness this year that has enhanced my training and marathon preparation and will be essential over the next few weeks leading up to the trials.  On January 14th I will definitely be using GU products to help get me through the best marathon I am capable of on that day.

My favorite snack: A local energy bar called "Camille's Bars."  The ingredients and nutritional values speak for themselves!  Made with natural almond butter, organic flax, organic quinoa, walnuts, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, organic chia seeds, brown rice syrup, organic maple syrup and ground spices how can you not love them?  Good for you and delicious.  If you are an athlete they are a must have snack to keep in running bag, glove compartment and desk drawer!  Contact Camille at 518-495-8224 to get a box of your own.

Camille's Bars

My favorite race morning meal?  Oatmeal (oat groats cooked in the crock pot) with a banana.  Easily digestible I am guaranteed a happy stomach on race day.  I normally eat breakfast about 3 hours before the race start time. (Note to self, avoid APPLES before a run, not a good mix as experienced this morning!)

My favorite post-race/workout fuel?  Before I go to any workout or race I make myself a smoothie so I have good nutrition in me within 15 minutes of completing my workout/race.  My smoothie includes, frozen berries, banana, almond milk, Paleomeal Protein powder, greens, vitamin C and ground flax seed.  I put it in a thermos so it is still cold when I drink it.

What are some of your favorites?  I would love to hear so drop me an email or comment below!

What does my training look like?

Guess what, there are no secrets, just hard work!  So here is a brief look at my training over the past 2 weeks.  Over the past 2 weeks I am right in the bulk of my marathon prep with the Olympic Trials being 5-6 weeks away.  My mileage has been lower than in the past, as the main goal is to stay healthy, and there has been more of a focus on quality training with quality recovery.

Monday 11/28
PM - 8.13 miles
Core

Tuesday 11/29
AM - 10.3 miles, Strides and Drills
Strength workout
PM - 9.24 miles

Wednesday 11/30
AM - 6x1 mile at 5:40 pace with 60-70 second recovery, total 14.2 miles
PM - 4 miles (recovery)
Core

Thursday 12/1
AM - 10.5 miles

Friday 12/2
AM - 8 miles
Strength
PM - 8.65 miles
Core

Saturday 12/3
Fast finish long run - 13 miles easy 10 miles increasing pace from 6:20's down to 5:40's 1 mile cool down, total 24 miles

Sunday 12/4
AM - 10.2 miles
Strength
Core

Weekly Mileage:  107.37

Monday 12/5
AM - 1 hour swim/aqua jog
PM - Strength workout

Tuesday 12/6
AM - 8.66 miles
Core
PM - 20x 1 min on 1 min off, 12.4 miles total

Wednesday 12/7
AM - 8.15 miles
Strength workout
PM - 8 miles

Thursday 12/8
AM - 6.4 miles
Core
PM - Track workout, 6x200, 1x800, 1x400, 3x300, 4x200, 1x800, 1x400, 3x300, mixed intensity between interval, repetition and threshold pace total miles 10.3

Friday 12/9
AM - 10.2 miles
Core
PM - 6 miles, drills and strides

Saturday 12/10
Long run with 4x3.2 miles with 4 minute recovery, increasing pace for each set, starting 6:20's working down to 5:40's, total miles 23.3

Sunday 12/11
AM - 10.5 miles
Core

Weekly Mileage: 103.91


Overall a successful 2 weeks, looking forward to an even better 2 weeks coming up!  What does your log look like?  Drop me an email and share some of your training!  I am always up for learning a few new ideas and seeing what works for other runners.  Everyone is different and has different strengths and weaknesses, therefore requiring slightly different training.  Just because it works for one person doesn't mean it will work for someone else, but it is always good to keep learning and researching about your training.  New ideas and studies are continuously coming out, helping to refine everyone's training and make you faster.  Don't get stuck in old habits, keep reading and expanding your training knowledge, try new things and stay open to new ideas.  Happy running!

Tips from McMillan Elite

Thanks to McMillan Elite for a great week in Flagstaff.  Here are some pointers from some of our nations best professional distance runners:

1.  Run easy on your easy days - Be confident in your training and really use your easy days to recover fully and allow your body to absorb all the hard work you did!
2.  It takes time - Nothing happens over night, have patience, stay focused, work hard and you will see results.
3.  Create an environment and will enable YOU to be successful - Everyone is different, figure out what you as an individual need in your running environment to be successful.  Some people need a group, some work better individually, some like to share in the decision making with their coach, while others would rather to just be told what their workout is and do it.  Figure out what you need and find people who will support and enable you to succeed.
4.  Don't put one race on a pedestal - The first objective is to make it to the starting line.  Don't get caught up in the hype of a single race.  Train smart and stay injury free.
5.  Only you can do all the little things - You make the daily decisions.  Make good ones, take naps, eat well, do your drills and strides, make every choice count!
That being said, time to get back to work, see you on the road!

Why Train at Altitude?

My little 5 day stint (3 when you eliminate travel) is not going to have the physiological benefits described below, but I thought it would be fun to discuss what physical benefits there are to training at altitude.  (My trip was awesome and had tons of other really awesome benefits to be disclosed in future posts, thanks AREEP).  

To get the full physical advantage of altitude I would need to stay at altitude for at least 3 weeks (I have done 6 in the past and definitely received huge benefits) and for an even more effective benefit make several trips to train altitude.  To receive the greatest benefit from altitude one would be somewhere between 5000 ft. and 8000 ft. (perfect Flag is at 7000 ft.)  At altitude our blood does not carry the same amount of oxygen as sea level.  Because there is a lower barometric pressure at altitude, our body adapts by producing more red blood cells so that we will still get all the oxygen we need.  The more red blood cells in our body, the more oxygen our working muscles receive.  The muscles themselves will have an increase in small blood vessels called capillaries, leading to more blood and nutrients entering the muscles.  From a running perspective the more blood and nutrients that enter the muscles the higher our VO2 max will be.  VO2 max is the highest amount of oxygen consumption a person can achieve.  The higher your VO2 max, the faster you will run. 

So the summary::

Altitude=More Red Blood Cells=More Oxygen=Higher VO2 max=Faster Running!

Aaron can we spend the summer at altitude?!?!?!?!?!?!

Training High in Flagstaff, AZ.

Special thanks to AREEP for giving me the opportunity to join Josh Merlis and Dick Vincent on a week long running/training trip to Flagstaff, AZ!  While at Altitude we will be welcomed by the McMillan Elite team and gain some new insight into training and living the life of an elite runner.  Hopefully each day I can share with you, some key points and lessons I learn from one of the Nations premiere distance running programs.  Check back soon for the latest scoop!

Buffalo Park, Flagstaff, AZ, Dick, Jodie, Josh

Stockade-athon 15k Race Report

Stockade-athon 15k Race Report


The plan according to Mat and Aaron:
Training through this race (not a goal race so no taper or anything like that), long warm-up to better simulate a marathon, don’t go out faster than 5:55,  wait until 10k to make a move.

The result: 

Stockade-athon Champion, New PR – 54:46

Aaron and Mat ran as well, Aaron – 4^th place overall, YOU ROCK! 48:59, Mat – New PR – 57:50, NICE JOB!

Check out the Daily Gazette write-up here.

What actually happened:

Wake up at 5am.  My parents were in town to watch visit and watch us run, FUN!  I have the normal pre-race breakfast, oatmeal and a banana, and go through my usual AIS stretching and soft tissue work.  Aaron and I manage to squeak out the door just on time at 6:55am and get to the course by 7:30am.  I do some dynamic stretching and then head out on my long warm-up for about 55 minutes.  Since my goal race is the Olympic Trials in January we decided to go into the race having already ran 7 miles to simulate the idea that mile 8 will be mile 15 and so on.  The race was geared towards being more of a key workout in training as opposed to a goal race where I want to run fast.  After warming up I got my awesome new neon green ARE Racing Team uniform on, said hi to my parents and gave them my extra clothes, did a few strides, took a GU gel (I could probably survive on these if they were my only food source) and headed to the start line.  I went through mile 1 in 5:53 right on pace and was comfortably tucked in behind Ashley Gorr.  I followed race plan and stayed settled in behind Ashley until just after the 10k mark.  I pulled away from Ashley after 10k and she battled right back, what a tough competitor and fellow Olympic Trials Qualifier.  It was great to have such awesome competition!  Eventually I was able to pull away and work on picking off some of the guys who were in front of me.  I would have liked to finish the last 5k a little bit stronger and faster, but overall a solid day with a new PR 54:46. 

Check out the Post-Race Video Here.

Conclusion:

I still have a long way to go but have made huge progress in my 10 weeks back to running.  I definitely have bigger dreams and hopes, but will focus on enjoying the process now, staying injury free, and every day reaching for my goals.

Kettlebells for Runners - Preview

In addition to running I have been doing strength work with Kettlebells at Plaza Fitness with Mathew Nark.  You can check out part of the workout in the video below.

Over the next few weeks I will share some more videos from strength training, core workouts, and drills.  I will also incorporate some pointers on how to include these key elements into your running routine.

Top 5 Lessons

So after 3 months off I now am on my eighth successful week of training and decided I would reflect on some of the most important things that I have learned over these past 8 weeks.  After 5 stress fractures one would think I would have learned these lessons years ago, but sometimes no matter what people say you have to make a bunch of mistakes on your own before you listen!  We will chalk those mistakes up as great lessons and learning experiences and I am sure there will be plenty more of those in the future.  For now here are my top 5 lessons or 'Light Bulb' ideas (for me anyway).  Even though you may already know some of these hopefully you think about them again and put them in the front of your mind for a few minutes before stashing them back into the great abyss of your knowledge.

1. Take one day off a week from running!  Yes believe it or not I said it and I do it.  Wouldn't taking 1 day off a week be much better than taking every day off for 3 months?  That's the new approach and hopefully an effective one.  By taking 1 day off every week I am just allowing my body to recover fully, absorb the training and adapt.  It was a hard concept to swallow at first but now I embrace it and clean the house like mad on my day off!
2. Less is More - More quality, less quantity.  During my training cycle for the Olympic Trials Marathon I will be doing less mileage with more of a focus on quality training.  I want to get the most out of my training without wasting energy and over training like some many of us runners are guilty of.
3. Surround yourself with a great support system This is definitely the most important thing on this list!  Without my husband Aaron and family supporting and believing in me and my dreams I would not be where I am today.  I am extremely grateful for how much everyone has sacrificed to help me chase my goals.  In addition to friends and family there are several other important pieces to the puzzle.   Mathew Nark has provided a complete program aimed at helping me reach my goals while staying healthy.  Since moving up to the Albany area this summer I have joined the Albany Running Exchange Racing Team a subdivision of the Albany Running Exchange (ARE).  Josh Merlis and ARE are providing a tremendous amount of support to my training and I am looking forward to representing them in upcoming events.  Finally, I would like to thank SUNY Potsdam for their support as well.  It is amazing that 5 years after I have graduated SUNY Potsdam is still 100% invested in the student alumni.  The support and foundation that Potsdam provided for me has enabled me to accomplish many goals in my running career
4. Focus on your weakness - Do all the little things to improve your weakness.  By making your overall foundation stronger and improving your weaknesses you will see great progress in all aspects of your training.  My weakness: speed, my strength: threshold running.  By working on some of those fast twitch muscle fibers, through workouts, drills and strength training, not only is my speed improving, but my threshold running is improving as well, AWESOME!
5. Patience - Think Long Term!  Yes 2012 will be an awesome year, but 2016 will be even better!

Coming back after injury?

So whenever you come back from injury it is a great time to re-evaluate, where you have been, what you were doing, where you are going, and how you can get there even better than before.  I know where I am going, to the Olympic Trials in the Marathon in January.  I know where I have been and what I have done so far.  I also know there is a lot more in me and am excited to see what I can do.  In order to do that though I need to stay injury free.  That would mean adjusting my training volume a bit and modifying my strength program to address all the weak parts.  Since working with Mathew Nark we started out by first doing lots of soft tissue work.  I went from being in foam roller denial to becoming a foam roller freak!  So here are the things you need to start doing your own daily soft tissue work at home and to get those muscles ready for a workout and for recovery afterward.
1.  Stretching Rope









2.  Foam Roller

3.  The Stick

  4. Trigger Point Therapy Kit









Now you don't need all of these.  Whatever you have will do.  I put them up here in order of importance to me right now.  My stretching rope is always on hand and you should check out the Wharton's Website for a great active isolated stretching routine and information.  You can check out tons of videos on youtube about using the foam roller, the stick and trigger point therapy.  I spend about 45-60 minutes before and after my workouts with these new found toys and I definitely feel like it just wakes my muscles up and gets the blood flowing.  I will stretch for about 25 minutes and then use the other gadgets for about 20-30 minutes.  So that is step one for getting and keeping myself injury free.  More to come!

Cautiously Optomistic

So for all of you out there who have ever been injured one of the hardest parts is coming back after an injury and being cautiously optimistic about your circumstance.  I was given the green light to run on July 14th and still not feeling quite right I waited a week, tried and walked home.  Given the green light for a second time, I tried again a few weeks later and made it through a couple of days only to walk home again.  It has been about 4 weeks since my last attempt and I think this time could go well.  I have been working with Mathew Nark for a little over 2 weeks and see some improvement in many of my movement patterns.  My back/SI joint on my right side is feeling a whole lot better, but I still have so many problems on my left side.  Nothing happens overnight and I have to work on my patience a bit.  I am super excited to get back into running again, but at the same time have this fear deep down in my gut with all the 'What If's?"  I am going to look at the rest of the week with my glass half full and try to fear less and hope more.  Confident and hopeful that I am on the right path with fixing some long time problems in my movement patterns.  Over the next few weeks I will go into a little more detail with some of the things that I am working on with Mathew Nark and maybe even give you a few new things to put into your daily routine.

I'm Back and with some New Support

Well thanks for all of your patience while I sorted through my life over the past couple of months!  There were highs and lows for sure so here is a brief wrap up of the past few months and I promise that I won't leave you hanging for so long in the future!

We will start with new additions to my support team.  First, the ultimate high while I was gone definitely came on July 3rd when I married Aaron Robertson (an awesome runner, music teacher).  By far the best day of my life and not that I am biased or anything but our wedding rocked!  A great day with all our friends and family!  Aaron is the biggest support for this upcoming year and I wouldn't be able to do any of this without him.

The next addition to the support team is Bob and Fred Bethpage Auto Body.  By far the top place to bring your car when you need some body work done, whether an accident or hail storm (as many of you Long Islanders are having to deal with).  They are a continual support in the community at the Harry O'Neill 5k and many other local events so make sure you check them out at 309 Broadway, Bethpage, NY.

There is yet one more addition to the support team and that would be Mathew Nark, at Plaza Fitness.  The big low over the past 2 months has been the sacral stress reaction/fracture that came up in late June.  One thing about injuries is they always encourage you to re-evaluate and assess where you are and what you are doing.  I have been biking, swimming and aqua jogging and hoping to maintain some fitness.  Once Aaron and I settled into the Albany area, Josh Merlis of Albany Running Exchange helped to set a meeting up with Mathew Nark over at Plaza Fitness.  Nark uses Functional Movement Systems to help correct dysfunctional movement patterns and fortify proper movements.  After just a few weeks of working with Nark I am beginning to see some improvements and look forward to sharing more with you as we progress.

So there is a brief overview with lots more detail to come.  Please feel free to share any questions and comments!

Typical Day - When Teaching

Since I am fortunate enough to be taking a leave from my teaching position at Herricks next year to train for the Olympic Trials, I thought it might be fun to give you an idea of what a typical day looks like for me right now.  Then in a few months once I have settled into a training routine I can do the same and compare the two.  So here it is:

4:30am - Wake up, stretch, drink a bunch of water
5:30-6:30am - 8 mile easy run
6:30am - Eat Breakfast, Get ready for Work, Drive to work
7:30am-2:30pm - Teach Band to 3rd-5th Graders!
2:30pm - Drive to running spot
3:00pm-5:30pm - Stretch, Workout (since I am racing on Saturday I had a lighter workout today, 4 mile warm up, Drills and Strides, 3x1 mile at Threshold Pace with 1 minute recovery, 4x200 meters at Repetition Pace with 200 meter recovery, 4 mile cool down = 12 miles), Stretch
5:30-6:30pm - Strength Training at Gym
6:30pm - Drive Home
7:00pm-8:00pm - Cook Dinner and Eat it! (Polenta with Swiss chard and roasted turnips, yay for the Farmer's Market!)
8:00pm-10:00pm - Core Routine and Strength Training at Home
10:00pm - Get Ready for Bed
10:30pm-4:30am - Sleep 6 Hours

So here is a list of things that will hopefully be different the next time I take a look at my typical routine:
1.  9-10 hours of sleep
2.  A Nap
3.  Pool Movement Activities (I have found that to help me a lot with recovery)
4.  Ice Bath
5.  Massage/ART (I do this now just not today (Monday-ART and Wednesday-Massage this week, but I need to remember it is an essential part of my recovery)
6.  1-2 hours each day to sit with my feet up and read, research, relax, RECOVER

I am sure I will think of more!  Thanks for reading!

My Mission

We all have a mission, and mine right now is to run fast and enjoy the journey but I have a bigger mission than running a PR.  My bigger goal right now is to INSPIRE.  Inspire someone, anyone, just one person to do something they didn't think they could do.  Inspire one person to reach for a dream they have stuffed under their pillow and forgotten about.  Inspire one person to have the courage to show everyone you can do it.  Inspire one person to take that risk that others shy away from.  Inspire one person to realize no matter how many times you fall, every time you stand up you are stronger than you were before. 

So my first way to hopefully inspire someone is this Saturday, June 11th at the Harry O'Neill Memorial 5k.  Come out this weekend and walk, trot, jog, or run while showing your support for the Herricks Community.  I will be there on Saturday, not running, but cheering you on through the finish.  Not only is there a 5k run at 9:30am, but there are fun runs for kids of all ages beginning at 10:30am.  Bring the whole family and celebrate being healthy and active.  This is the perfect excuse to get outside and lace up those shoes.  Josh Merlis, of ARE Event Productions is doing the timing so we are guaranteed a great time!  No need to be fast, just come out and find the joy in the Herricks Community and being active!  Hopefully, one person will be inspired to roll out of bed a little bit earlier on Saturday.  Online registration is now closed, but you can register the day of so just come to the Herricks High School and bring a friend!

One step at a time..

So I will begin by telling you that one of my biggest running inspirations is the legendary Jack Daniels.  His book Daniels' Running Formula is a must have in any runner's library, and one that I use practically every day.  I saw a great interview with him (you should watch it here) on mental fatigue.  He describes how important it is to focus on what you are doing that moment.  Instead of thinking you have to run a whole 5k, just think 1 mile at a time, or 400 meters at a time, or even better yet 1 step at a time.  Tomorrow I am going to run Freihofer's Run for Women (an event that I ran last year and really enjoyed), but I am not going to run a 5k, instead I am going to run one step at a time!  So lace up your shoes and go out for a run, but just do it step by step.

Ottawa Race Weekend

This past weekend I ran in the elite field at the Ottawa 10k.  What a phenomenal experience!  Although the result was far from anything to talk about (13th place, 1st American, 36:01) the whole event was fabulous.  I would highly recommend any of the events including the Marathon (which Aaron, my fiance ran in 2:30:01, 19th place, 1st American).  As an elite runner we had our own warm-up area and bathrooms (definitely a huge bonus).  Everyone was beyond helpful and supportive, yay for Canada being so welcoming! 

Now to the race.  Awesome is the feeling you get standing on the starting line next to Dire Tune!  The woman's elite field had a 3:55 head start in front of the men.  I still haven't quite figured out how to run a 10k yet.  I seem to always go out to hard (my first 5k was 17:26).  It was a bit hot, in the upper 70's and humid.  I just felt kind of flat, which is probably to be expected since I have only run easy since the Long Island Marathon earlier this month.  It was a good rust buster and learning experience.  I think it is so important to take bad races, such as the Ottawa 10k for me, and see them for what they really are, an opportunity.  This is my opportunity to realize I definitely need to work on my 5k/10k speed in order to help my marathon time.  That is the order of business for the next month.  I will focus on doing some shorter, faster workouts and racing some 5k's and 10k's.  I will still keep my mileage high (between 95 and 130, maybe one week up to 140), but ultimately I will focus my attention on some quality workouts.  I will also be trying to negative split my races and really finish strong.

Tip for the day, stay hydrated.  It is getting warm (90 here today) so make sure to drink plenty of water and electrolytes throughout the day!

About Me

So here is a little background information about me to get things started.  I went to Island Trees in Levittown, New York for elementary, middle and high school where I was very involved in music and sports.  I started out playing lots of basketball and soccer, and like many people joined track as a way to stay 'in shape.'  I didn't take running very seriously until my junior year in high school.  We didn't have a cross-country or winter track team so I went to another local high school (Plainedge) to train and represented my school as an individual.  Then, in the spring I ran on the spring track team at Island Trees.  I was an ok high school runner with many local accomplishments such as All-County and qualifying to go to the state meet in cross-country my junior and senior year and in the 3000 meters in Spring Track during my junior year.  My high school PR's are nothing to talk about, 5k-20:02, 3000-11:02, 1500-5:04. 

For all you high school runners out there who wonder "Am I really fast enough to pursue this whole running thing?"  the answer is YES you are as long as you have a few other things, a DREAM, an ability to BELIEVE, a desire to WORK HARD, DEDICATION and SUPPORT. 

Now back to the whole about me stuff, after high school I went on to pursue my dream of becoming a music teacher at The Crane School of Music at SUNY Potsdam.  I ran DIII cross-country throughout my college experience, and a few track races here and there as we only had an official cross-country team.  By the end of college I had become an All-American and brought my 5k PR down to 16:38. 

I was considering continuing to run after college but plagued by injury my senior year I moved on with my teaching degree in hand, got my first job teaching band, orchestra, chorus and general music at Shubert Elementary School in Baldwin, NY.  One year later, wanting to focus my teaching more on band, I got a job teaching elementary school band at Searingtown School in the Herricks School District and that is where I still am today, making music with a wonderful group of students, in a great community. 

After not running for 3 years I landed myself back in the sport and quickly started that fire within me again.  Recently I have won the 2011 US 50k championships and won the Long Island Marathon with an Olympic Trials qualifying time of 2:42:54.  I am fortunate to be in a supportive district that has given me a one-year leave to train for the Olympic Trials and I hope to share that journey with you right here!
Thanks for reading!
Jodie