Hurts So Good: Foam Rolling 101

When I first learned about foam rolling about 10 years ago, I initially thought it was odd and useless.  I was working as a personal trainer at a large health club and I remember one of the master trainers raving about it so I figured I would give it a shot.  I laid on the long peace of foam, rolled vigorously back and forth for like 5 seconds and insisted it had no benefit.  Luckily for me and my future client, that master trainer caught me with my terrible foam rolling technique and took some time to show me how to properly use it.  And let me tell you, it changed my life!  Since then, foam rolling has not only become a regular part of my training regimen (just as important to me as a training run or lifting session) but also a staple in our training programs for all of our athletes.  Foam rolling and other forms of SMR (self miofascial release), if done properly, have several great benefits which I will discuss below.  However, people often neglect rolling because they feel as if they have time or do not see immediate benefits from it.  So I will also cover proper technique, key areas to roll and tips for incorporating rolling into your training routine.

Benefits of Rolling
First, let's discuss why we roll.  Our active lifestyle, from running to lifting weights, causes our muscles to tighten up.  These tight areas, or "trigger points," can eventually lead to weak areas which, if neglected, can potentially lead to injury.  Loosening up tight tissue not only alleviates discomfort, but it can also help you become a more efficient athlete with increased range of motion, better form and improved running and economy.  Waiting until you feel significant tightness and pain, however is not the solution and often where people go wrong when it comes to SMR.  Foam rolling is not just for rehabilitation, rather it is a great tool for preventing muscles from getting too tight, which of course will aid in recovery, prevent soreness and, of course, prevent injury.

When to Roll
As I stated above, don't just wait until your sore to roll.  Use roam rolling as a preventative tool as a part of your regular training routine to see the most benefit.  At our gym, we have our athletes roll out before each training session, and even during and after if necessary.  I myself, as a runner and weight lifter, typically start each of my training sessions off with several minutes of foam rolling focusing on key areas.  So to answer the question of "when should you foam roll?" here are a couple of key things to remember:

1. Rolling can essentially be done daily
2. Do not wait until you are sore, roll regularly
3. Roll BEFORE training sessions as a part of your warm up to loosen up tight muscles
4. If you experience tightness during or after a workout, take a moment to roll that specific area
5. Rolling does not necessarily have to occur during training, it can be done first thing in the morning or even at night, just make time for it!

Types of Rollers
At our facility, we have several types of tools including regular long rollers, half rollers, "The Stick," and lacrosse balls for our athletes' SMR needs.  I typically suggest to people to first invest in a long roller that can be purchased anywhere from online to running stores and even Target or Marshalls.  You do not have to break the bank buying the latest and greatest products in SMR.  A simple long piece of foam will serve as a great tool to loosen up those tight muscles.  Here is a break down of what we use and for what:

1. Long Roller: Can be used for most areas, especially larger muscle groups like quads, glutes and adductors.  Long rollers are also great for the back, lats and of course those pesky IT Bands.
2. Half Roller: Although not necessary if you have the long roller, half rollers can be a little more user friendly for hamstrings and calf muscles.
3. "The Stick": Is great for zeroing in on tight calf and soleus muscles as well as peroneals.  If you do a good amount of traveling, The Stick is a great investment because of it's size, it can be a great SMR tool for on the go.
4. Lacrosse Ball: Yes, you can purchase a fancy rolling ball from a running store, but if you can get your hands on a lacrosse ball, there are several areas you can roll with this simple tool.  The neck and shoulder area, certain regions of the hips and the rotator cuff are all areas that a hard lacrosse ball can help loosen up.
5. Others: If you head into a running store or search around online, you can be overwhelmed with the practically endless types of SMR tools available as well as the claims that each product is "the best in the industry."  My advice when it comes to starting off with foam rolling (and actually when you start off with anything) is to keep it simple and fairly inexpensive.  Invest in one good roller that seems to suit your needs and commit to using it before breaking the bank on all the products on the shelves.

Tips for Getting the Most Out of Your Foam Roller
I've discussed the importance of rolling, when to roll and of course what to use.  Now I will cover some key things to remember as you roller in order to get the most out of it.  Like I said above, my first experience with foam rolling was less than impressive, and this was of course I was doing it all wrong.  Many times, I will see people lay on a roller, rapidly roll back and forth for a handful of seconds (pretty much exactly how it went down the first time I tried it), hop up and proceed with their workout or leave the gym thinking they just successfully broke up all that tight tissue.  Sure they have seen pictures in magazines or other people at the gym foam roll the same way, so they think they are doing in right.  And maybe they did get something out of it that way (mostly likely a placebo effect though). In order to feel the full benefits from SMR, one must be a little more methodically with their rolling.  So here are a key things to consider next time you grab your roller, stick or ball:

1. Start with larger muscle groups like the quads, glutes and hamstrings, then work your way into the smaller ones.
2. Find the "trigger points," or areas of tightness and discomfort, and focus on breaking up those areas the most.  If you feel nothing over a certain muscles, don't spend too much time there.
3. Roll directly over the tightest spots, as it becomes less and less tense, begin rolling further away from that area to cover more ground and loosen up more tissue surrounding it.
4. Take slow deep breaths, letting out long slow exhales as you roll over those extra tight spots that cause you discomfort while rolling.
5. Spend on average about 20-30 seconds per area, longer for the tighter areas.  This really should take only about 10 minutes of your time, so no excuses on skipping out on it!

What to Roll
Here are the key areas we focus on rolling with our athletes:

Glutes: Sit on top of foam roller.  Rest ankle on top of thigh.  Place same arm behind body.  Lean toward the bent leg side and roll forward to back over glute.

IT Band: Lay sideways with outer thigh (IT Band) on top of roller.  Place bottom forearm on grown beneath shoulder and top hand down for support.  Cross top leg over bottom placing foot on ground.  Roll body forward to back. 

Quads: Lay upper thighs on top of the roller with forearms rested on the floor for support.  Roll from top to bottom of thighs and back up.

 

Hamstrings: Place foam roller underneath one leg.  Use your arms to help hold your hips off the floor.  Roll up and down over hamstrings.

Adductors: Place roller parallel to body.  With forearms underneath shoulders for support, place inner thigh on top of the roller with knee bent.  Roll from upper thigh down towards the knee and back up.

Lower Back: Place foam roller underneath your low back.  Place hands behind head to support neck.  Lift hips off floor and roll up and down low back.

Upper Back: Lay your shoulder blades on top of foam roller.  Cross your arms across your chest.  Lift your hips off floor.  Roll foam roller up and down your upper back.

Lats: Place roller underneath upper lats, roll up and down along lats.  Then, laying on roller, roll chest front to back.

Calves: Place The Stick on top of the calf muscle below knee, roll Stick down and up the calf.

Peroneals: Place The Stick on outside of the lower leg, above ankle.  Roll Stick up and down the lateral leg.

For more information on foam rolling, recovery and training, contact Coach Christina today at 407-960-4705.

Rest Days and Runner Friends

Last year, I got incredibly caught up into my running.  I was so laser focused on my goals and put forth so much time and energy to achieving them.  So goals I blew out of the water, others I came up short big time.  For the ones I crushed, I barely celebrated because it seemed as if it had all became more like a job for me and I simply just did what I was expected to do.  For the ones I didn't accomplish, I was devastated.  I would get downright disgusted with myself and even became unpleasant to be around at times.  Later last year, I had put all my energy and faith into qualifying for Boston at the Space Coast Marathon.  I read just about every running book on the shelves, researched all the programs, mapped out my training and for the next few months, it was all I could think and talk about.  I'm pretty sure I managed to alienate all my non-runner friends with my non-stop chatter about my running and upcoming race.  So when I ironically found myself injured just weeks before the big event, it was quite a huge serving of humble pie with a scoop of perspective on top that I had been needing for almost a year.  I had no choice but to take a back seat and re-evaluate my goals, my training and most importantly my attitude.

As painful as it was, both physically and mentally at the time, I needed that injury.  It made my realize so much about myself, my passion for running and the importance of enjoying it all.  It had become such a "job" for me.  A job I was NOT getting paid for nor enjoying.  In fact, I was spending a lot of money while not even liking it, lol.  So when I was able to run again, I made the commitment to myself to never, ever allow my attitude to become that poorly again.  Yes, I will still have goals and I will still work damn hard towards those goals.  But I will never allow myself to get so caught up in my goals where I destroy my appreciate and love for the sport.  I will not get lost in my own self and not take the time to share my passion with others. 

Two of my biggest goals this year are to listen to my body better (which will prevent injury and burn out) and to help other runners with their goals (as a coach and as a friend).  I had the opportunity to work on both of those goals this week, so here is my recap...


Monday: I hated having so skip out on spinning for the second week in a row but Hunter really needed me at our gym.  He has some of his NFL clients in and wanted to be able to focus on them while I ran our adult conditioning class.  After coaching class, I was able to get in a quick lift over at Planet Fitness.  I thought about skipping out because I was pretty exhausted from pacing the day before, but I figured a quick lift was better than no lift so I just focused on some upper body.  I never regret a workout so I was glad I did it.  I think a big reason why I was so tired Monday was from spending most of Sunday out in the sun.  I guess I hadn't realized how sunburned I had gotten until I came home after my workout and noticed my tan lines in the mirror.  Next time I, I will wear sunscreen.

Tuesday: I had absolutely NO desire to run.  My legs felt like lead and neither my head or heart were in it.  I kept procrastinating at work and then finally decided to at least do something.  Normally on Tuesdays, I would do speed work, but that seemed out of the question.  So I just went for a quick run around the block.  The first mile was so tough but by the second and third I was starting to feel a little better.  It was still pretty slow and challenging so I finished up at 5 miles.  I was grateful to have run but it was by no means one of my better ones.  I considered this a sign my body was begging for a bit of a break so I vowed to take it easy this week.

Wednesday: Legs were feeling a little better, just fatigued so this was another upper body day.  I was still pretty sluggish but I managed to get in a pretty good lift.  My arms were now as equally spent as my legs and I even had a hard time shaking up my post workout drink, lol.  Wednesday is my yoga night and I got to the gym a little early to take some time foam rolling.  Man oh man was I ever in need of a good foam rolling sesh, it most certainly helped me feel more human again!

Thursday: By the old Christina's standards, Thursday would have been considered to be a complete and utter disaster.  But luckily for me and those around me, I am in a much better place with accepting when things don't go my way.  Although I had promised myself on Tuesday I would skip running on Thursday and just get in a swim, I though I would at least try and knock out a few miles on the treadmill before hopping in the pool.  After about a 1.25 miles I was completely over it.  It was almost as if my legs refused to run, I was struggling to catch my breath even at the slower pace and my mind was just not with it.  So I slammed down on the stop button and hopped off the treadmill.  I then spent a few minute foam rolling, stretching and contemplating even swimming at that point.  It had been a loooooong time since I had felt this out of it.  Times like this are so very far and few between, so I figured it was now to be an impromptu, much needed rest day.  Like I said, there was a time in the not so distant past where an experience like this would have had me fuming.  But I recognized my body really needed this little break and I was actually grateful for it.  I am not the best at listening to my body, in fact I often tell it to shut up and I push through.  So this was actually a really big accomplishment for me that I am very proud of :-)

Friday: Keeping with the theme of listening to my body, I decided to take another light day.  Also, Hunter and I had some plans to head down town for the afternoon to celebrate his birthday.  The weather was gorgeous, a little warm but beautiful.  Hunter is not a huge fan of running but he gets out there a couple of times a week for a solid 3-4 mile run.  He needed to get a quick run in for the day so we decided to go together.  Again, he is not a passionate runner and has yet to really experience that runner's high, so he typically does NOT want to socialize while running.  So we both put our headphones in, each had our own watches, and off we went.  I am not sure if he has happened to get significantly faster in his short running career, if he felt he needed to keep up or if he was just feeling it that day, but he had his fastest 3 mile run ever! Yes, it was a little slower for me, but exactly what I needed and of course I couldn't have been more proud of him of how hard he's been working.  Now if I could just convince him to run a half marathon!

 Aside from my run with Hunter and our awesome afternoon date to Park Avenue, I had such an amazing Friday because I also received one of the best running emails ever!  I had submitted my time from the 26.2 with Donna Marathon for a guaranteed entry to the Chicago Marathon.  I heard back that Friday that it was approved (no lottery for me) and I will be running in Chi Town in October!!!

Saturday:  Kim, a friend I had met a little over a year ago at LA Fitness, had joined me with Moms Run This Town and recently decided to run a half marathon.  I promised to stay with her during her first half and even help her train.  Unfortunately, because of other obligations, I had yet to get to do a training run with her.  But this past Saturday, we finally got to meet up and knock out some miles out on the trail.  She had built up to 11 miles and been doing great with her training, so I was so excited to get to run with her and catch up on training and of course life.  It was a super humid morning when we got started, but we held strong those first few miles as we chatted about our kiddos, work and of course her upcoming race.  We ended up going out about a half a mile too far because we had been talking up a storm.  On the way back, the humidity, her lack of sleep and potentially lack of fuel had started to get to her so we slowed down a bit.  I gave her some tips on fueling up for the runs, as well as things to consider to mentally prepare.  She seemed a little defeated that this was one of her slower runs, but I expressed to her that "bad" runs happens to us all and do not define us a runner.  We must learn from these type of runs and prepare better next time.  (Advice I must remind myself of often too)  I personally think with a couple of tweaks to her training and diet she is going to rock her first half marathon and I am honored to get there with her!

Race Recap: Pacing the Swamp House Half Marathon

I have been running for almost 2 decades, starting out just running for fitness in my teens, then running my first organized race in my early 20's.  Since then, I have ran almost 50 races including everything from 5k's to full marathons and have even participated in some sprint triathlons!  I have come along way in the past several years, with some big PR's and even finding myself on the podium for several races.  As much as I love to compete with myself and others, I also love to run with friends, make new ones and be there for encouragement and support.  So when I was presented with the opportunity to be a pacer, I felt it would be the perfect opportunity to help other runners with their own goals.  In fact, pacing is something I have been wanting to get into for a while now, and it turns out it was all I could have hoped for and more!  So my race recap for my most recent half will be from a different perspective as I not only get to talk about the event itself, I will also get to recount my first ever official pacing experience!

I actually ran this race last year and I had a huge PR.  I had thought about doing it again because it was such a great experience for me, but since I already have such a full race calendar this Spring, I figured it would be best to sit out on March races to give my body and mind a break.  But, just a few days before the race, I got a call from Jim of MarathonPacing.com, informing me that several pacers had to drop out last minute and he was in need of a pacer for the half on Sunday.  He still had my inquiry from over a year ago and had kept me on the list of reserves for this event.  Fortunately, I had no plans for the weekend and I agreed to help.  I was so excited, a little nervous but mostly excited!  He sent out all the information, informed me I would be pacing the 2:05 group and the next thing I knew, I was registered for the Swamp House Half Marathon in Debary, FL!

As soon as he sent me the information about pacing, I also received an email information from the fine folks at Final Mile Management company with all the information I needed for race day, including my registration, travel, parking and a timeline of the day's events.  Quick and very informative!  Swamp House Half Marathon & 5k also has its very own Facebook page (I received the link the email) with plenty of helpful information on there too.  So needless to say, they did a great job covering all their bases.

Packet pickup was offered on Friday, Saturday and even the morning of the race for everyone's convenience.  I was only able to attend the Saturday time, which was also the time I was to pick up my pacer information, so that worked out perfect.  Having ran in this event the year prior, I knew where I was heading and about what to expect with the "expo."  This is a smaller, more of a local event, so the expo is not really an expo at all.  Rather it is a table in the back of Swamp House Bar & Grill where you receive your packet, including T-shirt (which I will discuss soon) and bib.  Last year, there was a bit more to it and the pacer table was located in doors.  In fact, last year is how I learned about MarathonPacing, and met the pacer who helped me with my big PR.  This year, they were kinda shoved over to a corner outside, so I am not sure how many people actually got to meet the pacers this time around.  Hopefully next year they will organize that a little better like the years past.

With my packet in hand, my family, who joined me for the day, and I headed down to the riverfront to enjoy some sunshine and warm weather, then back up to the restaurant for lunch.  The food was delicious and the restaurant was packed with runners picking up their packets for the race.  It was a lot of fun running into my running friends and making new ones!  It was like one big party just for the race participants and their families.

The night before any race, I like to get everything situated, snap a "flat runner," then pack my bag for race morning.  The bright, lime green singlet was perfect for runners to recognize me as a pacer and of course my large sign should help too, hehe.  I did my best to match up my outfit and of course had to coordinate my two favorite long run essentials including my Tiux compression socks and Headsweats Moms Run This Town visor.

The race was about 35 minutes from me and fairly easy to get to, so I had my alarm set for 4:45am and figured as long as I got out there before 5:45, I should be good to go with the road closures.  The email indicated they would close the road down around 6:30, but I did not want to chance it being closed sooner or the parking lot filling up, so in true Christina fashion, I got there super early.  I wasn't the only one with the same idea, but luckily, it was easy to get to the parking lot and into a spot before it started filling up fast.  It was only about 49 degrees outside, and since I was in my singlet and shorts, I figured I would sit in the car until I needed to head over to meet up with the other pacers.  Around 6am, I figured it was about time I brave the elements and go meet up with everyone.  The air was definitely crisp but with little to no wind, it really wasn't that bad.  I felt a little relieved when I noticed several other people, including fellow pacers, in just tank tops and shorts too.

To the side of the parking lot, was a covered area with several picnic tables.  Here is where they were doing the race day registration, yes that's right, they offered same day registration, as well as packet pickup.  In this area, there was also coffee, water and Gu gels and blocks available.  There were two port-a-poties for volunteers that luckily they allowed us pacers to use as well.  I met the rest of the pacers, saw a few of my Moms Run This Town mamas, then headed over to the starting line.

The sun was coming up at this time, so the air was starting to warm up some too.  I know it would warm up soon enough, so as cold as I was at the time, I would feel good within a few miles.  At the starting line, the music was bumping, there was someone getting people hyped up over the loud speaker and people were socializing, dancing and taking pre-race pics.  The atmosphere was great!  Not too far from the start line were 10+ port-a-johns that hardly had lines for!  Potties this close to the starting line without lines is practically unheard of, so that was a nice amenity!

There were large banners with pace times lining the starting line area, taking you from fastest pace on back.  This was perfect for runners to line up according to pace and keep the start of the race from bottle-necking and slowing things down.  Luckily the pace I was suppose to be at was smack dab in from of where my MRTT chapter was meeting up and also near the bathrooms, so I got to see so many of my running friends.  It was so awesome!

The guy on the loud speaker did a great job announcing the pacers, with our goal time and paces.  We all hoisted out signs up a little higher when he said our names and info, so runners can located us.  About 10-15 minutes before the start of the race I had a corral of about 10 people looking to keep up with me.  I got their names, introduced them to each other and we started chatting about everything from the course specifics, to other races we have run to our jobs and families.  I wanted everyone to feel at ease and like one big family, since we were going to be spending the next 2 hours and 5 minutes of our lives together!

The race got started right at time and since we were a good ways back, it was about a minute or so walk up to the start time.  And then we were off!  Despite having the pace banners for people to line up at, there was still a little bit of congestion with slower paced runners and walkers for about a quarter of a mile, but we were able to get around it and settle into a solid pace before the first mile mark.  Around that came the first of many hills. As a pacer, we run at a slower pace than our average in order to be able to hold onto a steady pace will talking to runners if need be.  So over the course of the next several miles through rolling hills and neighborhoods, I chatted with about 5 of my runners and we were having a good ole time!  I learned that in my group I had a first timer, an ultra runner, a lady who had run 30+ half marathons with no desire to ever run full and a guy who had actually ran a half marathon the day before!  I had people hoping to PR and others just wanting to hold onto a steady pace they are used to and wanted to company. I really didn't know what to expect but about half way through, it has already far exceeded what I could have imaged and I was having an absolute blast!

As far as the course goes, it is definitely hilly for the first 7 miles or so.  We run through a couple of neighborhoods but a good chunk of it is on the main road.  I suppose they could only block so much of the road off so traffic was still whizzing past us as we ran.  On that particular stretch of road, however, there was great crowd support.  People lined up several portions of the streets cheering, playing music, waving signs and giving out high fives.  So that definitely makes the experience much more fun.

Around mile 8ish, we turn a corner and start getting away from the hills and into the shade.  This is also the time the road gets a little rocky.  At this time, about 4 of my runners started lagging behind and a part of me wanted to slow back with them to keep encouraging them and see them through to the finish line.  But I knew my job was to hold a steady pace and help the runners that were keeping that with me.  I periodically would shout back to my girls who were not too far behind me telling them to keep it up, they were doing great and had this!  They shouted thank you's back but eventually I couldn't see them any more, which definitely bummed me out, but I knew they would still finish and that was all that mattered.  Plus it seemed like they had formed a bound throughout the miles and had each other out there, which totally warmed my heart!

Around mile 10 or so I picked up a couple of runners who had fallen back from the 2 hour pace group.   At this time I also noticed a girl who had been in front of me the whole time was now shoulder to shoulder with me and started to slow down even more.  She had her head phones in but when I turned to talk to her, she pulled one out and was more than willing to chat for a minute or two.  It turned out it was only her second half and if she reached this goal time, it 10 minute PR for her.  I told her to stick with me and we would get it.  She put her headphone back in and we went for it!

The pavement was terrible, but fortunately the hills were gone.  The temps had signifcantly come up, so it was getting rather hot out there.  By mile 11, I could tell a lot of my group was starting to struggle, so that's when I went into full peppy Christina mode and all the cheering and encouragement I could muster came out.  We were having ourselves a good ole time as we came up on the rowdy mile 12 aide station.  They were handing out water and Gatorade, as well as beer.  No beer for me but me and my group got a lot of high fives!

At this point they took us on a dirt road for a several yards then through a neighborhood.  This was a new part of the course that I wasn't sure I would like at first but it turned out to be really nice.  There was absolutely no shade but the houses were beautiful and the road was nice and smooth.  We were coming up on the 13th mile when I picked up about 3 runners who had fallen back some.  I did everything I could to convince them how close we are and to just hang in there.  We turned a corner and there it was, the finish line.  I said to my group this was it, let's turn on the jets and finish strong.  I had a handful of my group in front of me, another handful or so behind me and a couple shoulder to shoulder with me as we pushed through that last quarter of a mile through the finish line!

After we crossed the finish line, I checked in on the folks I had spoken with throughout the course.  I got hugs, high fives, thank you's and even a few tears from them!  But what I think excited me the most were the several runners who I hadn't even realized I had helped!  I saw them a few times in front or behind of me periodically but I guess it just didn't click they were using me and my pacing.  These several people, some exhausted, some beaming with pride and some even crying tears of joy thanked me and even hugged me for helping them through.  I found myself getting choked up too!  It was then that I truly realized what pacers do, how important they are and the impact they can have on people and their race experience.  Whether it is to chat up a storm with for 2 hours or to have in their sights, pacers help people reach their goals.  And I was beyond honored, humbled and touched to get to be a part of several people reaching their goals that day!

Swamp House is a great, well organized event, with a fairly nice course and a lot of excitement, but hands down one of my favorite things about this race is the after party!  It is rather small, but it is on the riverfront with bumping music and free beer!  It is like one big party out there and I had an absolute blast hanging out with my MRTT mamas, chatting with the fellow pacers and hanging out with my new runner friends.  I was having so much fun I almost lost track of time!

FINAL THOUGHTS
Pros
Well organized with great correspondence
Kicking after party
Sweet gator medal that is also a bottle opener!
Plenty of parking
Same day registration
Fairly inexpensive
Pretty good crowd support
Plenty of aid stations (including beer at mile 12)
Mostly shaded through the final miles
Awesome pacers ;-)
If you run the race in Orlando the day before, you get a double medal

Cons
If you're not into hills, you wouldn't like the course too much
The rough pavement through the final miles was a little tough
Easy to get to the event, but kinda off the beaten path (Debary isn't exactly a happening tow)
Lackluster expo
Henious forrest green shirt

My two personal biggest take aways from this experience are 1. I most DEFINITELY want to pace again and 2. I will most CERTAINLY continue to participate in the Swamp House Half Marathon each year!  Here are a couple of the high's and low's specific to the race but all in all it's a super awesome event that I would highly recommend!

8 Totally Awesome Reasons to Workout Before the Sun Comes Up

Let's face it, not everyone is a huge fan of working out, especially early in the morning.  Getting up to participate in vigorous physical activity before the sun is even up may not be your cup of tea (or coffee in this case), but there are actually some great benefits to working out in the wee hours of the morning.  Of course you have all the same wonderful benefits of physical activity, but below are a few extra special ones that specifically apply to early morning workouts.  So even if you're not a fan of working out at all, by making early morning exercises a part of your routine, you may not only grow to love exercise, you may just actually begin to love those early AM workouts too!

More Energy: Exercise releases endorphins that improve your mood and energy levels, an effect that can last well into the afternoon if you get your workout in early.  So early morning workouts will not only make you feel more energized, you'll be in a better mood throughout your day, boosting productivity and making you a much more pleasant person to be around.

Brain Booster: Exercise has been proven to increase mental focus and acuity for up to ten whole hours post-workout.  Take full advantage of this benefit by working out nice and early.  This way you'll have plenty of hours of brain power as opposed to evening workouts when you'll be asleep for most of that brain boosting time period.

Better Metabolism: Just like brain boosting powers, the benefits of exercise on your metabolism linger on after exercising and you will continue to burn calories even after your workout is done.  This is best to maximize on while you are awake and eating, rather than sleeping, so that your metabolism can work to its full potential.

Healthier Approach: If you can commit to waking up over an hour earlier than you normally would to drag yourself to the gym and work hard while you're there, you are more likely to make healthier choices throughout the day.  You will be so proud of yourself for getting up early and burning all those calories, you'll think twice about sabotaging all that hard work with unhealthy food choices.

You're Done for the Day: One of the most beautiful things about early morning workouts is not having to worry about working out any more for the rest of the day.  How many times have you brought your gym bag to work with intentions of working out during your lunch break or after you get off, and it never happens?  You get "too busy" at work or "too tired" from the day that all you want to do is go home and relax.  By working out before you even have time to make an excuse not to, you won't have to worry about it looming over your head the whole rest of the day, because you already did it!

You'll Stay Committed: We are creatures of habit, our bodies and minds thrive on routine.  Once you have committed to something for several weeks, it really becomes a part of your lifestyle.  Although difficult at first, the more you do it, the more likely you are to adhere to it.  Before you know it, those early morning workouts will not only be a part of your routine, but something you may actually look forward to!

No Time Conflicts: Life gets busy.  We have jobs, families, home projects and hobbies we want to be involved in.  As the day goes on, it seems like more commitments pile up on our plate.  The easiest, and for some, the only way to carve out time for fitness, is before we even tackle our day.  Exercising first thing in the morning is the most foolproof way to ensure that other things don’t overtake your fitness commitment.

You're a Bad A$$: Oh yeah, I said it.  You're one bad mama jama for hitting up the gym and working hard before the sun and practically everyone else is even up.  You're part of an elite group of people who not only value your health and well-being, but have the dedication and commitment to making it a priority before anything else in your day.  Next time you think about hitting that snooze button, think about how awesome you are instead of how tired you are, and give yourself a huge pat on the back for hopping out of bed and getting your early morning workout in!

Arm Challenge, Allergies and Awesome News!

Well, these dadgum allergies finally got the best of me, that and the million races in a short period of time.  Same thing happened to me last year but I have no intentions on ever wising up.  What can I say, I'm a glutton for punishment.  But at least it's all so fun.  With that all being said, all the training and races had me feeling pretty run down early last week.  Although I am glad I raced Orange Blossom Half Marathon, despite being sick, I still pulled off a PR and a 2nd place in my division.  But the after effect had me feeling under the weather for a few days.  I even had to take Monday off!  I didn't feel terrible, just certainly NOT 100%.  Not to mention, I had full blown laryngitis, which is not conducive to teaching spinning!  Luckily, as the week went on, I got to feeling much better (thanks in part to my extra rest as well as some good allergy meds) and I was even presented with a super cool opportunity that I just HAD to jump on.  So without further ado, here is my week in training recap...

Monday was a much needed, albeit difficult, rest day.  I HATE unscheduled taking extra rest days.  I know how much I need them, in fact I totally just blogged about this the week prior!  But I end up sitting there feeling myself get so out of shape when I miss a day or two.  I even had to talk myself out of working out several times that day.  I packed gym clothes and kept figuring out when I could squeeze "just a quick lift" in.  But it was definitely a good thing I, as well as my husband who definitely think I should slow down at times, talked me out of working out.

By Tuesday, I was feeling much better, but decided I should still take it easy.  The weather was absolutely gorgeous so I figured taking a Garmin-less trail run would be a great way to get moving without killing myself.  About a mile and a half into my run, I ran into two of my MRTT ladies and we ran for almost 3 miles together.  They were doing 3:1 intervals, which was perfect since I was still getting over my icky cough and difficulty breathing.  The best part though was having the great company.  I don't get to run with people very often so this was certainly nice being able to socialize while working out!  After they headed back to their cars, I went another mile and a half for a total of 6 miles.  It was one of those runs that just felt right and fun and reminded me why I love running!

Wednesday is my typical lift day and I was ready to get back after it.  My voice was coming back, I was finally able to breath through my nose again and the coughing had somewhat subside.  So I went hard at our gym with hang cleans, hurdle hops, bench press, lat pulls and even finished up with my first sled work in I don't even know how long.  Man oh man did it feel good to work out like that, I felt like forever!

Also on Wednesday, I got a call from Jim at MarathonPacing.com asking me if I were available to pace the Swamp House Half Marathon that Sunday.  He explained several pacers had to drop out last minute due to illness and would like for me to pace either the 1:55, 2:00 or 2:05 group.  I had just talked myself out of signing up for this race and/or the 10k the following weekend, but I did NOT hesitate to say yes to pacing Swamp House when he asked me.  In fact, I about jumped right out of my skin, I was so excited!  I had been wanting to pace FOREVER so this was a total dream come true.

Oh, and also on Wednesday, my new Mizuno Wave Catalyst came in the mail.  The are absolutely beautiful and felt so light, I wanted to take them out for a run right away!

Thursday, my only goal workout goal for the day was to get in a mid distance run at the significantly slower pace I would need to be a pacer on Sunday.  I know this may sound a little silly, but it was actually difficult at first to keep up with the almost 2 whole minute slower place, but I did manage to squeeze out 8 miles with an average pace of around 9:11.  I was pretty pleased with that, knowing I shouldn't have a problem holding a 9-9:30 pace on the hilly Swamp House course.  Since I have to do my runs during my lunch break, it was rather warm out there.  I should have worn some sunscreen because I ended up a little burnt!  On a positive note, my Mizuno shoes felt AMAZING!  I will be blogging about those puppies here soon.

For Friday, I decided to do a light upper body lift and get some foam rolling in.  I was still a little sluggish from my allergy issues and sore from my hard workout on Wednesday.  Hunter didn't want to workout that morning but said he would workout with me if we did our "1000 Rep Arm Challenge."  I have to admit, I was a little nervous.  Anyone who has down our challenge complained of extreme soreness for DAYS!  I didn't want to be a weenie though and agreed.  The first couple of rounds weren't terrible, but by half way through the 3rd (of 5 rounds) I was kinda regretting doing it, lol.  We both pushed through though and when we were done, we actually didn't feel too bad.  However, when we got home and I went to try to take my post workout selfie, I could barely move my arms!

A little foam rolling before coaching MetCon

And now I can barely feel my arms after the 1000 Rep Arm Challenge

 Saturday turned into a rest day.  Originally I had planned on running 10 with a friend of mine who I will be pacing through her first half in April.  I decided to sit this one out to prepare for the half on Sunday.  Then I considered swimming, but thanks to the 1000 Rep Arm Challenge, I really couldn't move my arms, so that would make my stroke rather interesting to say the least.  So they boys and I took advantage of the morning off and ran some errands to Target, Fleet Feet and Whole Foods.  Packet pick for the next day was at Swamp House Bar and Grill so we headed out there to meet the other paces and to get a late lunch.  After that, we spent the afternoon at Blue Springs State Park, hiking, playing on the playground and searching for alligators and manatees.

Hunter and the boys enjoying the gorgeous weather and scenery at the Swamp House Bar and Grill

Saturday night was an early bedtime so I could be up at 4am the next morning and off to pace my first official race...

Race Recap: Orange Blossom Half Marathon

This Orange Blossom Half Marathon & 5k has been held annually in Lake County for Several years.  I ran this one in 2013 and was actually my first half marathon since having my sons.  I remember it being scenic, but so cold and windy running around several lakes.  It was tough and since I was only about 3 months postpartum I was just so excited to have made it out alive, but swore it off from then on out.  Of course when I saw Sommer Sports was offering a big deal on this event for 2016 and they had changed the location, I figured what the heck I should give it another go.  I am so glad that I did!

Registration for this race was on a scale in which the first X amount of people would get the race for $1, the next group would get it for $5, then so on.  By the time I hit register, I think I paid maybe $10 or $15 bucks, so it was a steal as far as I was concerned.  Not to mention I was excited to try a new course and the medal (above) looked beautiful.  I even looked back at the registration page a few weeks before the event and the cost still didn't reach over $50, making this quite possibly one of the least expensive Half Marathons you can do in Central Florida if not the whole state!

Communication leading up to the event was great.  We received several emails indicating the date, time and location of packet picket.  Since the event was over an hour away from me, I was so relieved to see they had race day pick up.  And based on the information on directions and parking they sent out, it looked like it would be fairly easy to get to and park at.

The weather forecast was another iffy one, which is par for the course this time of year.  Though temps were expected to warm up later that day, they were calling for upper 30's to low 40's at the start of the race.  These temps were very similar to when I ran 26.2 With Donna two weeks prior and I remembered how quickly I warmed up once I got going.  So I opted for shorts and long sleeves for this one.  As I do for each race, I lay my outfit out the night before, snap a "Flat Christina" to share on Instagram and with my Moms Run This Town Facebook group and gt ready to hit the hay.

I was coming down with either a cold or my allergies were really starting to kick into high gear, so I was not feeling at 100%.  In fact, by Friday night, I had full blown laryngitis and I was coughing quite a bit.  I figured if I felt iffy in the morning, I would skip the race since I didn't want to make things worse for myself.  When the alarm clock went off at 4am, I didn't really have much time to think about how I felt, I just hopped out of bed, got dressed grabbed my race bag and hit the road.  It wasn't until I was about 3 or 4 miles down the road when I started coughing terribly.  Oh that's right, I'm kinda sick, not horribly, but I certainly do not feel great.  Oh well, no turning back now, let's just go see how this goes!

MapQuest was not kidding, it was definitely over an hour away and when I pulled into the parking area, it was a little shy of 6am.  It was pretty dark out still and a frigid 38 degrees.  The website said packet pickup started at 6, so I figured I would have to wait in my car for a few minutes, but as I saw people going in and out of the banquet hall, I thought maybe they had started early.  Sure enough, when I got in there, they were already doing packet pick up.  They were READY, I like it!  I remember this race being smaller when I ran it back in 2013 and it by the looks of the set up, the ease of parking and the amount of people there at the time, I could tell it was going to be another quaint event.  Those to me, can be just as awesome if not more than the larger races.  It makes it feel more like a family.  Rhere is a lot of excitement for everyone from the first to the last finisher.

I met up with a couple of my MRTT mamas and we headed over to the start area a little before 7am. There were no pace groups for this event, so I figured I should just head up close to the front.  After some announcements, course descriptions and a playing of the national anthem (that cut in an out, oops), the race began right at 7am.

The sun was really starting to come up by then and the temp had also come up some.  The first part of the course took us through some houses skirting downtown and up a hill.  When we finally got up the hill and out of the downtown area, we took a sharp right after a school and then it was a mile or so on a beautiful country road with farm lands to our left.  I could see the sun really starting to rise on the horizon, the air was cool but crisp and refreshing.  This part of the course we had a tailwind and a slight decline, so I was able to really pick up my pace and hit a great stride.

Only mid race pic snapped by a friend of mine.

Around mile 3ish we took another sharp right turn and soon after a left turn.  Here comes the orange groves and the hills.  For about a mile, we ran uphill until we turned onto some clay roads.  I was a little nervous about the clay, but this was actually where I did the best.  It was very pretty running through the orange groves (despite all my coughing and sneezing) and the clay was hard packed and mostly flat.

Once we left the clay and were back on the road, we were also back to the hills.  Mile 7 was actually one big hill and that is where things stated to fall apart for me.  I was keeping an average pace of about 7:35 but to get up that hill, I found myself running in the low 8's.  By the time I reached the top of the hill, my legs and lungs were burning.  Once things finally flattened out, we were faced with a pretty strong headwind.  The saving grace was the course was actually really pretty, tough but pretty.

They took us through a dirt/gravel path for a mile or so then it back on to the original course to head back to the start/finish line.  Knowing how far I had left and what it would look like, I felt relieved and excited.  A little under 4 miles to go, I figured I could kick it into high gear.  Unfortunately, I was wrong...

Those lovely earlier miles that were downhill with a tailwind were now my last miles and the complete opposite as before.  From mile 10 on I struggled uphill with the wind at my face.  The cold/allergies/fatigue situation I was experiencing was really taking over me and I was struggling.  Knowing if I could just keep a certain pace, I would finish under 1:43, so I worked on that.  Not a PR, but a strong finish nonetheless. 

Around mile 11, I could see a shadow of someone approaching to my right.  I looked over my should and she gave a big smile and seemed like she wanted to chat.  I paused my music to say hello.  She was ironically someone I knew through Instagram but had never actually met!  We ran and chatted for about a quarter of a mile, but she was a little too fast for me and all the running and talking got my lungs going again, so I had to pull back while I coughed up a storm.  She ended up finishing a few minutes ahead of me and we met up after.  It's funny how social media and running can bring people together and forge new friendships!  Here we are pictured below and we have already discussed plans for running again soon!

Back to the race.  We passed back by the same school and I knew we were getting close, but it seemed a little too close.  Yep, my suspicions were confirmed when I came upon someone directing us down a narrow trail, which we ran out and back for a little over mile to give us the extra miles needed.  The trail also had our last water stop.  After chugging my last bit of water I realized a couple of things.  First, the water tasted a little funky, almost like chlorinated pool water.  Also, there had been no Gatorade or Gu along the course.  Most distance races offer those at some point along the course so I felt that to be a little odd.  I was at least grateful for the pool water they served us.

As the trail came to an end, we took a sharp right and up a hill.  There was less than mile to go at this point and fortunately, what goes up comes down.  The last little stretch to the finish line was mostly downhill so I was able to kick it into high gear and finish in my typical sprint.  Luckily that last little push got me in at 1:40:58.  It was about a 45 second PR but a PR nonetheless!

The after party was quaint, but they had plenty of food (including full bbq sandwiches for the runners), places sit and a lot of socializing.  The sun was up, it was warming up and it was shaping up to be a beautiful morning.  I was able to meet up with some of my MRTT mama's as they were coming in and spend some time recapping our adventures out on the course.  The general consensus was that it was a tough, hilly course but very beautiful.

It turns out that my time was enough to get me up on the podium.  I placed second in my age division, receiving a super cute little plastic orange in it's very own wooden crate with the name of the race and my place engraved on it.

FINAL THOUGHTS
Here are my final pros and cons to recap this event.

Pros
Great pre-race communication and instructions
Race day packet pick up available and was simple
Easy to get to and from
Plenty of parking
Clean bathrooms inside as well as port-a-johns outside
Race started on time
Beautiful course
Plenty of instruction along the course
Free finish line photos
Instant results on large screen
Great food for runners
Medal is large and very pretty
Got right to awards ceromony
Results were emailed right away

Cons
No pace groups for those who like to use them
Course was rather challenging (fun but tough)
Clay and dirt roads
Lots of hills
The added out and back narrow trail was a little dauntingWater tasted icky
No Gatorade or Gu
Crowd support was lacking, even at the start and finish line, no real areas for crowd support along the course
No course photography (just finish line)
After party could use more vendors, activities and excitement

All in all, it was a fun event that I plan to do again next year.  In fact, I think this would be a great one for my husband and I to do together if I can just convince him to train for and run a half