tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8348468328616226722024-03-14T08:37:28.754+01:00Sea Legs Girlsea legs girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14782712411873234071noreply@blogger.comBlogger515125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-834846832861622672.post-17090953049014697902015-02-02T20:25:00.000+01:002015-02-02T20:57:47.033+01:00My blog has moved! xo SLGHi, everyone! I needed a new blog format. You are welcome to continue to follow along in our lives here:<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="225" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/eYTem2DhNak" width="427"></iframe>sea legs girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14782712411873234071noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-834846832861622672.post-78677316403801435552015-01-21T15:59:00.000+01:002015-01-21T22:03:29.517+01:00v dot, foot strike, aerobic function, Mallorca & Danish politics/fashion<b>Vdot</b><br />
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Pillow talk between SR and I last night involved comparing our v dots. V dot is a term I ran across while doing background research for the paper with Phil Maffetone, but I had not seen the table or understood the concept until Cindee recommended "Daniels' Running Formula" for our book club.<br />
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Getting popular books in English in Denmark is no easy task, but I was lucky enough to get it delivered from a library in Copenhagen to the Næstved library.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I'm not sure if you can read this, but it says Jack is "the world's best running coach". Well, I do say. And he is also totally open to taking credit for Janet Cherobon-Bowcom's success, who he started coaching just a few months before her American 25km record (pictured).</td></tr>
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World's best running coach or not, Vdot is a cool concept. It is your effective VO2 max for running races or your aerobic profile. This Vdot makes a lot more sense for runners than VO2 max because it takes running economy into account as well. If, for example, you have a high VO2 max but, due to a neurologic condition, for example, have trouble moving one of your legs, your Vdot will be lower. So Vdot can be used to predict race times and vdot be determined from your race times as well. Can you find your Vdot? (sorry if you are faster than this)<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">based on my PR's, my Vdot is somewhere around or just above 53</td></tr>
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Okay, so good, this number can be used for both training and predicting race times. I guess I will learn more about that as a read the book.<br />
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<b>Aerobic function</b></div>
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It's been a number of months now since I started training with the maximum aerobic function (MAF) philosophy, which fit really well with my off season from running. I allowed myself to get my pulse up as high as I wanted with indoor/outdoor cycling, but never above 150 during running training. And most of my runs had an average heart rate of 144. </div>
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My experience with the MAF has been very unexpected. All along, I watched my pace at a heart rate of 144 get faster and faster. The last run I did with SR, where I attempted to maintain an average heart rate of 144, he was subjected to watching me throw up along the road because I find this pace, especially in cold weather, extremely challenging. By the end doing all of my runs at a 4:30 min/km pace was not at all the easy experience I heard people talking about who had trained with the Maffetone method. My heart rate was low but it felt really hard. Phil suggested my neuromuscular system has not been developed properly. </div>
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The experience that really confused and surprised me was the cross country race we ran a couple of weeks ago. I felt I gave it at least a 95% effort. There were no women near me, so it was more relaxed than most races, but still, despite a 5k warmup on the trails, I was not able to get my heart rate over 145 the first 4km of the race! Essentially, it seemed my pace at at 145 heart rate had gotten faster, but I no longer had the same ability to get my heart rate up!!</div>
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Freaky. At which point, Phil Maffetone said to me it was time for me to start running intervals again. :-)</div>
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And SR said "who cares what your heart rate is, what matters is how fast you can run"</div>
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And I thought what mattered was how good of a mom and wife I was.</div>
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<b>Foot strike</b></div>
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It's a tough subject for me. I was worried when I was reading Romanov's book about the pose running method that I would be that one person on earth who actually landed on their heel while running in place. I didn't land on my heel in that <i>one</i> circumstance, but still, landing on my forefoot has always felt wrong to me. </div>
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I have gotten far enough in Jack Tupper Daniels' book to read this golden sentence:</div>
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Runners "should experiment with different foot strike techniques and use the one that is the most comfortable, the least-fatiguing and that allows for a light and quick turnover rate of about 180 steps per minute"</div>
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I agree! And I have gotten my cadence up to this on nearly all of my runs now, after years of work.</div>
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And there is more:</div>
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"A big advantage of rear or mid foot landing is that it reduces the stress placed on the calf muscles and shifts the landing stress more to the larger thigh muscles". Mark Kasmer and Marty Hoffman also found in a study I helped with at Western States two years ago that one marker for muscle stress (CPK) was more highly elevated among forefoot and midfoot strikers than rearfoot strikers. </div>
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<b>Tramuntana Mountains</b></div>
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I am full of topics to discuss today! I am exceedingly energized this week since we just got back from sunny Mallorca. It was just SR and me. SR's parents watched the kids from Thursday through Sunday night and we had a blast. We cycled just under 200 km in the mountains over the two days and then went for a nice run along the beach of Palma the last morning. Being the obsessive HR monitor girl now, I noted my heart rate never got above 145 (at least while cycling). And I can only conclude that while having a low heart rate is a sign of good aerobic health, the ability to get your heart rate up is a sign of strength, energy and good technique. </div>
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For the first time ever, I rode a bike that fit me. I requested an extra small frame for a 5'0" woman and I am 5'6". I couldn't help thinking back to my one triathlon over the summer before I got plantar fasciitis, where I was vying for a podium spot with a pro and got disqualified. It's tempting to enter that tri world for real, then again it is so commercialized and so complicated. Running is so pure. Life should be simple.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the many great climbs of the Tramuntana (north Mediterranean wind) mountains.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-a-Yi_gAQUNU/VL-u2YJmVKI/AAAAAAAAFX4/8YWZbbHcBgM/s1600/jan2015%2B131.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-a-Yi_gAQUNU/VL-u2YJmVKI/AAAAAAAAFX4/8YWZbbHcBgM/s1600/jan2015%2B131.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I had major circulation problems due to the colder temps on the north sides of the mountains. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mJsOHFEbb58/VL-u7mABiBI/AAAAAAAAFYA/EaGkL41554Y/s1600/jan2015%2B129.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mJsOHFEbb58/VL-u7mABiBI/AAAAAAAAFYA/EaGkL41554Y/s1600/jan2015%2B129.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Port de Sóller low carb, high fat salad with veggies and roasted local cheeses. I still don't eat meat besides fish so the chicken had to go. So yeah, who needs 32Gi (all carbs) when you can eat classic Mallorcan cuisine?!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-APF2TDdw0Kk/VL-vHPtgwCI/AAAAAAAAFYI/I5jlW5J-PL4/s1600/jan2015%2B164.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-APF2TDdw0Kk/VL-vHPtgwCI/AAAAAAAAFYI/I5jlW5J-PL4/s1600/jan2015%2B164.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My helmet and buff around my wrist got in the way of my usual elegance. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1LB2EDAE-TQ/VL-vS-a-1SI/AAAAAAAAFYQ/nxtC8m-nLvI/s1600/jan2015%2B148.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1LB2EDAE-TQ/VL-vS-a-1SI/AAAAAAAAFYQ/nxtC8m-nLvI/s1600/jan2015%2B148.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Really great climb from Port de Sóller to Puíg (pronounced pooeedje in their dialect of Catalán) Major. You can easily speak Castilian with the Mallorcans; no problemo.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8666667938232px;">Two days after we returned, I told SR I felt like going for a a serious run, so I ran a half marathon alone, on the treadmill at 0.5% incline) in 1:44. I tried to hold my heart rate at 144 at the beginning, but the longer I went the higher my heart rate crept. It felt great and I ran the last 1km in 4 minutes. I LOVE RUNNING!</span></div>
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<b>So what is next? (California?)</b></div>
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We are frustrated. SR has not gotten a license to practice medicine in California yet. We were supposed to move there in March to get ready for me to start residency. In this residency position I will work 60-80 hours a week and be paid minimum wage to become a specialist in PM&R. We can't figure out how this will work if SR doesn't get a job to pay our rent, pay for food, etc. I have been offered to switch residency positions, but I am not allowed to mentions/discuss the switch with my current program in Irvine, CA, until I have completed 45 days of residency. The American medical education system has a monopoly over all med school graduates (there is no other way to practice medicine in the United States) and there are no unions. We're taking one day at time, seeing what happens and what will work out. This PM&R education is not available in Denmark and I was very fortunate to get a spot - in sunny California - but then again, can I handle two kids and a 60+ hour work week while SR also works full time, potentially in another state?</div>
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<b>Danish politics</b></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here is Nikita Klæstrup, a politician from the Danish conservative party. There has been a lot of debate about her attire and I have to say, I am not a fan. It is a shame that she is using her body (or feels like she has to?) to get attention - and giving young girls the message that wearing a dress like this (or having big boobs??) will gain you respect. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://www.billedbladet.dk/sites/billedbladet.dk/files/styles/gallery_image/public/20150120-070539-l_31mb_2.jpg?itok=WIK0dPAG" height="225" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I have a lot more respect for the Danish Prime Minster, Helle Thorning-Schmidt, and her wardrobe choice. It is a lot easier to respect going to Sierra Leone to meet health care workers who are still fighting Ebola. </td></tr>
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I think I just wrote an entire blog post. Time to go to gymnastics with Christian.<br />
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One more thing. Thanks Robyn. If you are an elite runner and have been pregnant in the last 5 years AND have run one of these qualifying times (below), you might want to consider being a part of this <a href="http://www.believeiam.com/blogs/biablog/16551549-elite-runner-pregnancy-study?mc_cid=24dce74798&mc_eid=b821adf5ca">study</a>.<br />
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<i style="background-color: #f6f6f6; color: #575757; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;">1,500m: 4:29.42</i><br />
<i style="background-color: #f6f6f6; color: #575757; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;">3,000m steeplechase: 10:48.89</i><br />
<i style="background-color: #f6f6f6; color: #575757; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;">5,000m: 16:38.13</i><br />
<i style="background-color: #f6f6f6; color: #575757; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;">10,000m: 35:06.22</i><br />
<i style="background-color: #f6f6f6; color: #575757; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;">half-marathon: 1:17:08</i><br />
<i style="background-color: #f6f6f6; color: #575757; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;">marathon: 2:46:00</i><span style="background-color: #f6f6f6; color: #575757; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;">”</span><br />
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Running song of the day:<br />
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sea legs girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14782712411873234071noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-834846832861622672.post-5869707068255321772015-01-14T21:29:00.001+01:002015-01-14T21:46:18.112+01:00Handless clocks<br />
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Today I took a picture in the fitness center with handless clocks. I wanted to document this moment of happiness and stability in our lives. In 2 months, we don't even know which country we are going to be living in. It's a long story. I tried to write about it, but couldn't.<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #292f33; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.260000020265579px; line-height: 32px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>I urge you to please notice when you are happy, and exclaim or murmur or think at some point, "If this isn't nice, I don't know what is." -Kurt Vonnegut</i></span><br />
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Good one Kurt.<br />
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It's been a long time since I wrote last. Guess what? Being a mom of two and working a full time job is not conducive to blogging! And I really miss it. (okay, now, back after just giving Christian a back rub-- he is asleep now)<br />
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So, this blog needs some help! Let's face it: Blogger is so 2007! So I made <b>something new</b> today. It will be my future business/blog and it is here: <a href="http://www.mylittlephysiology.com/">http://www.mylittlephysiology.com/</a><br />
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(more details to come!!)<br />
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<b>Various updates...</b><br />
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LCHF diet<br />
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I have now been on this 30-40% carb, no refined sugars, highER fat diet for a year and I have had a great experience. Of course it is not a diet, but a lifestyle. I have talked about the endurance sports and fat burning advantages, but maybe not as much about weigth control. I weighed in a 50kg the last time I checked. I weigh myself about once a month.This is the lowest I have been in Denmark. I have found it easy to lose/maintain my weight on this diet, compared to well a diet high in chocolate and oatmeal... even during the time I was injured with PF and not running. I'm not telling you what will work for you, but the number of randomized control trials showing low carb superior for weight loss is at least 18. And this systematic review found low carb diets to improve all major cardiovascular risk factors. But you could be like Steve Q and claim to have eaten "nothing but pasta" for the last year and still lose weight :-). Yes, individual experiences may vary!<br />
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MAF training<br />
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I haven't run any intervals or tempos since July, so SR was rather surprised to see at the last two races I ran in Næstved that I seem to be in better shape than last year. I honestly wasn't sure training at a pulse of 144-145 was going "work", but I have watched my weekly MAF test speed on the track creep down to 4:26min/km at an average heart rate of 144. Best of all is I'm not injured. It really is counterintuitive that by backing off, you can speed up. (PS Phil Maffetone and I are almost done with our article and my article about the pregnant marathon is being published in his latest book :-)!!). Plus my coach Ole has been very good at encouraging me not to race for months while my PF was recovering-- and he seemed excited about the MAF experiment as well.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ARfoar6y5DI/VLbPeNS2uDI/AAAAAAAAFXM/ZEg8Du2Ebs0/s1600/jan2015%2B005.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ARfoar6y5DI/VLbPeNS2uDI/AAAAAAAAFXM/ZEg8Du2Ebs0/s1600/jan2015%2B005.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Finish line just ahead after DGI cross country race in Fruens Plantage. Photo by SR.</td></tr>
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Denmark<br />
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I was thrilled to get permanent residency here in November (as many of you know I had to have full time employment here for 5 years straight + an apartment of a certain size, a 60.000 kr. downpayment and no debt to get permanent residency). In December, I took the test for Danish citizenship and passed. A few days later, Dorte Dahl asked me to be on the Danish trail ultra team at worlds in Annency in May. I said yes, only to have to say-- we'll see how long it takes. Current estimate is I may become Danish in 14-16 months...<br />
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Mallorca<br />
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SR and I are leaving tomorrow for a 4 day trip to Mallorca for his 40th birthday. I have to get ready and get to bed!<br />
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<span lang="EN-US" style="background: white; color: #292f33; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.5pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><u>Top 10 Running Songs of 2014</u><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="background: white; color: #141823; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Future
Islands - "Seasons (Waiting On You)"</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Spoon- Do You? (this is actually a lot better
for cycling!)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Cold War Kids- First<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Haim – if I could change your mind<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Stromae-Tous les Memes <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Gabriel Rios – Gold(Thomas Jack Remix)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Withered Hand-Horseshow<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Alt-J-Every Other Freckle<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Medina -Jalousi<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Sia-Chandeliersea legs girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14782712411873234071noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-834846832861622672.post-6983015471943172042014-11-05T15:12:00.000+01:002014-11-05T19:29:09.284+01:00How to best improve your aerobic fitness- a project with Phil MaffetoneJust a quick prologue to the post: I want to thank everyone for their comments and questions on my last post. I learn so much by writing this blog. I hope I come off as someone who is <i>seeking</i> answers and not someone who thinks they have all the answers.<br />
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Perhaps the most unexpected person to contact me after my last post about the Maffetone Method and LCHF diets was Phil Maffetone. When I saw his name in my inbox, I thought perhaps it was a hoax but, as I read his email, I realized it was not. After a number of lengthy email exchanges, I asked him if he had any of his data published in a peer-reviewed journal. I could not find his name on PubMed. He didnn't. It didn't take long before we agreed to work on an article together. I feel like this is perfect timing with my PhD finishing and the Ultra Eye Study being accepted for publication.<br />
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Two nights ago, we spent an hour and a half on Skype and divised a plan which I am very excited about (plus we laughed a lot and covered everything from Descartes to urine sodium... science and freindships are fun). I promise to let you all know about the article (the publishing process isn't always fast!) and if you don't feel like checking the blog, you can follow me on <a href="https://twitter.com/TracyBethHoeg">Twitter</a> or <a href="https://www.facebook.com/tracy.hoeg?fref=nf">Facebook</a>.<br />
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<b>The art of staying aerobic (and not going anaerobic)</b><br />
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It seems like there has never been such widespread misunderstanding about how to best achieve aerobic fitness (and I was one of the people who had sorely misunderstood). I didn't realize that going "all out" on my intervals and tempos was in fact working against me: it was too anaerobic and caused an accumulation of stress (more details in the publication!). I talked about my plantar fasciitis, but not as much the depression and fatigue I had over the summer.<br />
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In coach Ole's defence, he told me to run my intervals and tempos slower. I didn't understand why. I still believed in the "no pain, no gain" mentality.<br />
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Over the last year, one athlete after another was referred to me for overtraining (this is so prevalent in ultra-running, especially, it seems, among females). One explanation could certainly be that athletes spend too much time at a heart rate above their max aerobic threshold - and it builds up- and suddenly it is way too much. Diet is certainly involved as well: too much reliance on carbohydrates as a fuel seems to be detrimental (and favors anaerobic processes in the body, not to mention insulin resistance). Phil Maffetone says the reason the Kenyans have gone under 2 hours in the marathon is their high reliance on carbs. On the flip side low carb intake which is not accompanied by a very high fat intake will leave an athlete without enough energy.<br />
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An aside: <a href="http://eatingacademy.com/nutrition/the-interplay-of-exercise-and-ketosis-part-i">Here</a> is a fascinating self-experiment done by a keto-adapted physician athlete showing maintainance of blood sugar during exercise (I'm glad he did this experiment because I'm not about to down a bottle of oil before my swims!).<br />
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<b>The data</b><br />
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They are coming (I think). It is actually amazing that after years of working with American and world record holders that Dr. Maffetone's data have not been published in a peer-reviewed journal, but I have a lot of respect for him for being willing to go through the process now-- and he seems motivated by the fact that anyone can use his principles to train with. I should mention, he has published multiple books, but I also think it will be great that (soon?) the medical and scientific world will also be exposed to this method and, perhaps, give it the credit at least I think it deserves.<br />
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<b>A couple confusing points from my last post, which I would just like to clear up:</b><br />
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My diet: I am not trying to achieve less than 10% carbs, but am happy with 30-40% carbs (as percentage of calorie intake). My aim right now is to eliminate added sugar and all refined carbs.<br />
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Max pulse vs. aerobic max pluse: So <i>max pulse</i> is the fastest your heart can beat regularly (220-age approximately) and <i>Max aerobic pulse</i> is the highest pulse you can obtain before your exercise becomes anaerobic (180-age approximately). So my race last week was at "max pulse"<br />
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<b>Quick question about VO2 max</b><br />
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So, my Garmin watch nearly daily tells me it detects a new VO2 max. I just imagine it is set for a 70kg male (that is usually the default). Does anyone know how I adjust for my age and weight? And does one adjust for sex? (yes, the correct term is "sex" and not "gender"!)... I was reading on a "private" forum yesterday the conversation of some stay at home wives, who happened to be making fun of my blog. One of the things they said, besides the fact that I was "pear shaped" (???), was that I had such a strange way of writing (and ergo could not be American)-- whatevs. Should I take it as an insult I don't write like an American ;o)??<br />
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My boy, the runner, pre and just finishing 3.6 km. There are no words in any language to describe how much I love him.<br />
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... he just told me tonight he is reconsidering his love for his current girlfriend because she laughs to much at his jokes.(it is fun to get a boy's perspective on girls!)<br />
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The same song, different versions (one for running, one for alpha waves)<!--10-->
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="255" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/RO4lJc98Svo" width="427"></iframe><!--10--><!--10-->sea legs girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14782712411873234071noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-834846832861622672.post-71882278061074906292014-10-28T20:19:00.001+01:002014-10-31T20:04:58.501+01:00Maffetone training, Mærk Næstved, more LCHF and other newsWhat pace do you train at and why? I guess every runner should think about this. I have to admit, though, that when I learned about "Maffetone" training through Larisa Dannis, it opened up a whole new way of thinking about training for me. I started out by listening to the the Ulltraruner <a href="http://ultrarunnerpodcast.com/larisa-dannis-interview/">podcast</a> with Larisa (at <a href="http://runmoretalkless.blogspot.dk/">Olga</a>'s recommendation) and then the Trail Runner Nation <a href="http://trailrunnernation.com/2013/01/dr-phil-maffetone-speed-up-by-slowing-down/">podcast </a>with "Dr." Maffetone himself (the quotes since I can't figure out what his educational background is by googling him...I do know he is a is a self-proclaimed musician with a lot of experience in exercise physiology).<br />
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<i>Edit: I just received an email from Dr. Phil Maffetone himself and he is a chiropractor who then pursued an interest in exercise physiology.</i><br />
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The idea is simple: find the pulse that represents the upper edge of your aerobic zone and train almost exclusively at that pace. You can learn how to estimate it<a href="http://philmaffetone.com/180-formula"> here</a>. I usually ends up approximately being 180-age.<br />
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Why would you do this, you ask? So the claim is you can develop your aerobic system without going anaerobic, without stressing the body (through cortisol, lactic acid, etc) and with less injury risk. What athletes (Mark Allen, Larisa Dannis plus other anonymous that I have read about) and Maffetone claim is that over weeks and months, you run faster and faster within this pulse range. This is very thought provoking.<br />
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In my first few runs, I was surprised how hard it was for me to run this pace. It is faster than I do my long runs yet slower than a tempo. I think coach Ole was a bit surprised that a 150 pulse for me started out as 5.53/km on mixture of trails and streets and just over the last week, I have watched the pace go up for the same pulse every single time I run this route (I am running the very same route -more or less -since I know it is an experiment). Today my pace was 5.15/km. I had not expected to see results in a week, so I wonder if there are other factors coming into play.<br />
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Either way, Larisa has certainly had success with it. Not only did she come from a non-runner background to running a 2.44 Boston Marathon and take 2nd female at Western States, but two days ago she just run the fastest 50 miler/80.5km run by an American female in the last 20 years: 5:59 (and on a hilly course in Wisconsin). She kept her pulse "aerobic" the entire time (generally 147-152). She didn't know what her mile splits had been until she got home, but she was very consistent at just around 7 minutes/mile. You can follow her runs on Strava.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Larisa Dannis at the Door Country Fall 50, courtesy of INKnBRURN. Note the foot strike :-).</td></tr>
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As stated earlier, I have dealt with plantar fasciitis for a number of months, but am back to training now (minus intervals and tempos). I have some tips for getting over PF, which you can write me an email about if interested.<br />
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I decided to run a 12k race this past weekend. It is a cool event we have run before called "Mærk Næstved Løb" put on by our local athletic club, HGATM. SR had run the Trailman 50k last weekend so offered to watch the kids and even cheer along the route. There are not a lot of money races where I have a chance of winning, but I do keep trying.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZzqztjUdF0A/VE-9e2gGKeI/AAAAAAAAFUE/uPW9wkM264c/s1600/oct2014%2B001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZzqztjUdF0A/VE-9e2gGKeI/AAAAAAAAFUE/uPW9wkM264c/s1600/oct2014%2B001.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">I am wearing shoes, which I would like to refer to as my PF rehab shoes. They are heavy and awkward, but support the arch very, very well. Salomon has recently notified me that they also have shoes with this type of arch support--- I am trying those starting tomorrow and am looking forward to less awkward shoes. P.S. Do you see any correlation between foot-strike pattern and happiness?</td></tr>
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Before the race SR suggested I run 4.05/km pace. This seemed fair on a windy, hilly yet non-technical route. I ran a pretty even pace, but started a bit fast coming through 10k in 40.20, but the race ends with a wicked uphill so I slowed. I was happy I didn't start too fast because this meant passing the first female after 3km and winning 1.000 kr. (thank you, Sydbank!) and won a personal training program + free training at Fysium for setting the female course record.<br />
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What probably interested me about this race was my pulse (by the way, my pulse strap was so tight around my thorax that I had trouble breathing!! Looser and I feel it will fall down-- tips?). My max pulse is "supposed to be" 220-35: <b>185</b>" which means I was pretty much maxing it out all the way after 5km (see below). What is the deal? I mean, yeah, it felt super hard, but I can only come to the conclusion that my max pulse is quite a bit higher. This is a long time to run at max pulse. No wonder I was wiped out the last km...<br />
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If interested, you can follow almost all of my runs on Endomondo.<br />
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<b>More on the LCHF diet</b><br />
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One of the foundations of improving aerobic performance is the ability to oxidize fat for energy. Runners on a high carb diet may not have much success with the Maffetone method (says the good doctor himself). SR, who has just recently gone super low carb, had me calculate my actual percentage of calories from carbs on a daily basis and we found out it was somewhere between 30 and 40%. The "sad" thing is this is about half of what it used to be. So it was only relatively low carb. In Phinney and Volek's study, "low carb" was defined as "less than 10% of daily calories" The good thing is, most of my carbs come from vegetables. Except for those two darn Clif Builder's bars in the morning and the glass of wine at night. Tomorrow, for the first time, I am replacing the bars with eggs. Wish me luck.<br />
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The change in my diet so far has been mostly positive (and I have been on this diet since February). I love that I can last long runs and many hours without getting that hungry. That old feeling of hunger I knew (headaches, fatigue) is gone. I don't need to worry about my weight anymore. It just stays in one place. I have also been surprised that despite being at the same weight on the scale, the lingering cellulite on my thighs just disappeared.<br />
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Dr. Phinney had claimed that in order for the LCHF diet to work you had to be "ketotic" which he believed required less than 10% of calories from carbs. See my post <a href="http://www.irunfar.com/2014/06/2014-medicine-science-in-ultra-endurance-sports-conference-report.html">here</a>. I however am nowhere near this and feel I am experiencing a lot of the same benefits as athletes who are techincally low carb. There simply must be a gray zone.<br />
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One down side is I feel like I have a lot more body odor (just female hormones??). Food is also more expensive and requires more preparation.<br />
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Then again, if I do end up living a long life, the fact that I will be less likely to develop insulin resistance (since I am producing less insulin than if I were on a typical Western Diet) is nice, too. As I look back over the last year, I have gained endurance and speed, but that may be due to my training plan.<br />
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I keep hearing all of these positive things from athletes on the LCHF diet, for example Joe Uhan and Zach Bitter (weight loss, improved cholesterol, more energy, faster race times, etc). I would be interested in hearing if any readers have had a negative experience with a similar diet.<br />
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P.S. The 32Gi energy products are NOT part of a LCHF diet. They are made of a type of sugar. They are not healthy to train with on a daily basis and do not improve fat burning. And these products do not make sense for marathons either because they have the same glycemic index (GI) as milk (which is 32). This may mean you feel you are lacking that boost of energy you can get from high GI sugars, which again I feel should be reserved for races.<br />
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<i>Edit: I can see now that I shouldn't have made such a bold statement about 32Gi. One could potentially use them as part of a LCHF diet, but they are made out of a type of sugar. When I said they were not healthy, I meant compared to a healthy diet, but they do induce less of an insulin response than most other energy products. Basically, I believe all energy products should be reserved for races and preferably not part of daily training.</i><br />
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Oh and yes, you see I am sponsored by Vitargo, which for me is perfect for races, because it is easier on the stomach and gives a nice burst of energy. But I do not use their products for every day training<br />
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In other news, I just got permanent residency in Denmark and I am studying to take the Danish citizenship test December 2nd. This was really great news for our family. Up to this point (the last six years) I have been required to have full-time work at all times, plus document all of my work plans, rental contratracts and keep reapplying to maintain residency. Now, I don't need to worry about being allowed to stay og traveling back and forth from the US. The whole thing was a very difficult process, but I am enormously grateful it worked out.<br />
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Running songs of the day (Maffetone (musician that he is) says you should not listen to music while running in order to keep your pulse down.... hmmm... I'm not buying into that one just yet)<br />
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<i>Edit: Ok, Dr. M cleared this one up for me, too. He says he prefers athletes listen to their bodies rather than music while running. He said he did an observational with runners who were and weren't listening to music on a treadmill and found those with music had a decreased running economy. My note: I am not sure if this difference was statistically significant.</i><br />
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<b>Running song of the day</b><br />
The first song I was going to put was Taylor Swift's "Out of the Woods". She is such an underrated overrated pop star. That video is not available on Youtube yet.
This one is from the Icelandic Elliphant and the Danish Mø.
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="255" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/Sx1mHSo7ug4" width="427"></iframe>sea legs girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14782712411873234071noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-834846832861622672.post-47340778393381476762014-09-29T21:18:00.000+02:002014-09-29T22:07:09.672+02:00A nubbinz with nubbinsIf that title doesn't keep you away, what will?
I keep trying to write a grand summary of what has happened since I stopped blogging on May 20th. It seems the mere fact that I have not been blogging has left me incapable of putting it into words. Oh well.<br />
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Life is good again now.<br />
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On Wednesday SR returned from Duluth, MN. We have spent the last year living on two different continents. I am also having trouble finding the words to describe how wonderful it is to have him back.</div>
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It was kind of a rough summer finishing my PhD alone with the two kids, working another job (to retain my Danish residency), learning my American driver's license wasn't valid in Denmark, getting plantar fasciitits from using the babyjogger for most transportation, etc.</div>
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SR had a rough summer living in a hotel and missed us. We're all happy now and discussing our next adventures.</div>
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<b>Frisco, CO</b></div>
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After I finished my PhD we took a trip to Frisco, Colorado. I can't say enough good things about this town and we are thinking of moving there for three months in the spring before our big move to California. We would normally just move right to California, but I have been contacted by a friend who, due to illness in the family, would like to switch residency positions with me. Due to the American residency match rules we are not allowed to find out if this will happen until we have both done 45 days at the program we "matched" to. The real problem is SR doesn't know yet where he should apply for a job. So why not move to Frisco in the mean time? Or Flagstaff, AZ?</div>
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<b>UROC</b></div>
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SR had a great race. He came in second after Matt Flaherty in the 50k. He loved the trails. I really like mountain running, too. Honestly, my favorite running is with steep uphillls and downhills. I also love training at altitude and I think because I had been in Lake Tahoe over the summer (for the Western States Endurance Conference -- writing for iRunFar <a href="http://www.irunfar.com/2014/06/2014-medicine-science-in-ultra-endurance-sports-conference-report.html">here</a>) and taking iron all the while, by the time we got to Frisco, the altitude didn't come as too much of a shock.</div>
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My mom, on the other hand, got blue hands the last day we were in Frisco. Had it been the 3rd or 4th day, I would have driven her to Denver. She and my sister have always had problems with altitude and I wonder what genetic condition this is. Had we not gone to the Rockies every year since I was a kid, we would have never known about it.</div>
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P.S. I ran the ½ marathon at UROC</div>
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<b>Running</b></div>
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I think I'm going to ease into writing about running again. I have to admit, I am a bit fatiguée, as they say, of a society that values individual accompishment so much (ie. marathon PR, ironman, straight A's, etc etc). Well, it gets old. Sometimes I would look back at my old blog posts over the summer and wonder who I had become. I have to point out that my favorite runner at the moment, Sylvia Kiberenge, is the most modest person I know.</div>
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Anyway, I love running more than ever- especially after a long injury, it is awesome to be back. </div>
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Yesterday, in Holte, the last Salomon Trail Tour race (held in Rude Skov) was one of the highlights of the year. It was a 16k of very technical, hilly trails and ended up being one of the most tactical races I have been in. All the females started together and we eventually learned that we had to keep running in a pack (the lead group was a pack of four) because otherwise the woman in the lead would get lost and look back to the others for help. Anyway, we had a blast and the women's race ended with a sprint finish on the track.</div>
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SR had fun, but got very lost, so not quite the placement he had hoped for. </div>
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Here was a shot of the top 3 women and men from yesterday.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.63636302948px; line-height: 17.5636348724365px; text-align: left;">Charlotte Löjdqvist, Tracy Høeg, Kristine Villum, Claus Hallingdal Bloch, Marcus Rønn & Christian Madsen. Photo by Anne-Mette Lindgaard</span></td></tr>
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I have a lot more to say, but why not set the bar low for the next post?
Of course you have heard these. But if not, why not take a listen?
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="187" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/rEamE0MYPkg" width="320"></iframe>sea legs girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14782712411873234071noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-834846832861622672.post-67130952835083402042014-05-20T03:59:00.000+02:002014-05-20T03:59:26.586+02:007 year bloggiversary, motherhood and different versions of reality7 years ago, when I started this blog, it was part of my attempt to press the reset button and start my life anew. I was 26. There were a lot of things I wanted to forget or not face up to, but more importantly, there were so many things I wanted to do. I wanted to live my dream life and wanted to be happy, and no one but myself was going to make this happen.<br />
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That was also when I met SR and left my husband (who SR will always refer to as "Saint Paul"). Suddenly the version of reality that mattered was the version SR and I created.<br />
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For us, writing our blogs, was akin to creating the story of our lives. I am not saying we lied or made things up, but the stories we told are what we remember as the truth. Anyone who has been a writer knows the magic of the written word: you can change the world and make yourself believe in an entirely different reality than people around you.<br />
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Over the years, my blog as the grand tableau of my life, has been challenged again and again. It started with people figuring out my identity. When people could look up my race results, my job, details about my past, not even minor alterations in the truth were allowed. At times, it seemed, despite me thinking or writing otherwise, I was nothing more or less than I was - to the readers. And there have been a lot of instances where readers have hated me.<br />
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I started writing about the safety of running during pregnancy. Just because I was a doctor didn't mean I could write statements about health and safety without references. My blog became more challenging to maintain, but I learned a lot about what it means to be a scientist - and the importance of accountability.<br />
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As I began to race more, my version of what happened during my workouts became so insignificant compared to the clocks at races. I could cut a workout on the track short and claim to have run faster, but if the goal is to get faster, accountability and accurate assessments of my abilities helped me improve and race smarter.<br />
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Yesterday, I was at Target with the two boys. I walked down the shoe aisle and took my eyes off Mattias, who was sitting in the large compartment of the cart (the kids' carts were all taken). I eyed some size 12 shoes for Christian and out of the corner of my right eye, I saw my 2 year old teetering on the brink of the top of the cart and then launching off, jumping as high as he could, temporarily growing small angel wings before he landed a perfect 10 landing on flat feet on the cream speckled Target floor - lifting his arms proudly over his head for the clapping crowd. Amazing. Every bone in my body was proud of my wild specimen.<br />
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Yet, everyone else there surely saw something else: a boy desperate not to be left alone or ignored by his mom, hopping dangerously out of the cart and almost breaking his ankle. Had my mom been there, she would have blown a gasket.<br />
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In truth, no one saw him but me. And I may have made up the part about the wings.<br />
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I like to think that my eating has gotten a lot healthier. I am not too thin. I eat a variety of foods. But if my step daughter sees my eating as restrictive and wants to be thin, she may very well become anorexic in attempt to emulate me. And suddenly, as a mom and step-mom, my version of reality is a lot less important than that of my kids.<br />
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Yesterday, as we lined up to start the Color Dash 5k, everyone was smiling, but there was a big wait to start even after the race had begun. I looked down at Christian with love, so proud he was going to run, but he looked up at me with fear. He said, carefully, in Danish "Mom, please don't start screaming because we have to wait to start". My heart broke and my smile got strange. In my version of reality, I only scream or cry if I am really upset or desperate. In his version, I am unpredictable. And suddenly, <i>the only</i> version of reality that mattered was his.<br />
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I could go on using this blog to tell my story, but it changes nothing of importance when my story is not the one that matters. Maybe that is why I rarely make time to blog. In fact, is this why mothers so seldom write?<br />
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Steve Q pointed out to me today that no one under 30 has a blog anymore. This made me sad because using writing to understand our feelings and to help others understand their own is undervalued in the Facebook era.<br />
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And I thought again about our trip to Target yesterday, Christian and Mattias sitting in the red cart, repeating in unison the word "tissemand" (Danish for "penis") and laughing. They were like two little crickets singing their joyful tissemand duet and no one could understand them - and this is what seemed to make them happiest - except their mother, who couldn't stop laughing. Every fiber in my body loved those two boys, and I smiled knowing, for at least that moment, my version of reality<i> really was</i> the one that mattered.<br />
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Running song of the Day:<br />
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Horseshoe by Withered Hand<br />
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<i>We can kid our friends. Tell me was it easy to pretend? Like nobody is dead. Nobody in love will ever die again.</i><br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="196" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/puJPdfU2F3E" width="320"></iframe>sea legs girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14782712411873234071noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-834846832861622672.post-60035868652938535422014-05-13T02:34:00.000+02:002014-05-16T03:06:39.389+02:00Ice Age Trail 50 Mile 2014 - Running with the Pixie Ninja, Ian Torrence and other Stars of Ultra Running on the Stomping Grounds of my Youth<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The sport of trail ultra running has been growing by approximately 66% a year and many athletes are concerned this growth could have a negative impact on the sport. This weekend in La Grange, WI, the only changes I saw were positive.<br />
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First of all, it was exciting and educational to read <a href="http://www.irunfar.com/2014/05/2014-ice-age-trail-50-mile-preview.html">irunfar's preview</a> before the race. That gave me a much better sense of just how competitive it would be. With multiple women who had qualified for the Olympic Trials (Larisa Dannis and Kaci Licktieg), <a href="http://katepallardy.blogspot.com/p/skinnyfig.html">Kate Pallardy</a> with a recent 1:17 Half Marathon PR, Gina Lucrezi the NCAA Div 2 National 1500 meter champion (sponsored by Pepsi!), Alisha Damrow with a recent 6:40 50 miler on roads and Maddy Hribar with an 18 hour 100 miler at Pine Creek. It seemed impossible and comedic that Meghan Hicks added my name to the race preview!! These ladies - and others I have failed to mention - are phenomenal runners!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here we are in our bus-boose with both boys on the long drive from Duluth, MN to Hartland, WI. SR and I of course filled the hours with talk of ultras: drama and strategy and what would the next day bring? I also have a vague memory of going to McDonald's.</td></tr>
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For those of you who read Danish, I wrote a little about my preparation for the race on Team Salomon's <a href="http://www.salomontrailtour.dk/news/article/montrail_ultra_cup_i_wisconsin">website</a>.</div>
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7 AM race start, I said hello to Ben Trok, Chris Rubesch, Zach Bitter, Roy Pirrung and Ann Heaslett. Great to see so many familiar faces. As I mentioned in the blog title, I grew up just over a half an hour's drive from the race start. It was fun to see all the locals in awe of the stars. And heck, some of the locals have become stars, too. It is simply fun to see excitement growing around the sport of ultra trail running.</div>
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And right from the start, the air was electric. There were photographers and fans everywhere along the first Nordic Loop. It's just over 15 km of cross country ski trails with some steep rolling hills.<br />
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This was around mile 2. Females from left to right Kaci (aka The Pixie Ninja) behind me, Kate Pallardy, Gina Lucrezi, Larisa Dannis and Maddy Hribar.</div>
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We ran the first 10k together in 48:06. This was a nice start and good way to get to know all these gals, who had all travelled long distances to race. It was fun to hear their stories and discuss our shared passion. Larisa had just run a 2:44 at Boston and was pretty excited about that! Kaci, the Pixie Ninja, was remarkably humble and had a positive energy about her. We all had to compliment her on her awesome performances at Rocky Racoon and Lake Sonoma. </div>
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Nicholas Wied was exactly right when he wrote in his <a href="http://www.irunfar.com/2014/05/2014-ice-age-50-mile-results.html">race recap for irunfar</a> that this year the race was about speed. I was a few minutes behind these ladies when I came through a half marathon (after the beautiful and technical single track had begun) in 1:42. I can't emphasize enough how important speed training is for ultras. I could not come close to competing with world class ladies like these if I were not doing regular speed work. A half marathon on hilly trails in 1:42 had to feel comfortable and it did. I kept feeling like I was holding back and getting ready to unleash the beast. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Awesome shot of my legs taken by <a href="http://www.alienginphotography.com/">Ali Engin</a>, who was crouching down on the ground by Rice Lake.</td></tr>
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The trails get more and more technical and the hills steeper the further you get into the race. The first Nordic loop the easiest, the middle out and back harder and the last out and back the most challenging. Yet - and I mean this - it was all so much fun! </div>
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But with increasing difficulty in mind, Kaci Lickteig still managed to run a negative split. And that is evidence for me that- like every other running distance- just about every single record is set with a negative split. It is the best way to run a race. Ultras, as we are learning, are not exceptions to the classic rules of long-distance running.</div>
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I, however, did not run a negative split. I managed to keep my tempo reasonable with a 6 min/kilometer average, though the first 44.5 km in four hours.</div>
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I came through the marathon distance in 3:47 - and at the 26 mile aid station, there was Timo Yanacheck (director of the Mad City 100k), smiling and cheering. He's a great guy and that was sure uplifting! </div>
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Following that aid station, I reverted to my old trail running habit of CCU (controlled continuous urination) thinking there was no one behind me (glad I was diuresing). Well, my hearing has been damaged by too many years of loud rock music and suddenly a rather good looking fellow was indeed right behind me, my compression shorts still dripping. I don't know if he saw it, but anyway, we ran the next 5 or so miles together, over the now hot and sunny prairie, switching off taking the lead. When I saw SR for the first time, he said, did you see who you were running with? I was clueless. That was <a href="http://www.mcmillanrunning.com/ultra">Ian Torrence</a>! Ha. Sorry, Ian.</div>
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I had one energy low at around the point of this picture - between 35 and 40 miles - I didn't realize this was a big net uphill section until I turned around. It helped immensely that SR was out there constantly popping out from behind trees and cheering me on. He gave me the impression all day that I was solidly in 5th place - both 4th and 6th females a significant distance away. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo by SR. This is about when the temps reached 80F (27C) and I was in a serious meditative state: concentrating on keeping calm with a low heart rate and constant focus on short, fast steps. </td></tr>
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The race strategy SR and I had laid out was- run your own race and there will be carnage among the top females who start too fast. Well, I held up my end of the deal, but there was no carnage at the top.</div>
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I felt great the last 15k. I thought I was just cruising, but it turn out ran it in 1:40. Ha. Well, good enough. It is strange what feels like a fast pace at the end of an ultra.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I think I almost tripped here and was quite glad SR captured my clumsiness - although, I didn't fall once the whole race. I should probably note that SR fell getting out of the way for a runner and ended up with a bloody knee. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chris Rubesch, running in for 10th guy, looking cat-like as always.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kaci going for her win and course record. She always looks so relaxed, yet she ran these last 10 miles in 72 minutes. That is the same pace Matt Flaherty (Salomon), who took second, ran the last 10 miles.</td></tr>
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To add a twist, with just 1.5 k to go, I spotted a woman right ahead of me. She was walking. What?! Is this my chance at a WS entry spot and <i>sudden fame</i>? I passed her and she did not put up a fight...??!! I really wasn't sure if it was Gina Lucrezi, but it looked like her hair and tank top. Anyway, I ran the last kilometer in 4:48 and was happy to realize I still had a lot of energy, though it helps a lot to know it is almost over!</div>
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Finish time was <b>8:01:00. A 38 minute trail 50 mile PR</b>. I ran the race I knew I could. Turns out the woman who I passed was running the 50k. One place away from a Western States ticket (!), but I could not be happier with my race.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">About to pass out waiting to thank race director Jeff Mallach for this absolutely fantastic experience.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pure bliss. With my calves up, the nausea and light-headedness disappeared within 10 minutes. Finally- I could soak it up- FINALLY an ultra without hip problems or right leg pain. And thanks to Nic Giebler for letting me use his cooler to put my feet on - you are not only a great chiropractor Nic, but you save poor souls from the sequelae of exercise associated postural hypotension.</td></tr>
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When I was out on a training run before Worlds with Ben Nephew he said "be smart and run races that play to your strengths". I didn't realize how wise those words were, but Ice Age Trail was exactly that kind of race - lots of hills on single tracks with no asphalt. It is thrilling to make such a big improvement and I consider this a better performance that Fyr til Fyr 60k in 5:14 because there I got lost and my right leg cramped up at the end. At Ice Age Trail, it all went right. Yet, I feel there is a ton of room for improvement: my technique still needs work and my speed work continues to make me faster.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We probably all stand to learn a lot from a gal like Kaci. She lowered Cassie Scallon's old course record by 5 minutes and Cassie had lowered Ann Trason's by 18 minutes. </td></tr>
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Kaci is a physical therapist who has taken ultra running by storm this year and, when I asked her a bit about her background, she replied with the following:</div>
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<span style="background-color: #f7f7f7; color: #3e454c; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15.359999656677246px; white-space: pre-wrap;">"I was a walk on for a D2 school (University of Nebraska-Kearney) and ran cross country and track for 2 years before going to grad school. I was a "long" distance runner. So, for track the 5K-10K. I am not an elite marathoner. I did qualify for the Olympic trials for 2012. I ran a 2:44:14 at CIM.
One thing for me is that I have never been "blessed" with pure talent. I have had to work my butt of to be where I am. Running is such a passion of mine and I am a very driven Type A person. I always want to better myself and keep achieving goals I set."
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Kaci seems very down to earth and honest. I have to note, though, that all the girls I was competing against ran track in college. I have a bit of an inferiority complex because of this and wonder if I still have a chance to get that speed they developed in their teens and twenties. It is an interesting experiment and I am glad I have coach Ole to help me with this. My sense is starting to tell me it is not too late to go back and train my legs (and more importantly brain) to run fast in my thirties after all.</div>
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<b>Fueling:</b></div>
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I had 2 Clif Bars and 1 Vitargo Energi Kakan bar before the race. They seemed to sit well. I drank half all-natural tropical juice and half water out of my bladder and bottles and refilled my Salomon soft flasks with gingerale or coke at 3 aid stations after the 50k. It was hot and I was thirsty. I only ended up eating half of a Vitargo protein bar and that seemed to sit well in my stomach. Again, I prefer my energy from liquid and am pretty amazed by the low amount of calories needed to keep my energy up. I think the low carb diet, not eating on or after my runs and loading up on energy pre-race all helped.</div>
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Top 10 results</div>
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<ol style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Verdana; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 15px;">
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px;"><strong><em>Max King</em></strong> (Montrail) – 5:41:07 (course record)</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px;"><strong><em>Matt Flaherty </em></strong>(Salomon) – 5:49:13</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px;"><strong><em>Brian Condon -</em></strong> 5:58:24</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px;"><strong><em>Michael Owen</em></strong> - 5:59:56</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px;"><strong><em>Matt Laye</em></strong> - 6:14:43</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px;"><strong><em>Zach Bitter</em></strong> (Altra) - 6:19:52</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px;"><strong><em>Ian Ridgeway</em></strong> - 6:36:18</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px;"><strong><em>Jason Wolfe</em></strong> (AdiUltra) - 6:41:14</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px;"><strong><em>Kevin Grabowski</em></strong> (Lapham Peak Trail Runners) - 6:49:51</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px;"><strong><em>Chris Rubesch</em></strong> - 6:54:14</li>
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<ol style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Verdana; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 15px;">
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px;"><strong><em>Kaci Lickteig</em></strong> (Pearl Izumi) – 6:41:39 (course record)</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px;"><strong><em>Kate Pallardy -</em></strong> 7:04:16</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px;"><strong><em>Larisa Dannis</em></strong> (Altra) – 7:15:39</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px;"><strong><em>Gina Lucrezi</em></strong> (PepsiCo) – 7:37:30</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px;"><strong><em>Tracy Hoeg</em></strong> (Salomon) – 8:01:00</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px;"><strong><em>Jessica Garcia</em></strong> – 8:14:48</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px;"><strong><em>Maddy Hribar</em></strong> – 8:17:42</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px;"><strong><em>Alisha Damrow</em></strong> – 8:34:33</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px;"><strong><em>Erin Lumbard</em></strong> – 8:44:13</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px;"><strong><em>Kristin Frey</em></strong> – 8:49:33</li>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8KU_y3Gy3Ok/U3FP5ncuJJI/AAAAAAAAFFo/fi8KkSadbu8/s1600/maj2014+176.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8KU_y3Gy3Ok/U3FP5ncuJJI/AAAAAAAAFFo/fi8KkSadbu8/s1600/maj2014+176.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Congrats to Max King on beating the 27 year old course record and ALSO running a negative split. Matt Flaherty (Salomon) also came under the old recorn in 5:49</td></tr>
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Congrats to Jeff Mallach on such a wonderful running event, which seemed to go flawlessly. The course was beautiful and the markings easy to follow.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-EOlOxgnMSdI/U3FIZZfwymI/AAAAAAAAFFY/mLU6MBNBH4E/s1600/maj2014+172.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-EOlOxgnMSdI/U3FIZZfwymI/AAAAAAAAFFY/mLU6MBNBH4E/s1600/maj2014+172.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here I was shaking Jeff's hand at the awards, feeling giddy. Can you sense the love from the guy behind this camera? :-)</td></tr>
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Thank you to the volunteers who smiled and cheered and pampered us runners all day. You have all done Wisconsin proud! Beautiful people, beautiful terrain - yes, this sport is cool.<br />
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Thank you most of all to my husband, SR, who crewed me all day and made me feel like a superstar. I could not have run this race nearly as well without him. It means the world that we share this passion - and I only hope one day I can support him as much in a race as much as he supported me on Saturday. </div>
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sea legs girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14782712411873234071noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-834846832861622672.post-20563817960008830612014-05-07T12:49:00.001+02:002014-05-07T18:52:16.799+02:00Ice Age Trail Preview, Help me Design an Energy Bar & Running Fast vs. Long<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fa4AEoyXaW0/U2lu1z4XxeI/AAAAAAAAFCk/mxs6z3B2E3k/s1600/maj2014+105.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fa4AEoyXaW0/U2lu1z4XxeI/AAAAAAAAFCk/mxs6z3B2E3k/s1600/maj2014+105.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This morning, I woke to this, as Christian, Mattias and SR slept peacefully. This is our back "yard" for the next five weeks- the ice-covered Lake Superior border between the US and Canada. It seems like good place to finish the writing of my dissertation and perhaps go for a run or two.</td></tr>
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I could write many blog posts about returning once again from Denmark to the US. Psychologically, it is always hard for me and I know it is harder on the kids, yet they don't ever show immediate signs of disquietude.<br />
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That being said, change is also always exciting and healthy. And most of all, it is wonderful to be back together with SR. He took this picture of me on the still snowy trails of Minnesota Point this morning.</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Q1Iz_U-dvmA/U2l4rB9PSII/AAAAAAAAFDw/mOwGJzyUSGA/s1600/maj2014+139.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Q1Iz_U-dvmA/U2l4rB9PSII/AAAAAAAAFDw/mOwGJzyUSGA/s1600/maj2014+139.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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Before he took this picture, SR was saying in disbelief that they (irunfar) had "forgotten" to add my name to the<a href="http://www.irunfar.com/2014/05/2014-ice-age-trail-50-mile-preview.html"> list of favorites for the Ice Age Trail 50</a>. Let me put it this way- I would much rather run a great race than be listed on the potential favorites and not run well (as I finish off this post, I was sent an apology from Meghan Hicks about omitting my name from the list- She is so classy and sweet and one of the reasons irunfar is so successful - whether or not I belong on that list). The name that really sticks out to me as being hard to beat is Kaci Lickteig</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/theindependent.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/a/56/a56a45e9-0166-508e-aed8-61a838d306a1/4ef0b75caae5c.preview-300.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From Omaha, NE, Kaci has a 99.0% rating (has run 10 races) on ultra signup of. Beating her would require her car breaking down on the way to the race or something similar. Yet, knowing me, I will start out trying to keep up with her.</td></tr>
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After Kaci, there is a longish list of other women who can easily run 50 miles faster than I can: Larisa Dannis, Stephanie Weigel, Maddie Hrybar and Alisha Damrow to name a few.<br />
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In the mens' race I am hoping the podium will include the following: Zach Bitter, Mike Borst and Chris Rubesch since they are local favorites, strong runners and good guys!</div>
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It will be really fun for me to run in such a competitive ultra. It is not something I have much experience with. And honestly, I do not know what time to aim for. It seems I have continued to get faster all spring. A 5:14 60k on tough trails makes me think I should aim for a sub 7:30, but that sounds unrealistic. Let's call that "the ultimate, everything goes perfectly" goal. Goal number 2 would be sub 8. Goal number 3 is PR. I feel like if I do none of these that I am injured or puking because IAT is an easier course than Glacial Trail where I ran my 8:38 - as long as it doesn't get too muddy. And the truth is, all trail ultras necessitate you obeying the conditions and just running the best time you can that day.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="overlooking la grange lake atop one ridge on the west out and back. one of the most beautiful views on the course." src="http://amycourts.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/IMG_3595-225x300.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Ice Age Trail has lovely views and is 100% off asphalt :-). This photos is overlooking La Grange Lake, by Amy Courts.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://www.badgerlandstriders.org/DefaultFilePile/images/IceAgeRunImages/KettleMoraineOverview.jpg?" height="308" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Course map.</td></tr>
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The course is a loop and two out and backs. In essence</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQV9Fi7_p71dprN_Z20QylUy4GPdk-y8oHIfQT00aQB2SXaTnfYtQ" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A Pippi Longstocking-shaped route</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-A-RedQKYa6g/U2lxYr9C5KI/AAAAAAAAFDg/v6WiF4WD-Ug/s1600/maj2014+008.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-A-RedQKYa6g/U2lxYr9C5KI/AAAAAAAAFDg/v6WiF4WD-Ug/s1600/maj2014+008.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I ran a bit of the Lapham Peak section of the Ice Age Trail while I was visiting my parents and there were really good running conditions. Slightly muddy, but not bad. I think I will wear my Salomon Sense and not the Sense SG.<br />
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I have to thank SR for offering to crew me at IAT. It means a lot to me. I really like it when we have shared projects and he is really, really good at crewing. He has an uncanny sense of where I am and when I will arrive at certain points. Somehow he also seems to like assuming the role of the obedient servant; for those who haven't spent time with us, you should know he never calls me "Tracy" but always "My Lady", which initially I imagined was because Tracy is such an awkward name to say with a Danish accent, but it has just stuck. If I call him "My Lord" in Danish, it sounds like I am calling him excrement, so I just go on mispronouncing his first name and everything is jackanory.<br />
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So, I am well aware that what has slowed me down at the end of all my ultras over the last two years has been my "hip". That stupid pain in my entire right leg - often going up to my right shoulder and down to my foot.<br />
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My pain started to get worse again after the long flight and the 6k race on Saturday (see below), until I went to <a href="http://holisticpathduluth.com/">Holistic Path</a> in Duluth and got a 90 minute full body massage. The amazing thing was- she noticed my IT band was adhered like glue to my knotty vastus lateralis (where I had indicated the problem was coming from) and suddenly I realized my problem was very, very close to classic ITB syndrome (in Danish "løberknæ") except rather than pain in my knee, it was pulling on my gluteus medius and creating pain above the IT band. This also fits with stair climbing making the problem worse.<br />
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" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I think you can see how form this picture how the vastus lateralis adhering to the IT band could pull down on the gluteus medius.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
But I found <a href="http://www.tptherapy.com/unlock-your-body-anatomy-quads.html">this article</a> fascinating, describing how an inflexible ankle or anterior pelvic tilt (I have both of these) can cause the IT band and piriformis muscle to tighten. It is very, very complex, which is why physical therapists and physiatrists have cool jobs! Figuring out what came first is a challenging puzzle, which has now taken me 2 years to try to solve and I still don't have the full answer.<br />
<br />
But that didn't stop me from feeling awesome after the masssage.<br />
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<tr><td><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rJnDUoTUO1o/U2lvZ1NvWII/AAAAAAAAFCs/YgY3jbi2CyE/s1600/maj2014+051.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rJnDUoTUO1o/U2lvZ1NvWII/AAAAAAAAFCs/YgY3jbi2CyE/s1600/maj2014+051.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.727272033691406px;">When my hair gets really curly, it usually means I am happy.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gU8vISrvbwU/U2lvuaXf6TI/AAAAAAAAFC8/G2RQNL8Zenk/s1600/maj2014+054.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gU8vISrvbwU/U2lvuaXf6TI/AAAAAAAAFC8/G2RQNL8Zenk/s1600/maj2014+054.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.727272033691406px;">And the lake and sky sure looked beautiful on my completely pain-free run afterwards.<br />
<div>
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</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Otherwise, the timing of this taper week falls perfectly with maximum adventure time with the boys.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DaBF6Afm3kM/U2mDXBWlGrI/AAAAAAAAFEA/Qaho0Ewd080/s1600/maj2014+146.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DaBF6Afm3kM/U2mDXBWlGrI/AAAAAAAAFEA/Qaho0Ewd080/s1600/maj2014+146.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Goal of finding all the penny pincher designs in Duluth. Location: Grandma's Bar and Grill.</td></tr>
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<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-I1POEMnzFrw/U2lvkwpxzwI/AAAAAAAAFC0/voR6hSffkOk/s1600/maj2014+070.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-I1POEMnzFrw/U2lvkwpxzwI/AAAAAAAAFC0/voR6hSffkOk/s1600/maj2014+070.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Christian at the Duluth Aquarium (cool floor, huh?)</td></tr>
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</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4XbxsEb55J4/U2mDZpwkKjI/AAAAAAAAFEM/yc3tiVHNXSI/s1600/maj2014+145.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4XbxsEb55J4/U2mDZpwkKjI/AAAAAAAAFEM/yc3tiVHNXSI/s1600/maj2014+145.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yay! 1 degree celcius.</td></tr>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2Wo4zlz1eUw/U2lvzu-pEEI/AAAAAAAAFDI/Vkjpiu7d45w/s1600/maj2014+037.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2Wo4zlz1eUw/U2lvzu-pEEI/AAAAAAAAFDI/Vkjpiu7d45w/s1600/maj2014+037.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Spongebob at Sunrise</td></tr>
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<div>
<br />
I also ran a quick race the morning after I arrived- a 6k to raise money for clean water in Ethiopia. This was organized by <a href="http://www.comeunitynow.org/fundraise-for-us/duluth-6k/">ComeUnity</a>.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NTC0OmMCKms/U2lv8L9pDpI/AAAAAAAAFDM/G2OmGKwMoPY/s1600/maj2014+028.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NTC0OmMCKms/U2lv8L9pDpI/AAAAAAAAFDM/G2OmGKwMoPY/s1600/maj2014+028.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I actually won for the men and women in 22:31 for 6k. That must have been around a 18:45 5k and then 1 more km! Felt great to run a 5k PR and keep going, though no official splits of course; just for fun.</td></tr>
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<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hFrw6lf3zec/U2lwATNtDUI/AAAAAAAAFDU/1q4Xt_-lj5s/s1600/maj2014+032.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hFrw6lf3zec/U2lwATNtDUI/AAAAAAAAFDU/1q4Xt_-lj5s/s1600/maj2014+032.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The people of Duluth are just really nice! The second and third place women came right up to me after the race and started chatting away. And why am I so tan? Very nice that I inherited my dad's pigment which causes me to look jaundiced after I have been in the sun. I also inhereted my dad's arm length since I compared my arm span to my mom's -- she is over 4 inches taller than me and my arm span is 3 inches longer than hers! Woah!? How fortunate I am so ape-like.</td></tr>
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Now - two questions:<br />
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<img src="http://www.runningonrealfood.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/noBakeChocoChiaEnBars.jpg" height="211" width="320" /><br />
<br />
1. <b>If you could design an energy bar</b>, which ingredients would you want and what percentages carbs, fat and protein? I have been offered the opportunity by coach Ole and <a href="http://www.32gi.com/">32gi</a> to help come up with a couple recipes for myself (and others?). Right now my ideas are - all natural, gluten free; one for long runs and racing which is higher in carbs and one for maintanance which is very low in carbs. I am looking at lärabars and clif builders bars for inspiration right now. I have great luck with Clif Builders and they use soy protein isolate, flax sed as well as beet juice, so why not go with it?<br />
<br />
unsweetened chocolate, nuts, coconut, raisins, and dates, sesame seeds and oil come to mind. which are probably other good options. Kind of a fun project!<br />
<br />
2. <b>When should a runner start training for a marathon?</b> I have been asked this question by an athlete who has recently started to run 6-8 miles once per week and also does regular speed sessions. My inclination now is running is like playing the piano or any other skill- learn the basics first and work up through 5k, 10k and ½ marathon races first. Why slug through Rachmoninoff when you can't play a little etude? I personally jumped right into a marathon as my very first race in 2004 - ran it is 3:42 - after never once trying to run fast - and about 25 different tendons in my body were injured afterwards for 2+ months and I could not run and I was miserable! Ha! Would love your opinions since I think it is an interesting question and if one is able to run the marathon slowly enough, one probably could run a marathon a lot sooner. I personally wished I had focused on speed and technique <i>before</i> distance. I have to go back and learn the basics now, which is seems a lot harder.</div>
sea legs girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14782712411873234071noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-834846832861622672.post-24299577293489916982014-04-27T17:07:00.000+02:002014-04-28T08:13:20.301+02:00Danish 10,000 meter championships<br />
Most of my Danish blog readers are probably surprised to see me not adding one more zero in my title. After all, yesterday was the Danish 100km championships as well. Pia Joan Sørensen was the women's champion in 8:19 on a warm and windy day - IMPRESSIVE!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="266" src="https://fbcdn-sphotos-a-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-frc3/t31.0-8/10285495_10201568591766822_2838921597597307992_o.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lovely, winner photo of Pia Joan Sørensen by Niels Høg Henrikson in front of Tueholm Sø. 100km Danish championships.</td></tr>
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Most of my day yesterday was spent at the Dansh Orthoptics Annual Meeting at Roskile Hospital. I gave a lecture there about the association between the advent of systematic 4 year old vision screening and the prevalence of amblyopia in Denmark since WWII as well as the most common causes. Sometimes I am amazed that my profession has essentially become teaching and speaking in a foreign language. Especially because every time I say "population study" it sounds like I am saying "fertility study". But learning to speak without an accent as an adult is like teaching an amblyopic eye to see! (Unless I sing og speak with a Jylland accent)<br />
<br />
Anyway, I loved spending the day with people dedicated to helping save and improve the vision of children. I felt like this was a sufficient excuse to not run 100km around a 1.5 km asphalt loop. Plus, I have the Ice Age Trail 50 miler in just 2 weeks now, so that would have been a bad idea!<br />
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What I didn't know, until last weekend, when I was invited to the 10,000 meter Danish Track Championships is that I actually was eligible to run and get a title of "Danish Champion" and still be American. The truth is, you just have to have lived in Denmark (legally) for 2 years and be a member of an athletic club.<br />
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Yesterday was hot and no one here has ever heard of air conditioners in cars so I was sweating buckets on my long drive from Roskilde to Korsør in the afternoon bake fest. I kept drinking water all the while knowing I wouldn't be able to start the race tanked up, especially considering a wickedly competitive Bikram class the night before (I love competing with ballet dancers).<br />
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I was tired by the time I arrived at the stadium but changing clothing and going for a warmup run with Rikke Due Andersen on a lovely grass field really pepped me up.<br />
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There was an electric feel at Korsør Stadium. Video cameras and a largish crowd. Athletic clubs from all over the country. Erling from Køge brought along his African crew - muslims, christians, atheists - they are all living at his house, as he humorously described, demanding things lot hot milk never microwaved, but they are super sweet and humble. (And one of the guys living with Erling, William Morwabe, ran BT half marathon this morning in 1:03!)<br />
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Being a new member of Køge Atletik, I shared a jersey with a 13 year old boy, Emil Holm, who can run a 3,000 meter in around 8 minutes. He didn't yesterday and ran in 8:47. My understanding is none or few PR's were set yesterday. Not being any sort of afficionado at track races, I did not know how much the strong wind would mean for our times.<br />
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As Rikke and I warmed up, she talked about trying to run sub 36. I talked about sub 39. Erling had given me an expected finish of under 39 based on my half marathon (1:26) on a hilly route and 10k (39.59) also on a hilly route. I felt like I had "good legs". And I mean, come on, this was flat, of course I would run a PR...<br />
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Gathering at the start line, the 20 women sure looked professional and confident. They were not sporting the gold jewelry or drawing crucifixes on their chest, but they knew how to do dynamic warmups that didn't look like they were at a high school dance (like yours truly).<br />
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We had to line up at two separate start points and I was the furthest to the left (middle of the track) in the start group about 10 meters ahead of ladies pictured below<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://www.dansk-atletik.dk/da/Nyheder/2014/04/~/media/DAF/Billeder/Diverse/10000Kvinder.ashx?w=511&h=293&as=1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Faster half of womens' 10,000 field. Rikke 4th from right. Simone furthest right. Photo courtesy of DAF.</td></tr>
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. Oh my, all eyes and cameras were on us and it was fun! The gun went and I took off faster than ... anyone else. And unintentionally, I was in the lead when the two groups came together after the cones. I led the first three laps- as in I was ahead of the 10,000 m star Simone Glad (coolest name in Danish track, who has recently run a 33:58). Really smart running for the first km right? I could hear the announcers talk about the top runners, not even acknowledging me because they had seen this stupidity before and why point out that I was going to go down in flames?<br />
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Meanwhile, I entertained the thought "What if I win? What if I beat a girl who can run under 34 minutes?" I can only assume this was due to lack of oxygen to my brain. Coach Erling was yelling at me "Slow down, Tracy!!" Well, I listened, eventually. I made it though 5k in 19:30, but at that point I had killed myself with the first 1.5 km and the 12.5 laps to the end were sheer torture. Of course I wanted to drop out and cast myself onto the ground like a starfish, but I was invited there and my team was cheering me on. I could hear Sylvia yelling "Go Tracy!!" in that fantastic Kenyan accent every time I came past the start. Yes, you DO notice these things out there.<br />
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The thing about the wind on a track is it feels like it is against you 95% of the time and then there is this precious moment every round where you get a little push from behind.<br />
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Who would have believed I could run so much slower than predicted (except everyone who does and doesn't know me)? 40.32 ØV. (cast myself down on the grass like a starfish - that was allowed now)<br />
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Simone did end up winning in 35:34. Rikke had a really strong run and took 4th in 37:00. As my back and abdomen were spasming, I told the team as I laughed that it "was not fun in the least". And then Rikke pointed out- well, you can always say you ran 1,000 meters faster than Simone Glad :-D. Oh and I won my age group- so I guess that makes me "age group Danish champion" of the 10,000 meters. I hear there is a gold medal on the way in the mail.<br />
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So all in all, a fun experience except the actual running after the first 1,500 meters.<br />
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I am glad I stuck around to watch the mens' 10,000 meters.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://www.dansk-atletik.dk/da/Nyheder/2014/04/~/media/DAF/Billeder/Diverse/DM10000M_herre.ashx?w=511&h=434&as=1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mens' 10,000 metere lead group. Photo courtesy of DAF.</td></tr>
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It is things like this that make you really appreciate the sport of long-distance running. Watching Sondre Moen, Abdi Ulaud, Jesper Frarschou and Henrik Them absolutely sprint around the track 25 times was astounding. It looked unreal that they could keep up a pace most people can't get up to when sprinting to avoid getting hit by a train. The all finished in around 30 minutes.<br />
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In other news, The Chippewa trail 50k was run yesterday in New Auburn, WI and SR ran. It sounded like slower conditions, so his course record of 3:51 did not fall! I know he says he had a crisis at the end and I can't find the results, so you will have to wait for his version, but Jordan Hanlon won for the men in 5:59 and Christi Novak took the womens' title. Of note Jake Hegge didn't run due to injury.<br />
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On Wednesday Mattias and I leave for Duluth for 6 weeks. We are getting good at spending all the money we don't have in order to have our family on the same continent! Thankfully this is only temporary.<br />
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Running songs of the day:<br />
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Kom Nu by Jacobløberhjemmefra<br />
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and<br />
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Superlove by Charli XCX<br />
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(absolutely genious song!)"I think your hair looks much better pushed over to one side. How do you feel about me?" :-)<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="375" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/pPWcX-16A9Y" width="640"></iframe>sea legs girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14782712411873234071noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-834846832861622672.post-53028410297332651812014-04-18T08:44:00.001+02:002014-04-18T21:13:01.311+02:00Skærtorsdagsløb 10k PR"As soon as you stop wanting something, you get it." - Andy Warhol<br />
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It's fun. My life is otherwise pretty boring without SR and Christian here, so having a great race and seeing friends at the same time means a lot to me. I probably should have told my coach I was going to run it, but at the same time I have the need for small secrets.<br />
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I do 90% of my running training on either the trails or the track of Skærtorsdagsløb (Maundy Thursday Run) - right here in Næstved. And almost every time I am on these trails, I think of Skærtorsdagsløb. I think of the "mud wall" you have to run up and the shock I got the first time I ran the race and realized we needed to run up that thing. Now it's just a normal part of my training. It is really, really fun to get better at something. And to get better at running without needing to get pregnant again to do it, well, it fascinates me.<br />
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In the 1.1 km from my house to the track, it is hard not to notice the forest floor. The white and yellow flowers are <i>anemone </i>both in Danish and English though I had never heard of them before moving here.<br />
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Anette was my cycling friend when I was pregnant and during two trips to Mallorca. We have had long wonderful conversations and she was the time keeper yesterday.<br />
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Allan is the new head of HGATM and Maria is a rather famous cross triathlete and the last couple of months I have been her running coach, so we have gotten to be close. They both kept track of runners as they crossed the finish line.<br />
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<u>Up to the race</u><br />
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My interval times the last 5-6 weeks have indicated to me that I can run a 10k in around 39 if given a flat, easy course. My goal for YEARS has been to run a 10k under 40 minutes and for YEARS I did not move one bit closer to that goal. Yesterday, I did not have that as a goal because this course is quite tough and last year, feeling I was in great shape, I ran it in 42:06. And I had run a 60k race 11 days earlier.<br />
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But a few major things have happened since last year:<br />
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1. My hip doesn't hurt during shorter races. Last Thursday, I went to see <a href="http://www.jbgfys.dk/">Søren Raunholt</a>, my osteopath in Næstved, and he did some ART on my hip and reminded me- just as coach Ole does - proper running technique (shorter steps, avoiding heal landing) is going to be my saving grace.<br />
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I have a significant leg length discrepancy (pain in the hip of the longer leg) and I have known about this for years now. I have always walked with a limp. As a teenager, I really got made fun of for this because people thought I was trying to "walk like a gangster" :-) ... one time the mom of a kid with a neurologic disability came up to me and told me to stop imitating her son, who walked with a limp. Ha! As if I would make fun of someone with a limp?! That is just how I walked. At the time I didn't understand <i>why </i>I walked like that). Anyway, Søren said if I walked all day, he would give me an insert for my left shoe. I have been given these before. But he said that since what I do most is run that I can make up for the discrepancy by landing on my mid foot rather than my heal when I am running. We really all are "born to run" and not "born to walk".<br />
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2. I went to Bikram Yoga the day before the race and that always helps me run faster. Remember when you slightly stretch a muscle it gets stronger.<br />
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3. I weigh 49 kgs. That is a lot less than the 52 I weighed at the race last year. Anyone who says this makes no difference is wrong. I am not saying the weight is my healthiest weight, but it may be my fastest.<br />
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4. I have been training with Ole for a year and a half now and am really starting to see the results of consistent effort and continually mixing up my training.<br />
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5. Eating a healthy diet is the final element I needed to make my training effective and to decrease recovery time. I don't want to be known as the crazy diet woman, but added sugar really serves no purpose and I have also started slowly removing it from Mattias' diet, though I am trying to keep a level head and don't want any eating disorders in my family!<br />
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<u>The race</u><br />
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It was just really solid. SR told me to run it as a tempo and for placement. There were no females anywhere near me, so I just kept an even, hard pace. I always go after perceived heartrate, so the hills were obviously slower. The race is half on asphalt and half on trails. It is quite hilly for a Danish race. I came through the 5k in 19:54 and honestly DOVE across the finish line to get this time, though it took me a second (or decisecond, I guess) to stop my garmin. Then they announced over the loudspeakers I was the first female in <b>39:59</b> :-). Whooohaa!<br />
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Maria was there to congratulate me and was kind of shocked, as it seemed others were, with my improvement.<br />
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The next part is kind of sad because, even in the time we have lived in Næstved, this race has gotten smaller and smaller. Herlufsholm (the namesake of the athletic club HGATM) is an old and prestigious boarding school in our small town. The track club is also old and prestigious, with this race being the oldest in Denmark; it was run for the 79th time yesterday. But there were only 340 participants in the 3, 5 and 10k put together and none of my old rivals was there. Mette Bøgard, the sub 3 marathoner ran it in 40:23 last year and I wish she would have been there to give me a good fight. But everything and everyone is moving out of the small towns and into the big cities or finding newer, fancier races. Even I have switched to running with Køge Atletik, though I didn't have the heart to tell anyone this yesterday. (It was just too hard to say no to the trip to Kenya they offered me!)</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Awards for the top 3 females: jo, Heidi Fjellerad (blondina to the right) and Dorte Haslund in blue.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">300 kr gift certificate prize</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Right after I took this picture I was playing really wild with Mattias. Our usual games and he fell on his face with his nuk in his mouth and there was blood everywhere. Suddenly I hated the fact I had run the race and was more tired than I knew. I am quite used to emergencies, thank God and just controlled the bleeding. I thought he was going to lose a tooth, but the force of the nuk just made his gums bleed like crazy. Disaster averted. I think I will avoid wild play after races from now on. And it may be time to lose the nuk, though honestly he may have broken a tooth had it not been there.</td></tr>
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Time for a bike ride to the beach with this guy! Enjoy your Easter weekend. Looking for some more running songs? Check out <a href="http://www.jilloutside.com/2014/04/iditarod-playlist.html">Jill's Iditarod playlist</a>.</div>
sea legs girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14782712411873234071noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-834846832861622672.post-52285873632989804602014-04-15T23:24:00.000+02:002014-04-16T20:57:21.145+02:00Ugen derpå and continuous experimentation in physiology Jeg overvejer stærkt at begynde at skrive bloggen på dansk da hele mit daglige live foregår på dansk og jeg kan mærke, jeg har lidt svært ved at finde ordene når jeg skriver på engelsk. Jeg føler mig dog lidt fanget mellem to stole da jeg bliver nok aldrig så "god" til dansk som jeg er til engelsk. Nå- men jeg imidlertid bare på engelsk da langt over halvdelen af mine læsere ikke kan forstå det flotte danske sprog :-). Men måske lige pludselig en dag er bloggen på dansk.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Marie Sklodowska Curie was a mother of 2 girls. She was born in Poland, but educated in Paris. Basically, she studied rocks in an old shed and discovered that radiation does not come from the interaction of molecules but instead is due to an intrinsic property of the elements' atoms. As long as I have been an adult, she has been a person I have looked up to and the a number of Swedes did see it fitting to give her a Nobel Prize in both Chemistry and Physics.</td></tr>
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My hematologist husband, <a href="http://runningdoctor2.blogspot.dk/">SR</a>, may be interested in knowing that Marie died of aplastic anemia. She had such an intimate understanding of radioactivity, yet, ironically, she did not know it could kill her.<br />
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Perhaps a good, albeit dark, segué to discuss ultrarunning. </div>
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Many (especially new) ultra runners may be surprised to know that running ultramarathons appears to affect the right side of the heart. Whether not it is strain (and dangerous) or an adaptation (and advantageous) is not known (Heidbuchel, Oxborough, George, etc); it may be an adaptation that in the short term is good, but in the long term causes arrhythmias. In running longs distances, we experiment as we go. Humans have always run, but races this long? </div>
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<br /></div>
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<u>Post ultra fever</u></div>
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3 days after the Fyr til Fyr 60k, I developed my usual post-ultra fever. I felt terrible and had to force Mattias to go to bed early with me. It seems most reasonable to me that this is a result of a cytokine storm (in response to high levels of adrenaline +/- muscle breakdown) rather than an infection (see Pedersen, 1997), but studies of blood work multiple days after an ultra are difficult and expensive so they are few.</div>
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<br /></div>
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The most recent fever was nothing compared to the fever I had 3 days after <a href="http://www.syllamo.org/3days/">3 days of Syllamo </a>where I was so delirious that I had to call 911. It got so high that I could not watch a newborn and SR ironically was on call at a different ER and couldn't leave. There have only been a few moments in my life where I wondered if I would survive and they have all been following ultramarathons (I don't drive much).</div>
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<u>Then there is my diet experimentation: low carb, high fat</u></div>
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Our kitchen is at all times filled with pots, pans, cutting boards, loads of veggies, nuts, cheese, eggs, fish and tofu.I have never been one to get into cooking, but anything in the name of science! Burners and blenders constantly going, it is kind of fun, though time consuming. (by the way, it is nearly impossible to be a pesco-vegetarian and eat a truly high fat diet, but again, I think it is the low carb, no added sugar that is the most important part).</div>
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My newest discovery is ground flax seed in unsweetened soy milk.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kG3rQ12MmN8/U02MFll8H9I/AAAAAAAAE9g/Nqi8JcrfHNo/s1600/april+001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kG3rQ12MmN8/U02MFll8H9I/AAAAAAAAE9g/Nqi8JcrfHNo/s1600/april+001.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is the version Amy Sproston referred to as "cat getting sick"</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Then I made it prettier with more soy milk and a few pure corn flakes</td></tr>
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Again the reason for all of this is to 1. eat naturally, 2. keep my blood sugar more constant and 3. teach my body to rely more on fat as a fuel source.</div>
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My experince at Fyr til Fyr was evidence for me that my body is better at using fat for energy than before (evidence was needing to eat way less during the race). Additional evidence is Zach Bitter's continued ultraruning success (did you guys see him break the course record at the Mad City 100k? (I'm not saying it is not ALSO his training) - he is also on an all-natural, low, carb, high fat diet.</div>
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BUT- after I ate the above for breakfast AND lunch (very high fat and high protein), I got up quickly after Bikram Yoga and actually fainted in the locker room. As I stood there, feeling sick, knowing I was about to topple over, I had the wherewithal to think: "<b>this is what happens when you experiment too much!</b>" (it was probably because I got dehydrated from digesting a super high fat, high protein series of meals). </div>
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Have I mentioned that I have lost over 4 kilos since starting this diet? As I stood there giving my "Runner's Diet" talk to Sparta, I talked about how I loved the fact that I never weighed myself and, on this new diet, just went by feel. Well, after two months, I figured I had better step on the scale--49 kilos!?</div>
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(either this is the weight my body wants to be - I still feel great, actually better than ever - or I need to blend and boil a bit more in the kitchen)<br />
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<u style="background-color: white;">Training by Menstrual Cycle</u><br />
This is not much of an experiment, but I love getting regular periods (this is the first time in my life I have) and the sure sign that one is coming is I write to coach Ole "I don't feel like running" - and then 1 to 2 days later, there it is. Estrogen levels drop dramatically (the female equivalent of testosterone) right before menstruation so it makes sense training (or racing) is not optimal at this stage of the cycle. A study I read recently in <i>Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise</i> found that women who are on birth control pills don't have the same physiological changes during their menstrual cycles, but those not on hormonal contraceptives actually get significantly stiffer when their estrogen level is lower. (Casey, 2013) I am sure other "things" happen, but stiffness was the endpoint of that study.</div>
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<u>Vitargo</u></div>
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My next experiment will be with something quite different before and during my runs: <a href="http://www.vitargo.com/">Vitargo</a>. It is a Swedish-made carbohydrate source for athletes that is made with maize, maltodextrin and sugar. No, this is not part of a low carb diet, but will give you quick energy while training. Pia Joan, Jesper Noer and I have been asked to test it while ultra training. Jesper had a great experience using Vitargo at Fyr til Fyr. Thanks to Mikkel Halkjær of Sport4Fun for delivering this to <a href="http://www.fysium.dk/index.php?lang=da">Fysium</a> today:</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Vitargo products a plenty. But take note of "Free Style" in the left hand corner (not tampons). That is a a glucose monitor with strips. The bar with "ENERGI" written on it promises stable blood sugar during competition in 3 hours and 20 minutes. We will see! </td></tr>
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Yeah, so I plan on using the blood sugar monitor regularly to see what is really happening with my blood sugar. One thing is "feeling" a certain a blood sugar, another is getting a reading. I will keep a Stata spreadsheet; don't worry.</div>
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By the way, that green couch was hand-made for me when I was 18 years old. It has travelled a lot.</div>
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So, the glucose measuring is just to point out- you don't need a lab to experiment: you can get away with a Marie Curie shed or a tiny apartment in Næstved.</div>
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Another thing I look forward to experimenting with (Thomas said I could :-)) and following other peoples' experiences with is the <u>Alter-G treadmill at Fysium</u>. There are only 10 in Denmark.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-sG6Mn-0QflI/U02TjZdQGLI/AAAAAAAAE-Q/gOGESTUvVGw/s1600/april+078.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-sG6Mn-0QflI/U02TjZdQGLI/AAAAAAAAE-Q/gOGESTUvVGw/s1600/april+078.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Alter-G treadmill effectively lowers gravity from the waist down and can be used in rehab from neurological or athletic injuries. That's Tomas from Fysium, who was telling me about the experiences people with stroke and spinal cord injury, etc had while using it. In my mind, it is a lot like water jogging, yet a lot MORE like really running and you can increase the gravity the stronger you get.</td></tr>
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Now some pictures from a great pre-Easter week</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mattias following his first sub-18 min km.</td></tr>
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I have started training with the fast women of Køge Atletik and we hope to win the <a href="http://www.kam-atletik.dk/dm-10000-meter---26-april-2014">Danish Championship in team 10,000 meters</a> on the track on April 26th. Huge thanks to Erling for talking me into this. It is fun to run with 1:16 and 1:19 half-marathon women!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MsCRRryxGd4/U02UaReGd1I/AAAAAAAAE-Y/G5rL6oghBAE/s1600/april+017.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MsCRRryxGd4/U02UaReGd1I/AAAAAAAAE-Y/G5rL6oghBAE/s1600/april+017.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With family med doc, Rikke, of Køge Atletik (and 1:19 min ½ marathoner... you would not guess her age). Thanks to Jørn of MarathonSport for my new track shoes; I had sewn my old ones together again multiple times.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mICOqA5BskM/U02Ue0yhRTI/AAAAAAAAE-g/mS16s7ZpNKM/s1600/april+018.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mICOqA5BskM/U02Ue0yhRTI/AAAAAAAAE-g/mS16s7ZpNKM/s1600/april+018.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And with Sylvia the Kenyan braider, who went on to run a 1:16 ½ marathon the weekend after she ran a 1:20 marathon at Griseløbet (that fun race where I set my PR). You would probably guess her age and it is young!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2L9j4EgDSjk/U02UhL6GlwI/AAAAAAAAE-o/nrx23I0NHhQ/s1600/april+066.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2L9j4EgDSjk/U02UhL6GlwI/AAAAAAAAE-o/nrx23I0NHhQ/s1600/april+066.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">But today was home on Herlufsholm home track.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Today's workout was simply 200 + 6 x 800 meters at "moderate" pace. I could feel I wanted to go faster and that my legs are doing well again after Fyr til Fyr.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nqhmcvFZhNg/U02U0xwExaI/AAAAAAAAE_A/OFRNO1nBn6Y/s1600/april+022.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nqhmcvFZhNg/U02U0xwExaI/AAAAAAAAE_A/OFRNO1nBn6Y/s1600/april+022.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sometimes I wonder if the simple design of Danish furniture is inspired by the simple lines of the landscape (lovely bike ride-- I often dream of getting back into triathlon, but I refuse to buy an expensive tri bike). By the way is this young barley (byg)?</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Everywhere we go the sky is different. Today's sky over Næstved. The colors in Scandinavia are much bluer than in the US where everything has a more yellow tone. Funny how only people of our generation can make observations like this.</td></tr>
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Some pictures from our back yard </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mattias and misakat</td></tr>
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Happy Easter, everyone!<br />
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Toujours et encore une fois - la musique...</div>
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For my intervals today:</div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="180" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/hWXYnW2Um68?feature=player_detailpage" width="320"></iframe>sea legs girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14782712411873234071noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-834846832861622672.post-83179065205309047522014-04-07T10:25:00.000+02:002014-04-09T16:12:36.257+02:00Fyr til Fyr 60k - The Epic Battle for First FemaleIt has been nearly a month since my last entry and there is a lot to tell!<br />
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1. I got a residency training position at the University of California-Irvine in Physical Medicine and Rehab starting July of 2015. We are quit excited about this new adventure and I am thrilled to have matched in a field that suddenly has become among the most competitive in the US. Like so many other things in life, it was much more about knowing people (especially through my work with Western States) than any other factor. I really owe Kentaro Onishi and Marty Hoffman for their help with "the match".<br />
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2. SR finishes his job in Duluth in September and will move back to Denmark to work again in Næstved before we head to California for 3 years. The long term plan, as described earlier, is to try to start a Physical Medicine and Rehab training program in Denmark after I finish. And the most important part of the plan is- our family will actually live together again! (it is so hard with both SR and Christian in the US right now)<br />
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3. I have had my most exciting and productive training cycle leading up to the Fyr til Fyr 60k yesterday, including one training PR after another and a<b> ½ Marathon PR</b> on the rather hilly Griseløbet route of <b>1:26:51 </b>(header photo from this ½ marathon). I am curious whether it is my change in diet (2 months and going strong of a natural low carb, high fat (LCHF) (still gluten free), which isn't really that high fat, my "off season" with skate skiing over the winter or the realisation that all of my step classes in Næstved were the source of my vastus lateralis tendonosis in my right hip. Probably a combination of all of these with my recent ability to sleep up to 10 hours a night (oh, and I may give my coach a bit too little credit!).<br />
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<b>Fyr til Fyr 60k</b><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Very unique point to point race route from Dueodde (the southern tip of Bornholm) to Hammerknude (the northern tip) - literal translation of fyr til fyr = lighthouse to lighthouse (fyr is not fire, I know what you were thinking. "ild" is fire, so just stop thinking and then Danish will come. Oh, but if you want "to fire" someone, you can say "fyr".See. Perfect nonsense.)</td></tr>
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<tr><td><img height="300" src="https://fbcdn-sphotos-c-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-frc3/t31.0-8/1909243_10152310771287528_6527086184772830383_o.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.727272033691406px;">Yes, I was cold before we started, but I think I was one of the only runners who didn't overheat. Then again, I think I have an unusually low threshold for getting too warm. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo from the start of the race from the southern lighthouse on Dueodde. The sand is truly this white. There were nearly 400 participants this year. Photo: Stine Sophie Winckel. </td></tr>
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Whether or not I wanted it, there was a lot of hype leading up to <a href="https://app.lap.io/event/2014-fyr-til-fyr/results">Fyr til Fyr</a>. Pia Joan Sørensen is pretty much unanimously considered the best ultra runner female in Denmark. She can run close to an 8 hour 100km and hopes to go under that at the IAU World Championships. She is a recent addition to the Danish running scene despite being in her 40's. We have both been signed up for the Fyr til Fyr 60k since last year and both have been training with the same coach, Ole Stougaard of Multitesta.<br />
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We have been comparing training times and, as the race drew near, it seemed inevitable that we would be battling it out for the win. I told her the day before the race that I could not let myself have a "goal" of beating her, since I wanted us both to run our best race. And frankly I am probably more interested in her getting fast than me because I think she has a lot more talent and potential.<br />
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But SR kept saying "it is going to be really close". And I was getting that impression from Ole, too.<br />
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The start is so dramatic and lovely with a sprint over the sand dunes. I passed Pia here, but she soon caught up again and we ran the first sandy, rocky 10k in 46 flat. We were both winded, both wondering who would slow down first. I have never been in a neck and neck ultra race with a woman before and it is exciting and hard. But we talked and had fun, too.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pia was right on my heals here (about 8km) before we entered a more rocky, technical section. She stayed with me there, too. As did A<a href="http://trizone.dk/andershjortlund/">nders Hjortlund</a>, who is a professional Danish triathlete (cool to run with him!.. I'm thinking he's ever so slightly faster than me on his bike and in the water).</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At 17km, I skipped the first aid station pulled away from Pia here with a solid lead. I had planned out my energy so I would not stop at either of the aid stations during the race. With 2L of fluid, I was probably actually transporting too much.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Above was the next section we entered. Danes have an inferiority complex about their ultra trail races, but I want to say that THIS race has the most varied terrain of any ultra I have run and it must be because it is on an island where there are so many microclimates affected differently by humidity, wind, waves, sunlight, etc.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption">Here Pia had run about a marathon and I learned from a friendly bystander that she was about 4 minutes back. This is a hilly section in the woods along the coast with spectacular views. It is called "Helligdom" (the shrine).</td></tr>
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At around the marathon distance, I knew I was having a great race. No energy lows and by the end, I had only eaten a half a Clif Builder's bar. I drank under 500 mL of fluid (½ natural tropical juice ½ water) the whole race. I was quite astounded since at this same race last year I ate 5 Clif Builders bars and drank 2 L of fluid. I can only deduce that my new diet has improved my ability to burn fat over sugar/glycogen and this decreased need for sugar, which also meant less stomach problems and a nice, constant energy level.<br />
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But already at 35 km I started noticing my right hip and knew I was running with a limp (for those who don't know me, I always walk with a limp, but only limp when running in long races). The changes in terrain really helped keep any pain at bay. As I have discussed with Ole, anything that makes me take shorter steps helps prevent the pain and problems from developing. I focused a lot on technique from 35 km on. It helped as always.<br />
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I looked at my Endomondo file and I came through the marathon in 3:33 and the 50k in 4:18.<br />
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I learned from Kim Rasmussen (mastermind of the Hammer Trail race route) with 5k to go that Pia was "at least 4 minutes behind" me and looked "very tired." I guess you could say I thought I had the win, but not 30 seconds later, Pia came sprinting past both me and Kim.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Susan Bargholz captured the point in the race with 4km to go when the female winner was decided (in front of Hotel Romantik). When I tried to sprint to keep up with Pia, my right calf started cramping. I have never had calf cramps before -ouch! Despite a high level of energy, my right leg wouldn't cooperate and I watched her disappear over the horizon to the final ascent up to Hammerfyr. As you can see, my running technique fell apart here and my steps were way too long. There are oh so many factors that come into play in a perfect race. My race was <i>almost</i> perfect; but when the right leg doesn't cooperate at the end, there is room for improvement. </td></tr>
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Pia looked so strong as she ascended the dunes and rocks to the final lighthouse. I had to give it to her- she won fair and square. But I was not disappointed because we both had an awesome race, greatly exceeding our expectations, mostly because we were there to push each other. We both finished well under Dorte Dahl's course record from last year of 5:47. Pia came in in 5:12. <b>My time was 5:14</b>. This is neither here nor there, of course, but I ran 12 minutes faster than SR's time from last year on the same course, same temperatures; we had the benefit of the wind being at our backs this year and it came from the side last year. I ran 47 minutes faster than I did last year. How could I not be thrilled? And I was!! </div>
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<tr><td><img height="266" src="https://fbcdn-sphotos-d-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn2/t31.0-8/1909305_10152056284253526_3728397151281140436_o.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.727272033691406px;">From within the lighthouse at Hammerknude at the northern finish. Photo: Stine Sophie Winckel.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Goal! 59.2 wickedly wonderful km in 5:14. Photo: Moses Løvstad</td></tr>
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The winning man was Jesper Noer in an amazing 4:15 (new CR; <a href="http://www.dansketrailloebere.dk/DK/article/raceberetning-og-praesentation-af-fyr-til-fyr-vinderen-jesper-noer-2">race report</a>). Second was Kenneth Kofoed (pictured below) in 4:45. Pia was 5th overall and I was 7th. Kind of cool in a race with nearly as many participants as Western States! Results <a href="https://app.lap.io/event/2014-fyr-til-fyr/results">here</a>. I am ok they added an extra "h" to my last name. Høegh sounds like an even faster hawk to me.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Just after race finish, Pia was offering me wipes to clean off my blood. It was fun sharing this adventure with her. I am in my usual duck-footed position (or at least with the right foot)</td></tr>
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What a fantastic weekend. The ultra running community in Denmark feels like my family. I love the way people who are injured or not running travel all the way to Bornholm just to volunteer,to support and be with their ultra running friends. There were people cheering all along the route. Huge thanks to Moses Løvstad, Thure Kjær, Ravn Hamberg, Maibritt Skovgaard and Peter Riis. There are so many other helpers I wish I could name. Thank you all! And thank you to SR's parents, Beth and Asger for watching Mattias who now has chickenpox :-). And thank you to Salomon Denmark --- I don't feel there is much room for improvement in my running gear or clothing. It is nice to not even have think about that and just enjoy the race.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="266" src="https://fbcdn-sphotos-f-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-frc3/t1.0-9/971316_306948012791098_8362818664834958037_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And I don't think I was the only one who had fun! (photo- Stine Sophie Winckel; jumper ??)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="225" src="https://fbcdn-sphotos-f-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-frc3/t1.0-9/1609738_10203793982636872_7164106335090227649_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And I probably had a bit too much fun traveling with Christian, Per, Dan, René, Martin and Pia. The above picture is from Brazz restaurant in Rønne the next day where I treated myself to my favorite fish- herring. Christian and Per pictured here.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="224" src="https://fbcdn-sphotos-a-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn2/t31.0-8/10003769_10152338736529371_8358573246019964656_o.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And the other side of the table at Brazz: Pia, Dan and Martin.</td></tr>
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And we all survived the car ride in my SUV Porsche (does Porsche make SUV's? Oh, I guess they do - the Cayenne?!); thanks Christian Bering for that unexpected gift ;-). I don't think it's too early to say "see you next year!"<br />
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As always, you can see my races and training in detail on Endomondo- <a href="http://www.endomondo.com/profile/8324663">here</a>.<br />
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Running song of the day ...because someone at Bikram yoga asked me if I was Medina :) ... if you want to make my day, just ask me if I am Medina.<br />
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One more, since this weekend made me feel like a kid on the beach and this song is the essence of Denmark, not least of all the strange English lyrics.<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="185" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/j4iLv3wRe0k" width="320"></iframe>sea legs girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14782712411873234071noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-834846832861622672.post-69283738075725577812014-03-09T20:51:00.001+01:002014-03-12T08:01:45.706+01:00Runner's Diet: low carb, high fat research and experimentationFirst of all, I am not going to pretend I am an expert on optimized fat metabolism (OFM). It is a popular term in endurance running these days. Normally I would just kind of ignore it and think it was a fad. But I am not ignoring it (and in fact, I am obsessing over it) for a few reasons:<br />
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1. I have been able to fight quite a few health problems and improve my running with a radical, though gradual change in my diet over the last year and a half. The diet I have somewhat coincidentally ended up eating is nearly the exact same diet endurance athletes such as <a href="http://zachbitterrunning.blogspot.dk/2012/10/high-carb-vs-high-fat.html">Zach Bitter </a>and Casper Wakefield use to optimize fat metabolism. I have to thank both of them for being so open about their eating strategies for ultra training.<br />
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Since switching their diets, Zach and Casper have gone on to set amazing records in long distance running. And here is Zach's cholesterol profile before and after switching to a low carb, high fat diet.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2011 - high carb diet</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2012 low carb, high fat diet (N/A next to LDL since it was undetectable)</td></tr>
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I had heard in medical school that, despite all odds, some guy with a personality disorder in Scotland who ate 2 dozen eggs a day had a "perfect" cholesterol profile (details may have been exaggerated :-). But Zach's cholesterol levels indicate he is indeed very healthy.<br />
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2. I have been asked to give a lecture to <a href="http://www.sparta.dk/1we.aspx">Sparta Atletik </a>on April 3rd entitled "Runner's Diet" and, while I feel comfortable with general physiological concepts, as well as eating and drinking before and during races, what runner's optimally should eat on a daily basis, is a topic I have not looked into extensively before.<br />
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<b>My previously unhealthy relationship with food (just because you start out "bad" doesn't mean you can't change)</b><br />
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I used to have a very simple way of looking at food and calories. Burn more calories than you take in and you will be thin and fast. Candy is bad and why not try to follow the food pyramid and avoid getting deficient in anything?<br />
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Probably the lowest point I reached in my diet was getting over half of my calories from flødeboller and then drinking diet soda and chewing sugar free gum to stop myself from eating more, though I was constantly hungry. I also tended to eat white bread and butter for breakfast. I always heard this was unhealthy, but come on, "the proof is in the pudding"!<br />
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I replaced the flødeboller with chocolate (much better?!) and .. it's embarrassing to go into too great of detail, but the truth is, I ran really high mileage and even won the Mad City 50k in 4:09 on this very diet. Heck, things weren't really <i>that bad</i>.<br />
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But what started the change in my diet was, despite weighing only 49 kilos, I was too embarrassed to wear anything tight or go swimming without a big towel around me because I looked like I was 4 months pregnant. Also, I had been on PPI pills for acid reflux since I was 18 years old and couldn't survive a day without them.<br />
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An ophthalmologist friend of mine pointed out the connection between diet soda and big bellies over Facebook. I cut out artificial sugar and my belly shrunk - over only one week (check out the purple and green lines over just 8 days after stopping diet soda and artificial sugars):<br />
<img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tRUYR0RA3ug/T9qdudBPfhI/AAAAAAAADBw/geIgqPV2kCg/s1600/graph%2Bof%2Bdiet%2Bsoda%2Brestriction.JPG" /><br />
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Around the same time, I decided to see if I could give up my PPI stomach acid medications. I started taking probiotics instead and after about a month, my acid reflux had greatly improved.<br />
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I was so amazed by how much better I felt that I decided to give up gluten. Around this time, a rash I had had around my eyes for two years disappeared. I started gaining muscle and energy. I ran PR times in the 5k, 10, ½ marathon and marathon within 3 months. My reflux and irritable bowel syndrome are gone and it is no coincidence, but pointing to one change is hard when I changed so much at once. I will only suggest that people reconsider eating modern day wheat (the semi-dwarf GMO (<i>edit: thanks Robyn and SR; it is NOT a GMO, but created by cytogenic hybridization)</i>, when it is theoretically implicated in many autoimmune diseases, at least one type of dementia and lymphoma.<br />
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About two months ago, <a href="http://thesethingshappentootherpeople.blogspot.dk/">Robyn</a> challenged me to try the <a href="http://whole30.com/whole30-program-rules/">Whole30 </a>diet. I didn't. But what I did was I cut sugar out of my diet, except two Clif Builders bars for breakfast - they are all natural, low sugar (<i>Edit: thanks, Pam- not really low, 20 g per bar</i>), high protein bars (<i>also 20 grams per bar)</i>. You probably don't believe I ate that much sugar going into it, but try 3 <i>packages</i> of pålægschocolade a day on for size.<br />
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<img src="http://www.familiejournal.dk/~/media/websites/FamilieJournalen.dk/Website/Mad/Slankemad/2011%20slanketips/dagens%20slanketip%20uge%2014%20til%2026/20%20paalaegschokolade%20362.ashx" /><br />
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Suddenly I was on a very low carb, gluten-free, pesco-vegetarian, basically sugar free (no artificial sugars!) diet. It took a couple of weeks before I started watching my body change before my very eyes. I would not be writing this if it weren't for the changes I have experienced, mostly positive, some negative.<br />
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<b>Fat Oxidation/Metabolism</b><br />
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My understanding of fat oxidation is it is using fat for fuel. One can improve their ability to metabolize (use for energy) fat though lifestyle. Endurance exercise improves our ability to metabolize fat. And insulin sensitivity improves our ability to metabolize fat. This means that people with diabetes, who are insulin resistant (not type 1, but type 2) have a remarkable inability to oxidize fat. Their fat sits there, basically unused. The final thing one can do to improve their ability to metabolize fat is to eat less carbs and more fat. From the research I have read, medium-chained fatty acids work the best, rather than long (olive oil is long and butter is medium, for example). My personal theory is it is the lack of carbs and not the type of fat that matters most.<br />
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Through the above exercise and dietary habits, one can preferentially oxidize fats at a higher and higher percent of one's VO2 max, which means that one can run ultras at say 60-70% of VO2 max with very, very little reliance on carbohydrates and stored glycogen. This means you won't have to eat carbs constantly while running. This is a big deal since nausea and stomach upset is the number one reason people drop out of ultras.<br />
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All of this has been demonstrated through sound science. The real question is if it can improve performance.<br />
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For the last 7-8 weeks, on my accidental OFM diet I have noticed a lot of changes.<br />
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1. My cellulite has disappeared. I never thought I would write this. But (as kinky as this sounds) I have SR do the skin squeeze test on me often and he can't find any cellulite anymore. Though I weigh the same. I do indeed see this as proof that I am preferentially burning fat- at least more so than before when I had these cellulite pockets (on my thighs and waist) that wouldn't move regardless of my weight or training.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-83LDyXjrURg/UxyZUWzEShI/AAAAAAAAE8M/0FYuaagFQM8/s1600/marts2014+090.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-83LDyXjrURg/UxyZUWzEShI/AAAAAAAAE8M/0FYuaagFQM8/s1600/marts2014+090.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ok, not that impressively muscular, but an improvement!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here is Robyn at the end of the Whole 30 diet-- maybe I should have tried to follow those rules strictly after all :-)</td></tr>
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2. My blood sugar feels constant. It is great to not lose energy during the day. Eating things with a high glycemic index (white bread has the highest... see below) causes wild blood sugar swings. The only exception to this is when I am out on my long runs, it takes very little time before I hit a sort of wall. The interesting thing is, the energy comes back once I get past that initial wall. I have not run a marathon or ultra since I started on this diet so I am really curious what is going to happen. I honestly doubt it will mean I have to drop.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-i9NtjcJwmBE/Uxyaw0vXhzI/AAAAAAAAE8Y/gOoMuVXbJnI/s1600/glycemic+index.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-i9NtjcJwmBE/Uxyaw0vXhzI/AAAAAAAAE8Y/gOoMuVXbJnI/s1600/glycemic+index.png" height="247" width="320" /></a></div>
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3. I have been running some tempo PRs in training. Though my coach doesn't like me to, I go entirely after feel and not after pace. A faster pace feels easier than it did last spring. There is no doubt about that.<br />
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4. If I get a small injury, I recover within 1-2 days. A benefit of having a stable blood sugar and insulin sensitivity is inflammation (which is fed by sugar) is decreased and you heal faster. People with diabetes (similarly fluctuating blood sugars to people with a high carb diet) are notoriously slow healers and this is one of the reasons.<br />
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5. I can do pull-ups for the first time in my life and up to 70 push-ups at a time. This is a good guage to me that my muscles are growing.<br />
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<tr><td><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OTaZqnrfE-g/UxyY9gu1XhI/AAAAAAAAE70/uVzO83EaIeQ/s1600/marts2014+098.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OTaZqnrfE-g/UxyY9gu1XhI/AAAAAAAAE70/uVzO83EaIeQ/s1600/marts2014+098.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.727272033691406px;">I never thought I would do a pull-up. Here was number 3 (on our home bar, which once fell down when SR was using it. He claims he blacked out when his head hit the trashcan)</td></tr>
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6. Low carb/low sugar food is insanely expensive. At some point I would like to do a blog post called low-carb, gluten free, natural eating on a shoe string. I think this will take years of research, though, and really depends on which country I live in. The WHO now recommends less than 6 tsp of sugar a day. They just don't mention how expensive this is.<br />
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7. I get irritable on my long runs (see number 2)<br />
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8. I smell and have acne. I could not figure out why this was until today, but after reading more about whey and how bovine products cause insulin production out of proportion to the amount of sugar they have, I do believe my increased cheese intake is to blame. I don't drink milk, but eat cottage cheese and other cheeses, which contain a small amount of whey. I suspect this is the reason for my increased odor :-) and acne. I did not know that milk had been so convincingly implicated in increased teenage acne. Milk and high carb diets. It is amazing how much whey is used as an additive in processed foods, by the way.<br />
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In summary:<br />
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My feeling right now is a low-carb, all natural, gluten-free, low sugar diet is the way to go for a healthy life, or at least a major improvement on where I have been. And once you start following it - at least after the initial two weeks, you don't want to stop. I just think the night before long races that it will be important to fill up the glycogen stores so I don't go into a race ready to go cold. Also, it is really important that when running at high effort for many hours that you replace the carbohydrates you lose otherwise you WILL go cold. So don't skimp on carbs if hungry while racing and probably not on your long runs either. Pam Smith does well with liquid carbs + fat + protein (ensure, white soda). I do well with potatoes and salt + juice + Clif Builders bars. I'm not about to change this race strategy until it stops working. I just think with an improved ability to metabolize fat that I will not need to eat as much while racing, minimizing stomach problems and maximize energy.<br />
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Something for you all to chew on...<br />
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A few pictures from our weekend. SR ran a potential double baby jogger world record 5k in 18:01 (on dirt) and I took 27 seconds off my time on the same route from 4 weeks earlier.<br />
<img height="370" src="https://fbcdn-sphotos-f-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/t1/1972279_10202227634545556_739211227_n.jpg" width="400" /><br />
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and I took 27 seconds off my time on the same route from 4 weeks earlier (19:28, just as a tempo). I love free races!<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-o1zaNtYyFEk/UxyZFdE6OkI/AAAAAAAAE78/K8KLh_yHy-8/s1600/marts2014+112.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-o1zaNtYyFEk/UxyZFdE6OkI/AAAAAAAAE78/K8KLh_yHy-8/s1600/marts2014+112.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">But not as much as I love my boy!</td></tr>
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Running song of the day... (so poetic the way she enunciates the "e" at the end of each phrase)<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="180" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/rEgRzLXqWUI?feature=player_detailpage" width="320"></iframe>sea legs girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14782712411873234071noreply@blogger.com46tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-834846832861622672.post-45966129984695775642014-03-05T20:53:00.001+01:002014-03-05T22:48:11.280+01:00The big decision<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I haven't exactly hidden the fact that I love living in Denmark. I annoy my readers with this opinion often. SR suggested I tone down the "double citizenship argument" since no one cares but me. Fair enough. </div>
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What exactly is going on in our lives is weird and confusing. SR has a full time job in the US; I have a full time job in Denmark. </div>
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A few weeks ago, the kids moved to Denmark with me and SR spent time alone in the polar vortex (Duluth). He returned to Denmark last week, to a warm apartment in (relatively) balmy country; to happy kids and home-made chick-pea pancakes and most importantly, biathlon on Eurosport. Oh and his wife. These days he says often that he wants to move back to Denmark. He says will quit his job in Duluth this summer.</div>
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But the night he arrived, I had to decide whether or not I would withdraw from or stay in the American residency match, to start a 3 year training position in Physical Medicine and Rehab in the US (place to be determined). We agonized over the list I had to rank of most desirable programs (only those I had been invited to interview at) over least-desirable. Rasmus agonized over my desire to rank Stanford higher than his desire to live in Palo Alto (he won). But what really mattered to me was we were saying we would move to the US for 3 whole years. The country that wouldn't give me more the 15 days maternity leave or any understanding or compassion as a young female soon-to-be mother physician. That culture of working 80 hours a week and thinking nothing of it. The culture of medicine that doesn't tolerate ... moms. Mothers who sign up and sign away their lives are asking for conflict. American society wonders how you can't be there for your kids at 2:30 PM when they get out of school and go to after school activities (and you wonder yourself) and your residency program expects nothing to trump working and learning. 50% of young American moms don't work ... America- why even educate women who want to have kids?</div>
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3AM Feb 26th was the deadline to decide- is it any wonder I was up until 3 AM?</div>
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If I were any other blogger, I would say it was "a privilege" to be able to make this decision, that I was "filled with gratitude" for the opportunity, but those are big empty words. I don't like them. </div>
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Instead of being filled with gratitude, I was filled with tears. But I followed through on the plan SR and I had made together. And we will be closer to his kids starting July of 2015- for 3 years.</div>
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And then, I will bring the speciality of Physical Medicine and Rehab back to Denmark, where it currently doesn't exist. I'm excited about that.</div>
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Since the big decision, we have been enjoying the magical weeks of all being together again. </div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QFoLkhL4Jwc/UxdbHmdhrHI/AAAAAAAAE6M/c42_4XcZRfE/s1600/marts2014+051.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QFoLkhL4Jwc/UxdbHmdhrHI/AAAAAAAAE6M/c42_4XcZRfE/s1600/marts2014+051.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Christian's running has suffered in American public schools and Duluthian snowdrifts, but his drive for accomplishment hasn't.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IJbBBmjhty0/UxdbRtnDQSI/AAAAAAAAE6c/xYHholwVKKU/s1600/marts2014+063.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IJbBBmjhty0/UxdbRtnDQSI/AAAAAAAAE6c/xYHholwVKKU/s1600/marts2014+063.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After the race, he became the king of Fastelavn by breaking the barrel with the poor cat in it. Or was it a giraffe? Actually these days there is no animal inside the barrel, only candy.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
This past weekend, SR and I went to Møns Klint, Denmark, which looks like this from a distance:<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Klintejagten_2006(1).jpg" src="http://www.fotoagent.dk/single_picture/40309/25/large/Klintejagten_2006(1).jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">from campingmoensklint.dk</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bsCk5AvjxHE/Uxdbi7_f3XI/AAAAAAAAE7E/dBhUpkV86rk/s1600/marts2014+029.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bsCk5AvjxHE/Uxdbi7_f3XI/AAAAAAAAE7E/dBhUpkV86rk/s1600/marts2014+029.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It is good to meet a husband who is willing and ready to discuss the pathways to gluconeogenesis and the genetic makeup of Trinidad on long runs.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bPjP4yt0uLM/UxdbXhStFAI/AAAAAAAAE6s/qf9ocIzYUIg/s1600/marts2014+002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bPjP4yt0uLM/UxdbXhStFAI/AAAAAAAAE6s/qf9ocIzYUIg/s1600/marts2014+002.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And ask me why on earth I am panting while running uphill. (the explanation is not rocket surgery)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9_o9dagA57Q/UxdbbD5pSEI/AAAAAAAAE60/ki4DykmmFcc/s1600/marts2014+026.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9_o9dagA57Q/UxdbbD5pSEI/AAAAAAAAE60/ki4DykmmFcc/s1600/marts2014+026.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">He says my running technique keeps getting better, which I am so proud of. I just can't figure out how he started out with proper running technique, but he did!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_B1EqZ6ZZE0/UxdbMzYbPaI/AAAAAAAAE6U/v-rsS9V5yiA/s1600/marts2014+023.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_B1EqZ6ZZE0/UxdbMzYbPaI/AAAAAAAAE6U/v-rsS9V5yiA/s1600/marts2014+023.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We like grimacing, or not.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VVupiQaJMu0/UxdbfUij-hI/AAAAAAAAE68/qF6LWeYAgl4/s1600/marts2014+039.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VVupiQaJMu0/UxdbfUij-hI/AAAAAAAAE68/qF6LWeYAgl4/s1600/marts2014+039.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We pretend he looks fast, but perhaps we are looking at the scenery?</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-iF3fLE3ATNw/UxdbojEvBsI/AAAAAAAAE7M/p4H4F5qgWKQ/s1600/marts2014+033.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-iF3fLE3ATNw/UxdbojEvBsI/AAAAAAAAE7M/p4H4F5qgWKQ/s1600/marts2014+033.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the essential elements of being an upper class (respectable) mom in Denmark is the perfect scarf for every occasion. Buffs are not accepted in most circles- I learned at a Christian's pre-kindergarten meeting.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-QN0GAjW0rZc/UxdbrT95j8I/AAAAAAAAE7U/CzKKwTJA1jc/s1600/marts2014+042.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-QN0GAjW0rZc/UxdbrT95j8I/AAAAAAAAE7U/CzKKwTJA1jc/s1600/marts2014+042.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sudden mist storm.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-MFH8nZrLXFY/UxdbuMpaYWI/AAAAAAAAE7c/b3ZRrLJ-veU/s1600/marts2014+070.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-MFH8nZrLXFY/UxdbuMpaYWI/AAAAAAAAE7c/b3ZRrLJ-veU/s1600/marts2014+070.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And trash.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
No one every said life would be easy. They did say life would be beautiful, though, and they were right.<br />
<br />
<br />
Running Song of the Day: Tom Odell's "Another Love" (Zwette Edit)
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="180" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/4ZHwu0uut3k?feature=player_detailpage" width="320"></iframe>sea legs girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14782712411873234071noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-834846832861622672.post-58837737228807462522014-02-23T16:48:00.000+01:002014-02-24T13:59:58.942+01:00Extreme Female Athletics: Case #1<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">A new generation of adventurous athletes is attempting
feats that have previously only been done out of necessity. The
<a href="http://www.iditarodtrailinvitational.com/">Iditarod Trail Invitational (ITI)</a> begins today in Knik, Alaska, with athletes travelling by foot,
bike or ski over distances from 350 to 1000 miles. This race, or the sled dog
version of it, which I have heard about since my childhood, always seemed so
far from my reality until I found myself living in “the polar vortex” this winter
in Duluth, Minnesota, learning more and more about long distance running at
extremely low temperatures. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Being a life-long student of the history of medicine, I found it
particularly fascinating that the original Iditerod was run in 1925 when a
group of a men, led by Norway's Gunnar Kassen, rode with sled dogs 480 km to
Nome, Alaska to deliver the serum antidote to diphtheria, which was killing
Nome’s Native American children. These children were being exposed to the European
disease for the first time and there were no roads or trains to Nome and the
few planes in Alaska were not functioning. After 5 days, the men arrived with
the serum, the Siberian Husky, Balto leading the way. Despite what you may have
learned in the animated film, it was actually a dog named Togo, who got them
trough the hardest stretch.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Recently, a lot of attention has been given to the
sport of “frigid ultra running in the snow” (seems like there should be a
better name for this…) in Denmark due to Casper Wakefield setting an amazing
course record at the <a href="http://www.arcticultra.de/en/">Yukon Arctic Ultra</a> in 2013 and then Johnny Wolff Andersen
lowering it again this year.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Then just last weekend, my Salomon team mate <a href="http://www.salomontrailtour.dk/athletes/view/noerfelt_dk">Christian Nørfelt</a> ran the <a href="http://www.beyondtheultimate.co.uk/ice-ultra.asp">Ice Ultra</a> in Lapland.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">But almost totally under the radar, a little redhead
waif of a girl came along, and annihilated the course record (by 7 hours) at the
<a href="http://www.arrowheadultra.com/index.php">Arrowhead 135</a> in temperatures below -30 C. She is a little like Togo and,
partly because she is one of my best friends and partly because I am a feminist
who longs for balance in this world, I want to give her the attention she
deserves. And maybe we could learn how to embrace cold runs rather than
complain about them!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">For some background, here is the location of the
Arrowhead race:<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #222222;"><img src="http://pix.epodunk.com/locatorMaps/mn/MN_21140.gif" /></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222;">Apparently International Falls is one of the top 10 coldest places on Earth (why the top 10 are not all within a millimeter of each other on Antarctica, I'm not sure).</span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222;"><br /></span></div>
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<img src="http://hypescience.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/frio1.jpg" /></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> The interview</span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>SLG (TBH)</b> interviews Alicia Hudelson</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #222222;">1.</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #222222;"> <b>Why
Arrowhead?</b> Because I didn't know if I could ever do it. It has
a lot in common with what I like about one kind of climbing--I hate to throw
climbing terms at you, but it's similar to onsight trad climbing*. In
onsight trad climbing, you don't know exactly what's going to happen when you
leave the ground. You might have a good idea of whether or not you're
prepared for the route, and you might feel confident or not confident, but you
don't know for sure what the outcome will be, whether you'll fall, or whether
you'll even make it to the top of the route. Most races aren't like that.
You know that, barring major unforeseen injury, you'll finish; the only
question is what your time will be and how you'll feel along the way. But
Arrowhead is different. No matter how much experience you have, you'd
never know at the start whether you're going to make it to the finish. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">*Onsight trad climbing is where you climb a route that
you've never climbed before, with no information about the route other than
what grade it gets, and you place your own gear into the rock as you go (then
whoever climbs second takes it out when they come up).<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #222222;">2. I understand this is your fourth time running Arrowhead. Why do
you keep coming back?</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #222222;"> At first,
because I kept failing. And then because, even though I had finished, (a)
I LOVE the people aspect of this race, and (b) I felt like I had more to do
there. So, the people: the racers at Arrowhead are probably my
favorite bunch of people in the world. I've made lifelong friends from
the race. There's nothing better than spending an entire weekend with
those people, even if you do have to do a horribly hard race at the end of it:)
And the second reason, that I felt like I had more to do there, was just
that I had finished once by taking it slow and steady, which was exactly what I
needed to do to ensure I actually finished the thing at the time. But
now, I wanted to try it again to see what I could do if I tried to go faster.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #222222;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #222222;">3. How did you keep your hands and feet warm?</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #222222;"> <b>My strategy is normally to use hand
and foot warmers when running in below zero temperatures, but this seems a bit
burdensome for such a long race. I decided to "Alicia it" for a 2 hour
run at -22 C two days ago and my big toe still hurts from frostbite. I'm
honestly worried I did permanent nerve damage*. Thoughts or suggestions?</b><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">If you're running Arrowhead, as opposed to biking or
skiing, keeping your feet warm is not really a problem; you just have to keep
the wind and snow off your feet. I used my regular Hokas and just glued
a windproof cover over them. My feet were nice and toasty the whole time.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Hands are a little trickier to keep warm. I had
three layers: liner gloves, big heavy mittens, and chemical hand warmers.
The basic key is to never take your liner gloves off, ever. And
when it's really cold (say, below -20), you don't even want to take your
mittens off for longer than absolutely necessary. That means planning out
any tasks you have to do, like changing clothes or getting food out of your
sled, in advance, so you can do them as quickly as possible. And
sometimes it means abandoning ship in the middle of the task because your
fingers are just too cold and you need to warm them up before you can try
again.</span></span><br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>*my toe still isn't entirely normal and it is over 1 month later! I don't think Arrowhead is for me!</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">4. What was the number one thing that contributed to you running it 7 hours
faster this year than in 2012?<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I trained completely differently this time. Having
anemia from November onwards was actually a huge blessing in disguise.
Since I felt awful when I tried to run, I did all my training as race-specific
"runs" where I would go out and mostly power walk with a little
jogging thrown in. I didn't enjoy it (I like running, not walking or jogging)
but it was perfect for Arrowhead because that's exactly what you're doing in
the race. I also did a lot of training with either a tire or a heavy sled,
anywhere from 30 to 50 pounds. I did double runs maybe once a week and two back
to back long runs. Because I wasn't doing much actual running, I didn't
do that many miles per week; I didn't have the time to do 70 miles at walking
pace. I think i hit 60 miles one week but mostly they were closer to 40. But as
far as time on my feet, it was a lot. And because I'd trained for walking, I
found the walking aspect of the race much less tiring than last time. Finally,
I did a prerace long run with my sled packed exactly how it would be during the
race, so I got to fine tune all the lessons you need for minimum stopping and
faffing during the race.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">5. Were you still anemic going into the race? How did that affect your race
preparation, diet and race performance? <o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">After i found out in late November that I was anemic,
I went all out to try to fix it. I was eating beef every day, taking iron
supplements, and getting tons of vitamin c to help with the iron
absorption. And it appears to have worked; I think my anemia was gone by
the race. I got my blood retested a week after the race and all my numbers were
back to normal. Now I can do some actual running again! <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12pt;">
<b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">6. You dropped
out of the race in 2010 and 2011… what happened?<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">in 2010 (lots of nausea leading to getting way too cold) and 2011 (super
burnt out legs that winter).<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #222222;">7.</span></b><b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #222222;"> </span></b><b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #222222;">Ok- so your</span></b><b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #222222;"> </span></b><b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #222222;">iPod</span></b><b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #222222;"> </span></b><b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #222222;">broke immediately after the start (my understanding is it likely would have
broken at some point since mine says "battery low" after 5 minutes at
-30 C or below). What did you think about or do to distract yourself?<o:p></o:p></span></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">My ipod (it's a shuffle) does keep on trucking in
pretty much any temperature, although I guess I tend to keep it inside my
mitten. I had two of them so I was excited for 20+ hours of music.
After the headphones broke right away, I was extremely disturbed by the
prospect of having to stay awake for 2 nights with no music, so I tried not to
think about it for fear of psyching myself out. I did lots of sightseeing
(see answer #4), singing, and talking to myself. I remembered that back
in 2009 when I ran the Superior Hiking Trail, I had entertained myself for a
good few hours by making up a pretend court case and then arguing both sides of
it (FYI to your readers who don't know me, I'm a lawyer) so I tried to do that
but I couldn't get the mental focus going this time. I'll have to try
harder next time!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">8. Which part of your body was coldest during the race (I hope not the "hoohaw")?
<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">My forearms are always the coldest part of my body in
cold weather runs. I was wearing arm warmers at Arrowhead but even that
wasn't good enough. My mittens have little arm gaiters on them so I tried
to keep them pulled up as high as I could, and that helped, but they were never
quite warm enough.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #222222;">9. Can you describe the scenery? Is there a most beautiful place on the
course and what does it look like?</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #222222;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The first 18 miles of the course are largely exposed
flatlands with short pine trees and wide open views. After mile 18 you
get into denser woods, with taller trees, more curves, and a few hills.
What I think is the most beautiful section is just after the Gateway
checkpoint at mile 36--it's lined with tall pine trees and the light is
beautiful there since I was there at sunset. I've never seen miles 40ish
to 72 in the daylight, but as far as I can tell, they're similar to miles 36 to
40 but with a few swamp crossings and open areas. Coming out of mile 72
is where the big hills start, including one that is so huge and rocky that it
looks like it could be straight out of Colorado (okay, not quite, but you know
what I mean). You can see the trail going up it and it just looks like a
huge vertical wall. The trail gets flatter and more open again from miles
79 to 95ish, but then there is another long section of tough, steep
hills--though it's worth it to walk up the big hills since for each one you generally
get to sled down an equal hill! There is one "mountain" at mile
112 but after that it's all flat and swampy/boggy til the finish.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">10. Did anyone take any pictures of you while you were racing? Could we see
one of them?<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mkr80Vo09MI/UwoWzQnBV3I/AAAAAAAAE5c/ehhZkeA__Ac/s1600/alicia-arrowhead+start+(2).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mkr80Vo09MI/UwoWzQnBV3I/AAAAAAAAE5c/ehhZkeA__Ac/s1600/alicia-arrowhead+start+(2).JPG" height="212" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-73UWD4jQhcc/UwoWzxj43HI/AAAAAAAAE5g/49AdqAj5FnQ/s1600/alicia-arrowhead+mile+18+(1).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-73UWD4jQhcc/UwoWzxj43HI/AAAAAAAAE5g/49AdqAj5FnQ/s1600/alicia-arrowhead+mile+18+(1).JPG" height="211" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #222222;">Photo Credit (for both): </span><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #222222;">Burgess
Eberhardt.</span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #222222;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">11. Besides this race, what is the most hard core thing you have ever done?<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I did a thru-run of the Superior Hiking Trail (205
miles) in 2009. In 2008, Divesh <b>(her lovely Indian husband)</b> and I did the 47 mile rim-to-rim-to-rim
in the Grand Canyon in the middle of July on a whim once, before we were really
ultrarunners. That didn't go overly well but we both made it and
survived. He and I also went climbing on Mt. Whitney for 3 days with one
can of lentil soup, one flour tortilla, and a little trail mix as the sum total
of food for both of us. Again, it didn't go overly well but we both made
it and survived--there seems to be a theme here...<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #222222;">12. Is racing long distances at sub-zero temps going to be your new niche?
Are you going to run the</span></b><b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #222222;"> </span></b><b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #222222;">Iditerod (ITI)?</span></b><b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #222222;"> </span></b><b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #222222;">Susitna? Yukon Ultra? Which one attracts you the most and why?<o:p></o:p></span></b></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">New niche, probably not. In some ways I feel
like it should be because I feel like I finally have the concept down.
And I do love the idea of doing the ITI mostly because I would love to go
over Rainy Pass in the middle of a race. But in general I prefer running
a bit faster to the sled-dragging events, and I think 50 miles is a good
distance for me because keeping food down isn't as crucial for that length.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">13. And you knew it was coming... what is your next goal?<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">My next big goal is the Bob Graham Round, in the UK.
It's in the Lake District and it isn't a race but rather a set course
that people try to do in under 24 hours (it's 42 peaks and approximately 65
miles). I lived in northern England for 5 years but didn't do much
running at the time, so I like to go back to visit and tick off races/events
that I never managed to do when I lived there. This year my friend Nick
is doing the Bob Graham Round and offered to let me tag along with him so that
I wouldn't have to do the navigation! Can't turn down an offer like that...
We're doing our attempt on June 6, so I have plenty of time to get in shape for
big hills, which is easy to do with the north Georgia mountains only an hour
and a half away from me.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1vzWii8UUGI/UwoXIqJKbBI/AAAAAAAAE5s/6PSYF4p6QI4/s1600/AH+2014+trophy+(2).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1vzWii8UUGI/UwoXIqJKbBI/AAAAAAAAE5s/6PSYF4p6QI4/s1600/AH+2014+trophy+(2).JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alicia Hudleson takes first female at Tuscobia 135 in 47:59, taking 7 hours off the old record.</td></tr>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Alicia tells this story and a lot more really well <a href="http://aliciasrunningandracing.blogspot.dk/">here</a> on her blog about running and climbing.</span></span></div>
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Speaking of extreme female sports, did any of you watch the female Ski Cross in Sochi? This sport strikes me as insanely dangerous. They fall with such hard impact at such fast speeds. And it is about half of the 20 something gals every single race. Anna Woerner's fall <a href="http://www.dr.dk/Sporten/OL2014/Nyheder/2014/02/21/120639.htm#">here</a> was particularly gruesome and I understand she needs knee surgery now.<br />
<br />
<img src="http://media.cmgdigital.com/shared/lt/lt_cache/thumbnail/960/img/photos/2014/02/21/52/6f/1ac4f2cfe4a94fa28325fd62730155b7-bde988c2c3c94349b58f358a5d291987-3.jpg" height="270" width="400" /><br />
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But this one is even more insane - and entirely real.<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="180" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/WRqnTODwvEA?feature=player_detailpage" width="320"></iframe>
<br />
And this is just good music from various northern places :-)<br />
<br />
From Finland (in Finnish)
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="180" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/jOsW6BHzrD8?feature=player_detailpage" width="320"></iframe>
From Norway (in English)
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="186" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/4mMPOuK3vkg" width="320"></iframe>
And my favorite song by Alaska in Winter - Close Your Eyes- We are Blind
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="186" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/A5GFkhWjtSQ" width="320"></iframe>sea legs girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14782712411873234071noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-834846832861622672.post-30688717894493746632014-02-16T22:15:00.000+01:002014-02-17T16:42:29.756+01:00Off season comes to an end<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I have these strange thoughts swimming through my head after my 6th <a href="http://www.parkrun.dk/faelledparken/resultaterne/latestresults">Park Run</a> 5k yesterday. The last couple of months (since Desert Solstice, and really since Grenaa 6 hour race) have been more or less an off season with lots of cross country skiing mixed with swimming, yoga, strength training, with slow, long runs. No speed work. Last week, after I came to Denmark with the boys, I asked coach Ole to add speed work back. There is no snow here for skiing and it is too cold for my taste to bike long distances. </div>
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I am really glad I had the off season, while it lasted, though. I am unijured and feel just very healthy. But my brain has sort of lost its killer instinct. I have come to realize that <i>this</i>, probably more than our legs and heart, is what we train when run intervals (and race). </div>
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It can also be argued, though, that the aggressiveness one has on the track can be carried over into real life. That could be good or bad depending on the situation. But our bodies and minds should not be in fight of flight mode all the time or we will never improve. (this is also the basis of hatha yoga- sun and moon; action and rest)</div>
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Another theoretical benefit to an off season (for women) is a return to normal menstraul cycle, which in turn will help prevent osteoporosis, especially if combined with strength training. </div>
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Before I get to the last ten days, let me describe the Park Run 5k. We (the boys and I) stayed at SR's parents' house on Friday night and they watched the kids as I headed out to Fælledparken, 15 minute's drive away. Before I left, I could hardly tear myself off the toilet and barely made it the 15 minutes to the facilities in the park! Øv. I have to be honest about this gluten-free, sugar-free diet, that with all of these vegetables, I get sick A LOT. Living in Denmark has led to at least 3-4 x/year food poisoning for me since I just think there are a lot of ground water bacteria here I have never been exposed to, but that has just been magnified and multiplied.</div>
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Anyway, of course you run anything you get a babysitter for. Especially after seeing Winforce 100k winner <a href="http://beetroot.dk/">Per Egon Rasmussen</a> show up with his fiancé. And he convinced Klaus Dahl. And then I ran into an MD, PhD in Ophthalmology, who had said he was a runner, Steffen (who I met at a research meeting on the small island of Femø), there he was with his friend, <a href="http://troelscarlsen.com/">Troels Carlsen</a>, who happens to be a world-renowned painter and artist. What a crowd! The race is seriously worth the no money. (yes, it is free. Stop complaining about the expensive races and show up to the free ones!)</div>
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Ok, so not your typical pictures for a race, right? I told you, my mind is elsewhere. I just wished Pia or Thea would show up. There weren't even 10 women toeing the start line. But the men were so raring to run a fast race. I'd be running with them again. </div>
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I have absolutely no fire in my soul. Like, I have completely forgotten that feeling of needing to win or run fast. And seriously only now that I don't have it, do I realize how essential it is... really in anything you do. </div>
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I was much more fascinated with <i>the experience</i> and just seeing other adults who like to run. To make a long story short, it was windy and muddy, but not so much so to justify the slow time of 19:55. </div>
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By the way, the guy who took first for the guys had the first name of Laurie (remember Little Women??)</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lM4t4ldB8iA/Uv9mqtf1JSI/AAAAAAAAE2Y/V6vYHpTPSfw/s1600/feb2014+124.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lM4t4ldB8iA/Uv9mqtf1JSI/AAAAAAAAE2Y/V6vYHpTPSfw/s1600/feb2014+124.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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The above picture was taken after a really fun track workout two days earlier. 4km + 3km + 2km +1km (2 min breaks). This is the brick our apartment building is made out of. I think it has a lot of calcium in it.</div>
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In the above workout, I followed the plan of getting faster and faster, but started out too slowly. Again, maybe it's the stomach flu, but my brain is still in rest mode.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">and my Garmin still in miles</td></tr>
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<b>Week of training</b> as follows:</div>
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Sat: 28 km - trails (just under 6 min/km)</div>
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Sun: 22 km -trails (just under 6 min/km)</div>
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Mon: aerobics + strength training + yoga</div>
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Tues: 30 km - trails</div>
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Wed: 8 x 600 meters (2-3 min) + 200: total 5km in 18:50</div>
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Thurs (above) 4 km + 3 + 2 + 1 (2 min breaks) (always dynamic stretching before track workouts)</div>
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Fri: dance/aerobics + pilates</div>
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Sat: Park Run 5k + Bikram Yoga (ok that is the last time EVER for Bikram!... It must have been during standing bow pose that my old hip pain came back suddenly and I could still feel it last night. I had a suspicion. As I heard a girl talking about how she could barely walk after what Bikram did to her operated knee ... she was in the studio... I have really been thinking! It is a SHAME, because I love the self-calming techniques you learn! and the feeling of being completely stretched out). I really need to stick to regular hatha and hot (or not hot) vinyasa yoga. They just seem to work better for me.</div>
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Sun: 26.7 km trails in 2:39</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A view from my run in Fårbakkerne (the sheep hills) on Tuesday.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jITFHBkxiQk/UwItLSM_XBI/AAAAAAAAE4M/xY1q04sSUns/s1600/feb2014+151.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jITFHBkxiQk/UwItLSM_XBI/AAAAAAAAE4M/xY1q04sSUns/s1600/feb2014+151.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Edit: I have to add the gorgeous shot over Myrup from today's (Monday's) run. Spring is coming to Denmark!</td></tr>
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<br /><br />So.. I <i>can </i>feel what you are thinking. How can you work full time and be a "single" mom and fit in this much training?<br />
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Well, I will <i>tell </i>you. (isn't the number one annoying question for any athlete "what is your secret?") Other than constantly drinking baby goats' blood out of my soft flasks, there really is no secret.<br />
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But I will describe to you all how I get this to work out. The boys have a very flexible day care schedule. I wake up, work for an hour or so, take them to day care at about 10 AM, work out, pick them up at 6 PM (they are given dinner there) and then work again at night while they play after dinner and after they sleep. I don't watch tv; I don't shop for anything but groceries and brooms.<br />
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<b>Diet and Weight update</b><br />
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Doesn't everyone just love reading about diets and weight? Anyway, part of the overarching off-season plan was to gain a small amount of weight through weight training and a higher protein diet (my main sources of protein: fish, eggs, soy, nuts, cheese, peas and sometimes oats) and good fats. My racing weight last fall was 111 lbs (down from 117 last summer). This winter I got up to 117 again and was down to 114 today. The no gluten, no sugar diet has made this pretty easy. The idea is the body will feel light while racing. If you stay at the same weight all the time, it is harder to build up the muscles that during race season will make you feel like you are flying when you weigh less. It is the same concept with pregnancy.<br />
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<b>Speaking of pregnancy...</b><br />
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Uber Mother Runner has started a post partum running support <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/thecomebacktrail/">group</a>. I think this is a great idea since it is a hard time to avoid injury. Once those protective hormones are gone, especially the hips can get stuck in the wrong place, tendons and muscles can get torn and bones can break. It is not pretty. I am working on finding the funding and a publisher and a running during and post-pregnancy book. It will be based on individual stories and research.<br />
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I am not sure I like that the UMR group is called "the come back trail" because honestly pregnancy may be the most fun you ever have running in your life and maybe shouldn't be viewed as something to "come back" from, but something to relish.<br />
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<b>Research</b><br />
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It has been a big week! I have sent two articles in to JAMA Ophthalmology and got the vision loss among ultra runners research accepted for presentation at the American College of Sports Medicine meeting in May.<br />
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<b>The boys</b><br />
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Christian has started making a lot of masks. Just ones that cover his eyes. Any super hero for any occasion. And he has developed the strangest rash around his mouth. One of the boys at his school went to the doctor with this same rash and was diagnosed with chickenpox (skoldkopper in Danish). Folks chickenpox is not limited to the perioral region (this doctor misdiagnosed). It starts at the center of the body and moves out. It was either impetigo or hand foot and mouth. Since he didn't have a fever or rash on his hands and feet, I am leaning towards impetigo. It is highly contagious. Happily it is almost gone.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4_OFNLsOgsM/Uv9nT-p2mDI/AAAAAAAAE2w/sNY2sb4cl68/s1600/feb2014+084.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4_OFNLsOgsM/Uv9nT-p2mDI/AAAAAAAAE2w/sNY2sb4cl68/s1600/feb2014+084.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here you can see the beginning of the rash. And their favorite playtoy, right behind Christian, the razor... (I moved it!)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-R1LOip0PsWk/UwEYLj4r11I/AAAAAAAAE38/eSZ2zMUl3iY/s1600/IMG_0931%5B1%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-R1LOip0PsWk/UwEYLj4r11I/AAAAAAAAE38/eSZ2zMUl3iY/s1600/IMG_0931%5B1%5D.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What a boy looks like when he doesn't want you to take a picture of his rash (this is how it looks tonight- almost gone)</td></tr>
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<b>Race Schedule Update</b><br />
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I have signed up for the <a href="http://www.ultraroc.com/">Ultra Race of Champions 100</a>k in the elite group again and have it as a major goal for 2014. The location is Copper Mountain and will take place September 6th. I regretted so much missing it last year that this year I really want to make it!<br />
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<b>Danish Female Ultra Runner Update</b><br />
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1. Annette Fredskov (the 366 marathon in 365 days) just ran her first 50k in an impressive time of 4:44.<br />
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2. Maibritt Skovgaard, Denmark's 24 hour superstar, just had knee surgery because some cartilage that apparently broke loose after her awesome run in November. Recovery quickly, Maibritt!!<br />
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3. Pia Joan Sørensen will be running the Trans Grand Canaria run in March and is one of the favorites to win. Or at least one of my favorites.<br />
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<b>Dream Shoes</b><br />
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In 2010, I told SR that I wanted to design minimalist shoes that had great traction for running in snow and mud. I was running in New Balance Minimus at the time and it was a mess. Now that I have run over 100km in the new <a href="https://www.salomon.com/us/product/s-lab-sense-3-ultra-sg.html">S Lab Sense 3 Ultra SG</a> shoes, I can say they are a dream come true. They have perfect traction in mud and snow and are very light on asphalt. Having only a 4mm drop and weighing only 230 grams, they easily qualify as minimalist shoes. Whatever they qualify as, they really work for me.<br />
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<tr><td><img alt="S-LAB SENSE 3 ULTRA SG RD" height="400" src="https://www.salomon.com/scripts/resizeImage.aspx?width=550&height=550&background_color=ffffff&vertical_center=1&horizontal_center=1&filename=/medias/products/product3/361898.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.727272033691406px;">S Lab Sense 3 Ultra SG: the best multi-purpose shoes I have ever owned.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-B6JcOUnOEas/UwDn32PxVVI/AAAAAAAAE3s/qYOR4KV4KhY/s1600/jan2014+103.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-B6JcOUnOEas/UwDn32PxVVI/AAAAAAAAE3s/qYOR4KV4KhY/s1600/jan2014+103.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sense Ultra (Left) SG (Right). Just to be clear, Mattias' model has a lot better traction.</td></tr>
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<b>Shoes for Sale</b><br />
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And now for the shoes I don't want :-). Yet, they are super popular, I am sure someone out there does!<br />
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Let me know if you would like to buy them. Here or email: sealegsgirlblog@gmail.com or over Facebook.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Size 40 - will ship anywhere in Denmark; other countries if you cover shipping. Only used two times. Bought in 2012. (my lower back hurts when I run in them). Will take best offer :-).</td></tr>
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<b>Things that make me happy</b><br />
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So, before we go to sleep, the boys and I always watch a little movie on Youtube and Christian has found an amazing Russian animated series cal<span style="background-color: white;">led<span style="font-family: inherit;"> <span style="line-height: 17.91111183166504px;">Маша и Медведь (Masha and the bear)... yes, Olga, I am learning Russian. I am having trouble chosing one episode because there are so many good ones, but here is the one Christian and I needed to play twice:</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 17.91111183166504px;">Репетиция оркестра (which means "orchestra reharsal")</span><br />
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<b>Running Songs</b><br />
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Black Francis is 49 years old and oh my God, he can still write a song. What an intro. What an incredible running song!<br />
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And Australian Pop; really need I say more? This is great!<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="185" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/uJ_1HMAGb4k" width="320"></iframe>sea legs girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14782712411873234071noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-834846832861622672.post-206394433802623562014-02-08T20:18:00.000+01:002014-02-09T08:01:58.929+01:00A life more ordinary<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I realize this will sound strange to all the moms out there who just want a break from their kids, but the past few months have been torture for me. Between my residency interviews and job in Denmark, I have hardly seen these boys since October. It is unthinkable at their young ages. </div>
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I have been from Minneapolis to Kansas City to Chicago to Denmark to Utah to Minneapolis to Pennsylvania to Washington DC to Newport Beach, VA, to Duluth to Minneapolis to Phoenix to Orange County CA to Duluth to Baltimore to Duluth to San Francisco to Sacramento to San Francisco to Denmark to Chicago to Duluth to La Crosse -- and now-- finally... back in Denmark with the boys.</div>
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All this for a residency position in the US starting July of 2015 so I can get a medical specialty that is recognized in both the US and Denmark. </div>
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I was reading a <a href="http://alisonziebell.blogspot.dk/2014/02/well-today-just-plain-sucked.html">gal's blog</a> (from my hometown) who has a brain tumor and how much she values those simple nights when she is just "alone with her boys". I don't think I have a brain tumor, but I could totally relate to this. Now I appreciate it all. Not least of all the guilt trip from everyone who has been helping me watch the kids. Life is MUCH better and easier when you aren't both constantly feeling guilty and constantly worrying about what is going on with your kids. Is it only moms who can relate to this feeling?</div>
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I basically had given up about the fact that they were eating waffles with chocolate and syrup every morning and corn dogs or pizza for dinner every night. </div>
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But now I am in charge. It is amazing how much I embrace cooking and cleaning for my little offspring in our little apartment. I seriously can't remember the last time I was this happy.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1o8eDvsLOeg/UvZjOh_PsbI/AAAAAAAAE00/WndW7qfzVQM/s1600/jan2014+072.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1o8eDvsLOeg/UvZjOh_PsbI/AAAAAAAAE00/WndW7qfzVQM/s1600/jan2014+072.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oh mackerel, tuna in tomato sauce and salad that doesn't taste like cardboard. Denmark, it is great to be back! </td></tr>
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I have to admit that I have had it up to ^^^^^ here with Facebook about the bending of the truth about the amazingly extraordinary things people do. It seems the value of normalcy and doing the right thing is not valued as much unless it can be posted on Facebook. Or is this just my impression? I realize more and more that good living is about simply making it through each day the best one can and developing patterns and routines one can stick to... Open faced sandwiches on Barbapapa plates and serve them next to Runner's Word magazine (the British version where weight is in stones- oh yeah!)<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You dissin my gray sweater?</td></tr>
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And I can go on slow runs despite jet lag and weight gain - and find my old favorite places.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-59kealCDlJc/UvZjw5q1u7I/AAAAAAAAE1M/4tfZbEHPx_A/s1600/jan2014+084.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-59kealCDlJc/UvZjw5q1u7I/AAAAAAAAE1M/4tfZbEHPx_A/s1600/jan2014+084.jpg" height="268" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gavnø harbor</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Again Gavnø Harbor- Næstved's gateway to the Atlantic. The only time it will be frozen all year. My last three runs have been in short sleeves.</td></tr>
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I love the Herlufsholm track. It is one of the places I feel most at home<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nothing great, but getting it done. 25 laps on a track is a lot.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Same place. Same gloves. Different day. OK - I suppose I should switch my Garmin back to kilometers now.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.kikkan.com/">Kikkan Randall </a>does pull ups with 25 extra pounds. She was asked in Outside Magazine when it was she really started to pull away from her competition in her Nordic sprint competitions. "When I started regularly doing strength training".<br />
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Lately, I have been incorporating an actual bell bar and heavy weights into my training. I even grunt and make strange audible breathing noises. It is kind of fun.<br />
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And, as many of you know, I have given up wheat- and have stuck to it for over a year now. So I rarely drank beer before this, but then drank some (½ a bottle) at a party at one of my residency interviews and had this very severe reaction to it! I really thought a little wouldn't do anything, but I was slurring my speech, felt sick to my stomach and suddenly couldn't keep myself from falling over with fatigue at 7PM (it was only a half a beer!). I actually had to leave the resident get together early, which normally would have been unthinkable at a program I would love to match to!<br />
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I have found this book brings up a lot of fascinating points (which I started reading afterwards) about the very new (from the 70's), very genetically modified food we call wheat that people eat without ever questioning it. I am not about to go prescribing wheat free diets, I just found it a fascinating, thought-provoking read.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">written by a Cardiologist from Wisconsin</td></tr>
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Now on top of that, I have given up sugar, which has been a great decision. It makes me feel a lot more energetic. It is nice not to have the fluctuations in blood sugar. I had to go back on it though when I got the stomach flu last weekend in La Crosse- it is HARD to find things to eat with the stomach flu when you don't eat wheat, sugar or meat! I have to thank <a href="http://thesethingshappentootherpeople.blogspot.dk/">Robyn</a> for the inspiration to give up chocolate (sugar), by the way. It was tough to convince myself I wouldn't develop chocolate deficiency.<br />
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So where is SR? He is still in Duluth, working hard. We miss him!! Why am I here? Because I was told very directly by my PhD adviser that if I did not get back to Denmark ASAP and finish my PhD that I would not be granted a PhD. So we are here until that is done. (I have been awarded such a large amount of money by private and public funds to do this study and so many people have invested their time that it is unthinkable that I back out. And that had never been my intention- and I don't in any way want to!)<br />
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I was interviewed a few days ago over Skype by the New York Times journalist <a href="http://www.anupartanen.com/home.html">Anu Partanen </a>about differences in health care, pre and post natal care and maternity leave in Denmark vs. the US. Her book will be on cultural differences between the US and Nordic countries and what these countries can learn from each other. She is originally from Finland. She has got my head spinning thinking about cultural differences and the importance of them. They are everywhere.<br />
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Exhibit A:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-emkEugIliSY/UvZjmaavniI/AAAAAAAAE1E/qoNAHYcg8BI/s1600/jan2014+111.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-emkEugIliSY/UvZjmaavniI/AAAAAAAAE1E/qoNAHYcg8BI/s1600/jan2014+111.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is Christian with his best friend, Frederik in our yard today.</td></tr>
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Christian has explained to me multiple times that he has not had a best friend like Frederik in the US. I had not thought much about the fact that Christian and Frederik roll around and wrestle so much - and even hug each other- until Christian's kindergarten teacher in Duluth said to me that Christian needed to stop "touching" the other kids. I had no idea what she meant and was worried "touching" meant like - "down there" but it turns out he was just trying to hold hands, give hugs og tickle. He got in trouble every time and even got time outs. I was at a loss about explaining to him why he couldn't do this, since he was so used to it, and it is the way kids here play and show affection. I just had to say "respect your teacher and the other kids' space".<br />
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Then Danni and I were discussing on Facebook Americans, Russians, Danes and gay rights. Yes, when I moved here the mayor of Copenhagen (and actor from Festen, etc), Klaus Bondam, was openly gay and gays really do have the same exact rights and straight people here. And the X-Factor winner a couple years back was a 15 year old lesbian with a steady girlfriend. It is just not questioned or discussed here and that gays are discriminated against by law (and attitude always follows) is very tough to understand.</div>
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But- I will say that Denmark's politics and attitudes towards foreigners are not something I can understand or condone. I have really gone through Hell and high waters to apply for permanent residency and for all I know, I won't get it. I hear story after story about wives and children, etc etc being deported. Sometimes I feel it is only a matter of time and I cry on my runs in the woods here thinking- what if we were never allowed to come back?<br />
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Just thought it would be educational for the readers to know which countries in the European Union do NOT allow double citizenship:</div>
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Estonia</div>
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Lithuania</div>
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Austria</div>
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Denmark</div>
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Here is a pic and a cool video taken by Frabricío of our 40km run by Stevns Klint two weekends ago. That Canon go-pro camera is seriously impressive.</div>
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Stevns Klint is going to be one of Unesco's worldwide protected sights because you can clearly see evidence of the meteor ash that probably killed the dinosaurs in the chalk along the shore.</div>
I really ought to loosen up a bit when I run!
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Running song of the day: Sømand af verden by Dodo The Dodos. </div>
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sea legs girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14782712411873234071noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-834846832861622672.post-56706902360592302212014-01-20T18:32:00.000+01:002014-01-20T23:13:13.010+01:00Salomon Hammer Trail Winter Edition - ½ Marathon & CaliforniaIf you feel like you have landed on a deserted island when you arrive off of the ferry into the dark Scandinavian winter onto the island of Bornholm, it is not far from the truth. The island, heavily dependent on tourism, nearly shuts down over the winter months, and certainly not even all of the 40,000 people who technically live on Bornholm are there in the winter.<br />
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The fishermen and farmers remain; perhaps the watchmakers as well - and also Tine and her husband from Tines Gjesthûz. They were thrilled too, because of Salomon and Tejn's Hammer Trail Winter Edition, they sold out ALL of their rooms. It was unheard of in the winter.<br />
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Sometimes I marvel at the places I see and people I have met through running. This is one of the many reasons, I hope trail running is a life-long sport.<br />
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I took the ferry from Ystad, Sweden with Pia and Jesper. It was 4:30PM and completely dark already (especially strange since I was still on California time - 7:30 AM). The waves were wicked and Pia got very sea sick, then I did, too. The ride is short, though; it takes only 5 quarters (the faster Danish way of saying "an hour and 15 minutes").<br />
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Christian Madsen, director of the Winforce 100k, was there to pick us up and drive us to Jakob Vestergaard's (the co-director of the Hammer Trail races) summer house. In typical Danish style, the house was absolutely freezing when we arrived. Danes never leave anything on when they leave, heat included. We warmed ourselves by the burners with our jackets on.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ue7jTS9sGkM/Ut1GHPpVlOI/AAAAAAAAEzI/BCt8skTfr2o/s1600/IMG_0655.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ue7jTS9sGkM/Ut1GHPpVlOI/AAAAAAAAEzI/BCt8skTfr2o/s1600/IMG_0655.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here Pia was saying something about Christian's plan to make pasta with meat sauce "That is something I make for my 9 year old son; it's not something adults eat"</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Christian rationalized his meal selection. He was not quite willing to admit he normally eats Winforce gels for dinner.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-XI3ZPyhErn4/Ut1GYqB7edI/AAAAAAAAEzY/RAH00rahx_c/s1600/IMG_0658.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-XI3ZPyhErn4/Ut1GYqB7edI/AAAAAAAAEzY/RAH00rahx_c/s1600/IMG_0658.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I then delved into my bottomless carry-on and took out my emergency salad, frozen broccoli, gluten-free soy sauce, tuna and chocolate wine for everyone. I like to have a make-shift gourmet meal ready wherever I travel. Cheers.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jesper very out of his element with alcohol in his hand. What would happen next?</td></tr>
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I'm not sure what happened next- after dinner that is- because I went to Tines Gjestehûz, my lovely Norwegian friend's across the street.<br />
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When I woke up, this is what I saw. One of my favorite views from the Fyr til Fyr course in Allinge. But where was the snow?<br />
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No worries, 3km later on my warm-up run, over to the western half of the island, the snow was piled high. Cool, huh? I love island microclimates!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="300" src="https://fbcdn-sphotos-h-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/t1/625582_128735510634785_203064208_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Overview of the Salomon Hammer Trail course photo by Jakob Vestergaard</td></tr>
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Ok- so, totally jetlagged and in every way discombobulated, I and 50+ others embarked on the half marathon run. I ran it because I knew it would be hard. Running this course fast, is wicked hard and dangerous, especially when slippery.<br />
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I saw Christian Madsen, just before we started; he had broken his finger about 35 km into the 50 mile run. I knew I had to be cautious on the downhills. As we lined up to start, people began to smirk at my shoes. The Bornholm natives knew I needed some more serious grip than I had on my Salomon Sense shoes. I honestly had no clue how muddy, icy and slippery it would be on Bornholm when I had packed two weeks earlier before our trip to California. And the Salomon Sense shoes are great on - <i>almost</i> - every terrain.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here is Pernille Munch Tygesen, who ended up being my rival throughout the race, demonstrating a better shoe choice for the slick, muddy terrain with the Salomon Fellrasier W's. She lives on Borhnhom and I have a feeling she had a good idea of what to expect on the course!</td></tr>
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Anyway, Pernille and I were battling the entire race in 3rd and 4th place, with two men not actually too far ahead of us. We really pushed each other. We didn't know of each other in advance so it was a bit of a surprise for us both to come up against stiff competition. Every time we went downhill, Pernille sped ahead as I slid and fell (I pride myself on my falling ability, but I do wish I could fall a little less often), scrambling again to catch up with her. It was fun until we got to the "cow path" where I slid so violently in the mud off the course and down into a ravine. I had to crawl my way back to the course in the icy mud with my fingernails and knees. It was pretty great, but Glenn Alverus said I lost about 4 minutes bathing in the cold soup. Time well spent, if you are looking to get dirty. </div>
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After the cow path and 2 mega sets of stairs, the course is fairly runnable and incredibly fun and beautiful. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo property of Tejn IF, by Jakob Vestergaard.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Above is my favorite running of the whole course. Again, photo property of Tejn IF, by Jakob Vestergaard.</td></tr>
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During the second half of the race, I did not know how far ahead of me Pernille was. I just gave it my all. I could tell I had really improved at technical trail running since running the Hammer Trail last May.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I am not just similing for the camera. That was awesome running!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pernille finished in 2:13:24 and I came in in 2:15:55. It was survival of the fittest out there. I have to work on my downhills if I'm going to compete with Pernille in another race (and I hope I get a chance to). Salomon gives such great prizes at their races: Pernille won the backpack I am wearing and I won a Salomon belt with soft flasks, which SR is quite pleased with. We took 3rd and 4th place overall - 1st and 2nd female. Henrik Henrysson of Sweden won the men's race in 2:05. Photo courtesty of Salomon Denmark. </td></tr>
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In the 50 miler as well, 3rd place overall was taken by the one and only Pia Joan Sørensen, who ran the amazing time of 10:43:57, the only female finisher of that race. Jesper Halvorsen won the 50 miler in 9:44:21. All of the results can be seen <a href="http://www.tejnif-lob.dk/images/Resultater_2014_SHTWE.pdf">here</a>. Congrats to them and to everyone who took on this course! I have raced quite a lot of races and when Salomon and TIF get together to make a race, it pretty much doesn't get better. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Happy Jesper crossing the finish line. He was also smiling just like this when I saw him a couple hours earlier.</td></tr>
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The week before this was spent with SR in California. I had my last two PM&R interviews at UC Davis and Stanford. We managed to get in about 80 miles of trail running in 6 days. We also caught up with <a href="http://arcticglass.blogspot.dk/">Jill Homer</a> for dinner. Yep, she is just a cool as she seems.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-x9aUEmlVm9o/Ut1Y348MlQI/AAAAAAAAE0A/NXLG6mwWGfI/s1600/IMG_0636.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-x9aUEmlVm9o/Ut1Y348MlQI/AAAAAAAAE0A/NXLG6mwWGfI/s1600/IMG_0636.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Obligatory photo of fancy cute guy in front of the Apple Store in Palo Alto.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cool, California. The city that is.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4MDFlnaq8ik/Ut1Y_jl0UhI/AAAAAAAAE0I/yFWHf5g3sJM/s1600/IMG_0630.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4MDFlnaq8ik/Ut1Y_jl0UhI/AAAAAAAAE0I/yFWHf5g3sJM/s1600/IMG_0630.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Near Robie's Point, North Fork of the American River, last few miles of the Western States course.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uzMt-e8TGhg/Ut1ZRj4NmQI/AAAAAAAAE0Q/G-Z-0hk7sPw/s1600/IMG_0589.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uzMt-e8TGhg/Ut1ZRj4NmQI/AAAAAAAAE0Q/G-Z-0hk7sPw/s1600/IMG_0589.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dipsea Trail starting in Mill Valley, CA, going to Stinson Beach: the site of THE oldest American trail race.</td></tr>
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(Religious-themed) Running Songs of the Day: Holy Branches by Radical Face & Dear God by XTC</div>
sea legs girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14782712411873234071noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-834846832861622672.post-63133848069810689202014-01-06T05:12:00.002+01:002014-01-06T06:56:21.247+01:00Johns Hopkins<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">Allow me to
lash out for a second- against the culture of non-learning. Against the culture
of social media, which values in your face half truths above teaching and learning. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">I had an
outstanding English teacher at UW-Madison who said “Every time you write
something, ask yourself why you are writing it and what your audience will get
from reading it”. That principle has stuck with me. Sometimes I forget it, but I probably think of it on average once a day.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">Don’t get
me wrong, you don’t need to explain the Pythagorean Theorem every time you
write, or anything scientific, mathematical, tangible or practical. Maybe it is a
feeling, way of thinking or explaining something in a way that most people
don’t, because your viewpoint is different. Or maybe it just sounds really good.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Today, I interviewed at Johns Hopkins for a residency position. To a "young" physician, this just kind of seems like a big deal. Johns Hopkins is the biggest <i>name</i> in medicine in the United States and arguably in the world. Why? (and if they really are THAT great, why did they offer ME an interview?)<br />
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<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">So Johns. You know who he is, right? Good old Johnny Johns Hopkins. Up until today, I had thought that there were two doctors: Dr. Johns and Dr. Hopkins. Nope. One guy: Mr. Johns Hopkins. Nice first name, isn't it? (embarrassing, I didn't know this, right?).</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
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He was born in 1795.</div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">He was the owner of (among many, many other things) the Baltimore and Ohio (B&O) Railroad (of Monopoly fame) and the game Monopoly may in fact be based on his life (this is at least my theory) - and this is Christian's favorite board game right now. He (Johns) won the game, you could say. And he was the quintessential self-made man. But what made Johnny Johns so special was he gave all of his money away to good causes. He was a Quaker and this was an important tenant of his faith. This other important part was he could not marry his cousin, even though she was the only woman he ever loved, so he never had kids (which of course may or may not have anythingto do with his faith). Anyway, the money he gave to start Johns Hopkins University and Hospital was "by all accounts, the largest philanthropic bequest ever made to an American education institution" (nice quote from Wikipedia, with no source).</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">But then there was this guy from Ontario named William Osler. And it is THIS guy who made the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine so famous (or was it Harvey Cushing who wrote William's biography? - you know, the first guy to stick a knife into a living person's brain with the intent of curing them). Osler established what is the modern day "residency" training in medicine, where young physicians in training sleep at the hospital - "round" on patients (his term). Basically he had this revolutionary idea that one could learn what a patient's disease and diganosis were by talking to them and looking at them. My favorite quote of his is "listen to your patient, he is telling you the diagnosis". It seems so inane that this is my favorite quote of his when it is so freaking obvious- but guess what? Doctors don't do this anymore. </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">And so, I felt today, in some way, that medicine is coming full circle. Where innovation is not necessarily about the amazing 128 slice CT scan, but learning to listen and examine so health care dollars can be saved and people can be saved of cancer-causing radiation, among other burdens of modern medicine.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">Yeah, I was asked today how I thought health care costs could be cut. Being asked this question said a lot (of good things) about Johns Hopkins. I said two things 1. holistic medicine: diagnosis made though history and physical and treatments that are non-harmful, based on unbiased research (not funded by drug companies). For example, acupuncture can work better than opioids. It is the drug companies who manufacture opioids that have beendriving physicians and the public to believe otherwise.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">2. Health comes through living in a healthy society. If America wants to cut health care costs, exercise needs to be a part of daily life (walking, biking to work), healthy food needs to be affordable for everyone and poverty needs to be reduced.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">And that's why Johns Hopkins is STILL cool. Because they are leaders, wanting to initiate change that works. And they are affiliated with the National Institutes of Health- the best funding source for non-biased research in the US; where money comes from public funds. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">And why is it that Americans are so gosh darn opposed to giving tax money going to these public funds? To research, health care, reducing poverty, creating safe bike lanes, etc. etc?? </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">But I am sugar-coating my experience for no apparent reason other than "it sounds good". The applicants: we are all dang tired. It is common knowledge among Physical Medicine and Rehab applicants that you need to interview with at least 10 programs to be guaranteed to "match" anywhere. It is crazy. The specialty has become super competitive in the last two years And we're all standing there thinking "just tell us how often we're on call, how hard our work will be and what the exact work hours will be and oh- if we'll like living in Baltimore". You know, we are all just humans of course.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">And I hate travelling to all of these interviews even though I learn so much about the speciality of PM&R as well as medicine in the United States - and I want to make an educated choice about where I train. I miss being with the kids and SR. When SR encouraged me to apply to PM&R, I didn't know if I could do it- enter this world again, but I miss clinical medicine and the pursuit of knowledge, change and ideas - and mostly patient care- so much. It really suits me. The path to stay-at-home momness is paved in the US. It's practical and affordable. But I'm used to the Danish model by now where no familes can afford stay-at-home momness.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">So why not stay Denmark, right? Well, if I get specialty training in the US, I will be able to work in both the US and Europe, but not vice versa. There is also no dedicated field of PM&R in Denmark.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Oh, by the way, I have a new job in Denmark in the Department of Clinical Biochemistry! That's why I'll be going back in two weeks. If Denmark offered double citizenship, life would be a lot easier and SR and I wouldn't need to live this double country life all the time just to meet the requirements of our residency permits-- get with the double-citizenship program, Denmark.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
BTW - the above blog post is what happens when I am stuck waiting at BWI airport for a 3 hour delayed plane to Minneapolis.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pEav1BDL5w0/UsomXPmLGVI/AAAAAAAAEys/PeiOFXkzF8U/s1600/ensalatealaeropuerto.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pEav1BDL5w0/UsomXPmLGVI/AAAAAAAAEys/PeiOFXkzF8U/s1600/ensalatealaeropuerto.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">But look at the design yourself salad I got at the said Baltimore airport!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ahnBARZNAKw/UsomS9ozpUI/AAAAAAAAEyk/-jRA9QA7p-o/s1600/ensalatecontracy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ahnBARZNAKw/UsomS9ozpUI/AAAAAAAAEyk/-jRA9QA7p-o/s1600/ensalatecontracy.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">and the salad's point of view.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://www.ohio66.com/bridge_across/Statue%20of%20Jesus%20at%20Johns%20Hopkins%20Hosp.%20(The%20Mud%20Nest).jpg" height="267" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The statue at the entrance to Johns Hopkins hospital. See, I thought it was Jesus because of the sandals, but I guess it is actually God. There was a teenager standing there writing a long message that started with "Dear God" in a large, guilded book as we applicants walked by.</td></tr>
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Oh, if you are interested in follow-up from my last post about health issues in the endurance athlete, I am doing a podcast with <a href="http://elevationtrail.wordpress.com/">Elevation Trail</a> on Tuesday about the topic! I'll let you know when it is out. In the meantime, go to the link for some outstanding listening: (I highly recommend the episodes with <a href="http://arcticglass.blogspot.com/">Jill Homer</a> and Rob Krar).</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="400" src="https://scontent-a-ord.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn2/1557580_10201655965189147_1635415591_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="299" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And I have never enjoyed winter so much. The cold is pristine and the running gorgeous.Thank you Leslie Semler for an "I will kick your ass, SeaLegsGirl" run at Hartley Park. SR and I have also been hitting the x-c ski trails basically every other day. Suddenly winter is my favorite season. Yay, Duluth.</td></tr>
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Song for running in the cold: Harrison Ford by SSLYBY (Someone Still Loves You, Boris Yeltsin)<br />
<br />
"Pretty eyes, you don't have to be good"<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="180" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/rVUdxBjTebg?feature=player_detailpage" width="320"></iframe>sea legs girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14782712411873234071noreply@blogger.com30tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-834846832861622672.post-32126282885993179422013-12-26T05:20:00.000+01:002013-12-31T06:12:20.130+01:00Health Problems of the Endurance Athlete (Medicine in Running Part 2)We are all familiar with the classic model of an injury: finger is bleeding. What happened? I cut it.<br />
<br />
This model however very rarely works for endurance athletes. Instead health problems and sports-related injuries are almost always the result of many factors working together, often over a long period of time.<br />
<br />
What athletes and recreational distance runners should be aware of is doctors are not trained in the health problems of endurance athletes. They see a young, "healthy" person with a disease or injury and assume the problem and solution are straight forward. For example: "you have anemia" - "you must have heavy periods" (I will get back to the anemia example). Or your knee hurts - you must have IT band syndrome - but the why and the root of the problem eludes them.<br />
<br />
When a runner writes to me via email or Facebook about a health problem they face that the problem is rarely, <i>if ever</i>, straight forward. Let's face it, I also know this from my own battles with health problems over the last many years.<br />
<br />
In other words, when I see a runner, triathlete or someone who trains hard - a lot, say "I finally found out<i> exactly</i> what my problem is!" Before I know more details, I generally won't believe the solution to their problem is as simple as they think.<br />
<br />
Take for example exhibit A: <b>cytomegalovirus (CMV)</b>. This virus has come to the fore due to (Salomon) athlete <a href="http://www.nealgorman.com/">Neal Gorman</a>. He is an ultrarunner who was trying to figure our why he was feeling so tired and sluggish. He is NOT an athlete who contacted me for advice so I feel I can safely use him as an example without risking a breach of doctor-patient confidentiality. He was diagnosed with CMV. Normally this virus does not cause symptoms in healthy adults. He however had 1. elevated liver function tests and 2. the specific type of antibody which indicated active disease. He was given what appears to be the correct diagnosis by a very astute clinician who knew to look for this illness.<br />
<br />
However, the underlying question is <i>why</i>. Why should a young, otherwise healthy adult get active disease (symptoms) from CMV when adults with normal immune systems who are exposed to the disease and don't react? He discusses openly his lack of sleep leading up to it. We can only speculate how much months of years of hard training led to a compromised immune system. (we already know the immune system of ultra runners is compromised following ultras - aka the "window" for infection of 3-72 hours, but what are the more long-term effects on the immune system?).<br />
<br />
Read this article on Irunfar about the importance of <a href="http://www.irunfar.com/2013/12/sleep-and-running-performance.html">sleep</a>. Read these articles about <b>overtraining</b>: <a href="http://www.irunfar.com/2013/09/overtraining-syndrome-part-one.html">1</a>., <a href="http://www.irunfar.com/2013/10/overtraining-syndrome-part-two-treatment-and-prevention.html">2</a>,<a href="http://www.irunfar.com/2013/11/overtraining-syndrome-part-three.html"> 3</a>. I can not emphasize enough though that overtraining is far from simple itself. There are so many things that can predispose to it - or push a person over into having symptoms, but training is the one necessary component. (November 2012 when I went to the Urgent Care with lymph nodes and spit glands the size of fists, of course the doctor had no clue what he was dealing with - so we endurance athletes need to help care for each other and create awareness within our sport/s - and if it is our field of training and interest, contribute to high quality, non-biased research)<br />
<br />
2. Take basically any viral or bacterial illness: <b>pneumonia, mono</b> (which, for some unexplained reason my 38 year old husband has - again, normally this is a disease of college students),<b> sinusitis, any upper respiratory</b> illness. The list goes on and on. Ultrarunners are NOT just exceedingly unlucky.<br />
<br />
Let's face it: if we want to train to run ultramarathons, we have to get 1. adequate sleep (preferably 8 hours a night) 2. variation in our training and 3. avoid overtraining - ie, not just getting miles in for the sake of miles -or running too many ultras so we fail end the year with excess energy. (for once I AM ending this year with excess energy!) - that is the whole POINT of running: to get energy, to feel better!<br />
<br />
3. <b>Anemia</b> (lack of red blood cells): I am including this because it seems almost every female runner I know suffers from it.<br />
<br />
There are so many reasons for anemia in runners (and non-runners). Especially females. Sure, the ladies bleed regularly, but there is a small amount of bleeding from the GI tract every time you run and probably small amounts from muscle (that would escape through the urine). Then there is the increased need for iron, often not met with adequate dietary intake. Finally, there may be an element of gluten sensitivity (the amazingly complicated "story of wheat" and it's role in human disease remains to be fully elucidated, but I have a suspicion, though no proof it is contributing to anemia). I would be amiss if I did not also mention alcohol, which is toxic to the bone marrow. Finally if you add to this upper GI distress, ulcers, GERD, there is probably microscopic bleeding due to that as well.<br />
<br />
I have previously been hospitalized with anemia (I was a 70 mile/week runner at the time). The thing that really confused the doctors was that I did not menstruate (how can a female who doesn't menstruate be anemic?). I learned a lot about anemia through this hospitalization. Normally they would have sent me home saying "sorry about your heavy periods", but a critical level of hemoglobin in a female who didn't menstruate was- well -freaky.<br />
<br />
They sent me to get an upper endoscopy and colonoscopy and there was "nothing wrong". I almost got a bone marrow biopsy - and they might have muttered the word "cancer". At 23 years of age, it seemed wild.<br />
<br />
I have now not been anemic for years. And what I have done is - improve my diet (increased protein & iron), given up gluten and take probiotics daily. (I am NOT saying this is your solution, but it was mine and it took years for me to find this solution.). And by the way, I DO menstruate now - barely, but it's there.<br />
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4. <b>Depression</b>. I am not sure if depression, fatigue or recurrent viral illnesses is the most frequent problem among endurance athletes, but the big D is certainly the most important one to discuss.<br />
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Depression also scares doctors (like it scares everyone). I am going to go out on a limb and say that ultra runners in particular may have depression tendencies (or mood disorders) to begin with. One of the most amazing things about running is it is a mood stabilizer/improver. And by the way, I just read that "dirt" - just breathing it in - can be like a dose of prozac. Nice.<br />
<br />
I have on multiple occasions been forthright about why I started running - and that was because I could not sleep. And no sleep = depression no matter what kind of genes you have.<br />
<br />
There are so many reasons a person can become depressed. There is no doubt that there are genetic tendencies towards depression. But there are also clear triggers and aggravators.<br />
<br />
Again, I know this first hand. It probably would be a really difficult subject to write about depression if I didn't.<br />
<br />
Two years ago at Christmas, I had lost a lot of weight. I had also run a lot of long races post-partum. I am well aware that setting a marathon PR 2½ months post-partum is not "normal", but it was so dang gratifying to me. I had no clue the cycles of mania and depression it would send me on (I had experienced them before, but never so rapidly or to that extreme). I don't even know if it was the post-pregnancy training alone - probably that in combination with hormonal swings, weight loss, lack of sleep and the stress of constantly moving between countries and doing a PhD. But it is clear that 1. overtraining and 2. rapid weight loss/low BMI are triggers for my "bipolar". I do not even know if it can be called "bipolar" with these as triggers, but I do not doubt that everyone has triggers for their depression (or mania) and that mood and other psychiatric disorders can be to a certain extent managed by identifying triggers.<br />
<br />
I also noticed that depression tends to be worse around Christmas. Two Christmases ago I was in a hopeless state. Last Christmas I felt I was getting better, but could not stop crying at two Christmas parties in Denmark--- I had to go hide in bedrooms. I was even diagnosed with major depression but then went back to the doctor a few weeks later and it was - gone. (I have to mention my sister in law, Beverley, a psychologist, who helped me enormously at this time last year).<br />
<br />
There are a lot of things around Christmas that lead us to depression (the expectation of being happy, low Vit D, fatigue, loss of control) which is why I chose to write this post today.<br />
<br />
And that brings me to the last health problem of this post: <b>injury</b>. In ultra running or long-distance triathlon, injury is so rarely "if only I hadn't stepped in that pothole". Injury is repeated misuse of the body without adequate rest, cross training, healthy diet and sleep.<br />
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I can not encourage you all enough to get into a good pattern that you can stick to the rest of your life.<br />
<br />
The last two weeks I have been on constant cross training (I have only run twice). I absolutely love cross-country skiing, snow shoeing - and you throw swimming and yoga in there and I am as happy as a clam. I thought today - if there were beautiful powder snow all year long, I might never run again. (of course I would)<br />
<br />
Over the last year, I have been the healthiest I have been since I can remember. As far back in my memory as I can go as a child, I suffered from stomach problems. I have been injured every year -except this one - since I was 22. This year, no injury has lasted longer than a week. I have the old hip problem, but it is improving. Folks, this is not just luck. I even stopped at Desert Solstice 24 hour in time (after 50k) before doing any permanent damage. I know that it was not my achilles per se that was acting up, but a long season of hard ultras (and improvement I never dreamed of) and a body that needed a break.<br />
<br />
Here is a brief list of a combination of things that led to a healthier, happier (and faster) year:<br />
<br />
1. Giving up wheat and taking probiotics and well as generally cleaning up my diet (no artificial sugars, no high fructose corn syrup) has apparently helped.<br />
But it is not just this.<br />
<br />
2. I have changed my running style to pose - so the stress is more on the muscles than the joints. I may land on my heal some (most) of the time, but at least my knee is bent so my hips and back aren't taking the brunt of the stress. And it is a more efficient style with more rapid cadence.<br />
<br />
3. And it's not JUST running style, it is respect of the body and knowing when it is time to rest.<br />
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4. It is also prophylactic rest. Don't run every day. Take at least a day off a week. Some people say do nothing, but I say cross train. Nothing super hard, but just get out there are use your muscles differently. And I am really feeling great with this couple weeks of cross training. I know Chrissie Wellington, Kilian Jornet, etc. recommend an "off-season"<br />
<br />
5. Sleep. (and sleep well- no caffeine in the afternoon or night. And NO BABIES ;-)) There is a Flaming Lips Song that says - "you have to sleep late when you can and all your bad days will end". I love this song, but the real truth is, you have to sleep <i>early</i> when you can. If we had not gotten an au pair, I never would have started achieving this!! (hard to underestimate the importance of this on my health these past 6 months!)<br />
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On that note, my family and I should probably sleep. But I have to say how thrilled I am to for the first time in 3 years to NOT be depressed on Christmas.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Rz4XvIvhNN0/UruXnMh4NUI/AAAAAAAAEx0/77pShfpclj8/s1600/boystree.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Rz4XvIvhNN0/UruXnMh4NUI/AAAAAAAAEx0/77pShfpclj8/s1600/boystree.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">SLG, Mattias, Meow, Christian. Christmas Eve.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XtdZXR3OYp4/UruXxJyJivI/AAAAAAAAEx8/RX9pZf6vKwI/s1600/joyce.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XtdZXR3OYp4/UruXxJyJivI/AAAAAAAAEx8/RX9pZf6vKwI/s1600/joyce.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Grandma Joyce, Mom, Christian, Emily, SLG, Mattias &; Meow</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KN4_21sgNiI/UruX1DzItbI/AAAAAAAAEyE/uUkPWKtjPZ0/s1600/nashotaskixmas2013.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KN4_21sgNiI/UruX1DzItbI/AAAAAAAAEyE/uUkPWKtjPZ0/s1600/nashotaskixmas2013.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nashota Park today. 15k skate ski. The thing I didn't know about skate skiing was how awesome it is as a workout of core stabilizing muscles. I actually didn't know what it felt like to have sore core stabilizers before beginning skate skiing. Will I be ready for the 50k Birkie on Feb 22nd? (I doubt it!)</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Kf4UL0JzQbk/UruX69ey_DI/AAAAAAAAEyM/n_xFY2-0KbI/s1600/northlake1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Kf4UL0JzQbk/UruX69ey_DI/AAAAAAAAEyM/n_xFY2-0KbI/s1600/northlake1.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Snowshoe running + sled surfing with Christian on North Lake.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="300" src="https://scontent-a-dfw.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/1506564_10201718785384645_1633444158_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Out skate skiing with SR before he knew he had mono! We miss you SR and wish you weren't working seven 12 hour shifts in a row!</td></tr>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
Final note: if you are interested in learning about advancements in health-related research in ultra running, you may consider attending the <a href="http://www.wser.org/research-conference/">Medicine & Science in Ultra Endurance Sports conference </a>in Squaw Valley June 24th-25th. I will be there and this is one of the few (if not only) venues for discussing heath as exclusively related to endurance exercise. I only hope that I can run Western States the weekend after (that will require placing in the top 3 females at the <a href="http://www.iceagetrail50.com/site/">Ice Age Trail 50 miler</a>).<br />
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Running/Skiing Song of the Day: so happy to run across an old fave "Stutter" by Elastica.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="180" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/0ie4x8hWYYE?feature=player_detailpage" width="320"></iframe>sea legs girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14782712411873234071noreply@blogger.com23tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-834846832861622672.post-9634996871731239842013-12-12T05:09:00.000+01:002013-12-12T05:27:09.555+01:00National Identity, more on Desert Solstice and the simple goal of running wellI am the type of person who spends an inordinate amount of time thinking about things like which national jersey I should wear to the Desert Solstice 24 race on Saturday. In reality, I don't have a Danish national jersey, I am not Danish and most likely will never be unless the important people of the government decide to allow double citizenship (yes, the US, along with almost every European country, allows double citizenship - and it would make our lives a lot easier if SR and I didn't have to hold jobs and addresses in each other's countries to follow the rules of our residency cards!). Of course I could write a lot more about this, but I won't. I don't have a passion for writing about laws even though I have a passion for being both Danish and American. To solve the clothing dilemma, of course I will wear Salomon. They are a company I believe in, make products I love and trust and they have supported me and their athletes in both good and challenging times. Salomon is a company that transcends national boundaries and is simply about the joy of trail running, skiing and hiking out in the amazing nature of our planet. In fact, part of what I love about Denmark is what Salomon has helped do for trail running there!<br />
<br />
Two nights ago I dreamt I was running this Saturday's <a href="http://www.aravaiparunning.com/desert-solstice/">Desert Solstice</a> and was in terrible pain. Today, I feel no pressure and only hope I can run for 24 hours without getting injured. It is an exciting opportunity, this. I'm not really sure how I feel about the fact there is a <a href="http://www.aravaiparunning.com/ultracast/">webcam</a>. I'm not really sure how I feel about the fact that I am interviewing for a residency spot on Friday at University of Minnesota and on Monday and UC-Irvine (okay, I'm nervous)! This is all a lot to take in. By the way, I would not be able to do any of this without our Au Pair, Nanna - not to mention SR, who just tossed a Danish jersey singlet on my lap. <br />
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Here is the startlist for Desert Solstice:<br />
<br />
2013 Desert Solstice Entrants<br />
<br />
<table class="tables table-medium highlight-row" style="background-color: white; border-collapse: collapse; border-spacing: 0px; border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); color: #777777; font-family: 'lucida grande', 'lucida sans unicode', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; width: 601px;"><thead style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<tr style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><th class="center" style="background-color: #666666; background-image: url(http://www.aravaiparunning.com/avr/wp-content/themes/lunar/images/light-navi.png); background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: repeat no-repeat; border: 1px solid rgb(127, 127, 127); color: white; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 10px; text-align: center;">Name</th><th style="background-color: #666666; background-image: url(http://www.aravaiparunning.com/avr/wp-content/themes/lunar/images/light-navi.png); background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: repeat no-repeat; border: 1px solid rgb(127, 127, 127); color: white; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 10px; text-align: center;">Notable PR</th><th style="background-color: #666666; background-image: url(http://www.aravaiparunning.com/avr/wp-content/themes/lunar/images/light-navi.png); background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: repeat no-repeat; border: 1px solid rgb(127, 127, 127); color: white; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 10px; text-align: center;">Other Highlight</th><th style="background-color: #666666; background-image: url(http://www.aravaiparunning.com/avr/wp-content/themes/lunar/images/light-navi.png); background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: repeat no-repeat; border: 1px solid rgb(127, 127, 127); color: white; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 10px; text-align: center;">Nationality</th></tr>
</thead><tbody style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<tr style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><td class="center" style="border: 1px solid rgb(127, 127, 127); margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 5px; text-align: center; vertical-align: top;">Jennifer Aradi</td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(127, 127, 127); margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 5px; text-align: center; vertical-align: top;">128.1 Miles (24 Hour)</td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(127, 127, 127); margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 5px; text-align: center; vertical-align: top;">2012 Heartland 100 Winner</td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(127, 127, 127); margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 5px; text-align: center; vertical-align: top;">USA</td></tr>
<tr style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><td class="center" style="border: 1px solid rgb(127, 127, 127); margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 5px; text-align: center; vertical-align: top;">Zach Bitter</td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(127, 127, 127); margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 5px; text-align: center; vertical-align: top;">5:12:36 (50 Miles)</td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(127, 127, 127); margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 5px; text-align: center; vertical-align: top;">2012 50 Mile National Champion</td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(127, 127, 127); margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 5px; text-align: center; vertical-align: top;">USA</td></tr>
<tr style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><td class="center" style="border: 1px solid rgb(127, 127, 127); margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 5px; text-align: center; vertical-align: top;">Eric Clifton</td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(127, 127, 127); margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 5px; text-align: center; vertical-align: top;">13:16:02 (100 Miles)</td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(127, 127, 127); margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 5px; text-align: center; vertical-align: top;">Former JFK Course Record Holder</td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(127, 127, 127); margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 5px; text-align: center; vertical-align: top;">USA</td></tr>
<tr style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><td class="center" style="border: 1px solid rgb(127, 127, 127); margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 5px; text-align: center; vertical-align: top;">Anthony Culpepper</td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(127, 127, 127); margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 5px; text-align: center; vertical-align: top;">82.39 Miles (12 Hour)</td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(127, 127, 127); margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 5px; text-align: center; vertical-align: top;">2013 Beyond Limits 100 Winner</td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(127, 127, 127); margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 5px; text-align: center; vertical-align: top;">USA</td></tr>
<tr style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><td class="center" style="border: 1px solid rgb(127, 127, 127); margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 5px; text-align: center; vertical-align: top;">Ed Ettinghausen</td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(127, 127, 127); margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 5px; text-align: center; vertical-align: top;">135.7 (24 Hours)</td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(127, 127, 127); margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 5px; text-align: center; vertical-align: top;">52 Lifetime 100 Mile Finishes</td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(127, 127, 127); margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 5px; text-align: center; vertical-align: top;">USA</td></tr>
<tr style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><td class="center" style="border: 1px solid rgb(127, 127, 127); margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 5px; text-align: center; vertical-align: top;">Anthony Forsyth</td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(127, 127, 127); margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 5px; text-align: center; vertical-align: top;">16:03:47 (100 Miles)</td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(127, 127, 127); margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 5px; text-align: center; vertical-align: top;">2013 Beyond Limits 50 Winner</td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(127, 127, 127); margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 5px; text-align: center; vertical-align: top;">UK</td></tr>
<tr style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><td class="center" style="border: 1px solid rgb(127, 127, 127); margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 5px; text-align: center; vertical-align: top;">Connie Gardner</td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(127, 127, 127); margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 5px; text-align: center; vertical-align: top;">149.368 Miles (24 Hours)</td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(127, 127, 127); margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 5px; text-align: center; vertical-align: top;">Former American 24 Hour Record Holder</td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(127, 127, 127); margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 5px; text-align: center; vertical-align: top;">USA</td></tr>
<tr style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><td class="center" style="border: 1px solid rgb(127, 127, 127); margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 5px; text-align: center; vertical-align: top;">Tracy Høeg</td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(127, 127, 127); margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 5px; text-align: center; vertical-align: top;">43 Miles (6 Hours)</td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(127, 127, 127); margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 5px; text-align: center; vertical-align: top;">2013 Salomon Hammer 100 Mile Winner</td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(127, 127, 127); margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 5px; text-align: center; vertical-align: top;">USA</td></tr>
<tr style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><td class="center" style="border: 1px solid rgb(127, 127, 127); margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 5px; text-align: center; vertical-align: top;">Deb Horn</td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(127, 127, 127); margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 5px; text-align: center; vertical-align: top;">134.45 Miles (24 Hours)</td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(127, 127, 127); margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 5px; text-align: center; vertical-align: top;">Multiple Time Team USA 24 Hour</td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(127, 127, 127); margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 5px; text-align: center; vertical-align: top;">USA</td></tr>
<tr style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><td class="center" style="border: 1px solid rgb(127, 127, 127); margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 5px; text-align: center; vertical-align: top;">Carilyn Johnson</td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(127, 127, 127); margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 5px; text-align: center; vertical-align: top;">130.92 Miles (24 Hours)</td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(127, 127, 127); margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 5px; text-align: center; vertical-align: top;">Multiple Time Team USA 24 Hour</td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(127, 127, 127); margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 5px; text-align: center; vertical-align: top;">USA</td></tr>
<tr style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><td class="center" style="border: 1px solid rgb(127, 127, 127); margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 5px; text-align: center; vertical-align: top;">Olivier Leblond</td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(127, 127, 127); margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 5px; text-align: center; vertical-align: top;">14:33:25 (100 Miles)</td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(127, 127, 127); margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 5px; text-align: center; vertical-align: top;">2012 Old Dominion 100 Winner</td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(127, 127, 127); margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 5px; text-align: center; vertical-align: top;">USA</td></tr>
<tr style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><td class="center" style="border: 1px solid rgb(127, 127, 127); margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 5px; text-align: center; vertical-align: top;">John Maas</td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(127, 127, 127); margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 5px; text-align: center; vertical-align: top;">15:37:23 (100 Miles)</td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(127, 127, 127); margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 5px; text-align: center; vertical-align: top;">2013 Kettle Moraine 100 Winner</td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(127, 127, 127); margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 5px; text-align: center; vertical-align: top;">USA</td></tr>
<tr style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><td class="center" style="border: 1px solid rgb(127, 127, 127); margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 5px; text-align: center; vertical-align: top;">Beth McCurdy</td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(127, 127, 127); margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 5px; text-align: center; vertical-align: top;">122.55 Miles (24 Hour)</td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(127, 127, 127); margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 5px; text-align: center; vertical-align: top;">2012 North Coast 24 Runner Up</td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(127, 127, 127); margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 5px; text-align: center; vertical-align: top;">USA</td></tr>
<tr style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><td class="center" style="border: 1px solid rgb(127, 127, 127); margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 5px; text-align: center; vertical-align: top;">Padraig Mullins</td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(127, 127, 127); margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 5px; text-align: center; vertical-align: top;">8:42 (100 KM)</td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(127, 127, 127); margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 5px; text-align: center; vertical-align: top;">2 Time Lake Waramug 100k Winner</td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(127, 127, 127); margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 5px; text-align: center; vertical-align: top;">Ireland</td></tr>
<tr style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><td class="center" style="border: 1px solid rgb(127, 127, 127); margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 5px; text-align: center; vertical-align: top;">Kristina Pham</td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(127, 127, 127); margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 5px; text-align: center; vertical-align: top;"></td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(127, 127, 127); margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 5px; text-align: center; vertical-align: top;"></td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(127, 127, 127); margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 5px; text-align: center; vertical-align: top;">USA</td></tr>
<tr style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><td class="center" style="border: 1px solid rgb(127, 127, 127); margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 5px; text-align: center; vertical-align: top;">Roy Pirrung</td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(127, 127, 127); margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 5px; text-align: center; vertical-align: top;">154 Miles (24 Hours)</td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(127, 127, 127); margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 5px; text-align: center; vertical-align: top;">World Age Group Record Holder</td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(127, 127, 127); margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 5px; text-align: center; vertical-align: top;">USA</td></tr>
<tr style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><td class="center" style="border: 1px solid rgb(127, 127, 127); margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 5px; text-align: center; vertical-align: top;">David Ploskonka</td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(127, 127, 127); margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 5px; text-align: center; vertical-align: top;">134.3 Miles (24 Hours)</td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(127, 127, 127); margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 5px; text-align: center; vertical-align: top;">2010 Beast of Burden 100 Mile Winner</td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(127, 127, 127); margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 5px; text-align: center; vertical-align: top;">USA</td></tr>
<tr style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><td class="center" style="border: 1px solid rgb(127, 127, 127); margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 5px; text-align: center; vertical-align: top;">Pam Smith</td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(127, 127, 127); margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 5px; text-align: center; vertical-align: top;">15:01:40 (100 Mile)</td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(127, 127, 127); margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 5px; text-align: center; vertical-align: top;">4th Fastest North American 100 Miler</td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(127, 127, 127); margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 5px; text-align: center; vertical-align: top;">USA</td></tr>
<tr style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><td class="center" style="border: 1px solid rgb(127, 127, 127); margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 5px; text-align: center; vertical-align: top;">Jay Smithberger</td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(127, 127, 127); margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 5px; text-align: center; vertical-align: top;">13:49:13 (100 Mile)</td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(127, 127, 127); margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 5px; text-align: center; vertical-align: top;">3rd Place 2012 Desert Solstice 100</td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(127, 127, 127); margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 5px; text-align: center; vertical-align: top;">USA</td></tr>
<tr style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><td class="center" style="border: 1px solid rgb(127, 127, 127); margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 5px; text-align: center; vertical-align: top;">John Ticer</td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(127, 127, 127); margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 5px; text-align: center; vertical-align: top;">16:35:45 (100 Mile)</td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(127, 127, 127); margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 5px; text-align: center; vertical-align: top;">2010 24 Hour AG National Champion</td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(127, 127, 127); margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 5px; text-align: center; vertical-align: top;">USA</td></tr>
<tr style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><td class="center" style="border: 1px solid rgb(127, 127, 127); margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 5px; text-align: center; vertical-align: top;">Victor Vella</td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(127, 127, 127); margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 5px; text-align: center; vertical-align: top;">34:29:40 (Spartathlon)</td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(127, 127, 127); margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 5px; text-align: center; vertical-align: top;">National Age Group Record Holder</td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(127, 127, 127); margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 5px; text-align: center; vertical-align: top;">Malta</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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The race director, Nick Coury, wrote a very informative<a href="http://www.irunfar.com/2013/12/the-rise-of-american-ultrarunning-speed.html"> piece </a>on irunfar as a lead up to this Saturday's race, which includes an interesting history about 100 mile and 24 hour American records. Of course it will be exciting to see what Pam Smith can do (if she can break the track 24 hour American record) and if Zach Bitter can run a 100 mile American record. Pam, her husband and I will be staying together then night before and I hope at least some of her aura (don't be freaked, Pam) will rub off on me. Of course I can not be better than I am; I can only be the best I can be at this time. And that is pretty low-pressure and purposely vague, which is fine with me. No one is watching me and no one knows me. (Let's keep it that way)<br />
<br />
Back to Nick Coury. He has been emailing all of us about exactly what he can buy for us to have at the aid station. If we are cold- they have extra jackets, if we need pacing, they are there to calculate, if we want Thai food at 2am, they'll get it- or something like that. And now we are all invited out to dinner the night before.<br />
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By the way, I love Duluth in the cold. On the way back from Virginia, driving with SR, Nanna and the kids, we saw amazing northern lights.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="224" src="http://suethomas.ca/images/Yukon/20121007_Aurora_119A.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The nothern lights we saw looked like this. They were green because the wind from the sun was blowing through the weak spots in the magnetic field at the north pole and reacting with the oxygen in the atmosphere. Had they been reacting with the nitrogen, the northern lights would have been bluer/purpler and higher up in the atmosphere. It's intuitively obvious, really. What I never knew about aurora borealis is the lights and pattern change constantly (mostly it gets brighter and dimmer)! It is incredible. Like a sea of sun spot wind (an analogy we can all relate to).</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Yesterday it was -5F/-21 C<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-c1FFeCNXBd4/Uqe2qscM2vI/AAAAAAAAExU/ncUmIST7_HE/s1600/duluthdec10th.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-c1FFeCNXBd4/Uqe2qscM2vI/AAAAAAAAExU/ncUmIST7_HE/s400/duluthdec10th.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
And today's photo from -10F/-23C is the new header. Spectacular. Nothing makes Lake Superior look more beautiful than the dry, clear air, bright sun and steam from the warm water.<br />
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One more thing.<br />
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I read this <a href="http://www.posetech.com/training/archives/000547.html">article</a> last night by Dr. Nicholas Romanov and it made so much sense to me! Why would you have a goal of running a marathon before you have learned to run well? I was exactly one of those people who never learned to run and was convinced to sign up for a marathon before I had even run a 5k. Sure it was fun and I had a runner's high at the end, but then I was injured for months afterwards. And for what? To tell people I had run a marathon? Pointless.<br />
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Would you try to play a concerto before you had learned the notes of the piano? Before you have learned to play chords and each scale? I don't know. Maybe. But you are sure making your life difficult. Plus it will sound like crap. And when it is not just your fingers, but your entire body, you are risking injury if not worse. Just something to consider.<br />
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Where I am right now-- my goal is simply to be <i>good</i> at running. This is a very satisfying and understandable goal. It has intrinsic value. Like, I want to be a <i>good </i>painter (okay I don't really) rather than paint 100 enormous murals before I have really learned to paint. (Maybe I should learn to write before writing this blog?!)<br />
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I leave you with some pictures of First Landing State Park in Virginia Beach, the site of the first landing of Jamestown Colonists in 1607.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="300" src="https://scontent-a-ord.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-frc3/1451977_10201649923663145_321818676_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Spanish Moss on the trees, plant identification by Pam Smith</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="300" src="https://scontent-b-ord.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn2/1098135_10201649922383113_1256309527_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I gained an understanding of why it was called the "tidewater area"</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div>
On my way to the plane, I showered at the<a href="http://www.zenhotyogavb.com/"> Zen hot yoga studio</a> in Virgina Beach- one of the nicest showers I have ever experienced! Yogis are such awesome people. And they like nice shampoo and soap.</div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="195" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/P8a4iiOnzsc" width="320"></iframe>sea legs girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14782712411873234071noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-834846832861622672.post-6821897000510995542013-12-07T05:10:00.001+01:002013-12-07T05:42:16.892+01:00Interview Report: State of the American Health Care System 2013<span style="background-color: #f9f9f9;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Let America be the dream the dreamers dreamed— Let it be that great strong land of love Where never kings connive nor tyrants scheme That any man be crushed by one above. (It never was America to me.)...I am the immigrant clutching the hope I seek— And finding only the same old stupid plan Of dog eat dog, of mighty crush the weak.</i> Langston Hughes - Let America be America Again</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #f9f9f9;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Aren't we all really Langston Hughes? As I walked out of hot yoga and ran back to my hotel in Virginia, I saw my white woman afro in my iPhone and it was good.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #f9f9f9;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Yes so here we are- back in the US, 5 years later. Me, the American and my Danish husband and boys.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #f9f9f9;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: #f9f9f9;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Here I am- applying for a residency position again - to be a doctor (with a specialty, which I can use to get a job in both the US and Denmark). Denmark recognizes US degrees but not vice versa. 6 years later. I've been through this before, matched at my first choice, got pregnant had to drop out to live with SR (living alone with a baby while working 80 hours a week with only15 days maternity leave seemed wrong in every way)- never thought I'd be granted another chance but I was.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #f9f9f9;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">8 interviews. That's the minimum they say you can go on to guarantee a residency position in "the match" - and how I'm spending my fall and winter (we all learn where we will go in March based on how we rank the programs and how they rank us). I am applying to Physical Medicine and Rehab - a small specialty and a field of medicine that by its very nature fights the "throw surgery at it as first line therapy, always go for the most expensive procedure (before trying to change your life)", that I am and so many others are fighting in American medicine. Only businessmen want that model, but doctors are fooled into thinking expensive is best because it is tradition and large clinical trials are funded by pharmaceutical and medical equipment companies. </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #f9f9f9;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Capitalism never did much for human rights.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">And even "not for profit" hospitals use their millions of dollars of extra money to build fancy new buildings and buy expensive, inspiring art, etc - rather than entering it into a shared pool of money that could provide medical care for all. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: #f9f9f9;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: #f9f9f9;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">BUT, let there be no doubt that doctors are good people. Heck, they sacrifice their lives - voluntarily work 80 hours a week at less than minimum wage (during residency) to have the privilege to heal (as one very prophetic vascular surgeon with a great sense of humor once said to me - "in residency, they break your spine, then you stop caring about your own life".) And it <i>is</i> a huge privilege to care for the sick and dying. We all think it, otherwise we WOULD become yoga instructors, coaches or professional athletes (to name some random examples). I think about it as I spend our money and my vacation time going from interview to interview (I just drove from Pennsylvania to Virginia yesterday) and one hour ago took my first shower in three days (don't ask me how I got out of the four feet of snow in Duluth). And I think - what are the boys doing now? How I want to just hold them. And couldn't this interview system be a bit simpler? Like couldn't I just go to an interview and then they decide whether or not I am hired like any other type of job???</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: #f9f9f9;">On the interview trail, I have seen a sad trend: the hospitals and administrative buildings are bigger and more awe-inspiring than they were 5 years ago. There is more "state of the art" care everywhere. The rich get tailored, expensive, very expensive, often futile medical treatments, while the poor die from cancer that could have been cured - but they had no health insurance</span><span style="background-color: #f9f9f9;">. Or the poor GET the health care and then end up spending the rest of their lives paying for it. IT IS WRONG AND I AM NOT IMPRESSED.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #f9f9f9;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: #f9f9f9;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Is this America? Yes.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #f9f9f9;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: #f9f9f9;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Is this what American doctors want? No. Is this what Americans want? No.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #f9f9f9;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: #f9f9f9;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Day in and out I am struck - by how caring and passionate the young (and not so young) physicians are I meet. Healing is an art as pure as music and painting and dancing. I can't remember the last time I met a physician who went into it "for the money". I, for one, am still paying off my medical school debt.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #f9f9f9;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">As I asked the other residents I interviewed with today: Is medical care a human right? Well, we all agreed. Yes, yes, yes. How can America deny its citizens of a basic human right? Is America a first or third world country?</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Well, in case you were wondering i HAVE the answer (and think it is better than Obamacare): extend the VA system (for veterans) to cover every American. Basic and preventive care. It works. Its cheap. Call me a socialist, I don't care. I have been a dedicated socialist since I was 19 years old. But more than this, I can't forget being in Denmark where medicine was about figuring out how to treat everyone. I can't forget it and why should I? It was the right thing to do. Medicine shouldn't be about impressing (and getting money from) the rich. It should be a basic human right. It's kind of incredible that none of the medical students interviewing with me could afford their own health insurance.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Medicine is not the flashy job it maybe used to be - but it is more competitive than ever - because at least it gives you the chance to get a job with health care. And a job where you can change peoples' lives for the better. Provided you truly care about healing and not throwing expensive bandaids at everything. And we all learned in medical school (and kindergarten) to care about the first.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Nd1ZBXtfFQk/UqKH5gCkpII/AAAAAAAAEws/okzRiFD-LHI/s1600/pastydancer.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Nd1ZBXtfFQk/UqKH5gCkpII/AAAAAAAAEws/okzRiFD-LHI/s320/pastydancer.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pasty mom on the interview trail - sad to see the closed and broken down Virginia Ballet Theater. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cRTfBCzpVQg/UqKH8347HnI/AAAAAAAAEw0/kNN84HSh38A/s1600/muktar.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cRTfBCzpVQg/UqKH8347HnI/AAAAAAAAEw0/kNN84HSh38A/s320/muktar.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Boonsboro, Maryland with Muktar, the fastest Ethiopian gas station attendant along the Appalachian trail to ever give me training advice and true stories of Haile. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9LrmNAGm5a8/UqKJBT5kucI/AAAAAAAAExE/zVNl2qYmoYo/s1600/blowstreet.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9LrmNAGm5a8/UqKJBT5kucI/AAAAAAAAExE/zVNl2qYmoYo/s320/blowstreet.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Blow Street (it was 70 degrees in VA today) so I pranced around in a tank top while my husband and kids couldn't get the car out of 4 feet of snow in Duluth, in -20 F, not to mention the wind chill.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-nE_4NiZmaPI/UqKIFI-DJqI/AAAAAAAAEw8/teClGRGLsoA/s1600/boysdec2013.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-nE_4NiZmaPI/UqKIFI-DJqI/AAAAAAAAEw8/teClGRGLsoA/s320/boysdec2013.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Well, Christian's hand says it all. It is too bad Kaj, the frog, has to sleep like that all night, though. (I wish I had seen this in real life.)</td></tr>
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Song that my hotel neighbor played tonight while talking with his girlfriend on the phone about free diving (seriously, we humans have so much in common).<br />
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Sweater Weather by The Neighborhood.<br />
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Fun fact- I interviewed with a young female doc today who ran track for North Carolina State and ran the 400 meter in 55 seconds. It is always exciting to meet someone who is (was) too fast for a treadmill and is a "real" runner :-).<br />
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Obligatory Nelson Mandela quote: "Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world".<br />
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That's right. Education and health care. Two basic human rights. Can we agree on that?<br />
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<span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; font-family: verdana, arial, 'lucida sans', helvetica, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><br /></span>sea legs girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14782712411873234071noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-834846832861622672.post-35160695871924209922013-12-03T02:32:00.000+01:002013-12-03T05:31:26.057+01:00Medicine in Running Part 1 and a 24 Hour RaceI have learned a lot about running in the past year. One of the most imporant things I have gotten out of my new training plan and the copious reading (and training) I have done is how much running is really about self-discovery and meditation and how little it is about arbitrary goals of distance and time.<br />
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I always knew there was something about those American bumper stickers that said 13.1 and 26.2, etc. that didn't sit right with me.<br />
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I want to write this post in a way that doesn't make me seem like a know it all. As always, this blog is a collection of stories and not a manual or textbook. When I gave my talk at Marathon Sport a few weeks ago about research, medicine and training in running, I realized that I am not very good a following templates or formulae. A lot of people strive to "think outside of the box" and I find myself asking "what the hell box are they talking about and how do I think inside of it?"<br />
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However, it is really hard to talk about medicine in a Jack Kerouac free-association, "I write to the beat of the contrabass" style. (as much as I would like to)<br />
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So let me at least attempt to organize my thoughts.(I have to point out that I was conceiving of this blog post while practicing free-diving today, so there may have been less oxygen getting to my brain)<br />
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Rule number 1: <b>Running should heal you, not break you down.</b><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7d-BX_aU_5g/Up0mM22HVlI/AAAAAAAAEwM/GtiLx2UMMnA/s1600/bagley.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7d-BX_aU_5g/Up0mM22HVlI/AAAAAAAAEwM/GtiLx2UMMnA/s320/bagley.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">12km with the NMTC at Bagley Nature Area</td></tr>
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Listen to your body. I have run very few miles in the last week. My hardest run was 5km + 3km at 6:25/mile pace with 2 min break.<br />
Longest was 12km with the Northern Minnesota Track Club.<br />
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Some weeks are harder for running and some easier. I love incorporating strength training into my weekly routine and lately have been more into this than running. I think my body needs a break after the 6 hour run and before the Desert Solstice 24 hour run.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VkfTBVc9kEE/Up0lD39GT5I/AAAAAAAAEv8/s1mqm10itww/s1600/evolve-kickyourass.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VkfTBVc9kEE/Up0lD39GT5I/AAAAAAAAEv8/s1mqm10itww/s320/evolve-kickyourass.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is the picture I like to call "I can kick your ass but choose not to"</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="400" src="http://www.crossfitinvictus.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/Kinney2-e1380739158897.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="300" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My favorite move lately (not me) is getting into this position then putting my knees on my elbows, going up into a head and then handstand. Then if I am along the wall I do handstand pushups. It seems much less injurious than pull-ups (which Ole had on my training plan- and I couldn't do!). </td></tr>
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As mentioned above, I've also recently gotten into swimming under water for as long as I can without coming up for air. I am so fascinated with the sport of free diving (ever since reading about the tragic death of Nicholas Mervoli). It really keeps the lifeguards at the YMCA on edge.<br />
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2. <b>If you learn proper running technique, you can run forever.</b><br />
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One of the biggest advantages of being able to read Scandinavian languages is I can read all of the discussions about running theory that never get translated into English. There is so much talk about the importance of running technique. Pose, chi, natural. If you shorten your step, quicken your cadence and actively lift your legs so you land on flat feet/mid foot, you will take the pressure off your hips and knees and shift the stress to your muscles. You'll avoid serious injuries. Why this is not catching on more in the US, I'm not sure, but no doubt the money involved in surgeries for runners has something to do with it. Running technique is a skill, just like in swimming or piano, that needs to be learned if you want to turn running into a life long sport. I'm so glad I learned better tecnique this from Ole. I had been hearing about it for years but didn't understand the importance of it or how to do it.<br />
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Want to see the runner with my favorite technique? Here is Haile Gebreselassie being analyzed by Dr. Romanov (father or the pose method):<br />
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If we have another son, his name will be Haile.<br />
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3. <b>The most important rule about surgery for runners is there is no good surgery for runners.</b><br />
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See number 2. Just don't get into the situation where you need surgery. And if someone tells you you need surgery, try to change your running technique.<br />
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4. <b>Few joys in life can be compared to running (or doing kick-ass exercises) while pregnant, but after the baby is born, you are an injury waiting to happen.</b><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-d0RfiUrv948/Up0l6bGHNeI/AAAAAAAAEwE/ZPysng5JWoc/s1600/evolve-jhp.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-d0RfiUrv948/Up0l6bGHNeI/AAAAAAAAEwE/ZPysng5JWoc/s320/evolve-jhp.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I was totally amazed at the workout Jessie HP took us through (note the sweat). She wore me out and she is in her second trimester. She had initially been told to stop teaching her yoga shape class by her Ob-Gyn, but went for a second opinion. During her first trimester, she was told to monitor her temperature. (She never got over 99 in the heated room --- vasodilation in pregnancy keeps women from experiencing a rise in temperature while exercizing. I was happy she did this experiment, though). Now she is supposed to monitor her pulse. There is no reason for this, as far as I have read. Much better to listen to the body and if you get Braxton Hicks contractions to just back off. But nothing dangerous here. Just cool.</td></tr>
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After pregnancy, the hips and pelvis are moving back into place and it is such a set-up for injury. Look at me with all of my post-partum hip problems. Well, again, see number 2. Running technique. And develop a smart training plan, with a good balance of distance, strength, speed, cross-training and rest.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Gotta have it! :) CoreFX Black "Running for Two" Racerback Tank" src="http://media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/7e/e0/e4/7ee0e433cafc99d8c5610846bc73b83a.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I love this shirt. But is she wearing a bra?</td></tr>
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So, yeah, I'm running the <a href="http://www.aravaiparunning.com/desert-solstice/">Desert Solstice 24 hour </a>with <a href="http://theturtlepath.blogspot.com/">Pam Smith</a>. She is seriously the coolest. She just offered to go shopping for me! And she talked me into this. This is the equivalent of Usain Bolt convincing pathetic 200 meter runner buddy to toe the line with him. How could I say no? :-)<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://ultrarunnerpodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/Zena3M-copy.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pam Smith: Will she set the AR in the 200k or even the 24 hour race at Desert Solstice?</td></tr>
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Alright you guys, even though I know music tends to slow me down in races, I think I might enjoy it during those 24 hours. Any suggestions?<br />
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Here's a fun Danish song and video:<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="195" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/uabDFDmxaNk" width="320"></iframe>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="375" src="https://scontent-a-iad.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/1450970_10152415517413626_1762408405_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And a fun picture of Kenneth Andersen at the Winforce 100k by Martin Paldan</td></tr>
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<br />sea legs girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14782712411873234071noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-834846832861622672.post-43578939993209298332013-11-28T20:43:00.000+01:002013-11-29T01:03:26.113+01:00Tough Turkey<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I really should know better than to write a blog post when I am feeling so rueful. Especially on Thanksgiving. Sometimes I wonder about this holiday with its diffuse "thankfulness" that is used as an excuse to stuff ourselves with generally unhealthy food. I don't want to say we shouldn't appreciate life, but maybe that we should think more about <i>who</i> we are thanking more than exactly how great our lives are. </div>
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I was sitting in the sauna yesterday with two women with notably darker skin than myself and when they asked me what my favorite holiday was, I said, almost feeling guilty, Martin Luther King Jr. day. I like holidays that make us think about history (especially civil rights) and how the world could be better and how we as humans can make that change.</div>
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For months I have had the Tough Turkey 1 miler and Gobble Gallop 5k on our family running schedule. The plan was, I was going to run the 1 miler while Nanna watched the boys, then we would all run the 5k, me with the boys and she would go for a placing (and a pie).</div>
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The race is put on by Duluth Running Company. This store has held a very special place in the hearts of SR and myself ever since we deposited my unborn fetus in the trashcan outside of their store after my miscarriage between the two boys. We will always look at that trashcan and think of "Freja" in there. </div>
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Ok, so the race. We ran with the babyjogger 1.5 miles in the deep snow and, with both boys in it, and a strong headwind, it took ages. My race was in just 20 minutes, so I went out to warm up and in the meantime, the boys and Nanna got colder. I knew this was happening so I encouraged Christian to run the 1/4 mile kids race as a warmup. That didn't go great and he gave up because it was too cold. I really felt I had dressed them well, but all of us had freezing toes syndrome. despite wool socks.</div>
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So 5 minutes to the 1 mile start and I hadn't really warmed up. It was so cold that the startline balloon deflated and fell on those of us closest to the front. I could not make these things up. So we froze while the balloon was emergently reinflated.</div>
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Ready -go! Of course there were 50 guys ahead of me at the start, but after about 400 meters, I took the lead for the men and women! It was such a weird experience to be behind the lead bike! I felt good until we were supposed to turn around and my legs were so frozen that I felt like I was stuck in place around the cone. Well, I got my momentum up again and was in the lead on the home stretch (super cool feeling!)</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UUD3rIsked4/UpeQpbIAzNI/AAAAAAAAEuE/Butd9UNbc3s/s1600/toughturkey-tracy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UUD3rIsked4/UpeQpbIAzNI/AAAAAAAAEuE/Butd9UNbc3s/s320/toughturkey-tracy.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tough Turkey 1 mile, in the lead (!), photo by Nanna Olesen.</td></tr>
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Gradually my feet became more and more numb until it felt like I was running on peg legs. (I always had trouble with my circulation playing piano where I would have to stop in the winter and warm up my fingers on the heater to keep going --- I am sad this same problem is affecting my running... silly me to think wool socks would help!)<br />
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With 200 meters to go, I slowed a bit and about 4 guys passed me at once. I crossed the finish right after them in unknown time.<br />
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By the time I found Nanna with the boys before the 5k, both boys were both screaming and crying at the top of their lungs. We retreated to the Duluth Running Company. None of them wanted to run the 5k.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pmyVVv6jWMo/UpeQpniCe3I/AAAAAAAAEuI/Pp4UUUNQ7Xc/s1600/toughturkey-mattiasntracy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pmyVVv6jWMo/UpeQpniCe3I/AAAAAAAAEuI/Pp4UUUNQ7Xc/s320/toughturkey-mattiasntracy.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I may appear here to be a decent mom, but shouldn't I have been baking a turkey or something rather than forcing my kids into the cold? Mattias looks exasperated and will one day need thousands of dollars of orthodontic work because I force him into these situations and give him a nuk to calm him.</td></tr>
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After the 5k was done, we ran into friends and life was good and I knew I had won a pie for winning the 1 miler, but when they called up the top 5 women, they didn't even say my name. Ok, I was leading the whole way until the last couple hundred meters and they didn't even notice me? Darn chip timing system! Seriously, this is why I like small races and ultras because if you win, people aren't inclined to believe an electronic timer over their own eyes. Anyway, I went up in utter abashment, and said I was actually the winner. They got it all straightened out and Christian got to pick out our pie (apple).<br />
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Christian and I ran home. I had run to get the car for Nanna and Mattias while we were waiting for the awards.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_FVya_kdGX8/UpeQ3TW4QpI/AAAAAAAAEuc/xXyFt3OOJaw/s1600/toughturkey-nanna.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_FVya_kdGX8/UpeQ3TW4QpI/AAAAAAAAEuc/xXyFt3OOJaw/s320/toughturkey-nanna.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
And I started thinking. All the goodness in life revolves around people. And today (and she does read this blog) I want to thank this amazing woman who has worked her way into my heart and the heart of my family and has made our life of constant change manageable. Maybe we as humans underestimate our powers, how much good we can do. Well, Nanna, you are a superhuman with constant positive energy and we are so, so fortunate to have met you.<br />
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I'll leave you all with a couple pictures.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-oj-z8F8Ojbo/UpeQ5nFZZWI/AAAAAAAAEuk/3SSPb1KU88E/s1600/duluthstorm.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-oj-z8F8Ojbo/UpeQ5nFZZWI/AAAAAAAAEuk/3SSPb1KU88E/s320/duluthstorm.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Storm and cold coming from the north over Lake Superior.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TsbYxBqdRq0/UpeQvFxuz3I/AAAAAAAAEuU/mhbfoadD0HY/s1600/lester-rasntrac.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TsbYxBqdRq0/UpeQvFxuz3I/AAAAAAAAEuU/mhbfoadD0HY/s320/lester-rasntrac.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Reunited after 4 weeks in Lester Park. I don't want to say "I am thankful" because to me it sounds like I am bragging about having a good life. Instead I will say, I love you, SR.</td></tr>
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<br />sea legs girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14782712411873234071noreply@blogger.com2