Recovery tools on the cheap

So as many of you may already know, foam rollers are great for stretching muscles, I use them on my quads, glutes, hamstrings, calfs, and back. I have heard (and read) conflicting advice about relief of it band issues, and weather or not to roll out the it band (outside of your leg). When it comes to the knee pain due to it band flair ups, which a vast amount of time are due to issues in your glute, having a rippling effect on you leg. When that happens a lacrosse ball works wonders, just roll it around looking for that knot. This method can be used all over the body, if you are new to this idea, it will be painful, and you can try starting off with a tennis ball. And with other areas that are hard to reach with such a big tool, try a golf ball, it too can do wonders in relieving knots. (As i am figuring out with my calf) Golf balls also work great on the foot to relieve any pain. I have found that two tennis balls placed under the hips for an extended period of time, can move the hips back, which can also be a common problem when running. This technique I used I got from my massage therapist, I highly recommend finding a good one, and make it a monthly trip, if I did not do that every month, I would not be able to walk, and I would be decrepit. Before attempting serious things like pushing your hips back, or other techniques, I highly recommend talking to a trainer or massage therapist. They can describe methods much better than I could, in this blog. The great thing about these balls is they are incredibly cheap, for less than 5 buck you can get a lacrosse ball, for 3 to 5 bucks you can get a  3 pack of tennis balls, golf balls also not that much (I found one in the woods). You can get them at any sporting goods store, and they are in my race day bag for every race, just in case. The foam roller you can get for about 10 bucks online and again worth it. I also use the recovery stick, under 20, ans there are dozens of types of rolling relievers on the market. They can also help get through muscles and relieve stress. Do not buy into the hype that any product can give myofasha release, trust me, I have been getting myofasha massages for about 6 years, and played around with various recovery tools. I do not believe that you can replicate that kind of massage. If you prefer cold, everybody knows about the cold packs that can be used on muscles. But did you know you can keep a small water bottle in your freezer for your feet? You can use it to relieve pain from the bottom of your foot or arch. So if anything I would love for people to take away from this is that you do not need fancy and expensive gadgets to get the job done, every body is going to have a fancier recovery tool. But you can very easily replicate it. 

Until next time

Keep training

Stephen

Cupids Undie Run

So this year on valentines day, i decided to do cupids undie run. Admittedly, this was another run that i signed up for because i thought it was fun. I mean how often do you get the chance to run through Fenway park, let alone in your underwear? 

(photo credit Marc Ford)

I tried the fundraising through twitter, because, most people there do not know me, so asking for money seemed easy. I only know a few people on twitter personally, so I did not feel embarrassed sharing the fact that i would be running in my underwear. But that did not work so well, some favorites, a retweet, but no money. I even offered to do a burpee for every 3 dollars donated! None of that worked, so i decided to share it to facebook, I blocked out a bunch of people, again very shy. Still no luck! So the week before i finally posted it for all my friends to see, on facebook. To my surprise, some of my family and friends stepped up pretty quickly, and i am pleased to say that they got me well over my goal! Day of the run, it was below freezing, but i was determined to run it in my superman underwear!!! 

We started at a bar across the street from fenway park, we got to run through the park, about one loop through the inside of the park, then back across the street and into the bar. I stopped to do my 50 burpees, and my friend recorded it so i could share it with my contributors. Despite the below freezing temps outside, in the park, around all those people, it was actually not bad at all. But the point of this post is, all of my concerns disappeared. They disappeared after i posted my video, i got a few questions as no what the hell i posted and why. But i also got praise, for various reasons. But the thing that stuck out the most, was when a good friend asked to tag one of her friends that kinda made it more real to me. She was not the first person to tell me about a friend, or friend of a friend that has Nf1. So what started off as a fun thing to do (and it really was) means so much more than i first realized and means way more than some fun in my underwear and drinking in public. I am beyond pleased to say that i raised money for a great cause, it is a disease that attacks the nervous system and can cause, amongst other things, tumors spreading through the body, and causing fragile bones. They say that they spend 82.4% on program expenses and less than 8% on administrative costs, on their web cite. Even though this was not a race, and nothing close to what i have normally done before i loved it. I hope that for my next charity event will be just as beneficial.

My next charity event is carry the fallen 6.0, i will be trying to raise funds in a few weeks, so keep an eye out. Carry the fallen is a charity for veterans, working to drop the number of veteran suicides from an average of 22 a day to 0.

(photo credit: Jonna Capecci)

Winter Running and Racing Tips

This winter is the first i have spent anytime being active outside in a very long time, probably since i was a child sledding around the town. So far I have done Blizzard Blast and Polar Bear 8 Hour challenge, which i have only really done because i heard how much fun they were and i did not want to miss out on the fun. I have also had several runs in the snow and i wanted to share some of the things i have learned from this experience.

1. January/Febuary time is great to get clearance cold weather gear on clearance from most brick and mortar sports stores. you would also be surprised that you can get pretty good cold gear for the price at the gap. (I found a good pair of gloves that worked to keep my hands warm during olar bear when the temperature was at a high of 26. ditto for their cold weather tights, as long as you pair them with a second pair of pants)
2. Running in the snow takes way more energy and time than you would think, depending on how deep the snow is. But it also feels easier on the legs, when the snow crunches under your feet it feels like it takes away from the impact
3. Due to the extra energy exerted you are burning more calories, and aids in weight loss, true of any cold weather runs. Something to keep in mind to fight the holiday weight gains some of us go through.

Racing in the cold can be a lot easier than you would imagine, (same goes to running in below freezing temps) It is all about layering!!! One tip i have gotten from friends that do endurance races in the winter is a tech shirt, and soft shell type on the outside. For example for Polar Bear the high was 26 with a low of about 10 I think. my first lap at about sunrise (7am) I had compression cold gear top with a cold gear hoodie, and that was it.

• You can also get just a wicking tech shirt, and a wool sweater (you can get a used one from a second hand store for cheap, and it is just as good, wool naturally wicks sweat away) 
• The rule of thumb for winter running is dress for 10 degrees colder than it is outside, you should start just under temperature. You will warm up soon enough, and it forces you to keep moving! you also do not want to overdress, because if you sweat too much, the sweat turns into ice on your body.
• If need be Liner socks can help out a bunch, and wool socks are awesome! or some other way that you can fit 2 pairs of socks into your running shoes.
• some sort of hat, you can use any winter hat if you like, but for best results wicking/running work much better, and polyester can sometimes work better than wool hats. (you can also wear a buff or thin hat under another hat for the added layers.)
• Cotton is a horrible choice, it holds moisture, and that will cause problems in the cold. i stray away from cotton all year round, but it is more important in the winter.
• Gaiters are wonderful for keeping snow and rain out of the top of your shoes. I found some inexpensive ones here they have the best prices I have found.
• this is also one of the few times waterproof shoes come in handy (they kept my feet dry with small gaiters in knee deep snow)  
• A loose pair of cold weather pants when it drops into the 20's otherwise just a pair of shorts on top will usually do the trick.

There are a whole bunch of benefits to winter runs, and it if it helps, you can treat winter as preventative maintenance, just so you don't louse your endurance. If it helps so you do not feel like you are throwing away your training in the winter months. You can also focus on strength training your legs to help come back stronger as well as the dreaded tread mill, for when you can't make outside work.

Untill next time
Keep training

Under armour hood product review

I have worn the under armour hood on a few runs and races so far. I have mixed feelings about this product. It is made from the same infrared material that my other cold gear is made of so it works to keep you warm. The issue that i have is the fit. They advertise it as a balaclava style that can be worn in various ways. The face guard does not stay over my face, but rest helps keep you warm. If you ever overheat you can just take it off and it hangs off your neck its so light that you barley notice it wile running. It definitely needs to be around freezing temps for it to be worth wile to wear, otherwise you will overheat and be pouring sweat on your run. However if you are just walking or shoveling it can be worn at warmer temps. It is also thin enough that you can also wear it under any winter hat, and it helps diminish the wind. Again, the face coverage is very poor and never stayed long over my face. When i ran the polar bear challenge i wore this on the first lap, and it worked well under another winter hat (the high that day was 25, around 2pm, i started running at 7am). I quickly gave up on the face coverage, which got my beard covered in snow before i realized it. Not the biggest deal, but kind of annoying considering that i could have worn 2 buffs one for under the winter hat, and one for the neck. Buffs stay snug better than this does, and are cheaper, plus if you go to enough races you can get them for free (i got one from: urban raid, blizzard blast, and polar bear) buffs also block most of the wind, and can be worn in the summer to block the sun, and can wick sweat as well. Bottom line i like the idea of this "hood" but for the 30 dollar price tag, and a face coverage that does not stay put for long, it is a little disappointing. So considering you can get similar hoods, that are made from polyester that seem to be able to keep warm, and still wick, for 10 dollars less. Those you can find at jc penny, or other department stores and have a better securing  method (pull string with a locking mechanism, much like the plastic drawstring from hoodies/jackets). So buy at your own warning, good warmth coverage for head and neck, cleans easy, but sub par face coverage, which considering the rest of the hood holds tight (just looser than compression) is disappointing.

Polar Bear 8 Hour Challenge 2015

The 3rd annual Polar Bear Challenge was an amazing experience, it is a great race, and really any chance you get to race at shale hill you should take it! No other race i have been to has one of the owners, Rob, going around the course repeatedly just to check in on racers, giving advice when needed, words of encouragement, or giving out high 5's. Both Rob, and Jill, who is the other owner, remember you, when you walk up, greet you with a smile. Rob is always adding obstacles, some of which you will never find elsewhere. Some of which are incredibly hard, like the tarzan swing, which is much longer than other races version. The traverse wall is 5 times as long, zig zagged, and connected by a balance beam, or overhead boards, so much harder than any other wall you have done! This race debuted 2 new obstacles one being the "zig zag of awesomeness" which is a traverse pipe then transfer I ng to another pipe, and followed up with a rope to climb down. He has also built a warped wall, i do not know how tall, but it is pretty high, is is challenging, but oh so much fun! Needless to say, you can tell i love this course! Pre-race registration was easy, you get a swag bag chop full of goodies: trail toes sample, battle frog and race local rubber bracelets, and icebug buff, race x headband, some stickers, a temp tattoo, and a cool long sleeve finishers shirt. They have rooms organized for your drop box/bag check, and parking a short walk away, all of which were included in entry. Race morning started at 6am, when the all day buffet started (also included, food for 8 hours, all you can eat!) Breakfast was eggs (unlimited all day) bacon, french toast, fruit.  Shortly after Rob ran down the pre-race meeting discussing safety info about the cold, and water stops and answering questions, and going over any other info on the 10k course (Rob aid it was about 6.5 miles). Elite heats were the same price as journeyman, which is an awesome bonus. Journeyman division is penalty free, if you can't do it, just keep going on to the next one, no worries. Journeyman division is not able to earn prizes, but still all the fun! Due to all the fresh knee deep snow in some places (and im 6'1) and fresh powder everywhere, it was a slow start! But still so much fun. The temp was below freezing all day with a high of 26 f and some flurries wile out on course, such a memorable race day!!! (Make sure to check your gear, good shoes, 2 sock, 2 pants, 2 hats and a good tech shirt and tech jacket/hoodie). There are also fun obstacles like giant sea saws, hay bales and other stuff, so this place is great for all skill levels, they run training specials as well, and Rob is an awesome teacher, and reminds you to always smile, because it's fun! For each obstacle that you fail you take a penalty chip, different colors net different penalties. Each chip is a multiplier, when you finish the course, before you cross the finish line you do you penalties. And the good thing is you can try the obstacles as many times as you want before you collect your chip.

 

The penalties were chosen by luck, roll the die, there was a grid with different options based on die number and color. Some of the penalties were: saltines (maybe without water), snow angel burpees, sled, board walks (2 boards you alternate walking down and back, log flips, pups (push up pipes). Pups are horribly awesome push up device that uses stabilizing muscles in forearms and i am incredibly sore from the 125 i had to do! (Shoveling will be fun tomorrow) be sure to check out all of their future races, it is well worth the commute to Benson, VT.  There are plenty of places to stay for pretty cheap if you get a group of friends together, if you are lucky and call in advance with enough time, they have an apartment on property that is a good price. If you could not tell this place is awesome, and regardless of skill levels, it is a great experience! Rob and Jill are great people, very nice, and when you can go to a race, and the owners remember your name, it makes a world of difference. You should be looking for reasons to go to one of the most fun places, and really not too far away. Make sure to put this on your radar this year!

(Photo Credit Paul Jones)