Beer and Running

There may be a tangential relationship between today’s post about beer and running but as I start to write, I’m not sure what it might be.   I’ve been thinking (or drinking) a lot about beer this past week.  Being of a certain age, my first excursions into beer were more about quantity than quality.  There was a certain cache to buying a $.99 six pack of Tiger Ale from the Price Chopper back in 1975.  $.99 went a lot farther back then, but it was still VERY cheap ale.   Going to a party at Albany State University (SUNYA) meant encountering a huge room with multiple tapped kegs of Schlitz and a beer flood to slide through on the floors.  Drinking beer was purely about getting a buzz on; there were no thoughts about flavor.

I was back in upstate NY this past weekend and beer is not what it was back in the 70’s.   As my husband and I traveled around, we encountered a number of small breweries including Davidson’s and Coopers Cave in Glens Falls, NY.  Both of these beers were very drinkable and fresh as we were in the brewery town.  A 12oz “pint” now goes for about $5, a long way even with inflation factored in, from $.99 a six pack.  I don’t know whether it is purely my own aging or a sign of the times that beer, for the most part, is no longer about quantity but now squarely about quality.  No one wants to spend $5 and get a pint of swill (although we will still do that and ball games but that’s another story.)   There’s something about stepping into a warm, lively tavern in a cold northern town and having a full bodied, IPA, that is almost magical.  Adding to that magic is the fact that smoking is no longer allowed in the taverns.   Maybe that’s the key, when bars were filled with smoke you couldn’t taste the beer anyway so why bother drinking good ones.  But now that the air is clean, our taste buds work, and we want good beers.   ….and, here comes the running link J  I also think when we work our bodies hard we don’t want to fill it with empty calories.  If we’re going to drink carbohydrates, we want to be satisfied with something flavorful.

Thursday night I spent a few (OK, more than a few) at Two Brothers Tap House at the Brewery in Warrenville, IL with a friend.  First, let me say that I was totally impressed that they were serving full pints of their craft beers from $4 to $6.   It was noticed.  Their Outlaw IPA and Sidekick Pale Ales were both tasty.   I also appreciated that the bartender comp’ed us a round.   That doesn’t happen much these days.   The whole experience was about enjoying the beers and friendship, not about getting hammered on swill.  

Ran my first 10K this morning.  The Plainfield North HS Fastcat.  I should have checked out the field from last year before I registered.  People were fast.  I didn't come in last but was 101 out of 105.  There weren't many people over 50 running this race.  So here's the beer connection.  While we were waiting for the race to start, the man next to me told me had an emergency beer in the car.  We laughed and said "maybe since we are in a HS parking lot we should just skip the race and drink it"  We didn't :-)

The 2013 Race/Run Calendar

It is so easy to get carried away.  All the cool runs that exist in the Chicagoland area.  I can’t imagine living in a remote community where all these options don’t exist.  The only problem with all these interesting runs is that it gets pretty pricey.  Luckily, my company offers a $400 cash back award for participating in all these sporting events.  It doesn’t cover all the entry fees but it certainly helps.

I thought I would be more selective about my runs this year and only do those that would help me along my training path.  But that’s no fun!  Instead, I signed up for runs because they were either for a good cause, starting from a place nearby, looked like fun and/or were on flat ground.  With that said, here’s what’s on the books for 2013.

·        March 16^th - St. Paddy’s Day 5K – Naperville: 35:43; 11:30
March 30^th – FastCat 10K – Plainfield
April 14^th – 360 Youth Services 10K – Naperville
 April 21^st – Arbor Day 10K – Morton Arboretum – Lisle
 April 27^th – DuPage Human Race 5K– Lisle
May 25^th – Run or Dye 5k – Chicago
June 1^st – Sweetness Walter Payton 8K – Yorkville
July 21^st – Alexian Brothers Evening Half Marathon – Hoffman Estates
Sept 1^st – Wine Country Half Marathon – Carlton, OR
Oct 13^th – Chicago Marathon
Nov 10^th – Naperville Inaugural Half Marathon

10 races.  Oh, but I have had my name in for the Chicago Marathon lottery.  I had a devil of a time trying to register the day the marathon opened and didn’t get in.  I think I can do it this year.  I’ve got a handle on what my body is telling me, I’ve been consistently running since last September and now easily handle 15 to 20 miles each week.  Time to give it a try.  If I don’t do it soon….. I will never make it.  I got in!!!  So that makes 11 races. 

The season has begun.  My first race was this morning.  The Naperville St. Paddy’s Day 5K.  That's me in the blurry picture with my green hair hat waiting in the car before the race.    This was my first 5K in 2011.  I remember being totally intimidated by all the runners and scooted home immediately after the race.  I still scooted home this morning, but not before grabbing a green beer.  I finished 22 out of 60 in my age group.  I’ll never be fast but I feel respectable for someone who started running in their 50’s.  Seriously, I don’t think I had ever run even half a mile prior to 2011.  

Stinky Running Clothes

Things I have learned about and from running:

• ·         Stinky running clothes really stink
• ·         Cats love stinky running clothes
• ·         5Ks are harder than longer races (who knew?)
• ·         There’s almost always someone slower than me (who knew that too?)
• ·         Running consistently with more moderate distances is the key
• ·         Cross training, particularly biking at 90+ rpms, really helps
• ·         Compression shorts are immodest
• ·         Running shorts (not compression) twist and rub
• ·         Dogs love stinky running clothes
• ·         Mambo #5 is a great running tune
• ·         After 8 miles, I need a bathroom break (almost always)
• ·         Breakfast is key
• ·         Carrying water isn’t as hard as it looks
• ·         Running with new people is fun
• ·         Running isn’t always about speed
• ·         Good shoes that fit properly are essential
• ·         Wrightsox might be the best thing since sliced bread
• ·         Races are an addiction and like all addictions, they’re costly
• ·         I would prefer a cotton T than a tech shirt in my Goodie Bag (I like wearing the T’s after the races)
• ·         Pedicures are essential
• ·         Bourbon is essential ~ after, not before
• ·         I hate stinky running clothes
• ·         Twitter is more than I thought it was – great for running motivation
• ·         Non-runners get bored with running conversation
• ·         Non cat people get bored with cat conversation (wait, I already knew that)
• ·         New running shoes are exciting
• ·         Running in cold weather is the best
• ·         Runners come in all shapes, sizes, speeds
• ·         Women’s running clothing runs small
• ·         Women’s running shoes run small
• ·         Running in the rain is kind of nice
• ·         More than half of my weekly wash is now devoted to stinky running clothing
• ·         #runchat is great
• ·         Lots of people blog about running and some of them are really good
• ·         It takes a LONG time to reach a point where recovery is quick
• ·         Only wimps run on treadmills in the winter (I’m often a wimp)
• ·         Gadgets, like a GPS watch, make running fun
• ·         10:00 is not 10 o’clock
• ·         10:00 is 6 mph
• ·         10:00 is fast for me J; real fast
• ·         Once stinky, stinky clothes remain stinky no matter what you do
• ·         Car drivers who are not runners don’t see you (this is the corollary to why motorcycles are rarely seen)
• ·         Little kids think it is funny when old people run
• ·         Non-runners are jealous and past runners are envious
• ·         Running isn’t easy at any pace
• ·         Reading about running is fun too
• ·         Elite runners must be made differently.  How can anyone run that fast for that long?
• ·         Hydration, hydration, hydration
• ·         Pink, neon green, neon yellow are cool colors for stinky clothes
• ·         Young runners are a pleasure to watch, it looks effortless
• ·         Sunshine is a real motivator
• ·         Coffee is king
• I·         Stinky clothing is the best!

Win A Chance to the Chicago Half

Another blogger is offering a chance for an entry to the Chicago Half Marathon on June 8th.  Check it out here  http://www.chicagorunningbloggers.com/

Running With A Group

I'm a huge extrovert but I'm also highly intimidated by those that can do things better than me.  No matter what it is.  As the kid who was picked last for everything in gym class, athletic people REALLY intimidate me.  But, I'm working to get over it.  We all can't do everything better than everyone -- it just doesn't work that way.

With that realization, I've started running with the Bolingbrook Fun Run Club (BFRC)  This is a group that started at Meetup.com and has been growing.  The organizer, Gladys, is a fabulous woman that enjoys running, but enjoys bringing new people into the fold even more.  She's a wonderful motivator.  My first run with them was a Valentine's Day Free Run sponsored by our local Road Runner's Sports store.  Gladys had designed and offered red hoodies for us and nearly everyone bought one.   There were about 40 of us, and as the trails in the prairie were icy, we ran 3 miles through the local neighborhood.   Totally no pressure and a lot of fun.  

Soooooo.....I joined them this morning at the Morton Arboretum.  That's me in the yellow in the middle of the photo.  There were people of all sorts of abilities in this group.   I went out with the group that does run/walk intervals and had a great time.  Yes, it was slower than what I do when I'm alone but I would not have had nearly as much fun alone.  Two brand new members ran with us and I so enjoyed talking with them.  Our 5 miles flew by.  I wanted to get in 8 today, so when I got home, I did 3 more miles at a quicker pace.  I feel great and am so excited about this group.   They're supportive and fun.  What more could I ask for?

Oh, and the Arboretum appears to be a runners mecca.  When I drove in this morning, there were people running all over the place.  What a lovely place to run.  Even in these last of winter days, with snow on the ground and no leaves on the trees, the place is gorgeous.  I'm thinking it will be a great place to stop and run after work this summer.  Change into my running clothes at the office, get the run in on the way home and shower when I get home.  There's hills at the arboretum.  Something I don't have in the neighborhood.  Something I need for stronger legs.  It's a win, win situation.

A huge thank you to Gladys for all her hard work.  I, for one, am impressed and thankful.

Musing On Research

How do daily newspaper columnists do it?  Finding something to say is always so difficult.  Those of you who know me are now laughing out loud.  “But she never shuts up” I hear some of you saying.  It’s different with the written word.  Somehow, just spilling nonsense seems more permanent, more likely to follow me, with the internet someone may discover this nonsense years after I’m gone.  Yikes!

With that lovely thought, today I will muse on some of the recent research about running and exercise in general.   Bottom line, it all points to one thing, do it!  But in between the lines, there are some interesting things coming to light.  Probably the most amazing study is the one, that came to light last summer, that showed that those who ran 1 to 20 miles a week at a jogging pace reducing their risk of dying more than those who didn’t run AND more than those who ran faster than 7 miles per hour.   http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/06/06/moderation-as-the-sweet-spot-for-exercise/  This was reinforced in another study, which showed that fewer workouts per week might be more beneficial than more workouts http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/02/13/why-four-workouts-a-week-may-be-better-than-six/  My take away from all of this is that there is a point of diminishing returns, beating ourselves up, in an attempt to get better at our sport, leads to nothing more than burnout and no additional gains.  I have a friend who insists on working out daily, with his heartbeat pushed to the max, for an hour or more.  In my opinion, he is always tired and cranky but I don’t see any real gains.  With that said, being able run more miles at a faster pace is important if my goal is to do a half marathon or marathon.  But, I need to understand that I’m doing it more for my head and that I’m likely not doing my body any great favors. 

The other research that I’m following is all the research on barefoot and minimalist running.  The most recent research shows that barefoot running causes injuries too.  Perhaps, however, just different injuries.  http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23439417  This one almost made me laugh.  We needed research to prove that!?  How many of us know people who jumped from regular shoes to foot gloves and ended up sidelined?  I have a very lightweight, but not minimalist shoe, the Mizuno Precision 13 that I love to wear but notice on longer road runs my feet get sore.  They feel almost as if they are bruised.  I have a very high arch and just the thought of running barefoot or in foot gloves makes my feet ache.  The research that I haven’t seen is how different foot shapes and arches respond to all these different shoes.  I suspect it makes a big difference. 

What does it all come down to?  Do what feels right for you.  Listen to your body.  If I had listened to my body last year, rather than trying to push through a set training plan, I would not have been injured.  This year, as my training gets more serious for my first half marathon(s), I’m going to listen carefully.  At the first sign of pain (or even just niggles), I will listen.  Much better to take a day off now than having to take a few months off later. 

The weather is turning warmer, the snow is melting and I’ve got miles to run before the weekend is over.  Running with the Bolingbrook Fun Run Club tomorrow morning at the Morton Arboretum in Lisle.  Where are you running this fine weekend?