How to Recover Quickly From a Marathon

This WORKS you runners and triathletes out there! So listen up and give it a try.

I finished the London Marathon on Sunday and as of yesterday (Wednesday), I was mostly recovered. Today (Thursday) I feel like I could actually run again. OK to be fair, I did more of a walk/run this race, but it was still 26.2 miles. Anyway, I have also run a 3:36 marathon and used this same practice to recover.

So here is the secret: THE COLD PLUNGE.

I know what you are thinking, "But Amie, you hate, despise, and detest the cold." Why yes, I do! However, you have to remember the other important part of the recovery plan: ALTERNATING HEAT IN WITH THE COLD SO AS NOT TO WANT TO DIE.

Here is the sitch. On Tuesday, I went to the Porchester Spa, which costs all of £14 with my Westminster Resident Card (awesome). It is really more of a Turkish Bath, but spa has a nicer ring to it in my opinion. A photo of the cold plunge is there on the right.

Anywho, here is what you do:

1. Spend about 10 to15 minutes in a hot sauna or jacuzzi to really get your blood flowing. I like to stay in there until I just about pass out, I love hot. 
2. Get out of the heat, and hot into a cold plunge  (around 50 degrees Fahrenheit) up to you waist for at least 5 minutes (or as long as you can stand it, 5 minutes is it for me and I imagine if I had balls I'd stay in for even less time).
3. Repeat several times. 

 I am telling you, this works. After the first cold plunge, my legs felt amazing. All the soreness in my quads and hips was gone. While I still have a little residual soreness across my shins today, that is probably a function of my weird gait while walk/running and trying to keep from aggravating my sore posterior tibial tendon. The rest of me is just fine, thank you very much.

For all you Bay Area runners wanting to give this a try for yourself, here are a few places with cold plunges:

Watercourse Way in Palo Alto - see the photo there on the left. I love Watercourse. You can rent a tub room for 30 minutes or an hour and it is totally worth it.

Jin Healing for Women in San Francisco.

Hotel Healdsburg in Healdsburg (duh)

Burke Williams in San Jose - not sure about a cold plunge here, I haven't ever been to this spa. Anyone out there know?

You're welcome.

Victory is Mine - London Marathon 2013

Wooosh. Well, I finished. It wasn't fast, it wasn't pretty - but I did it! Thanks to everyone for your support, it really was inspiring to know you all were behind me! Battersea will get 2022 GBP thanks to you.

I came in somewhere around 5 hours 53 minutes and I couldn't be happier, considering I wasn't really even sure if I was going to do the race until just beforehand. After all, the day before was spent eating brisket and drinking gin and tonics - I'm sure that is exactly how Paula Radcliffe prepares - at a going away party some beautiful friends threw for us. Various funny business ensued:

Nice.

Better.

WTF is even happening here?

So the race started at 10:00 and there were very limited trains to the start. Of course I missed the train I was supposed to get (along with 2 other runners) and thought of just going home and having coffee while watching the stupid race on TV. But then I thought about the people injured and killed in Boston, and the fact that I am leaving London in just over a week, and all the people that were cheering me on in London and the USA - and I knew I had to get out there and try. So I hopped the 9:53 train (along with the 2 other late douches) managed to get to the Greenwich station at about 10:05. But guess what, the "start" is still about 3/4 of a mile from that train station......uphill. Fuck, sorry but that was the only appropriate word for what I thought at that exact moment.

Anyway, I fought my way to the start line through the crowds of spectators walking BACK to the train station  - feeling like a total idiot because the race had ALREADY started.

But hey guess what: when 37,000 people line up for a race, it takes a long time to actually "start". I casually walked into the starting chute at about 10:15 and still didn't pass the actual starting line until about 10:20. Awesome. Sometimes, the running gods are kind!

"See you at the finish", let's hope so.

A funny thing happens when running 15 minute miles in a gorgeous town, with giant crowds cheering, on a sunny day. You really enjoy yourself and take in the scenery, instead of stress over your mile splits and nutrition. I brought my Ipod but didn't even listen to it because there was so much going on with bands, DJs, people playing music from their front yards, and people joking and talking on the course.

Plus the costumes!!!!! OMG just Google it. The Brits absolutely adore "Fancy Dress".

At mile 15 I had to take a pottie break (and you go in the potties when there are giant crowds like there are in London - also, see the sign). I had to wait in line for about 20 minutes and really, amazingly no one (else) gave a crap. The runners were all so patient. I had to restrain myself and not yell, "WTF are you all doing in there, just do your business and get out and forget fussing with the damn hand sanitizer dispenser in there."

But then I realized, finishing in 5:50 or 6:30 really doesn't matter. Just enjoy the break from running, chill-the-eff-out, and sanitize your goddam hands.

View from the back! Sorry, these were all taken with my crap phone.

One of my favorite parts, crossing the Tower Bridge. Insane crowds on both sides.

I got a bit misty-eyed passing the apartment that we stayed in when we first arrived in London, it is near The Monument. OK the building is behind the ugly scaffolding on the right there, but I am a nostalgic person so it didn't matter. Commence blubbering.

Yes we are all walking and yes that guy is dressed as a chicken.

I think that guy in the giant costume beat me. At least it was interesting scenery.

So close! Big Ben in the background chimed 4:00pm as I ran by, blubbing again.

And then I FINISHED! Similar to the Barcelona Half Marathon, no pizza, bagels, burritos, pasta, blueberry cake, etc. at the end of the race. Here is your apple, an ill fitting t-shirt, and some Lucozade (Gatorade). That's it. Hit the pub if you are thirsty/hungry.

And so I did. Here I am at the pub with a Sierra Nevada (OK that's very American) and some weird apple cider vinegar crisps (those weird things were British for sure). Recovery complete!

Today I feel OK. My walk/run/Advil plan (not recommended - the Advil part, I mean) served me well. I think I will take the next few weeks to recover properly, I will be in PARIS for a month after all. The perfect place for a proper duck-fat-fueled recovery. You can hate me now.

It's Go Time - Bust out the Advil

Well sort of.

I went to the Expo. I have my number. I have my pace chart. I have a few Cliff Bars for the race. We have raised almost 2000GBP for the Battersea Dogs and Cats Home (but am still a bit short of my goal if you want to help me).

I am ready to go!

My mind is willing but my foot is just......not..... able.......to run. I have an aggravating case of posterior tibial tendonitis, probably from skiing in Zermatt in March, so don't feel too sorry for me.

It is not an injury you want to mess around with though. I swim with a hip and knee surgeon, he told me yesterday that if I ran and tore the tendon it would eff up my knee, hip, and spine. And I would be in for surgery with him in a year or so.

Shit.

But all is definitely not lost everyone. I can walk without any pain at all. I consider this a blessing, especially in light of all the effed up stuff that went on in Boston this week. To not do the race because I don't want to walk 7 or 8 hours is just plain wussy.

Therefore, I am going to finish this effing race if it is the last thing I do. It may take me forever, but that's OK. It's for the dogs, and for Boston, and to say goodbye to the city that has been my rainy home for the last 2 years.

 I will finish!

Plus, I just got a good luck email from the Battersea Dogs and Cats Home with these cute photos attached (see below). And I found out that a greyhound named Shadow that I love, who was at the Battersea for 260 days, JUST GOT ADOPTED by a family in the country. All those donations fund happy homes for dogs, so give if you can.

This is Shy, he will get a new home because of Battersea.

Stop it Clem, you are so cute!!!!!

A Letter to My Poor Abused Feet

Dear Feet,

Though my husband says you are hideous (whatever), I would just like to thank you for carrying my through all those races, long hikes, and uncomfortably stylish high heels. I am lucky to have you sturdy guys as my feet.

Remember that photo on the right? Belize. You were so happy then. We were all love, warmth, flip flops, freedom, and comfort.

So what is up with y'all now, you are ruining my life!

OK calm down, let's be fair. While I must apologize for that brief stint I had with "barefoot running" shoes (left), that was mean, I think I have treated you fairly well. Not too much toenail polish or goopy shit. Lots of time in the jacuzzi on cold nights, lots of thick socks. And just look where we are now.......what happened.

You have caused me a lot of agony over the last 2 years. There was the very nasty and unrelenting plantar fasciitis (TWICE).

Then the blisters - WTF I have been running for like 22 years and NOW blisters. And not just in one spot, I have several of them on each foot. And that is pain you really cannot "run though" without risking lots of blood and nastiness, and I don't want to do that to you/me.

And now posterior tibial tendonitis. Really! And I have been told the cold weather makes is worse by further restricting the blood flow to an area of the food that doesn't get much blood flow anyway. In other words, very slow healing. Great.

I see what you are trying to tell me. You are tired of being cold and running on flat pavement.

Well I am here to tell you that we are moving back to the Bay Area just in time for flip flop season. I would just like to apologize for making you move to London. You have been locked inside of boots since September, and over the last 2 years you have seen very little of your best friends - the flip flops. And I think you got pissed.

But please, be nice to me now. The London Marathon is in just over a week and I can't finish without you guys!

Your feet will again look like this post 12-mile Rancho run......very soon.

If anyone has any advice on posterior tibial tendonitis (taping, treatment, etc.), I'll take it....... Thanks!

London Marathon Training Update - 17 Miles, Done!

Well things are going quite well with my London Marathon training. Almost £1300 has been raised for the Battersea Dogs and Cats Home (thanks everyone for donating). I am slacking a bit in my training, but that is my M.O. (come on, I had a nasty stomach flu THEN a cold). Also, I am exceptionally lazy. However, I only have 2 months to go so this is really time to push the mileage up.

Today was a major milestone, 17 miles! It was my longest run since my last marathon a few years ago. I ran wayyyy out in northwest London with the Gade Valley Harriers. They organize a series of  three training runs for the London Marathon, which I HIGHLY recommend. The races cost £5 to enter and include marshals, cheering, water, gummy bears, and post-race juice, tea,coffee, and cake. Talk about getting bang for your buck, er pound!

So here is a summary of the run:

Miles 1-4: Can't feel my hands, wish I had another layer on, the course is a bit slippery from the light snow falling - but I am feeling strong and continually pass people the first few miles.

Mikes 4-8: Yay, I have hands again. And holy crap where did all these hills come from? Feeling a bit tired around mile 8 but must push through! If I slow down I will get cold, and if I stop I'll freeze to death.

Miles 8-12: WTF A CASTLE, am I the only one that thinks that is super cool (apparently yes, it is Ashridge Castle for anyone that wants to know).

Miles 12-17: Cold hands again, if I run faster it will get better. Gummy bears handed out at mile 15 save my ass, never underestimate how 100 calories of pure sugar can boost your mood and speed. At mile 16 I catch a train of 8 women speeding by, I duck in with them and finish very strong and very happy

The next Gade Valley Harriers London Marathon training run is 20 miles on Sunday, March 24th. I will be there.......

We are skiing in Zermatt, Switzerland the first week of March, so my running will be lighter this week. I need to be recovered and rested to keep up with Dave on the slopes because he will ditch my ass.

Marathon Training Update

Uhm OK drama queen Amie, sorry for that last post. In case no one has noticed, I am mercurial. That is just how it is.

What a difference a day makes. My head-cold is almost gone. Today it is bright, sunny, and a balmy 46 degrees outside - no really, that is warm for London lately. It was a perfect day for a run through Hyde Park. I had the pleasure of catching the changing of the guard with all the horses and the band, which is really only cool to catch during a run in the winter. In the summer there are 15,000 douchebags crowded around Buckingham Palace taking pictures with their Ipads (will y'all cut that out, you look redic holding up a giant Ipad to take a photo), and generally being in my way.

Anyways, I ran 5.2 miles at a moderate pace, with a few pick-ups in there for good measure. I am tapering for the Barcelona half Marathon, which is on Sunday, February 17th at 8:45 a.m. Woo hoo!

We are leaving for Barcelona today. Neither Dave or I have ever been, but everyone we meet here in London has told us that Barcelona is the shit. And there is nothing like training for a marathon/running a race while traveling. I never have to say, "no I shouldn't eat that, I want to be hungry for dinner". Guess what, I'll be hungry in 5 minutes......gimme. And what better place to be hungry than in Barcelona!

The course looks like it will give me an outstanding tour of the city. We are staying about 1K from the race start at the Hotel Montecarlo in the Gothic Quarter, so I can just jog to the start. Easy-peasy. Something tells me Dave will be sleeping in.


As far as a goal for this race, I suppose I'd like to finish around 1:40. The course is flat and I know there will be official pacers for a 1:40 finish. I am just not sure how many people are racing. There could be 30,000 people out there and I will never even see the 1:40 pacer.

But really, I will be happy just finishing strong......hopefully, stronger than I did at the Watford Half Marathon 2 weeks ago. The photo below says everything about how I was feeling at mile 12.5 during that race: head down, shit form, the elastic waste drawstring hanging out of my pants, struggling not to barf - fun. I did that race after a nasty bout of the stomach flu where I couldn't eat anything for a week before. Probably not my smartest move, but I finished nonetheless.

So happy running! I'll post an update on the trip next week when we are back.

Watford Half Marathon - 1:48

This was my first race since moving to the UK, which was 18 months ago. I cannot believe it! I have never really gone this long without racing since i started running. I forgot how much I missed it! Plus, races in the UK don't start until around 10:00a.m. - LOVE. You have to race criminally early in the morning in the US because everyone is such a freaking pantywaist about the roads being closed. Get out of your effing car you whiny jerk (sorry, I am tired of unhealthy cars dictating everything in the US from urban development patterns to environmental policy - getting off my soapbox now).

All that car bashing aside, I had a bit of a harrowing journey out to the start in Watford on this cold February day. The Tube is undergoing a lot of work right now so many lines are closed on the weekend, including the one that went right to the race start. Grrrrrr. I had to take a bus to a random overland rail line. I knew I was on the right train when I looked up and realized I was being enveloped by neon and spandex (seriously, ALL running clothes here come in black, neon green, or neon orange). It was at that moment that I felt I was with my people, the runners and not the neon spandex, that is.

OK so 1:48 is definitely NOT my fastest time, but this was a HILLY freaking race. I know what you are thinking, yeah right "hilly" - you live in England where the highest "mountain" is like less than 3,000 feet tall. Have pity people. I train in Hyde Park, which is flat as a pancake. There are no foothills for me to work on speed and strength like in the Bay Area, hence the rather slow pace. Plus I am wussy.

I also blame Typhoid Dave. I really haven't been able to eat properly all week. On Tuesday and Wednesday, I couldn't eat anything at all. I didn't run all week either. At least I was well tapered......

Anyway, I actually was cranking for a sub 1:40 for the first 9 miles. Then I fell apart from about 11.5 until the finish. Such is life. Better racing in 2 weeks at the Barcelona Half Marathon!

Two things I noticed today, 1) the Brits are very reserved spectators and racers. Aside from the occasional "well done" (the weird encouraging words of choice here), the course was silent. And there were 2,000 runners on a very narrow course. The runners didn't really talk to each other, or joke, or yell encouragement. If I run a half in San Francisco, I will end up running a few feet in front of the guy that talks about himself the ENTIRE race. 

And 2) I miss my tri/running friends. I have never done a race in the Bay Area where I didn't know someone on the course or where I didn't hang around after the race to chat. Except for that one race where I had to lead the crowd in the freaking Star-Spangled Banner (yes, it was an Envirosports event) thank god no one I knew was there that day.......Well, I didn't know a soul today. I talked to quite a few people in the warming tent, oh thank god for the warming tent, but otherwise it was just me at the finish line looking for a familiar face in the crowd that I never saw. Boooooo.

More running action to come. Stay tuned!

Running/Fundraising Update - Bonus Gross Blister Photo

My favorite spot in Hyde Park - the Italian Gardens, a gift from Albert to Victoria 150 years ago.

Mother effing snow! A lot of it. That's what we got in London last week. It made for some gorgeous glowy evenings, but not so good for running. Also, London just freaks out and all methods of transportation go haywire at the hint of flurries. We actually ended up getting 3 inches maybe - and they were calling Snowmageddon 2013.

Chicago or NYC laugh at 10 inches of snow, London falls apart with a dusting. To be fair, the city doesn't own sophisticated snowplows or anything. A whole lot of snow is still rare. But really people, get a grip.

So I had to run like 12 miles on Monday and there was nowhere to run that wasn't snow covered and slippery. Since running even a mile on the treadmill is the equivalent of my own personal 7th Level of Hell, I ran outside.

All was OK, except I was slow and had to adjust my stride on the snow. Then my foot got wet and I was wearing relatively thick socks. And by mile 10, I could feel the giant blister forming under my big toe and forefoot.

Scheiße!
 
I just kept running because I am so smart. Now I am paying for it, though (having popped the blister, EW) each day it is getting better. I have to run long again on Monday WHILE IN PARIS, I should be OK by then.


Fundraising Update
Thanks to all my beautiful friends and family! We have raised £1132 - and that's a lot of dollars in case you haven't been watching exchange rates.

Only £1368 to go - so I still need your help! If you are feeling generous, or even if you aren't, you can give easily by going to: http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/AmieAshton.

It's more fun than online shopping and just as easy!

More to come from PARIS. I am off on the Eurostar tomorrow morning. We are meeting J.P. over there for some general goofing around.

Low-Iron/Angular Cheilitis - EW

Well my angular cheilitis is completely gone and has remained at bay for a few months now. Hooray for not looking like I had some STD of the face or something, god that sounds gruesome. 

Anyway, I really think it was the iron. In reading around the interwebs, I learned a good bit about dietary iron. I think I have (maybe always) had quite a few of the symptoms of iron deficiency, including:

• extreme fatigue and feeling of weakness - YUP
• light headedness - I PASSED OUT BUCK-NAKED ON THE HARDWOOD FLOOR ONCE, THE SOUND OF MY ASS SLAPPING THE FLOOR WHEN I LANDED STILL HAUNTS DAVE
• irritability - I HAVE REEAAAALLLLYYYY NOTICED THIS IS BETTER (sorry Dave)
• headache - OCCASIONALLY
• low blood pressure with position change from sitting to standing up - SEE ASS HITTING THE FLOOR COMMENT ABOVE
• finger nails that become thin and brittle, they may grow abnormally and get a spoon-shaped appearance - GROSS, BUT YES
• reduction in immunity and increased vulnerability to infection - OR IT IS JUST ALL THE GERMS ON THE TUBE, THE JURY IS OUT ON THIS ONE
• disturbed sleep - YEAH SOMETIMES

In any case, my legs feel amazing lately. I used to sometimes start a run or a swim and just have nothing in the tank, no matter what I had eaten, and I would just give up and go home. Now those occasional days of fatigue are literally gone. Plus, my nails and hair grow super-fast, and I am generally less annoyed at everything Dave says to me - which is nice.

All that being said, I am firm believer in the placebo effect. This iron-thing could all be in my head, I am very suggestable and impressionable after all. However, there seems to be something to this for my body. I am definitely going to continue on with the vitamin/mineral supplement, at least through the end of my marathon training. We'll see what happens when I get back to the U.S. and start cooking more often. Maybe I can keep my iron levels up with a more focused, steak-filled diet.

Keep on running!

3-Days-Per-Week Marathon Traning Plan

You heard me right, 3 days per week. That is all I run when training for a marathon, which I am right now in case you haven't heard. I am running the London Marathon on April 21, 2013 for the Battersea Dogs and Cats Home (you can donate to my cause here).

I constructed my 3-day-a-week marathon training plan based personal experience training for triathlons, my natural injury prone-ness, and advice from Runner's World magazine. For my body, the MOST IMPORTANT thing is completing the long runs. All those other miles (shown as Run #1 and Run #2 in the table that follows) are there just so I can drink wine and have dessert. 

This really works for me. I used this same sort a plan a few years ago to qualify for Boston when I had to run sub 3:40 at the California International Marathon (I ran a 3:36 fairly comfortably there).

So here is my loose plan. I am technically on Week 2 right now.

Week	Run #1	Run #2	Run #3
1	6	6	14
2	6	8	10
3	4	8	12
4	6	4	16
5	8	6	12
6	6	6	14
7	4	4	18
8	8	6	8
9	SKI WEEK
10	4	8	12
11	4	4	18
12	4	8	14
13	4	4	21-23
14	6	8	13
15	6	6	10
16	2	2	RACE

There are a few caveats/important details involved in this plan since it is rather abbreviated. First and most importantly, all runs are done with a goal/structure. All the runs are done "fast" (well, in relative terms). 

For example, the Short Runs (#1 and #2) are done as:

• Fartlek workouts, generally running fast from one landmark until another with a comfortable pace in between.
• Track workouts involving 1/4s, 1/2s, and miles depending on my mood.

The Long Runs (#3) are done as:

• Tempo-style runs, e.g. 4 miles easy then 4 miles hard, and repeat.
•  Races like the Barcelona Half Marathon - and I hope to throw another few races in there for good measure.

There are no "easy miles" or LSD (long slow distance) runs. Also important, I had to carve out a break for my upcoming ski week in Zermatt, no long runs immediately before or after 6 days of skiing. That would be a recipe for disaster/injury. Plus Dave would probaly ditch me on the slopes if I couldn't keep up due to tired legs.

I also intersperse 2 days of swimming per week (from 1,500 to 3,000 meters per workout) and Bikram Yoga maybe every two weeks (I know BIKRAM, yucky - but it is cold here and the studio is very close to my house).

I don’t have a GPS unit or anything, really - I can barely remember to bring my keys when I head out the door. However, for mileage and pacing purposes here in London, I have recently taken to using my Ipod Nike fitness pedometer. It isn’t entirely accurate, but at least it is a gauge of  mileage and pace of some sort. 

So I am off. Happy running all.