...And What Do You Do?

About a year and a half ago I was at a local gathering and not unlike most social interactions, as the small talk went the question came up, "And what do you do?" The normal understanding is that you will answer with your current job position. This is standard in almost all social settings, business related or personal. Even if the answer is, I'm between jobs right now, it's still expected that the person will respond in regards to their work status.

When they asked me, it seemed like within a second all of those thoughts flew through my mind and my answer came to: I run OCR's. (For those of you who for some reason prefer not to get dirty on the weekends, OCR = obstacle course race) THAT is what I do. That is what feeds my thoughts daily. Sure, work is there and I do it. At the present time, it isn't my favorite thing but even in many past positions when I enjoyed my job greatly, that was not how I defined myself. I am one who loves obstacle course racing and my son, preferably together. So my response to their question was, "I run OCR's. I have a wonderful 8 year old who does the same thing." (At that time he had a 5K mudrun under his belt along with a couple of Kid OCR's). My son and racing, that is who I am, that is what I do.

Needless to say they had a surprised look on their face. They asked what that was. I explained what OCR is and it seemed they immediately changed their thought process. We quickly moved away from the humdrum of work and into a more personal realm, a more exciting area for everyone.

And what do you do? I fly around forests carrying a log. 

While I am proud of the things I've done in my working career, I'm more passionate about what I've done and what I aspire to do as a dad and OCR runner. Would I rather talk about the next legislative item that will impact my business or how to best train for a multi-grip rig? What would you rather talk about? Football or spreadsheets? Shopping or the schedule for employees? Granted, some people love their job and that is what they do and there is nothing wrong with that. For others, they are movie watchers, foodies, cheer moms, singers, artists, and a litany of other things.

And what do you do? What moves you? What are you passionate about? If you didn't have to go to that 9 to 5 tomorrow, what would you do with yourself?

Whatever it is you do, answer with that next time and see how they react. See where the conversation goes. Also a suggestion for something to do: get outside and GET SOME!

I have discovered the best exercise ever...

There are many places you will see talking about the "best exercise." The one that burns the most calories or builds the most muscle or makes you look the hottest (something I really need to work on). Some say it is burpees, others say the perfect push up, some say swimming, what other suggestions have you seen? No matter what all of them say, I have found the best exercise.

Do you get that feeling when you do your exercise?

The best exercise ever is...the one you enjoy enough to keep doing. While many exercises might burn calories at a higher rate than others or focus on more full body function, if you don't do them, they don't matter. No, all of you hardcore workout people won't find this helpful, but that's because you already have the workout life ingrained into you. For others starting out, it helps to find that exercise that will keep bringing you back. Perhaps it is running, perhaps it is basketball, it may be tennis, weight lifting or just walking. Whatever it is you love, can lead to a healthy lifestyle and lead to more exercising.

Try different things to see what moves you.

Whatever your "best exercise" is, additional workouts can help improve on it, and you. Adding tennis can provide excellent cardio and core training. Adding weight lifting can strengthen performance and help with bone density. Running benefits from leg workouts and mixing in cross-training such as lifting, biking, or hiking. Exercise helps with health, stress, and some even say it helps with...what was I talking about? Oh, memory.

Find something you enjoy and make it a part of your life. Perhaps branch out from it and you might find something you never knew you liked. Whatever you do, be safe and get out there and GET SOME!

Where are your New Year's resolutions now?

This year, I will lose weight. This year, I will stop smoking. This year, I will workout more. This year, I will eat better.

Chances are, at some point you have uttered one or more of the above sentences. Furthermore, chances are that you didn't fulfill that prediction. Don't feel too bad (but you should feel at least a little bad that you didn't fulfill it, sorry but honesty isn't always nice), you're not alone. But the best thing you have? A second chance. And you don't have to wait until the end of the year to do it.

Look familiar?

According to a study by University of Scranton, only 8% of New Year's resolutions actually come to fruition (http://www.statisticbrain.com/new-years-resolution-statistics/). This comes from a few different problems. One, is that the "resolution" is more of a dream. The person wants to do it, but really isn't going to put the effort in from the beginning. These probably shouldn't even count as resolutions. Like the person getting sick after a night of drinking says they are going to stop, its probably not going to happen. Even if they remember in the morning that they said it. Another problem is that they do want to do it, but don't write down any goals. They want to lose 50 lbs, but need to start with 5 lbs. Write down the goals and small steps that will get you there. Then follow your plan. Many people follow a GPS when driving, why not have the same with your resolutions? Ask for help from family or friends or your doctor. Many can help with fitness, smoking, weight loss, finances, whatever your resolution. One more reason is that the resolution is too big, the person bites off more than they can chew, and when they don't do as well as they wanted, they lose faith and quit. If you don't run much, a marathon by March 17th might be a bit too much. Set realistic goals, ones that you know you can attain and be proud of your progress. Don't compare yourself to others. If you do this with a buddy, make sure you are both on the same level, but remember your outcome might differ from theirs. If you go it alone and your goal is 10 miles in a week by March, don't worry about your neighbor who is doing 20 miles a week. Do your thing for you. And be proud, those 10 miles are 10 more than most people!

I don't believe in New Year's resolutions. I believe if you want to make a change, do it now. I support those who do NY resolutions if it gets them going, but if you fall off, jump back on. Its only March, you still have nine months to make your resolutions come true. Reset and get going. Remember how excited you were to start doing this? Find that excitement again. You can do it. Set up your plan and make it happen.

If you didn't make a NY resolution but want to change something, make that change now. Why wait for New Year's eve? Why wait for the beginning of the next week? Why even wait until tomorrow? Make the change now. Write down your "resolution plan" so that it isn't just something people say and float around on a whim, make it a goal. Make it real. Then go do it. Whatever your goal is, get it. Get some!

I Don't Sweat As Much in the Winter so I Drink Less

Winter Hydration Reminder

Many of us feel the same way. "When I go running (or insert your sport/exercise here) I don't sweat as much when it is cold out." We don't feel the thirst that drives us to the cooler like in the summer months. It is very easy to cheat our bodies on the number one resource it needs: water.

Not only do we lose water through sweating, but also through exhalation and urination. We see the pictures of frost on people's hats or scarves (and on our own) and think how cold it looks, not realizing that water came from somewhere. We run in temperatures where we can "see our breath," which is actually water vapor leaving the body. And of course there is the yellow snow. All of these ways let fluids out that we need to replace.

In the colder weather your body works harder to stay warm. Water is used in the regulation of body temperature. This causes more stress on the body and it pulls more resources to work. Along with that added stress, the regular digestion, lubrication of joints (essential for us who workout), transportation of waste and many other functions are facilitated by water.

So what do we do?

We keep on track to drink our recommended amount of water daily. As I am not a licensed nutritionist (I don't even play one on tv), I cannot tell you how much water you specifically need. However, I can point you in the right direction ----> Mayo Clinic How much water to drink? However, they don't tell you specifically either, but provide a good guide.

How do we get this water? Hydrate before, during and after exercise. If you are going to be out for a while you might consider a water bottle belt, hand held bottle or backpack style (ie-Camelbak) to take along. My preference for shorter runs in the belt. I have a Fuel Belt by Fuel Belt (didn't see that one coming) which holds 4 small 8 oz bottles. It also has a small pocket in the back for a few gels, protein bar, chocolate covered espresso beans or whatever your vice happens to be. You will want to find the best hydration system for your needs.

Either way, we all know hydration is a key element to athletic success. Don't forget it before, during and after you are out there. Keep hydrated so you can go out and GET SOME!

Rocks and Roots Trail Run Series, Part I Review

Fleet Feet Sports - Rock & Roots Trail Series 2014
This year my fiancee and I have my first two events of the year being the Rocks and Roots trail series. I originally signed up to do the 20K in January and the 30K and February. We completed the 20K in January but as life would happen, she will now be in Florida for the February event. The plan was to do the 20K together and the 30K at our respective paces. We have decided to lower the distance for the second event to better fit in our training schedule.

As for the first run of the series, which was a 20K for us (the choices were 10, 20, 30, 40 or 50K), it was a more challenging experience than what we expected. Instead of a trail run, it ended up being a muddy march for 12.4 miles. The race was on January 12th, which had many days of snow melt off the days prior and a rainy day just one day before it. This made for quite a muddy trail. But getting a wooden medal is worth it right? Is a wooden medal a wedal?

We went to check out the course two weeks prior to the event. It was Phase 1 of the Alum Creek Mnt Bike Trails. I have been familiar with these trails for quite some time using them for training the past few years. I also ran with a group there and met Rob Powell, the race director for the Forget the PR 25K and 50K (http://www.mohican50k.com/), a great race.

The day of our event for the R&R series went quite differently than expected.

Set up/Organized

The event was set up well with plenty of room at the start, volunteers for parking and running directions, and an easy packet pickup prior to race day. Once we arrived onsite, we were directed where to park. The only pitfall I saw with the base area was that they double parked some people. If you ran a 10K and the person parked behind you was doing a 50K, you might be there a while. I didn't hear of any problems like that but made sure to leave space so we could get out.

They had an easy to see start area, made announcements as to the starting waves frequently (10K and 20K had separate start times from the rest.) and an easy transition area for the aid station if you were doing multiple laps.

The Course

The course, as I mentioned, was Phase 1 of the Alum Creek Mnt Bike Trails. This is a single track trail that is approximately a 6 mile loop around one of the fingers of Alum Creek. It has rolling hills, nothing too steep or long, some wooden bridges and a few rocky areas or other "technical" areas for mountain biking. It also has roots, as the name states. As usual on single tracks, you need to keep an eye on your foot falls. What is usually a fairly easy to run trail was a mud pit by the second lap. The churning of so many feet on a narrow course with all the snow run off and rain of the days prior made almost every inch of it a sticky, soup-like mess.

Yes, that is her pant leg going down to her shoes that you can't see, because the mud is so deep.

The course was rough, especially the second lap and I can only imagine how it was on a third, fourth, or fifth. I don't blame Fleet Feet for the poor course conditions, but it would have been nice to be able to run this on a normal trail surface.

There were two aid stations along the 6.2 mile loop. The first was at 4.5 miles in and the second was at the finish/lap line. They had the regular gamut of trail running snacks: water, Gatorade, chips, pretzels, gummie bears and a few other items.

NOTE: The course was torn up to the point it made mountain biking very difficult to impossible in some areas. Fleet Feet has volunteered to help repair the trail and are looking to move the February race to the multipurpose trail at the same location. Well played on their part.


Swag in the Bag

One great thing about the trail series was the swag for signing up for both races. This included not only the standard racing tech t-shirt, but a very nice hooded sweatshirt as well. I have testimony that it is a very nice, warm hoodie. We also received a nice pair of Balega socks, a Mini Clif Bar and a hand held water bottle by Nathan. For two races and all that gear, $85 was one great deal. 

Bag full of swag.

Miscellaneous Items

Post race was the same aid table used during the lap breaks of the course. I did help myself to some chili after the race was over. It was decent and the warmth was welcome on that cold January day.

They had a small fire pit and some music for the spectators but not much else, which is common for trail runs.

I do look forward to the next run in the series. If any of you are looking for a good trail running series I would recommend this one. Good location, swag, and hopefully better trails without the deep mud. If you choose this race, or anything other, just make sure you do. Get out and GET SOME!