Friday Five: Favorite Races

Linking up today with Mar, Cynthia, and Courtney for Friday Five.

While I'm not doing any racing or running currently, I'm starting to think about what I might do for my comeback next summer, and reminiscing about my favorite races that I've done.

1. Portland Marathon (2013 and 2015). I can't imagine doing the work of training for and running a marathon without it being this one. It's well organized, not too hard of a course (relatively speaking, that is), great swag, and shows off the beautiful city! 

2. First Run 5k (2013, 2014, 2015). The fact that this takes place at midnight doesn't hurt (I'd much rather stay up than get up extra early!), but this is a super fun way to ring in the New Year! 

3. Bloomsday 12k (2013, 2014, 2015, 2016). This race has a long history in Spokane (and is one of the biggest road races in the US), but also with my family (my dad grew up there). When I realized I was really a runner and could handle doing this race, I was so excited to take part in the family tradition. 

4. Foot Traffic Flat half marathon (2012, 2013, 2014, 2015). Held on Sauvie Island, in north Portland, this race lives up to its name. It was my second ever half marathon and I've done it every year since, usually setting a new PR. Even with the summer heat, it's a great way to celebrate the 4th of July.

5. Best in the West triathlon. Though not my first triathlon, I wish I'd done it for my first. It's really beginner-friendly, with a clear body of water and well-marked course. My impression may be biased since I performed so well and set a great PR, but I really enjoyed it. I'm definitely leaning towards doing this one next year as my next triathlon to get back into things.

Pregnancy: Month 7

Feeling pretty much the same, just getting bigger. Some aches and pains, especially after sitting pretty much all day at work, but really any symptoms are still fairly mild. But seriously, getting huge. 

Weeks 7, 16, 24, 32

Month 1. Month 2. Month 3. Month 4. Month 5. Month 6.

Official weeks: 29 - 32

Milestones: 

• Took and passed the glucose test. Therefore continuing to eat plenty of ice cream. 
• Picked out and met with a pediatrician. I was slightly concerned about the fact that we're going to raise our kid vegetarian (until they're old enough to comprehend the gist of the issue and decide for themselves) - but, of course, it's Portland. She said this was far from unusual, and she's in fact semi-vegetarian herself. So we'll have plenty of support with that! 
• Stopped running - the Oregon Trail Game 5k, being a race and at what I'm calling 7 months (exactly 2 months before my due date), seemed like a nice place to stop. If I hadn't been registered for that, I probably would have given it up a week or two sooner. 
• Asking for more help with tasks that involve leaning or bending over, such as having Abe tie my shoes (fortunately I don't wear shoes that need tied very often!). 
• My belly button is basically fully popped - it still has an inside, but the edges of it are popped up.

Symptoms: 

• Motion sickness - never in my life have I had motion sickness, but experienced it earlier in the pregnancy while flying, and more recently on trips that involved driving on some curvy back roads. It's really not fun. 
• Uncomfortable to lean/bend over.
• More frequent heartburn.

Mental health: 

Every once in a while it crosses my mind that - oh shit, I have to go through labor and deliver this baby. And then we have to raise it. What did we do? Did I really intentionally get myself into this?! 

But most of the time I'm good. I actually mentioned to Abe that it seemed like I was actually almost more emotionally stable over the pregnancy than I usually am. He agreed, but that seems like the answer you'd give a pregnant woman if it were true, but especially if it wasn't true...

Food: 

I haven't done any calorie counting or anything to make sure I'm adding extra, especially in the later months, figuring that as my activity is going down, if I continue to eat about the same but burning less through exercise it'll wash out to what I need anyway. I'm definitely having to eat smaller amounts more often - occasionally I'll get super hungry and eat a big meal, and very much regret it.

My current obsession is cereal. 

Purchases & gifts: 

• Pack'n'Play - for best versatility, we bought one with a bassinet attachment to use for the early weeks for sleep, then we'll have the pack'n'play itself for naps, play, traveling, whatever, later on. 
• Baby book
• Ergo carrier
• Crib and dresser
• Sheets, diaper pads, etc. 
• Replacements parts for breastpump
• Car seat 

Weight gained: +34 pounds

Clothes: 

Some early maternity items that aren't knit are now too small. (Which makes sense, as I bought them early on because they weren't super voluminous in covering a smaller bump.) I feel like that's a sign of being really pregnant once you start outgrowing maternity clothes.

Currently reading: 

Continuing to work on What to Expect the First Year and The New First Three Years of Life. I just haven't been prioritizing much reading lately, which I need to fix! Not that much time left to be prepared. 

Most surprised by: 

Changes week by week and day to day. For example, once I started feeling kicks, I figured that's what I'd feel for the rest of pregnancy - but the type of movement has actually changed. Now it's not really kicks out, but parts sort of dragging across the side or pushing outward. And some days my back hurts, some days it's fine, even when I've had similar activity, or heartburn acting up some times but not always even with eating similar foods. 

Week of August 8 - 14

Workouts: 

Tuesday: Swim 1,000 yards

Friday: Swim 1,000 yards + 3 Day Rotation weights (20 min)

Total swimming: 2,000 yards
Average daily steps: 7,549

Oh, wow, that wasn't a whole lot happening this week. My parents were visiting this weekend, which made it harder to fit in any actual workouts (though did a semi decent amount of walking). It's a little harder to think what I want/should be doing now that running isn't a default any more. 

Oregon Trail Game 5k

I think I remember hearing something about this race in it's inaugural year last year, but it was back on my radar earlier this year and I decided I definitely needed to sign up for it this year, even realizing that I'd be 7 months pregnant. I wasn't clear on the exact details of the game aspect, but it sounded super fun! (So I was excited to host a guest post about it when they approached me more recently.)

There was packet pick-up for the race earlier in the week, but it's the other side of the metro area so we just decided to do pick-up the morning of. After both Abe and I apparently turning off our alarms, we woke up about 15 minutes before we intended to leave, but ended up getting out the door pretty quickly and arriving at the race 10 minutes before pick-up officially opened. There was tons of street parking available within a few blocks of the race start when we arrived, but we saw it fill up pretty quickly. 

There were lots of bonnets being worn!

We got our bibs and the t-shirt I'd ordered (you had to pay extra, but I think it was only $10 ahead of time and $15 day of). You also got a string backpack, with some coupons, a pen, and chapstick from the sponsors.

Occupations were assigned that would ultimately impact your game play - based on the race's major sponsors, you were either a carpenter, doctor, or actor. The bib also had a spot to check off your pace and food ration. 

The race got started just a few minutes late, but they were pretty organized - they had pace signs and had at least reminder over the loud speaker to pay attention to how you were lined up. Though a smaller race (under a thousand people), they started us off in smaller waves, so as to minimize congestion at the beginning of the race which included a staircase almost right off the bat. It was still a bit congested - if I'd been trying to PR I might have been annoyed, but they were clearly doing what they could to mitigate that issue.

The course goes up a staircase (those with strollers could take the municipal elevator up to the top of this area), then continues on a paved trail alongside the hill, into neighborhoods and eventually back towards downtown. You get some nice views of Oregon City and the river! The elevation profile didn't looked nearly as bad when I looked at the data afterward as it felt during the race, but realistic the first 2.5 miles is going up, and then there's a steep downhill in the last half mile. Mostly on paved trail or streets, although there was one block of a sort of alley that was gravel. Not a race you'd want to plan on PR-ing, for sure, but could be a pretty fun challenge to push yourself on!

Mile 1: 14:15
Mile 2: 14:13
Mile 3: 13:05
Mile 3.1: 0:22 time (10:03 pace for 0.04 by my Garmin)

During the race, there were also 5 decision points where you had to decide between things like floating or fording the river, or stopping to hunt or continuing on. They first three I think had volunteers on each side ready to hand you one of the two cards; at the second two you had to grab it off a clothes line. Not sure why the difference, but either way it didn't take more than a few seconds at each point to get your card. You got an immediate consequence on the back of the card, such as that you made it safely to the other side of the river or that your wagon broke down. However, none of them gave an ultimate outcome of making it to the end of the Oregon trail. 

After the race, you had to submit your occupation, pace, food ration, and decision point cards to come up with your ultimate outcome. There was a place to do so at the race, but the line was ridiculously long. There was a website to submit the data yourself; they were having some technical difficulties for a couple hours, first it wouldn't get you to the place to submit your data, then it wasn't processing it as quickly as it was supposed to. But by midday it had all been resolved and you could submit and view your result. 

There were game standard outcomes - you died of dysentery, you drowned, etc. Also some fun twists - the dramatic election year made you reconsider your westward plans, you mistook Pokemon Go for the trail map and barely made it out of Independence. Abe and I got mostly the same cards but made some decisions differently, and he ended up making it t to the Willamette Valley, whereas I ran out of food and starved to death.

Finishers got the most amazing medal, made out of an old floppy disc! There were other goodies at the end of the the race, too, including beer and ice cream. It was definitely a bit crowded with long lines for the various things at the end (even though I think we were relatively midpack). But it was still a really fun event! It's the type of novelty race that while I enjoy, I'm not sure I'd go back for every year, but I would like to do it at least once more while not pregnant to see how well I can tackle the running aspect. It's also walking friendly (a friend of mine walked it in just over an hour), and even stroller friendly. 

Week of August 1 - 7: The Last Run

Workouts: 

Monday: Run/walk 1.6 miles (15:50 pace)

Tuesday: Rest day

Wednesday: 3 Day Rotation weights (20 min)

Thursday: Rest day

Friday: 3 Day Rotation kickboxing (20 min)

Saturday: Unplanned rest day - unless assembling Ikea furniture counts? The baby's room is starting to resemble a nursery!

Sunday: Oregon Trail Game 5k - 41:49 (13:29 pace), but I died of starvation. 

Total running: 4.7 miles
Average daily steps: 8,304

Running has gradually been getting more uncomfortable and less enjoyable, but I was registered for a 5k this week and knew I needed to do a little to maintain and be ready for that (and still somewhat enjoyable, some days more so than others). I'm extremely glad I did this race, but I'm pretty sure it was my last run until after the baby arrives. 

This means a 3 month break (2 months, give or take, until baby, and then another 4 - 6 weeks postpartum), which is by far the longest break since I started running consistently in the summer of 2010*. I really am sad to give it up, even temporarily, and it's kind of hard to swallow this as one of my current limitations, but it's necessary, and I know I'll be back at it before I know it. 

*I have spreadsheets tracking my mileage beginning in fall of 2012. I have to go back to February 2013 to even find a calendar week without at least one run, and that 8-day stretch appears to be the longest without. Prior to that, going a week without a run is more plausible, but I doubt it was ever more than two weeks.

Toastmasters: Minimalist Running Shoes

My most recent Toastmasters speech was a "demonstration talk". While the demonstration shouldn't be the entire thing or only source of information, the purpose was to work into your speech demonstrating a process or product, providing additional context with the demonstration.

Having recently bought a new pair of running shoes and having to switch back to a brand I'd previously used after my current brand ceasing making the product lines that were fully minimalist (in my definition), the concept was in the front of my mind and I thought I'd explain the benefits of minimalist running shoes and how they different from conventional shoes. I brought in one of my new minimalist pairs along with a cheap pair of Nikes (that I'll be returning) to compare them to. I passed one of each around the room, while demonstrating with the remaining of each pair. 

(This topic also overlaps with this post from a few years ago.)

Title: Minimize Your Shoes to Maximize Your Health. 

Running is often portrayed as a very accessible sport - you don't need a team, or a playing field, or any special equipment. Just put on some athletic clothes and shoes and head out the door. 

However, there's nonetheless a market, for plenty of things you don't necessarily need for running. And the shoes, in particular, are marketed as something you DO need, as a very specialized tool that will help your running and keep you from getting injured. So after I'd been running for a while, I did what I thought I was "supposed" to do, went to a running store, and got fitted. 

They had me run a short distance, and tell whether I over or under pronated, and asked about my arches, and sold me something that was suppose to be just right to essentially fix things that were apparently wrong with my feet. I took those home and started running - and they hurt! I could barely walk in them. I started googling to figure out what went wrong, and ended up going down the trail of minimalist shoes. 

Now, at the extreme, these are barefoot shoes, like the Vibram Five Fingers you've probably heard of, that fit like a glove with separate toes, or even running sandals, that are just the flat sole and straps to keep it on. But it's also a large category that looks like a shoe - although at races, other runners can still notice the difference and comment on them, I've found - but is less of a shoe. It's there more to keep your feet from getting dirty, than to fix anything or change how your foot moves, the way that conventional running shoes.

I've been running in minimalist shoes for several years now, and have no intention of going back. So today I have a pair of minimalist and regular shoes to compare, and show you how the minimalist features can actually be better for you.

1. Low stack height. 

This is the thickness of the sole, and is typically at least 20 to 30 mm, whereas minimalist shoes are closer to 4 to 8 mm - about quarter of an inch or less. Shouldn't that cushioning help you when you're hitting the ground with impact while running? Actually, there are studies with gymnasts, who of course are jumping off stuff and landing on mats, that show more cushioning actually leads to more injuries! How is that? Because you body knows how to land on the ground. It knows if you're falling or jumping that you'll be landing on the earth and the most surfaces are fairly hard and rigid. It prepares itself to brace and stabilize itself and land without being hurt. But when the landing is on cushioning, it gets confused! The stabilizing doesn't work, and actually leads to more injuries.

2. Zero drop. 

The drop is the difference in stack height at the heel and at the toe. This is at least 10 mm on conventional shoes, and zero or just a few mm in mimimalist shoes. Think of women's high heels - most people realize those aren't healthy, because you're raising the ankle of your foot and maintaining a contraction in your ankle, achilles tendon, and calf muscles. But pretty much every modern shoe has a raised heel. Even if it's not as steep as a 4" stilleto, you're still maintaining a contraction, and keeping your ankle from fully expanding and reaching its full range of motion. Over time, this makes it more susceptible to stress or pressure causing it to stretch when it's not used to it, and snap and cause injury.

3. Wide toe box. 

Think of the shape your foot when you're barefoot. And then think of the shape of the shoe. Your toes end up being all squished! If you want to take advantage of your foot's engineering and natural architecture, you have ot let the toes splay out and have a solid foundation to land on. They can land properly and brace yourself for that impact if they're all smushed together.

4. Flexible sole and no arch support. 

A regular sold is thick and solid - it keeps your foot in one position. But your arch and sole of the foot moves naturally. Minimalist shoes, being thinner and deliberately flexible, can move - however your foot wants to move, it moves with it. It also makes your arch support itself - a problem, perhaps, if it's not used to it, but by nature it will build muscle to be built-in support. Forcing your foot into artificial support is like putting a cast on your arm - and leaving it there indefinitely! Of course it will feel weak and like its can't stand up on its own, because you've let it atrophy.

All of these features add up to a shoe that isn't try to fix anything - because until you use the shoes that are trying fix it, there isn't anything to fix! Our feet are designed to support and move and we're just ignoring all of that by forcing into a rigid shoes and not letting it move or develop muscles on its own. Now yes, the more used to a regular shoe your foot is, the more gradually you would want to transition to something else, because it will take time to re-learn and develop that support on its own. But it's really re-learning, because it used to be able to do this, when you were a little kid learning to walk. 

So the next time you're looking for the perfect shoe, maybe it's time to look at one that is less of a shoe. 

Week of July 25 - 31

Workouts: 

Monday: Run 2.1 miles (14:23 pace)

Tuesday: Swim 1,000 yards 

Wednesday: Rest day

Thursday: 3 Day Rotation weights (20 min)

Friday: Played half a round of disc golf

Saturday: Rest day

Sunday: Bike trainer 3.85 miles (11.5 mph, 52 rpm)

Total swimming: 1,000 yards
Total biking: 3.85 miles
Total running: 2.1 miles
Average daily steps: 8,389

We were in Astoria Thursday through Sunday morning, so there was also quite a bit walking, in town and nearby state parks.