Milwaukee Firefighter running marathon in gear

photo credit: shorewood.patch.com

One of my favorite post workout snacks is a low calorie chocolate banana protein shake…Mmmm… It tastes really good especially in the summer after a run outside in the hot weather.

Here is my post workout low cal chocolate banana protein shake recipe:

1 cup of ice

1/2 cup of milk

1 scoop of chocolate protein powder

1/2 banana

1 squirt of low cal chocolate syrup

Throw it all in a blender for about a minute..and ding! It’s done.

Total calorie amount: ~ 250 calories

What is your favorite post workout snack? Leave a comment/recipe below, or start a conversation in the runnersmeet forum.

From runner to runner, I have a question. Have you ever been asked, “How can you like to run?!” or, “How do you run for so long?!” My personal favorite from my mom after I ran my two marathons, “Did you win?”…No mom, I’m not an olympic runner and a marathon isn’t a, “race to the finish” kinda thing like a 100 meter dash.

Seriously, I can’t count the number of  times people ask me why I like to run or if I’m running my marathon for money. Run a marathon for money? …Haha I wish!  Cracks me up every time I think about it.

Nope. The truth is I actually pay about 70 bucks every time I decide to run a marathon, plus travel expenses.

So what is the reason I run?

I’d say the number one reason I run is because it makes me feel good. That can be for a lot of reasons, let me elaborate. I find it to be a big stress reliever. A time when I can reflect over the day and think through everything. I think about whats going on in my life. What I’d like to change or do differently. Have you ever come back from a run feeling like you’ve gotten a lot of things straightened out? I have. Running, especially my longer runs, give me this level of complete awareness and euphoria that no other type of exercise can imitate. When I finish a run, I feel like I can conquer the next obstacle in my life with everything I have. That’s how marathon running started for me.

Marathon running is great. I’m sure a lot of people would disagree. Heck, they might even think I’m crazy. Let me make an argument here though. If you’ve never run a marathon before, how do you know you’ll hate it? Sure, it takes a lot of practice and discipline. But if you’ve ever asked a marathon runner how they’ve felt after completing their first marathon, I’d bet they’d say their opinion was similar to yours at one point until their first marathon changed everything. Number one: You’ve become a part of a group of  individuals who can say they’ve run a marathon. Number two: It’s a great experience running in a marathon.

It never crossed my mind to run a marathon till about five years of running. I’ve been running for excercise mostly, but ran competitively one year in college and thats where I decided to start distance running, realizing I hated short distance running(I suck at sprinting). And I thought, “I think it’s time to have a marathon under my belt.”

When I finished running my first marathon I felt great. I realized it’s your perception of running a marathon like it’s some impossible feat that scare the crap out of people. Trust me, it’s not as hard as you think. Go try it, you’ll see. Sure it’s tough, but it’s not THAT difficult, and its definitely not impossible.

So for those skeptics out there: I challenge you to run at least one marathon and tell me you don’t feel differently about running or understand why people, “run for fun.”

So get outside and start running!

I would like to dedicate this post to my two friends, Matt and Andrew, that think to “run for fun” is absolutely ludacris.  :D

Please share a short, funny running story, or the things people say to you when you say you, “run for fun” in the comment section below.

http://www.vibramfivefingers.com/products/Five-Fingers-Bikila-Womens.htm

I came across a yummy recipe by Jesslyn Cummings, for some simple low fat chili.

http://running.about.com/od/nutrition/r/jesslynchili.htm

Dean Karnazes

All of us as runners need motivation from time to time. I can’t think of anyone more motivational, or any better athlete for that matter, than the guy known as, “The Ultra Marathon Man.” If you haven’t heard of Dean Karnazes already, here’s a little bio quoted from Ultramarathonman.com: “His most recent endeavor was running 50 marathons, in all 50 states, in 50 consecutive days, finishing  in the NYC Marathon, which he completed in three hours and thirty seconds.” -Impressive right? And thats not all. He’s ran across Death Valley in 120 degree weather and a marathon to the South Pole at -40 degrees Fahrenheit, among many other races. Just where does he get all that motivation is what I’m wondering.

I’m not sure where he gets the motivation to do his crazy “ultramarathons” but it’s awfully inspiring. Just what is an ultramarathon though? Well, according to good ol’ Wikipedia, it is any type of marathon event LONGER than a marathon. Specific right? (lol)  There are two kinds of ultramarathons, ones with a specified distance and time, which is most often 62.14 miles,or, the other types consist of double marathons, 24 hour races, and races that last for multiple days! And most ultramarathons include crazy terrain. As crazy as this seems, Im kinda interested in trying one- scratch that- I will do one. Of the 70,000 people in the world who do one every year, I can’t let them put me to shame.

The international Association of Ultra Runners (IAU) organizes the world championships for the many ultramarathon events. Our country isn’t the only country that does it, other countries have their own governing ultrarunning organizations. In case you’re motivated enough to try one, here is a list of the largest ultra marathon runs.

ultra marathon man

So, just what can we learn from Dean Karnazes?  A lot of things. Especially how to push ourselves to the limit. There is a great segment in his new book that I find inspiring as to why he chooses to run such limit pushing runs. In his book. “Ultramarathon Man“ he says, ”Why was I So compelled to push beyond all plausible limits of physical endurance to complete an endeavor that seemed so obscure and, some might say, irrational?  I wasn’t entirely sure myself.  It’s not that extreme athletes lack introspection; most whom I’ve encounter are quite reflective.  It’s just that question of “Why?” is not a simple one to answer…

More often than not, the person asking “Why?” is looking for a brief psychobabble cliché to adequately explain the phenomenon, something like: “I run because when I was kid, my father chased me out of the house and down the street with a belt in hand.” To those who asked me “Why?” I would frequently offer up some shallow explanation like “I enjoy running.” What I guess I should have said was, “Go out and run fifty miles, then you’ll have your answer.” Because I was still searching for mine(p.86).

Now that’s some ultramotivation.

Please leave some comments about your “ultimate” runs, or some great motivational stories.

Happy Running

-Rachel

If you are a beginner marathon runner like I was last summer, you’ll find the book, “Marathon: You can do it!” by Jeff Galloway, a very helpful book to guide you on your way to a successful first time marathon. Jeff Galloway’s marathon book is organized by your goal pace time and has custom programs for people at all different running levels. Interestingly enough, his marathon programs require walk breaks! At first I thought, “walk breaks, who needs walk breaks?” Ok, that may sound a little cocky, but I like to push hard I guess, that’s why I decided to run a marathon in the first place . Well, as I continued to read, he explains that some professional athletes that he’s trained have had their marathon PR’s  by following his “walk break” included programs.

I found the walk breaks to be refreshing. Even though I felt like I didn’t need them at times( about every 7-9 minutes), I’m sure it was better to take them. Galloway explains that your muscles are less fatigued when you take breaks. This sounds about right. Constant pounding on the pavement can wear at your legs for 26.2 miles. The marathon programs also include cross training days and one long run a week, which gradually gets increased by a few miles a week.

So, if you’re a beginner marathon runner looking for a good book, I suggest you try this running book out. It can be used even if you are not a beginner too, as the programs are for all different marathon running levels.

Hope you find this a helpful read.

Happy book hunting!