The Little Extras

Professional runners often talk about the little extras: it’s not just the miles and workouts that make the difference on race day; it’s all the other little things done throughout the day that keep them healthy and able to run those miles and nail those workouts.

The problem, of course, is that we’re freaking busy. We’re not pros, so we don’t have time to sit in NormaTec boots, take afternoon naps, or spend hours lifting. It takes enough time just to get the running done and so the little things often get skipped.

Over the years I’ve worked hard (sometimes successfully, sometimes struggling) to focus on the non-running extras. Having Baby obviously threw that all for a loop and I’ve had to rededicate myself and find new ways to fit it all in. I still don’t have it totally figured out and things get skipped here and there, but below are some of the tips and tricks that are helping me at the moment. (Anything to add? Do so in the comments below!)

Strength/core/drills

On Sunday nights, I look at my training plan for the week and figure out what days make sense (workout-wise/time-wise/Baby-wise) for strength, core work, and drills. (Each week, I aim for two strength sessions and four core sessions, although some of those core days are just a quick plank series. I do drills before harder or longer workouts, which is usually about twice a week.) In my log I write down which days I’ll do them and make little check boxes for each session. It seems trivial, but it works for me to (a) have a plan and (b) write it down. If I haven’t planned it, I won’t make the time for it (which usually just means getting up earlier) and if I don’t write it down, I’ll just keep putting it off until all I’m left with are days when I really can’t squeeze it in. Plus, checking it off at the end of each day feels good: at least one thing got accomplished.

An example of my log with my intention for the week. 

Yoga

I also make a checkbox for one weekly yoga session. I often plan it for a day I know I’ll need the extra stretching (for example, if I have Baby all day, post-run stretches can be a little trickier). I prefer to do it at home, where I can do sequences designed for runners at whatever time works for me, but having a scheduled class could help keep you accountable. I had been doing Runner’s World videos but recently started Jasyoga (which has a promo code for a free month if you sign up by April 8!) I’ve been enjoying the videos so much, I’m hoping to do more sessions each week. (Jasyoga also has short meditations, which can be really helpful leading up to a race.)

Sleep

This is one of the hardest and the one that makes me the most jealous of the pros and their claims to get twelve hours of sleep a day. With all the other things to do, how are we supposed to find time to sleep? Two things have helped me:

1. Cut back on TV
Back in 2014, I gave up TV as a New Year’s resolution, in part because I wanted more time to take care of these things. (That same year I qualified for the 2016 Trials, which I don’t think was a coincidence. I wrote about it for The Washington Post and also achieved a life goal I didn’t know I had: making it on FloTrack.) We as a society spend a ridiculous amount of time watching TV, even though we also claim to be crazy busy. If it helps you unwind and relax (which is important for running well!) then go for it. But what I realized over the year was that doing other relaxing things (like reading or going to bed earlier) helped me more; an hour spent reading felt longer and more refreshing than an hour spent watching TV. Although I do watch TV now, I watch significantly less, which means I have more time in the evenings for yoga/strength work/relaxing/just going to bed.

2. Set an alarm
A much simpler trick than banning TV is to set an alarm on your phone telling you to go to bed. I usually set mine for about thirty minutes before I want to be lights out, so I have enough time to stop whatever I’m doing, get ready, and have some devotional time. Admittedly, sometimes I snooze this alarm just like I would a morning one, but I do think it helps keep me accountable for what I promised myself. Apparently, even in my thirties, I still need someone telling me to go the fudge to sleep.

Foam rolling

I foam roll after nearly every run and (on days I’m really on top of it) before some runs. Doing it at the same time every day makes it a simple habit; like brushing your teeth before bed, it becomes routine and just takes a few minutes. You could put the roller where your store your running shoes as a reminder to do it when you come back from your run or beside your bed as a reminder to do it before bed. Alternatively it’s also easy to roll while watching TV or, if Baby lets you, while playing on the floor.

Baby "helping" me foam roll.

Eating right

Meal prep is everywhere these days and while I don’t quite go to the extent of others, at the beginning of the week I plan out each night’s dinner and do all the shopping. It’s easier for me to take the time to make the decisions all at once and then the rest of the week I don’t have to think about what we’re going to eat or whether we have the right ingredients. If I don't make a plan and just scrounge something up, I don’t eat as well.

Easy runs

This one actually does involve running, so I’m not sure if it counts as one of the “little extras” but I’m throwing it in here because it’s so important and is so often ignored: run your easy days EASY (so you can run your hard days hard). Compared to the others, this takes the least amount of extra time; it just means your runs will be a few extra minutes longer (and we’d all rather be running than lifting and foam rolling, right??). But too many people run moderately fast all the time, which means their bodies can’t recover properly. On my easy days, I wear a watch to make sure I’m going slowly enough, which for me is about two minutes slower than my marathon pace. You should finish your easy runs feeling refreshed, not more tired than when you started.

What are some of your tips and tricks for fitting it all in? Any other little extras you emphasize?

Dream big,
Teal

Abs of Mush... And More Doctors

Postpartum is a high-risk time for injury. I’m trying my best to stay healthy: build back up slowly, eat right… and sleep…? (Riiiight... Well, I’m doing what I can.)

Normally that routine would also include core workouts and yoga. A strong core helps prevent injury and its role in running was never more obvious than the first few postpartum runs when my abs were getting more of a workout than my legs, heart, or lungs. I find that yoga helps as well so, in addition to almost daily core exercises, I usually do short, at-home yoga routines once or twice a week.

But since Baby, I’ve been scared to reintroduce either of those pre-hab activities. When researching coming back from pregnancy for this article, many sources said you should be checked for diastasis recti—a separation of the "six-pack" abdominal muscles. The ab muscles that were stretched apart to accommodate the growing baby sometimes don’t come back together on their own, and if the space is larger than two finger widths your core isn’t able to function properly, potentially leading to back and pelvic problems. Many doctors recommend getting checked before resuming exercise and certainly before starting core work, as certain exercises (such as the ever popular plank) can make the separation worse.

When I asked about it at my six-week checkup, my doctor said it was too early to check for diastasis, but she still gave me the go ahead to resume running, core work, yoga, whatever I liked.

So I did. But I continued to worry about my core, which was complete mush. Certainly that’s normal to some extent post-baby, but when I did the self-test it seemed I did have a separation. And it felt like it was getting worse (although who knows if I was self-diagnosing properly….)

From all I read, it seemed like my doctor should have checked. But I was reluctant to see another doctor and get assessed. I didn’t want to make a fuss, taking the time to go to appointments and see more doctors. (Haven’t I been to the doctor enough in the last year??) I felt guilty worrying about it, like I was being overly or prematurely concerned, when everyone else was telling me to relax about running, give it time, and just focus on enjoying/surviving being a new mom.

But when I was able to run again, it was like a switch flipped and I was able to survive—and enjoy—being a mom that much more. I want to keep doing it, which requires staying healthy. An anonymous comment on my last post really hit me; just go see a doctor, it said. “You aren’t meant to be hopeless.” My mom also encouraged me, and having your mom say it’s okay to do something as a new mother is pretty freeing.

So I made an appointment to get a “belly check,” a quick ten-minute assessment at a nearby women’s health physical therapy practice. (Honestly, the fact that it would only take ten minutes and not be a whole big thing made it a lot easier to go, so I suggest looking into that if you find yourself in a similar situation.) And I do have a separation, of three or four fingers’ width in different areas. At my belly button, the doctor said it was so deep she could almost feel my spine. (Told you my belly was mush.)

Mommy and daughter exercise time.

So now begins the process of correcting it. I have weekly appointments in which I’m learning to reengage my tranverse abs, which basically means a lot of subtle movements focused on breathing properly. And here’s the best argument for seeing the doctor/not being as hesitant as I was: all the exercises I had found online to correct diastasis weren’t helping because I wasn’t doing them properly; my tranverse needs to do the work, but my other, overachieving ab muscles take over. Meanwhile, as I suspected, nearly every kind of core/yoga/stretching position (anything on hands and knees, deep twists, forward bends, planks) is off limits at the moment.

Going to the doctor (with Baby in tow) that often is a pain, as is finding the time to do the exercises four times a day. And at my first real appointment I felt silly explaining what was wrong: Was I in pain? No. What every day movements couldn’t I do? Well I can run, but I’m hesitant to do the things I need to do to run well. Yeah, I’m only a few months postpartum... but there's nothing wrong with getting my body back to working properly sooner than later. 

Besides, lifting this growing beast of a baby will be a lot easier with a functional core.

Dream big, 

Teal