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Judging by the Cover

February 10, 2014 by Leave a Comment

img_8430-231x348In a world where we are all constantly judged on our appearance, sport is a world where what you look like means absolutely nothing. Sure, runners are generally thin people, tennis players develop large and explosive muscles, swimmers have broad shoulders, and basketball players are tall and agile. These are generalizations, of course. While all of these sports require different ideal body types for outstanding success, not every basketball player is tall or every runner thin.

The cool thing about sport is that the person next to you can surprise you. I learned quickly to never judge the people in my race corral based on their physique, age or gender. I have watched beautifully fit looking runners struggle, and I have been passed by men with beer guts. I’ve sometimes been told that I don’t look like a runner. My response is that we all come in different shapes and sizes. No, I certainly do not have the large power muscles of a sprinter because guess what – I am not a sprinter. And no, I am not 10% body fat like elite female marathoners, but I am also not an elite marathoner.

One of the things I love about running is that when you race, it’s between you, the clock, and the runners around you. What you look like means absolutely nothing. All that matters is running hard, fast and smart. Doing your best beats out looking good. Sure, I would like to look good crossing the finish line, but if I look like hell and am beating every other female out there, then I suppose what I look like doesn’t mean a thing.

Ironically,  most sports magazines don’t even have real athletes on the cover. Why? Because they are selling the “ideal” type of what they think the reader will buy. Take a popular running magazine, for example. Most of the folks on the covers run, but they aren’t athletes. They may run 10-15 miles per week, but they are also doing a ton of working out to look like models. Most aren’t racing, or training for a marathon. However, they are what runners who buy that magazine strive to look like. I don’t know about you, but that’s just one more slap in the face of what we are “supposed” to look like versus what we do. This is true for most athletic/fitness magazines and ads. The only real athletes ever on the cover of said magazine are the elites who are Olympians. They are household names in the running community and therefore grace the cover and pages at times. Do you think those elite athletes would make the cover if they weren’t seriously accomplished and running celebrities? Not a chance. Those athletes wouldn’t book the shoot. And you know what? Every person on that cover is photo shopped. No wonder we have complexes! And yes, sometimes there IS a model who is a serious athlete who kicks butt at their sport, but that happens far too rarely.

In a world so obsessed with image and judgement, I find race culture to be simple, accepting, and refreshing. To me, racing is about going out there and doing my best. It’s not a beauty pageant. As a female, that’s liberating. I don’t care if my body type isn’t “ideal” compared to the next gal on the beach in her bikini. My body is the physique it is because of what I do with it. I am an athlete and my body is my instrument. If I wanted an “ideal” body, I probably wouldn’t run the way I do. I also wouldn’t eat the way I do. But you know what? I’m happy with what I can train my body to do, and I love that food is my fuel.

When I hear women talking about their body and self-worth, I feel so sad. I want to hug those women, and then take them out for a run. Why? Well because running is fun. And you always feel better after running. And it feels amazing to stop viewing your body as something being judged and instead to view it as this unique, individual gift that you alone were given. I want to tell those women to stop reading tabloid magazines, and to instead focus on their happiness. The minute you stop being your own worst critic and choose to not care about being judged, you’ll feel free. I don’t know about you, but when I run, I feel free and capable of anything. Yes, even with imperfections we are all capable of being strong, happy, healthy people.

I challenge you to take note of who is in your next race corral and see if you make automatic judgements about the folks around you. Then play a game and see if your first impression turns out to be accurate or not. You might be surprised. And you will probably surprise somebody around you too.

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Winter Warrior

February 3, 2014 by Leave a Comment

img_6789-editUnless you live in Southern California, you are probably aware of how cold this winter has been. Inspired by the “Polar Vortex,” here are some tips for how to train outside as safely and comfortably as possible.

Training for a spring race (especially a marathon!), fitness goal, resolution set back on New Years Eve – often requires getting out of the gym and into the fresh air. If conditions are dangerous – icy, deep snow, high winds – sometimes heading to the gym or taking a rest day is the smart decision. However, if you can stomach the temperature, here are a few tips that can make your miles as safe and comfortable as possible under the given conditions:

  • Hats and gloves are a must. You lose heat from your head, which is good in summer but bad in Winter. Keep your head covered, and you’ll hold onto your heat. Hands and feet will quickly lose heat, as your body will work hard to regulate your core temperature, pulling blood away from your hands and feet and directing it towards your core. Gloves and compression socks can help you feel better and reduce the risk of frost bite.

  • Adjust your pace for extreme temperatures. Just as I’ve mentioned in the past that extreme heat has an impact on athletic performance, the same is true with extreme cold. Because your body is working hard to regulate your temperature and work hard to meet your demands, your body and brain won’t function as well as they would at 50-60 degrees. It’s best to run by feel and effort instead of focusing on your pace.

  • Breathing hard in cold climates can be hard. Again, you are sucking in very cold air into a body that is comfortable at 98.6 degrees. Warming up and cooling down is always important, but in Winter it’s even more crucial as it will give your body a chance to ease into your workout.

  • Do not wear cotton. Running in cotton can be unpleasant, but is also dangerous in Winter. When you sweat in cotton, it dries very slowly and pulls your body heat out of you. If you must run in cotton, get out of it as soon as you are finished your workout. Hypothermia and other dangerous things can happen if you are in cold, wet cotton.

  • Wear compression/sweat-wicking gear. Yes, Winter running gear can be expensive. I feel your pain. But if you plan to train through days that don’t go above 20 degrees, you need to invest in proper gear. It will make a world of difference.

  • Wearing layers can be great. As a general rule, dress for the current temperature +20 degrees. When running, your body heats up and “feels” like its about 20 degrees warmer outside than what the thermometer says.

  • In extreme conditions, like when it’s 5 degrees and you are out running before the sun comes up, hand warmers can be useful. I sometimes stuff them in my gloves, or in my compression shirt on my back if I am coaching and not running the whole time.

  • Upon finishing your run, drink or eat something hot – like soup or hot cocoa. Personally, I like to make chocolate milk and heat it on the stove. Warming yourself up from the inside feels pretty awesome. Pair that with a hot shower, and you’ll feel great.

  • If you can plan to run at the warmest time of the day, that can certainly help. While not everyone can plan their work and life schedule around the weather and training, if you do have the ability to duck out of work for a long lunch break, that can make Winter training a bit more bearable.

  • Watch for icy patches on the road or sidewalk. Wiping out could lead to injury, which is never good. Keep your eye on the path in front of you, and take short, quick steps – making it easy to navigate icy patches.

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Wilhelmina Fitness Model Finalist

January 27, 2014 by Leave a Comment

Models: Pipko and Jasmina, Assisted by Jesse Rosenthal and Andrea HeapSome of you may know that when this coach is not training herself or others, she is also an actor and model. This blog entry is going to give you a glimps into a recent experience I had in a fitness model competition.

Back in November, Wilhelmina Model Agency launched a national search for fitness models. With 15 minutes left before submissions closed, I decided to toss my hat into the ring. Like most opportunities in the acting in modeling world, you have to let it go the minute you walk out of an audition or you will go crazy. Unless you live under a rock, you probably have an idea of how competitive the entertainment industry is, and how much of the outcome is about luck, timing and who you know. So I more or less forgot about submitting for the Wilhelmina contest as soon as I hit “submit” on my computer.

A few days later, I received the news that I was one of 20 semi-finalists, and needed to submit additional photos, a video demonstrating what I do to stay fit, and an essay explaining why I should be the next Wilhelmina fitness model. I scrambled to make a video, which wasn’t easy as it was a FREEZING weekend in NYC and I wanted to share how much I train outside. I also briefly filmed a few moves I do at the gym, and then recorded a few exercises I can do in my apartment. I had lots of fitness photos in my portfolio, and writing comes naturally to me – so the video was the most challenging – especially because it had to all be submitted within a few days, and Chris and I had a VERY busy weekend.

Once again, after I sent in all the material, I tried to forget about the competition. The only catch – the four finalists would be selected by judges and one finalist would be a “fan favorite,” so voting was important. I told myself that if I wasn’t a judges pick, I didn’t want to be in the top five. Personally, I hate asking and begging people to do anything for me – especially voting for something online. I am asked CONSTANTLY to vote for friends, donate to fund films, art projects, charity races – I didn’t want to be another person using social media to ask for folks in my network to vote for me. However, I bit the bullet and posted to link to the contest a few times, and to my surprise, a few friends shared the page, reached out to their friends, and were extremely supportive.

Again to my surprise, I made it to the finals. To my relief, I was a judges’ pick – though I REALLY appreciated the votes. If the judges hadn’t picked me, my votes might have gotten me the fifth and final spot. I don’t know for sure, but either way I was grateful for the support.

The finals took place this week in NYC. The other four finalists were warm, friendly, fit and fun people. It quickly became clear to me that I was in good company – but that also meant that it was anyone’s game. We were also each extremely different, with extremely different athletic niches, looks, strengths, weaknesses, experience, etc.

Here’s an abridged version of what the two days looked like:

Tuesday: I woke up at 4am to go coach one of my marathon-bound runners out in the 13 degree, dark, windy morning on the 6th street track. At 12pm, the other finalists and I had lunch and toured the Wilhelmina office, and met a few of the folks there. We got to know each other a bit over lunch, and learned a bit more about the role of a Wilhelmina fitness model. From there we were dropped at NY Sport and Racquet Club for a grueling hour-long boot camp class. I don’t know if it was the early-morning pacing, or the miles I’d clocked the last week (and the Goofy Challenge 10 days ago!), but my legs were shaking, weak jello within the first 10 minutes. I lost count of the amount of pushups, planks and burpees we did, but let me tell you – I have never felt so weak. I would have rather gone out into the snow storm and clocked 20 miles, or speedy repeats on a track. The bootcamp did not show my strengths, and played on my weaknesses. Having the judges watch me struggle certainly didn’t help. After bootcamp, we went back to our hotel to clean up and then we were off to Catch for dinner together and with the folks at Wilhelmina. it was nice to chat in a lovely restaurant, and a relaxed atmosphere.

Wednesday: At 8:30am the finalists and I were off to our fitness shoot, which would be followed by meeting with the judges and then the announcement of the winner. The production team was awesome – everyone was fun, professional and supportive. As the five of us took our turns shooting, we all played on our strengths. It set in during the shoot that the odds I’d win were very slim. Here’s why: the other two ladies are dancers and extremely flexible. They could get their bodies into poses I could never even dream of getting my body into, the the poses photographed beautifully. The guys were both incredibly strong, and though they didn’t hit moves like the dancers, they we both great and holding workout poses that amplified their muscle definition. Then there was me. How many times can a running run through the shot in a white studio and make it impressive? I tried to relax, but when asked about posing and stretches, I felt like an ass hole. As a fitness model, I would certainly benefit from some time in yoga or dance classes. The interview with the judges made me nervous, and in hind sight, I wish I had opened up a bit more.Models: Pipko and Jasmina, Assisted by Jesse Rosenthal and Andrea Heap

I wasn’t surprised when the winner was announced and it wasn’t me. Sure, I was disappointed, but like I said – the competition was fierce and it was anyone’s game. We are all so different, it was like comparing five different kinds of fruit.

I am extremely thankful for the experience. Everyone at Wilhelmina was so incredibly nice, and I can’t think of anything negative to say about the experience! It was quite the adventure, and out of the 2500 people who submitted themselves, I was in the top 5. I suppose I’m pretty okay with that.

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Disney Goofy Challenge

January 16, 2014 by Leave a Comment
Exiting Cinderella’s Castle.

Exiting Cinderella’s Castle.

This past weekend I ran the Disney Goofy Challenge – a half marathon on Saturday and a marathon on Sunday for the grand total of 39.3 miles. I tackled the same feat two years ago, in 2012. This time the Goofy Challenge seemed like the perfect way to celebrate my milestone 30th birthday. What better way to turn 30 than by running in my Mickey ears, stopping for photos with Disney characters along the course? Time was never a factor. Fun was all that mattered.

Due to a few circumstances, I ended up going the Goofy alone. While it was disappointing and sad to not have Chris by my side, he was out there cheering. With the races starting at 5:30am, I greatly appreciated his enthusiasm for waking up at 3am to cheer me on! Folks, that’s love.The morning of the Half Marathon started with 100% humidity and 70 degrees at 5:30am. By the time I hit the 5K mark, I was drenched in sweat and felt like I was running through soup. I was thankful that my journey that day was “only” 13.1 miles. As soon as I crossed the finish line, I knew hydration was key for getting my body ready for the marathon the next morning.After I got cleaned up at our resort, we went to Animal Kingdom for the day. Keeping my legs moving has bode well for me in the past with back-to-back races, and so we took advantage of the park. An early dinner at Tusker House, and we were back at the resort and in bed around 6pm. Nothing like being awake since 3am and a humid 13.1 mile journey to wipe you out.

The morning of the Marathon, I woke up with a chest cough and a scratchy throat. I was surprised by my change in health, as I had gone to bed feeling totally healthy. For a brief moment I debated going back to bed, but quickly put that thought to rest. As long as I could go out there and have fun, I was going to finish the marathon. Thankfully, the weather was a bit better – 80% humidity and in the low 60s.

I told myself to settle into an easy pace, which was alarmingly slow. Breathing was an issue, as my chest felt heavy and seemed to rattle, and the humidity didn’t help. I felt so bad that I decided if Chris made to the mile 4 marker to cheer as planned, I’d DNF there. When I got to mile 4, I was hoping to see Chris. I was ready to be done and climb back in bed. However, Chris wasn’t there, so I decided I’d truck on for another 22 miles – a long way to go when your body and brain are asking you to stop. I decided to just take it a mile at a time and to look forward to photos with characters. Thankfully, around mile 8, a runner named Andrew pulled up beside me and struck up conversation. For the next 14 miles, this Masters runner and I kept each other company. We stopped at every character, helped each other refuel, and exchanged life stories. Around mile 22 Andrew dropped back to run with his wife, and I pulled ahead and finished my journey solo through Hollywood Studios and the finish at EPCOT.

Outside the Castle on Marathon Day.

Outside the Castle on Marathon Day.

Obviously at the end of my 39.3 mile weekend I was tired. Hours after the marathon I felt far more ill, and was even worse the next day. I am just thankful I didn’t completely get sick until the demands of the race weekend were over. A marathon, even on the best day and at an easy pace is a difficult journey. Throw in humid weather and illness, and it takes all you’ve got to put one foot in front of the other.

There are some things I really like about the Disney Marathon weekend: The focus is on fun. Combining a vacation and a physical challenge is something I enjoy. The support from the volunteers and amount of fuel and medical stations is fantastic. After putting so much energy into racing and a big PR in Philly, it was really nice to toe the line for a race with absolutely no care in the world regarding the time on the clock.

There are also some things I didn’t like: There didn’t seem to be as many characters out on the course as in previous years. There were many repeat characters from Saturday there on Sunday, which was disappointing. The lines were LONG for some of the characters. I timed over 3 minutes to wait for a photo with Pirates of the Caribbean – which two years ago never happened. My major complaint, and something that may keep me from considering Disney races in the future was the corral assignments. Disney asks for registrants to give proof of previous race times, but apparently pacing has NOTHING to do with your corral assignment. I was place in corral F, while thousands of walkers and joggers were placed in front of me. In the dark (the race starts before sunrise!) and with some narrow parts of the course, weaving around runners was not only frustrating, but dangerous. RunDisney has a policy where you cannot change your corral. For a race that’s all about fun, I did NOT have fun during the first 10 miles of the Half Marathon because I was constantly fighting the crowds. Two years ago I was in corral B, and only felt crowded for the first two miles. In 2012 I stopped at every character and STILL ran a BQ. If had been feeling healthy and going for a BQ, there is no chance it would have happened this past weekend.

Safari Minnie and Donald in Animal Kingdom.

Safari Minnie and Donald in Animal Kingdom.

So there you have it, my Goofy Challenge as I jump into my 30th year. If you do decide to run a Disney race, I highly recommend staying at a Disney Resort. It makes the getting to/from the race and the parks incredibly smooth and stress-free. I also recommend keeping your legs moving and avoiding the temptation to crawl into bed or into a hot tub post-race. I also recommend running with a camera in your hand, as Disney staff members will happily take your photos with characters. Oh, and have some fun and wear some Mickey ears! Ladies, a few bobby pins will keep those ears locked down for a marathon with no problems. If you are looking for some fun, and not worried about pace, Disney can be great – assuming you aren’t weaving around runners. I do NOT recommend it as a PR course, as the whole corral system could screw you over.

If you are wondering what this Coach has her eye on next, I’ll tell you: bettering my time at the 10-mile distance. I have the Cherry Blossom 10-Miler in April, and hopefully the Broad Street Run 10-Miler in May – assuming I get in via the lottery system. Long runs will take a back seat, and track work and temp runs will be front and center. And lots of recovery miles will happen as I run with my clients and pace them on their runs – long and short alike.

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The Perfect Match?

December 9, 2013 by Leave a Comment

2013-06-25 21.48.17-1It was recently suggested I write a blog about finding a coach and/or personal trainer. Always aiming to fulfill blog requests, here’s my thoughts on the subject.

There are many, many coaches and trainers out there. Heck, there are thousands in New York City alone. Choosing one can seem as daunting as dating, or finding the perfect doctor. You could go crazy going through different data bases, viewing websites, and reading reviews. Hopefully my few tips here will help you feel slightly less stressed out.

– It sounds silly, but it matters to most people if their trainer/coach is male or female, and also the age/experience of said trainer. What’s right for you will be different than the next person. Just be honest with yourself with what you are looking for, and that will help narrow your searches.

– Go with your gut. If you find a trainer/coach who’s website, personality or reputation seems like a good match for you, make contact and see where it goes.

– References are great. If you have friends who are stoked with their trainer/coach and the results they are achieving, maybe you should reach out and see if that trainer is right for you.

– Every person is different. Which means every trainer is different. Ask questions that will help you decide if you two are a good match. After all, your trainer needs to be someone you trust, will listen to, and enjoy working with.

– Look for a trainer/coach who specializes in your needs/goals. If you are looking for a cross fit type of routine, a trainer who specializes in pilates or triathlon coaching may not be the best fit.

– Find a trainer who can give what you need. If you need a trainer/coach with a lot of time for one-on-one attention, a trainer who is already swamped and juggling a bunch of clients may not be able to give you what you need. Then again, a trainer is busy for good reason – so there’s that.

– Remember that you need to be able to be very honest with your coach/trainer. If you don’t feel personality-wise that you can be completely open and honest – about everything from diets and guilty pleasures to mental and physical struggles, that person may not be the right coach for you.

– Consider why you are looking for a coach and what your expectations of a coach are. Is the potential coach able to fill those needs for you?

– If you reach out to potential coaches/trainers and they are either extremely pushy about getting you to sign contracts, or difficult to get ahold of, consider looking elsewhere. Trainers shouldn’t be car salesmen or out of touch. A happy medium is often best.

– Research certifications and ask questions. It’s important your coach/trainer knows what they are doing. Once again, you need to be able to trust them and the program they create for you. If you question their knowledge or process, run away!

If you have any other tips you have for finding a coach/trainer, please share with the class.

Lastly, if a coach/trainer isn’t working for you, speak up. Perhaps with some communication, that person can better assist your needs. Or maybe that person simply isn’t the right coach/trainer for you. At the end of the day, don’t settle until you find someone who motivates you, and gives you the tools you need to achieve your goals.

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