Answering NYC’s Questions

With teaching group classes, I always welcome questions during and after class. I thought it may be helpful to highlight some questions that have popped up frequently, and answer them as I have in person. After all, if folks I have coached in person have brought up the following questions numerous times, the odds are some of you may also have the same questions. Let’s get cracking!

What are the best kind of running shoes?

Despite what shoe manufacturers will tell you, there is no one shoe that is the perfect shoe for all runners. If a sales person tells you that their brand or style is perfect for you, run for the hills. Your feet, body weight, stride, weekly miles, terrain, experience, injury history – all are factors when finding the right shoe for you and your running career. I would, however, recommend you keep the following brands in mind when shopping: Mizuno, Brooks, and Asics. These brands are popular with mid-long distance runners, and are the brands of choice at most races. That doesn’t mean those brands are right for you. A shoe should feel like an extension of your foot. If it doesn’t, it’s not right. If you are in the right shoe, insoles and orthotics shouldn’t be necessary.

Are there workouts I can do to trim and tone my thighs?

You cannot target one body area for weight loss and body fat. If you want more definition, you need to lose body fat percentage in general. Zoning in, targeting, etc – that’s not how our bodies work. You can tone up by weight training and losing body fat – that combination will give you visual results. However, based on your genetics, you may never have thin or toned thighs – for example. Your thighs may be the last place you’ll lose body fat, and the dedication to lose that final bit may be extremely challenging. Instead, I would highly recommend folks looking to tone up focus of safely losing some body fat, and instead focus on weight training, and a healthy amount of cardio.

I have pain in my shins. What do I do?

Shin splints often occur when an athletes takes on too much too soon – going from little or zero mileage to running every day, running intense workouts too frequently, or running in old shoes. To help ease shin pain, stretch and foam roll your calf muscles, ice, and perhaps take some anti-inflammatory. Cutting back on mileage and intensity and focusing on some rest days will also help. If the pain continues, see a sports doctor or physical therapist. I am not a doctor, FYI.

I have been training really hard. How come I am not seeing an improvement in my speed?

Improvements in fitness sometimes take time, and very rarely can you expect to see or feel huge improvements in a few days or a week. In fact, you should expect to put in hard work for a few weeks or months before improvements appear by leaps and bounds. Remember that rest and recovery is just as important as the hard work, so if you are someone who rarely takes a day off or skimps on sleep, you may be getting in the way of your own success. Adding some additional rest and active recovery days may help your paces improve.

Is there a way to run on the treadmill that targets my butt?

If you are trying to target a muscle group like your glutes, hills can help. However, you also need to make sure you are activating your glutes and hamstrings. Many runners are quad runners, meaning we overuse our quads and don’t take advantage of the power our glutes and hamstrings offer us. If you are trying to gain strength, shape or size, you need to weight train that area. Running alone will not offer glute definition.

How do I know what my goal race paces or efforts should be?

This is sometimes hard to navigate. When setting your goals for the coming year, I encourage you to be ambitious but also realistic. For example, if your current Half Marathon best is 2:00, aiming for a 1:25 in your next Half Marathon is probably too ambitious. However, aiming for a 1:50 or 1:40 may be ambitious but also reasonable with hard work. If you achieve that goal, then work down to the 1:25. If you have taken a lot of time off from training, or are tackling a new distance, go by effort. This is especially true when training in heat or humidity. As you improve, your paces should hopefully drop towards your goal paces – though you may need to curve your expectations as you go further into training.

When trying to improve, should I focus on more miles or quality miles?

If you are just beginning your running journey, focus on slowly increasing your miles and keep the paces easy. Don’t go out and run hard, but instead focus on comfortable, conversational miles. Once you build the quantity up to a good number, you can then focus on quality – speed, hills, long runs, etc. If you are a runner who is already clocking consistent miles, focus on quality instead of quantity while training for a goal. Do the least amount of running necessary to achieve your goals – this may still mean 60 mile weeks while marathon training for your ambitious goal – but you also may be tempted to push to 70 mile weeks because you have heard more miles are better – but more miles means injury risk and chances for burnout increase.

Do you have questions for me? They can be anything running, nutrition, health or fitness related. If so, shoot me a comment, a message on twitter or FB, or in class next time.

Body Image in Athletics

img_6222-editPeople come in all shapes and sizes. Athletes come in all shapes and sizes. It’s often an odd transition viewing yourself as an athlete, but I ask all my clients to do so. When you slightly change your perspective of yourself, you’ll view your nutrition choices, sleep, training, priorities, and life differently. I find this shift is extremely important for folks who struggle with nutrition/weight and with time-management and sleep. Instead of viewing food as “good” or “bad,” you start to think about your training, and what choices will properly aid you in pre-run fuel, post-run recovery, or general nutrition. Suddenly you won’t feel “bad” about a food choice, because your perspective of you as a human being will be different. The same is true with sleep – you’ll suddenly be aware of how it’s an important component of training – and that if you want to train harder and improve, you’ll need to get more Zzz’s.

I remember when I personally went through the shift, and how I finally felt settled and had an “identity” as far as food goes. I’ve been pretty open about my relationship with food and body image in the past, and I know I am not the only person who has struggled with it. But running and training for challenging race goals gave my body a purpose, a hunger for achievement, and I became excited and dedicated to doing what it took to morph my body for those goals. I too referred to myself as “not a real runner” for a long time – dismissing my involvement in this sport because I wasn’t professional, fast, or taking it seriously.

Over the last 5 years, my body has changed a lot. There have been years where I was curvier, years where I was rail-thin and friends voiced concerns, and years where I have been muscular with relatively low body fat. My size has swung from 6-0 and everywhere in between, and changes depending on what I am training for, how hard I am training, and honestly how I am feeling. There are some months where all I want to do is eat, and I need to pull myself up off the couch and into the gym or the park. There are other months where I feel so motivated and energized, I forget to eat and am struggling to take in enough calories. As you can imagine, this changes my body. And though I hate to admit it, it changes how I feel about myself.

What’s interesting is how I am perceived – often by strangers, casting directors, acquaintances, and friends I haven’t seen in a long time. I must always look “athletic,” because the topic usually comes up in conversation. I have had casting directors and the like ask if I am a gymnast, yogi, dancer, Pilates instructor, CrossFit activist – the list goes on. Ironically, few guess “runner.” Perhaps, to be fair, this is because runners come in all shapes and sizes. But to hear “Really? You don’t look like a runner -” it somehow feels like a stab in the gut. I usually am quick defend myself, saying I am not a sprinter (so I am not rocking large powerful muscles and very low body fat), and I am also not an elite middle or long distance runner – folks who are often associated with looking unhealthy, waif-like, and gaunt. Here’s the thing: while I am indeed a runner, I am not a professional athlete. Folks expect to see the stereotype on magazines, winning marathons or track events – not the folks who are “better than average” but also are not training full-time.

I assume if I struggle with being judged, and often have to defend my body and my choices, that other folks out there do too. Unfortunately, females are judged based on how they look before they can even open their mouths. And while I shouldn’t assume this is only a female thing, being female myself, I can only speak for the ladies.

To the folks who judge – I say go watch a race. You will see all body types cross that finish line – 5K through Marathon. You will see the elite runners you expect us all to resemble, you will also see body types doing amazing things that will honestly catch you by surprise. Don’t judge, be inspired. After all, they are the ones training and clocking miles while you sit there on your ass and point a finger.

And while some folks are probably not aware that making assumptions or judgements about a person’s body and sport can be hurtful, we should all remember to think before we speak. It’s the same with fat shaming, or assuming someone’s life is easy because they look like our idea of a “model.” You have no idea how hard someone might work for their sport, or to maintain a healthy weight. You also probably don’t know how hard that person has worked to achieve where they are today.

Being an athlete is hard. It’s a huge time commitment, which makes it a big part of your identity – whether you realize it or not. Wear that identity with pride. Train for your sport and your body will reflect your hard work, and hopefully give you the result you want. There is no perfect body or size. What’s perfect for you is what will help you achieve your goals and feel your best. If I was told gaining 10lbs. would make me faster and set crazy PRs, I’d be the first in line to pack on those additional pounds – assuming it wouldn’t hurt my health, of course. Sadly, that’s not true. Your body is your tool in this world, and we are only given one. What we do with it is our choice.

Recently when given the whole “Really? You’re a runner?!” response, I carefully explain that indeed I am – and that runners come in all shapes and sizes, and their bodies will usually be different depending on the distance and pace one runs. I figure if I cannot stop that awkward comment from arising, perhaps I can educate the person asking and they’ll think twice before assuming something about body types in the future. And for the record, I have never taken one yoga, Pilates, CrossFit or gymnastics classes – so all of those guesses are WRONG. Go figure, right? And while I used to be a dancer, it has been a few years since I have been in class. Again, proof that many snap judgements are totally off-base. I am ever going to look like Shalane Flanagan? Nope. Am I ever going to be as fast as Shalane Flanagan? Nope. And that’s OKAY!!!!!

I hope if you are struggling with your own relationship with food, body image, weight, or role in your sport that you are kind to yourself. Don’t let a stranger’s uneducated opinion sway how you feel. And if you are looking to become lighter and leaner, remember that there is no quick fix – it’s a process. You don’t owe anyone anything. But you do owe it to yourself to be happy in your skin.

Self-esteem and Expectations

80878c12b0a0c28265093158861948c8This week I’d like to talk about body image. While many of my clients are driven by race-day goals, PRs, and breaking through their athletic barriers, I have some clients who are also driven by toning up, feeling confident in their skin, and sometimes simply dropping pounds – ranging from 10lbs. to 50lbs. While I absolutely love helping my clients with their goals, sometimes my heart breaks for those who they compare themselves to or how bad they feel about themselves. Having a client want to lose 15lbs. by next week is like having a new runner expect they can race a 5K tomorrow – it’s unrealistic. Not to say those goals aren’t achievable, they may absolutely be, but tomorrow. Change takes time.

I am a firm believer that everyone deserves to feel good in their own skin – and is capable of achieving that. For some of us, it takes longer than others. One thing that often sabotages folks is their expectations. And who can blame them – we are bombarded by “standards” every single day. Thanks to Hollywood’s standards, our concept of beauty, aging, and fitness are completely unrealistic. Courteney Cox, Marisa Tomei, Sandra Bullock, Demi Moore – do these look like 50-year-old women in your life? Nope. Not unless you live in Miami or LA. Yet that’s a standard thrown upon us and one we assume upon ourselves. We are dooming ourselves to fail.

Personally, my self-esteem finally changed when I stopped reading tabloid magazines and watching Hollywood-related news. I couldn’t let go of the images I’d see, and the “secret diet” of some star. Or watching celebrity after celebrity in interviews or on the red carpet credit their genetics and a healthy lifestyle for their appearance. I call bullshit. They should be thanking the folks truly responsible for their appearance: their personal trainers, nutritionists and chefs, makeup and hair stylists, dermatologists and cosmetic surgeons. I don’t doubt some have good genetics, but good genetics alone aren’t responsible for most of what we see – or are told we should try to attain.

So if you are struggling with your goals and your self-esteem, please be kind to yourself. We cannot change Hollywood standards, but we can change our expectations of ourselves. Compare yourself to you, and no one else. Mark your progress by you and your starting point, no one else’s. Once you let go of all that pressure, success is that much closer.

#LikeAGirl and girl-on-girl hating

Liz Corkum 322Let’s talk about girl-on-girl hating. It’s a real thing. I have experienced it my whole life. It never feels good, and has honestly always left me confused. Why do women and girls desire to pull down other females? We are often the voices of women empowerment, but are ironically the first ones to drag down the females around us. What gives? Why do we try  to knock down the women we envy, admire or look up to? Why do you put down the women we feel superior to? Why, in a world where our country and many males view us as less than equal are we continuing this girl-on-girl crime? Shouldn’t we be rallying together, and cheering on those who are rising to challenges? Bullying, whether as children or adults, is the sign of a hateful, sad, insecure person. Knowing that helps, however it still really hurts.

Perhaps girls first experience this kind of repression in gym class. Girls make other girls feel bad if they try to compete. Boys make the girls feel unwelcome. Many teachers make assumptions regarding athletic ability based on gender. These girls become young women who hate exercise and feel threatened by anyone who happens to like sports or happens to work hard for their physique. To be clear, I am NOT saying that all women should aspire to be a size 0, be the CEO of a Fortune 500 company, or be a movie star – but why do we seem to put down the women who DO have these aspirations?!? Shouldn’t we instead say “good for you, girl!”

Since this is a fitness blog and not a political one, I am going to simply stick to the fitness side – though I must confess I have some strong opinions on this topic that go across the boards. In the fitness world, I see more girl-on-girl hate than anywhere else. If a woman makes the news for have six-pack abs a month post baby (and why that is news-worthy I’ll never understand), it never fails that the hundreds of comments below the article will be hateful, venomous remarks made by…..WOMEN. The hate, lashing out, and judgement over a complete stranger’s physique is disgusting. Ladies, instead of spending time writing hateful remarks, how about we do something POSITIVE with our free time! No, I do not think a woman should feel pressured to pop out a baby and have her pre-baby weight, whatever that might be, within a few months. Frankly, its up to the woman if she wants to lose the weight at all. Perhaps the real source of judgement is jealousy – because let’s face it, how many American women have their ideal set of six-pack abs ever – baby or not? While I am not a doctor and am not a mother, I can tell you this: It is a million times easier to be fit post-baby if you don’t gain 70 lbs. while pregnant. And ladies, just like anything in life, we have a CHOICE regarding what we eat, how much we eat, and how much we exercise. Yes, pregnancy requires weight-gain. Does it require 70 lbs. of weight gain? Absolutely not. I promise you the women who do happen to have a killer set of abs post-baby also had killer abs pre-pregnancy – and were probably hated on for that too.

It doesn’t make sense to me that ladies who are naturally petite judge those ladies who naturally carry more weight. Or that women who are plus-sized despise the women who are a size 2. The hate goes both ways. We are damned if we are thin and damned if we are fat. And if you happen to be toned and muscular, you will be considered self-centered and its assumed you don’t eat anything but salad. I hope we can all agree that no matter our size or health, we all feel judged. We all ARE judged. Let’s stop that. The venom is out of control. Can we stop focusing on size, age, power, superiority and for a second focus on happiness, health, achievements and working to be better versions of ourselves. Can we focus on cheering each other on, celebrating achievements and milestones, and perhaps empowering the women and girls in our lives.

When I watch my female runners train, its amazing to me how much they hold themselves back. I have witnessed dozens of ladies who tell me on day one what they are capable of, and they hold themselves to that number. On the flip side, many of my male runners are often ambitious with their goals and hardly ever put a cap on what their potential ability could be. Why are women so quick to cap their potential? Does it go back to gym class in middle school and being told what we can or cannot do? Does it go back to being scared of failing, and looking like fools? Is it that all of their female friends who run do it “for fun” and eliminate the concept of improving pace and ability? For the record, I think it is entirely possible to have fun and love a sport while still trying to improve.

Next time you read a news headline that tears down a woman, I encourage you to read the article from a different point of view. Journalism and the media realized a long time ago that women love to read about other women who have failed, or have succeeded so far that we somehow give ourselves permission to judge them. Instead, ask yourself a few questions – Why is this article “news?” Is the point of the article to communicate anything positive? How is the subject depicted? Do we actually really know anything about the person in the article? Who are we to judge? A chain in perspective and attitude can happen, but it will take time. It is my hope that someday, girls won’t feel inferior in gym class, that women feel supported by their fellow sisters instead of judged and that we create a world where females feel empowered, strong, and equal. Let’s start today. Go be awesome.

Judging by the Cover

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.