Overtraining....OH PLEASE NO!

Conditioning requires a balance between overload and recovery. Too much overload and too little recovery may result in both physical and psychology symptoms of overtraining syndrome.
Overtraining is exactly like it sounds. Terrifying!! It happens when athletes training competitvely or for a specific event train beyond their body's ability to recover. Overtraining can result in decreased performance.

During a run earlier this week my entire body hurt. Hip flexers, tight calf muscles, heavy legs....the whole bit. I'm over halfway through my training and this week was completely discouraging. My mileage has been low and my pace slow. I've been hearing about this overtraining shenanigans and thought I should bite the bullet and check into it. Here's what i've learned....

• Washed-out feeling, tired, drained, lack of energy
• Mild leg soreness, general aches and pains
• Pain in muscles and joints
• Sudden drop in performance
• Insomnia
• Headaches
• Decreased Immunity 
• Decrease in training capacity / intensity
• Moodiness and irritability
• Depression
• Loss of enthusiasm for the sport
• Decreased appetite
• Increased incidence of injuries
• A compulsive need to excercise

After skimming through the list I realized I'm facing about 8 of those symptoms. Still refusing to believe I am in fact physically "overtrained," I did realize I needed to take a step back and remember the purpose of my training. When I started in August I wanted to run my fastest race. I'm now realizing a full time job, moving to a new state, moving into a new house, making new friends and the overall adjustment of life is taking its toll and requires a lot more of my time and energy than I anticipated. I really love to be busy, but I've also realized I've been losing touch of some of my passions for fitness and clean eating amidst the 24- 7 schedule I've been maintaining. My training got to be a chore finishing was a relief when I could check it off the day's to-do list. I had to scold myself a bit and put things back into perspective. 

I love running, and clean eating, and racing, and Kara Goucher, and new running shoes, and hard trails, and cross training.

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

When did this become a burden? So I went to the grocery store and bought ingredients for green smoothies, laid my running clothes out for the next day, researched a new trail to explore, drank an extra tall glass of water and went to sleep excited for training again!! During my 5:30 a.m. weekly run sesh with cousin this morning, she reminded me that when you push through the tough stuff it makes you stronger. So here I am a month till Malibu and I'm back... game face on taking along with me some helpful hints I learned from my research on overtraining. 

1) Rest and Recover: If I find myself overtraining I need to reduce my exercise and allow myself a few days of rest. I need to get my full 8 hours of sleep in and allow my muscles a break. 

2) Hydrate: Drink plenty of water. I make myself drink at least a glass before every meal just to make sure I'm getting in that H2o. 

3) Get a sports massage: This helps athletes relax mentally and physically. This happens to be on my weekend list all in the name of "overtraining syndrome"....I'll take any excuse I can get for a massage. 

4) Begin cross training: When suffering from mental fatigue or overworking the leg muscles sometimes you just need a good spin sesh. Its hard for me to take a break out of the training plan and do this instead, but I must remember I'm still working my muscles and my body will thank me for it in the long run. 

So there it is. As ominous as it sounds overtraining is the real deal. Get your head back in the game, but also make sure to listen to your body. Don't make it a chore, and rest when you should! 

Lastly, for your pleasure and mine....I present to you a medley of inspiration to get out of your training slump! 

A job, a niece, a wedding, a half, and a whole group back together!

Whoa, what a world wind my life has been on for the last 3 months! Sorry for the long hiatus of blogging! But here I am, back in action and maybe back to some normalcy. But what is normal? Who is normal? I don’t think I fall into that category, even a little bit! Life is constantly surprising me and around each corner is a new adventure, a bride, a new baby or a best friend coming to visit! I am so immensely blessed- I cannot even wrap my mind around it! 

So let me catch you up....

I have a new job. Well, it’s really not that new but new to a lot of you! I am now working at Otter Box in customer service. Not my dream job, but I am thankful to be working with one of my best friends from church and I’m thankful for all the wonderful things the company does for their employees. One of my favorite perks about the job is a free smoothie bar! Complete with every flavor of protein powder, frozen fruit, flax, oatmeal, and my personal favorite- a fully stocked cupboard of Justin’s Peanut Butter! Delish :)

My sister, Emily is having a BABY GIRL!! She is due the first week in November and I could not be more excited. We have spent many hours shopping for baby things, setting up the nursery, planning showers and chatting about all the joy this little girl will bring to our lives. Our favorite activity is watching tv while my hand is pressed tight to her belly waiting for a tiny kick from the little girl. 

Cutest Preggo Girl you will ever see! 

One of our Core got married!!!! It was the most beautiful wedding and day imaginable! And not because Mrs. Lobdell has a wonderful eye for decor and is stunningly gorgeous but because of the beauty of the love shared between her and Mitch. It was such a blessing to stand up there and listen to their sweet words and promises to each other. Congrats Mitch and Gabrielle! Two down, two to go! 

The beautiful bride with her Core. 

Because of our obsession with running and California, Mekenzie and I decided to sign up for the Malibu Half-Marathon! We could not be more excited to run this beautiful race together. It’s on November 11th which is close to both of our birthdays so we are using that as our excuse to take a little vaca with a long run in the middle. Running is my passion and I’m thrilled to be doing this race beside one of my best friends. 

Framtasic is one of Mekenzie talents. She made this! Can't wait to be there! 

Gaby’s wedding provided the Core Four with many opportunities to spend some much needed time together. With all of us being spread out across the country (well, mostly the state- Kenz being in Kansas forces me to say country!) we do not get these moments often. So when they arise we soak up every possible moment. One of my favorite times in the last couple months was the day before Gabrielle’s bridal shower. The four of us went on a run/walk around Wash Park in Denver. It was beautiful! We talked wedding details, life, and hardships of growing up. Makes my heart ache with joy just thinking about these precious friend moments. Followed by our walk was, of course, a trip to Starbucks where Gaby introduced me to my new fav drink- a triple tall americano with one pump of coconut. Life changing good! It wouldn’t be a Core Four morning without coffee :) We brought our drinks home and Lo made us some incredible protein pancakes and eggs for breakfast. It was a simple, yet unforgettable morning with my girls. One that is locked away in my memory forever and I will cling to until our Kenz can come be with us again. I treasure the friendship I have with these ladies so much. It is a uniquely wonderful, out of the ordinary friendship that cannot be matched, duplicated or replaced. 

Making breakfast after our morning walk at Wash Park

Feel the love! 

Life is good. God is so good to me! As I reread these lines and relive these moments I realize how blessed I truly am. Praise the Lord for all of it.

Figure Competitions

Boy, do I have a treat for you today! Meet Lauren. I used to work for Lauren for 4 summers during my college years at Colorado Golf Club, and she and her hubby Ben hold a special place in my heart. She has the coolest job in the world (Showroom Manager at Lululemon Athletica Colorado Springs!) and she is the sweetest person you will ever meet. After I found out about Lauren and her competition, I just knew I had to ask her some questions to learn more about her experience, and wanted to share her words with you all. Not only was it her first competition, but she placed 2nd in her novice class and 5th overall. Thats amazing! Good job Lauren :)


What is a  figure competition?
I competed in a figure competition.  There are different divisions that you can compete in: Bikini, Fitness, Figure, and Physique.  Each division requires a different amount of muscle and leanness.  Bikini requires the least, and Physique requires the most.  Figure is right in between, and fitness is similar to Figure, but in Fitness you are required to perform a routine.  The goal for Figure is to have muscle tone and definition, while still maintaining a feminine physique.  You do a series of poses for the judges and are judged on your leanness, symmetry, etc.


How did you hear about this competition/decide to compete?
I was a runner for many years, and the last race I did I realized I was not as in love with racing like I used to be.  I had always thought about doing a figure competition, and decided after that race that this would be my next challenge!  It was a bucket list kind of thing!  I had been training with my trainer for a while, and mentioned wanting to compete...and things took off from there!


How long did you train for?
I trained for almost 4 months.  My diet and workouts started the day after Christmas, and the show was on April 14th.  


What did your physical regimen look like?
My training was a split schedule where I would lift 4 days in a row, and then take one day off from lifting, and start the cycle over again.  It looked like this: Back/Chest/Core; Legs; Shoulder/Core; Biceps/Triceps.  I did cardio every day and also did two plyometric workouts a week.  At the end, my schedule changed to a three day split, and I would sometimes do two hours of cardio a day.  I also supplemented my workouts with yoga when my body felt up to it.


How did your eating have to change, and what did your diet look like?
My diet was the biggest thing that changed in the whole process, and was probably the hardest part.  I carb cycled throughout the entire prep, so I would have two high carb days and then a low carb day.  By "high carb" I mean that I was able to eat oatmeal and sweet potatoes.  Otherwise, it was chicken or fish, egg whites, green veggies, and some healthy fats (avocado, almonds).  I ate every 2.5-3 hours, and I was allowed one cheat meal a week.  My diet continued to get more and more restrictive, and the last two weeks, I was only eating tilapia and asparagus.  The last 4 days it was tilapia only, and I was also not eating any salt until the night before.  The day before and the day of, I was only allowed to eat sweet potatoes every few hours.  Up until the Friday before the competition, I was drinking between 1.5-2 gallons of water a day.  The Friday before, I had to stop drinking water until after finals.


Can you describe what the actual competition was like? (The day of, getting ready, the actual competition process, finals, etc.)
The night before the competition, we had check in, a competitor meeting, and then it was off to get spray tanned.  This process took about 1.5 hours.  The next morning, I headed back to get my final coat and touch-ups on the spray tan, and then it was hair and make-up.  Once I was all ready to go, I headed to the venue to check in and pick up my number.  Pre-judging happens in the morning, and is the first time that you step on stage.  During pre-judging, you walk out with the girls in your division, and do your individual poses.  Once everyone has done their individual turns, everyone lines up again and you do quarter turns/poses (front, back, and right/left side).  This allows the judges to do comparisons of everyone lined up next to each other.  It's possible that you could do one set of quarter turns, or 6.  It just depends on what the judges need to see.  The judges will make call outs, and you will do your turns again.  Once this is done, you file off stage.  At this point, the judges have pretty much made their decisions on how you will be placed.  I competed in two classes, so I had to do this twice. The rest of the day is a lot of sitting around while watching the other divisions during pre-judging.  I was able to rest for a bit back at the hotel before finals.  Finals is a almost the same process as pre-judging, but you don't line up to do quarter turns.  You walk out individually and then everyone lines up together before the judges make call outs and announce the top 5.  I placed 2nd in my Novice class, and 5th in my Open class.  (Classes are based on height.  Novice is for anyone who hasn't competed before or has never placed in the top 5 before, and Open is for anyone.)   Then it was time to drink water and eat!


What was the best part about the whole process?
The best part was definitely the people.  I met so many wonderful people throughout the process and at the competition.  Everyone is going through the same thing, so you have a wonderful support system.  I am on a team, so there were 6 of us who competed at the show.  We did a lot of team workouts, team dinners, and had a lot of fun along the way.  There was so much sportsmanship backstage, and everyone is so encouraging of each other.


What was the worst part?
The worst part for me was definitely the diet.  Mentally it was really hard at times.  My energy levels were so low, that it made everything require so much more effort than something normally would.  Since I was eating so often, my entire day would revolve around when I was going to have my next meal.  And eating the same thing everyday got to be very boring.  Especially for someone who loves to cook and eat as much as I do!


Do you plan on continuing to compete?
I don't think so.  I am so happy that I did it, and have never felt such a sense of accomplishment.  However, I'm happy to be back in a balanced routine.  If there is anything that would make me want to do it again it would be the people!


What is some advice you would give someone who might be interested in competing?
My biggest piece of advice is to really understand the commitment that something like this takes.  I knew it would require dedication, but I didn't realize that it would completely take over my world.  From meal planning and preparation, to workouts, to posing practices.  It requires a lot of sacrifice.  I would also say that if you are thinking about competing, to really giving it your all.  If you are going to invest the time and money and takes to do this, don't sell yourself short by only doing it halfway.  


What did you learn about yourself during your journey?
A lot!  Probably the biggest thing I learned is that I am not as regimented of a person as I thought I was.  While I like my routine, I realized that I need some spontaneity in my life!  This journey requires so much planning, and I found myself longing for some excitement and spontaneity.  I also realized just how important my family and friends are to me.  I had to sacrifice a lot of time with family and friends during this process, and I missed the people in my life more than I thought I would.

Here are some photos of her during the competition. You look fantastic Lauren, congratulations on your success, and your killer bod!

Lauren is the 2nd from the left

Tips for New Runners

Hi ya'll! Lauren here. Today I wanted to offer some tips for those who are new to running and looking to get into it. I first started running (for fun and not just for a high school sport) around my junior year of college. I am the type of person that likes to have a goal, and I knew that if I signed up for a half marathon, I would have to stay motivated to train! Since then I have run 4 halfs and hope to do many more. I have come to truly enjoy running. If you would have told my high school self that I would actually compete in races, I would have told you that you were bananas. But I love it! Anyone out there can run races as long as they train right.

Me & Hubs after our first half,
Run the Rockies. Rainy! June 2010

Crossroads Half with my father-in-law,
the morning after I got engaged! September 2010

Me & Kenz after
the Horsetooth Half- April 2011

Erin, Kenz & myself before
the Rock N Roll Half-October 2011

Here are some of my tips for newbies:

• GET THE RIGHT SHOES

Seriously, its all about the shoes. I trained for my first race with some random worn out pair of old Nikes I had. And I wondered why I was getting shin splints?! After getting advice from my father-in-law (a former marathoner), I went to a running specialty store and got fitted for the Asics Nimbus. They solved my running pains and I will never buy a different brand. But everyone's feet and stride are different, so go to a nearby running store and get fitted.

I also try to save these shoes only for running and use a different pair if I'm doing a different type of exercise, that way the shoes form to the way my feet move when I run. I also get new shoes everytime I start training for a new race. The shoes may not look worn out, but the soles and suport are definitely shot after months of training.

Like running on clouds

• START OUT SMALL

I think a big mistake that new runners is make is to try to go too far too quickly. It is easy to get discouraged if you try to run 4 miles right off the bat and feel like you are going to die and can't walk the next day. Who wants to do that again? Celebrate the fact that on your first day you were able to run half a mile without stopping!

Yeah 2 miles!

Then slowly add distance to your runs. It will help your body get acclamated and keep your mind engaged. What goes along with this is...

• REST

Rest is so important and absolutely vital for our bodies! I would not recommend running on back-to-back days when starting out. Give your muscles and joints a chance to recover and replenish before you pound the pavement again. When I get into the long distance runs during my training (usually done on Saturdays) I don't run the day before or the day after. That way I know I am rested and will have the energy without getting burned out, and allow myself to recover afterwards.

Maybe not quite like this...

• USE A WALK/RUN METHOD

Add caption

You may have heard of the Jeff Galloway method of training. This was another recommendation given to me by my father-in-law, and boy am I glad he told me about it! It is pretty simple: break up the run into shorter segments with walk breaks. It has fully changed my training methods, and is another good way to ease into running. I started out with a run 7 minutes/walk 1 minute method, gradually adding an additional minute of running until I was doing around 20 minute run/1 minute walks. I have also run races this way. While I admit it feels weird at first taking a walk break 10 minutes into a race, it feels amazing passing burned out runners in the last mile! I have also run races without the method, but because I trained this way I felt much more confident and prepared. If nothing more, it at least helps you overcome the mental blocks of running knowing you get a walk break in 7 minutes rather than trying to wrap your head around running for 30 minutes straight! Here is a link for more information: http://www.jeffgalloway.com/training/walk_breaks.html

• GIVE YOURSELF ENOUGH TIME TO TRAIN

When training for a half-marathon, I try to give myself at least 10 weeks to train. This way I know I will have enough time to slowly increase my runs without overdoing it and running the risk of injury. If you are a new runner, I would give yourself even more time to train. Here is a link to the training plan I use for a half marathon: http://www.marathonrookie.com/half-marathon-training.html

• Most Importantly, LISTEN TO YOUR BODY

I myself am guilty of not doing this well. If your muscles are sore or your body is exhausted, give yourself a break. Skipping a run one day is NOT going to ruin your training plan. Its better to skip what would have been a terrible workout and rest than to risk injury. Or try a lighter form of cardio, such as walking, or the recumbent bike. Stay healthy and do what is best for YOU!

Live Healthy

1 Tim. 4:8 "For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come."