Category: Uncategorized

4 Ways to Stay Active in the Winter Months

Guest Blog By Melissa Griffin of Run, Heifer, Run! This article is a reprint of an earlier blogpost.

You know the saying, “Baby it’s cold outside!” Well, that may be true, but just because the local grizzlies have gone into hibernation doesn’t mean it’s time to build a pillow fort and spend the next few months in a Snuggie.

Whether you’re stuck in the Canadian tundra or frozen in fear by the cool breeze that is tormenting Tucson, I feel your pain: When it’s cold outside, even simple tasks like getting out of bed can leave you hurting. Your car locks are frozen shut and you are so cranky, you’ve decided to wait for spring before you dust off your running shoes again so you can get back to the outdoor activities you love.

Unless you’ve already arranged for a timeshare in Cabo, you need to face the facts of life. No need to drown your sorrows in winter Saki. There are plenty of fun winter sports and activities that can keep you active—not to mention, sane—during this time of year. Let’s have a look at four fun things you might not have considered:

1. Snowy Escapades That Make Your Forget That You’re Exercising

If you live in a snowy climate and you find yourself snowed in more often than not, why not make the most of it and turn it into some quality family time? Grab the kids, the hubby, and even the dog, and head outside. Spend an afternoon making snowmen (or snow “people”… come on, it’s 2016!) and challenging your teens to a proper snowball fight (seriously: Google “Japan’s epic snowball fight” and get pumped!). Or, you can keep the peace by turning it into a team effort by strapping on some snowshoes or cross-country skis and racing your kids down to the library and back. Bonus for anyone who will sing with you: “Dashing through the snow…” Make it a spontaneous outing, or a weekly tradition. Either way, it’s exercise disguised as fun. And you’ll end up spending time with your loved ones, which is the goal anyway.

2. Homebody Ventures That Keep You Fit Indoors

If you can’t bear the brutality of the great outdoors, why not opt for something active inside your own home? Thanks to Al Gore and his famous Interweb, we now have an entire repository of workout videos available to us at the click of a finger. The dreary winter months are an excellent time to follow along with those restorative yoga videos you’ve been thinking about.

There are truly an endless number of workout series that can keep you active—and on the road to bikini-ready—by the time summer rolls around. One of my favorite home workouts is the Ten Minute Trainer Workout from Tony Horton, creator of the popular P90X series. It’s not free, but it’s well worth the investment, in this heifer’s opinion. You want results? This workout delivers. Not to mention, it’s manageable. You can do anything for ten minutes. And you’ll all but forget about the winter blues because you can do it from the comfort of your home. Score!

3. Kitchen Capers to Keep It Healthy

Winter cooking takes on a whole new meaning when you decide to eat healthy. Why not take this time to familiarize yourself with some new recipes that utilize traditional winter veggies?

From kale to squash and back again, you can go from line cook to head chef in no time at all, given the many months you have to perfect your new skills. And if you don’t know a paring knife from a cleaver, consider joining a cooking class or club to learn the basics. You’re likely to meet some new health-conscious friends, and you’ll have a blast gaining a culinary education.

You might even consider growing your own herb garden, which is easily done indoors, or your own kitchen windowsills. Come springtime, you can transplant your herbs into your garden outside and show off your snazzy new habit by the time summer rolls around. Who doesn’t love fresh basil in their salad? What about fresh rosemary in their rosemary lemon chicken? Even your kids will be impressed when you drop a sprig of fresh mint in a pitcher of lemonade after soccer practice. Whether or not you’re working out at your regular tempo during the winter months, eating healthy is critical for your maintaining your sanity and ensuring your future success.

4. Gym Feats to Get You On Your Feet  

You might be a trail runner in the warmer months, but find yourself unmotivated and moody during the winter. Why not join a gym for a few months and beat the winter blues by trying something new? Signing up for spin class could curb your boredom and push you further along to your goals: That’s the magic of cross training. If you’re still thinking of that spring race, many gyms and recreation centers have indoor tracks that will keep you from falling asleep on the “dread-mill.” Of course, most gyms also have new class offerings that will keep you on your toes: You might find a local Tabata class or Pound, the drumming fitness classes. Don’t be afraid to venture out. Put yourself out there now, and you’re more likely to put yourself out there when it’s pool time. Plus, let’s be honest: Your friends are going to ask you why you’re carrying drumsticks in your purse. You know you can’t wait to tell them.

Bottom line: Winter doesn’t have to be bleak and blah. If you’re willing to shake things up a bit, you’re sure to reap the benefits, whether that means getting a head start on spring training, or just keeping up so you’re not falling behind. Freezing your butt off and sticking your head in the snow is not a good strategy. Keep your muscles warm by staying active and staying committed to your long-term goals. And have fun while you’re at it: win-win!

They don’t call it “win”-ter for nothing.

Matt Schorer – The Most Important “Why”

Guest Blog by Matt Schorer of Follow the Fat Guy to Ironman Kona

First things first. I am not a runner, yet I am part of a great team called Ordinary Marathoners. Go figure!  Second, I am not much of a writer so this may jump a little bit from one thing to another. Third, I am just an ordinary truck driver who becomes extraordinary as soon as I get on my bike. I sometimes wonder what goes through the minds of other cyclists when this 285lb guy comes flying by. Anyways, here goes nothing. 

So many things go through my mind while I am training or even racing. My journey to a healthy lifestyle started June of 2018 and I have never looked back. 

When I started this journey, it was not till I was a month or two into it that I realized how depressed I was. I did not know how to eat healthy. I would eat whatever was in front of me until I was full.  On top of being depressed, I was addicted to food. I was absolutely miserable and actually thought of some awful things. My weight and my mind took me to some dark places. I somehow managed to pull myself out through diet and exercise. The fact that I have an amazing wife who helps me with everything plays a big part. Something just clicked one day and I have never looked back. 

So, what keeps me going and motivated to compete in Ironman races or to keep getting healthy you may ask?  Here is a list to answer that question. 

List of reasons why:

  • my wife and kids
  • mental health
  • physical health
  • to make my family proud
  • accomplishing things I never thought were possible
  • inspire
  • motivate
  • in my brother’s honor (this is a big one)
  • to be the best person I can be
  • to prove that anything really is possible (almost)
  • to show my kids hard work pays off
  • to prove to myself and other I am not just the fat kid anymore
  • competing with others, but mainly myself
  • to show that it is not size, but heart that matters

I can keep going with the list, but I think you all get the picture. I will however explain why one of my reasons plays a huge role in my life. We all have our own reasons why. 

I have three brothers and one sister. Four years ago, on November 5th, we lost our older brother in a drowning accident. He went to Texas to visit my father and went missing. The police could not find him and I figured he will just show up and everything will be back to normal.  Well, that never happened.

The search by the police turned up nothing. My two younger brothers and sister flew to Texas retraced his steps and somehow found him. The day I got the phone call will be forever burned into my brain. I know it is not a very happy ending, but this has completely changed me. So, when I race I always race for him. When I run, I think of him and I get instant runner’s high. My first experience on a road bike was with him. In fact, most of my life and the things I know are because of what he taught me. I love you Steve! 

Looking back, I have a lot of negative and positive memories. I think it is important to recognize this because it is part of my personal timeline. I am somehow able to take the negative and use it to be positive and to keep pushing toward my goals. I realize now that I can’t do what I am doing alone. I am lucky to be part of a few different teams, but the most important one is the one where I am co-captain: Team Schorer.

Dani’s Guide to Traveling While Running

Guest Blog by Danielle Rosvally of BeastInProgress.com

It’s been a big year for me.  My first Ironman at IMMT, followed by a (very) brief recovery period.  Six weeks later: the Berlin marathon, followed by the Chicago marathon (two weeks after Berlin), then MCM two weeks after that.

The big theme here, besides back-to-back-to-back races, is that I had to do significant travel to get to all of these races.  I live in Buffalo NY.  For every one of these except Ironman, I got on a plane.  For every one of these, I stayed in a hotel.  I crossed time zones.  I raced in three different countries.  I dealt with foreign nutrition before, during, and after the races.  Let’s just say I have some experience with traveling while running.

So here it is: my ultimate guide to how to successfully travel to a destination race, achieve the distance, and get back home in one piece.

Planning

I know a lot of people stay in race hotels.  I don’t.  They’re expensive, they generally don’t have all the amenities I want, and for my money I can do much better.  I use AirBnB for basically every race I travel to.

With Airbnb, you can grab a unit with a kitchen (which is key for keeping costs down, and also taking control of your nutrition before and after the race).  You can even sometimes find a unit with extra amenities like a kitchen, washer/drier (key in Berlin since we stayed for a week after the race and it rained the entire race – we didn’t have to live with sweaty marathon clothes in our suitcases or in the room), access to a gym, and sometimes even a hot tub.  It does mean that you’ll have to find your way to the start on race morning, but I have yet to experience an issue with this.  Check some maps if you’re comfortable using public transit, or grab a rideshare (which I have done every year at MCM so far).

There are two keys to Airbnb and they both come down to research.  I’ve heard horror stories of people having their Airbnb cancelled out from under them at the very last minute (sometimes due to unforeseen complications, like pipes bursting, and sometimes because the host wants to re-list it for more $$ when they realize the demand on a given weekend).  I’ve never had this happen to me.  This is because I stay with people who 1) only have five-star ratings, 2) have a LOT of ratings (hundreds, if not over a thousand), and 3) are generally “super-hosts.”  Airbnb vets super-hosts very carefully, and super-hosts are required to meet certain criteria (including: hosting more than 10 stays a month, cancelling less than 1% of their reservations, responding to 90% of messages within 24 hours, having over a 4.5 star rating, etc.). You can find the full details on the super-host program here.  Super-hosts get a badge on their listing (it’s really obvious when someone is a super-host), and that’s your best bet for an excellent stay on race weekend.  The second thing I look into is the location of a unit relative to race start and finish.  I look at race maps, I look at public transit maps, I study start areas, and I very carefully determine where would be a good place to stay for this race.  Often, an Airbnb won’t be directly across the street from the start (like a race hotel might be), but it will cost less than half the price and generally provide very little hassle on race morning if you plan correctly.

If where I’m staying doesn’t have laundry facilities, I’ll pack Tide sink packets.  These are little Tide sheets (kind of like Listerine sheets, but for laundry soap) that are good for one sinkful of laundry.  You fill the sink with water, dissolve a sheet in the water, and put your dirty clothes in.  If you’re sticking around after the race, this is a great way to prevent your marathon clothes from soaking in their own juices for a week or more.

Let me also talk about kitchens.  When you have access to a kitchen, you save a LOT of money.  One grocery run can often be the same price as a full meal for two out in a major city.  When we stay at an Airbnb with a kitchen, we eat breakfast and often either lunch or dinner at the pad every day.  We’ve run the numbers on this, and not only do we save money but we also control what we eat a little better – which is key to feeling good on race day.

Transportation is another aspect of this.  In the research phase of your trip, ask things like: where is the expo?  Are there shuttle busses?  How easy is it to get there via public transit or rideshare?  We don’t generally book a car for big city races (we won’t have one for any of the races we do this year, except for IMMT which we drove to).  Instead, we rely on public transit, rideshare, and a hefty amount of walking.  Yes, it does mean that we walk a LOT in the days leading up to the race, but we generally sub that in for a shakeout run.  So far, so good.

Packing

The number one rule for traveling to a race is never let your “must have” race gear out of your sight during plane travel.  We generally each take a carry-on roller suitcase and a backpack.  Lately, I’ve taken to stashing my race shoes in my backpack just in case the roller suitcase gets pulled and checked at the gate.  I can pick up basically anything I need to get through a marathon at a race expo, except my running shoes.

I really like packing cubes.  They mean that you can segregate and organize your things in your suitcase, and you have to worry less about small items getting lost or misplaced.  They also make it really convenient for TSA agents if (for whatever reason) your bag gets pulled for searching (I’ve had several agents commend my packing cube system and tell me it makes their lives easier).  Packing cubes equal less stress during travel, and they allow you to segregate dirty laundry on the way home.  Win/win.

One thing I’ve started doing is packing a small sling bag, or cinch backpack to take with me to the expo.  It makes my life a little easier to be able to shove my important bits into a backpack that will literally be attached to my body all day rather than worry about leaving a plastic shopping bag somewhere with my precious race bib or expo swag.

Remember to pack plastic bags or trash bags for wet dirty laundry, especially if you have to leave in a hurry after the race and won’t have time to let your race gear dry out!  Trash bags also make great ersatz rain gear for pre-race, in a pinch.

Pack your fuel separately.  Yes, you can take race fuel on airplanes.  If you’re using gu or gels, you’ll need to pack them in a quart Ziploc removable from your bag at security, like any other liquids.  It’s also easier if you can pack food in a separate bag which can be removed and scanned on its own at security.

If you do a lot of traveling, look into TSA pre-check.  Mike and I got it last year, and we’ve never looked back.  The convenience factor of not needing to remove shoes, bags with liquids, or laptops from our carry-on is unmatched.  Additionally, the line at pre-check is often nonexistent or much shorter than normal security lines, and moves much more quickly.  It makes plan travel so much easier.

Timing

I like to arrive somewhere with at least one day buffer between arrival and race day.  For a Sunday race, I want to get to my destination no later than Friday.  This gives me a day to hit the expo, familiarize myself with the lay of the land, and stock my Airbnb fridge.  Also: it allows me some time in case there are any travel delays, and keeps me from stressing out about whether I’ll be able to pick up my race materials or not.


Going home is similar.  I’m a slow runner, so I never schedule a flight the night after a race.  I’ll leave early Monday morning before I leave Sunday after a race.  I don’t want to miss my flight because of start delays, or unexpected issues getting home.  This also means I get to take a shower, get a post-race meal in peace and comfort, and change out of my sweaty clothes before getting on an airplane in marathon-soaked clothing.

On the way home, I’ll often upgrade to an even more space seat (we fly Jetblue as often as we can).  The cost to do this is generally trivial, and it’s well worth the ability to stretch our legs the day after a race.  Also: I’ll wear compression socks on the plane if I’m flying the day after.  My favorite post-race recovery is to walk as much as I can (the day of and the day immediately following a marathon), but if I’m cooped up on a plane I’ll at least try to get some compression going on my muscles.

The real key to dealing with race travel, as with most things in life, is preparation.  If you put some thought into your race weekend, you’ll save yourself a lot of stress.  Here’s my basic race packing list, obviously you might need to tweak it pending your patterns and needs:

Packing List

  • Race shoes
  • Race socks
  • Race undies
  • Race bottoms
  • Sports bra
  • Race top
  • Throw-away layer
  • Headphones
  • Headphone charger cable
  • Garmin
  • Garmin charger cable
  • RoadID wristband
  • Sunglasses
  • Hat
  • Sunscreen
  • Electrolyes
  • Race fuel
  • Water belt/handheld
  • Body Glide or other anti-chafe
  • Buff (if cold)
  • Gloves (if cold)
  • Ear warmer headband (if cold)
  • Recovery sandals
  • Post-race compression gear
  • Lacrosse ball or foam roller (hollow foam rollers are best for travel since you can pack things into them)
  • Cinch bag or sling bag for expo
  • Extra plastic bags
  • Biofreeze or icy hot (for after race; the sample packets they give out at race expos travel really well)
  • Wear-about socks
  • Wear-about undies
  • Wear-about tops
  • Wear-about bottoms (these four items are for when you’re not running and the amount you bring depends upon the length of your stay)
  • Jacket or sweatshirt (after a marathon, it’s often difficult to regulate core temperature – bring layers to prepare for this)
  • Toothpaste
  • Toothbrush
  • Hairbrush
  • Hair ties
  • Contact fluid/case
  • Glasses
  • Soap, conditioner, shampoo – travel size (often Airbnbs won’t supply shower amenities)
  • Ipad or Kindle
  • Phone
  • Phone charger
  • Wallet – including photo ID, credit cards, and some cash
  • Race passport or bib pickup paperwork
  • Medications (if necessary)

Travel safely, race well, and hopefully I’ll see you out in the world somewhere!

If you are a member of Team Ordinary and would like to submit a Guest Blog, please reach out and let us know. If you would like to become a member of Team Ordinary, click here.

A SUCCESSFUL LAUNCH!

On Tuesday, October 8, we officially launched Team Ordinary. It was a wildly successful (and busy) day! We thank all of the athletes who came to the page to be a part of this burgeoning team. Don’t forget to use the Coupon Code LAUNCH to get $10 off of registration! This group keeps on surprising me more an more every day! Thank you for keeping me busy!

Please remember… once you pay for your registration, the fun has just begun! We will send your welcome packet as soon as we can. But don’t forget to fill out your Athlete Profile (send us a picture, too), and place your races on our race calendar!