Trail Training – Olde Rope Mill Park, GA

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We (my husband and I and whatever friends want to join) head to local trails almost every saturday for a long run. As we get further enmeshed in our Tough Treads Trail Series, I’m sure our workouts will have more purpose than just getting outside for a run, but for now enjoying the outside and discovering new places to run is the primary purpose.

This weekend we met a friend at Rope Mill Park in Woodstock, GA. He is an avid mountain biker and loves the mountain bike trails at this park. Runners and hikers are allowed, but are required to travel the opposite direction of bikes and bikes always have the right of way. We figured an early start time and the cold temperatures would mean not much competition for the trails, and we were highly rewarded!

We ran the Avalanche Trail and a bit of the Explorer Trail were rewarded with a hilly, well-maintained, single track trail leading through the forest. The Little River could be seen in the valley below during the first part of the trail. Running on a mountain bike trail is a bit different than a normal hiking trail in that there are lots of switchbacks and the hills, while copious, are not very long. It was fun running down the trail and seeing my husband and friend headed the opposite direction up the mountain. The signage is great and there’s very little opportunity to get lost.

After the run, I explored the mill ruins on the opposite side of the Little River and the paved walking path along the river’s edge. It would be a great place to have a picnic if the weather was nice. By the time we were done (about 10:30 AM) the parking lot was starting to fill up, but it didn’t feel crowded. There is an additional parking lot across from a Kia dealership up the road, and I imagine during a nice warm summer weekend the trails would be full.

We will definitely be back to run the rest of the trails, but maybe only in the early morning cold!

For more info on the park check out the City of Woodstock Parks Website.

Tough Treads Trail Series By 7 Wonders

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Vickery Creek, Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area. Photo by Miranda Wilson

This pandemic has taken a huge hit on running with the cancellation of almost all in-person race opportunities. We have been missing our running community horribly and so my husband and I decided to organize a trail race series to do with our friends.

The idea is to hold 5 “races” throughout the year in a pyramid of distances – 5k, 10k, half, 10k, 5k. They will be spaced 4-8 weeks apart and will all be at local trails around Atlanta. We will meet in the parking lot at a specified time (with masks on of course), say hi, and then run. There will be a staggered start to limit contact, and people will time themselves. All the races will be self supported to limit contact as well.

We are going to make shirts for everyone, as we’ve been wanting to do for a while and if people complete the series, I have agreed to make medals. If people want to compete we will keep track of times for everyone and may have extra medals for those.

We already have 12 of our friends that want to come out. I’m really excited to see people and have something to train for. I’ll keep you posted!

Master’s Ultimate National Championships

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It was my first time participating at the National Championships, despite being eligible (i.e., old) and playing with a group that sent a team. It was also my first time playing at a national level event with a small squad. Despite more play time than I really wanted, it was a fabulous event!

Located in Aurora Colorado, the altitude also played a significant role in the ease of running around. I haven’t been to Colorado to play ultimate in 12 years. I forgot how hard it feels to run at elevation. It makes sense why runners and cyclists spend time training in Colorado.

Things I enjoy about playing in a masters league:

1. Everyone knows what is going on. If you get the right group together there isn’t any teaching and most ideas discussed about strategy are valid.

2. The names of the teams all have some kind of spin on the fact that we are all old! Some examples: Atlantiques (that’s us), Surly, Cougars, Johnny Encore, I Thought This Was a Wine Tasting, Beyondors.

3. No one rolls their eyes when you say your legs hurt, instead they throw a roller at you, offer you some ibuprofen, and pull out a variety of braces and tapes.

4. Even mug older people can play at a competitive level. The oldest I saw was at 62 in the great grand masters division. Super impressive.

Here’s to next year!

Morton’s Neuroma (aka, the foot injury that takes forever to go away)

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My story starts back in January (yes it is currently August) during a cold spell when I decided that my feet and legs would be very happy wearing a nice pair of boots to work for three days. No these boots do not have heels. No they have never given me problems before. No my feet didn’t feel particularly bad wearing them. But after going for a nice 3 mile run on day four I knew something was wrong with my left foot.

Morton’s neuroma is classified as nerve irritation that causes scar tissue to form. It is most common between the second and third metatarsals and the symptoms include a dull ache in the region, numbness  or tingling in the toes, and pain with pressure. In some people the scar tissue builds up so much that surgery is needed to remove it. It can be caused by trauma, wearing ill-fitting shoes or high heels, and tight muscles in the feet and calves.

Mine was definitely a mild case, as I wasn’t experiencing any numbness or tingling. There was just pain that would get worse with activity. I went to the orthopedist to make sure I didn’t have any fractures and his advice was to lay off all activity for a while. He didn’t seem to think anything of the fact that by the time I went to see him my foot had already been hurting for 6 weeks. He offered me a cortisone shot, which I declined, and said to give it another 6 weeks.Foot injuries are the worst. Feet are needed to do everything!


Some things that really helped my recovery:

– I bought a pair of Hoka tennis shoes for lots of cushioning.

– I used KT tape for support when my feet were feeling tired.

– I put some metatarsal pads in my shoes to open up the space between my toes when I walked.

-I used lacrosse and golf balls to massage the bottoms of my feet.

– Lots of ice

At this point, 8 months later, I can run in my Hokas, bike, and play ultimate frisbee for a weekend. My foot still gets sore if I sit cross-legged on it for too long or if I try on shoes that don’t fit quite right. 

Words of wisdom – get shoes that fit and have a wide enough toe box!

If you think you may have a neuroma please seek a medical opinion, as I am not a qualified medical professional.

Willpower

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At the beginning of the year a lot of people make New Year’s Resolutions that are designed to make them better people either mentally, physically, or emotionally. Unfortunately, a lot of people have a hard time keeping resolutions for various reasons, one of which is losing willpower. The following is a great little animation about willpower, the different types of willpower, and some strategies to maintain willpower to help achieve goals. Enjoy!

How to Say “No!” to Almost Anything

DexaFit – Body Composition and Performance Metrics

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Every athlete wants to perform better in their respective sport. Sometimes that means having a greater power:weight ratio. Sometimes it means having better aerobic fitness and endurance. Sometimes it means having more muscle mass. And sometimes it just means weighing less so you have less to carry around in your activities. In this case, knowledge is power, and places like DexaFit are there to help provide you with that information.

DexaFit is an organization expanding throughout the U.S. and geared toward athletes that want to know more information about their body composition and performance. This organization, and others like them, can assess a variety of metrics that help athletes perform better, train smarter, and reach peak potential. Just a few of those metrics include:

  • Body Composition: They use DXA scan technology to assess lean muscle mass and body fat percentages. It can identify asymmetries in muscle mass and assess bone mass density. This can be a great tool for preventing injuries because of asymmetries and can help guide future targeted training.
  • VO2 max: They use a traditional treadmill test to identify both aerobic and anaerobic thresholds. This can be a good tool to track progress for endurance athletes, but can (along with additional information) also help identify a heart-rate-specific calorie burn and heart rate training zones.

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  • Resting Metabolic Rate: This is by far the easiest assessment. It only requires breathing into a tube for 15 minutes while at rest. This can give athletes (and really anyone) a good idea of the number of calories the body burns while at rest (i.e., if you were to laze around in bed all day). This metric can be especially helpful in planning nutrition decisions.

As an athlete, the more one knows about their body and how it functions the easier it is to know what changes need to be made and help plan strategies to reach individual goals.

I have been to DexaFit twice and both times have had very positive experiences, learned a lot about my body and how it functions, and have used the information to make goals and plan my training in a smarter way. I would highly recommend paying them or other organizations like them a visit.

All Around Great Circuit Workout

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This is a great workout that targets all the major muscle groups while not over-stressing any one muscle group. It combines both arm, leg, and core work into a tough circuit routine.

Just like always, do each exercise as many times as you can in 1 minute. Do all 8 exercises with minimal rest in between and then take a min or two break. Do 3 sets of the exercises.

1. Deadlifts (these are a typical Crossfit exercise… basically lifting a weight from the floor)

2. Burpees

3. Dumbell chest press

4. Squat press (you can help push the dumbells up using the momentum as you come up from your squat)

5. Pull ups

6. Plank push ups

7. Single leg wall sits (30 sec each side)

8. Sit ups (with a medicine ball. make sure the ball comes all the way over your head and touches the floor)

Good Luck!

Looking for a Weight Room Challenge?

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This workout adds onto the concept of “super-setting” during your workout. That is, doing two or three exercises one right after the other with minimal rest in between. Using “super-sets” in strength training functions to increase muscle strength and endurance and get some cardio all at the same time. It can also reduce time spent in the gym while getting a more complete workout.

The challenge today is a Super Super Set workout. Yeah I said it, a double Super! Instead of doing two or three exercises in a row, this workout combines 8 exercises in a row. Do each of the exercises for 1 minute with minimal rest in between. Try doing three sets of the circuit with one to two minutes of rest in between each set.

1. Incline dumbbell press (with weights)

2. Squats (with weight and make sure to keep your form when you get tired, weight on your heels and your back straight)

3. Pull ups (no weight)

4. Push ups (no weight)

5. Jump rope (no weight)

6. Plank rows (pull the cable so that your elbow comes to your side. Make sure to keep your hips level and in line with your head just like during a regular plank)

7. Sit ups with a medicine ball
8. Wall sits (yes for an entire minute)
Sounds too hard… try doing each exercise for 30 seconds to start with, or only two two sets. Have fun!!

Race to the Taste 5k

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This past weekend was an impromptu race weekend in St. Augustine, FL. I ran their 5k race which benefits the EPIC Behavioral Healthcare, a non-profit community health clinic. For information about the race and EPIC, check out their website. The race had several unique characteristics.

1. The start time was 4:30 in the afternoon.

2. There was a food tasting festival afterwards that included live music.

3. There was a free beer along will all the bagels and bananas you could ever want.

The course was relatively flat, with half traipsing through Anastasia State Park and half through a relatively shady neighborhood. The only tricky part was the start which was relatively wide but narrowed to a dirt/sand trail within about 100 m. The trail portion was only about a quarter mile in length and the rest of the course was on asphalt.

Race day was warm, especially with a start time in the afternoon. I’d say about 75 degrees F. There were 395 entrants which included some walkers and stroller runners.

With all my training I managed to set a personal best (post high school era) of 27:43 and a pace of 8:56 min/mile. I came in 5th in my age group and 95th out of all the runners there. All in all, a pretty good day!