1. Sick chick.

And I don’t mean sick in the way cool / sick / tight / wicked / sweet / dope / fresh / anything that doesn’t actually mean “awesome”  but yet is somehow used interchangeably. Between last Wednesday (on my birthday. Not sweet, nor dope.) and this Monday, my temperature was bobbing between 102.5 and 100.7. What started out as a Dx of strep throat turned to a prescription for amoxicillin that wasn’t making me feel any better (or cooler). Turns out that I had pneumonia, which may or may not have been due to the strep that was or was not even there to begin with. So I’ve spent a lot of time here:

Influenza test -> Strep test -> cute note from “Kathryn” en español!

By the fireplace, under the covers, in the dark. (Creeper.)

Thankfully, since going back to the clinic on Monday and confirming pneumonia with the chest x-rays, they switched me to levoflaxacin and I’m feeling 97% better. My grandma has had pneumonia so many times and I never had any idea how miserable she felt!! It was I imagine a collapsed lung feels like. (My surgeon would not have been impressed with that come Wednesday….)

2. Five days until they cut my leg off.

Yes, the countdown is going strong. With all this sick business over the last week, I can tell you I was pissed bummed about missing gym time. And I have no problem fully admitting to hitting the gym the second my doctor said “I guess if you’re feeling bett…..” I have been asked multiple times by several friends:

You just can’t give it a rest, can you?!

Not today my friend. And I will tell you what… when you have two months of ass-to-couch time staring you down, you can make whatever decision you want concerning your last five days. But as long as I have been given the green light to exercise, and am not by any chance contagious, I will sweat it out until the very last possible minute.

3. I am actually scared to death for surgery.

Sure, it’s easy to look brave behind words… to say well, you can’t always chose the cards you’re dealt and there’s no way around it, so let’s do this thing! Slowly over this last week, the reality of the lifestyle changes I’m about to face has really started to set in. We have such a small amount of snow right now here in Minneapolis, and I know it’s only a matter of time before mother nature decides to unload 2 feet on us. Thinking about crutching out to my car and trying to scrape it off… thinking about crutching downstairs to/from my apartment… thinking about how the DUCK do I carry a coffee cup!?!?! All hitting the fan.

This is a rough estimate of the procedure they are doing… which I wrote more about in this post.

The wedge that you can see gets removed, leaving a brand new, fresh surface that needs to heal together. Along with the bone healing around the screws. And plate running along the lateral side of the femur. Not to mention there is a big unpredictable tumor chunk that has, until this point, proven to do whatever the heck it wants…

It never asked me if I liked the question “Why do you walk with a limp?” (No.) It never asked me if I wanted to run just one last marathon. (I started my list when I was 10.) It never asked me how I felt about crutches when it’s -20°, icy, and snowing. (Can I take coffee with me? No? Ok, angry.) It never asked me if ever wanted to sleep on my left side again. (How about just through the night?) It never asked me how I felt being left out of any/all plyometrics. (Like I’m defective.) It never asked me how it feels to explain what fibrous dysplasia is 100billion times and have every single person you just explained it to look at you and still not get it. (#GTFOH)

4. I feel super selfish.

Reread last paragraph. I can think of an equal 100billion ways it could probably be worse.

5. The Hand Crank…

- Is really kind of harder than you’d think.
- Burns like 1/3rd of the calories you can burn while running, and still feels kind of harder than you’d think.
- Is quite possibly more boring than pool running…
- Unless you find a good song that you can get krunk to crank to… in which case it might not be so bad.
- I’m going to need a lot of new songs on my iPod.
- Is kind of lonely, since there are only two in the gym (attitude correction: there are two in the gym!) and I don’t see anyone else on them.
- Which may be a blessing in disguise because I’ll never have to wait for it.
- Unless it snows two feet, in which case my butt ain’t gettin to the gym in the first place.
- Mmmm yep, still waiting for that attitude / perspective / expectations adjustment.

And that my chicostix… is about five things more than I’ve ‘fessed up to until today. And it does feel BETTER. Especially number 4. It’s good to get things off your chest….

#feelsgoodman

(1000 bonus points for the right reference.)

Reader Qs: Your turn!

-E

He did not much like this early morning business, but the idea of forgoing it, even for one morning, never crossed his mind.
-Once A Runner

Love that quote!!!

I have received several tweets/emails/questions regarding morning workouts, and “becoming a morning person.” These may or may not have been in response to 4am foursquare check-ins at Lifetime Fitness. I can’t claim that I can make anyone into a morning person, but hopefully some of these suggestions can make mornings (and morning workouts) a little more tolerable.

Dome inflated… Downtown Minneapolis edited sunrise! Still pretty!

1. PACK YOUR BAG THE NIGHT BEFORE

This includes laying out your workout clothes and whatever else you may need for that morning’s workout. Shorts, sports bras, which SHOES you’ll need, swim cap, pull buoy, HEED for your water bottle – whatever. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve gotten out of the shower after practice, only to find I don’t have underwear. Or didn’t bring spin shoes. Or ______.

2. SET UP YOUR COFFEE THE NIGHT BEFORE

If you’re a coffee drinker. If the blaring alarm playing Good Feeling isn’t enough to get me out of bed, the smell of fresh brewed coffee and knowing it’s hot and ready waiting for me will do the trick. If you’re not a coffee drinker… that’s unfortunate one less step for you.

3. TURN LIGHTS ON RIGHT AWAY

It’s probably one of the last things you want to do. You’re in your warm, cozy bed. Your eyes are only half open. You want a nice gentle awakening, right? Wrong. Get your butt out of bed and turn your lights on bright to signal your brain that it’s time to WAKE UP!!

4. MOTIVATION

Play your pre-game playlist or something upbeat. If you are in a situation where you need to be cognizant of others (hmm.. Dear upstairs neighbors, can you hear me in the morning?) you could listen to an iPod, dance around your kitchen, get the RW Quote of the Day, do SOMETHING to trick your brain into thinking WOOOH it’s 4am let’s DO this!

5. NUTRITION

This one is pretty individual. Some people can’t fathom a workout without something in their stomachs. Some people can’t fathom the idea of something in their stomachs before a workout. I tend to fall into the latter camp, but after working for a long time with a sports nutritionist, have finally bent a little on that. I typically mix a Carnation Instant Breakfast into my coffee (don’t knock it till you try it…) and that’s my “topper” to the fuel stores. I also tend to eat a pretty late dinner, so rarely ever wake up feeling “hungry.” Long story short: do what works for you. It’s worth experimenting and playing with…

(Side note: there are definitely benefits of doing the occasional fasted wko. Enough material there for a separate post, so I won’t get into it now.)

6. GET YOUR SLEEP

If you rolled in at 1am, and are planning on getting up at 5, your chances of actually abiding by that alarm are diminishing quickly. I will absolutely admit to being a 22 year old granny and going to bed ridiculously early. I take my wake-up time, subtract 8 hours, and make sure I go to sleep by that. There are definitely occasions where I’ve had to pull off above-mentioned situation on 4 hours of sleep, and it’s usually not a very productive or beneficial workout.

7. MAKE IT EXCITING!

If you have any say in your weekly workout schedule, make it something to look forward to. Take a spin class. Try Zumba. If you’re looking forward to whatever workout you have ahead of you, the temptation to hit snooze will likely diminish.

8. FIND A COMMITMENT BUDDY

Were there not people expecting me to show up every morning… would I? OK, probably. I’m one of the people that enjoys and prefers 5ams over anything else. BUT there have definitely been occasions where I have had to convince myself, “Tom is expecting you to be there today” or “You told Michelle you’d meet her on the mats at 5:30!!” If you have committed to meet someone else for your early morning sweat session, you probably won’t leave them hanging.

9. REMIND YOURSELF WHY YOU DO THIS

Because it’s your quiet time. Because it’s your natural “energy drink” to keep you going the rest of the day. Because you have meetings until 8pm. Because you want to see the sun rise. To take advantage of the early morning light (now that it gets dark at 5pm). To get it out of the way. Because the gym is less crowded. To stay consistent (because you never know what the day will bring). To clear your mind. To refocus. To regulate your sleep. To jump start your metabolism (not sure I believe this one, but if it gets you goin…).

10. SAFETY PLEASE!

This one isn’t exactly a tip to help you get in your morning workout, but just a friendly PSA. If you’re going out on your own in the still-dark morning hours, be smart. Where something reflective. Let someone know your usual routes. Consider carrying a phone. Consider carrying mase. Consider bringing your dog. Run with one earbud out or no music at all.

Annnd that seems like a good place to stop. Morning workouts might not be for everyone, but if your schedule requires it or you think it’s something you’d like to try, these ideas might make it a little more enjoyable.

Reader Qs:

Anything I’m missing? Do you workout in the morning, afternoon, or evening? Without limitations of schedule, when would you work out?

-E

Started my Thursday with this:

Top L: Disinfecting. Keepin’ it PG. Top R: Needle going into the hip joint. If you enlarge the photo, you can see the cointrast running through the joint. Bottom center: Closer up – doctor explaining the procedure. The two screws you see are two of these three. The third one is directly behind the upper one. Haha my first reaction was “um… isn’t there supposed to be one more in there?” The thing that looks like a little sperm swimming into the joint is actually the head of the needle. On the bone. ♪ Blue on Black ♪

Post injection, they wanted me to go for a test run. So I did. And because I was afraid my leg might fall off 4 miles from home, I brought my phone.

And in a moment of delirium… I made you a video. Fair warning – this might leave you feeling like you just watched the Blaire Witch Project. It made me dizzy!! This would have been much easier taken with a Go Pro HD Camera… just sayin.

“Hey hunnies…”

Ohhhh wow.

If you’ve ever wondered what a “friend” blogger sounds like in real life? Here you go. This is me! Susan – do I actually sound like this in conversation? I [hopefully] promise I’m not that easily distracted in person. Example: (46 sec.) ”That’s a pretty tree.” Start a new sentence… (49 sec.) “That’s a pretty house!!” Hahah and I keep talking about how Minneapolis is really nice in the fall. (Note that I stated nothing about months December through March.) And how I’m going to get hit by a car.

Well I didn’t get hit by a car, and my leg didn’t fall off. Success! And I DID get a longer run than I thought … that’s what I get for leaving the Garmin at home! Good ol’ fashioned Gmaps Pedometer. 7.11 miles in 57 minutes.

The reason I haven’t brought any of this up yet (which you may or may not have caught in the video) is that I just don’t see any need to jump the gun. There are too many uncertainties right now (which surgical procedure, when the surgery will actually happen, the extent of the labral tear, etc.) to go into too much detail. But I also didn’t want to wait until the day before surgery, and then say… SURPRISE!! And I will say it has been hard to avoid the subject – it’s been on my mind. A lot!! Will keep everyone updated, but will hopefully also maintain the upbeat attitude of Dr.TriRunner going strong.

Reader Qs:

Have any of the readers out there ever had a labral tear? What was surgery and recovery like? Where was your tear? Where did you have surgery? While were talking about surgery – give me anything! What was the injury, what was the rehab, and how long was it before you were back to doin’ you?

-E

To which Mr. SwimBikeRunLive responds with:

At this point… I am actually thinking Dr.TriRunner is GONE. Gone gone. WP wont let me log in… bluehost seems like it’s written in a different language… yep. I’m %^@&#!).

.tar? .zip? I don’t know. So I made a copy of both. Or at least… I think I did? But then what? I have these two “files” that I have no clue what to do with! Wonderful.

True story. I can get “emotional” … but it is really difficult to actually elicit tears. Maybe I’m just dehydrated.

Thankfully… it never came to that. After a few hours of panic mode, the website magically reappeared. BUT only the LINKlove tab at the top was showing up, and the rest of the pages were gone. 1 out of 6 pages is not exactly a high success rate. And my RSS feed didn’t (and still doesn’t) work (or show up), which may or may not be because I don’t really know what I’m supposed to do with it. Mrs. SusanRuns was on her last morning of staying in the Dr.TriRunner house… and over coffee she made me feel slightly better that she also had no idea how to make a backup database or what .tar is or MySQL or …….!!

Anyways.

Maybe it’s a blessing. It’s about ɖɐɰπ time I updated some of those pages, and it’s always fun to freshen up a bit. Bear with me while I do this… I feel like I’m trying to speak Sanskrit. (That one’s for you Jeri!)

So TWIN CITIES MARATHON huh? 30th annual. SWEET medals this year! Sweet Marathon shirts… I’ll refrain from commenting on the 10 milers shirts.

I was hosting an elite masters runner from Florida, so she flew in on Thursday. Susan flew in on Friday morning, and Jeri arrived a little later Friday afternoon. From there it was EXPO time, which I escaped spending very little money. Success! I also ran into an old class mate who is working for the new OrangeTheoryFitness studios… interesting concept!! We were thankful to be invited to the VIP reception Friday evening, where we met Hannah who is the Communications Specialist for Twin Cities in Motion!! Hannah is training for the Richmond Marathon which is coming up soon (Nov. 12th) – go get em!! I’m stealing her picture:

Jeri // Susan // Hannah // Me

Saturday was *restful* … truthfully I don’t even remember what we did, but we ate lots of Panera. Can you get more American/predictable/delicious? I think not. Perfect pre-race food.

Sunday was RACE DAY and what a beautiful day it was. If you want to get picky, it could have been a couple degrees cooler to make it perfect, but I think it was pretty dang close to ideal conditions. The majority of my amigos were running the TC 10 Mile this year because it was the USA 10 Mile Championship. If you’ve never seen an “equalizer” in action… it’s pretty exciting! Somebody uses all their formulas and algorithms to determine how much later the men should start after the women in hopes to *just barely* catch them by the finish. There was a $10,000 prize purse to whoever (male or female) finished first. Oh hey there, motivation. Congratulations to Mo Trafeh (26) who caught the lead woman (after a 9 minute deficit) and won the 10 mile in 46:46. Janet Cherobon-Bawcom won the womans race in 45:15. You guys are amazing!

And SPEAKING of amazing was Susan – clocking a PR by a minute and 24 seconds, and running strong the entire race!! Congratulations chica – it felt like I’ve known you for years (oh wait, we kind of have…?) and I’m so glad you came to the Twin Cities for this marathon!! 

One thing I will say is that being out there on the course and at the finish was H.A.R.D.!!! Harder than I had expected. Twin Cities is definitely a race close to my heart (ETA: bhahah reading that phrase sounds so mushy. My bad.) and it made me want to be out there racing SO BADLY. If only my left hip/leg would agree. My good buddy Jason was here for the weekend from Colorado, and he told me “don’t worry… you’ll get some new pieces and be back out there in no time!” Um… I don’t just need some pieces. I need a whole new appendage. Donations?

End of story: Everyone I know running the full or the 10 miler did AMAZING (even you Mr. IendedUpInRegionsHospital… you got there because you were running FAST and HARD)… and definitely deserve big congratulations!! Twin Cities Marathon is hands down my favorite marathon, and I’d recommend it to anyone.

Reader Qs:

Have you run Twin Cities before? Any plans to do so in the future? That ad you see in Runners World ain’t lyin… it is the most beautiful urban marathon in the country!! (*slightly biased opinion*) What race is coming up next on your calendar?

-E

The end.

-E

It’s one thing if you’re an elite runner, and you have a wall room of fame with every shoe you’ve ever run in, every medal you’ve ever won, and race photos from floor to ceiling. (Spirit of a Marathon…? Anyone??) But when you’re a “normal” runner, who goes through 3 to 4 pairs of shoes annually, and has been running since the age of 12, you probably don’t need to hold on to all of them. Yeah… I had a lot of shoes to clear out.

It’s wasn’t like an episode of Hoarders… a bunch of them I’ve donated to shoe reuse programs to get a discount on the new shoes. A particular two pairs had been thrown directly in the trash after mud-runs. One [semi-clean] expired pair is kept for walking, and another [not-as-clean] expired pair is kept for mowing the lawn. Just one pair – my very first ever pair of “real” running shoes – is being kept for memories sake. But all the rest of those still usable / no holes / not suitable for running / but still in decent shape running shoes? Time to move on.

Asics 21??s, a la 2008

Now I really wish I had taken a picture… There were probably 10 pairs of miniature Asics. One pair of New Balance, one pair of Nike, and two different Adidas. All with different colors, from different seasons, and different memories. As I set each pair, with their little $1 or $2 price tag, out on the driveway, I got to take a jog down memory lane…

• my first half marathon
• my first marathon
• my PR marathon – the shoes I FORGOT at home the day before the marathon
• the XC seasons I took All-City
• the XC season that Asics were back-ordered, and I had to get an emergency different brand shoe the day before a meet…
• … which shortly thereafter led to my first stress fracture
• the shoes I was wearing when I found out about my hip fracture, and took that “last fateful run“
• the shoes I was wearing for what will very likely be my last full marathon
• my first triathlon
• Ragnar Relay
• the shoes I ran in when I studied in Spain
• the shoes I ran in all over Puerto Rico

(Out with the old, in with the new. (L) Asics DS Trainer 14… 2009. (R) Asics 2140s I think… 2010.)

Luckily, I have lots of photos to remind me of these [mostly] wonderful moments… so by getting rid of the shoes I’m only sharing a little bit of what I love with someone else. On the second day of the sale, a neighbor lady stopped by who works with Mano a Mano – a non-profit organization that partners with Bolivian communities to improve health and well-being. Of all the shoes that were still left, I was more than happy to donate them to Mano a Mano to help support their mission. (We were also able to give a few winter jackets, and I got to unload TWO pairs of crutches, a walking boot, an air cast, and a wrist splint. Wooohh!!) It made me feel really good at the end of the day to know what we donated was going to be put to good use.

So now that the athletic-shoe stash has gone from 20+ to less than I can count on one hand… what am I running in?

You probably have heard by now – I have Asics tattooed on my heart. (Metaphor mom… don’t worry. No new ink.) Matter of fact… do an Asics search on my blog and you’ll get three full pages of results. For a long time, I ran in the 21xx series. But after becoming a little more efficient, and a little faster, I decided it was a touch too much shoe. I moved over to the DS Trainer, which I loved. And still do! (I mean… you care about something for so long, it’s not like I just have an “off switch” and can forget about you overnight.) But finally – after so many years – I think I’ve found “the one”…

Asics DS Sky Speed

(Not to be confused with the Hyper Speed, which is pretty sweet racing flat.)

The Asics Sky Speed is a neutral shoe, and considered a “race-inspired” training flat. The women’s SS weighs in at 7.9 oz, while the men’s weighs in at 9.8 oz. (Hahaa… big-footed suckas!!) ((Kidding. Totally kidding.))

The Asics DS Sky Speed is in the same family as the DS trainer, and shares many common features. Both the SS and the DST have the Impact Guidance System (I.G.S.®), Guidance Line™, Propulsion Trusstic®, Gender Specific Space Trusstic System®, Biomorphic Fit ® upper, and asymmetrical lacing.

The biggest differences between the two shoes are that while the DST has a touch of support, the SS is neutral. The SS is more flexible. The SS is slightly lighter than the DST (0.6 oz difference for las mujeres, 0.2 oz difference for los hombres). And the upper on the SS is more minimal. (More minimal…? It’s less.) Put simply, the SS is essentially the old (around version 14) DST, without a medial post.

To summarize my thoughts on the Sky Speed: I love it. I love the way it hugs my foot through the midsole. I love the minimal-ness of the upper, because really, what does the upper do for you anyways besides add unnecessary weight? For my style of running, I think it provides just the right “amount of shoe” under my foot.

If you a wide foot, or need an extra-roomy toe box, I would say this shoe is not for you. If you are looking for a shoe as minimal as the NB Minimus, or even the Brooks Green Silence, then I think you’d say the SS is “too much.”

HOWEVER… if you are looking for a comfy, neutral, flexible, light weight trainer (and you like neon), then you have a winner!!

Reader Qs:

• Have you found that one true love – the shoe that has always worked for you, time and time again?
• Do you bounce around from brand to brand? Or have one brand for flats, one for trainers, one for spikes, etc.? Or are you loyal to one brand and one brand only?
• What shoe are you currently running in? What do you think about it?
• I have not tried the Asics Speed Star… but if anyone else has, I would really love to hear your take on it!! How does it compare to the DST or the SS?  (I know… DS Trainer, DS Sky Speed, Hyper Speed, and Speed Star. All very confusing/very clever.)

That’s all I got for you today! I hope everyone is enjoying their summer (except for the 18 readers I have in Australia, 8 in Malaysia, 5 in Singapore, all the rest in the southern hemisphere who are currently enjoying WINTER. Jeeez I love Google Analytics!!) and enjoying life.

-E

p.s. If you’re at all interested in donating, volunteering, or simply learning more about Mano a Mano, please check out their website HERE!

p.s.s. Legal disclaimer!! This post was in no way compensated for, persuaded by, or influenced by Asics America. All reviews and opinions in this post are based on my own experiences with the above mentioned shoes, which were purchased at my own expense.

(1) You know how they say that when a tornado is coming, it sounds like a train? Well if you didn’t, that’s what they say. A few weeks ago (shortly after we just had a tornado touchdown in North Minneapolis), I was out on a ride. The weather had been kinda iffy when I left the house, but it wasn’t actually raining yet. Just humid, windy, and HOT. But I had miles to get in and riding the trainer in the summer is against my religion, so off I went. And I’m going along on my ride, just trying to pedal through the wind and stay aero and upright, when all the sudden I hear a train coming. And immediately my mind jumps to ohhhh $#!&. Saying prayers. <<And the train is getting louder.>> Wondering who I last told “I love you.” <<And louder.>> And I decide it’s pretty much over and sure enough…

A train passes me.

A real train. I was riding the north Cedar Lake regional trail, which happens to run parallel to a rail road track. Which is still used to carry stuff. By trains. Which sound like…. trains. Fortunately I’m not neurotic about dying in a thunderstorm or anything…

BTW, if you want to make sure you don’t get hit by a train, or a tornado, you can check out this sweet Hennepin County trail map (PDF).

(2) I watched this video of a little kid doing bowers – a super advanced pushup, done from a plank, requiring ridiculous amounts of balance and jacked triceps. I used to be a gymnast, I thought. So I go on the porch and try to recreate the bower. And proceeded to crash and smack into a wooden futon leaving a rather large bruise. For the next hour I was trying to put together a strength program from all our old gymnastics workouts.

(3) My month-long intensive physics class started on Tuesday, and I have already skipped lecture. Twice. On the first day we got out early. On the second day, I left after lab and went on a bike ride with my boyfriend. And on the 3rd day, I left after lab and went on a run. !! Parents of college students (including my own who are reading), please do not turn your back on my blog! In no way am I condoning or promoting skipping class – especially class costs money, and tuition is expensive. BUT, when you’re covering the very basic of basics like UNIT CONVERSION, and the professor gives permission to leave to those who have already covered such material [in 5th grade], then by all means, go enjoy your day outside.

Reader Qs:

You know how to play. Let it out!

And with that, my friends, “I said GOOD DAY sir!” (Bonus points for the original reference!!)

-E

It has been way too long since the last Tried It Tuesday… and not because there are a lack of products to review!! There are a a handful stacked in the “draft/to finish” pile, including my hands-down favorite ever (so far) running shoe, some compression wear, and more on the hydration. (It’s supposed to be 100° on Thursday – gotta keep those fluids going!)

But on THIS particular Tuesday, the review is in, and we’re talking about Hammer Nutrition Endurolytes Fizz.

While this is not a brand new product (I think they came out ~October, 2010), they’re new to me. What took me so long to try them? Well, it just so happens that there’s a very similar product I happen to like a lot. Rhymes with the word moon, comes in flavors like kola (which others have likened to “armpit”, but I think is delicious. Bigger question – why do you know what armpit tastes like?), is linked right over there (—-> glance page upper right), and was featured in Train On Top Volume 4: Hydration. You know the saying – if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it – which is why I have been a little hesitant to make the jump when I have something that works so well for me already.

But then there’s that other saying - Never be afraid to try something new. Amateurs built the ark. Professionals built the Titanic. – (or something like that… ) so I decided to give them a shot. Below you will find my review on Hammer Nutrition’s Endurolyte Fizz tablets, as well as a comparison between the Endurolytes Fizz and Nuun’s Electrolyte Enhanced Drink Tabs.

According to the Hammer Nutrition blog, the Endurolyte Fizz tabs were one of the products to take the longest from a nice idea to a finished, fully functional hydration/electrolyte choice. Obstacles to overcome were taste, the chemical stability and breakdown, as well as combining everything into a product that gives you a bang for your buck. Regarding the economics, I’ll quote the Hammer Blog so you can see what they had to say:

Endurolytes Fizz is economical as well, with 13 effervescent tablets in each tube—not 10 to 12, like some of the others—at a cost of $6.50 per tube, or 50 cents per tablet. One of the reasons why Endurolytes Fizz costs less is that, unlike other effervescent electrolyte products, it doesn’t contain inconsequential amounts of vitamins or other nutrients, which only serve to increase the price. Instead, you get the full-spectrum electrolytic mineral support that you need, along with adequate amounts of auxiliary nutrients, just like you do with Endurolytes capsules or powder, but without the hefty price tag. Compare Endurolytes Fizz to the competition and you’ll see that you’re saving a lot of money!

Originally available in Grapefruit, Mango, and Lemon-Lime, the Endurolyte Fizz’s also now come in Peach. I’ve had the joy of trying all the different flavors, and according to my personal tastes I would rank them (from best to worst) as follows: Grapefruit > Lemon-Lime > Peach > Mango.

I will admit that I pretty much hate mangos, in any shape or form, so you may want to disregard that last ranking and just try it for yourself! I felt that all of the flavors were subtle – not overwhelming your water bottle or sickly sweet – in what I believe leads to a drink that’s crisp and refreshing, rather than something that tastes like juice. The “fizz” component of Endurolytes Fizz was also pretty mild, which I appreciated because no one likes bubbles up their nose during a 40 minute threshold interval. Each Endurolyte Fizz tablet is said to contain just 10 calories, <1g carbohydrate, a $#!&ton of Vitamin B6 and Maganese, 200mg sodium, 100mg potassium, and 50 mg magnesium. (See nutrition label at left.)

LIKES: I like the subtlety of the fizz and flavor. I like that you get a bonus tablets (13 in Hammer, vs. 12 in Nuun), and I really like the Grapefruit flavor!! I also like that this is a [practically] calorie / carb free product. As I explained in the HYDRATION issue of Train On Top, I like to be able to control the amount of extra energy I need (depending on the length/intensity of the workout) by adding my own magic to the mix.

DISLIKES: There are only four flavors, and I really dislike one of them (coughmangocough). I know Hammer touts the affordability of these little tabs, but at $6.50 a tube (or 50 cents/tablet), I guess I dont’ feel that it’s worth quite that much. (You could by 34.2 bananas at Trader Joe’s for $6.50.) Nor is it any more affordable than “the other” product. That “bonus” tablet doesn’t really seem like a bonus anymore once you realize both products cost $0.50/tab, and the product with 13 tabs instead of 12 costs $0.50 more. Doh!

How about a little Nuun vs. Hammer throw down? Lets look at just the facts:

Nuun flavors: banana, fruit punch, lemon lime, tropical, kona kola, orange, citrus fruit, tri berry, grape, lemon tea, strawberry lemonade
Endurolytes flavors: lemon-lime, peach, grapefruit, mango

Nuun tablets per tube: 12
Endurolytes tablets per tube: 13

Nuun cost per tube / tablet: $6.00 / $0.50
Endurolytes cost per tube / tablet: $6.50 / $0.50

And the less objective measures….

Nuun flavor intensity (scale of 1-10, 10 being highest): 7
Endurolyte flavor intensity (scale of 1-10, 10 being highest): 4

Nuun fizz intensity (scale of 1-10, 10 being highest): 7
Endurolyte fizz intensity (scale of 1-10, 10 being highest): 4

Nuun flavor options: 11 choices. My favorites = Citrus Fruit, followed by Kona Kola. Least favorite = Tri-Berry*
Endurolytes flavor options: 4 choices. My favorite = Grapefruit. My least favorite = Mango
*I have not tried several of Nuun’s new flavors, including Lemon Tea, Grape, Raspberry Lemonade, or Tropical, so can’t give a fair opinion on those. Nor can I be held responsible if you try them and think they taste like “armpit.”

FINAL GRADE: I’d give the Hammer Endurolyte Fizz tablets a B. The three factors bringing the grade down are 1) cost, 2) limited flavor options, and 3) the Mango. Ick.

But the score that really matters (to Hammer at least) is the amount sold. After all, a business is a business and they need to make a profit. Good, solid products typically have no problem selling! It is up to YOU to decide that for yourself, so if you’re curious about these little electrolytning fizzy drink tabs, I’d suggest you give them a try!

Reader Qs:

Have you tried the Endurolyte Fizz tabs? What did you think? Which was your favorite? Do you use electrolyte products like these during your workouts or racing? Do you have a different favorite drink product I haven’t talked about yet? I’m definitely open to other reviews!

Take care amigos,
-E

I’ll tell you what it looks like to me – a healthy, happy, solid right tibia. Which sounds about right… I had a pain-free, speedy 5K on Tuesday the 24th (May), and any tibial pain I was feeling a while ago seems to be gone. (**NOTE** That’s not my leg. The CD from my radiologist doesn’t work on a MAC?! Grrr….)

So then at my doctors appointment last Thursday the 26th, why did my doctor order no running or elliptical for three weeks?

STRESS REACTION.

While I wouldn’t wish a stress fracture on anyone, I’m sure there are quite a few of you out there reading and shaking your head with sadness because you too are familiar with this diagnosis. Stress fractures are in the top 5 most common injuries reported by runners, and have been said to account for up to half of the skeletal injuries reported by military recruits. Contributing factors to stress fractures commonly cited include: age, sex, lean body mass, low bone mineral density, low body weight, late onset of menarche, history of stress fractures, disordered eating, and low dietary calcium intake. However, conclusive evidence regarding the pathophisiology and epidemiology of stress fractures is “lacking” considering many studies are short term and use a small population sample. Nonetheless, the one common thread seems to be participation in repetitive, weight-bearing activity. (1) Oh, hey running!

(Nov. 2008 – femoral neck fracture) So what exactly is a stress fracture? A tiny crack in the bone, resulting from repetitive stress or loading. Often caused by doing “too much, too soon” (coughcough 10% rule!), weakened bones (osteoporosis, osteopenia), sex (women, especially with a history of amenorrhea or oligomenorrhea), and faulty biomechanics (leg length discrepancies, heavy heal strikes, etc.). Presents with pain, swelling, tenderness in a specific spot (the “hot spot”), increases in these symptoms with activity and decreases with rest, and earlier onset of these symptoms with each successive exercise bout or workout. Typical treatment is every athlete’s most dreaded prescription – rest. And possibly crutches or the boot of doom. (2)

A stress reaction then, in short, is the precursor to all of this. You are toeing the dangerous line of developing a stress fracture, but haven’t gotten there quite yet. Which apparently, is the case with my left tibia.

Three weeks of no running was [IMO] certainly a conservative measure, but truthfully my running had become so sporadic at that point that I didn’t really care. Some days it was great, some days it hurt. The mandate of “no elliptical” was an attempt to remove any unnecessary loading on the bone and speed up the process of recovery, and the prescription to bike and swim my butt off was to any ounce of sanity left, not to mention not be disowned from my family (or fired from work) for grouchiness!

Following this three-week-reset I’m going in for a running analysis (Wednesday the 15th) and hopefully will develop a plan with my sports-med team to come back to running (and racing!) safely, and solidly. I’ve been doing all of my treatment for quite a while now at the Institute of Athletic Medicine, and I can say with 100% honesty (and zero persuasion) that I LOVE them. They are honest, direct, proactive, and do what needs to be done!

With a little insight from a couple close freinds/family, I’ve realized lately that ever since my hip surgery in December of 2008 I haven’t been quite the same person.  Aside from the cascade of injuries since that date, my “psychology has been off”. My highs aren’t as high, and my lows… well, they’re definitely more apparent. Everything I think of in my history is separated into a “then” (pre-surgery) and ”now” (post). So I finally asked my doctor lastlast Thursday,

Do you think I’ll ever go back to being a “real” runner again? Like the girl who just wakes up and runs out the door, and doesn’t think anything of it? Do you think I’ll ever be able to run another marathon?

And her response?

Yes. Absolutely. But will you be able to exclusively be a runner, and not do anything else? No.

Seeing as how I’m slightly invested in this triathlon thing, I guess I can roll with that. I’m not sure if her “yes” included being able to run marathons again or not, but for now I’ll just take things one step at a time.

(Manitou Tri – June 2010)  Regarding racing: my three-week hiatus unfortunately extends past June 12th, which is the date of the Manitou Triathlon. This is hands down one of my top three favorite Minnesota races, and “bummed” doesn’t exactly exemplify how I feel about missing it. My plan until my legs are race ready is to volunteer (and relay!!) my butt off. I’m definitely not ready to leave the Minnesota Tri community yet.

READER Qs:

Have you ever had a stress fracture, or a stress reaction? Any local readers racing Manitou?Anybody interested in a TRI RELAY!? What is your next race coming up? What is your favorite form of cross training when “on the mend”?

Take luck mis amigos (+1,000 if you know the reference!!!!),

-E

(1) Kelsey, J. L., Bachrach, L. K., Procter-Gray, E., Nieves, J., Greendale, G. A., Sowers, M., & … Cobb, K. L. (2007). Risk Factors for Stress Fracture among Young Female Cross-Country Runners. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 39(9), 1457-1463. doi: 10.1249/mss.0b013e318074e54b

(2) Mayo Clinic. (2010, December 7). Stress fractures. Retrieved from http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/stress-fractures/DS00556

HOWEVER, I felt the need to update quickly and say…

IT’S BRICK SEASON.

(Yes. I really did go outside and pull a brick out of our patio border just for the purpose of taking this photo. I think there’s a small animal in that 4th hole.)

((TWSS.))

(((So. Sorry. Had to.)))

Don’t know what a “BRICK” is (outside of the patio paving variety)? Handy. Here you go. This was by no means my first brick of the season. But it was definitely the first one that left me feeling somewhat like I could race again this year. Maybe. Here are the breakdowns:

Bike 20.4 miles – 1:02:13 (3:02/mile or 19.67 mph)
Run 5K –  0:21:24 (6:54/mile or 8.69 mph)

Given that this 20 mile loop is within the box of the city (read: has some slow traffic spots, like going under the bridge from Calhoun to Isles behind someone with a dog in their bike basket…) I will totally take a 19.67 mph average. The run? Not super impressive. But again, considering that quite recently I thought running and I had broken up for good, anything sub 7, even if it’s just barely, is enough to put a smile on my face. See it?

And because today is a Tuesday, meaning this should technically be a Tried It Tuesday, I have a review for you. On the Asics Sky Speeds.

(Only it will have to wait until this final is DONE… hahah I had to include the link somehow!)

I will in short say that I like ‘em. A lot. More than the Brooks Green Silence and more than the Asics DS Trainer. Could the Sky Speed really be “the one”?? Will have to wait for a conclusive answer on that one until the end of the racing season…

READER Qs:

For my triathletes, what’s your favorite brick workout? I know it breaks the order, but there is a certain swim/run wko that I LOVE and will be returning to the second my lake warms up enough to swim in! On the Tried It Tuesday note, are there any products anyone is curious about or would like to see reviewed here at DTR? Or any product category (rehab, compression, shoes, nutrition – you name it) in particular?

And finally, one word of advice:

Sweat in the eyes. It happens frequently, and aside from wearing a 80s-esque headband, all I can say is roll with it. Let your tear production kick in and rinse it out. Do not try to rub sweat out of your eye. It will most certainly fail. And if you are wearing contacts, you may fail as well by rubbing your lens out with still 3/4 mile to go. Just. Don’t. Do. It.

That is all!

-E