If a Thanksgiving feast ‘table’ can walk a 5K, so can you!
“Gratitude bestows reverence, allowing us to encounter everyday epiphanies, those transcendent moments of awe that change forever how we experience life and the world.” — John Milton
Thanksgiving is more than feasting with family and friends; it is the perfect way to express gratitude.
On a crisp and clear Thanksgiving morning, I ran a 5K race at Run To Feed The Hungry in Sacramento, CA, which organizers call the largest turkey trot in the country. This race, which broke all previous records this year with 31,285 participants running and walking, has become a tradition for me. My daughter joined me this year, which made me grateful for the gift of movement and family time together.
As we walked towards the start line, we were delighted to see one of the most creative holiday outfits. To my great surprise, the lovely lady dressed in the festive Thanksgiving table outfit was one of my tennis friends.
Her story and Thanksgiving tradition started in 1999 when Heather participated in her first Run To Feed The Hungry race and wore a fancy turkey hat. From there, she kept adding to her outfit until it became the elaborate and festive table she carried joyfully during her 5K yearly walks.
Heather took pictures with us and everyone else who wanted a memorable memory. She truly brightened people’s day with her presence, smile, and kindness.
At the end of another Thanksgiving Day spent with my family and friends, I smiled and came up with one word of gratitude: movement.
If my friend Heather walked a 5K dressed as a table, imagine what your body can do!
Final takeaways:
Creating traditions around holidays is a fun way to celebrate, especially when we move together and are active.
Holidays can be stressful, especially when it comes to entertaining guests, but why not participate in a turkey run the morning of the holiday to help raise money for organizations like Sacramento Food Bank and Family Services, which receive all the proceeds from the race?
We can all channel Heather’s fun and creativity by finding ways to warm people’s souls and hearts daily — no special events or holidays are needed.
Let’s enjoy the wonders of our bodies, which move much better when we practice walking, running, or any other sports we enjoy.
For more info on running and real estate, whether buying or selling, please e-mail me at carmenmicsa@yahoo.com, or call me at 916–342–2446.
Also, mention this blog and receive a great offer, whether buying (credit for closing costs) or selling (commission discount).
For more inspiration on how to let “AIR,” which stands for adaptation, inspiration, and resilience, guide you, please consider buying my print edition or e-book The PR- The Poetics of Running, A Book of Poetry in Motion and Morsels of Love, A Book of Poetry and Short Forms on Amazon, or any other of my books.
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Finishing with a savage kick- let’s finish this rainy parade of runners
On Saturday, February 10th, I completed my 17th marathon in 4:02:57 with a big kick and smile at the finish line.
I am very lucky when it comes to having good running weather, but on Saturday, the rain came down steadily for about three hours out of the four hours that I was running the marathon with zero stops for fear that I wouldn’t want to keep going.
My mantra during the entire race was to keep going and never stop, which I accomplished and felt good the entire time, but not as speedy as in other marathons. Yet, the farther I ran, the less interested I was in quitting, which reminded me of our teachers back in Romania, who used to repeat this phrase to us whenever they sensed that we were about to quit:
“You better keep going and not drown right when you’re about to reach the shore.”
As a child, I despised this expression, but as an adult, I appreciate it and practice it with my family, in my business, and in all the sports I do.
Why do I value this so much?
The answer is simple: “We don’t always see the shore, which is why we have to keep swimming, running, or whatever we’re doing.
A Short Course Analysis
My friend Youa absolutely loves this course, which is part of the Mesa-Phoenix Revel downhill course and is considered fast. She keeps hitting a PR every year that she runs this course, but she still needs to hit or break 3:30. Inspired by her and other runners, I signed up to run this marathon hoping to break 3:28:48, which is my PR at Mt. Charleston marathon, the fastest course I have ever run followed by Big Bear in Southern California.
Being a strong downhill runner, I figured that the PR could happen, even though I had a two-month training setback at the beginning of my marathon build-up due to my peroneal injury. However, January was a strong training month, so I was becoming even more hopeful until I got to run the course, and my inner monologue changed.
The start was delayed by 30 minutes, which meant standing in the rain and getting our shoes and clothes wet. After about 20 minutes into the delay, runners were allowed to start after about 20 minutes. I was still in the bathroom, so when I came out, I jumped to the start and started running with joy while trying not to run too fast my first mile. I only hit 7:59 pace in that first mile, after which I dropped in the low 8s.
The course was not crowded at all, which I liked. The course is supposed to be very fast in the beginning, after which there are two hilly miles from miles 5 to 7. During the course preview, we were promised all fast downhill after mile 7 till about 17, but I kept waiting for those downhills to appear and felt like Waiting for Godot, as all I got was a slight downhill and mainly flat course, which didn’t feel that fast to me.
I decided to settle at an easy pace and to take in all the spectators. To my great delight, I saw a family who held up signs written in Romanian just as I was thinking of my dear father who smiled and cried with joy through the raindrops that day.
I ran towards them and greeted them in Romanian, which made them cheer loudly for me. How awesome was that?
As I kept running in the cold rain, I tried to take in the scenery, but there was a long stretch of an industrial-type neighborhood – more than five miles, so I didn’t think the course was beautiful other than in the beginning with the saguaros dotting the road and looking eerie in the morning darkness. I always do better when the course is pretty like the London Marathon, which I consider the most beautiful marathon I have done so far with Big Sur following.
I didn’t know if it was me not feeling those downhills but at the end of the race, my good friend Tiffany Stratton Moreno and I found out from different runners that they also didn’t feel those fast downhills that were supposed to make this course speedy. Tiffany encouraged me to write a detailed race recap, as runners tend to perceive the course sometimes based on their PRs and not the true topography of the course.
Things that went well
My nutrition on the course was right on point. For this marathon, I followed the advice of many elite runners and took a Huma gel every 3 miles, which worked out very well, as I never hit the wall, but I also didn’t settle in my high 7s paces for whatever reason. It could have been running through the rain for so long, or simply not my day.
With the sparse scenery, I focused on the few but wonderful spectators, who were out there standing and cheering for us in the rain.
Every time, I shouted: “Like a savage,” they cheered loudly and laughed.
The fun interaction with the spectators kept me going – soaked with raindrops and the thrill of running another marathon – feeling good and even happy to welcome some fatigue but no real pain in my body due to my good training, a mixture of my own and coach Paul Carmona. I purchased his downhill advanced plan, which was very good and helped me run strong, although I will revert to my training plan next time and run a marathon six to seven weeks before running the marathon that I wish to PR.
Why? You might ask?
Because I am an advanced runner, know my body and all my three fastest marathons from 3:28 to 3:33 came six to seven weeks after I ran an easy marathon, except my first 3:30 Mountains to Beach marathon, which happened after I ran my first 50-mile race seven weeks prior. The marathon felt like a breeze!
Back to the Mesa-Phoenix marathon
As I ran in the rain that came down relentlessly and only stopped in the last mile of the marathon, I looked forward to inching closer to the finish line so that I could change clothes and celebrate another marathon.
The finish line of the marathon was slightly downhill, which helped me finish with my characteristic savage ninja kick and run at a 7:45 pace coming through the chute while shouting “like a savage.”
The spectators were having a blast and cheered me on as if I had won the marathon.
The marathon ended at Riverview Park, which is a large open space park with water features, playgrounds, and a stage, where they played music for us.
As soon as I crossed the finish line, my wonderful friend and Arete teammate Youa Xiong called me and we met up. To my great joy, she told me that she PRed for the fifth year in a row in this marathon, but due to the heavy rain we had, she didn’t hit 3:30 or faster, as she had hoped. She ran it in 3:33, which was so close.
“You seriously did amazing,” I told her while having someone take our picture.
Youa and I at the end of the marathon! Super proud of her! A shiny new medal and a PR!
My celebrations continued with my friend and wonderful roommate Tiffany. We even went on a short hike to see the Hole in the Rock by the Zoo, which was beautiful. My husband joked with me that apparently, I didn’t run hard enough if I was in the mood for hiking.
“It was just a short hike to get some blood flow into our legs,” I told Catalin, knowing that he liked to tease me.
Tiffany and I on our way to the Hole in the Rock- showing off our new shiny medals.
This marathon is still in the top 10 of fast marathons to run and it can be a good course on not such a rainy day.
A million thanks to the organizers of this Revel race for doing their best to make it a positive experience.
And when in doubt, remember that you’ve come so far, and quitting will feel like drowning by the shore, as my teachers back in Romania used to tell us. Let’s persevere!
Whether you’re interested in running or real estate, Running for Real Estate is a great place to learn more! Questions? Call 916–342–2446.
For more inspiration on how to let “AIR,” which stands for adaptation, inspiration, and resilience guide you, please consider buying my print edition or e-book The PR- The Poetics of Running, A Book of Poetry in Motion and Morsels of Love, A Book of Poetry and Short Forms on Amazon, or any other of my books.
For more info on running and real estate, whether buying or selling, please e-mail me at carmenmicsa@yahoo.com, or call me at 916–342–2446.
Also, mention this blog and receive a great offer whether buying (credit for closing costs) or selling (commission discount).
Feeling happy after a great run in Flagstaff, AZ, Photo by Drew Wartenburg, Kim’s wonderful husband, chauffeur, and chef
“No one expected me to make an Olympic team. I wasn’t a standout high school or college athlete, but I have always loved to run and valued a disciplined work ethic. I have been fortunate throughout my career to have wonderful coaches who fostered my desire to seek continual improvement, and a PR streak eventually landed me among the country’s best athletes and in a qualifying position for the Olympic Games.” – Kim Conley
Jumping from 5K and 10K favorite distances, US Olympic runner Kim Conley is moving up to the marathon distance this year. Although Conley used to live in Sacramento, she now lives and trains in Flagstaff, AZ. A two-time Track and Field Olympian in the 5000m and two-time national champion, Conley grew up in Santa Rosa, CA, and went to college at UC Davis where she ran cross country and track. Conley is a professional runner for Nike and coaches adult runners with McKirdy Trained. In her free time outside of training and coaching, Conley enjoys reading, hiking, mountain biking, and exploring the beauty of Northern Arizona. Personal bests1500m — 4:07.17 3000m — 8:44.11 5000m — 15:05.20 10,000m — 31:35.88 Half Marathon — 69:44Her lovely mom Melanie Conley is British and emigrated to America in 1987. Melanie lives in Santa Rosa, CA, where she is a home health wound, ostomy, and continence nurse for Sutter. In her free time, she enjoys traveling, swimming, and spending time with family—including her three grandchildren. As 2020 rolled up all its sleeves with a worldwide pandemic, Kim Conley has embraced the ever-changing circumstances and has learned some valuable lessons:
Being adaptable to life’s swift changes in a way that the Olympic athlete has never been before.
Being prepared to be disappointed, such as a race being canceled at the last minute, made her embrace life’s disillusionment with equanimity and serenity.
Being open to change and welcoming it as a catalyst toward personal growth. For instance, one of the things that Conley changed in her training was to move to Flagstaff permanently in the middle of 2020, which allowed her to train at altitude full time. Additionally, Conley stopped going to the gym. Instead, she uses the developed at-home strength routine based primarily on the KBox Trainer by Exxentric.
Kim Conley and her mom Melanie Conley, Photo by Drew Wartenburg, Kim’s wonderful husband, chauffeur, and chef
“Dreams can change if you want them to.” – Melanie Conley
Kim and Melanie Conley share a few multigenerational pieces of advice for athletes of all ages and abilities and anyone who wants to increase their resilience.
Kim: keep going and keep adapting.
Melanie: when things get tough, carry on as usual.
Kim: learn to become more nimble and welcome changes in your lives.
Melanie: being supportive and not putting pressure on the kids will help them enjoy the process and be successful.
Kim: having the parents’ and grandparents’ blessing to reach high and believe in becoming an Olympian.
Melanie: have audacious dreams and be ready to change them, if you need to.
Kim: the endeavor should be less about the outcome, and more about enjoying the process.
Melanie: find something positive every day.
With so many lessons in resilience that Kim Conley learned from her parents and running, working hard to accomplish big dreams is all just good fun when doing what we love to do.
And yes! Dreams are adaptable as well!
Follow Kim Conley on IG, Twitter, and her website:
Seeds of Sunshine is Carmen Micsa’s multigenerational podcast that she started together with her daughter. Please follow us, share, and review.
For more inspiration on how to let “AIR,” which stands for adaptation, inspiration, and resilience guide, please consider buying my print edition or e-book The PR- The Poetics of Running, A Book of Poetry in Motion and Morsels of Love, A Book of Poetry and Short Forms on Amazon, or buy it straight from my blog by clicking on my books link, which will take you to Amazon.
For more info on running and real estate, whether buying or selling, please e-mail me at carmenmicsa@yahoo.com, or call me at 916-342-2446.
Also mention this blog and receive a great offer whether buying (credit for closing costs) or selling (commission discount).
Crossing the finish line in 3:28:48, my 12th and fastest marathon time so far with my biggest smile ever! Third in my age group, too.
“Over the years, I’ve given myself a thousand reasons to keep running, but it always comes back to where it started. It comes down to self-satisfaction and a sense of achievement.” — Steve Prefontaine
Let’s be honest: running marathons gives us a huge sense of self-satisfaction and achievement. Running a strong marathon and hitting a PR (personal record) in Covid times, when most races had been canceled, is sheer joy. After I had Tokyo and London marathons cancel their races this year, I decided to run London virtual marathon together with my awesome friend and Arete team mate, Bryn. We trained conservatively for this marathon, as the devastating California fires put a wrench into our training, but we also knew that we weren’t trying to run a fast marathon. However, just a few weeks before running London Virtual marathon on Oct. 4th in San Francisco due to poor air quality in Sacramento, one of our team mates posted about a Covid limited edition marathon happening in Las Vegas, so Bryn and I decided to sign up, knowing that we will have six week in between marathons, but thought running an easy marathon for our long run might work well for our in person marathon, where we wanted to give it our best shot.
As soon as Bryn and I finished our London Virtual marathon that had about 1,700 ft. elevation, we took four days off, and started running easy on the fifth day, as we knew we didn’t have much time to train for Revel Mt. Charleston Limited Edition marathon, but we also needed to stay healthy. Although we were able to use our awesome Arete coach Mary’s training for London Virtual marathon, for Mt. Charleston, I created our schedule based on the six-week window that we had to train for a marathon that started at 7,633 ft. elevation and ended at 2,507 ft., which meant doing workouts and long runs downhill. I created my own workouts for our marathon training schedule, but the bulk of the training came from the book Advanced Marathoning by Pete Pfitzinger and Scott Douglas, who had a six week marathon training schedule for runners like us. A big change to our regular marathon training was doing most of our speed workouts running downhill, instead of hitting the track.
Bryn and I during a 10-mile hilly run on the famous Johnny Cash Trail. We ran up the hills easy, and ran the downhills hard to shred our quads and be strong for our marathon. It worked great, as I was sore two days after this 10-mile run.
1. Train on the downhills for speed workouts.
Neither Bryn and I have ever run a Revel marathon race, or a true downhill marathon like Mt. Charleston before, but we figured it should be easier to run it strong, especially if we did our weekly speed workouts on the downhills to get our quads prepared so that we would not experience what other runners call “knives in the quads” when running downhill for a long time. A great workout we did was 6X800 meters running up the hills very easy, and then running at 6 minute to 6:20 min pace on the downhill. We also tried to do most of the strides downhill during our easy runs that had six to eight strides included, which was another excellent way to practice fast turnover on the downhills.
Bryn and I running downhill happily at the beginning of the race, wearing the warm gloves kindly provided by the race organizers.
2. Long Runs on the Downhills
Bryn and I have done about four long downhill runs, and the last one was 12 days before our race. We ran 18 miles mainly downhill from Sugar Pine to Auburn with a few hills at the end (many thanks to my awesome friend and team mate Christina Nokes, who ran twice with me on this route in her home town Foresthill). We ran on the main road, which was not too busy, and it resembled our marathon course. Besides the fact that we were able to run many miles at GMP, or faster (goal marathon pace) during some of these long runs, Bryn and I also got stronger and faster for this marathon. According to Runner’s World, runners should incorporate downhill workouts, even when running a flat, or hillier marathon, because it will increase good leg turnover and make us faster.
Besides doing long weekend downhill runs, three weeks away from the marathon, I was excited to participate in our Arete team’s two-day 30-mile Yeti challenge. I ran 12 miles of GMP downhill on Saturday and 18 miles on the trails at an easy pace on Sunday, which was great training and perfect timing before the taper. Doing two long back to back runs is what ultramarathoners do a lot for their races. I like to apply this kind of training to the marathon, as it teaches us to run strong on tired legs, which works great for me, but one has to be careful if injury prone.
Running down Mt. Charleston during the marathon felt amazing, because the long downhill runs prepared me physically and mentally! This marathon was organized safely with less than 50 runners per wave and capped at 262 runners total per day, so there were not many people to pass, but here I was flying down the hill and passing one of the runners.
3. Recovery Runs on hilly terrain
One of my sneaky ways to get stronger even on easy days is to do what the Kenyans do: run on hilly terrain for recovery. This approach does three things for me: it keeps me slower for my recovery run, running uphill, or on rolling terrain gets me stronger, and I get my run and strength training done at the same time. Running hills is great for runners like me, who are not too keen on lifting weights. One thing that I was great at during this marathon training cycle was doing my kettlebell swings every day ( I have been doing a kettlebell swing streak for four months now), so that coupled with running hills kept my glutes happy and stronger for the marathon.
4. Take your marathon taper even more seriously than your training
I hear so many runners saying that taper is hard. To me, taper is the sweetest marathon term ever, as it allows my body to fully reap all the training benefits while getting the much needed and well-deserved rest necessary to run a strong marathon. Taper is not the time to gain any fitness by pushing hard and not respecting your body. On the contrary, a taper done wrong can break your chances to run your best marathon. One thing that Bryn and I are really good at is enjoying our taper. We took days off the week of the marathon, did a short and sweet speed workout on Monday, since our marathon was on Friday, which included running two miles at faster than marathon pace and 4×200 meters. Additionally, I changed to my old way of training, meaning no running/shakeout the day before the marathon; instead, we did our two mile shakeout with 4×30 sec strides two days before the marathon, so that our bodies were rested. We did some walking down the strip the evening before the marathon just to get some blood flow going and to admire the beautiful Las Vegas lights.
Enjoying the red, white, and blue lights in Las Vegas the evening before our marathon.
5. Train to run faster than your typical goal marathon pace, as banking time in a downhill race is legit.
At mile 20, I was on pace to run a 3:20 marathon, but the last six miles of the race are more flat, although the elevation chart still shows a good downhill grade, but tired legs tell a different story, and there is a long uphill from mile 23 to 24. Not only did I bank time, but I also let my body run freely on the downhills, which meant running in the low to mid 7s for the first 20 miles effortlessly, which felt amazing and smooth. Coach Paul, who trains athletes for the Revel marathon races, kept saying in his videos put together for us runners that we need to let the terrain dictate our pace, and not try to break, or slow down to chase our typical marathon pace. That was salient advice, and I highly recommend to all runners doing a true downhill marathon to let the body run freely without pushing too hard, as the terrain is there to help you run in a state of faster flow.
Flying towards the finish line.Thank you, Revel Races Limited Edition for the free pictures. Such a treat!With my awesome friends and Arete team mates right after the marathon. From left to right: Bryn Mumma, who ran a sensational PR in 3:20:29, Carmen Micsa, or the savage ninja, who ran a 2-minute PR , Tamara Torklason, who ran her first sub 3-hour marathon and a great PR, and Elysha Costella, who ran 3:04, and a huge PR of more than 40 minutes. Such an honor to have these badass women as teammates, friends, and training partners.
Not only did the organizers put together a safe Covid compliant race for all of us runners, but they also let us stay on the warm bus till five minutes before the race started, which was the biggest treat ever, since it was 30 degrees at the start. The theme for my 12th marathon was to run with an attitude of gratitude, which I had totally accomplished, as I could not stop running and smiling, smiling and running.
Although 2020 was not a regular, or ordinary year, Bryn and I enjoyed going with the flow, training together, laughing, and running two marathons six weeks apart, resulting in PR marathons for both of us at Mt. Charleston, our second marathon of the year, but the first official and in person marathon. Training for this race meant being flexible, adaptable, and learning to relish the pure joys of running and the fiery sunrises, as we did not put pressure on ourselves, and yet, have accomplished a great feat while staying healthy and happy. Looking forward to 2021 and to running more races!
For more inspiration on how to let “AIR,” which stands for adaptation, inspiration, and resilience guide and uplift you during these uncertain and crazy times, please consider buying my print edition or e-book The PR- The Poetics of Running, A Book of Poetry in Motion on Amazon, or buy it straight from my blog by clicking on my books link, which will take you to Amazon. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of the book is going to Girls on the Run Sacramento chapter organization.
For more info on running and real estate, whether buying or selling, please e-mail me at carmenmicsa@yahoo.com, or call me at 916-342-2446. Also mention this blog and receive a great offer whether buying (credit for closing costs), or selling (commission discount). Running for real estate with joy!
“When you run hills, ideas surge their dormant heads and inspire you to pick up your mental pace.” Carmen Micsa, aka ninja
How many times do we see other runners brag that they had hills for breakfast and what does that mean to us runners looking to improve our form and racing times?
I just did this 16.8 mile run on Feb. 7th, two days before Valentine 4-mile race, where I PRed by 14 seconds, running it at 7:20 pace. My long run had various hills, which helped me practice my uphill and downhill running. My focus while running downhill was on keeping the legs under my body and not over striding. Photo Credit: A guy named Dave who was walking on this hill.
Hills Improve Our Running Efficiency and Form
After my Mountains 2 Beach marathon, which I ran in 3:30:59 in May 2018, I had a month of easy running, which for me due to my hilly neighborhood and love of hills, meant running hills short and long. A few of my friends and running partners remarked that my form has improved and that I looked like a strong runner with very little upper body motion and great form. I seemed surprised until I read some articles about how hills make us stronger runners, as well as help us improve our running efficiency, economy, and our form.
There is also a technique to running uphill and downhill:
When we run uphill, we need to pump our arms and fists towards our chins, as if executing powerful uppercuts. Our legs don’t need to do much, as pumping our arms will do the climbing.
Running uphill, I lean forward and don’t use my legs very much. Instead, I do uppercuts with my arms to propel myself at a steady pace and not consume more energy than necessary. Photo Credit: A guy named Dave who was walking on this hill.
When running downhill, we need to lean slightly forward, as well as exaggerate our kicking and pretend that we are kicking our own butts. Over striding downhill will result in fatigue, poor form, and possibly knee pain, as our legs need to stay underneath our gravity center.
This is a video I took while running on our beautiful Auburn, CA trails.
Specific Hill Repeats to Incorporate in all our Training Runs
According to Runner’s World, there are four types of hill running workouts to increase speed and endurance.
Longer hill workouts One way to practice hills is to do our long runs on a hilly course. I am lucky to live in a neighborhood where hills come in all shapes and sizes, so I run them often.
Valentine 4-mile race, which has some rolling hills for which I have overprepared this week, doing a 16.8 mile super hilly long run, since the main goal is running a strong Boston marathon. Happy to run and represent the Arete Women’s Running Club Sacramento Chapter this year, making me a happier runner to have the support of so many amazing women runners who strive and stride for more. Photo Credit: Heather Sims
2. Hills for speed
To increase speed, practice running 30-second hill sprints at 5% to 10% incline on any type of terrain nearly all out. At first, start with 5 to 8 repeats and work up to 12-14. Jog 2 minutes in between repeats. Always warm up and cool down when doing hill repeats.
3. Hills to improve the running biomechanics
To practice better biomechanics, find shorter hills and do 10-15 second sprints 5 to 20 repeats, depending on your fitness and running level with jogging in between.
4. Specific hill workout for hilly courses, such as Boston
When preparing to run a hilly course, do a 2 mile warm-up, do 6 to 8 hill repeats at an effort of 7 out of 10, then run 1 to 3 miles at GMP (gross marathon pace), followed by 1 mile to 2 miles cool down. I did this workout a few times, doing the Penn hill repeats out in Fair Oaks, or doing the Hazel hill repeats close to the Fish Hatchery followed by 2 miles at marathon pace. It is a hard workout, but it certainly prepares the body to run strong on a hilly course.
No description needed. Too much joy and exhilaration running through my slice of Paradise with hills of various inclines. Love running there and finishing the run with more hills, as it is my recovery hilly route.
I remember the year I ran my second California International Marathon we had a woman in our pace group from Florida who was cursing the hills as often as we ran over any kind of hill. She was totally not prepared for the hilly marathon, which is why you want to do your homework ahead of time and avoid hill disasters.
While hills are as good for runners as eating our veggies and fruit, Jack Daniels, PhD named world’s best running coach by Runner’s World, advises to gradually add hills to your training regimen in order to avoid injuries. He also recommends doing a 20-mile long run on rolling hills five weeks out from a marathon and to stay away from downhill training during the final couple of weeks before the marathon.
And now that we have our hill workouts cut out, here are some popular races with net downhill that give high hopes of securing a PR or BQ (Boston qualifying time):
Date / Race / Net Drop / Info Oct. 3 / St. GeorgeMarathon, St. George, UT / 2,560 feet / stgeorgemarathon.com
Oct. 4 / Wineglass Marathon, Corning, NY / 220 feet / wineglassmarathon.com
Oct. 10 / WhistleStop Marathon, Ashland, WI / 510 feet / whistlestopmarathon.com
Oct. 11 / Bizz Johnson Trail Marathon, Susanville, CA / 1,100 feet / bizzjohnson.com
Oct. 11 / Steamtown Marathon, Scranton, PA / 955 feet / steamtownmarathon.com
Dec. 6 / Cal-International, Sacramento, CA / 340 feet / runcim.org
Dec. 10 / Tucson Marathon, Tucson, AZ / 2,200 feet / tucsonmarathon.com
Apr. 19 / Boston Marathon, Boston, MA / 450 feet / bostonmarathon.org
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For more info on running and real estate, whether buying or selling, please e-mail me at carmenmicsa@yahoo.com, or call me at 916-342-2446. Running for real estate with joy!
“Every successful individual knows that his or her achievement depends on a community of persons working together.” Paul Ryan
This quote strongly resonates with my progress as a runner and athlete due to the fact that I joined various teams and running clubs right after becoming a runner. I felt that running with friends gave me more strength, endurance, tenacity, better performance, and it was simply more fun that running alone.
I run with many friends and running groups, but Andrea and I are best running buddies and have logged thousands of miles together. We are fortunate to live close to each other and enjoy each other’s company.
SHORT HISTORY OF MY RUNNING JOURNEY
1. My greatest appreciation as a runner goes to Fleet Feet Sacramento training groups, as they helped me so much as a new runner. I could hardly wait to go to their Sunday long runs in preparation for California International marathon, when I started running in 2015.
2. After training for my first marathon, I got into trail running by joining Folsom Trail Running group and Trail Mix on Facebook. That was amazing, as trail runners are the friendliest people and so supportive.
3. In the summer of 2016, I joined Fleet Feet Fit program, where I met more wonderful runners and I did more track workouts, which improved my speed. After one season, I had enough fast races and qualified for the Fleet Feet Sacramento racing team. I have raced for them for the last two years and had great success and performances.
4. While on the team, I hired my own coach Robert Ressl-Moyer, who helped me PR in two half marathons, two marathons, and one ultra marathon. I also continued to run with Trail Running Adventures, Trail Mix, and Folsom Trail Runners, as well as the Fleet Feet Roseville racing team, as I enjoyed meeting new runners and running in various locations.
4. In 2019, I’ll be joining Arete team, as I feel they are an amazing supportive group of women (it is a women only team) and their training will challenge me more as a runner and help me grow. I am also training with SRA elite Jenny Hitchings (for more info, read the blog I wrote a few months ago on her huge accomplishments), amazing runner, coach, mother of two, who holds four age group National records in the 5K, 10K, 10 mile, and half marathon distance, and who checks in on me to make sure I am not doing too much, as I used to overtrain and race too much. Very excited about working with Jenny and looking forward to hitting some new PRs when the timing will be right.
OVERVIEW OF RUNNING CLUBS AND RACING TEAMS IN THE SACRAMENTO REGION
With 2019 around the corner, I wanted to give the running community an overview of the majority of our running clubs and teams. I was not able to reach everyone, or get info from all existing groups, but I have done this analysis to help you decide where you belong next year, as running with others is more fun and will likely get you stronger and faster.
1. ARETE
E-mail interview with Tamara Torlakson, who is Sacramento’s team leader of Arete.
– Arete was started in Santa Cruz by two best friends who wanted more from running teams!
– Arete is coached by Mary Wright, sub 3 hour marathoner and Mom of three! She posts awesome workouts weekly and gives great training advice. But if you have your own coach or like to follow your own plan, that is totally fine! We welcome all.
Super Sunday race. Arete team is cohesive and extremely supportive.
HOW TO JOIN THE CLUB
New members can join starting on January 1st through the website, www.runarete.com. We will have a formal 2019 season launch party on Saturday February 2nd at 2pm at one of our teammates homes. This is a chance to pick up new Rabbit uniform tops, meet teammates, Arete coach and co-founder Mary, and get any last minute questions answered! You can also sign up there, but we encourage you to sign up in advance if you can!
WHAT MAKES ARETE UNIQUE IN COMPARISON WITH THE OTHER CLUBS OUT THERE
Arete is the only all women’s running club in the Sacramento region. While we love running with men and they often join us for runs – we are open to all, we feel that having an all women’s team offers a safe space for open dialogue and a very supportive and positive space.
WHAT RUNNING MEANS TO YOU OR THE ARETE TEAM
Leading the Sacramento chapter of Arete has been such a joy! I love all the women that have joined us who have never been on a team before. Seeing them form friendships, find running partners, and improve their running is really fulfilling to see!
Info about Arete
This all women’s intermediate and advanced running team is fast with a side of fun. We are an environment that welcomes authenticity, grit, sweat, and fun. We believe that when women come together to support each other, they will get the most out of their running and their lives. We started Arete because we believe that running strong and joyfully is one of the best parts of life, and we know that women who share these values and goals exist in every city town across the country.
If you are wondering if it’s a good fit, we recommend you can run 6 miles without stopping– not to exclude anyone but to foster a space where no one is left behind and everyone feels encouraged. We also encourage you to start your own chapter or join our Remote team if an Arete team doesn’t already exist near you. (TT adding: In addition to the Sacramento chapter, there are chapters in Santa Cruz (where Arete started), Oakland, San Francisco Peninsula, Colorado Springs, and a Remote team – you can live anywhere – there are small groups in Chico, Santa Barbara, and Bend, Oregon.)
We understand that our lives are busy and your schedule may not always allow you to make every workout.
We look forward to gathering Arete groups from all over to race together, explore new trails, and meet people you may not have normally crossed paths with.
We all have a passion for this movement, for self-improvement, for being a part of something bigger than ourselves. There is something very special about a team.
2. TRAIL MIX
E-mail interview with Brad De Luchi, a great group leader who even creates training schedules for Salmon Falls 50K and AR 50 mile races.
Trail Mix was born out of one person’s desire to keep in touch with people and to keep running in between Fleet Feet Sacramento trail training sessions. It is not a racing team or running club; it has always been a loose collective of people who want to run together. It is a secret group on Facebook, meaning that you can’t look for it. You join by having an existing member add you. There is no expectation or requirement that members volunteer although it is encouraged and Trail Mix does host aid stations at a few races, most notably the Horseshoe Bar aid station at AR50/25.
What makes the group unique is that there is a penalty for falling while on a run. The original penalty, back when the group was small, was that you bought pancakes for those running with you. As the membership increased and the number of people at a run bigger the penalty switched to donuts. The fall penalty is taken very seriously and there are rules around what constitutes a fall and situations where fall rules are suspended. The rules have been amended over the years as new scenarios are discovered.
The photo I am attaching is not from a race but from one the best days out on the trail. We crossed a raging Hastings Creek near Cronan Ranch and in true Trail Mix fashion, we all worked together to make sure everybody got across safely. There is now a bridge over that creek so that day can never be repeated.
Trail Mix adventure run crossing the swollen, raging river after the rain. I skipped that run, as I was too chicken to go due to the wet conditions.
Running with Trail Mix has always meant friendship, support, connection.
3. TRAIL RUNNING ADVENTURES
E-mail interview with Carina Kool and Hassan Aboukhadijeh, group leaders.
Trail Running Adventures is a group of people who love to have fun and motivate each other as we all embark on our own unique running journey. Our motto is simple, “no runner left behind”.
The founders of Trail Running Adventures and one of the members. This year they also created their team hats, visors, and T-shirts. Looking great!
If you want to join the group, it’s easy! We have runners of all ages and paces so you’ll be sure to always have a few people to run with.
As part of this group, we’ll introduce you to all sorts of incredible trails/races that you’ve likely never even heard about. In addition, the social component of our group is very important to us and thus we regularly host potlucks, movie nights, and even coordinate our travels together.
Oh, and we love taking pictures, so smile!
Happy runners!
Volunteering:
We love giving back to the running community and volunteering. We love encouraging & supporting other runners. By being a part of our group, you aren’t required to volunteer though, but if you can, that’s great.
E-mail interview with Robert Ressl-Moyer, coach, ultra runner, and founder of the group.
Team ReMo in action with amazing runners. I love being part of this awesome group led by a terrific coach and wonderful human being Robert Ressl-Moyer.
Behind Team ReMo is Remo Fitness founded by Robert Ressl-Moyer in 2018. He offers personal training, group classes in partnership with Dai Endurance and personalized run coaching. His services are open to everyone regardless your club affiliation.
How to join?
You can started with us through personalized run coaching, personal training, or small group training. Once started you are part of the ReMo family. www.remofitness.com
What makes ReMO unique?
ReMo is open to everyone. I am working with runners from run/walkers, injured runners fighting their way back, to runners dreaming of an Olympic qualifier. There are no prerequisites to join ReMo. You bring the passion and I got your back while pursuing your wildest dreams.
What does running mean to ReMo?
We face our fears, build our strengths and find joy in challenging who we are.
5. FLEET FEET ROSEVILLE/FOLSOM
E-mail interview with Rob Schmidt, passionate runner, assistant coach, and supportive friend and wonderful human being.
Rob said: “Yeah, we have a pretty cool team. Jocelyn, my daughter, is enhancing it this year by including four structured (approx 1/2 marathon) training programs that are included: two trail races and two road. It addition, we’ll have team events that support the local community, such as Folsom Turkey Trot, Folsom Firecracker, and other East Sac area races. Basically those are races that we’d like team members to participate in, but that is totally optional.”
What’s unique about the group?
The neon pink and green jerseys that their members wear and make them stand out at a race.
The team accepts and has runners of all levels. Their group isn’t about being the fastest; they rather focus on team support and recognition for those who like to run and participate in group activities be that local or across the country. The group also celebrates AG winners along with those who simply PR in any given race.
The team’s end of the year celebration party is about all the runners in the team, as FF Roseville/Folsom has male and female “Athlete of the Year” Awards, race AG wins, and participation/volunteering at team events. They also have Boston Qualifier Award, Rookie of the Year, and Pink and Green contribution awards. Some of the prizes were embroidered backpacks given to runners who participated in six of the eight selected team races, as well as plaques.
Volunteering
Fleet Feet Roseville/Sacramento asks for volunteers at team sponsored events, tent monitor, aid stations, and other duties, but it is requested and not demanded.
What does running mean to Rob Schmidt?
“I believe that running has helped build new friendships, enhanced my health, and provided a venue of positive support and encouragement. Running with a team that embraces those values makes exercising and accomplishing goals a lot of fun. I run everything from road 5ks to ultra trail 50ks, and everything in between. I enjoy the side benefit of running outdoors in this wonderful environment we are lucky to live within. NorCal has a lot to offer and running allows me to experience it at a higher level.”
INFORMATION NIGHT: Join them on Thursday, January 3rd at Fleet Feet Folsom at 6:00pm for our kick-off meeting and first workout of the year!
What is the Racing Team all about?
Our Racing Team is driven by passionate coaches who lead weekly runs, and experienced mentors to help facilitate workouts. Through our Fleet Feet Racing Team, our coaches will facilitate year-round runs for participants to meet up, gather, and run together.
Team Details
Year-round program
Training plans for goals races
4 goal races strategically placed quarterly:
Lost Trail Half Marathon, Granite Bay, CA (Trail)
Parkway Half Marathon, Carmichael, CA (Road)
TBD
TBD
Two coached workouts:
Thursday @ 6pm
Saturday @ 8am
Meetup locations will primarily be in Folsom with occasional workouts closer to our Roseville location
Facebook private group access
Monthly emails with upcoming training schedule and updates
Printable event calendar featuring Fleet Feet Events and training
Team challenges and social events year-round
All racing distances are welcome!
Program fee: $150
6. FLEET FEET RACING SACRAMENTO
Having been a member of this group for two years, I will provide the information.
Info about Fleet Feet Racing Sacramento
As opposed to Fleet Feet Roseville/Folsom, runners who want to join have to meet the qualification standards to be accepted. To find out all the details, go to the team’s website http://www.fleetfeetracingsacramento.com/.
Having been part of Fleet Feet Racing, I grew as an athlete and I enjoyed giving back to the community, as well as making wonderful friends for life. However, unlike all the other teams in Sacramento, Fleet Feet Racing Sacramento requires their team members to volunteer at least three times a year, which is not hard to do, but for those runners who barely find time to run, they need to take into considerations the following commitment as presented on the website:
Commit to be active in Fleet Feet Racing practices, racing events, and social events. Membership does not preclude individuality. We recognize that each member has a specific set of running goals that may direct him or her to different races. However, visibility in Sacramento-area races with a focus on Buzz Oates RunSac Race Series events and attendance at team practices are an important part of membership.
Minimum number of races per year: 6
Support Fleet Feet Events Management events through volunteering a minimum of 3 times per year.
What’s Unique about Fleet Feet Racing Sacramento?
The competitive spirit, the drive to accomplish more as an athlete and human being, as well as good team support and strong runners who will inspire you to become the best version of yourself.
The Power of FOO at the Super Sunday race, where the energy and the support were amazing.
2. The power of orange, or FOO. New Balance has been a generous and wonderful sponsor to our team. Runners receive discounts on the New Balance shoes and merchandise.
3. Great end of the year party at a nice restaurant, celebrating the runners who have volunteered the most, but we did not have awards for the top athletes like Fleet Feet Roseville/Folsom. I think that would be great to have those awards added in the future to recognize our outstanding runners.
7. THE RIVER CITY REBELS, OR SIMPLY THE REBELS
E-mail interview with Andy Harris, founder of the group and with Bobby Carpenter, a passionate runner and the owner of Hot Yoga at Sunrise, during a trail run together on the bluffs by Hazel.
Info about The Rebels and How to Join
For info on this awesome group of runners who are one of our region’s best cross country male team, please visit their website at https://rivercityrebelsrunning.com/.
The River City Rebels are a Sacramento-based club formed in 1994 by a handful of local runners who liked training and racing together. The name “Rebels” fits both the club’s founding spirit and it’s ongoing philosophy of training hard, racing often, and always having a good time.
Info from their website: “We are the LEAST EXPENSIVE running club in Sacramento that has the most FUN! ONLY $25.00 to join and $40 for a family membership!
Your River City Rebels membership automatically enters you in the RunSac competitive division for 2019. Entering the RunSac series on your own would cost you $35, so membership is a real bargain!
You can also to fill out and mail the membership form with your dues by downloading it HERE. If you choose this option, please mail the form to: River City Rebels, P.O.Box 189667, Sacramento, CA 95818.
The Rebels after another successful cross country race. Lots of fun, great support , and camaraderie.
8. Buffalo Chips
Info about Buffalo Chips and how to join
I was not able to get an e-mail interview, but as most of you know, and according to their great website, the Buffalo Chips, are Sacramento’s oldest running club. They are a diverse group that includes competitive and casual runners, short-distance, marathon and ultra-marathon runners.
As George Parrott pointed out, the Buffalo Chips also supports a strong youth program with a separate youth coach and training series. The Tuesday night workouts for the Chips started in 1980 ONLY for women. The Chips was and still is strongly supportive of women’s fitness and excellence in sport with women’s marathon teams that have WON the team title at Boston 3X in the open and 2X in the master’s division and the National Championship at the marathon once. In the 1990’s Runner’s World named the Chips “the best running club in the United States.”
To find out more about the club, click here. Questions about Buffalo Chips Membership? Please send an email to membership@buffalochips.com. Click here to join or renew your membership. Make sure you are current to continue to receive all the benefits of membership. Don’t forget to renew your PAUSATF membership as well, at http://www.pausatf.org
Cross country race
“The members of the Buffalo Chips Running Club consider ourselves active participants in the local running community and the overall Sacramento metropolitan area through our contributions of energy and resources to promote a healthy lifestyle and positive changes in the lives of its vibrant population. Each year, we dedicate a portion of the proceeds collected from our membership dues, race revenue, and outside donations to promote activities and organizations that contribute to the well-being of our neighbors.”
Indeed, I have many friends belonging to this wonderful group of runners, and I can say that I am impressed by their friendliness, kindness, great attitude towards life and running, and their commitment to helping our community. Their 10-mile Buffalo Stampede yearly summer race is one of the best in our region.
9. Run4EVER
In 2015 after having completed CIM, my first marathon, I set up Run4Ever group as a way for us to keep in touch with each other after having met through the amazing Fleet Feet CIM training group. Please feel free to join it on FB and enjoy weekly inspiring posts about running, life, nutrition, and being a ninja- ha!ha!
You also can see at least two runs posted every week, especially trail running. As the name of the group says, I wish everyone to run 4 ever with joy.
Elisia de Bord was my first friend I started running with in the CIM training group. The funny thing is that we reconnected through running after we had gone through Graduate school together taking our Masters degrees in English at Sacramento State University. So grateful for the friendship.
Holly Macriss has also been one of my very first and dearest friends I started running with. Our first run together was a half marathon on the bike trail on a Wednesday, as I sometimes could not make the long weekend runs.
10. Other FB running groups
If you are a trail runner, you sure are covered.
Here are a few more running groups that you can easily find on Facebook and join: Folsom Trail Runners, Auburn Ultrarunners, Norcal Runagades, Rogue Runners, Ultra Training, Trail Whisperers, Auburn Area, Sierra Foothills Trail Runners, Canyons 100K , and Moms Run this Town, which has many chapters all around Sacramento and is focused on both road and trail running.
11. SRA Elite – Sacramento Running Association, which will be a separate blog.
How to join: only open to elite runners. Outstanding organization and Sacramento’s premier racing team!
After this thorough analysis of teams and clubs, if you are still not sure whether you wish to join a team, here are five reasons why you should choose a team/club in 2019:
The most compelling one is the camaraderie you will develop with the runners in your team, which gets you through fun and tough times so much easier.
Doing speed workouts and long runs together with your teammates is huge, especially when running a 20-miler and you feel like throwing in the towel and questioning your own sanity. Instead, running with others will confirm your craziness and even make it cool!
Giving it your best and running with passion and dedication in racing events while wearing your team’s apparel.
Having a coach, or a team leader you can check with regarding your progress, your injuries, or anything else that you wish to ask.
Staying motivated, inspired, and challenged for being part of a team that believes in you and supports your goals and dreams.
This blog does not contain all the clubs and racing teams in Sacramento, but the author Carmen Micsa has tried to give a detailed picture of the majority of teams and clubs out there.
Questions on joining any of these groups, organizations, teams? Please comment on the blog.
“The city seen from the Queensboro Bridge,” Nick says, “is always the city seen for the first time, in its first wild promise of all the mystery and the beauty in the world”.F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby
Running two marathons in one month is not something we should do, but since I qualified and got accepted to run Chicago and New York City marathons, which are both world marathons, I went for it, excited to run the largest marathon in the world.
I took this picture the evening before the marathon, as it amused me. Indeed, New Yorkers are busy and seem in a constant rush, but they sure were the warmest and most amazing spectators on marathon day. They melted my heart with gratitude for the sport and sure carried me through tough moments.
Before leaving for New York, I have read as many articles about how to run well New York City marathon . Since I loved running hills, I thought I would be ready for New York and I was, but not as strong as I had imagined.
Two Days Before the Marathon – How to Enjoy New York Before the Race
Like most of my other friends from Sacramento, I opted for the red-eye flight, even though I can’t sleep on the plane. After a lot of fidgeting around and trying to keep my eyes shut, I had finally landed in New York, which brought back sweet and exciting memories from 23 years ago when my husband and I first came to America from Romania and landed in New York. I remember how we were both craning our necks, trying to capture New York City rise out of the clouds with its grandiose Statue of Liberty greeting and welcoming us to the greatest country in the world. This time just like 23 year ago, I could not resist the views and kept stretching my neck to capture New York City’s grandeur from the airplane. A canopy of clouds drifted and sifted over New York, but I could still see rows and rows of homes with small patches of grass and trees in the front.
As soon as I landed, I took a Lyft to my hotel to leave the luggage and head to the Expo, where I was meeting with my Sacramento friends and doing the narrated bus tour of the entire course. I was soon going to find out that the bus tour would take longer than actually running the whole course, especially for those runners making it under 4 hours, but it was great to sit back, relax, spend time with my friends, and taking pics of the five boroughs to add to my blog.
Meeting with my awesome Sacramento runner friends at the Expo.
After the tour, I got to spend time at the Expo, enjoying the energy, the international runners chirping in French, Italian, Spanish, Japanese, and so on, and all the vendors. No matter of the languages spoken all around us, we all had one thing in common: crossing the finish line of the largest marathon in the world.
Finding one’s name among thousands of others is always exciting and humbling.
Running teaches us to spread our wings wide and high and reach for the sky. Shalane Flanagan as the winner of last year’s New York city marathon.
It was getting late, so I went outside to get a Lyft to my hotel, which was close to Central Park and the finish line. The first day in New York went by quickly and I can say that the New York bagels are the best.
The Day Before the Marathon – Carb Loading and Exploring New York City
Saturday before the marathon, I slept in, since I was tired from the flight and all the excitement. Around 9 a.m., I took off on an easy 3-mile run with strides through Central Park. As I ran through Central Park, not knowing which direction to go, I ended up by the finish line, which was exhilarating and brought tears of joys and gratitude to my face. I even found the Romanian flag, which made it special.
Born and raised in Romania, I will never forget my roots and I am proud to be a Romanian American.
Seeing the finish line the day before the marathon helped me visualize my own finish of New York City marathon.
On my way back to the hotel, I took New York’s fall colors all in, being mesmerized by the bright colors set against the backdrop of New York City’s skyscrapers. Runners ran in circles around Central Park and I was once again reminded how fortunate I was to run another world marathon.
Fall splendor in Central Park.
Fall foliage, which made many friends back home remark on the true colors of autumn on the East coast.
After my morning explorations of Central Park, I went back to the hotel, showered, and had lunch. The plan was to explore the Metropolitan Museum of Art in the afternoon for just a couple of hours, since I needed to keep my legs fresh for the next day.
The Metropolitan Museum is a must. I loved the Delacroix exhibit and the Egyptian one, but all the art is exquisite and giving so much joy to the onlookers.
I spent the evening in Madison Square Garden and Rockefeller Plaza, enjoying my pasta dinner, but mainly taking in the sounds of New York, the constant buzzing, the excitement, and the flashing lights all around me. I took another Lyft back to my hotel (I only took the bus once and the rest of the time, I relied on the shared Lyft riding with others, as Lyft services are more expensive).
From what other runners had told me, I didn’t need to go so early to catch the bus or the ferry to the start line. Although in the beginning, I signed up for the ferry, I learned that the bus was the faster option and that I didn’t have to take both the ferry and the bus. I changed the ferry option at the Convention center and opted to take the bus from the New York Public Library, which was only one mile away and easy to get by Lyft. As you can see, my travel to New York should be called Carmen’s uplifting Lyft experience of getting around places – ha!ha!
Marathon Day Race and Logistics
Even though I went to bed by 10:30 p.m. on Saturday after talking to my hubby on the phone, I still decided to sleep an extra half an hour and only get to the bus at 6 a.m. instead of 5:30 a.m., as I did not want to wait so long before my coral’s start time of 9:55 a.m. Once I arrived at the library, I was greeted by a long line of runners and had to wait at least 30 minutes to get on the nice warm bus that had no bathroom, so be prepared for an hour to 1.5 hours ride and of not going to the bathroom. Also for those anxious of not making it on time, don’t be too creative and just follow the time written on your wrist band, which nobody checked, as they only wanted to see our bibs.
The line for the bus at 6 a.m. on November 4th, 2018, the big marathon day.
On the bus, I became friends with Jaszver, a smart and super athletic guy in his 30s. We kept talking for the entire ride to Staten Island, which took an hour an a half. My glutes were getting a little tight from sitting so long, which is why it felt good to get off the bus to another long line that funneled runners to their corresponding coral.
As soon as we got off the bus, soldiers with guns greeted us. They were serious and they even had to step in when some runners tried to cut the line and run to their corals.
After waiting in line to get to my coral and passing by runners who were wrapped up in heavy bathrobes to keep warm, which others were sitting on the ground on blankets, I made it to my coral exactly an hour before the start. The bathrooms were plenty and I had time to go multiple times to make sure I don’t have to stop on the course, which I have been fortunate to never need to go. Frank Sinatra’s New York, New York song was playing through the speakers and they soon started to announce the elite women runners first. I felt elated to be surrounded by runners from all over the world and experience the joy of running on a beautiful, sunny, chilly November day. The weather was perfect to run a marathon.
Right before the start of the New York City marathon before we started to walk on the Verrazzano Bridge where the start line was.
Before I knew it, we started to walk towards the Verrazzano Bridge, a double-decked suspension bridge connecting Staten Island to Brooklyn and then we were running on the lower part of the bridge with expansive water views all around us. The first mile is hilly, so I didn’t have to put effort into holding back my pace. The bridges and overpasses are long and pretty steep. As soon as we got off the bridge, the spectators started cheering on us. I was surrounded by runners, but I did not feel crowded. After my first mile was in the mid 9s, I started to ease into my 8 minute and high 7 minute pace. I felt great and enjoyed the sights of Brooklyn and all the old brick buildings.
I loved seeing different style buildings and running through New York City’s five boroughs. A unique and indelible experience.
Brooklyn
The spectators continued to treat us like rock stars and I felt good all the way till about mile 10 when I started to fall off pace by about 20 seconds, but I decided to go with it and enjoy this amazing marathon that kept me entertained and on my toes at all times. My left calf muscle that gave me trouble at Chicago felt great this time and gave me no issues- it was my glute muscles that tightened up on me, making it hard for me to keep my faster stride. I kept digging deep, smiling, and looking forward to go over another super long and steep bridge, the Queensboro Bridge , which is the first entry point to Manhattan during the New York City Marathon. This bridge comes at mile 15 when the legs are a little tired, but at the end of the bridge, the spectators were thunderous, cheering us on and making the next miles pass by quicker. My pace was already in the low 9s, but I realized that my body gave me all it had, especially since I was running two marathons in one month.
An online picture of Queensboro bridge.
Around mile 19, I heard my name called loudly, but I thought I was delirious, or the spectators saw my name that I scribbled on my bib. Only after the marathon, did I learn that my friend Elizabeth was tracking me and cheered me on. We met at Mountains to Beach Marathon earlier this year and kept in touch through Facebook. She even took my video and thought that I was running strong, when I felt that I was barely moving trying to get to Central Park and six miles closer to the finish line.
The next miles getting to Central Park felt hard, as if invisible hills kept popping out of nowhere.
I smiled a lot to trick my body and that helped a lot besides the most amazing spectators on the planet.
As you can see here, I am ahead of the woman from Sweden, who is probably thinking just like me WTH about all the rolling hills. Pic taken by the race photographers.
I was so excited when I finally got to Central Park running the same paths that I had run the previous day on my 3-mile shakeout run. My legs were tired, so around mile 25, I had a breakthrough and an idea to make myself run faster the way I finish most races. As the spectators were right behind the barricades cheering us on, I started talking to them and shouted: “I love you, New York,” and the crowds went wild for me. My pace starting to pick up, not minding the rolling hills that kept coming our way like ocean waves that we had to climb on. I kept shouting “I love you, New York” all the way to the finish line, when I finished happy and not in too much pain in 3 hours and 54 minutes. I also found out later that I was 11,000 out of 53,000 runners who finished, so not too bad for such a large marathon.
Crossing the finish line with enormous joy. Pic taken by the race photographers.
Celebrating with my medal and text messages coming through from my friend Andrea and other friends. I called me husband and told him that I finished and was alive and well.
We had to walk another mile to get to our fancy marathon ponchos and to the food bag that they handed out to participants. All the walking around after marathon helped the recovery of my muscles.
New York City marathon was an indelible experience that solicited my physical, mental, and spiritual strength and gave me faith in humanity, as the spectators are like no others. My seventh marathon and my second world marathon were complete, leaving me transformed and with an eternal love and gratitude for the Big Apple City.
How about you? Have you run New York City marathon? Is there something you wish to share, or comment on other than “I love you, New York?”
For more info on running and real estate, whether buying or selling, please e-mail me at carmenmicsa@yahoo.com, or call me at 916-342-2446. Running for real estate with joy!
Pressed by time and not wanting to be away too long from my family, the same day I ran New York City, my seventh marathon, I flew back to Sacramento, which did not give me enough time to have a proper meal afterwards. Luckily, a kind, blonde-haired flight attendant , realized how hungry I was and gave me double the snacks and some food I ordered. Yet, nothing seemed to satisfy my insatiable appetite that stretched as long and steep as the bridges I had run over during the marathon, so the flight attendant’s final offer was two bags of popcorners, which inspired me to write this flash fiction. Let’s not delay things. Pick up your own popcorners, sit back, and enjoy reading.
Popcorners made me so happy after the marathon on my flight back home to Sacramento.
“Sweet and salty kettle corn never fried,” pops out at me in capital letters on the red and black package that the flight attendant kindly handed to me. I opened the bag quickly and popped them into my mouth. The sweet and salty flavor of the chips transported me back to New York’s five boroughs when my sweat mixed with the sweetness of the spectators cheering on all the runners. As I turned over the package, I came across this message: “We believe your best self begins when you decide to do one better – whether that’s running a little farther, laughing a little louder, or snacking a little healthier.”
“Hmm! How did these cunning marketing people know that I wished to run a little farther?” I asked myself, feeling a little stronger and well-nourished.
My answer: the same way the flight attendant knew to give me two bags of popcorners with the first three words on top of the bag reading: “Do one better.”
“As long as you can run, jog, walk, crawl, hop and skip for many hours, you are an ultra runner.” Carmen Micsa
Two weeks after I had completed my second 50K race with a 48-min PR from my very first ultra marathon the 2016 Folsom Gold Rush, my coach and I decided that I was ready to run another 50K race, the Chanoako 50K, which was new this year. With my American River 50-mile race approaching in April, I needed another long run, so after my new trail runner Tracy Bedwell told me that she would be running Chanoako 50K, I jumped on it. Organized by Total Body Fitness, the Chanoako 50K did not have major elevation gains, but it had technical terrain in some spots. Nonetheless, I told my coach that my goal was to break 6 hours in this race. He believed that I should be able to do it. I was excited about my new challenge.
The Start Line
My sweet husband dropped me off at the start line at the Auburn Overlook from where we would run all the way to Granite Bay Beach by Folsom Lake. The weather was perfect with cloudy skies, but no rain or wind. The temperatures in the low 50s perfect for a long run in short sleeve. My coach Robert Ressl-Moyer was also running the 50K . It was wonderful to see him at the start line and later on have him cheer on me at the finish line. I felt particularly more motivated to break 6 hours and run a strong race. Moreover, I knew I could do it due to the focused and personalized training schedule that Robert created for me – feel free to check out his website and maybe take your fitness and running to the next level. I was also happy to see my friend Tracy Bedwell who had the same goal to break 6 hours. We even talked about running this together and pushing each other. However, at mile 2, we got separated and had to run our own race. In racing, we need to be flexible. If it works to run with a partner, we do it, and if not, we need to keep moving.
At the start line of my third ultra the Chanoako 50K with my amazing coach and Fleet Feet Sacramento racing teammate Robert Ressl-Moyer.
The first mile of the race, I ran it a little fast at 7:43 pace, since it was all downhill, but then I slowed down in the 9s and 10s. I felt exuberant and confident about today’s race for some reason. I even got myself a new pair of compression pants, as I knew I would need the support and wanted to wear something new in my race, which brought me good luck in past races when I ran with a new water bottle, new arm sleeves, and so on.
The trail and the lake competing for the runners’ attention. I always love running by the lake, or the river, even though I only take a quick glance, as I need to pay attention to my feet.
The Race and My Thoughts While Running
The undulating trail unraveled in front of me and helped me gain momentum at times, while slowing me down when the terrain was steep, uneven, or rocky. I felt good running at a steady pace between 9 and 10 minutes, which gave wings to keep running until I reached the next aid station, and then the next.
I have learned that the 10-mile mark during a 50K race is crucial, as it feels like the first big boulder that we move out of the way to reach the finish line. I always say to myself: “I am third way done with my 50K race. Running strong! I got this!”
As I passed the 10-mile mark, I also started to pass more runners. I worked hard on staying focused on my form, since my right knee started to hurt me from breaking a little too much on the downhill. I kept running and staying within each mile. I also paid attention to the course and followed the pink ribbons to make sure I remained on track, for who wants to add any more distance to an already long race? Around mile 15, I passed a younger woman after I kept seeing her running in front of me. I felt strong and steady.
From miles 15 to about 24, I have developed my race mantra, which is different for every race depending on how I feel and the conditions in the race. This time, I came up with one word that kept me running up and down the hills: UNSTOPPABLE. I kept telling myself that I am unstoppable, so that I don’t get any ideas that I needed to quickly stop when my legs, gluteus muscle, or my knees had their own ultra running story to tell. I also kept assuring myself that I was mighty and strong, which reminded me of my co-ed soccer days with my husband before our kids were born. Our friends used to call me “mighty mouse,” as I was fearless and always ready to score from a great pass.
The advantage of running this race was that we were running my next race American River 50 mile in reverse. I knew the terrain from all the wonderful training runs with my trail runner friends from Trail Running Adventures and Trail Mix. I also knew that I had to run carefully when I got to the meat grinder, which is called that for a reason. Capable of grinding feet, muscles, and joints, the meat grinder could not grind my spirit, I told myself, feeling, or more exactly pretending to be in control of the rocks, large steps I had to hop on, twists and turns, roots, and steep terrain. I did not take any chances, so I slowed down to a shuffle around there. I even saw the race photographer, as I was carefully keeping my balance and moving forward. I gave him a big smile pretending the meat grinder and I were best buddies.
The exhilaration of trail running. The meat grinder cannot dampen my joy and my desire to break 6 hours in my third 50K race. The lake background and the constant views made this course my favorite.
The gentle downhills helped me out, but the steep and rocky ones made my legs quiver with doubt in my downhill abilities. I even admitted to myself that I was not a strong downhill runner, but did not let that truth smear my rosy image of me finishing this race under 6 hours. Another constant concern I had during the run was the snacking on time without losing energy. The race was super well-organized and the owners of Total Body Fitness always put together the best races. However, when I realized that I would get no bananas, or other fresh fruit during this race, I turned a little grumpy, for I love eating bananas during marathons and ultra marathons. My friend and awesome training partner Andrea Brizendine made fun of me when I recapped the race for her and said that maybe that’s the reason I ran faster, as I wanted to get to the real food at the finish. Great point! Having relied mainly on Cliff gels, shot blocks, dry fruit, and some pretzels kept me running to fill up my stomach with the real deal at the finish.
The Finish Line
The last 6 miles of the race were a combination of levee running, which was flat and rocky, but helped me run a little faster, running around the parking lot of Beal’s point, and up and down hills around Cavitt in Granite Bay, CA, where I tried to shift my focus from the steep hills to the gorgeous homes towering over the lake and winking at the trail. My Garmin watch and Strava were telling me different times, but I knew that I had to keep running strong to finish under 6 hours.
My goal to break 6 hours was starting to become attainable. It was not just a phantom anymore; it started to crystalize. At this point in the race when I passed the 26ish marathon distance, the miles just came and went, buzzing around like butterfly wings, without me keeping too much track of them. The hills, trails, and my legs were the real time keepers, so things shifted to my interior monologue. I uncovered the simple truth that ultra running is a long meat grinder, as well as a joyous triumph at the end when you forget how you piled up 31 miles. Running ultras also feels like running on top of clouds at times when things go well and you feel the “unbearable lightness of being,” or simply running in Dante’s Inferno – punished to eternity.
I kept running and stayed focused on my form to finish strong. As I reached the parking lot at Granite Head Beach, I remembered the finish of other trail races, as well as my triathlon. I started to speed up to get to the finish line. Will I finish under 6 hours? I was so fortunate that my body has this wonderful extra bounciness and energy at the end of races, so I started to work on my final kick for the race. As I ran down, the straight and flat path towards the finish line, I saw my coach Robert in the distance. He was cheering for me – visibly happy and excited. I knew that I had to switch gears and kick it higher.
“Go, Carmen!” my coach cheered for me with all his being. “You got this!” “Go, go, go!” Although he took my video running to the finish line, I posted below the video that my friend Monica Davis took of me, as she kept still a little better than my coach -just saying – ha!ha! Emotions, joy, bliss, infinite gratitude.
I heard other friends cheer for me and there was nobody coming behind me, so when the announcer said my name, I crossed the finish line with a big smile and looked at the race clock. It showed the final race time of 5:59:20. Yet, my official time was 5:56:29 – even better.
“I made it under 6 hours,” I told my coach.
“Yes, you were also third female,” he said with a proud look on his face.
“In my age group?” I asked.
“No, third overall.”
I was ecstatic. I hugged my sweet husband who was waiting for me. We took a few pictures. What a feat! Two weeks after running Salmon Falls 50K I was able to get a 30-min PR, run under 6 hours and finish third woman overall in a smaller and beautiful Chanoako 50K race. We are capable of great things when we believe and work hard!
My sweet husband Catalin who always waits for me at the finish line of long races. He also drops me off and fully supports my running.
My coach Robert Ressl-Moyer won the race in 3:56! Yet, he made me feel as if I won the race. He is the most encouraging, knowledgeable, and wonderful coach!
On the podium with my friend Tracy Bedwell, who finished second, and Mandi Kruse, first female overall! Trail running is about making friends and celebrating our victories together. A million thanks to my coach Robert Ressl-Moyer who prepares me for all my races and who waited for me two hours at the finish line. So lucky to have him as my coach. My motto in races is “Make Robert proud.”
After the awards, I was happy to eat pasta and salad. My body felt great and I could not have been happier with my race. My gratitude goes to my wonderful family, our sweet kids, Alex and Sophia, my mom whom I dedicated this race to, my awesome Fleet Feet racing team, and all my friends and running partners. It takes a village to raise a runner and I could not have done this on my own!
My coach was happy with my running two 50K races just two weeks apart, because they had taught me to run on tired legs and be well-prepared for my first 50-mile race, the American River 50, the second oldest 50-mile race in America.
How about you? Have you ever run a 50K race? How about a 50-miler? Share your experiences here.
For more info on running and real estate, whether buying or selling, please e-mail me at carmenmicsa@yahoo.com, or call me at 916-342-2446. Running for real estate with joy!
“The man who moves a mountain begins by carrying away small stones.” Confucius
Running a 50K trail race feels exactly like carrying away small stones to chip away at the distance and finish strong. Unlike running marathons, in ultra running, the focus is less on getting to various milestones, and more on running from one aid station to another. Runner 208 was sure ready to enjoy the cold, crisp, and sunny winter morning after having trained with my Fleet Feet Sacramento racing team and my awesome coach Robert Ressl-Moyer, winner of many 50K races and such a kind and generous soul.
The day before the race I was calm and composed as I usually am before races, but I was also emotional thinking of my dear father who passed away from diabetes at the young age of 53. I dedicated the race to him and loved that all the proceeds from the race go towards finding a cure for type 1 diabetes. The race already held a special place in my heart. Vamos!
The Start Line
Long distance races require preparation and support from our families and friends. As always, my sweet husband drove me to the start line. On our way to Magnolia Ranch, Coloma, CA, where Salmon Falls race starts, the temperature kept dropping all the way to 25 degrees. My husband kept joking with me and said: “It’s freezing out there and you will run 31 miles in the cold. Did I tell you you’re crazy?”
“Yes, darling. You already know this. I am much happier to run in the cold than when it is hot,” I replied.
After my husband dropped me off, I immediately scanned the shivering runners trying to find my friends. The ground was frozen, the grass covered in frost, the sky clear, and most runners bundled up in coats, hats, and gloves at the start line. I knew that I would get warm quickly, but I also chose to wear cheap gloves that I was planning to dispose off later.
My friend Rob Schmidt and I ran together in preparation for Salmon Falls. Terri, his sweet wife, was the first one to give me a hug at the start line and to wish me good luck. His daughter Jocelyn in the picture also raced and placed. It takes a village to raise a runner!
I also got to chat with my Fleet Feet racing team mates Josh Fernandez, who is wicked fast , and Melissa Tafoya, who has just joined our team and who is also a boxer. I felt great to be in such wonderful company and promised myself to relish every moment of my second 50K race and to become one with nature, breathing in joy, exhaling any stress, doubts, or fears.
At the start line feeling excited, hopeful, and a little bit emotional thinking of my dear father. My mantra for this race: “Run for Daddy,” or short “for Daddy.”
The First 12 miles
I started strong, but not pushing it too hard knowing that I had 31 miles ahead. The crisp winter air permeated my joyous being and gave me energy. The gloves kept my hands warm. I focused on my breathing, footing, stride, and the terrain, which on this course it is a constant up and down, making it hard to get into a rhythm. We also had a creek crossing. I got my right foot wet, while I climbed on the rocks, but I knew that I would dry quickly.
During my first miles, I noticed the frost and the frozen ground that gave me a nice bounce, almost like doing a quick jump on a trampoline. I started writing in my head, too, as I normally do when I run.
However, in descending to Cronan Ranch, where the first aid station was, I was able to get moving and it felt great. I was knew there were a total of seven aid stations, so from now on, it was about reaching and counting the aid stations, where I would refuel with bananas, grapes, potato chips, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and water.
Photo credit to Jaclyn Schmidt. Descending into Cronan Ranch and hitting the first aid station. My friend Terri cheered loudly for me. I grabbed some grapes and half a banana, heading out for some steep hills that I had to power hike.
After the first aid station, I started my climbing and focused on taking small steps. I also remembered what my awesome coach Robert Ressl-Moyer told me on the phone the previous day. He always calls me before races to discuss strategy and to push me towards greatness. He said: “You’re great with hills, so don’t sell yourself short by power hiking too much. Try to run portions of big hills and only power hike a little to conserve energy.” I applied his advice and it felt great to pass runners on the hills, while breathing steadily.
I soon arrived at the second aid station, where the signs made me smile. One of the signs said: “You’re not crazy, you’re ultra special.” Indeed, people think running these long distances is crazy, but being out there for hours feels like being rinsed inside and out in nature’s washing machine. It is about being immersed into something grander than ourselves, which turns us into more humble and grounded human beings. And, yes, I will admit that there is a little bit of craziness required for this equation of happiness to work.
Around mile 12, my team mate Melissa and my trail friend Tracy caught up with me. Melissa and I started running together and kept each other company, which was the best part of the race. I knew my father was watching over me, sending me a team mate, which is why I never despaired at the distance.
Melissa and I descending on Red Dragon trail. We watched our steps and cheered as we ran, enjoying the roller coaster sensations. Our beings overjoyed, ecstatic, and filled with positives energy and gratitude for running in nature surrounded by like-minded people. Living in harmony with our souls, hearts, and minds while conquering the red devil and any other demons that might lurk inside.
The half marathon point was getting near. We could hear cheering and clapping. As we came through Skunk Hollow, I heard friends screaming: “It’s Carmen.” Special thanks to my awesome friend Amy Jensen, whom I met in my first year of running through the California International Marathon training. She took my video and pictures, as well as helped me out with the food and hydration. So grateful for my running friends.
Skunk Hollow aid station around mile 13, where I am dancing with joy. My friends were cheering loudly for me, making me feel like a rock star. I danced, ate, and used the bathroom. Good times!
Melissa and I continued our running and talking, taking the Sweet Water Trail after we crossed the Salmon Falls Bridge. These trails reminded me of my training for the race and loved the rolling hills, even though we could not get into a rhythm. We still started to pass runners and focused on the trail, trying to avoid the many rocks, which I did remember from my training. This was the spot where I turned into a tea bag, immersing myself into nature the same way I did when I did my long training runs.
In preparation for the race, I have run various segments of the Salmon Falls 50K course with friends. I loved to turn myself into a tea bag and steep in all the beauty of nature, so I here is the poem I wrote below.
Ode to Tea Bag
Today during my 18-mile run I turned into a tea bag
and steeped myself in the lush grass, nature,
the moss-covered trees, the creek, the hills,
and the fresh air after the rain.
Trail running brings me the most joy.
I am mindful and love the twists and turns of the trails,
as well as the tunnels of trees.
I am focused on every step, every rock, and root.
I am deliberate running up and down the trail
while I quickly check the views
and sink and steep deeper into
nature’s magnificent teapot
allowing the flavors to infuse my being.
The Middle Miles – Long and Rolling
Melissa and I took turns to lead and stayed steady and strong. We talked, joked, and laughed. I told her that I knew that section of the trail very well and that we would get to New York Creek soon. We tried to get into a rhythm, but the rolling hills and rocky terrain made it a little challenging. Nonetheless, we felt great and were grateful to run together. Melissa’s form and climbing ability were impressive, so she motivated me to keep running strong. She also told me that I was giving her confidence with my positive attitude. We pushed each other on the trails; our running effort felt easier and much more pleasant than if we had each run on our own. Team work at its best!
Around mile 20, we started to pass a few runners. Our famous words were: “Coming through,” or “on your left.” As we passed these runners, most of them were nice, supportive, and cheered on us by saying: “Looking strong, ladies.”
The Last 7 Miles of My Second 50K Race
As opposed to my first 50K race that I ran with a lot of despair at the end two years ago, Salmon Falls 50K race made me feel calm, contained, and strong. I was telling Melissa about my improving as a runner and about my amazing coach Robert, when my cell phone rang. I pushed the middle button on my headset and responded, as I always do: “Hi, this is Carmen.” My coach was on the other line checking in with me. I told him that I only had seven miles to go and that I felt great. He told me to stay steady and finish strong. He also told me that he won a 50K race in the Bay Area for which I congratulated him. Later on that evening when we attended the Sacramento Running Association Awards ceremony, he told me that he was very surprised I answered the phone.
“I was happy to hear from you, coach,” I responded. Running at a 10-min to 11-min pace due to all the hills and the terrain made it easy to talk. Besides I am known to talk even during a much faster pace, so I was glad to have a life line to my amazing coach during the race, which helped me stay motivated and determined.
The sun felt warmer as it was past noon time, the trails replete with raw beauty, the hills ubiquitous, and the sweeping views of Folsom Lake magnificent. My body felt strong and my being anticipated the finish. However, as I told Melissa, we needed to stay and run within each mile and not let our minds wander. We ran in the NOW, the only true constant on the trails. We had to keep our focus on every step we took, every rock, tree root, hill, you name it. We became the one with the trail and gave it the respect it needed, while also asserting ourselves with conviction, determination, and joy.
We had been running for a little over six hours, when we reached the long and interminable levy leading us to Folsom Five Point Park, where the finish line was. I told Melissa that by now we could smell the blood, so to speak, and needed to push and finish strong. Melissa took the lead, getting into a much faster gear. The cheering got louder and louder. I saw Terri and David who cheered on me with enthusiasm and joy. To my left, I heard my husband and then saw our sweet son Alex who started to run next to me on the outside of our enclosed finish line. Sophia was also cheering on me dressed in her black winter jacket, her pony tail swinging from left to right.
“Come on, Mom. You can run faster,” Alex told me.
I crossed the finish line with elation and tremendous gratitude. My father was there in spirit. I cried with joy, as I received the beautiful medal made out of a light wood.
The sweet finish line! I felt strong with no pains in my body. How was that possible? I guess I had become a badass ultra runner.
Celebrating our awesome race and finish. Melissa finished 10th in her age group and I finished 14th in 6:25:34 minutes. What a feat!
Meeting my family at the finish line is always the sweetest sight for me – one I look forward to every big race. My husband is wonderful to drop me off and pick me up from all my long races. His love and support of me mean a lot!
I was not too hungry after the race, because I kept snacking and eating during the race, but was happy to get a Blue Ale and sit down a little. I was happy and amazed at my ability to run this 50K race and have a 48-minute PR from my first Folsom Gold Rush 50K, which felt hard at the time.
Practice, training with my Fleet Feet Racing team, as well as having my own coach sure make a big difference. To many more running adventures with gratitude for a race well-done and for the company of my new friend Melissa. I finished Salmon Falls 50K strong, defeating Red Dragon trail and any other demons lurking out there.
For more info on running and real estate, whether buying or selling, please e-mail me at carmenmicsa@yahoo.com, or call me at 916-342-2446. Running for real estate with joy!
When it comes to endurance events, such a running a marathon, biking a century ride, doing an Ironman, and so on, most athletes reach out to energy drinks and caffeine before the start of their events. But what if we can replace the above-mentioned with beet juice instead and boost athletic performance even more?
Photo Credit: Jaclyn Schmidt
My picture during Urban Cow Half marathon on Oct. 1, 2017, where I had a big PR, finishing in 1:43:56 with a 7:56 pace. I felt amazing during the whole time and the Super Beets powder that I mixed in my water and drank it before the race sure kept me steady and strong.
A study published in the Journal of Applied Physiology in 2009 found that individuals who drank beet juice experienced up to a 16% increase in endurance compared to those who did not. Also according to Jacqueline Ritz, founder of the Paleo Mama blog, beets fight cancer, lower the risk of heart disease, lower blood pressure, increase endurance in athletes, and they are also an aphrodisiac. Being a high nitrate vegetable, beetroot, the red bulbous part, has become the super food for runners, cyclists, and other athletes. What if you don’t like beets and don’t wish to eat it, but still want to reap some benefits in increasing your endurance? There are many products on the market, such as this powder I buy from Wholefoods.
I have used this before races and my running felt effortless. I just mix a scoop with water and take it about an hour before the race, or a long run. Love it!
How high nitrate foods enhance our performance:
Another thing you can do to benefit from high nitrate vegetables is to eat more spinach, arugula, radishes, celery, lettuce, parsley, and rhubarb. Talking about nitrates, Amby Burfoot, the author of In Beet Juice We Believe published in the Runner’s World, explains how our body processes beets and turns them into a superfood. Burfoot points out that beets get their endurance power from helpful mouth bacteria that convert the nitrate in beets to nitric oxide, which appears to be the miracle substance. Nitric oxide can substantially lower blood pressure and somehow extend endurance. I guess we runners should not need too much more convincing regarding beets, which are good sources of folate, manganese, potassium, vitamin C, and dietary fiber, since we all try to avoid the famous “wall,” when our body rebels and starts hurting.
Ways to eat your beets:
My favorite one is borscht.
Best borscht I have ever had made by my awesome friend and best training partner Andrea Brizendine. She added quinoa, carrots, potatoes, and onions to it. I gobbled it up with whole grain bread and hummus. Delicious! It also makes me run longer and stronger! Isn’t this what we runners want?
So easy to make and so healthy! For a quick glance at the ingredients needed to make this, see below.
Ingredients for Superfood Red Borsch – vegan style:
12 cups reduced sodium veggie broth
1 medium or 1/2 large onion, peeled and cut in half (ends removed)
3 medium potatoes, sliced
1/4 cup quinoa
3 medium beets, peeled and grated
2 good handfuls of chopped kale leaves
2 bay leaves
3/4 cup sliced carrots
1 Tbsp Mrs. Dash
3 Tbsp ketchup
1/2 Tbsp lemon juice
Salt & pepper to taste
2. Roasted beets, which I cut up, drizzle with olive oil, wrap them in aluminum foil, and roast them in the oven till they are tender.
3. Beet salad, which I used to eat as a child and liked its sweet taste. To make this salad, I cut up the beets and boil them till they are soft and tender. After they cool off, I remove the skin and grate them. I mix them up with a little salt and pepper and drizzle red wine vinegar on top. I keep the beet salad in a glass container in the fridge and eat it with roasted potatoes and other meals that go well together with this salad.
Credit recipe goes to my friend Cristina Nagy.
How about you? How do you like to eat your beets? Any special recipes you would like to share? No matter how you choose to eat, or drink them, one good thing could happen: you will BEAT your race PR with the mighty BEET!
For more info on running and real estate, whether buying or selling, please e-mail me at carmenmicsa@yahoo.com, or call me at 916-342-2446. Running for real estate with joy!
It’s been more than a month since I have completed my very first triathlon The Women Only TRI put together by Total Body Fitness. To my great delight, I finished third in my age group mainly due to my strong 3-mile run at the end, when I passed more than 20 women. The running was definitely my forte, but I loved the swim and biking, too. The best part about The Granite Beach Triathlon held close to my home was that my body felt stronger and not too tired all throughout the race.
Arriving at least an hour early before the triathlon starts gives you a good spot for your bike and plenty of time to prepare.
I did not read much about preparing for my first triathlon (read some great tips), but have received free training and amazing advice from Dusty Dustyn, the head coach of Women’s Cycling Program at Total Body Fitness, Bill Driskill , one of the owners and founders of Total Body Fitness, Tiffiny Ferrell, one of the awesome swim coaches , and running coach Henry Hawkins, who gave me the best and hardest track experience that included squats, lunges, push-ups, and dips in between our 400-meter repeats.
SWIMMING
During my training for the triathlon, I have practiced my swim more than the biking to feel confident in the water and not too slow. Once my swim portion started, the Folsom Lake waves lifted and cradled me against them. My swim turned into a negotiation with the lake and its brownish water. As I chopped the waves next to other triathletes’ arms, legs, and bright swim caps, I realized that less was more, so I relaxed into my strokes. Soon, my elation grew when I realized that the swim felt effortless.
Photo credit: Charlie Joyce. My good runner friend and real estate client Christina Joyce and I right before the start of our swim. She told me that I inspire her and that since I was doing the TRI, she also decided to sign up. Good peer pressure, right?
My body turned into a vessel of joy, hope, and determination. My arms were in unison with the underwater world, carving and parting the water, as if slicing a cake in even portions. The waves made by all the women swimming around me turned into my self-propelling device, which made my swimming relaxed and easier than I had expected. My only worry was the second white buoy and the turn towards the shore. After I passed the buoy, I deviated a little, but made my half a mile swim in 24 minutes. I used my slippers to run faster to the shore, just like Total Body Fitness experienced trainers taught us when we practiced our transitions. I still could not believe how fast and effortless the swim portion had been. Was my swim a levitating, floating dream, or was I really done? The cheers from the spectators and the calling of my number by volunteers meant that I was done and that it was pedal time!
BIKING
The transition to biking took a little longer than 2 minutes, because I quickly changed into my running shorts to avoid chaffing. I used the towel as a shield, while avoiding any wardrobe malfunctions. I also put my racing team T-shirt on top of my wet bra after which I quickly put my socks on last – they were already rolled up, which was great advice from one of our Total Body Fitness instructors. I was trying to get out of the transition area as quickly as possible. I still managed to take a bite of my banana that was in my small triathlon bag and grab a fruit bar to eat on the bike . It seemed that everyone around me just hopped on like grasshoppers hunched over the handlebars of time on their super fast bikes. Finally, helmet on, I took off and promised myself to catch some of these fast transition women on the hills.
I started to pedal and felt the rush of freedom that comes from having a good clip on your bike. The hills showed up fairly quickly. I knew that they would be my friends and that I would pass a few women on the hills. Although I felt stronger than many women on the hills, I still felt nostalgic thinking of my dear father who bought me the first bike and taught me how to ride it when I was seven years old back in my home country Romania. Soon, I was riding and crying not because of the hills curving and bending in a maddening rhythm that cooler September morning. I was crying when I realized that the gaping hole in my heart was still there along with my longing for my dear dad, who once again was smiling upon me from Heaven. I started to sob when I realized that my father was there with me, guiding me gently upon the hills that seemed to multiply, especially because we had to do the same loop twice. I even worried that I went too many laps, but when I reached the volunteers the second time, they flagged me towards the finish of the bike portion. Yay!
RUNNING
After I set my bike on the rack, I dumped the clip-on shoes and put on my Nike Wild Horse trail running shoes with elation and renewed energy. I took a quick bite of my banana and ran as quickly as I could. My legs were not tired, or sore, so I knew that I had to catch up with as many women who were already running as possible. One of my friends and volunteers took my picture while speeding towards the trails. I needed to push hard, since the running portion was only three miles. Soon, I heard myself saying: “on your left,” quite frequently. By the time I reached one mile and some hills came up, I had already passed more than 10 women who were ahead of me. I kept going strong and focused on passing as many runners as possible. I felt great and so happy to finally get to my favorite portion of the triathlon. My feet felt the dirt, the earth, the roots, the rocks, and they were happy. By the time I reached the finish line of the run and the triathlon, I knew that I had done fairly well and that I had chances to finish in the top three in my age group.
At the end of my triathlon elated and happy that I conquered a new challenge.
I was right! I finished third in my age group during my very first triathlon. I knew the run had been my forte, but my swimming and biking have also come together for me. I had conquered a new challenge and discovered a big secret: triathlons are much gentler on the body than racing a half marathon, for instance. The body gets worked differently during the three events. As long as one has enough determination, grit, and positive attitude towards triathlons, there will be a successful and happy ending.
To TRI, or not to TRI, runners? That is the question! You guessed the answer: to TRI for stronger bodies and minds, to live life in a challenging and meaningful way, and to say that you tried the TRI and have succeeded!
A collage of joy during my first triathlon. Many thanks, Total Body Fitness for putting together such a great event.
Veni, vidi, vici, or I came, I saw, I conquered! I was proud of finishing my first triathlon, making new friends, and even placing in my age group.
For more info on running and real estate, whether buying or selling, please e-mail me at carmenmicsa@yahoo.com, or call me at 916-342-2446. Running for real estate with joy!
I graduated with my Masters degree in English from Sacramento State University in 2011. One of the highlights of my going back to school besides learning and becoming a better writer was biking from home to school using our beautiful American River Parkway. I was biking 20 miles round trip and loved my bike rides and the freedom they brought to my day. At the time, I was doing century rides for the American Diabetes Association in memory of my dear father who died of a heart attack due to his diabetes at the young age of 53.
TRIATHLON – A NEW SPORT TO MAKE US MORE WELL-ROUNDED
Now as a runner, I experience tremendous freedom and joy, but I also use the same muscles. After attending a free Triathlon information session at Fleet Feet, I have decided to jump right at it and do my first women only triathlon coming up on September 9th. Being new to triathlons, I did not even know what it really meant to do a triathlon. I found out that I would have to swim half a mile, bike 20 miles, and run 4 miles, so all doable. Moreover, after taking some clinics and talking to my runner friends who have done them, I realized that doing my first triathlon will open up new fitness doors that I never knew existed. This reminded me how important explorations and trying new things are.
At my first swim clinic wearing a wet suit for the first time in my life and feeling like a seal – all sealed up – ha!ha!
I figured the wet suit is not needed, so I bought myself some comfy swim shorts for my triathlon, as Carolyn, one of the women who has done many triathlons told me that it is easier to swim in a swim suit and transition easier and faster to the bike. I agree and have accepted the great advice.
What is a BRICK in triathlons? Why runners should do them once a week, or every other week to become stronger and faster whether training for a triathlon or not?
Veronica, one of my trail runner friends , who used to do half Ironman told me that I needed to start doing brick workouts. She explained to me what they meant, as I had no clue. The biking-running brick workout is one of the most popular, as one bikes first and then runs to prepare for the triathlon. Second most popular brick workout is swimming first and biking second. These two brick workouts can also be done in reverse, meaning run-bike, bike-swim, but the idea is to experience the same conditions and order as in the triathlon.
Doing my first brick workout in preparation for my first Triathlon. I biked for 12.7 miles and then ran 4 miles.
Meeting Christy, a new fellow biker, who rides 50 miles on her days off. Wow! We rode together and immediately connected due to our being health conscious, vegan, and loving the freedom and control that exercise brings into our lives. To new friends! To more happy rides!
TOP FIVE REASONS TO DO BRICK WORKOUTS AS A RUNNER, OR JUST FOR OVERALL FITNESS
Excellent cross training exercises and routines.
The two sports help work and train different muscles in our bodies.
Reduced risk of injuries.
Increased cardio fitness.
Fun, fun, and more fun!
My first brick workout was biking 13.7 miles at a brisk pace and running 4 miles in the low 8s right after the biking. Although I felt my legs turn into bricks right after biking, I was able to run at a decent pace easing into each mile and being amazed at what my body could do. I felt confident and happy with my very first brick workout. I will report back after doing my second brick workout swimming and biking.
My selfie picture during the 4-mile brick workout. I had to quickly stop around mile 2, as it was getting hot. Running was not easy after biking, but what a great training!
Whether doing a triathlon, or not, I highly recommend mixing these type of brick workouts into your training to help you stay stronger and infuse more variety and fun into your workouts. Happy feet! Happy pedaling! Happy swim strokes! This is my favorite order for my upcoming women only triathlon, but everyone will have different favorites.
For more info on running and real estate, whether buying or selling, please e-mail me at carmenmicsa@yahoo.com, or call me at 916-342-2446. Running for real estate with joy!
I have recently turned 44 years old and have received an inspiring and informative book as a birthday present entitled Spark by John J. Ratey, MD from which I will quote frequently for this blog. I started to run at 42 and I can honestly say that my running turned me into a smarter, more focused, more tolerant, more emphatic, more resilient, and definitely more punctual person.
Picture from one of my first 2-mile runs in March, 2015.
The same year I started to run in 2015, I also completed my first marathon, California International Marathon in 4:13.
At the time, I was only concerned about my cardio workout and getting stronger in tennis, a game I have played for more than 22 years. Unlike other runners who got into running to lose weight, beat depression, control their ADHD disorders, or to deal with the loss of a loved one, my story is quite ordinary. I wanted to balance my exercise regimen and increase my fitness level to be a better and stronger tennis player. Tennis was love for me and it will always give me joy. I even published a book entitled Change Your Grip on Life Through Tennis, which you can purchase by clicking on the link.
At one of my book signings.
KEY POINTS FROM SPARK:
In October of 2000 researchers from Duke University made the New York Times with a study showing that exercise is better than Zoloft at treating depression.
Serotonin is called the policeman of the brain, because it helps keep brain activity under control. It influences mood, impulsivity, anger, and aggressiveness.
Dr. Ratey states that “going for a run is like taking a little bit of Prozac and a little bit of Ritalin, because, like the drugs, exercise elevates these neurotransmitters. Therefore, with this new power to change your brain, all you have to do is lace up your shoes.”
Regular aerobic activity, such as jogging, running, rowing, swimming, biking, tennis calms the body. Moreover, Dr. Ratey points out, that exercising is predictable and controllable, which gives a sense of self-confidence.
Exercise also boosts dopamine, which improves mood and feelings of wellness and jump-starts the attention system.
Although walking is good, jogging or running is better if your body can handle it. Getting the heart rate up for twenty or thirty minutes is key.
Exercise helps rewire our brains. Moreover, when exercising with others the key is on the social connection to others.
Having depression increases the risk for dementia, so why not prevent that by taking a brisk walk, doing a Zumba class, running, etc.?
Challenges and learning new things are important, because they boost our resilience.
Exercising puts you in control of your mood, your day, so go ahead and use it as much as you want without any side effects other than well-being, calmness, joy, and satisfaction after a job well-done.
To sum things up, exercise is the ultimate drug that works wonders and has no side effects, other than a general feeling of joy.
For more info on running and real estate, whether buying or selling, please e-mail me at carmenmicsa@yahoo.com, or call me at 916-342-2446. Running for real estate with joy!
Traveling to new places with my family means bonding, having fun, laughing, trying new foods, and exploring. We love to play sports, hike, visit museums and caves, and enjoy being together. Yet, my favorite way to explore new places is to do it at my own running pace before our children even wake up and are ready to start their day with us.
We have recently visited the Midwest and have enjoyed Chicago, the impressive, unforgettable, and most beautiful American city in my humble opinion, the sweeping and undulating corn fields of Illinois and Indiana, the magnificent lush forests, the balm weather, the history, and spending time with our friends.
After having spent a week in Illinois, we headed to French Lick, Indiana, a quaint, small town with a population of around 1,800. I also wondered about the name and found out that this town used to be a French Trading Post built near a spring and salt lick. Known for its Pluto Water and healing springs, French Lick is also the hometown of basketball legend Larry Bird.
The signs pointing to the many adventures around French Lick, IN.
From the moment we drove into town, I noticed the winding paths. As always, my husband helped me plan and plot my run, so I had a route ready for the next day.
THE HISTORY
On a crisp June morning with 55 degree temperatures, I took off for my long run that had to be at least 10 miles. I was soaking in the fresh air and was giddy with excitement. I was also thinking of my friends back home in Sacramento who had to put up with the 107-degree sweltering weather. In less than a mile, I arrived in front of the French Lick Springs Hotel, which is on the United States National Register of Historic Places for its architecture and old charm in our modern world (the hotel first opened in 1855).
Front of the French Link Springs Hotel, where I took the path leading to the next small city West Baden and the other historic hotel West Baden Springs.
Running down this paved trail was enjoyable.
After about two miles of running, I reached the next town and hotel West Baden Springs Hotel, also named the Carlsbad of America. I loved the arched entry and the brick path. I stopped to take some pictures, as well as learn about the history of the hotel and its mineral water and baths that were alleged to cure more than fifty ailments.
The double arches confer a European appearance to the hotel.
As I ran on the brick path towards the hotel and the beautiful gardens, I learned that it was the original brick street installed when the hotel was built in 1902.
I loved running through the garden of West Baden Hotel, as the brick road reminded me of some streets in Romania, where I grew up.
I could not resist taking a selfie of the water fountain in the middle of the garden that was a healing place many years ago when visitors came to find cure to their illnesses by drinking the springs water.
Running is social – connecting with a local runner
Around mile 3 into my run, I ran into a local runner. I asked him how long the trail outside the West Baden Hotel was and he told me that the path ended right after the bridge. At that point, I figured I might as well repeat the same loop and asked him if I could join him. David told me that he was running his usual three-mile loop, so I was happy to have company and talk to a local runner. I found out that he was a teacher, married with two small children, and that his wife was a nurse. We talked about Indiana and why he liked it. I also told him a little bit about California and our lives there. He told me that he enjoyed running 5K races and that he also ran a half marathon with his wife in Kentucky. David was polite, kind, and a good running companion, which made my long run more enjoyable. No matter where I meet new runner friends, I feel so blessed to be part of a worldwide running community. Our universal love of running does not need translating; it simply resurfaces like a well-balanced surf board above high and tall waves.
David kept me company for about three miles and regaled me with stories from his hometown French Lick, IN. I enjoy meeting new runners who are passionate about our sport and run with happy feet.
After an enjoyable run, I said good-bye to David and thanked him for his company. I only had four miles left to make it to 10 miles, so I headed back towards French Link, passing by churches, small restaurants, a mini golf course, and small antique stores.
I loved the brick church and what it represented: Christianity , warmth, friendliness, and hospitality of Southern Indiana.
Our Lady of the Springs Church founded in 1887 faces the street sign reading Indiana Street.
TRIVIA
Besides exercising, socializing, learning about the history of French Link and West Baden, I also gathered some fun trivia knowledge that I can share during my runs with my runner friends back home.
TOMATO JUICE
In front of the French Link Hotel, there is a sign about the invention of the tomato juice. In 1917, French Lick Chef Louis Perrin ran out of oranges to squeeze for juice during the breakfast rush. With a group of Chicago businessmen waiting, Chef Perrin improvised and squeezed some tomatoes. The businessmen loved it and spread the word: tomato juice was great stuff. By the 1920, tomato juice was promoted as a health drink.
Tomato juice trivia
WEST BADEN – THE CARLSBAD OF AMERICA
According to one of the signs in front of the hotel,Carlsbad means “Charles’ bath,” named for the Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV, who is believed to have discovered the mineral springs at Carlsbad in 1347.
ORIGIN OF THE WORD HYGIENE
West Baden Springs Hotel had four springs all known for their amazing healing properties. One of the springs was named Hygeia, based upon the goddess of health in Greek mythology. Thus, the word hygiene comes from this Greek goddess’ name.
With running tours becoming more popular, I am grateful to go on my own running tours and learn on the go, as well as immerse myself in the culture of the new places I visit. During this trip, I have become fascinated with fireflies, brick homes and buildings, the dancing corn fields extending for miles, and the ubiquitous red barns.
When traveling, I also like to apply this German saying: “we grow too soon old and too late smart,” which matches with my philosophy to explore new places we visit with the eyes of a curious and inquisitive child and the soul of a wiser traveler.
This teapot was hung on the wall of the German Restaurant we had lunch in French Lick. Our kids loved the Polish sausage and the home-made pretzels.
For more info on running and real estate, whether buying or selling, please e-mail me at carmenmicsa@yahoo.com, or call me at 916-342-2446. Running for real estate with joy!
“When you reach a dead end road, don’t despair. Instead, watch the sky, the swimming clouds, and the narrow paths that open up. After this exploration, pick yourself up and elevate your soul and mind with jumping joy.” Carmen Micsa
Jumping with joy!
Let’s be honest: it is always more fun to run with friends, especially those long runs. Yet, many times we need to run on our own for various reasons, such as time constraints, pace desired, coming back from an injury, and so forth. This Thursday, May 11th, I had a terrific solo 6-mile run in the high 8s and felt so great after not having run for more than a month due to my tendonitis. While running, I usually listen to some of my favorite podcasts, such as The Hidden Brain, Runner’s World, The Moth, The Nutrition Diva, and a few others. This time, I was ready for a selfie running video, as an idea came to my mind. I wanted to explore running and exercising alone and how we can make it fun and exciting.
During my solo runs, I love to stop more often and capture the pretty views that unfold in front of me.
I took this picture at Ancil Hoffman Park on Good Friday before Easter. Only after I looked at my picture, I saw the divine cross burning in the sky at sunset. I was thrilled with my discovery and took my time before getting back to my run.
Ever since I got into running, I felt that I needed to test my body and lungs on my own first. From that first day in 2015 when I ran down the street from my house for half a mile, or so, I have discovered different ways to enjoy my solo runs. It wasn’t always easy, since I am quite a social person and love company, but here are my 10 ways to make your runs solo more fun, interesting, and challenging.
Turn your solo run into that much needed mediation in motion, which is why it is good to leave the headsets behind sometimes.
Listen to interesting podcasts that you like, which feels like running together with an intelligent, fun, and well-read friend.
Make an appointment with yourself and write it on your calendar. You can write something like: “Running 6 miles tomorrow around Ancil Hoffman Park with my new podcasts to listen. ” By penciling the run on your calendar, you won’t dread going by yourself. It will almost feel that you are meeting someone and you have to stick to the schedule and be punctual.
Combine workouts, such as speed workout with hill repeats, one of my favorite combinations. Another combo I like is tempo run on a hilly course.
Wear a silly hat, or piece of costume around the holidays (Christmas, Halloween) and enjoy the smiles you get from other runners and walkers, as well as from the drivers passing by you.
Wearing my Santa hat and my Christmas top.
6. Find a new running route and create as many different routes around your neighborhood to have choices and be excited to get out the door and start running.
7. Solve whatever problems you are having during your solo runs and you will be amazed at your creativity and ease of finding the right answers and solutions.
8. Stop to talk to other runners and make friends, or even run together just like I did in Las Vegas when I met two wonderful guys from Canada. We ran down the strip up to Mandalay Bay Casino and Resort and it was wonderful to chat with them and run together. We have stayed friends and are connected on Strava.
Picture in front of Paris, Paris with my new running friends. They were kind, fun, and interesting to run with! They had the right pace, too! Runners are the nicest people!
9. Allow yourself to be poetic and philosophical when running in beautiful places. I love writing little poems in my head, coming up with my own quotes, which makes my run quite exciting and interesting.
10. Give yourself a weekly challenge, such as taking a beautiful pic of wild flowers, animals, taking a selfie jumping picture, etc. You can do the same challenge a few times that week and that will give you even more purpose and something to look forward to besides your tempo run, speed workout, or easy run that day.
Besides making your solo runs more interesting as I mentioned above, there are also three gifts that come from running alone:
In other words, running alone should be practiced weekly for all the reasons above-mentioned and many more that you might have yourself, as well as to become mentally stronger for your races when you are mostly likely to run by yourself surrounded by the other runners.
Running alone is the gift of solitude and peace that your soul needs on a weekly basis to recharge itself.
Running alone is also the gift of gratitude, as it will teach you to be more humble and grateful for that great running friend and partner who helps you pick up your pace and lifts up your spirits the days you do run together.
Running alone is the gift of good health and extended life, as it will offer you so many physical, mental, and spiritual benefits.
And to find out how running with others will make you a stronger and happier runner, stay tuned for my next blog.
For more info on running and real estate, whether buying or selling, please e-mail me at carmenmicsa@yahoo.com, or call me at 916-342-2446. Running for real estate with joy!
Romanians (Yes, I am Romanian American and quite proud of it) have a great saying: “smart people learn from the mistakes of others, whereas not so smart people learn from their own mistakes.” I would love for you to learn from my mistakes and know that learning from your own mistakes is unavoidable. Besides, when things happen for the first time, it has little to do with your intelligence level: it has to do more with life’s constant element of surprise, or what I like to call an ocean wave sweeping us off our feet when we are least expecting it.
Balance
One of the things I think I am pretty good at is balancing my busy parent, professional, intellectual, and athletic life. I feel that I can juggle things, because I use my calendar well and try to write down all appointments, all my to-do lists, and still have room left for fun activities. I also found out that as a runner, balance is key. I need to balance my workouts, the time on my feet, as well as make room for tennis and strength training. But what happens when you become a little too confident in your running abilities? Well, you tip the balance scales to the heavier training cycle of running, so you start doing two runs a day even after a race you did the same day, which I have done and felt great at the time. You know that your form is good, so you won’t get injured, but overuse injuries can creep up upon us. Our bodies take the beating up to the point of quitting, so that’s when we start having problems.
Five worst running Injuries I have had in the last two years
I always thought I had a stronger body than my body really is! And, yes! I am an optimist who likes to wear the rosy glasses often. Moreover, just because I have played tennis for 22 years and never got injured is not enough to proclaim the Herculean strength of my body. As a matter of fact, once I started to run in 2015, I realized how many weak areas I had in my body, starting with the ankle which I injured in my first month of running due to poor form and improper shoes for my feet (I was wearing the low Altra shoes that offer no support to our ankles), but bounced back in 4 days. Then the knees pointed out to me that I had developed IT band syndrome, when I felt pain on the side of my knees and runner’s knee when my knees hurt right below the knee cap.
My first half marathon Run the Sly in 2015, my first year running. I wore the copper fit knee sleeves to protect my knees from hurting, especially during longer runs.
My first CIM marathon that I finished in 4:13, even though I pulled my groin muscle at mile 18 and had to slow down.
Although I always ran with my knee sleeves on for about a year, as if they had magical powers, I had discovered that I could run without them with no pain when I forgot to put them on. That day I ran freely without any “crutches,” so to speak and felt like Forrest Gump .
Next injury took me almost six months to clear, as I had developed Planter Fasciitis after buying running flats that had a lower heel drop than I was used to and due to my tight calf muscles. Every morning, the sharp pain in my heel felt like walking on needles or stepping on a nail, but once I started my run, I was pain free and kept on going.
Towards the end of 2016, I also developed a mild form of shin splints, with pain running up the inside of my lower legs. Shin Splints can happen to runners whose feet maintain ground contact too long, or if the foot lands too far in front of them. Higher mileage will also contribute to shin splints.
My fifth injury came on totally unexpected on March 21st, 2017 after I did some intense speed workout on the track. I did 4 mile repeats and felt great until I got home and started to limp badly. My husband asked me if I twisted my ankle, or my foot. I said “no.” My speed workout felt wonderful as always. I just didn’t know what happened, but I was sure I would be like brand new by the morning. And, yes: my rosy glasses were on. I had no clue that I had developed one of the worst injuries that only affects 0.6 percent of runners from what I have read – see how special I am?
I had developed peroneal tendonitis on my right foot, which is extreme pain on the outside area of the foot right above the ankle. Unlike all the above-noted injuries that never stopped me from training and running races, this one left me limping and unable to run. Yes, I was smart to stop running, while resting and icing, but it was mainly because my injury forced me to do that. I have not run in two weeks, doing aqua jogging, stretching exercises, and foam rolling.
After two weeks of rest and doing aqua jogging, Pilates class, and core exercises, I have tried acupuncture http://www.acupunctureinsacramento.com for the first time in my life to attack the tendon and be able to restart my Mountains to Beaches marathon training coming up on May 28th in Southern California. It worked so well and I highly recommend it, but check about your injuries with your doctor first.
Although the article below talks about 5 most troublesome running injuries, which I had all, my sixth running injury comes and goes depending on how long and intense I run. I have had piriformis syndrome on and off, which is simply pain in the gluteal muscles, making it hard to maintain a certain pace, once it kicks in. I like to call this injury a kick in the butt, not figuratively speaking, as that’s the area that hurts and slows me down.
When it comes to healing all kinds of running related injuries, I recommend reading James Sullivan’s advice below and then read about my healing methods.
CARMEN’S 20 HEALING METHODS FOR THE ABOVE-MENTIONED INJURIES AND ADVICE:
Listen to my body and address the issue promptly.
Read many running books and changed my running form after reading the Chi Running book by Danny and Katherine Dreyer. I highly recommend it, as I was able to apply the lessons and improve my form and speed.
Read about the injury and take action to heal the body while running, if safe to run.
Changed the type of shoes I wore and currently run in the Nike Lunar Glide 8, which are better for my feet.
Changed my running shoes every 400 miles to avoid injuries.
Rolling my foot on a tennis ball daily and often while working at my desk to get rid of Plantar Fasciitis.
Using the foam roll often and doing different Yoga stretches.
Doing weekly core and strength training exercises, such as squats, lunges, kettle bell swings, bridges, and so on.
Doing hills to strengthen my body, especially my gluteal muscles.
Running much slower on my recovery days to allow my body to fully recover.
Running with friends to keep myself accountable.
Using the sauna to loosen up the muscles and recover well from tough workouts.
Using the Epsom salt baths after long runs.
Not running the day before a race and especially before a marathon.
Using the chiropractor once to realign my body.
Using the acupuncture and common sense to heal the tendon.
Not taking Levofloxacin or Ciprofloxacin antibiotics, as they can weaken the tendon and ankles, leaving one more prone to injury.
Talking to other runner friends and asking for their advice.
Staying humble.
Being wiser about life and running – hopefully!
CARMEN’S 12 GOALS FOR RUNNING STRONGER AND INJURY-FREE IN THE FUTURE ALL THE WAY TO 100:
Balance my tennis and running better, meaning that I won’t do a speed training session the same day that I play tennis. Instead, I will do an easy run the day I play tennis, or no run.
Strengthen my muscles more.
Do more stretches after my runs and ice more often at the first sign of soreness.
Give up racing, if a small nagging injury is present and wait to be totally healed.
Run mostly 5 days a week instead of 6, unless I am behind my schedule and my body feels healthy to handle the extra pounding.
Do two easy runs a day when feeling good, but never a hard run followed by an easy one. After a hard run, or race, I can do aqua jogging to relax the body and muscles.
Incorporate aqua jogging and biking into my weekly workouts for cross training and getting the body stronger.
Listen to my body more and respond with rest when needed.
Be flexible in rearranging my running schedule, if my body cannot accommodate a speed workout that day.
Mix road and trail running, but avoid running too many hills on tired legs.
Order custom orthotics for my high arched feet to take away the pressure from the calf muscles.
Use acupuncture, deep tissue massages, and active release techniques to stay strong and healthy.
I have tried Crossfit for a month and got my body stronger, while learning to incorporate some of the moves into my own strength training schedule, such as the deadlift move.
Although these injuries seem to be too much, I have enjoyed my running tremendously and highly recommend it to all my friends as the best mediation in motion out there. I have been successful at it, winning many age group races and even winning first female overall in the Gumby 5K trail run this year. I believe that with the right plan and improved running technique, I will continue to run many more races and marathons. Running is life!
For more info on running and real estate, whether buying or selling, please e-mail me at carmenmicsa@yahoo.com, or call me at 916-342-2446. Running for real estate with joy!
It takes courage and determination to change at any age, but taking up running later in life to increase one’s health and fitness level is not what the every day person does.
Meet five incredible athletes all in their 70s who are not interested in joining any senior’s classes soon. Their passion and joie de vivre: running.
Last year while training for California International marathon, my third marathon since I started running, I had the pleasure and honor to meet these four amazing women Charlyn, Barbara, Carolyn, and Linda all in their 70s – so driven, radiant, humble, and truly inspiring.
Big 70 to 74 age group winners at Valentine 4-mile race this year. Carolyn in the red, Barbara in the middle, and Charlyn next to her.
We met during our Fleet Feet Fit track workouts led by our amazing coach Chad Worthen. Being the gregarious and curious person that I am, I made friends with them and started asking questions. Charlyn amazed me first, as I talked to her and learned about her transformative and inspiring fitness journey . I even used her story on my mom to get her moving, which worked. My mom started running with me short half a mile distances the summer of 2016. I have to say that her form was perfect and that she did not want to run slowly. In 2017, a few months later after getting to know all these wonderful women, I have decided to interview them and learn about their extraordinary journeys.
Charlyn Frazier’s beginnings and progress as a runner
Charlyn Frazier started to run in February 2011 at the age of 66 after joining a local gym. She had played a lot of tennis in Southern California in the 70s and 80s, but after moving to Sacramento in 1990, she became inactive and put on a lot of weight in the next 21 years. Luckily, her trainer at the gym suggested that she kicked up the cardio and try running.
Charlyn ran her first 5K race in 39:33. It was so exhilarating and she couldn’t wait to do it again. Soon after that, she ran her first 10K in July 2011, her first half in October 2011, and her first marathon California International Marathon in 2012. This was just the beginning of her enthusiasm and passion for running. As of February 2017, Charlyn has run 104 races, four of which are marathons.
Charlyn finishing CIM 2016 with a big smile on her face. Another marathon in the books. Marathons are actually her favorite distance and she loves to train for them. Charlyn admits that even though she is not nervous on race day, she is as excited as a child on Christmas Eve.
Her breakthrough in running came in January 2014 when she decided to join Fleet Feet Fit program. She immediately loved having coach Chad Worthen hold her accountable and give her positive feedbacks, while reminding her to get in her miles and stay focused during workouts.
Charlyn wearing bib number 70 to match her age at the Urban Cow half marathon in Sacramento. What a joy!
Charlyn’s advice to other new and seasoned runners
Taking up running for the first time means to start out slow with short distances and work up from there.
Be ready to be amazed at how quickly your endurance and pace will build-up. For example, Charlyn finished her first 5K on May 30, 2011 in 39:33 and less than three months later finished a 5K in 36:08. Note that she set 5K PR at Run to Feed the Hungry in December 2016 with a time of 27:58.
It is very important to have a network of running buddies. It was a major step for Charlyn in her running journey when she joined up with Fleet Feet to train for her first Urban Cow Half Marathon. The camaraderie in a training group is a phenomenal motivator for setting that clock and meeting up on the road on a cold winter morning.
Meet and run with other runners who can inspire you to become the best you can be. Charlyn has become friends with Barbara, Linda, and Carolyn all featured in this blog.
Charlyn’s greatest accomplishments as a runner
In 2015 Charlyn finished 9th in Buzz Oates Run-Sac competitive division. In 2016, she finished 7th being rewarded with $75.00 and $150.00 respectively. She also earned a place on the 2016 Milestone 100-Mile Club having logged 116 miles in Buzz Oates races http://runsacseries.com/. This earned her a cool shirt, hat, and jacket!
Charlyn’s greatest honor has been receiving the Sacramento Running Association’s Award for 2015 Veteran Women Athlete – Marathon and SRA’s Award for 2016 Veteran Women Athlete – Road Running https://runsra.org/.
SRA (Sacramento Running Association) Achievement Award for Veteran Woman Marathon Athlete.
Barbara Rinker’s beginnings and progress as a runner
Barbara finishing the California International Marathon in December 2016 with a bright smile on her face. Running brings her so much joy and she loves competing. Her favorite distance is the marathon.
Barbara Rinker started to run at 50.
She remembers walking from the 20-mile mark of the American River Trail to the Fish Hatchery as part of a weight loss contest with Weight Watchers to lose pounds and get healthier. Then the walk progressed to a jog next to her long-legged husband. She eventually got pretty efficient at jogging and signed up with Buffalo CHIPS together with her husband. After running her first 10K in 58 minutes, Barbara was hooked by the joy of running. She also realized that running is as mental as it is physical.
Barbara’s advice to other new and seasoned runners
The more you move, the more capable you are of moving.
Appropriate rest days are just as important as running and workout days.
Barbara’s advice to women 60 and older: “make yourself available to other runners; you could find them to be great confidence builders. Find a good training group and talk it up with others of like mind.”
A proper running schedule will help you set and accomplish your health goals and increase the fun in your life. Heavy breathing is good for the soul and the lungs.
Barbara’s greatest accomplishments as a runner
Barbara has run 11 marathons: 9 California International Marathons, 2 Boston Marathons, and 1 Avenue of the Giants.
Total number of other races: 172, including 1 30K, 23 Half Marathons, and a mixture of 5 and 10Ks.
Carolyn Slavich’s beginnings and progress as a runner
Carolyn Slavich was 62 when she started running. She decided to try running when her daughter ran the CIM that year. Carolyn started to run around the track at the tennis club with one of her tennis friends. She doesn’t think she made it even 100 yards the first time she tried it, but kept at it until she could run 5 miles. Her first races were Susan G Komen 5K and Run to Feed the Hungry. When she was 65, Carolyn’s daughter talked her into doing a half marathon. Carolyn ran the Sacramento marathon half, which became the Cowtown and the Urban cow about five times.
When Carolyn was 70 years old, she decided to try a marathon. She looked for the perfect training program, but they all were for people faster than she was. Then she found Harry Tortuga training for the Urban Cow half and was able to combine that with a marathon training program she found on line. Carolyn completed her first CIM at 70 in 5:39.
Carolyn’s advice to other new and seasoned runners
Running is very personal for everyone and the desire to start running has to be there for an individual.
Carolyn encourages everyone interested enough to give running a try, because the end result is an amazing feeling, especially once runners reach their goals.
Running certainly keeps you fit.
Runners are such great people and running is such a wonderful social sport.
Carolyn’s greatest accomplishments as a runner
Carolyn Slavich’s 1st AG (Age group) place at the Shamrock’s half marathon in March 2017.
Carolyn has completed 6 marathons and Boston will be her 7th.
Carolyn is not totally sure, but she thinks she ran 100 races.
She attributes her running accomplishments to her coach Chad Worthen and the Fleet Feet FIT training.
Linda Hall’s beginnings and progress as a runner
Linda won 1st place in her AG at the ZooZoom 5K race on March 26 (5K races are her favorite). We’re both displaying our stuffed animals that we received for placing in our AG. I finished second in my AG.
Linda Hall was 32 and just starting her first job as an assistant professor of biology at MIT in Cambridge, Massachusetts when she started running. She was working in a high stress job, setting up her own research laboratory, competing for grant money, teaching really bright students, and living in a big city. Linda had a husky-shepherd dog (Nikki) who loved running around Fresh Pond in Cambridge. Once Linda started running with her dog to and from work, she was hooked. Linda has been running for more than 40 years.
Linda did not run any races until she moved to New York City in 1979 when she joined the faculty at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, where she was a professor of molecular genetics and neuroscience. She joined NYC road runners and also Prospect Park Track club. Linda’s first race was Leggs mini marathon, which was really a 10 k race in Central Park. That year Dustin Hoffmann was in the movie Tootsie. He ran in that race in drag and was just ahead of Linda. The crowd was cheering for him, which was an indelible moment.
Linda’s advice to other new and seasoned runners
Buy yourself a pair of good running shoes and vow to wear them out (it takes 300-400 miles).
Then buy another pair of shoes and keep going.
Running is a great way to relieve stress and to solve problems.
Running can teach us patience and to approach problems systematically: one step at a time.
Nothing seems bad after a nice run alone or with friends.
Listen to your body and don’t try to do too much, too soon.
Find a group of friends who area little faster than you and stick with them.
Running is a great way to maintain your weight, but you still can’t eat everything.
Have fun with running, but listen to your body and you can keep running for many years. …more than 40 years for Linda!
Running teaches you the importance of running your own race, but also the importance of encouraging others.
Linda’s greatest accomplishments as a runner
Linda has run 7 marathons: NYC marathon (4 times), Marine Corps, Grandmas (in Minnesota), and the San Diego rock n roll marathon
Besides these wonderful and dedicated women athletes, I also had the honor to meet and interview David Ghent, who competes and wins in the Senior Games in the 70-74 age group, which used to be Senior Olympics.
My friend Andrea and I met David Ghent at the American River College track stadium. We started chatting with him and found out how much he loves to sprint. We also learned that he is in his 70s and living life to the fullest. His favorite event is the 100 meters dash.
David Ghent’s beginnings and progress as a runner
David Ghent is a different type of runner; he is a 73-year-old sprinter who loves sprinting due to the fact that it is over quickly. David has attempted distance running, but found out that he didn’t have the mental fortitude for it. David started sprinting for exercise and fell in love with it. He was sprinting at American River Junior College one day when this man asked him if he ever thought about sprinting in the Senior Games, which used to be Senior Olympics. The Senior Games are divided into 5 year increments from 50 years on up. David had never heard of it before, but started checking into it and decided to enter his first competition in 2014. He won three gold medals and has competed ever since.
David’s advice to other new and seasoned runners
It is never too late to start something.
People put too much weight into numbers when discussing age. It is almost expected that when one reaches a certain age, one is to stop living and “take it easy,” which is a big mistake.
If more people could experience the feeling of when endorphins are activated into the pleasure center of one’s brain and the positive effect that endorphins have on the thoughts and feelings of the person, maybe more would choose to run.
Joining a running group is such a positive and motivating environment. It is more enjoyable to participate in doing something with other like-minded people than alone.
Completing a marathon doesn’t have to be the end all of a goal. Just go into it with the thought of moving, as they say from couch to 5K.
David’s greatest accomplishments as a runner
To medal is the ultimate goal, but to be a participant and take in all that the Games have to offer and meeting the athletes is truly a privilege. To witness a 92 year young woman shot put and a 101 year young man shot put, throw both the javelin and discuss, and to run and finish both the 100 and 200 meter dashes is truly inspiring.
Every two years there is the National Senior Games which are held in a different state each time. One has to qualify to participate and each state has their own qualifying events. David was fortunate enough to have qualified in 2015 which was held in Minneapolis, Minnesota and again this year in Birmingham, Alabama. He will be participating in the 50, 100, and 200 meter dashes. He failed to advance to the finals in 2015, but that is his goal this year in Birmingham.
David has run many 5K races and finished 2 half-marathons.
David’s big goal and plan for this year is to run and finish the CIM, which will be his first marathon. He hopes to erase that from his bucket list.
When it comes to running and exercising to stay healthy and happy, running can be a great outlet. After all, life is rarely a sprint; it is a marathon, so why not run your first marathon at any age and find more inspiration from others who have done it and have transformed their lives, one step and mile at a time.
I hope you have enjoyed reading this blog, and if you have your own amazing stories to share, please comment here.
For more info on running and real estate, whether buying or selling, please e-mail me at carmenmicsa@yahoo.com, or call me at 916-342-2446. Running for real estate with joy!
