Short Berryman Race Report and So Long, For Now...

Filled with emotion after finishing the 2007 Kettle Moraine 100 Mile Run

Another amazing event put on by the SLUGs and co-race directors David and Victoria White! You really couldn't have scripted a better day, the weather was ideal and I got to see many of my good friends. Not my finest performance finishing the marathon in 4:44 but I had fun nonetheless. Got to run a bit with Jerry Frost, chat it up with Don Frichtl, Paul and Cindy Schoenlaub, Ben Holmes, Pat Perry, David and Victoria, Rick Mayo, David Stores and so many others; it really was great :-) For the full 2008 Berryman Marathon and 50 Mile Run Results click HERE. And now, let's move on to what is really on my mind.

I started this blog over a year and a half ago and had no idea what a big part of my life it would become. It began more as a marketing tool when I started my job as a loan officer for Mindy's Mom but then evolved into something much more. It took on a personality of it's own as my "baby" and all of you became my cyber family sharing in my accomplishments and supporting me when I was down. I can't begin to even explain to all of you how much it has meant to me to know you were out there reading along and sharing in my life, laughing when I laughed and crying when I cried. The emails I've received, comments on the blog and all of you who have come up to me at races have touched my life in a profound way and I thank all of you for being interested in my story (or stories) and sharing the past 18 months with me. What a journey it has been! Throughout the last year and a half I have grown more than in any other period in my life and finally let the real Carey shine through as I tore down the walls I had built around myself. As I sit here writing this I am filled with emotion and must admit a bit sad, but it is time. For those of you close to me this probably isn't a suprise while to others it may be totally out of left field. As I embark on a new career and direction in life I need to focus my full attention and efforts on that, I hope all of you understand and support me in pursuing my dream. This is not Good-Bye but simply so long, for now. Know that I am here and you can always email me if you ever need anything or just want to say hello. The picture at the top of this post is me after finishing my first 100 mile race almost a year ago. It was perhaps the best moment of my life thus far and really the start of "the change" inside me.

Wishing you all the best,
Carey

Berryman Report Coming Soon!

Andrew Karandjeff, Victoria White and Lee Hess with the thumbs up

So my last race for a while is history and I must say I really enjoyed seeing all of my good friends and running a course which has so many special memories for me. I definitely didn't set any records as I finished in 4:44:22, I kept telling my legs to go faster but they just wouldn't listen :-) I hope to have a race report together by the middle of this week.

How amazing was the weather this weekend!?! Between the marathon yesterday and the Cardinals game today I definitely took advantage of it. Hope all of you were able to catch some rays too!

Until later,
Carey

3 Tips For More Energy

Fitness Together - St. Louis owner, Tim Chudy, posted these great tips on his blog today on how to have more energy and who couldn't use that? Enjoy!

"Everywhere you go people are looking for 'energy'. You’ve heard and seen all the ‘Hi Energy’ stuff out there. But where should you go for your energy fix? And is it really a fix at all? Or just a remedy that leads to an inevitable crash and burn?

In reality, the "energy" we're chasing is simply mental alertness. And it's no secret that coffee, energy drinks and cigarettes contain drugs that stimulate your brain, giving you the mental alertness we often mistakenly call 'energy'.

If you are searching for a better way of living, a life that doesn't depend on chemicals - literally, drugs! - to keep you awake and motivated, if you are tired of being tired, then being jacked up, and then being tired again, then set the coffee cup down, step away from the supersized Diet Cokes, and turn to a more natural solution. There are better, healthier ways to achieve higher levels of physical and mental energy.

Here are 3 ways to gain more energy, naturally:

1) Exercise

It doesn't matter what time you exercise, just be consistent with your efforts. Just pick a time that fits with your schedule and personality. If you have to do it first thing when you wake up, just do it. Don't even let yourself think about it. Just get started. A lot of people think too much about their plan. They want to have everything perfect before they begin working out.

Focus on intense strength training for 30-40 minutes followed by a brief cardio interval training session to boost your metabolism all day long. Exercise is like a drug. Like caffeine and nicotine, exercise causes the release of many 'good for you' chemicals into your blood stream, resulting in mental stimulation and an improved sense of overall well- being. Exercise just makes you feel awesome.

2) Eat smaller, more frequent meals

Skip the cycle of starving and overeating characterized by no breakfast, a high-carbohydrate lunch, and a huge dinner. Instead, eat a supportive breakfast and then continue to eat supportively every 3 hours for the rest of the day. Research shows that a high-fiber, high-protein breakfast helps control appetite and increases mental alertness all day, and improves your ability to process information.

Don't skip breakfast and rely on a coffee to get you through the day. Got no time? C'mon! You're an adult, you can get up 10 minutes earlier to have a protein shake, some almonds, and an apple. You're not in high school anymore. No excuses!

3) Eat only whole, natural foods, such as fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, raw nuts, Green Tea, water

Trying to survive on processed foods is a recipe for an energetic disaster. Stick to whole, natural foods during the day, snacking rather than eating huge meals and you'll never feel like dozing off again. If a food is from a bag or a box, it doesn't deserve a place in a supportive nutrition plan. Try to avoid all added sugars.

Bonus Tip:

Take 2-minute breaks during the day to perform some light stretching or deep breathing.

Sitting at a computer all day zap our 'energy'. From poor posture, to eye-strain from computer screens, your office, cubicle, and car seat definitely sucks the life out of you. Daily exercise breaks are essential to not only boost energy, but mobility. Each day, as your slump over your computer, your upper body becomes rounded forward and tense. You need to reverse that movement by incorporating some light shoulder and chest stretches. In addition, get outside into natural light whenever possible."

Yoga and Running / Berryman Marathon Saturday

Header from runnersworld.com

YOGA AND RUNNING
Those of you who have been reading the blog for a while know that I started doing Yoga about 8 months ago and how strongly I believe in it as a complement to running, you may remember that I included it as a blog entry subject back in September. Yesterday I was breezing through the June issue of Runners World and saw that they had an article on how Yoga makes you "stronger, sharper and less injury-prone." I couldn't agree with them more! They also featured a group called Runner's Yoga 90210, founded by Angie Stewart, "where marathoners, beginner runners and even members of the UCLA track team gather in Beverly Hill's Roxbury Park for a 20 to 30 minute run followed by 45 to 55 minutes of yoga in a nearby studio." I actually have a similar routine, each week on Tuesday and Thursday I run for 45 - 60 minutes before my morning Yoga class and feel incredible after I'm done. It's a great back-to-back combo that I highly recommend. For more about Yoga and Running visit the Yoga For Runners Section at runnersworld.com.

BERRYMAN MARATHON SATURDAY
This Saturday is the Berryman Marathon and 50 Mile Race down near Berryman, MO in the Mark Twain National Forest. This event holds a special place in my heart as it was where I ran my first ultramarathon back in 2006. This is my last scheduled race for sometime as I shift my focus to my new position at Fitness Together - St. Louis so I'm really looking forward to having a great time. Berryman holds a lot of memories as it is a special place not only for me individually but also for Mindy and I when we were together. Her smile, kindness and enthusiasm at "her aid station" will be missed by all.

Happy Mother's Day to all the Mom's out there! :-)
Hope all of you are well,
Carey

Big River Running Company Summer Speedwork Sessions

My good friends at Big River Running Company are putting on FREE Tuesday night speed sessions at the Vianney High School Track (I-44 & Lindbergh). They begin tonight and will continue throughout the summer until Tuesday, August 24th. Anyone who completes 10 or more sessions will not only be faster by the end but will also receive a free Big River Running Company shirt. Be at the track around 6:30 pm to meet, the sessions will start promptly at 7:00 pm. I'll definitely be there for most of the summer and hope to see some of you! To learn more click HERE.

My New Position at Fitness Together

Those of you who are regular readers of my blog know that back in March I decided to commit and make a career change into the health and fitness industry. After doing quite a bit of online research and talking with some friends who are trainers I decided to get my NSCA CSCS certification and began studying for the exam which I plan to take in the Fall. A few weeks ago, while browsing local personal trainer employment opportunities, I came across an opening at Fitness Together - St. Louis and figured I would apply. Along with a resume I included my story of how I went from an overweight, pack-a-day smoking, couch potato to an ultra-marathoner and that I have now decided to use my experiences to help others achieve their goals and live a better life. A few days later I received a call from the owner, Tim Chudy, about setting up an interview. After meeting with him a couple of times he offered me a position as a part-time trainer transitioning into manager of the Des Peres Studio as early as June or as late as August. What an awesome opportunity!

Last week I began the FT training program and Tim put me through one of the workout sessions so I could experience the intensity for myself; it was tough, but that's the point, right? This week I'll be shadowing a few trainers, then I will have numerous sessions where I train them and in about a month I'll begin training clients. The training program is fairly intensive and is a great compliment to the book work I've been doing while preparing for the CSCS exam. For the first time I'm excited about going to "work" and don't want to leave, it seems that I have truly found my calling! Fitness Together locations are franchised and they have a program called "Producer to Leader" where you can become a franchise owner within two years. Owning a personal training studio (or studios) is a goal of mine and I'm excited to be on the right track!

On the running front, my last scheduled race for a while is the Berryman Marathon on May 17th. I may run the Psycho Psummer 50K in July if it works into my schedule, otherwise focusing on my new position is the #1 priority. I am planning on running a few races in the Fall but really have no idea what those will be right now. As you know from my recent posts I have started on a fairly intensive resistance training program so I can gain more strength while continuing to run 35-40 miles per week. I had been in a high mileage "rut" for a while and am taking this opportunity to change things up a bit to gain more speed and tone my upper body. Yesterday I actually wrote a new program for myself and this morning I kicked my own butt! I guess that's one advantage of being a personal trainer :-)

This job and opportunity truly is an answer to prayer and it's quite amazing how everything fell into place once I made the commitment to follow my dreams. To all of you out there who are just going through the motions collecting a paycheck I hope that you can find the courage and means to take that risk and do something you are passionate about. I know it seems a bit scary but after all what do you really have to lose? You'll never get this time back so make the most of it! Not only will it change your life but it may also change the lives of many others.

Hope all of you are well,
Carey

The 40 Runner’s Commandments

Fellow SLUG, Randy Hunt, sent this out today via "SLUG Mail," Good Stuff!

The 40 Runner’s Commandments
by Joe Kelly
1. Don’t be a whiner. Nobody likes a whiner, not even other whiners.
2. Walking out the door is often the toughest part of a run.
3. Don’t make running your life. Make it part of your life.
4. Keep promises, especially ones made to yourself.
5. The faster you are the less you should talk about your times.
6. Keep a quarter in your pocket. One day you’ll need to call for a ride.
7. Don’t compare yourself to other runners.
8. All runners are equal, some are just faster than others.
9. Keep in mind that the later in the day it gets, the more likely it is that you won’t run.
10. For a change of pace, get driven out and then run back.
11. If it was easy, everybody would be a runner.
12. When standing in starting lines, remind yourself how fortunate you are to be there.
13. Getting out of shape is much easier than getting into shape.
14. A bad day of running still beats a good day at work.
15. Don’t talk about your running injuries. People don’t want to hear about your sore knee or black toe.
16. Don’t always run alone.
17. Don’t always run with people.
18. Approach running as if the quality of your life depended on it.
19. No matter how slow, your run is still faster than someone sitting on a couch.
20. Keep in mind that the harder you run during training, the luckier you’ll get during racing.
21. Races aren’t just for those who can run fast.
22. There are no shortcuts to running excellence.
23. The best runs sometimes come on days when you didn’t feel like running.
24. There is nothing boring about running. There are, however, boring people who run.
25. Distance running is like cod liver oil. At first it makes you feel awful, then it makes you feel better.
26. Never throw away the instructions to your running watch.
27. Don’t try to outrun dogs.
28. Don’t wait for perfect weather. If you do, you won’t run very often.
29. When tempted to stop being a runner, make a list of the reasons you started.
30. Without goals, training has no purpose.
31. Go for broke, but be prepared to be broken.
32. Spend more time running on the roads than sitting on the couch.
33. Make progress in your training, but progress at your own rate.
34. “Winning” means different things to different people.
35. Unless you make your living as a runner, don’t take running too seriously.
36. Never tell a runner that he or she doesn’t look good in tights.
37. Never confuse the Ben-Gay tube with the toothpaste tube.
38. Preventing running injuries is easier than curing them.
39. Running is simple. Don’t make it complicated.
40. Running is always enjoyable. Sometimes, though, the joy doesn’t come until the end of the run.