Breaking Barriers Blog

Happy New Year!  I hope you had a wonderful holiday season and didn’t get sick.  I did!  I got a bad case of the flu.  I’m an avid runner—isn’t that supposed to keep me healthy?  I just heard on the news that we are having the worst flu season in years and to get your flu shot ASAP.  I, for one, do not believe in flu shots.  I got one back when I worked in public accounting in the 1970’s and then got the flu.  Oh yes, I heard that the shots are different now, but I haven’t complied and the last time I got the flu was about 25 years ago—that is until this last Christmas.

I took a trip back home, to freezing Wichita, Kansas and to temps in the 30’s.  That is not comfortable for anyone but especially a lightweight from Southern California.  My parents hosted Christmas dinner to 25 people.  It was wonderful until later that night when I started throwing up at about the same time my son started throwing up.  Then I heard my sisters’ family was all throwing up.  Then a couple of days later my parents got sick and then my sister got sick.  About half of the dinner attendees got the flu.  Yuck!

I have always prided myself on being healthy.  I take various vitamins and herbs and I exercise frequently.  I am surprised that my immune system would allow me to get the flu.  But the fact is, the strength of our immune systems depends on many factors such as stress, what we eat, how much we sleep, and how we exercise.

Let’s focus on how we exercise.  I did some research on running and the immune system, since I run.  But it makes sense that you could expand this information to other forms of aerobic exercise.  It appears that 30 to 40 minutes of moderate daily exercise will strengthen the immune system while longer runs will weaken it temporarily.  The longer and more intense you work out, the more cortisol levels increase and this can weaken the immune system for up to three days.   The good news is that if you allow your body to recover, then your immune system will adapt and get stronger.  That is why rest is very important, especially after an intense workout like a long distance run or speed work.    

It was also interesting to learn that long slow distance can weaken your immune system more than a shorter intense workout.  Why?  Long slow distance uses slow-twitch muscle fibers which feed on simple sugars—the same as the immune system.  So it’s important to not increase volume and intensity at the same time.  Keep your intense workouts short.  Here is a great link on how to keep your immune system strong.  http://www.runnersworld.com/health/immune-it-all

If you want to read about studies conducted on running and the immune system, try this link.  http://www.pfitzinger.com/labreports/immune.shtml

So, I’m thinking, yes, I have been training hard the last two months to get my running speed and mileage up to where it was before I quit running and just did yoga for two months.  I have increased volume and intensity at the same time and stressed my immune system.  My body is telling me to relax and slow down.  The moral of this story is to listen to your body.  I survived the Kansas weather and the flu and hope to not have to experience the flu again for at least another 25 years.  Run smart and stay healthy this winter. 

Note:    My book, Breaking Barriers, will be published in 2013.  Email me at dolores@breakingbarriersblog.com if you are interested in being included on the email list.  “No, sheer effort is not the key to getting what we want.  It’s much easier than that.  Yes—easier.”

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Some people might find the words JOY and EXERCISE to be mutually exclusive, especially if you are in your forties and beyond.  It just seemed to be easier years ago—didn’t it?  As one who is six months away from 59 and then only a year away from 60, I am looking straight ahead to what most people think is “old age”.  I, for one, am trying very hard to block that concept from my mind and intend to exercise, including long distance running, well into my eighties and beyond.  Isn’t it true that old age is really in our heads?  We have an excepted concept, or paradigm, if you will, that we grow old, probably get sick, certainly get weaker—and then die.  When we hear of someone in their eighties whose body is falling apart, a part of us thinks, “Yes, that’s about the time it happens—we start to get really old.” 

My long-term goal is to stay healthy, have full mental faculties, and full range of motion well into my nineties and beyond.  What fun is living a long life if you are confined to a wheel chair?  One major step to achieving all of those items is exercise.  Please refer to a long-term study conducted by Stanford University that tracked 500 runners, all 50 years and older, for over 20 years.  Its results are convincing that long-term exercise reduces aging and disability. 

But back to the joy of exercise.  I have run for over 30 years and have completed 15 marathons to date–the most recent was the Boston Marathon in April of 2012.  Injuries do happen and I was suffering from a long-term hamstring and gluteal injury.  I trained hard for Boston, probably too hard, and I was also fatigued. 

As I noted in my previous entries, I took 60 days off from running—completely.  I just did yoga—the hot yoga (Bikram) and completed the 30 day challenge which was doing yoga 30 times in 30 days.  Now let me remind you that Bikram Yoga is the yoga that you do in a 105 degree room for 90 minutes.  Completing that challenge was one of the toughest things I have ever done (besides table topics–those of you in Toastmasters will understand.)

Well, the result of all that yoga was that I completely rested the running muscles and I achieved some notable flexibility.  It was an interesting experiment.  I am now an avid fan of yoga to increase the life of your knees—important to any runner.  But the downside was losing running fitness.  It’s amazing how fast we lose it. 

My first run after 60 days was only 5 miles—nothing to a marathoner.  But it killed me.  I couldn’t walk the next day.  I hopped up on the treadmill and couldn’t get my speed over 4 miles a minute—a fast walk.  Each step felt like I was tearing my muscles into shreds.  I felt like crying. 

So what drove me to keep going forward—to keep running?  It wasn’t really the certainty of the health benefits—it was the memory of the freedom I felt when I got into the zone.  It’s almost indescribable. 

Lat Sunday’s run became the day I have been looking forward to.  I had started running again on November 1^st, so it’s been over 5 weeks of trudging along.  Sure, I was increasing my mileage slowly and my pace per mile and I tried hard to focus on just doing what my body wanted to do as opposed to pushing it hard—which is what my competitive nature was urging me to do.  I tried not to be discouraged and kept repeating an affirmation from one of my favorite books, You Can Heal Your Life, by Louise Hay.  “You are flexible and flowing.  You are flexible and flowing.” 

It was in the high 60’s on Sunday and the sun was shining.  I went out to one of my favorite running spots, the Back Bay in Newport Beach, California.  There was a light wind blowing into my face when I started my run and the bay was calm and deep blue.  I slipped on my headphones and Stairway to Heaven floated into my ears.  I started out slow at a 13 minute per mile pace.  Yes, my knees felt fine.  My hamstring was fine.  So far so good. 

Two and a half miles into my run I was grooving to the Bee Gees’ Night Fever and glanced at my GPS.  What!  I was running at a 9 minute per mile pace and I was running strong and without any resistance.  I felt free and light and like I could run forever.  A surge of happiness swept through my body.  Yes, all was well.  All the effort to get to that moment was worth every painful step—to experience the joy of exercise. 

Isn’t it true that anything worth having is worth working for?  If it comes too easily we don’t really appreciate the success we achieve as much.  This holiday season, please be grateful for everything good in your life.  If one of your New Year’s resolutions is to exercise more—remember that through the effort and the pain there is a rainbow on the other side—if you only stick with it.  Happy Holidays to all!

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Okay, I will be the first to admit that I have displayed some OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder) behavior in the past.  Anyone who runs marathon after marathon after marathon is somewhat OCD…wouldn’t you agree?  What normally happens when we push ourselves to the limit and perhaps past the limit?  We get injured.  It is our body’s way of telling us to rest.

Sometimes we ignore our body and continue to push past the pain to the point where it becomes unbearable and we are forced to stop or we are permanently disabled.  Know anyone who has had knee replacement surgery?  How about someone who has had Achilles surgery?

Also, if our exercise is unbalanced, as is the case with many runners, we have strong, firm legs with perhaps back or shoulder problems.  Common running injuries occur such as iliotibial band syndrome, stress fractures and pulled ham strings.

My last marathon was Boston in April of 2012.  Anyone who ran Boston remembers the scorching heat.  Well, I trained hard for that marathon (which happened to be the slowest one of my running career) because I figured it would be my last Boston.  I qualified the prior May at Lincoln, Nebraska with a personal record (at the age of 56 by the way) so I had pushed my body to the max.  But I was hyped up and continued a heavy running schedule so I could jump into training as Boston drew closer.  Problem was, I was already suffering from a pulled hamstring and tight gluteal muscles on the left side.

My homeopathic doctor, despite her urging to slow down and rest, gave me a remedy which carried me through training for Boston.  Homeopathy is amazing, by the way.  I completed Boston and cut down my running but then started participating in circuit weight classes eager to strengthen my upper body which became neglected with my heavy running schedule.

I realized immediately that not only my legs were stiff, but my hips and back were extremely stiff.  Squatting down was painful. As a matter of fact, running was painful until I warmed up.  But for some reason, I kept thinking, my miles are lower, it’ll get better.

Up to that point, I had been taking Bikram Yoga classes (hot yoga) about once a week for about six years.  I know the classes have been beneficial in giving me what little flexibility I have and have probably saved my knees.  I have been told several times about how important it is to stretch, especially for hamstrings and tight gluteals.

On August 23^th, I took a weight circuit class.  We were told to go to the gymnasium and we ran laps followed by stepping down the court going sideways.  Stepping sideways, I tripped on my shoe and fell hard on my knee and hip.  Of course I got the unwanted attention of “Are you alright?” and “You will feel worse in the morning”.  I completed the class but it was not fun.

After class, as I was walking down the sidewalk toward my car, I fell again.  I kid you not.  It was only an hour later than my last wipeout.  Maybe it was the wedge shoes, maybe it was the slight limping, maybe it was that crack in the sidewalk but I went down hard, again.  I was holding my heavy gym bag, water and carrying my laptop.  All scattered around me.  I was sure I was going to cry—but I didn’t despite my despair.

That afternoon I started feeling like I had whiplash and, in the morning, I did feel worse.  I decided then and there that my body was trying to tell me something and I had better listen up.  My intuition was telling me yoga…yoga.  Maybe I should quit running for a while—like a month and just do yoga.

To tell you the truth, I didn’t consider doing more than one yoga class a week because I was terrified of losing the endorphins and of gaining weight if I stopped running.  Face it, yoga does not provide the same cardio benefits.  But considering my injuries and how they weren’t going to get better by running, I decided to do something very different (and brave) for me.  I decided to follow my intuition and take a month off from running and weights and just do yoga.  That’s it—just yoga.

So despite my nightmares of biting the heads off of anyone who crossed me in the few days following my withdrawal of running and of gaining ten pounds, I started my experiment.  I walked into the yoga studio in Irvine, California and announced my plan.  I knew if I announced it, I would stick with it.

My plan was to do hot yoga five days a week, take a day off completely, and do another type of yoga class at the health club I belong to.  I like Bikram the most because the heat really helps me stretch my incredibly stiff muscles and I feel like I get a workout.

I started my new adventure on August 25 (15 days ago) and since then I have taken two days off,  a stretch and restore class (using rollers), 11 hot yoga classes and 1 yoga class at the health club.  I am happy to report that I have only gained about a pound and I haven’t bitten anyone’s head off just yet.

But what is really more important, is that I can now squat down without significant pain and stiffness.  I feel a whole different level of soreness in my shoulders and back but it’s a good sore.  There were a couple of incredibly hard poses, like the bow pose (on your stomach, grab your ankles and kick up) and standing head to knee (stand with legs spread, bend over and grab outside of feet with legs straight) which caused me substantial pain—which I can now do without the substantial pain.  OMG, I am loosening up after two weeks.

I am so happy with my progress that I will stick to my plan, even if I do gain another pound.  Being able to move without stiffness is a real blessing and I will incorporate yoga breaks into my running routine from now on.  Also, they say loosening up the body parallels the mind.  That could only be a good thing for someone who displays OCD behavior.

Of course my hope is to alleviate my hamstring and glut issue.  Based on my progress so far, I’m hopeful, very hopeful that this is going to work.  I’ll keep you posted.

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Shannen, this is for you!

So you started running a few weeks ago.  You have run consistently three times a week and can now run two miles without stopping.  Good for you!  You have taken the first step to all of the benefits of running including a stronger heart, increased brain function, enhanced well-being, stronger muscles…not to mention  burning calories—about 100 calories a mile depending on speed and weight.  (That’s what I burn at 117 pounds going 9 to 10 minutes a mile.)

What a great way to stay motivated—to run a road race.  It gives you a goal to train toward and it’s a lot of fun.  My first road race was a two-mile race that I completed in about 24 minutes—that’s a whopping 12-minute mile.  But it was a start.  Now I run marathons and my fastest pace so far was about 8:50 per minute for 26.2 miles.  Not bad!

But I had to start from the beginning.  The key is to stay consistent and increase your miles and your speed slowly.  Otherwise you risk injury and burnout.  My first injury was shin splints because I wanted to get fast overnight but my body just wasn’t ready.  Shin splints hurt!

First of all, I am not a running coach and my personal experience is what I draw upon.  A good rule of thumb is to never increase your weekly miles by more than 10 percent per week.  So if you are running three times a week, two miles at a time, your total mileage is six miles.  The following week increase your runs to 2 ¼ miles per run.  If you aren’t sure of the miles and are running for time, use the same rule of thumb.  Increase your 20 minute run to 22 minutes, the following week.  Sure it’s a small increase but before you know it, you’ll be running 4 or 5 miles per run and maybe thinking about increasing the number of times you run per week.

As far as speed work, I wouldn’t recommend it for at least six months to a year depending on your level of fitness.  There is a saying I have heard several times among runners—speed kills—and they weren’t talking about drugs.  Runners can develop many injuries including knee, hip, foot,  and hamstring problems by pushing too hard too soon.  There are several types of speed workouts and you can Google on the internet to find what you can do for a 5K or 10K or longer race.   Never do speed work more than two times a week.  Yes, speed work will make you faster, but again, you must be consistent.

If this is your first 5K, enjoy the experience and make a goal of running the entire race at a comfortable pace—a pace that you can carry on a conversation.  It’s easy to get caught up in the excitement and take off at a fast pace.  I did that on my first race and slowed down to a crawl my last half mile.  It wasn’t very much fun.  If you are serious about continuing your running, think about purchasing a GPS running watch.  I own a Garmin and I can see what pace I’m running and how far I’ve gone.  It helps me to not go out too fast—or to speed up if I’m falling off the pace.

If your goal is to run a marathon someday—kudos to you.  It is challenging and worthwhile goal which will teach you discipline and humility.  Crossing the finish line is phenomenal rush and well-worth the effort.  A marathon training program is six months long and I recommend having a running base of 30 miles a week for at least a year before you start the program to avoid injury.

So, the key to running success in the beginning is consistency and patience.  Build your miles slowly.  Have fun and enjoy the process.  Good luck on that first 5K!

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First of all, let’s define older runners.  I will maintain that age is a state of mind, but for the purposes of this blog entry, let’s say “older” is 60 years old.  Isn’t it funny how that perspective changes the older we get?

When I turned 40 and entered the Masters Division at road races, I remember disliking the term “Masters”, it seemed too old.  I had just run my second marathon and broken the magic four-hour barrier at 3 hours and 55 minutes.  Hell, I was only five minutes away from qualifying for the Boston Marathon—only five little minutes!  I thought I was just scratching the surface of my running talent.  I was seeing visions of Olympic stardom.  Little did I know that I would be chasing that Boston dream for years and years before I finally qualified for the first time at the age of 54 with a time of 3 hours and 53 minutes—but that’s another story.

Now I am looking at 58 years old—right around the corner at the end of July.  Wow, I’ll be 60 years old before I know it.  Will I be old???

But I digress.  There was an experiment published in The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research which tried to prove the hypothesis that athletes over 60 are noticeably less efficient than those who are younger.   The study revealed that the opposite was true.

When scientists fitted runners with masks that measured oxygen use while running on a treadmill, they discovered that runners 60 and older where just as physiologically economical as younger runners—even those in their twenties.  Timothy Quinn, a professor of exercise science at the University of New Hampshire and lead author of the study, stated that contrary to their expectations, economy did not decline with age.  Instead, the study suggested that aging lungs and leg muscles have no trouble using oxygen efficiently and that older runners can still be fast.

Whew, there is still hope for my future running goals.  Maybe you don’t have the insane desire to run fast in your sixties.  It doesn’t matter.  The encouraging thought here is that we can do something now to stay fit and strong as we age.  Isn’t living a life with good health and freedom of movement worth striving for?

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My Dad, who is recovering from having his kidney removed about 4 weeks ago, was out doing yard work today and mowed the lawn.  This is incredible for anyone recovering from major surgery, but my dad is 81 years old.  I was worried that he was pushing himself too hard.  I asked, “Does it hurt when you move?”

I heard Dad breathe deep.  “I haven’t taken a pain pill for a week now.   I don’t like the way they make me feel.  It’s not so bad.  I figure the pain will lessen the more I move around.  It would be very easy every morning to just lie in bed and tell myself I need to just heal.  But, then I would just lie there day after day.  That’s how you die.  So I get up—every morning.”

Doesn’t that statement ring true for so many challenges in our life?   Take exercise for example.  Sometimes it would be easy to not go the gym, or to not walk out the door to do that run.  But if you don’t “get up”, the exercise dies and all the benefits to you die with it.

My friend, Jerry, is a runner in his early sixties who has been suffering from Plantar Fasciitis for about two years now.   He has tried several treatments including “rest” for six weeks (probably not long enough), but he refuses to give up running.  On Memorial Day weekend, he won first place in his age group for a 10K and ran the race five minutes faster than last year.  If he didn’t continue to “get up” and out the door, he’d be in a very different state of mind today.

Especially as we age, it becomes even more important to keep moving.  Exercise is one big way to experience an improved quality of life as we get older.   My motivation to keep running is a very clear memory from my early twenties when I first started running.  I remember seeing a runner in his seventies at several road races.  He had wings on his shoes and he was fast.  I see myself running well into my seventies and beyond.  I intend to break more barriers as my exciting life continues.  Aging is a state of mind.  Wouldn’t you agree?

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I got a call from my dad a little over three months ago.  “Dolores, I’m going to train for the Wichita Marathon.”  This had been a goal he’d talked about off and on through the years.  This time he was serious.  What’s amazing about this goal is that Dad will turn 81 on May 23 and he hasn’t run since his fifties when he had trained with a friend to run 10Ks for a few years.

I will point out that my dad is in pretty good shape.  He’s been physical his entire life having owned a Radio Shack Franchise and television repair business, he’s accustomed to heavy lifting.  He had been on the roof not too long ago making repairs.  But, let’s face it, training for a 10K is a little different than training for a marathon.

He had about nine months to train and he jumped right in.  He started by walking and running—first a mile turned to two miles turned to three miles until, a little less than three weeks ago,  he called to say he had run six miles without stopping.  He was running about 30 miles a week at the time.  I was astounded.  He was actually on track to start a six-month marathon training program.  I could hear the smile in his voice.  “I’m going to run the River Run in May.  I’m ready.”  The River Run is a 10K in Wichita, Kansas.  I was amazed at his progress in just three months and his determination.

A week later I got a shocking call from my sister, Linda.  “Dad has a mass on his kidney.  The doctor won’t know for sure if it is malignant until he operates, but in 90% of the cases, it’s cancer.”  A chill went through my body.  I had always imagined my dad would live forever.  I pushed that thought from my mind and fought back the tears.

The doctor suspected it was transitional cell cancer, an aggressive form of cancer that manifests in the urinary system.  Dad was scheduled for surgery only a week later which frightened all of us—except for Dad.  He said he felt great.  He was out mowing the lawn and running errands.  He wanted to run, but the doctor put his foot down.  I’d never seen anyone in such a good mood prior to surgery.  They say attitude is everything.  I was scared but encouraged by his sense of well-being.

He went into surgery on May 8 and one kidney was removed.  The doctor said his level of fitness made a big difference during the surgery and he came through with flying colors.  The doctor also said it looked like cancer but he didn’t think it had spread but we would find out for sure in a few days.  His words were encouraging but now all we could do was wait.

Dad was released from the hospital three days later.  He was making a remarkable recovery.  The next day, the test results came back and we all breathed a big sigh of relief, the cancer had not spread and he will not have to go through chemotherapy.  When I had talked to Dad that day, he sounded great but was disappointed that he wasn’t going to be able to run the 10K this month.  He said he had asked the doctor when he could start running again but the doctor had just stared at him.  Dad was forceful on the phone.  “You don’t think the loss of a kidney is going to slow me down.”   I smiled—I knew he could live a normal life with one healthy kidney—and he would take care of himself.

There is no doubt where I get my gut determination and perseverance to go after a challenging goal.  It’s gratifying to see that no matter what age in life we happen to be, that going after a dream is what makes life meaningful and fun.

Did the running help bring on the symptoms that led to his early diagnosis?  I don’t know.  If it did, it was a blessing.  His fitness helped him get through the surgery and is helping him achieve a fast recovery.  Being fit is key to a fulfilling life as we age.  Check out an earlier blog entry, “Stay Young and Smart as You Age—Run.”  It is a fact, running extends life.

Okay, so Dad will probably not run the marathon this October.  But we all know he will start running again as soon as he is able.  The marathon story is to be continued…  Nevertheless, his achievement of running six miles without stopping in three months ranks high on the scale.  Kudos to you Dad!  Way to go!

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Stress is something that is hard to define.  It affects us in different ways.  But we all agree that stress wreaks havoc on the body and the mind.  The effects of stress are ugly indeed and range from depression, anxiety, heart attacks, stroke, immune system disturbances, rashes, gastrointestinal problems, insomnia and the list goes on.

At the age of 57, I have learned to manage my stress through exercise and I also use self-hypnosis (see Premium Content).  As a result, I am highly fit and mentally healthy (I think).  I learned my lesson the hard way.  When I was in my twenties I had a nervous breakdown.  I did not know how to relax, I perceived my job in a big eight CPA firm as overwhelming and I suffered from insomnia.  It got so bad, that I checked myself into the hospital—terrified of facing one more day. But it was this very difficult experience that introduced me to the relaxation technique of self-hypnosis.  A couple of years later, I discovered exercise, specifically running, and that was when my health dramatically improved.

Does running reduce stress?  Of course.  Using myself as an example, I have faced many difficult life challenges since my twenties and I used running to help me through all of them.  Running is a great way to work off anger and anxiety.  I ran my way through a divorce, business dissolution, emotionally abusive relationship and this last devastating recession.  Yes, I’m an executive recruiter and I’m still standing–but that’s another story.  I emerged from my life challenges—healthy and strong.

Besides the anti-aging benefits (see October 23rd blog entry) and the ability to burn approximately 100 calories an hour, running lowers blood pressure and decreases bone and muscle loss.  Besides feeling better about your slimmed down body, there are additional psychological benefits to running.  Running can be a way to spend quality time with yourself or to socialize.  Running releases endorphins, the “feel good” hormone.  Endorphins reduce pain, enhance the immune system and relaxation.  As an avid runner, I appreciate the feel-good effects of running.  If I go a couple of days without running, I start to feel agitated.  Yes, running can feel good!

But it is not only running that produces all of these benefits, any form of aroebic exercise will work.  Walking is a great way to start if you are not accustomed to exercise.  Of course there is bicycling, skiing, tennis, swimming—to name a few.  The point is the get out there and move.  It’s not too late to start experiencing increased energy and vitality–at any age.

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