electrolytes abound

It seems like there are ads for electrolytes everywhere you look, and the more you look, the more ads find their way to your eyeballs. The interest and availability of electrolyte packets has exploded into a $40B industry. The market is projected to double by 2034. However, there are risks associated with overconsumption. A balanced diet often provides enough electrolytes. Looking at my most successful diet of all time (the IVF diet by Zita West), I was regularly getting 1000mg Na from the food, and on some days as much as 3500mg Na. The contributors to high sodium were soy sauce, capers, olives, canned green beans, and shrimp or fish fillets.

Supplements I have or still take (or haven't tried yet)

The items in bold are the things I used during the marathon.

SaltStick Chewables: 100mg Na, 30mg K, 6mg Mg, 10mg Ca, 1g carb

LMNT: 1000mg Na, 200mg K, 60mg Mg, 0g carb

Prime: 600mg Na, 400mg K, 75mg Mg, 10mg Ca, 2g carb

Electrolit: 330mg Na, 370mg K, 20mg Mg, 40mg Ca, 10g carb

Venture Pal: 500mg Na, 280mg K, 20mg Mg, 104mg Ca, 8g carb

Tailwind: 620 mg Na, 180mg K, 24mg Mg, 54mg Ca, 50g carb

Liquid I.V.: 510mg Na, 390mg K, 12g carb

Skratch: 400mg Na, 49mg K, 48mg Mg, 54mg Ca, 19g carb

Gatorade Zero: 380mg Na, 110mg K, 2g carb

Gatorade: 270mg Na, 80mg K, 35g carb

Powerade Zero: 240mg Na, 80mg K, 0g carb

Powerade: 250mg Na, 60mg K, 35g carb

Nuun: 300mg Na, 150mg K, 13mg Mg, 13mg Ca, 4g carb

Solgar liquid: 300mg Mg, 600mg Ca, 2g carb

NOW Ca&Mg softgels:  333mg Mg, 667mg Ca, 25mg Zn, per 2 softgels

365 Ca&Mg capsules: 500mg Mg, 1000mg Ca per 3 capsules

NOW Ca&Mg tablets: 500mg Mg, 1000mg Ca per 2 tablets

TUMS: 1000mg calcium carbonate

Coconut water: 50mg Na, 646mg K, 24mg Mg, 53mg Ca, 15g carb

"Astronaut Juice": 145mg Na, 12.5g carb per 8 oz serving

Coca-Cola: 40mg Na, 42g carb

Pickle Juice shot: 470mg Na, 20mg K, 2mg Zn, 0g carb

Nerds gummy clusters: 15mg sodium, 71g carb

Gu: 55mg Na, 30mg K, 20mg Ca, 23g carb

Clif bloks (3): 50mg Na, 18mg K, 24g carb

Biscoff (4 cookies): 115mg Na, 23g carb

Stroopwafel: 75mg Na, 18g carb

Clif bar: 230mg Na, 225mg K, 40mg Ca, 42g carb

McDonald's salt packet: 280mg Na

Heinz mustard packet: 65mg Na

For me, learning about electrolytes has been a trial-and-error process. When you train with a friend or a group, someone will see you suffering and lean over to whisper about their favorite bonk-breaker. I was told about Gu from a running friend when the mileage climbed above 9 miles for a long run. We would stop to take a gel at mile 7. I remember refilling a water bottle during a 60-mile bike ride in 2010, and someone quietly slipping a Nuun tablet into my bottle. At the time, I was primarily concerned with drinking water, and I thought it was enough to quench my thirst. 

Marty's Tom's Farms ride

When I was hiking in the Verdugos, I got food poisoning in 2012 from my own self. I had probably put a Nuun tablet into a hydration bladder and then let it fester. The next time I tried to use it, it was full of pests, which infested my GI tract. I vowed then and there to NEVER contaminate my hydration bladder again. I've heard people put flat Coca-Cola into their water bottles, so I've added Coke for comparison. But I'm too scared of not being able to fully wash it out to put anything other than water in my hydration vest/belt bottles. I remember examining Nuun's ingredients, and in terms of macronutrients and micronutrients, it was similar to the growth medium used to culture fungi.

The kicker for me came when I cramped during the 2024 Santa Monica Classic. I called my sister to complain, and she asked me what type of electrolytes I was taking. When I told her none, she said it was incredible that I lived in such a hot climate and that nobody had taught me about the importance of replenishing electrolytes. To be honest, every time I think about this race, it still burns me that I skipped the 10k and only finished a 5k. The course was shortened due to the heat.

I've been wanting to write a blog about salt for a long time, but it seems like I'm always staying so busy. I had to take a break from grading student work because hackers disrupted our access to the LMS, Canvas. It's been unavailable for just over 24 hours, which is pretty much the timeline I predicted. But it still sucks that I lost about 8 hours of productivity. Although it did give me the opportunity to write and read a little about salt.

What I can say is that during the 2025 LA Marathon, I took two SaltStick chews every 30 minutes and ended up feeling gross at mile 17. I adjusted that to one SaltStick chew every 30 minutes in 2026, and it was perfect. I felt amazing up until mile 25.

MyFitnessPal all time data

LA Road Runners Chat #9 Dietition Serena Marie - Part 2 (10-30-2025)

https://youtu.be/f5gXdJ4i4yQ?si=KmMON9FYyumPI4ux 

LA Road Runners Thursday Night Coach's Zoom

You can calculate your sweat rate, and a dietitian who spoke to my running club explained that you should track all of this, including the weather. To convert sweat rate to sodium loss, multiply your sweat volume (in liters) by your sweat sodium concentration (typically 200–2,300 mg/L, with an average of ~950 mg/L). A typical, moderate sweat rate is 1.2 L/h, which, at an average concentration, results in ~1,000 mg (1 gram) of sodium lost per hour. I've never done it, but maybe I can make this a summer project.

Sodium to Salt Conversion: 1 gram of sodium equals ~2.5 grams of salt (NaCl).
Range: Most people lose 200–2,300 mg of sodium per liter of sweat.
Factors: Sweat concentration is mostly genetic, but sweat volume depends on intensity, temperature, and acclimation. You can use this worksheet to calculate your sweat rate, then use that to determine how much sodium you need. I don't feel like I'm a heavy sweater, but at the Naughty Girl Fitness workout, I was dripping sweat, so maybe I just don't notice it when I'm running.
https://koreystringer-institute.media.uconn.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/3814/2024/08/Sweat-Rate-Calculator.pdf 

I am mindful that we need more magnesium as we age. I wonder how much magnesium from supplements is bioavailable. I still take a lot of supplements, pushing calcium and magnesium as I have since pregnancy and postpartum. But because of the cost, I sometimes wonder if I should stop. Also, I wonder if I'm putting myself at increased risk of kidney stones by overdoing it on electrolytes. In all, the body is pretty great at maintaining homeostasis. But I have heard of people overdosing on TUMS and ending up with stones.

I have heard of people taking salt packets from McDonald's, as well as mustard packets. Some people love Nerds gummy clusters. I guess I spent a lot on food/fuel when I was first getting started running, but now that I'm more settled on what I like (what works for me), I don't spend as much. I included fuel and all the food from the race weekend in this calculation. Someone in my running group suggested signing up for ALL the races. Like YOLO. They justified it by saying, "What is your health worth?" And that got me thinking about how much I spent on running in the past few years.

For sure, running has been crucial to my mental health, now and at various previous times in my life. The American Heart Association recommends a sodium intake of less than 1,500 milligrams per day. The form matters. Salt tabs called "buffered" seem to contain sodium citrate, not just sodium chloride. The buffer helps balance lactic acid and possibly other amino acids produced in anaerobic pathways. In fact, some athletes take sodium or potassium bicarbonate prior to intense efforts, such as sprinting.

A future post could explore branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs), another fitness craze, as well as ketones such as beta-hydroxybutyrate. I feel like I'm not interested in doing fasted exercise. I'm trying to fuel while training to avoid dipping into ketosis. What I can say is that I took BCAA Complex in my smoothies this past training cycle. Not by choice. My son wanted to put them in there because he loved making a rainbow smoothie with many different ingredients. But I did feel a difference in my energy throughout the day. It felt similar to taking a high dose of B vitamins. He also put in Nature's Superfruits powder (which does have insane amounts of B-vitamins).

Looking at the literature, it seems that a lot has been discovered about metabolism since I left grad school. I remember discovering that ketones and branched-chain amino acids are produced by plants under low-oxygen stress. I'm not saying I'm responsible for these discoveries, but I remember finding these findings and reporting them, and the people in the plant hypoxia world saying it just wasn't possible. Records are being broken every day by athletes who are figuring out better fueling strategies, and I'm sure some of that has to do with electrolytes, too.

I haven't been taking my collagen powder, creatine powder, or my MCT powder supplements in my coffee. For some time now, I've been drinking it black. But I do take a creatine capsule at bedtime with all my other supplements. Not that you should take my advice. We're all out here doing the best we can. My race results: https://www.athlinks.com/athletes/85696593/results I'm not trying to win my age group. I am trying to run sustainably so I can continue doing this. It helps balance my mood, and I feel like it's helping me ease the menopause transition.

One strange thing I did notice was: I kind of feel like my belly fat is decreasing now that the marathon is over. It's been two full months now. I feel like longer walks, lower stress, and more cross-training are actually making a big difference. I started running to get rid of the belly fat and lose weight. But running long distances hasn't really lowered the number on the scale much. I'm trying to revisit the idea of cortisol. Doing workouts that raise cortisol will increase belly fat. Doing workouts that lower stress may actually have a larger impact in the direction I would like to go. 

I've been enjoying the off-season, following the Fit4Mom 5k plan A, which is really chill. I've been doing Royal Core 4.0 from RunFitMama and some workouts here and there from Naughty Girl Fitness. I am thinking that the long walks and some weight lifting are revving up my metabolic engine. I think I might need to keep lifting heavy shit. I'm in pain every day anyway, from my joints aching. Why not add some muscle soreness? Dietarily, I've tried to reduce my intake of fried foods and increase my intake of dietary fiber from fruits and vegetables.

My previous posts about salt:

• CalorieCount https://bitchonabike.blogspot.com/2011/01/carbs-calcium-cortisol-oh-my.html 
• Salt Bath https://bitchonabike.blogspot.com/2011/05/bathing-beauty.html
• Race Day https://bitchonabike.blogspot.com/2025/04/race-report-rose-bowl-half.html
• https://bitchonabike.blogspot.com/2025/03/la-marathon-race-report.html
• Immune System https://bitchonabike.blogspot.com/2011/10/airborne.html
• Fertility https://bitchonabike.blogspot.com/2019/03/fertility-part-3.html
• Supplements https://bitchonabike.blogspot.com/2020/07/turning-40.html
• https://bitchonabike.blogspot.com/2025/07/supplement.html
• https://bitchonabike.blogspot.com/2022/12/november-2022-thoughts.html 
• During Training https://bitchonabike.blogspot.com/2024/12/women-are-not-small-men.html
• https://bitchonabike.blogspot.com/2025/01/powerful-hermana.html
• Century Rides https://bitchonabike.blogspot.com/2014/07/independence-day-ride-report.html
• https://bitchonabike.blogspot.com/2014/10/ride-report-r2r-california-challenge.html
• https://bitchonabike.blogspot.com/2013/12/christmas-ride-report.html
• Kaiser Wellness Posts https://kaiserwellnesscenter.blogspot.com/2013/05/coconut-water.html
• https://kaiserwellnesscenter.blogspot.com/2019/06/fda-should-finalize-sodium-targets.html
• Astronaut Juice https://kaiserwellnesscenter.tumblr.com/post/50695781267/astronaut-juice

Other References:

The use of buffered salts as anticoagulants for the maintenance of true cell volume and for the determination of plasma proteins. Chorine, V. Revue d'Immunologie (1940), 6, 193-208.

Magnesium: Exploring Gender Differences in Its Health Impact and Dietary Intake
By: Mazza, Elisa ; Maurotti, Samantha ; Ferro, Yvelise ; Castagna, Alberto ; Pujia, Carmelo; Sciacqua, Angela ; Pujia, Arturo; Montalcini, Tiziana. Nutrients (2025), 17(13), 2226.

Magnesium in Obesity, Metabolic Syndrome, and Type 2 Diabetes. Gabriele Piuri, Monica Zocchi, Matteo Della Porta, Gian Vincenzo Zuccotti, Luciano Pinotti, Valentina Ficara, Michele Manoni, Jeanette A. Maier and Roberta Cazzola. Nutrients (2021), 13, 320.

Perspective: Ketone Supplementation in Sports—Does It Work? Pedro L Valenzuela, Adrián Castillo-García, Javier S Morales, Alejandro Lucia. Adv. Nutr. (2020) Oct 22;12(2):305–315.

Effects of a commercially available branched-chain amino acid-alanine-carbohydrate-based sports supplement on perceived exertion and performance in high intensity endurance cycling tests
Marco Gervasi, Davide Sisti, Stefano Amatori, Sabrina Donati Zeppa, Giosuè Annibalini, Giovanni Piccoli, Luciana Vallorani, Piero Benelli, Marco B L Rocchi, Elena Barbieri, Anna R Calavalle, Deborah Agostini, Carmela Fimognari, Vilberto Stocchi, Piero Sestili. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. (2020) Jan 20;17:6.

We do not accept skinny bitch season

Do we think skinny is the goal? Who thinks that? Who is pushing that agenda? 
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/06/style/pilates-politics-trump.html

Thank you Ilona Maher for pushing back on the skinny agenda.
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DMDomCegq_L/?igsh=NW1hM3VvczVoandh

If you don't believe that fitness is political, check out the points articulated here.
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DGuCtoVRJr0/?igsh=YTVkMGQ5a2kwM3Jh

Woman from the protest is calling out right-wing movements and the rise of skinny bitch season.
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DIkVWhKN0yl/?igsh=MWJsZG04cHUzdmZnOA==

Ilona Maher, accepting the ESPY award, said, "Take up space. Pitch it faster. Run harder. Put another plate on the bar. And NEVER tone it down."

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DMMiRffuSWn/?igsh=cW96eGxmb3oyNWxq

Between full-time parenting, PMS, and perimenopause, it is so rare that my thoughts align with the ability to document. I hope you can find a moment of solitude and peace, and hope amid this day, which seems full of bad news. Trying to keep the perspective and put another plate on the bar. Stronger. Ready to put myself out there. Stand between ICE and a friend if need be. It's all so ridiculous since we're all on stolen land. All this fighting over billions of dollars. It's very male. Very ego. I am sure it can get worse, losing Colbert and NPR / PBS. 

My friend Amber Ruffin posted this about why we can't give up.
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DMNv1oWPULP/?igsh=MXB3ajA2cnFvdm4wZg==

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A post shared by Kayla Kaiser (@hamerk02)

poverty or wealthy mindset?

The wealthy are minimalist. You can always buy another thing if you want it. Poverty is keeping everything you were ever given because you don't know if you could afford to replace it in the future.

The wealthy are eating higher-quality food because they can afford it. Poverty is eating a greater quantity of lower-quality food because your next meal isn't guaranteed.

MAHA won't work if we eliminate SNAP, WIC, and programs that offer housing security. It will drop those on the bubble between housed and unhoused, fed and unfed, educated and uneducated.

Who benefits from less access to education, safe housing, and healthy food? Certainly not our armed forces. Who will have the skills to keep our country safe from cyber terrorists if nobody learns how to code?

Playing on ignorance. Preying on people's fears. Stoking the fires of hatred, racism, misogyny, and xenophobia. It's the whole playbook. Keeping people in line. Locking people up. Silencing the opposition. Defunding initiatives that level the playing field. It's oppression 101.

Hoarding is a poverty mindset. Keeping literally everything. Extreme cheapskates. Finding joy in getting an extreme deal. Going to great lengths to do so. Willing to suffer in an extreme way to save a few pennies. You're not seeing the big picture. You'll never win in the long game. There is no clear path to transcend poverty and achieve the upper middle class. That is a myth.

Because your parents only taught you how to suffer and survive in a poverty mindset. You don't know how to function as a healthy, successful adult. You don't keep healthy, mature boundaries. It's okay, but you're passing that along to your child unless you can find a way to break the cycle.

As satisfying as it is to see all the No Kings protest signs... It would be even more satisfying to see Trump behind bars. And every day that the conservatives are in power gives me a feeling of dread because it's bad and getting worse.

Even though my pay is going to be cut soon, I'm trying to live my wealthy life by purging junk from our house. We have removed most of the books from our library. We got rid of the items in our kitchen that we no longer use. I want to do the garage and bedroom closets next.

Race Report: Rose Bowl Half

It was my first time running the Rose Bowl Half, which I had registered for as part of a series of races leading up to the Los Angeles Marathon. This was their 9th annual event. 

The event itself: Where? How long? When? Weather?

Start and finish at Rose Bowl stadium in Pasadena, CA, with some portion along historic Route 66. Loved running along Green St and Wilson Ave along the campus of Caltech. We woke up at 3:30am, left at 4am, parked by 4:30am, and snuggled up in the car until 5:15am. Parked in lot K for free. Easy in and easy out.

The weather was ideal, low 48 and high 60 with cloudy skies. Cool breeze for most of the race. No precipitation. We had a flash flood the day before, so the air was super clean and there was only 1 major puddle left that I saw near the stadium.

Course description and logistics

The hardest miles were the first 3 and the last 3. The middle was good. Because I am a member of the LA Roadrunners, we got to warm up and stretch in the same locker room used by UCLA football players 🏈. I felt like a real athlete. The Pasadena Pacers were in the other locker room. I don't know who got the home team and who got the away team. It was nice to have flush toilets. I didn't have to use gear check because we left our stuff in the locker room. The security was strict about checking wristbands.

I'm glad we walked a 5k with bib pickup on Saturday (no race-day bib pickup without paying extra $) because we ended up walking the last 3 miles of the half marathon course in the same direction as we ran in the race. It was good mentally to know the terrain, and I was running faster on race day compared to the day before when we were walking it.

Training

Coach David made us a schedule for the half after the marathon. Normally, the marathon is the end of the season, but due to the wildfires, April was the soonest the half could be rescheduled. It was a 6-week schedule, but the first two weeks were resting and active recovery. Then there were two build weeks and two weeks of taper. Honestly, it was rough. I felt sore the entire time! I ended up with an unintentional 18-day run streak leading up to and including the race.

Gear and nutrition

I wore the race shirt, but I tailored it with my sewing machine. I'm not too impressed with races that offer unisex shirts and also don't allow people to exchange their shirts for a different size. I laid the 2XL on top of another shirt that fits well and pinned it. Probably removed 2 inches of fabric from each side. Got lots of compliments on the ensemble. I wore my wildflowers sparkle skirt for the first time, as it coordinated well with the color of the race shirt and the race theme. I mainly wore light-colored calf and arm sleeves since the skirt and shirt were so busy. And my sparkle Tinkerbell visor, of course. Haha, I had to stop after mile 11 and take off my Crowned Athletics sports bra. Felt like I couldn't breathe. Much enjoyed the last two miles without it. Wearing two bras is a good idea for a few hours, but usually I don't finish the run with both on.

I ate a trail mix containing almonds, pistachios, pecans, dark chocolate chips, and Cheerios 1.5 hours before the race. I ate a banana on the way from the locker rooms to the corrals 30 minutes before the race start. I took 3 Gu, 6 x 2 Clif bloks, 8 salt stick electrolyte fast chews during the race. My training really kicked in, and the fueling strategy I had practiced was automatic. The race organizers told us to dispose of trash in the containers provided, but trash cans were few and far between. I stashed my trash and noticed it while unpacking my vest. Nobody likes running with sticky wrappers.

Specific experiences

I took a tumble around mile 4, taking a photo while walking backwards. I did a slow-motion fall because I walked into a traffic cone. Not my proudest moment. But I didn't plan to take many photos. And that made me keep my phone stowed a lot more during the race. Also, I wanted to keep my pace up and minimize the use of technology. I wore a regular watch instead of a smartwatch because I no longer look closely at my heart rate data.

After getting dropped by the 3-hour pace group before mile 8, I found my groove with a few other runners. Due to the London Marathon, the availability of pace leaders was limited. There was no pace group between 3 hours and 3:30. That was the most fun because I wasn't in a crowd. I was going at my own pace, but I wasn't alone. I didn't realize that if I were in the middle of a big group, I probably wouldn't get any photos from the race photographers because my bib was hidden among the crowd. I was glad I brought my GymBoss and headphones so I could continue with the run/walk intervals even without the pacer. We ran 2 minutes, walked 1 minute. It took me about 3 miles to synchronize my timer with the pacer. But that was okay because the first 3 miles were the hilly ones with more walking.

Finish and associated emotions

I was looking forward to lying in the grass on the 50-yard line of the stadium, and I did it. It was everything I had hoped for. The clouds were beautiful. It was a comfortable temperature. I was relieved to have crossed the finish line without any serious incidents or injury. It felt like my body was cramping up the whole race, one muscle group at a time. Stretching was vital and comfortable in the grass. I loved watching the kids race and seeing my friend Yahaira crossing the finish line.

I had a bittersweet feeling because my son had a friend's birthday party at 11:00 a.m. Initially, I thought I could finish the race and then hurry home and make it to the party. When I realized that would be way too stressful, I canceled my RSVP for the party. So after I crossed the finish line, I called my husband and told him where the gift was. The most remarkable thing was that some of the other parents at the party said to my husband, "Your wife is in really good shape!" I had walked 6 miles at the zoo with my son and 21 of his classmates on the Friday before the race. This is part of the reason I run, to be in good shape so I can go on field trips and keep up with the 4 and 5-year-old kiddos. I'm not going to let them outrun me. They might be faster in a sprint, but I'll catch up and be able to keep going, leading the expedition.

Overall evaluation of the event

Seeing Coach David at mile 3 after climbing out of the Arroyo and turning onto Colorado Blvd was awesome. I heard his voice in my head saying, "And now the race begins!" I thought all the out-and-backs were going to be torture, but it was actually a fun way to say hello to other runners who run at different paces. So many runners cheering for each other and saying Hi! across the medians.

Overall, great route. Good vibes. Pasadena is such a pretty place. Super neat finish line. I had such feels running into the stadium and through the finishing chute. The hills didn't kill me as much as I thought they would, so I guess all my hill training was adequate. I usually plan on running alone, so it was a new experience trying to stay with a pace group for the majority of the race. I didn't train at that pace, so I didn't expect to be able to finish with them, and I knew it would be a stretch. I might do this race again. Or I might run the 5k and sign my kiddo up for the kids' race. I really wanted to finish the half in time to see the kids race, and I did!

Race Budget

Registration    $109.40 (paid on June 10th)

Crowned Athletic $139 for Luisa (Powerful Hermana), $146 for Merida (Changed Fate), $162.75 for Poisoned Heart Villan skort and Red Arabian Nights Princess bra.

Sparkle Athletic Rainbow calf sleeves $18.93

New watch $14.98

New shoes $175.55

Reward for participating in a research study $50.00

Race day transportation (gas) less than $10.

$724.11

I took all the race shirts from this season out of my leggings organizer; it really feels like the season is over now. I'm looking forward to participating in the Run Riverside Challenge, which involves three consecutive races. We've already booked our hotel for the Mission Inn Run. We're looking for hotels for the Citrus Heritage Run and the Palm Desert Half. That would be the extent of my preparation for the 2026 LA Marathon. I'd like to scale back the number of races per year so that we can allocate adequate money for each race weekend and make it a racecation. Disneyland has announced that the Half Marathon weekend 2026 will be their last event for a while, yet I still think I will skip it.

$1466 2024 Disneyland 5k (with two park days)
$284 LA Big 5k (no hotel)
$522 OC Marathon (without running the race)
$640 CdM Scenic 5k
$1063 SMC Classic 10k/5k (with no hotel)
$1075 Mission Inn Run
$1499 Holiday Half Marathon
$1366 LA Marathon and Marathon Spending
$724 Rose Bowl Half (no hotel)

$8639 for the entire "race season," wow, definitely more expensive than Disneyland Magic Keys 🤣. Hence why I am trying to cut back to only 4 races next season. And I have to cut back on my habit of collecting sparkle skirts and crowned athletic. #crownedbroke #sparklesquad

InBody Scan Progress Tracker

I will close with this. I went for an InBody scan at Nutrishop, and these metrics are still trending in a desirable direction. One of my goals for the LA Marathon was to reduce my body fat, which I have done. It's been painfully slow progress, but considering my age and hormone situation, it's remarkable. Running in graduate school and beyond helped me balance my mental health, and changes to my body composition were an unexpected benefit. Now it's the opposite. I'm running to change my body composition, and the mental health benefits are a glorious side-effect.

10 days until the Rose Bowl Half

I'm at the point now where I'm at the end of the season. I'm planning next season. I realize this race is a beast, I also realize I'm not quite ready for it. I feel slow and injured right now.

priorities

Yep it's cycle day 20. Luteal misery. I fell on my run this morning and cut my knee and the palms of my hands. It got me thinking about my priorities. Should I have cut back the volume of today's run considering I'm a bit sick and on a difficult part of my cycle? Should I have done a shorter workout since my husband and I overslept? Was I rushing to get home and therefore not watching my footing? Was I pushing my pace too hard? Is it too soon after the marathon to be doing speed work again?

Mom

Wife

Teacher

Athlete / Coach

Dog Mom

Friend / Sister

Human Being

Woman

Artist / Gardener

The identities listed above define my priorities. Scheduling my time and doing the most important thing first is a struggle. Minute-by-minute, day-by-day, week-by-week, etc. I do count down the weeks of the semester. I count my parenthood duties as foremost in my mind. I cannot skip these. If my child is sick with a fever, I must drop everything else and take care of him until he is well again.

I guess my wife's duties are to my household and my husband. We took vows to care for each other in sickness and in health. As we strive to reach a more optimized state of health, these duties look like creating shopping lists and meal plans, cleaning kitchens and bathrooms, vacuuming and wiping down common areas, cooking and transporting food, restocking important household supplies, organizing items at the house so they can be inventoried and located, purging items that are no longer used. This is a long list. I also spend many hours per week just putting stuff away, sorting trash from treasures, and resetting areas to be useable again.

Next set of duties that I cannot skip, but also are not my top priority, are the things that I get paid for. Teaching duties, lesson planning, grading, sending emails, posting announcements, following up with absent students, etc. Writing quizzes, making copies, drawing on the board, communicating with colleagues in person and online, reading emails, and scheduling things. I put these things lower on the priority list when I need to, and then higher again when things at home are settled. I work ahead when I feel healthy and balanced, but I fall behind when other higher priorities become urgent.

My duties as an athlete/coach are sometimes higher and sometimes lower, but lately, they have been pretty high. I've let my health take a back seat to parenting and work for half a decade, and now I want to put it higher so that I don't skip workouts and backslide into more significant obesity than I currently am. I spend time creating content for YouTube to educate myself and my runClub. I program and track my workouts using spreadsheets and mileage trackers on Canva. I compare the data on my Samsung Health app to Strava Athlete Intelligence to keep myself motivated and moving forward. As Coach Bennett of the Nike Running app says, You're your best coach. Talk to yourself kindly as you would want your coach to talk to you.

I have a new identity as a dog mom again, which means that I have to fit dog walks into my life. I need to do some dog training and grooming, and remember to add her food to the shopping list, refill her water dish, talk nicely to her, and watch for her under my feet when I'm carrying something large so I don't step on her. 

As a friend, this may look like hour-long phone calls to check in on the women in my life. Or it may look like sharing something funny or motivational on Instagram messages. It doesn't have to take up a lot of time when I'm busy, but it is a steady stream of back-and-forth to let those women know they are important, significant, loved, and cared for. It's similar to sisterhood. It's curating the village. This may be a separate post, but I'm leaning into paying for my village. I paid to join the run club. I paid to join the Sparkle Squad. But I get a lot out of it too.

How the "human being" tasks ended up so far down, I don't know. This is stuff like eating, sleeping and pooping. Stuff all humans do. Getting sick, getting well, breathing, digesting, the things we take for granted when it is going well. Maybe we should also put hydration in this category. Also shopping for stuff like supplements, vitamins, and tracking macros. I mean, this could also be a separate post. I've reconsidered the supplements I'm taking. After some bloodwork before my marathon, which I begrudgingly agreed to do, I briefly stopped taking all my supplements. But since then, I've started retaking most of the supplements I had paused. 

I guess I would put "woman" in here in a general way to say self-care. Beyond friendships. Stuff like pampering. Spa time. Being alone. Thinking your own thoughts. Blogging like I'm doing now. Doing something I enjoy. The other day I heard a podcast about Disney stuff and they mentioned that Bath and Body Works was doing a line of Disney Princess fragrances. I had to go to the mall and smell it for myself. I'm not sure why this resonates with me in the category of women, but I guess princesses are women and women are taught to be conscious of smelling good, not sweaty, and having soft skin, not rough. So this type of self-care is associated with femininity. It also falls under the Wife category since it involves keeping the lotions and soaps stocked. It is Woman, though, because this dry skin due to perimenopause is something else. And I'm hoping the lotions help with that.

Artist is the last, lowest, and least of my identities. But it's still there! This may be visual with crafting, or it may be kinesthetic with roller disco and dance. I had vowed that when I finished the marathon season, I would do something else in the off-season and get back into dance or rollerskating. And then I went ahead and signed up for another marathon! Yes, I'm doing the LA Marathon 2026. But I still have a lot of semester left to finish, and most of the summer will pass by before training starts again in earnest. Naughty Girl Fitness is $14.44 a month, and it's app-based. 

I'm still paying for my Fit4Mom instructor membership, which is $9.99 per month, not even covered by the amount I get paid for coaching the RunClub. After talking with my husband over the long weekend, we may have concluded that I might not continue coaching the RunClub. I might get more out of the season if I commit fully to LARR. The good discount with Fit4Mom is that you do not have to pay for the monthly membership as an instructor and you can still attend classes. I think I was paying $69 per month for Fit4Mom, and at one time, I was paying hundreds of dollars for a monthly membership and Body Well. 

People say good things about Orange Theory Fitness, and 24 Hour Fitness, but for now I've got my Planet Fitness Membership. It's $25 per month for the Black Card membership, which includes massage chairs, hydromassage, tanning and Total Body Enhancement, which I have yet to try but I might do it soon. It's vibration combined with red light therapy. Again, this could be a topic of a future blog post. What I'm looking forward to most is the end of the semester and our trip to Nebraska. What I'm not looking forward to is the Rose Bowl Half because it seems so out of place in the season, finishing up all the work of grading and submitting grades, and the weather going hotter and hotter as we approach summer. 

Maybe I could add to Artist also Gardener. And this is the lowest priority. At the moment completely dead. But it is generally in spring where I revive our garden. Albert has shown some interest in planting stuff for spring. It will be difficult to justify since we're traveling to Nebraska early in June, but maybe if I'm clear with my husband about care instructions, the garden won't be completely dead when we get back. And I really need to work on getting stuff OUT of our house. It's so overstuffed right now it's stressing me out.

26 days until the marathon

I wanted to write a quick blog about how I'm feeling. Just one long run left before the marathon. I feel ready. I know what I'm going to wear. I know what I'm going to eat. I have my pace in mind. I've trained to climb the hills of the course. I'm done listening to doubters (including myself). 

I've had aches and pains in this journey. I remember one of the first things I felt was foot pain, like October or November 2023. I felt like I had a stress fracture in one foot. I remember googling "obese running problems" to see if there was any correlation between weight and running and foot injuries. What I found was that it was actually inversely proportional. Heavy runners tended to run slower and have fewer foot injuries. Lighter runners tended to do too much speed work too soon and get stress fractures. So I kept plodding along.

I don't know which of my runners it was that asked me, don't you have any injuries? and I remember saying, no because I do the proper stretching, strengthing, and rehab. But that's not entirely true. I got a mean case of shin splints around May and June 2024. It hurt so bad even to walk. I think it was probably muscle weakness in the calf that caused it. And I continued to stretch, and do strength exercises, and work through the pain, and buy new shoes! And more calf raises. And curtsey lunges without putting weight on the back leg.

I guess it was about a year ago that I went in and got assessed for new shoes. I was probably following a 5k training plan back then and didn't really look like a serious runner. Those shoes worked well for me and I ended up getting three more pairs of that style. I got reassessed last week and they recommended a pair of New Balance. More lightweight, more cushion. 

I remember it must have been around October or November when I started having pain in my psoas. Or hip flexor. I ordered a dance warm-up that I thought would help. I asked on the Coach's chat for the LA Roadrunners and they said it was most likely a weak muscle. And that the solution is not more stretching or foam rolling but more strengthing. So banded marches it is. What I ended up doing is attending Fit4Mom Stroller Strides classes and then swapping out the exercises I should be doing for my rehab and running strength instead of whatever the instructor tells us.

I don't know what day it was but one morning it was really cold. I had some knee pain. But I put on my knee-high leg warmers and ran anyway. As long as my knees were covered, it was okay. If the leg warmer slipped below the knee, it hurt a bit. I'm guessing it was Lassen (January 30th). Adding speed and treadmill and hills at the same time. Probably too much. 

I would love to write more about how I'm feeling, but I have to run to class. Enjoy this Venn Diagram I made about the similarities and differences between Motherhood, Marathoning and Teaching.

Christmas Eve

It's winter. I'm still overweight after getting back into running and training steadily for over a year. It's Christmas day tomorrow and I'm nervous. Did I do enough to make it magical for my son? Am I being a good wife? Have I been a good sister, daughter, and friend this year? 

Have I done enough to build muscle and bone, to slow the gradual progression into middle age? Is high cholesterol going to kill me? Is it related to perimopause? Should I be on a cycle synching diet? Am I doomed to gain and lose the same 70 pounds over and over each decade of my adult life? Was there ever any hormonal reason for my infertility?

Why are all the female characters in Taylor Sheridan's dramas totally psycho and sex-crazed? Is that really how men see us? Or is that how they want us to be? Are they powerful because of their sex-appeal or are the sex scenes just there to keep you engaged in a storyline that is littered with foul language?

At what point do you take away a child's access to the world wide web? How far can you go with gentle parenting until you don't punish your child at all? How can a child comprehend boundaries if they never have a consequence of crossing the boundaries? How many miles can a child walk before it damages their growth plates? How can I teach my child to make friends on the playground when I don't even want to?

How many more training runs can I do before my toenails fall off? No wonder I can't sleep. I am seriously worrying about a ton of crap. This is the stress of the default parent. I managed the holiday magic. I went to the things. I finished up my work. I made the lists and checked them twice. Are holiday cards obsolete? Are cards just clutter? Are our family photos someone else's junk mail? Are we trying too hard to shove our cute little ones in other people's faces? What's the point if you don't feel a sense of connection?

How many miles are on my last pair of shoes? If I just broke out a new pair, will they last me until the marathon? When will my chiropractor be healed from his hip surgery? Why didn't I ask for a referral to someone else in the meantime? When can I get a massage? How can we afford all the repairs from getting out car fixed? Should we just buy a new car now?

And let's not even go too far down the rabbit hole of the next 4 years. By the end of it, my son will be almost 9 years old. What do I remember about being 9? Not much. I guess I was a big sister. My siblings would have been 3 and 1 year old. Yep, definitely don't remember this time at all. My parents were probably just barely surviving themselves.

I remember wanting to be the good girl. Wanting to be helpful. Wanting to avoid drama. Wanting to fit in. Wanting to have less scarcity. Resenting my dog. Actually really hating the dog. Why? Why does my son take out his aggression on his stuffed animals? Why do parents take out their aggression on their children? Because it's easy, right? And there's a pecking order. That's nature.

I feel like I can't calm down sometimes. I feel like I'm doing some of this work alone. Parenting work. I feel like my husband is doing the minimum and feeling like he's doing so much. I feel like he chides me for spending money on stuff but then hides his spending on his stuff. Like yeah running is a fun hobby but also it's for my health. Do I need a sparkly outfit for race day? No. But do new running shoes protect me from injury? Yes. Some sports bras give chafe and I'm still trying to figure out how to avoid that. 

No I'm not a medical doctor. No I don't want a mammogram. There are tests that I would like to run on myself but they have to be ordered by a doctor and the last time I asked for this person's help with checking my hormone levels, they didn't help me with that. I wish there were a fairy godmother for health stuff. Someone who would walk you through the right steps to get the outcome you are hoping for. I guess for me that would be a peaceful home life with less mom rage and a healthy body that is not going to be ravaged by inflammation, cancer, or osteoporosis. I want to have peaceful, healthy relationships with my family members and work collegues. I want to be a part of my community and uplift others. I want to finish this marathon and see how I feel after that. I know reaching one's goal in life doesn't automatically make you happy. It is more important that you see yourself in a positive light every day, all through the journey, regardless of how you look or feel every day. I try to squeeze in my self-care in 5-min increments. Just a little here and there. Not too much late night doom scrolling. But some nights, like tonight, I wonder if I'm enough. When we pack up all the twinkle and sparkle of Christmas, what's left?? My son is planning the days around his desire to shop for mystery cars at Target. He wants to go there every day for the rest of his winter break and collect as many as he can find or carry. He also wants a Transformer Barbie House for Christmas and I have no idea what that is or if it even exists. I did not buy it buy it buy it.

Women are not small men

The general guideline is 150 minutes of activity per week. This advice is about 20 years old.

What's important are the ratios of estrogen and progesterone, ratios change as you enter menopause.

Menopause causes a demise in sensitivity of receptors, change in gut microbiome, bone and muscle loss.

How can we do super high intensity work to cause epigenetic changes in the muscles as we become more insulin resistant?

Lifting heavy has a CNS effect. It stimulates muscle protein synthesis. Strength and power. Faster nerve signaling, stronger muscle contraction, in the absence of estrogen.

Raising cortisol is a danger zone. We already have elevated baseline cortisol. Resistance training with 10-12 exercises can just raise cortisol. 

Muscle fatigue is caused by the load? or the volume? Women tend to under-load. If you want to gain lean mass, you can just do a volume to fatigue. But if you want to prevent falls, you need the heavier load to engage proprioception. Do 5-7 reps of heavier load rather than 10-12 reps of lighter load. You can do 5 sets of 5 with good mechanics. 

Periodization is important for the rest of your life. It doesn't stop at one competitive event. You want cycles of building up and off-season. First 3 months is base building. Then add load.

Sprint-interval training. Not HIIT. Working at 95-110% of VO2max. You can only hold it for <30 seconds. Not more than 1 minute. HIIT is 1-2 minute intervals. In sprint-interval training, you're having longer 2-3 minute recovery periods. It yields more metabolic and CNS adaptations, which are more beneficial to perimenopausal women. More impactful than hormone therapy.

Metabolism, cardiovascular risks, bone density. Improves muscle uptake of glucose. Controls blood pressure. 

Protein is super-important! For even sedentary, obese or normal-weight women. 1 gram per pound which is compared to 0.6 grams per pound. Higher protein intake allows reorganization of body composition. If you add strength training, you can do it even faster. Recomposition.

Anabolic resistance happens in perimenopause. Taking in protein every 3-4 hours is important for recomp and protein synthesis. Without taking in protein, you can't recomp your body.

Men age linearly while women have a big change point in the mid-forties. We have some anovulatory cycles. We have estrogen without progesterone. We see significant changes including loss of lean mass, increase in adiposity. We don't have signals to keep lean mass. We are confused and therefore pack on body fat to prepare for hibernation. We lose strength and power.

We have to look at gut diversity. Because our hormones are digested in the gut. 

The tendency is that when women start storing fat, they just eat less. Downregulating thyroid, increasing bone catabolism, increasing muscle catabolism. You should not do fasted exercise. You should not be skipping recovery meals. Manipulating body comp is done by fueling training and eating less at night when you're not training.

If you fuel properly, you will have more energy, which will feed forward more quickly, and you will see results. Fasted training can work for men but not women, especially when we're going through menopause. Even for women who are in their reproductive years, fasted training is not good for us. We have a system for using free fatty acids in our mitochondria. We already have estrogen shuttling carbohydrates away from muscles, just by being born female. 

The recommendations are 100-150 calories, 15-20g protein preworkout before strength training drops cortisol and allows the body to have access to blood glucose. Pre-workout 15-20g protein with 30g of carbs before cardio training. Which allows us to train harder and recover.

Fasted women end up with more hormone dysfunction. Kisspeptin neurons. Men have more fatty acids available if they train fasted, but this does not work for women. Kisspeptin neurons regulate metabolism (fasting leads to low energy availability). The other Kisspeptin neurons regulate appetite and nutrient density. Keto and/or fasting can be counterproductive.

ROAR was first published in 2016 and updated in 2023. Oral contraceptives and hormone replacement. Different times in the cycle have either great or poor resilience to infection. Track your cycle and heart rate variability. Biohacking can lead to better understanding. Natural vs. synthetic hormones and how they are digested in the gut.

Bleed patterns will change when you approach menopause. If there's ovarian failure, you will have an extended follicular phase. You may get heavier or shorter periods, which is indicative of approaching menopause. When you have perimenopause symptoms, you need to get into sprint-intervals. If you're training 3x per week, do 2x per week sprint-intervals. Even if you're endurance training, do some sprint-intervals for metabolic control.

Even doing a sprint-interval once every 10 days, it's better than not doing any at all. You can go to the gym and do it in a group situation. You might find it hard to get the motivation to sprint. Doing two in one session is better than not doing it at all. Within reality, go for the 80/20 rule. Try to do it all the time and then it's okay to give yourself permission to skip 20% of the workouts.

Two weeks of focused training, then one week of recovery. Do what you love. Undulating periodization. "Focusing" could be heavier load on squats. Focus could be something else in the next 3-week block. As we get into perimenopause, we need more recovery. 

Estrogen without progesterone is responsible for how strong myocin bonds to actin. So we don't have as strong of a muscle contraction when progesterone is present. Acetylcholine (muscle depolarizing) is also effected by estrogen. No estrogen, less acetylcholine, less strong muscle contraction. Estrogen helps with strength and power. But progesterone limits strength and power. Progesterone is catabolic. It uses the resources to build endometrial lining. Estrogen is anabolic.

In the women's health initiative study, late post-menopausal, 8 or 10 years beyond menopause, women were studied that were manifesting major symptoms like bone loss, cardiovascular issues, and muscle loss. Adding synthetic hormones at that point had more risks than benefits. But there are lots of other things that can be done that can mitigate these things, other than taking exogenous hormones, for example in early perimenopause.

What supplements would you suggest? Adaptogens like maca, ashwagandha, reishi. SSRIs even can bring back a woman's sex drive, which is opposite of during the reproductive years if women are taking SSRIs for anxiety. Because menopause effects dopamine and serotonin signaling. 

Diindolylmethane (DIM) is a natural compound found in cruciferous vegetable family, which includes broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, and cabbage. DIM can reduce the severity of hormone swings through the menstrual cycle making it more even throughout the month. Magnesium, zinc and omega-3 fatty acids to counter prostaglandins. Shisandra can address high stress and lack of focus. Holy basil and Rhodiola can specifically be helpful for perimenopause.

Insulin resistance makes us need to be more aware of when we take in carbohydrates. They help with gut microbiome and energy. As long as you are using a wide variety of colorful fruits and veg, you're getting quality carbs. Think more about when you take in carbs. 1g/kg per hour for refueling. 3-5g/kg per hour for moderately heavy training loads. 5-8g/kg per hour for the heaviest training loads.

Creatine 1/2 tsp (3-5 grams per day) women have 70-80% as many creatine stores than men. You will have fatigue if you don't get good sleep. Creatine can address low sleep or depression symptoms. Women tend to eat less of foods that contain creatine. Men tend to go through more creatine because they have more fast twitch muscles. Women tend to eat more endurance-related foods. Get more in and have it available. Creatine helps maintain gut integrity also, by maintaining the mucosal lining of the gut. 

Have a 12-h fasted window. Stop eating after dinner. Let your body focus on repair.

"Hit play not pause" group. Have conversations about normal aging. Vocalize to your doctor that you might be going through perimenopause. 

The Dr. Gabrielle Lyon show (podcast)

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/can-womens-health-get-better-with-age-stacy-sims-phd/id1622316426?i=1000597402794

Dr. Sims' TED talk

Graphic from

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/350098554_Sprint_interval_training_SIT_reduces_serum_epidermal_growth_factor_EGF_but_not_other_inflammatory_cytokines_in_trained_older_men

Mission Inn Run 2024 Race Report

The event itself: Where? How long? When? Weather?

The weather was good. It was about 55 degrees at the start and around 70 degrees at the finish, not too windy. Mt. Rubidoux shaded a good part of the trail, and the residential neighborhoods and parks had a nice amount of shade from mature trees. The 10k started at 7:45 a.m., and I was done by 9:10 a.m. It was enough time to stretch, cool down, and eat breakfast before the kids' race started at 10 a.m.

Course description and evaluation of event logistics

Downtown through a park, on a bike path, along another park, through residential, back through downtown. Plenty of potties, a simple start and finish line, and no waves at the start.

How you trained for the event

I followed a mixture of the Fit4Mom 10k training plan, the LA Roadrunners LA Marathon training plan, the Jeff Galloway runDisney half marathon training plan, and the Dumbo Double Dare training plan for the Disneyland race. I did observe a taper week before this race. I also focused on nutrition, hydration, and electrolytes in the week leading up to the run. I started to add hills and speed work 4 weeks before race day.

Your gear and nutrition

I had two cups of coffee two hours before the run. I ate a banana and Rx bar 30 minutes before my run. I drank an electrolyte drink about 1 hour before the race. I wore my Nathan Trail Mix waist belt to carry my Gu. I used the toilet about 20 minutes before the race started. I ate one Gu at mile 2 and another Gu at mile 4. Both had no caffeine. I drank some of my water with my Gu and some of the water ended up on my head, arms, legs, and chest.

Conversations you had

Dressing like Tinkerbell was a great idea. I had Disney Hits blasting on my Muzen, and people sang along. People were cheering Go Tink! It was excellent. I met a lady who was training for the Dumbo. She had hurt her foot, so she wasn't running that day. Lots of people started talking about the Disney races when they saw me. I saw a man who was wearing a Dopey 2025 shirt.

Your finish and associated emotions

Somewhere between mile 5 and 6, I started to run out of gas. I considered walking and giving up. I started thinking, how can you think you can finish a marathon if you can't even finish a 10k and I almost started crying. I just wanted the race to be over and for my family to come pick me up. But then we got to downtown, and many people were cheering. It gave me a kick of energy to finish the last half mile. My playlist got to "You'll Be in My Heart," I thought about my run club, and they carried me when my legs were tired. I felt like they were with me. Also, two dozen high school cheerleaders were yelling Go Tinkerbell!!!!! That inspired me to run through the finish line.

Your overall evaluation of the event

Overall, I loved staying at the Mission Inn and running the race. We parked the car and didn't need it. There are plenty of places to eat within walking distance.

Budget Tracker

10k Registration $60.31 (4 months early) + $33 for kids race (day-of)

Lodging $182.35 (4 months early) + $489.52 (at check out)

Costume = Pom Poms for shoes $7.29

Food 10/19 IHOP + BBQ = $50 + $55

10/20 Simple Simon + Spaghetti Factory = $50 + $60

10/21 Taco Station = $35

Snacks CVS + Market = $22 + $11.5

Race Photo = $20

Total $1075.97

Zone 2

What is Zone 2 and why is it important? How does it relate to weight loss? How does it relate to marathon training?

I made a video about the Magic Mile and why it's important. I shared the video with my run club. A magic mile is a time trial that you do every 3-4 weeks. You can take that one simple number and plug it into a VDOT calculator or JeffGalloway.com to determine what pace you can expect to do for different distances. The advantage of the magic mile is that it's very simple to measure. And it's an accurate predictor of performance on race day.

After recording, editing, posting, and sharing that video, I attended the LA Road Runners Thursday chat with coach David and he showed a graph of his heart rate and lactic acid from running and cycling. The way he explained it was kind of confusing to me, so I wanted to do a bit of WRITING TO LEARN, hoping that I would be able to understand all the colorful designations on the graph a little bit better.

Heart Rate-based training zones are a big thing now. Apparently, the big thing in exercise science a few years back was HIIT which is high-intensity interval training. Now the big thing is Zone 2 training.

• Zone 1 You can easily hold a conversation with someone.
• Zone 2 Roughly 65% of the calories you burn are fat.
• Zone 3 Talking in this zone takes effort, but you could sustain this pace for hours?
• Zone 4 You are no longer burning fat to fuel your effort. Lactic acid production increases dramatically as you switch to burning carbohydrates for energy.
• Zone 5 Your heart is beating at 90-100% of the max heart rate. Talking is out of the question. Cannot hold effort for more than a minute or two.

The goal of the coach's chat was to discuss speed work and how that plays a role in training for a marathon. A way to lengthen your baseline (extending the scope of zones 1 and 2, preventing lactic acid build-up) is to train in some of your workouts at or near the anaerobic threshold. You can achieve this by running intervals or doing a HIIT workout. The LA Marathon training plan I'm following has only 15% of the workouts doing speed work or intervals. I have been trying to incorporate some of this as hill workouts.

• R-pace (repetition): VDOT = 10:43 mile
• I-pace (interval): VDOT = 11:07 mile
• T-pace (threshold): VDOT = 13:32 mile
• HMRP (half-marathon race pace): VDOT = 16:23 mile
• MRP (marathon race pace): VDOT = 16:32 mile
• easy: VDOT says 14:13 ~ 15:30 miles

VO2max is the “maximum volume of oxygen” an athlete can use per minute relative to body weight to produce energy during an all-out, sustained effort of a few minutes that is well above the anaerobic threshold. This has to be measured while running on a treadmill or biking on a stationary bike while hooked up to a ventilator and doing your max effort. It's very uncomfortable but I actually participated in a research study on cyclists while I was in graduate school. They measured my VO2max to qualify me for the study, to see if I had the aerobic capacity, in fact, of a trained cyclist. Then they measured my bone density to see if there were significant differences in the arm and leg bone density of runners vs. cyclists. The PI was Dr. Michael Liang at  California State Polytechnic Institute, Pomona.

A higher VO2 max is indicative of a higher anaerobic threshold, which, by definition, means a higher level of lactic acid tolerance. Functionally, this means that a level of exertion that used to be anaerobic (for you when you were a beginner) can now become aerobic with longer duration potential.

Lactate Threshold is defined by a specific concentration of lactate in the blood. (2 mmol/L) So you have to have blood drawn to measure this. Functionally, this means when you are putting your body through more stress, which takes longer to recover from.

Below your aerobic threshold, exercise is sustainable ‘indefinitely.’ Even very lean people have reserves of fat stored. However, if we can only store 2000 calories as glycogen in the muscles, this is why people tend to hit the wall at mile 20 of a marathon if they're running too fast (zone 3 or above), because the rate of calorie burning is 100 cal/mile. The point of fatigue will be determined by muscle glycogen stores, and at some point, you’ll hit a wall where exercise cannot be continued due to glycogen depletion.

See, the marathon training plan from the LA Road Runners is so confusing to me because it's like an alphabet soup. Last Wednesday's run was supposed to be 10 min easy + (3 min T-Pace + 2 min HMRP)x3 + 4 min T-Pace + 10 min easy. I don't hate math and I hate looking at this. If it were always the same, I would program my Seconds Pro app and then go from there, but this is just too confusing.

10 min 15 min mile = 0.66 of a mile 

3 min / 13.5 min mile = 0.22 of a mile 

2 min / 16.5 min mile = 0.12 of a mile

4 min / 13.5 min mile = 0.29 of a mile

total distance         =         2.63 miles

Honestly, I just can't do this math at 4:30am and it doesn't really work with the distances I have that I regularly run. Is this just to make sure we're not getting bored or is it really doing something for the anaerobic threshold? Last time I trained for a half marathon, I just ran through the city every other day. Sometimes with my dogs and sometimes without. I did two weekday runs and one long weekend run. I did about a 5k on weekday mornings before work and between 10 and 13 miles on the weekend. I had no training plan, no coach, no goal. Back then, my only goal was to maintain my sanity while finishing my PhD.

Okay, admittedly this blog post is a real jumble of ideas. But in all that confusion, I came out with an answer to my question, why am I going for a speed limit of 20:54 per mile in long runs? That seems very slow to me. The answer is that it keeps me in zone 2 or below. I've been tracking my heart rate as I walk Albert to school and as we go on long walks on Saturdays. If Albert is in the jogging stroller and we're going along at a pretty good pace (let's say less than 20-minute miles) then we're in zone 2.

The data above is from a 4-mile walk where we did about 18-minute miles. It was a conversational pace, we were chatting the whole time. I don't know how SamsungWatch5 sets the heart rate zones, whether these are defaults, or whether they're based on my age and max heart rate. I guess it's the formula 220 - age, which for me is 220 - 44 = 176.

I was starting to get bummed out because I've been running for a year now and I haven't experienced any significant weight loss. I was starting to accept the fact that just like breastfeeding where some people drop weight right away and some people maintain or gain weight, maybe I was that type of runner who doesn't lose weight while training for a marathon, maybe I am just destined to maintain or gain weight. But now this reveals that I might just need to slow down to stay in a fat-burning heart rate zone.

Coach Bennett on the Nike Run Club app is always telling us to run the mile we're in and have a goal for each run, even a goal for each mile. Don't worry about how fast you're going because sometimes faster is not better. You want the workout you're doing to meet your goal for that workout.

The only reason I was trying to get faster is that the LA Marathon has a time cut-off of 6.5 hours. So to run 26.2 miles in 6.5 hours, I would need to be running about 14.9 minute miles. So I've been obsessed with getting to that pace or faster for my training runs. It's very easy to get caught up in PRs if you look at your training data on Strava. There are no awards for going slower. But there might be rewards if what you are looking for is losing fat (inches).

CdM Scenic 5k 2024 Race Report

The Corona del Mar Scenic 5k is a fun event in Orange County, Southern California. We originally started running it with my sister-in-law because the event is sponsored by Hoag Hospital, and she worked there.

3.1 miles. Lots of turns. Well-marked course. Right along the ocean. 60 deg F at the start, 64 deg F by the end. There was a marine layer, a calm and cloudy morning, which we call the "June Gloom." Very humid, even a bit of drizzle.

There were maybe less than 2000 participants. There were dozens of port-a-potties. There was a fun aerobic warmup and balloon arch start line. It was fun to let the men go first, then women second, and walkers third. 

I had forgotten that there were a lot of loops in the course where slower runners could catch a glimpse or wave to faster runners. So, it was fun for families and spectators.

Followed a Fit4Mom 10k training plan. Three days per week of runs and two days per week of strength training. One day of active recovery and one rest day. Not in that order.

Started off wearing a visor to keep the sprinkles off my glasses. Ended up swapping it for my sunglasses, which was the original outfit I had planned. Retiring my Brooks Ariels after this event.

I ate a cinnamon roll 3+ hours before the race, 4 egg whites ~2 hours before the race, and a Prime sleeve in 500mL of water. 

I got a bit psyched out in the first quarter mile because I think I started too far forward in the corrals, and almost everyone passed me. But then I put on my training playlist, and it really helped me calm down mentally. I had trained to it for most of my two-mile Tuesday morning runs, so I knew I was going at the right pace for me.

It was so heartwarming to run by my kiddo and husband who were spectating. The BOB jogging stroller was my aid station and SAG wagon. I swapped out my visor for a pair of sunglasses and immediately felt cooler (temperature-wise).

We walked the course the day before very slowly. It was good to program my brain with all the landmarks, and it was fabulous to see all the homes and gardens at a snail's pace. An unforeseen benefit is that I felt like I was flying on race day because I was going so much faster than the day before, and I had no anxiety about going the wrong way.

My pre-race A goal was to run continuously, and I achieved that. My B goal was to cross the finish line, and I achieved that. I didn't have a time goal, but I finished in under 45 minutes, and my pace was under 13 minute miles. I showed improvement over my last 5k race. 

I didn't have a lot of feels crossing the finish line, until I saw the other gals that were with me for most of the race hugging their family members. I said congrats and good job, and it was nice to run with you. Hearing how happy they were to complete their 1st organized 5k event brought tears to my eyes because I know how empowering it is to undertake your first 5k and what a significant accomplishment it is. Yes. People do much longer races, but for a new runner to be born is a thing of beauty.

Restaurant Row did not disappoint. There were three types of burritos, doughnuts, creme brulee, banana, and pasta—truly a feast. There was plenty to share with my husband and son. We didn't do the dolphin dash this year, but we might in the future.

Overall, I love this race and would completely do it again. This was my sixth time running it. I keep going back because it’s that awesome. Not only is the restaurant row at the finish line unique, but having the women's start staggered from the men's is also.

I saw many Disney runners sporting their long-sleeved shirts from the long-awaited return of the Disneyland race in January 2024, so it was fun to say, "I was there, too." The CdM Scenic 5k event is so fun. I highly recommend it. This was their 42nd year.

This was my sixth time running this course, and I am happy with my time.

2024     40:15     13.0 min/mi

2014     40:29     13.0 min/mi

2013     39:00     12.7 min/mi

2012     40:00     13.0 min/mi

2011     35:30     11.5 min/mi

2009     44:00     14.0 min/mi

On the left, I was a newlywed, still in the honeymoon phase of marriage. Still in the honeymoon phase of graduate school. Still in the honeymoon phase of my fitness journey. These were the good times. 2010 is where things started to go off the rails.

I've been through so much since then. I finished my PhD in chemistry in 2012. I chose to live a sober life in 2013. After a barrage of fertility treatments, I got promoted to mommy in 2020. I advanced to Senior Lecturer (rank C) in 2022, which is equivalent to a promotion from Assistant Professor to Associate Professor for a non-tenure track faculty member. These accomplishments are the promises come true.

If I could say anything to my 15-year-old self, it would be, "You've got this, sweetie." You're going to be challenged beyond what you think you can handle, but you CAN handle it. You will survive, and you will eventually find yourself in a happy, joyous, and free life!

The dark years (January, January and May 2010)

In January 2010, my husband moved to San Diego without me. I could visit on the weekends, but only every other weekend. It was soul-crushing because I wanted to be with him, I didn't know how much longer I would have to work on my PhD, and we were so tight on money because we had to maintain two separate living situations. Also, I had always wanted to live in San Diego, and it felt so unfair that I only got to be a part-time resident. My body was screaming that it was time to have a child, but my boss told me that it would be a deal-breaker. And if I got pregnant, then I just shouldn't return to work.

Running was something that allowed me to escape my reality. I was really running away from my problems instead of facing them. I did eventually start seeing a therapist, but I felt that he was more amused by me and not actually able to help me wrap my mind around accepting reality and getting me to a point where I could have a healthy perspective on my life. If I had realized that the time frame of the PhD would be 5.5 years and no longer and that I could have been happy and enjoyed it instead of striving for perfection and always falling short, I might have been able to keep my head on straight.

I will say also that even though I took these photos of myself to document my weight loss achievement, I was crumbling inside. I was so unhappy. It was bittersweet to reach a goal weight, goal time, or other milestone (to be faster than anyone on a bike) but to feel so worthless, useless, and wanting to die rather than to keep living. I can say that those were the dark years of graduate school after year 3. It was a continuous stream of experiments, failures, showing up to work and feeling undervalued, disempowered, and abused by coworkers. I felt more like roadkill than the badass I was. 

When I look back at this blog and the posts I wrote in 2009, 2010, and 2011, I realize I wasn't completely honest with you, dear reader. I wasn't able to be honest with myself about the amount of pain that I was in. I couldn't be honest with my boss about my strong feelings regarding family and my desire to have children. Now, it's too late. I'm happy to be "one and done," and I feel grateful that I could become a mother. But it still stings when people ask if we will have another kid. I'm turning 44 soon, so people should be able to see my age and know that this is not possible. Although a friend told me I don't look or act my age, so I should learn to forgive people for this question.