Marathon Recovery. ITB pain. Barefooting it.

The road to recovery from a marathon can be a tricky task. Some marathons you run them and recover perfectly so that you don't even need a day off from running. This has been my experience after the majority of my marathons.

Unfortunately the Denver Marathon recovery has not been quite so easy. A twinge in my right ITB at 20 miles was not the best start. The pain got worse over the last 6 miles and left me limping at the end. It had been a long year of racing and travel so it was a great excuse to have some much needed time off from running.

The problem was how to maintain some fitness without adding more stress to my IT Band. I tried a light jog a few days after. Bad move. Stabbing pain in my right knee. Next i tried spin class. Bad move. Resulted in tighter hamstrings, hip flexors and ITB. Next swimming...still put stress on my IT Band. Lastly i resorted to the most simple of all exercise -Walking! At first i was sore to walk but after a week or so i found i could walk with minimal pain. Living right beside Chataqua Park in Boulder i started to hike some of the trails. However i kept getting sore in my knee or worse feeling sharp pain in my hip on the same side. The more cushioning i had in my shoes the worse the pain. Hmmm. I thought. Must be something to this. So i went to my big sports bag and got out my old trusty VIBRAM FIVE FINGERS. Woo hoo! After a 2 hour hike in the Vibrams i felt the best i had felt for 2 weeks. Being able to feel the dirt and rocks under my feet must have improved the proprioception to my legs, hips and spine and so i had found the perfect recovery exercise post marathon. Barefoot hiking!

So a combination of ICING, BAREFOOT WALKING, MASSAGE, FOAM ROLLER and HIP EXERCISES helped me get rid of that horrid IT BAND PAIN. Today i went for my first proper run post marathon. 30mins on the flat grass. No pain during or after. That really put a smile back on my face :-)

Garmin File & Race Report from Denver Marathon. Training Peaks

Hi guys,

Here is the link to my Garmin File & Race Report from Denver Marathon :-)

...not much being recorded on the Garmin at the moment! Enjoying a nice little rest. Hope to record some activity very soon!!!

From Kaz

http://blog.trainingpeaks.com/2010/10/denver-rock-n-roll-marathon-winner-karen-barlow-shares-her-race-file-with-trainingpeaks.html

Denver Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon Winner, Karen Barlow, Shares Her Race File With TrainingPeaks

28 October 2010

So what’s it take to WIN a marathon?  Ask Karen Barlow.  She’s won two Rock ‘n’ Roll marathons this year: New Orleans and Denver a little over a week ago.

Here’s a summary of the race from Karen:

“Rock n Roll Denver Marathon 2010  —  Goal was to run relaxed and conservative, have fun, and try to win! Started out relatively fast. 6.04 first mile. Wanted to start strong and hopefully establish an early lead. I was surprised at 8miles to be passed by Heather Utrata. She looked fantastic and put a good 30secs to a minute on me very quickly. Instead of reacting to her move by speeding up i focused on being relaxed and made sure I kept a close eye on her for my counter-move…it was still early days for a marathon race. I re-established the lead just before halfway i think. I love leading and was determined to remain in the lead to the finish line. I concentrated on picking off one guy at a time and had fun running through the shaded parks, enjoying the crowd, picking up cytomax from the drink stations and focusing on trying to run relaxed and strong. Everything was going great until i felt my right ITB twinge badly turning a corner between 21 & 22 miles. The pain was worse on the downhill sections. I was relieved to run up the bridge between 23 & 24 miles because it did not hurt my knee! I saw the second and third placed girls at the turnaround point and saw the pain on their faces and saw they were hurting. I knew that if i could relax and stay strong to the finish line without my knee buckling that i had the win. It was a wonderful feeling crossing the finish line first! The course was beautiful winding through the parks of Denver. We had a perfect cool clear sunny day. Perfect weather for the marathon & a great reward for all the hard marathon training i have put in this year!”

She had come off a bit of a disappointment in the Chicago Marathon a week earlier.  At 14 miles in, she made the call to pull out of the race because the conditions just weren’t right.  She said,

“After the disappointment of not finishing Chicago…I consoled myself with lots of ice-cream after the race. I only went out for 2x jogs -30min only the following week. Treated myself to a pedicure (they took off all the hard callous from under my feet)…

…and then decided instead of calling it a year that i should try to finish off my year on a positive note by attempting another marathon the following Sunday…at altitude in the Rock ‘n’ Roll Denver Marathon!”

Karen was gracious enough to share her race file with us.  So here’s what it looks like (the data, at least) to win the Denver Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon:

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Preparing for the Boston Marathon: Karen Barlow at Carlsbad

Rock n Roll Denver Marathon

After the disappointment of not finishing Chicago last weekend. I consoled myself with lots of ice-cream after the race. I only went out for 2x jogs -30min only the following week. Treated myself to a pedicure (they took off all the hard callous from under my feet)...

...and then decided instead of calling it a year that i should try to finish off my year on a positive note by attempting another marathon the following Sunday (today) at altitude in the Rock n Roll Denver Marathon!

My goals were to:
1. FINISH the race!
2. ENJOY running the marathon
3. If there was any chance of winning...go for it!

It just so happened that i got perfect weather. Finally!!! Yay!!! Nice and cold at the start and a sunny beautiful day!!! It was so nice to go to the start of the race in track-suit pants and a hoody instead of sweating in a crop top and bike shorts which has been my experience in my past several marathons.

I had a good battle with two other girls but was determined that today was going to be my day. I ran 2.54 and finished first.

Thanks Jenny Hadfield for implanting the idea in my head of the "hare"!!!

It worked a treat!

Am off now to celebrate with Damian with sushi and a bit more icecream!

From Kaz

PS. Never let anyone remove the hard callous from under your feet just in case you decide to run a marathon (it hurts!) I had really pretty toes for the race...but now have quite a few blisters from soft feet as a result!!!

Transrockies, Nathan Hydration Packs, Peeing above the tree line!

Can you believe i ran with a hydration pack??? Road runners are never seen with hydration packs on. This is because "roadies" want to run with the least weight possible so a hydration pack is definitely out of the question in the quest for super fast running. However dehydration has the ability to SLOW YOU DOWN much more than weight (i found this out after the first day of the Goretex TR3 when i bonked from not hydrating well enough running uphill at altitude!).

The new Nathan Hydration pack was a perfect solution. It was much lighter than i anticipated and it was super easy to take multiple small sips of my sports drink during the climb up Hope Pass. The only minor problem was that i drank too much and ended up having to pee at the top of Hope Pass. To make matters worse Hope Pass is over 12,500 feet. It is so high that it is above the tree-line which means there are no bushes to hide behind when you need to go pee!

After cresting the top of Hope Pass i was free to make my way all the way down the other side of the mountain to the finish line of Day 2. By the time i made it to the bottom i had no skin left on my elbows or knees from falling over multiple rocks and tree roots. This slows you down too. It does not feel good to be passed by little old men and ladies who made me look bad by hopping ever so nimbly over every obstacle as they negotiated the treacherous descent. Mental note to self: MUST PRACTICE downhill running over big rocks and sticks for next trail race.

The funniest or silliest thing is that I cant wait to go back and do it again next year. I will definitely be working on improving my knee lift and agility as well as taking my Nathan Hydration Pack with me!

ElliptiGO - Great Cross Training for Runners

"It's a brilliant cross-training tool for me."
"I think the ElliptiGO is the perfect cross-training tool for running. It uses very similar muscles, but I am also being able to recruit other muscles, which is really important.  High-mileage training weeks can become tedious, repetitive and sometimes a bit boring, so the ElliptiGO gives me a fun way to build strength and fitness while giving my body a break from the pounding."
	About Karen: Karen is an elite marathoner from Australia.  She has won several major distance events this year, including the Rock 'n’ Roll Mardi Gras Marathon.  Her typical training regimen includes 80-100 miles of running per week.  Karen uses the ElliptiGO to reduce the wear and tear on her body and tends to substitute an ElliptiGO workout for her normal post-race recovery workout.

Running for the (Digest) Gold

Running for the (Digest) Gold

At Enzymedica, we love to hear from our customers! We are very proud to offer the number one selling enzyme supplement on the market, Digest Gold.  (It was awarded first place in the prestigious, 2010 Vitamin Retailer Vity Awards.)  Getting industry accolades is one thing, but hearing a customer success story is like winning the race for GOLD.

We heard from one of our valued customers, Karen Barlow, who is a marathon runner and uses our products.  Marathon runners understand the need to have a completely balanced body.  Their disciplined training can be punishing to the body and they need to be able to forge forward through any pain to the finish line.  Nearly 2,600 runners hit the pavement to compete at the Laguna Hills Memorial Day Half Marathon including Karen Barlow who said:

Karen Barlow, of Newport Beach, makes the final turn on her way to the finish

“My favorite product that I took before the race and I continue to take on a daily basis is the Digest Gold PLUS Probiotics. This is the most awesome product from the Enzymedica range as I can take it with any of my meals and know that I am getting the best available nutrition to fuel my training and racing. I also use the CarbGest as I eat a diet that is very high in carbohydrates which is crucial to obtain the energy required to run so many miles! Carb Gest is especially valuable in the lead up to a half marathon and marathon race as this is the time when it is important to ingest even more carbohydrates called “carbo loading” before the event. Without proper carbo loading, many athletes hit the “dreaded wall” after the 20 mile mark! I take an assortment of other great products from the Enzymedica range depending on what my body needs during different phases of my training and racing.”

We would like to congratulate Karen Barlow for winning the Women’s first place at the Laguna Hills Memorial Day Half Marathon! We would love to hear your success story, too!

*Photo of Karen Barlow used with written permission of the Orange County Register

Link to us at:  Enzymedica – http://www.enzymedica.com/blog

Digestive Enzymes  supplements by Enzymedica: the Enzyme Experts.

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Boston Marathon

I had a great trip to Boston and racing in the elite women's race was a great experience for me!

The first Half was heaps of fun and felt really easy...i flew through the first 10km in 36.05 & the Half-Marathon in 78.29 trying to stay as relaxed as i could.

I wish i could report similar for the second half :-)

The next mile after half-way was a pretty steep downhill and i felt my quads cramping pretty badly. They continued to get worse and worse and pretty much both my quads were wrecked well before i got to anywhere near the infamous Newton Hills!

It is well known how much i dislike running up hills but for the first time in my life i actually LOVED the UPHILL sections (because they were the only parts where my quads stopped screaming at me!) -ha ha!

I spent the second half of the race waiting for one of my quads to rip off...but unfortunately neither did and i had to keep running to the finish!

I was pretty happy to make it to the finish line in one piece...and with a marathon pb too ;-) 2.44.19

Damian (my husband) and i both loved Boston. It is definitely one of our favourite cities that we have visited in the USA. We went to Legal Seafood after the race which was great and the next day spent the day walking the Freedom Trail (Damian had to lift me up and down the steps!), and we had fun checking out the Boston Common and the Quincy Market and Cheers too. We got to meet Bill Rodgers which was definitely a highlight for me. If you ask Damian he would probably say it was the pizza from Regina's Pizza (the oldest Pizza house in the States)

My best advice for anyone planning to run Boston next year would definitely be to make sure you practice plenty of DOWNHILL RUNNING before you go!!! That is if you want to be able to walk downstairs, squat...or be able to sit on a toilet seat after the race...none of which i am able to do currently :-)

Preparing for the Boston Marathon: Karen Barlow at Carlsbad. Training Peaks Diary

Preparing for the Boston Marathon: Karen Barlow at Carlsbad

13 April 2010

The Boston Marathon is less than a week away, and Australian runner Karen Barlow is well prepared and excited to race after her final tune up at the Carlsbad 5K last weekend.

“I had my last hit out on Sunday at the Carlsbad 5000 before the Boston Marathon next weekend. It has a reputation for being ‘The Fastest 5km Road Race in the World!’ 16 world records have been set over 5km on the road at Carlsbad. Unfortunately on Sunday the temperature was perfect but the ocean breeze was pretty stiff so no records were set.”

“I led out with 2 other girls for the first mile which was slightly downhill and into the headwind. I held my own over the second mile being only slightly behind going up the hill so was pretty happy with myself. I then made a break for it on the next downhill before the last turn.”

“I came out of the turn ahead and thought I had it in the bag…except I did not count on the two girls I had just dropped having other thoughts! Ha ha! Up the last hill one girl blew past me…and then to rub salt in the wound the other one got me on the downhill in a sprint finish to the line by 2 seconds! So I had to settle for third place in a time of 17.20.”

The Garmin splits showed that Karen ran a very even race, and you can view her file here:
Mile 1 =5.30
Mile 2 =5.29
Mile 3 =5.32
Final 0.15mile =5.21/mile ave pace.

Commenting on the differences between a 5K and a marathon, Karen remarked that although she may not have been the fastest to the line on Sunday, she felt well-prepared for Boston. “All my marathon training was not conducive to a fast finishing kick! No matter how much I willed my legs to go faster in the last 200 yards of the race they could not do it. The 5.21/mile pace I averaged over the closing stage was a lot faster than the marathon tempo runs I have been logging in practice. But I know that those 10mile tempo runs in training will get me over the line at the Boston Marathon next week!”

Karen qualified for Boston at the Rock ‘N Roll Marathon in New Orleans, which she won and really enjoyed. “It was a wonderful feeling winning in New Orleans! The city is a fantastic city to visit & I would highly recommend the New Orleans Rock ‘N Roll Mardi Gras Marathon as a great event for marathoners to participate in…especially as the course is completely flat! The bands along the course were great, the event was extremely well organized, and the people at New Orleans were so friendly! Visiting Bourbon Street after the race was definitely a highlight for me too!”

Get a training plan for a Rock ‘N Roll Marathon of your own here.

Her win in New Orleans was her second marathon win after her debut marathon in Melbourne in 2006. Right after racing in New Orleans, she started using TrainingPeaks to keep better track of her progress. “I started using Training Peaks after New Orleans to help me with my training and racing records. I am notoriously bad at keeping records of my training, but I am very good at writing my resting pulse on little sticky notes beside the bed…I am also often writing my sessions on scraps of paper & backs of envelopes…you get the picture -ha ha! So I really needed one place to log all my data that would help me keep an accurate record of what I do.”

“There are so many features of TrainingPeaks that I love that I don’t know where to start. I love that TrainingPeaks calculates how many miles I have logged for the week (simple but important). I love that TrainingPeaks tells me how many miles each pair of my shoes have done too! I can upload my Garmin files & TrainingPeaks automatically puts all the data into my diary for me. Using TrainingPeaks I am able to record my pre-run meal and it spits out all the nutrition data without me needing to look it up. All in all it is the coolest training diary I have ever had!”

For Boston, Karen is very focused on staying strong while running up the course’s notorious hills. “My goal for Boston is to get myself up and over the infamous Newton Hills…especially ‘Heartbreak Hill.’ I am definitely scared of the hills in Boston -ha ha! I will be really happy with myself if I can run a strong smart race. I feel like I am in good shape at the moment so Boston will be a great test for me.”

Looking past Boston, Karen is focused on qualifying for the London 2012 Olympics. “London is still a few years away and there are a lot of really super fast girls in Australia ranked ahead of me in the marathon. So my goal is to work hard over the next two years and see how much I can lower my marathon time. The qualifying time for London is sub 2.32min and my current best is 2.45. That is one very big challenge!”

Best of luck and happy training, Karen!

Mardi Gras Rock'n'Roll Marathon Winner - Karen Barlow

Australian Karen Barlow wins the Rock 'n' Roll Mardi Gras Marathon