CEP Compression...if you CAN compress it, why wouldn't you?

It's taken me awhile to put together this blog post...mostly because i've been busy training, goal crushing and the like. But all that training has actually helped me to write this post because i've been wearing CEP Compression gear while i've been training! (and recovering)

My love affair with compression began with this pair of pink socks. I'd never had much success with compression before I tried CEP. These pink socks have gotten me through some tough times...sprained ankles, race recovery, long training runs...The above picture was my Canadian Birkebeiner recovery I skied the 13km (Baby Birkie) and came 3rd in my age group in my first ever cross country event...I've never been so sore in my life!

This past May I had an ankle sprain and worked my tail off to get back to running in 6 weeks...my CEP socks were a big part of that. Providing support and increased circulation for all my rehab runs was essential for keeping that fluid under control. The above picture was after my first 'long run' post injury...a whole 10km!

Pre-race, feet up...just chillin in the hotel room letting my muscles get all vascular and stuff and ready to race the next day!

Can't see my CEP? That's because i'm wearing the 'no-show' run socks! My only trail race of the season and it was about 10 C (in August!)...I put together an impressive 7km on a tough course and came 4th in my AG (and 5th female overall!)

I'm extremely blessed to live so close to the Rocky Mountains...had the opportunity to try out the CEP outdoor socks on a 5 day hike and immediately ordered 3 more pairs when we got home! I wore them on one of the toughest days and never had an issue with my calves getting tight on all the uphills! They were reasonably cool compared to most other merino wool socks and I was very pleased that I didn't get any hot spots or blisters. HIGHLY RECOMMEND THESE!!!!

Happy Hiker!

I DO NOT like wet feet when it's raining and i'm running. I know it's inevitable but the merino run socks are quite lovely and kept me mostly dry...until I stepped in an unseen puddle. My only wish is that they make them in a no-show version for summer!!! (PLEASE?!?!?!)

"Being an endurance athlete and working on my feet all day is hard." (Jess, Summer 2015)

No really, it sucks. Sometimes I wish I could plop down at a desk and rest my tired feet and legs, maybe sneak my feet up on another chair...but then I think of how boring my job would be if I sat ALL DAY LONG. So I sneak CEP into my work wear. Here I am with my sleeves under my dress pants (which are actually Lululemon dress pants but that's another post).

I have been most privileged (and downright lucky) to be a CEP ambassador this year. I have accumulated many pairs of socks and much love for this company. In a few short weeks i'll have the opportunity to (FINALLY) try my CEP ski socks...i've been waiting since spring and I can hardly wait! So thanks CEP for being so awesome and SO SO compressive, because as I always say, "If you CAN compress it, why wouldn't you?!?!?"

ITU Edmonton race report

The week before the race we received news that the lake at Hawrelak Park had blue-green algae, our swim was in question. The organizers did an amazing job at clearing that up BUT they couldn't control the weather, and with water temp being 16 C and air temp being 6 C we ran a duathlon anyways.
I arrived at the park early enough to rack my bike and find a decent spot to stay warm, dry and prepare for the race inside the park building. I have to say, as I walked by that lake it sure smelled like Kinsmen (read: heavily chlorinated).
Having never ever raced a duathlon before I had little expectations and decided not to let anything bother me, I was going to have fun with my friends and have a good day. I also decided to race Garmin-less and just focus on feel. (Something new)

Run 1: 5km- I went out feeling charged and happy, I even jumped around when I saw my crew, a duathlon celebration of sorts. I really wasn't sure where the turnarounds were or how fast I was running. I felt like my wardrobe choice was the right one (betty onesie, arm warmers, vest). 5km is pretty short so before I knew it I was in T1...with a new 5km PB: 22:56

T1: vest off, shoes changed, jacket on, helmet on, grab bike, go. And that's what happened. Except I couldn't get the Velcro on my shoes tight enough (2:21)

Bike: 20km- 44:33. Well cycling isn't my strongest of the 3 but I knew the course was short so I was just hanging onto that. We ascended Emily Murphy first and all I could think was 'out of the saddle, rock the bike back and forth, just go' and it worked...I smiled at the top knowing I'd only have to do that one more time. The first corner at the top on my way to SK drive was slick, I said some words aloud to myself on that one! My glasses were so foggy and nothing I could do would help, so I took them off and shoved them down my tri suit. Down the south side of Groat, over the bridge and up groat. I was elated to see that our turn around was 107 St! Back down groat and through the river...my socks were immediately soaked. Through the park, back up EM...last time. Much more cautious on the corners this time around. Back down and up Groat, this time the wind that hit us on the bridge was like ice, I was so thankful for my Fast Trax jacket! Down Groat one last time and into T2, I saw Colin just before the last turn and I was so happy to be nearly done that I gave him the 'hang loose' sign.

T2: 2:14- as I dismounted I said to the volunteers, 'I'm so glad that's over' I went to my spot and raced into the bag I had left to keep things dry, hoping I could change my socks...nope, the ones in the bag were drenched too...ok fine, no socks.

Run 2: 2.5km- 12:31
I left transition thinking, 'I hope this no sock thing doesn't give me blisters and man do these shoes feel weird with no socks.' And then I just ran. I just kept moving forward and repeating things like 'you're almost done this' 'you're strong' 'you will regret this if you stop' 'don't stop moving' and I didn't. I rounded the corner and onto the blue carpet, I was there, I had done it. Arms in the air, I crossed the line and a lovely volunteer put a big blanket over my shoulders. It was all over, the coldest race I've ever done. And one of the most satisfying.

Total time: 1:24. 10/23 AG

On injuries and rehab

"You should run the Frank's series! It's so much fun!"
"Frank's is awesome, and SO hard!"
"If you want to get fit fast in May, run Frank's"

The Frank McNamara cross country series is a 5 week event that begins end of april/early may and features a different 5-7 km race every Wednesday night in Edmonton's river valley. They also have a fall series but that's another blog. This race started off relatively small, i'm pretty sure the first thing I heard about it was "don't talk about it, it's too awesome." When I showed up on that first Wednesday and had a hard time finding my friend Lisa I was like, 'DAAAAYYYYYUUUUMMM'

I had ran the 10 miler just days before, did a closing shift at the clinic Tuesday and opening shift at the clinic Wednesday. I was tired. My brain, my legs, everything...just tired. I also had no idea how to get to the race site by car. I knew EXACTLY where it was by bike! I was also running a bit behind, in a last stitch attempt to know where I was headed I printed a google map, which made me leave even later than I already was and I was grumpy the whole drive there. In hind sight, I should have just stayed home and rested.

Wanting to get the most out of my 10$ race entry fee, I lined up near the front with Lisa and a bunch of other wicked-fast people, knowing i'd end up somewhere behind them, but not behind ALL the slow people. (Who, BTW, ended up passing me anyways)
The race began and we all took off (what seemed like 500 of us) and I found my legs moving fast...like 4min/km fast. We hit the hills and I began to zone out, just keep this up and the race will be over soon...my race was over soon...exactly 9min and 21 sec into the race. I rolled over on my left ankle.

FLASHBACK: July 8, 2012 I was running on a ridiculously hot day on the trails around my parents cottage and I rolled my ankle as I descended a hill. I fell in the process and ended up in emerg shortly after to find out if my left ankle was broken. It was badly sprained. 6 weeks of no running. But I came back and ran the Grizzly ultra as a team with my husband that October. FLASHBACK over.

Back to Frank's. This time I didn't fall. I stopped myself and stood there. FUCK. (Apologies but I had no other words in my head) I knew, I just knew EXACTLY what had just happened. I stood there, off to the side of a single track trail and saw my whole summer of racing and training slip away. Several people I knew passed me and a ton of people asked me if I was ok "yep" was all I could manage. NO, I was NOT OK! I fought back tears and walk/gimped/limped my way back to the finish area. It actually felt ok to walk around a bit, maybe, just maybe....maybe it wasn't SO bad.

Once in my car, I messaged my husband to make me up an ice bath (please) for when I got home. I made it into the house ok but when I saw him in the kitchen and he asked me 'what happened?' I lost it. He helped my messy self onto the couch and foot into the icy water...it hurt. It hurt so badly I could barely stand it.

 

 

I threw a compression sock on and went to bed, hoping it was all a bad dream and I'd jump out of bed and be back to normal. It wasn't. I crutched to work the next day, knowing my road back to running would be long. Luckily, I have some awesome Physio's at my place of employment. One of them immediately threw a couple pieces of Leukotape around my ankle and it stabilized enough that I could one-crutch it almost instantly. I swam, well...I pulled. I pulled a lot of meters in the first couple days. I was determined to keep some respectable level of fitness.

Over the course of the first week I found out a couple things...1. I had good strength in my joint. 2. I had bad range of motion (ROM) and 3. I had a lack of balance. (possibly why it rolled). I set to work on my rehab program with more determination than I've ever had in the past with any other injury. The truth is, I was panicked. With races coming up  faster than I was healing all I could think about was the lack of volume I was doing.

 

There were many tears, many calf raises, calf stretches, balance drills, water runs and many many meters of pull...but finally I was able to start my 'return to run' program...30 sec of running with 2 min walking, repeat 5 times. It felt weird, really wrong...but I did it. I expected to be an over achiever in this plan and just be back running straight for 30 min in 8 days (in an absolutely perfect rehab run program). Of course that wasn't the case. I had aches and pains and swelling and a lack of mobility...I had to re-prioritize my training. If I had a bike ride planned, I couldn't do a rehab run...it was just too much. I couldn't run after work, my ankle would be too tired. I poured my heart out to my coach and massage therapist, I worked hard in all my rehab exercises...and finally it happened. I felt like my ankle was ready...I decided to run until my body told me to stop. When it did, I stretched, I walked and started to run again when I was ready...I made it 40 min. I was elated. It wasn't fast by any means...but it meant I was moving forward in the plan (and could warrant wearing my Garmin again).

 

I'm up to about an hour now but the road ahead remains long. There's still a mobility issue, my tendons are re-learning how to be tendons again, my hamstring is ridiculously tight, my swim kick is still sub-par but my heart is full knowing that I have this amazing team of rehab practitioners behind me, pushing me forward, towards my goals...

St Albert Road Race: race report

So it was NOT in my plan to run the 10 miler this year...the weather can always be hit and miss, it's rolling hills and a lot of REALLY fast people usually race it. BUT I was chatting with my friend Lisa on the last possible day to register for this event and the conversation went like this:

L: are you running the 10 miler?
J: No, not this year.
L: well, what are you doing on sunday?
J: running long
L: how long?
J: about 1:30
L: so about 10 miles?
J: ok i'll sign up. PS. you just cost me 70$
L: see you sunday!

I signed up thinking I would just go out and run hard and have a good time. The course was going in the reverse direction from what I had ran it in the past so that was going to be new and exciting...and I knew I wouldn't have to deal with a horrible uphill 5km loop at the end of the race.

Race day: beautiful running weather, +10, sunshine, no wind...perfect for a spring race.

I met up with Lisa before the race, hugged it out, did the bathroom routine, then went our separate ways for warm up. She actually had a plan for race day as she was training for the Vancouver Marathon so I left her to it and put my tunes on for an easy jog and some ABCD drills in the parking lot. We met up just before the race start for a picture (see below) and a last minute "am I dressed too warm? Should I lose this?" conversation. We re-assured each other, hugged, and said, "catch you on the flip"

 

 

My race was relatively uneventful. I ran as hard as I thought I could given the terrain and how my body felt. Mostly, it felt calm and comfortable...not so comfortable that I wasn't pushing hard...but no indication of IT band or piriformis pain. (Turns out, racing in warm weather is kinda my thing)

 

My wonderful race Sherpa (I mean, husband) was on standby for pics and general Sherpa-ing. Turns out Lisa really did dress too warm and needed to ditch her beautiful Team Betty vest (seen above). That's what a good race Sherpa is for...collecting pretty clothes from sweaty friends. I have to give Colin kudos for this picture...the elusive 2 feet off the ground run pic...only to be ruined by some dude. Might I add that I look super relaxed after the first 5km?

 

 

As I said before, the whole race felt great, there were some poorly placed signs for the 10km that made me feel like I was way off the mark with my pacing and how I should be feeling at this point in the race but I was reassured by garmin that I was right where I needed to be. The last 2 km or so was relatively downhill into downtown St Albert and I began to push...hard enough that I needed a few minutes at the finish to make sure I wouldn't fall over. And then it was done.

 

 

Minutes earlier...a lot of minutes earlier...my speedy friend killed it and it looked something like this:

 

 

And then she went to Vancouver and got herself a BQ. On her birthday. (CONGRATS GIRL!)

 

I'm glad I ran this race because it was a huge confidence builder for me, I had battled some interesting niggles this winter and I'm relieved those are behind me.

 

*sidenote: 3 days after this race I sprained my ankle badly during a cross country race I had no business doing as I was SO fatigued after the 10 miler...but that's another blog*

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stuff I'm NOT diggin'

I like lots of things. I'll even go as far to say I LOVE lots of things. But there are some things I don't think i'll ever like. So for your reading enjoyment, here's a list of things that I DO NOT endorse:


1. Gym Tourists- That person who gets all dolled up to come to the gym and 'hang out'...they might look like they are just getting on the elliptical, they might peruse the weight room, but they never actually pick anything up or touch anything...yet they are there for hours. (Notice my proper use of 'there')

2. Scotch- I realise this makes me a heathen and I apologize, but it's gross.

3. Black Licorice- What the hell is this anyways? Tastes. Like. Feet.

4. -40- I love winter, do not mistake this for a rant against winter...but you can't DO anything in -40. the air hurts your face and lungs, it's dry, my car is unhappy, just no.

5. Band Aids- They're horrible, they don't stick, always floating at the bottom of the pool.

6. Feet- I don't even think I need to explain myself. (Might also taste like black licorice)

7. Air Conditioning- (fully understood that in some climates this is necessary) it makes me cold and sneezy and I don't like it. I've never used the AC in my car. I have a sunroof and it's awesome.

8. Wearing shoes- Anyone who knows me knows that as soon as I get home or to the cabin or to the reception of a wedding... i'm shoes off until I leave. My mom is constantly 'encouraging' me to wear shoes at the lake due to the dirtiness of my feet. I'm washable.

9. Blisters- This may very well be one of the reasons I hate shoes. I also don't think anyone likes blisters...but there is a strange satisfaction from popping one. (Stay tuned for a future post titled 'Weird things I like')

10. Bad coffee- I LOVE coffee, the smell, the taste, the way it makes me feel...but it better be good quality. And don't even get me started on things like 'whitener'...

11. Horrendous shipping costs- I get that the Canadian dollar isn't the greatest right now, but to charge 40 USD to ship a pair of shorts or 50 for my favorite nutrition supplements? It makes me stabby. The last few times this has happened I've actually emailed the companies and asked what could be done and one changed the entire shipping cost to Canada for all future orders (WIN) and the other told me to try shopping through another source...which actually worked.

12. Meatloaf, meat pies, casserole...basically anything with ground beef that's not chili. Why? I do not know, it just doesn't sit right with my oral sensory receptors and I won't do it. To be perfectly honest, it may very well be the red meat. I only really enjoy a good steak and that's few and far between. Give me ALL the chicken and fish!

13. People who can't spell or use proper grammar. Sigh...your means it belongs to you. You're means YOU ARE!

Stuff I'm Diggin...the latest and greatest

This segment is meant to be about 'stuff' but today's edition will feature a place I love where I can buy the stuff I love!

Fast Trax Run and Ski Shop is the best place in Western Canada to buy running shoes, truth. We voted on it for the Reader's Choice Awards for Get Out There Magazine! http://www.getouttheremag.com/articles/3433/2014-readers-choice-awards

Being a trainer and a runner myself I always have people and clients ask me where they should buy running shoes. I have never once told anyone anything other than Fast Trax. Here's why:

1. Their staff run. They really do! And not that it matters, but most of them are FAST

2. They know their product. Here's what happens when I go into the store for shoes:
Me: "Hi, I need shoes for...(insert running discipline here...track, long distance, trail, recovery)"
Fast Trax Staff (FTS): "Ok, what are you running in now and what size do you need?"
Me: "Well I have (insert shoe brand and model) for track and (again...shoe) for trail and I loooove my (yet another shoe) for everyday workouts. I'm an 8.5-9 depending on what shoe."
FTS: "sounds good, i'm thinking (insert shoe) but i'll see what we have" (heads to the mystery room full of beautiful shoes)
(meanwhile, I browse, pick out a new pair of socks, oogle the shoes...)
FTS: "ok, so we've got.....(list the pile of boxes in hand)"
Me: "Great!" (begin to try on shoes, walk around, jog on the treadmill, eliminate them one by one, probably ending up with the same shoe as before, just in a new color) "I'll take these and some pink laces, because pink is faster, it's science."

I'd also like to let it be known that I've left with what I thought were the best shoes for me and come back after a few indoor runs and exchanged them for what is really the best shoes for me.

3. They give back to their peeps. Not only do they have FREE run groups and sponsor various races in #YEG, they have sponsored athletes for winter and summer! They have a group of elite athletes and 2 (one gal, one guy) everyday athletes. ACTUALLY, I am just finishing my 'term' as an everyday sponsored athlete for the year. And once i'm back to paying full price for stuff, i'll STILL shop Fast Trax first!

4. They know you. Perhaps being a sponsored athlete has helped, but I've often asked on their FB page if they have a product in and if so, can they PUH-lease put it aside for me and gone in a few days later to have the item being handed to me (practically) as I walk in the store. Talk about service!

5. It's not just running. Cross country skiing...well, if you read my blog you've seen my 'journey' of winter training and how it relates to this sport. Both complete sets of skis, boots, poles and bindings I have (and hubby's too) were purchased at FT. They took the time to fit and measure us all up for the perfect ski equipment, wax it all up and give a few tips along the way. And when it came time to race the Birkie (3rd in AG- BOOM!) they had a waxing recommendation that I never would have thought of myself...I trusted them, and guess what? It worked.

I know i'm not the only athlete in town that loves Fast Trax, and i'm sure they are getting a ton of publicity with the Reader's Choice vote, but I thought they deserved a shout out...SHOUT OUT FAST TRAX!

Decisions Decisions

So I know I said I was going to run the marathon this year and a bunch of other things...BUT sometimes things change. Things are still up in the air but my race season is shaping up a little differently than I planned.
I changed jobs recently and my new employer always puts a few teams in for the Hubbles Tri (formerly Mission 3 and Cross Cancer) so it looks like they're recruited me to swim on a team doing the Olympic distance.
My new ambassador-ship with CEP Canada has a little dealio with 5 peaks...and I think I heard my husband mention something about possibly wanting to race the series this year...I may join him.
And then there's ITU...Well I heard World AG is in Mexico in 2016 and there are 10 qualifying spots for each AG in the sprint distance...hmmmmm it's very tempting.

So many races, so much awesome summer to be had...stay tuned to see what's next!