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Home Gym Series Part 5

MOBILITY TIME What is mobility? To put it simply, mobility is the ability to move through a joints full range of motion (ROM). In this post we’ll be talking specifically about ankle and hip mobility as they are of particular importance to runners and cyclists (sorry triathletes, but shoulder mobility will have to wait for another post). Poor mobility can manifest itself in range of ailments including knee or back pain. Pain aside, it will also severely limit your performance. When we’re not able to access full ROM it forces us to adopt inefficient movement patterns. The two particular movements we’ll talk about today are dorsiflexion of the ankle and extension of the hip. Dorsiflexion is the ability to rotate your foot towards your shin, while hip extension is the ability to extend our thigh down and back. Impact on running: Poor dorsiflexion limits our ability to absorb shock as the foot travels under us during the stride, sending forces up the chain. Poor ankle mobility also limits our ability to store and release energy in our Achilles and calf muscles, limiting our stride. This lack of mobility usually comes from tight calf muscles. Poor hip extension means that as your leg travels behind you in your stride, you have to rotate your pelvis forward and bend at the low back. You can imagine why that wouldn’t be good. Poor hip extension is often caused by tight hip flexors, which are made even tighter when we’re in a position of hip flexion all day from sitting. Impact on riding: Poor dorsiflexion can cause resistance in your pedal stroke as the foot comes over the top of the crank. If you imagine your foot around 12:00 of the pedal stroke, and your hands in the drops, there is limited space between your femur and torso. Dropping your heel allows more space, it also allows for a tangent vector of force, allowing you to recruit the powerful glute muscles as you pedal from 12:00 to 3:00. On the other hand, if there is not sufficient range of motion in the ankle, coming over the top of the pedal stroke may mean rocking hips or inhibited diaphragmatic breathing. Cycling can also cause a shortening of the hip flexors because of the constant bent-over position. We want to spend time counteracting that to promote a neutral pelvis which can help promote glute recruitment as well as alleviate strain on your hamstrings and back. We’ll also be working a bit on hip external rotation to further improve hip stability, work on tight hip muscles and allow for good knee alignment. Follow this routine before training as a warm up to bring synovial fluid to joints and loosen up tight muscles so we can access the full ROM and improve our performance. What You Need to Get Started Lacrosse ball, baseball or foam roller A table less than hip height, a rail or low ledge Ready!? LET'S GO! The Routine: Leg Swings: Stand in a doorway or next to a chair to use one hand for balance and swing your leg forward and back like a pendulum, keeping the hips neutral. You should feel some tension in your hip flexors as the leg swings back and some tension in the hamstring as it goes forward, approach that tension with each swing but there’s no need to kick up to the sky. Perform 12-15 per leg. Couch Stretch: Place the top of your foot against a couch or on a low ledge and the opposite foot out in front of you, with your ankle below your knee. You can place a padded object or a small pillow beneath the knee on the ground. Tuck your tailbone under you, squeeze the glute of the forward leg and press your hips forward, keeping a tall trunk. If you have especially tight quads, do this stretch with the behind foot on the ground. Spend 2 minutes per side. Ankle Flexion: Rest your calf on a ball of roller and move your calf over the object, looking for tight spots. Rotate your foot side to side and move the leg up and down over the object to actively release tight tissue. Spend 2 minutes per leg. Deep Squat: What we did before we invented chairs. Start standing with feet slightly turned out and squat all the way down so your butt is just off the ground. Keep your heels planted and lean forward for balance. Use your elbows to gently press your knees outward. Hold the position for 1 minute, rocking around a bit to explore the position. Elevated Pigeon: Place the outside of your foot on an elevated surface so your shin is sideways and lean over the shin. You should feel a stretch in your abductors or the side of your glutes. Spent 2 minutes per side. Other Things to Keep in Mind: Take nice deep breaths and respect your bodies’ limits, be patient and stop if you feel any pain. Joint’s are not infinitely mobile, at a certain point, we’ve reached the end of range of motion a joint will allow based on our skeletal structure. Do not continue if there is any discomfort or uncertainty with any movements. Alright Runner and RiderBox Fam: Stay Inside. Stay Motivated. Stay Moving. To see more at home gym workouts check out: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCt0lKNCoynKKd7_E4Q9T7Tg **This article is not a prescription for injury rehabilitation, if you have an injury seek the attention of a physical therapist. Perform these exercises at your own risk.

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Home Gym Series Part 4

Unilateral Strength When we run or ride we only use one leg at a time so when we strength train why would we use two? Bilateral training is important in strength development, even for endurance athletes but yes, training with one leg at a time is more specific to running or riding and provides a host of benefits. The benefits include; improved functional strength, reducing muscular imbalances, strengthening stabilizer muscles that improve balance and it works the core as well! It’s also perfect for your home gym where heavy weights aren’t an option, since using one leg instead of two will increase the intensity for the same weight. The following exercises are a good progression once you’ve mastered the exercises from previous posts.   What You'll Need? A sturdy table or stool, ideally one that puts your thigh parallel to the ground when one foot is on top. A chair or ottoman A 10-20lb object, a kettlebell or dumbbell   The Workout: Start with the some banded glute activation, which will help with balance by firing up your abductors and will ensure glute recruitment in each exercise. IMPORTANT: Because of the high reps, you do not need a weight that is too heavy, the idea is technique and reps with some weight to activate the targeted muscle. Find something that makes the movement relatively easy for first 5 reps, but keep targeted area activated, and challenging towards the 12/20th rep. For each exercise complete the following: 3 sets 12-20 reps 60-120” rest between sets Perform all movements slowly and in control until your targeted muscle is activated, then increase reps. Try to focus on using the three points of contact on your feet at all time. (https://www.fixflatfeet.com/foot-tripod/) Bulgarian Squat (12-20 reps each leg): Start with a weight in front of your chest, but standing about 2 feet in front of a chair or ottoman with your feet hip width apart. Place the top of one foot on the surface of the chair or ottoman. Take a slight forward lean to weight the foot on the ground (make sure to keep the knee behind toes). Descend down and slightly back so the knee doesn’t travel too far in front of the foot on the ground and then press back up to standing. If having the top of your foot on the object hurts your foot or ankle, you can also place your toes on the object. Step Ups with Calf Raise (12-20 reps each leg): Start with some sort of weight between your palms, in front of your chest. Place one foot on top of a stool, step or table, with the other foot on the ground in line with your hip. Press through the foot on the stool or table and press up until that leg is fully extended (but don’t lock out). Once extended, lift your heel off the surface to add a calf strength component to the movement and then slowly reverse back down. As a note, do not press off the ground; use only the elevated leg to execute the movement.   Single Leg RDL (12-20 reps each leg): Start with feet hip width apart, holding your weight in one or with both hands. Take a slight bend in the knees and bring one leg back and the torso forward, keeping them in line with one another. Pivot forward until you begin to feel a slight stretch in the hamstring of the standing leg and then pivot back to the standing position. Keep a neutral spine and forward-facing hips. Finally, don’t crane your neck to look forward as you move through the range of motion. Other Things to Keep in Mind: Each movement should be done slowly to maintain control and increase time under load. If these movements are new to you, we highly recommend beginning with body-weight ONLY and then progressing to weight SLOWLY. Do not continue if any discomfort or uncertainty with movements. Alright Runner and RiderBox Fam: Stay Inside. Stay Motivated. Stay Moving.   **This article is not a prescription for injury rehabilitation, if you have an injury seek the attention of a physical therapist. Perform these exercises at your own risk.

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Home Gym Series Part 3

Exercise Your CORE!   Think of the core as not just your abdominal muscles but the whole mid section of your body, including the hips and back. By strengthening these muscles you can achieve greater stability through the pelvis and trunk when running and riding, which translates to better efficiency and more speed. Having a weak core when running and riding is like trying to shoot a canon from a canoe, where every stride or pedal stroke just rocks the hips and torso because there’s no stability to brace against. Not to mention, strengthening your core can help alleviate dreaded back pain and help guard against injury.   What You'll Need: A yoga mat or a soft surface like carpet or some grass If you want a challenge, a heavy item to hold in your hands during the Russian Twists (2-15 lbs)   The Workout: Perform the first exercise for 30 seconds, rest for 30 seconds and then move to the next exercise and repeat. Start by going through the full circuit twice to make a 10-minute session. Once that feels easy, do 40 seconds on and 20 seconds off for each exercise. Increase to 3 sets of 40 seconds on and 20 seconds off.   The Exercises Plank: ‘bows and toes, that means start on your elbows and toes, feet hip width apart and elbows directly below your shoulders. Engage your core and squeeze your glutes and hold this position while keeping your body in a straight line from ankles to shoulders. Direct your gaze about a foot in front of you. Also, remember to breathe. Reverse Plank: Just like the traditional plank, but eyes to the skies. Start with your elbows beneath your shoulders and your heels on the ground; straighten your body and hold. Side Plank (alternate sides): Start on one elbow and the side of one foot, with the other foot stacked on top, so you’re facing sideways and your body is in a straight line, then hold. Make sure your elbow is beneath your shoulder and your butt is in line with the rest of your body, vertically and horizontally. To add a little extra challenge to this, raise your knee up and down like you’re running or pedaling with one leg. Russian Twist: Start on your butt. Lift your legs up to 45 degrees, taking a slight bend in your knees, and bring your torso to the same angle (making a V shape with your body). Either hold an object between your hands, usually a medicine ball, or simply press your hands together and rotate them from one side to the other, rotating your torso with them. Bird Dogs: Start on your knees and hands, with a flat back and a neutral pelvis. Raise your opposite hand and foot and extend each away from your body to be in line with your torso, hold for a moment, keeping your hips and torso neutral and then switch sides. Other Things to Keep in Mind   Each movement should be done slowly to maintain control and to allow your core to activate to its full potential. Alright Runner and RiderBox Fam: Stay Inside. Stay Motivated. Stay Moving. **This article is not a prescription for injury rehabilitation, if you have an injury seek the attention of a physical therapist. Perform these exercises at your own risk.

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Home Gym Series Part 2

It's Leg Day Y'all For part II of our home gym series we’ll be discussing 3 basic lower body exercises that will help strengthen important running and riding muscles: the quads, hamstrings, glutes and calves. These exercises can be done anywhere from your own home to a quiet park. Why Strength Train for an Endurance Event? If you’re training for a race or just want to be faster and think ‘strength’ training makes you too ‘buff’- don’t worry, the goal here is not to make you bigger, just stronger. The benefits of strength training for endurance athletes is that it can help reduce the risk of injuries, improve running economy and may even make you outright faster by increasing your ability to produce force, which in turn, increases stride length and frequency. Don’t believe me? Ask Meb Keflezighi, who set an all time PR and won the Boston Marathon after working with a trainer to include lifting in his training*. Strength training for cyclists could not be more important to add into your weekly routine. Lifting weights can increase bone strength (particularly important for this low-impact sport), increase endurance and power while reducing the risk of injuries dramatically. What You Need to Get Started A 10-30lb dumbbell or kettlebell, or if you don’t have this, an object of similar weight that you can hold in your hands (pots, pans, crockpot). For the deadlift and calf raises, something with a handle is ideal. Also, if you’re new to strength training, these movements are great as bodyweight exercises too. IMPORTANT: Because of the high reps, you do not need a weight that is too heavy, the idea is technique and reps with some weight to activate the targeted muscle. Find something that makes the movement relatively easy for first 5 reps, but keep targeted area activated, and challenging towards the 15/20th rep. Ready!? LET'S GO! The Workout: For each exercise complete the following: 3-4 sets 15-20 reps 60-120” rest between sets Perform all movements slowly and in control until your form is perfect and then increase speed. Try to focus on using the three points of contact on your feet at all time. (https://www.fixflatfeet.com/foot-tripod/) Goblet Squat (15-20 reps each leg): Start by holding your weight in front of your chest, position your feet about shoulder width apart, with toes very slightly turned out, and then sink down, using the weight in your hands to counterbalance your hips and then press up through your feet and extend your hips at the top. A good goal for range of motion is to have your femurs (thighs) parallel to the ground at the bottom of the movement. Also, make sure the knees track straight and aren’t caving in or out. Romanian Deadlift (15-20 reps each leg): Start with feet shoulder width apart, and your weight held in front of you with both hands. Take a slight bend in the knees and then hinge at the hips, ending the range of motion when your hands are somewhere between just below the knee and mid shin OR when your hamstrings begin to feel a really tight stretch. Come back up by extending the hips. Be sure to maintain a neutral spine through the entire range of motion (don’t let your shoulders cave in or back bend in any way). Calf Raises (10 reps each leg, 20 total): Start by standing on a step with the balls of your feet hip width apart, one hand on a weight and one hand on a banister or wall for balance, drop your heels towards the ground and then raise them back up. Emphasize full range of motion and pause for a second at the bottom and top of the movement. Also, keep the knees locked to keep the load on the calves. Other Things to Keep in Mind: Each movement should be done slowly to maintain control and increase time under load. If these movements are new to you, we highly recommend beginning with body-weight ONLY and then progressing to weight SLOWLY. Do not continue if any discomfort or uncertainty with movements. Alright Runner and RiderBox Fam: Stay Inside. Stay Motivated. Stay Moving. * https://www.mensjournal.com/sports/money-lift-how-top-flight-trainer-discovered-most-important-exercise-every-athlete/ **This article is not a prescription for injury rehabilitation, if you have an injury seek the attention of a physical therapist. Perform these exercises at your own risk.

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Home Gym Series Part 1

Dem Glutes Spring usually means the beginning of race season, but instead we have new goals in mind, to flatten the coronavirus curve and stay safe and healthy. Maintaining our physical and mental health is important especially during this global pandemic, and we are here to help. As many of you may or may not know, our corporate team is comprised 100% of real-life athletes who travel the country and world competing by day and scouring for the best products to Fuel Your Phenomenal by night. This means we've been fully remote for some time and are very fortunate to not have the additional challenge of converting to a remote environment during this already trying time. With that, our team are excited to be sharing a weekly series on strength and mobility work that is already part of our regular routine and can be done from home. The series will include our favorite routines to strengthen the body, improve movement patterns and prevent injury to set you up for race season (when it eventually arrives). What You Need to Get Started Today, we’ll be talking about how to use the resistance bands found in your February/March Runner and Rider Box, to wake up and strengthen lazy glute muscles with 3 easy exercises. If you don’t have the bands on hand, find something elastic that can create some sort of resistance. Why The Glutes? Let’s start by talking about why we should care about activating our gluteal muscles. The glutes are primarily responsible for external femoral rotation, hip abduction and hip extension – all important functions for good running and cycling form. Strengthening and activating the glutes can help prevent injury by promoting better knee alignment and lateral stability while improving power by taking the burden off the quadriceps and distributing some of the load to the big, powerful, glutes. Plus, If we had to choose one muscle group to train, it would have to be the glutes. The glutes are the largest, most powerful muscle group in the body. No other muscle group has as much impact on your performance. Curious if your glutes are firing properly? Try these tests: Stand on one leg with your eyes closed and your feet facing forward. If you can't hold this position for at least 1 minute—and especially if you fall forward and toward the middle—your glutes aren't working proper Jog or ride for a moment with your fingers pressing into your glutes, if you can’t feel the muscle contracting they’re probably not firing Ok, let’s get these puppies firing and stronger!   The Workout Complete 3-4 sets of these 3 exercises, with 60 seconds rest between sets. Start with the lightest strength band and work your way up over time.   Fire hydrants (12 reps each leg): With the band around your upper leg, just above the knees, plant one foot into the ground, take a slight bend in the knee and rotate the femur of the opposite leg back and out at a 45 degree angle with the lower and upper leg forming a 90 degree angle- like a dog taking a whiz on a fire hydrant. Try to keep your hips pointing forward. Skaters (12 reps each leg): With the band around your ankles, start in the same position as the Fire Hydrants but sweep one foot back, with a mostly straight leg (make sure not to lock it out), at 45 degrees. Try to keep your hips pointing forward. Monster Walks (10 sidesteps each direction, 20 total): With the band around your feet, get into a slight squat. Walk sideways, keeping knees pointing straight and resisting the band with the trailing foot as the feet come back towards one another. 10 steps in one direction and then 10 steps in the other. Resist your knees from turning inwards.   Other Things to Keep in Mind Each movement should be done slowly to maintain control and increase time under tension. Also, for all exercises there should be a slight forward bend in the trunk and look to experience a burn in the glute muscles when doing these properly. Alright Runner and RiderBox Fam: Stay Inside. Stay Motivated. Stay Moving. **This article is not a prescription for injury rehabilitation, if you have an injury seek the attention of a physical therapist. Perform these exercises at your own risk.

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Big 5 Marathon: How The RunnerBox Founder Wrapped up a Marathon on Every Continent

Big Five Marathon Race Recap by: Staci Dietzel The Big Five Marathon took place on June 24, 2017. This was the final of the 7 marathons in my goal to complete a marathon on each continent. Big Five is named for the game reserve its held on in Entabeni. The race is run among the habitat of the African game which includes elephant, buffalo, lion, leopard, and rhino. Nothing separates the runners from the wildlife- rangers patrol the area by air, jeep and foot with rifles. They steer the most dangerous of animals away from the runners. Race entries are limited, and time cut offs are strict due the nature of the course. (Spectators are also limited to a specific area, and the start/finish line for safety purposes). I brought my 15 year old son along, and we chose to stay at the Legends Golf Resort which was around a 45 minute drive to the start. He loves to golf as much as I love to run, and was excited to check out the Extreme 19 and the 2 courses on site. He brought his clubs along, and got plenty of use out of them here. We flew into Johannesburg, arriving on Wednesday night. The transfer to Entabeni was set for Thursday morning, another 4 hour bus ride south. The trip included several beautiful game drives and a tour of the course. This was daunting. There's a hill spanning miles 7-9 at 43 degrees that is difficult for the jeeps to navigate it is so steep. The hill runs out and back so you get to run both down and up, with 6 miles of deep sand between. We went on 4 game drives. We saw a lot of wildebeests, zebras, giraffes, monkeys, ostrich, rhinos, leopards, lions, and more. Our living area was protected from dangerous animals, but the other 2 runners' areas were not, and they couldn't leave the sleeping area without an armed guard. The race was Saturday morning. We were lucky to meet some great people on this trip right away. My biggest concern heading over was what my son would do while I was running- but we met such nice people so quickly I had no worries knowing who he was with. I was able to see him out on the course at the spectator area twice and he was at the finish when I was done. The start was 9 am from one of the other lodges. The first few miles had me worried as I was feeling fatigued early and had to walk a hill by around the 3rd mile! I'm not sure if it was the elevation or the fact that there was a long incline, but it was tough right from the start. There was a lot of rock, boulders, and tricky footing all the way through. Going down the hill was difficult. I found I couldn't run straight down, and eventually alternated zig zagging and running sideways shuffling (as in a basketball drill). The water stations were awesome. Many had locals singing and dancing- stocked with cola, electrolyte drinks, and fruit. Great energy and fun on an otherwise quiet, peaceful course. I didn't see any wildlife other than a herd of zebras that snuck up behind me and scared me enough that I shouted out a string of profanity. I was happy to see that they were only zebras. The sand. If I never run on another grain of sand again I will be happy. 6 miles of ankle deep sand that caused me to stumble so many times 2 toenails had loosened by the end of it. Then back up the enormous hill where I just walked and some people were actually crawling. Crawling. A couple miles after the hill I split off from a few people that I had been running and chatting with. It was beginning to get painful and I wanted to keep running and get to the finish line as quickly as possible. So I kept moving forward as fast as I could without stopping. The last 3K or so was really rocky and difficult to navigate. My feet were a disaster at this point, making it more difficult. I checked my watch a mile out and saw I might be able to bring it in under 5:00 if I pushed- so gave it a go but missed at 5:00:26. Was great to see Parker and friends at the finish line. I would definitely recommend this marathon if you're looking for a challenge and would like to do a South African safari. It's definitely the most difficult marathon I've done, but still was a lot of fun.

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Antarctica Marathon 2017

Antarctica Marathon was not originally on my schedule for this year- I was on a wait list that had me on target to run this marathon in 2019. So when the email came in January that there was a place open in 2017, I grabbed it... Then I started to panic. I was to leave on March 2 and would be gone for 2 weeks. It wasn't the training I was worried about- I had already begun training for an April marathon and could adjust my mileage without too much difficulty. It was the location, time away, gear needed, and the terrain that had me worried! Living in Michigan, I began stalking the weather forecast. I waited for the most terrible weather, then ran in it. -5° F, sleet with 25 MPH winds, perfect! My perspective on our harsh winters shifted, as I went from dreading the harsh weather to now looking forward to it as prime Antarctica training. I saved my long runs for the worst weather days and tested out my new Goretex gear. My running friends would ask me what the hell I was doing running in this sh**. My non-running friends asked why the hell I would go to Antarctica to run a marathon. I was excited as I adjusted my training, purchased some extra gear and got ready to go. Those who know me, have come to know that I can't seem to leave the state of Michigan without running into some sort of hurdle, so to speak. As I was running an easy 5 miles on Monday (leaving Thursday), I noticed a driver with her head down - possibly looking at her phone - driving towards me. I was watching her closely as she didn't seem to be paying attention when she did a quick drift in my direction causing me to stumble towards the ditch, injuring my knee/calf. To make a long story short- on Thursday morning with a flight out of Detroit at 5:00 PM, I was at my 2nd Dr. appointment of the week getting an X-Ray. I was told I "couldn't travel if I had a tibia fracture". If it was just a calf injury I could go ahead. After a short wait I was happy to hear there was no fracture, only a calf injury. It was going to hurt, but I could run. The rest of the trip there was uneventful, thankfully. Marathon Tours does an excellent job with the trip. We first spent 3 days in Buenos Aires where we had a briefing, city tour, and a group dinner before heading south. Next we flew down to Ushuaia. Ushuaia is the southernmost tip of South America, nicknamed the "end of the world". We had some time to spend in Ushuaia before boarding the ship. There were 2 ships - one which had a group running on King George Island on Friday March 10, and the other ran on Saturday the 11th. (There are only a certain number of people allowed on the island at a time, and there are strict rules and protocol that must be followed to protect the ecosystem). We spent a total of 10 days on the ship and were fortunate to have absolutely beautiful weather. The winds were not too high, we had a lot of sun, and the temperatures were usually in the upper 20s to 30s F. The staff on the Vavilov was wonderful and nearly every day they took us out to explore in small Zodiac boats where we were able to get up close to the wildlife and glaciers. Our ship ran the race on day 5 of 10 days aboard the ship. As I was filling a canceled spot I had a roommate on a floor with a shared bathroom and shower. I didn't know anyone on my ship going in, but did happen to have a friend on the other ship and we were able to catch up in Buenos Aires. There was plenty of down time so it was great meeting the other travelers. I have met some fascinating people over the years through these marathons. On the ship we went through the Drake Passage, which I googled before I left and was a bit worried about but fortunately didn't have any trouble there. It's the body of water between South America's Cape Horn and Antarctica. It connects the SW part of the Atlantic, the SE part of the Pacific, and extends into the Southern Ocean. Quite a few people were very seasick here, particularly on the way home. It was calmer on the way down but a bit rough on the way back. Going out on the Zodiacs, we'd typically head out for a couple of hours at a time. We'd either explore out on the water or head to land to hike around. It was incredible how close the whales would come when we were on the water. Seals would float by on icebergs, penguins would walk right up next to you, we saw varieties of whales and seals in the water and on land. I really enjoyed the hiking. One hike we did up a glacier was a particularly windy day. Each of the One Ocean Expedition team was outstanding and I enjoyed listening to their talks and reading their biographies. Harry Keys lead that day and happens to be a Glaciologist. He and his wife Karen Williams both were interesting and funny. He and some other staff carved notches up the glacier to assist us getting to the top. The wind blew so strong at one point it blew me off my feet as I neared the top of the glacier, it was awesome. Another great hike was up and into a volcano. All of the One Ocean Expedition team was full of information, and interesting to speak with. You can check out their website at oneoceanexpeditions.com. The marathon! The goal I'm aiming for is to run a marathon on each continent, and am grateful for the places it has taken me and the people I have met along the way. They were predicting mid-30s and no precipitation, much warmer than I was expecting. We all headed out from the ship in the Zodiacs, and carried our own fuel and hydration to drop on the course. The course was an out and back - 6 times. We'd get our bib marked on the end and return. It was rough- very hilly, muddy and rocky. I was really concerned about my calf, I'd been careful with it all week, and done only a couple easy runs in Buenos Aires to feel it out. I wasn't sure how those rocks and hills were going to feel so I brought an extra flask of Hot Shot and was just hoping it didn't tighten up and cramp on me. This was not an easy place to get to for a do-over! We got started 15 minutes early since we were all ready and standing around the start line. Sure enough, after the first loop I was way too hot. It was in the mid 30s with no precipitation so I had to stop to switch jackets (I'd brought a lighter one just in case) and drop my outer-gloves. I kept on my Luova fingerless gloves and that's all I needed the rest of the race. I don't think I ever really looked at my watch and I liked the out and back. It kept things interesting watching all of the other runners as they changed positions. There was a section (about 3/4 mile) that was larger rocks that was really difficult to run on, and by the 5th time my calf was really hurting. I've had worse pain and was feeling so lucky to just be there I just tried to block it out and keep moving forward. There was a lot of low lying mud, alternating with steep hills and rocks. It's on a research base area winding through Chinese, Uruguayan, and Argentinean Territory. Some of the researchers from China were moving out that day and were very enthusiastic as they drove by- taking pictures and cheering through the windows. There was some nice views overlooking the water that we got to see along the way... over and over, ha. I walked a bit more of the steep hills in the last loop in attempt to monitor myself to make sure I could finish, at the very least. I managed that fair enough... 6th continent complete! We joined the other boat for the awards ceremony two days later. It was yet another beautiful sunny day with a barbecue out on the ship deck. I was so happy to see my friend Gail receive her 7th continent medal. I've known she was running Antarctica 2017 for about 2 years now, who knew I'd be there to see her get her medal! If this is a marathon you're interested in, check it out at marathontours.com. The list is long but it's worth the wait!

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Spring into Action with our Flourless-Honey Almond Cake

This super simple, ridiculously delicious, gluten-free cake is the perfect Spring dessert or excuse to run home faster. Add a sprinkle of almonds and dollop of yogurt on top (or whipped cream if you're feeling adventurous) and enjoy :) INGREDIENTS 1 3/4 Cup Ground Almonds 4 Large eggs AT ROOM TEMPERATURE - Separated 1/2 Cup Honey 1 Tsp Vanilla Extract 1 Tsp Cinnamon 1/2 Tsp Nutmeg 1/2 Tsp Baking Soda 1/2 Tsp Salt Topping 2 Tbsp Honey 1/2 Cup Sliced Almonds - Toasted Yogurt or Whipped Cream (Optional) INSTRUCTIONS Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease a 9-inch springform pan with butter or oil and then line parchment paper on the bottom. Beat egg yolks, honey, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and baking soda in a large mixing bowl until well combined. Add the ground almonds and beat slowly until combined Beat egg whites with an electric mixer (using whisk attachment) on medium speed until foamy, white and doubled in volume 1-2 minutes (DO NOT over mix, it should NOT be able to hold stiff peaks). Gently fold the egg whites with a spatula into the nut mixture until just combined. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan. Bake the cake until golden brown and a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes. Run a knife around the edge of the pan and gently remove the side pan and let cake cool completely (if you can resist). Carefully slide the cake to a serving plate. Drizzle with honey, sprinkle with toasted almonds and serve with yogurt or whipped cream.

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Pain Free in 2017 - Hyperice and HOTSHOT Giveaway

2017 is here and with it comes all of our New Year's Resolutions. I'm sure we all want to get faster, stronger and fitter, but the one thing we often overlook is that to achieve all those things we have to stay on top of our recovery and as far away from injuries as possible. So, we're kicking off the New Year with our Pain Free in 2017 Giveaway brought to you by the fine folks at Hyperice and Team HOTSHOT. They'll be stocking you up with awesome gear to take care of all those pains and niggles that can keep you off the road and slow you down. What Exactly are we giving away??? A Hyperice Vyper ($199 value) - it's a cutting-edge fitness and recovery device/roller that uses pressure and vibration to improve the body's overall performance. AKA a vibrating foam roller. Yep, that's right. Half the work, twice the bang for your buck. It's excellent for myofascial release, warm up, and reducing muscle soreness and stiffness for a better recovery. A Hyperice Hypersphere ($149 value) - The Hypersphere uses Localized Vibration Therapy which increases range of motion and flexibility + circulation. Keeping the body's soft tissue loose is essential for maintaining flexibility and range of motion. While soft tissue balls can help the body stay loose, adding vibration with the intensity and frequency of The Hypersphere takes the whole experience to another level. Need we say more? HOTSHOT 12 Pack and SWAG Pack ($100 value) - HOTSHOT IS the first and only scientifically proven solution to prevent and treat muscle cramps where they start, at the nerve. You'll land a 12 pack of this cramp busting solution along with some training gear

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Stay on Track with Autoship Stay on Track with Autoship

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