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 Donate your old running shoes

5/20/2014

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I found some funny first world problems:
“I just got the iPhone 5s and they just announced the release of the 6 next month! 
The one day I try to sleep in, my maid wakes me up. 
I hate my job, but I make too much money to justify finding a new one. 
I accidentally clicked the “thumbs down” button in Pandora instead of “thumbs up” so I skipped one of my favorite songs. “(See more at: http://first-world-problems.com/page/3/#sthash.8Al26RiJ.dpuf)

And here I’ve added a few runner specific ones:

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“I should have brought my flats to this tempo, these (shoes) are too heavy.
I ran out of the vanilla Gu, that I like, so I have to eat this one (sad face).
I couldn’t find my garmin this morning, so I had to run with my iphone. 
My garmin died in the middle of my long run so I didn’t get my splits.”


Joking aside, we are very fortunate to be able to have these types of problems....and shoes we need for different types of workouts. I, for one, usually have about 3 in rotation to give my shoes a break, allow the foam to rise between workouts/runs. It's recommended that we change our shoes every couple months anyway to prevent injuries. (Further reading: How to Pick the Right Running Shoe)

Having so many shoes,  I seem to have a graveyard of shoes in random places of my apartment, lining my balcony, even at my parent's house. I often scatter them  like Gretal (in Hansel and Gretal) with the bread crumbs, so I always have a pair if a run were to arise...or just to find my way home. (Afterall, home is where the heart is, and mine is in my soles).  to have a graveyard of shoes in random places of my apartment, lining my balcony, even at my parent's house.

Here is an opportunity to clear out all those old shoes!

Your shoes helped you log hundreds of miles and were a very special part of your life for a couple months. Now they can be recycled. In turn, Running with Sole will give us (Belen Youth Mission) NEW SHOES. Help us share that feeling you get when you hold NEW Running shoes in your hand with a child in Altamira Dominican Republic this summer! Donate your old running or athletic shoes to this project and help us bring some smiles to kids.

Collecting Locations:

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500 SW 127th Avenue, Miami, FL 33184 
M-F 7:30am-3:30pm
305.223.8600 
Classroom S117and Main Office
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11650 N Kendall Drive, Miami, FL 33176Hours: M-F 10-7 | S 9-6 | Su 12-4
305.595.RUNS (7867)
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5050 Biscayne Blvd
Miami, 33137

M-F 10a-7p, SA 10a-6p, SU 12-5p
(305) 751-9440

Drive ends June 6th

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Racing Tips

1/30/2014

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T-3 days! I thought I'd Repost this article that I wrote for Examiner.com: Racing Tips.
Here are some racing tips to keep in mind when approaching a big race. Take these for what they are, suggestions.
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Photo Credits: Miami Marathon
Pace yourself. The excitement of being surrounded by other anxious runners corralled at the start line, like horses on a race track, gets to everyone. The key is to stay calm. Get out ahead of the craziness but not too far where you expend your energy for no reason.

Be efficient. Remember to keep your form; head straight, jaw relaxed, shoulders down, arms swinging back and forth by your hips without crossing in front of your torso, good even stride, and quiet landing. [Easier said than done.]

Replenish during the race. Depending on the distance of the race, you might want to consider eating a snack. However, race day is not the day to start experimenting. Eat things that you have already tested during your training and have found that work well for you.


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Look forward. Not just for your form, look forward toward your target or goal. Give yourself little goals to reach during the race. This will not only keep you motivated, but will help the race go by faster. Before you know it, you'll be sprinting toward the finish.

Pass with authority. Once you decide you want to pass someone, make the pass and don't look back or second guess yourself. The slower you pass someone, the higher the chances are that he are she will try to stay with you. Every person you pass COUNTS.


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Finish strong. The reason you paced yourself at the beginning was so that you could progressively get stronger and faster throughout the race. Toward the finish, you want to "empty the gas tank", as most coaches like to say. There is no more need to store energy. As you become a stronger racer, you will be able to pick up the pace further and further away from the finish.

See you at the starting line!
To read more, check out other articles and publications HERE.
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RACE WEEK TIPS:

1/28/2014

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A couple days out from RACE DAY and race anxiety is starting to kick in. Everyone is posting pictures of "last run", "last workout", "last [insert activity]"....and the T-(whatever day) posts aren't helping either. Whether we are ready or not, come Sunday! It's Race time.

Feeling a little more in-control this week, may help with the race anxiety. We all know that we need to get rest, hydrate, and eat right. What we may not realize is that we are CREATURES OF HABIT! We need to continue in our same routines. Any abrupt change in our routine may have detrimental effects on our performance.

Here are some common mistakes runners make:

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TAPER TOO MUCH:
Taper: (verb) to diminish or reduce/ to reduce in thickness toward one end. 
In our sport, it means to reduce the amount of running in the couple days leading to a big race. I listed this one first because it's the one that everyone has been talking about. "How much are you running this week?". This week shouldn't be too different than past weeks! One of the biggest mistakes runners make before a big race is TAPERING TOO MUCH. Yes, you can ease-off the intensity and mileage  A LITTLE, but you don't want to shut down. You need to keep your finely tuned machine well OILED and ready to roll when the gun goes off on Sunday.  If you taper too much, your body may start going on Vacation Mode.

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GET EXPO-CRAZY: 
Friday and Saturday, The Miami Beach Convention Center will become Disney for runners! It will house hundreds of the latest running wear options, thousands of nutrition products, and have millions of tempting options to derail you from what YOU ARE USED TO! Don't go EXPOCRAZY. Just because Mo Farah runs in a certain Nike racing flat, doesn't mean that you need to as well.  There will also be lots of informative talks at the Expo. They are there to provide information, but keep in mind, they are opinions or points of view of certain runners. NOT EVERY TIP needs to be IMPLEMENTED on race day!

PictureImage from RunnersConnect
CARBO-Loading disaster:
 All of us know that we need to load up on carbs before our half and full marathons because they are a great source of energy, but HOW and WHEN to LOAD could mean the difference between "hitting the wall" or "charging towards the port-a-potty".   In order to keep our body fully stocked for race day, we need to start carbo-loading 2-3 days before. By Thursday, our diet should consist of 85-95% carbs. CAUTION:This doesn't mean that your diet should consist of 85-95% pasta. There are other great sources of carbs found in sports drinks, snacks (cereals, oatmeal, granola), fruits (though they also have high fiber) and starchy vegetables.  Also, keep in mind that eating after our easy taper runs is the best time to replenish our glycogen stores.

Most importantly, the biggest mistake runners make is going for a late pasta dinner with friends and fellow runners the NIGHT BEFORE. You want to EAT early on Saturday so that you have enough time to digest your food. If you wake up hungry on Sunday morning, YOU DID WELL! You definitely don't want to wake up still stuffed from Saturday night's dinner. Race morning breakfast should include 100-150 grams of carbs. Tortillas, oatmeal, bread, pancakes, waffles, bagels, yogurt, and juice are all easy-to-digest options. It's recommended that you eat this meal around 2-3 hours before the race start. It sounds like a long time but if you eat AS SOON as you get up, you'll be within the correct window.

PictureDisclaimer: Not my toes.
DON'T CUT THEIR NAILS:
Last but definitely not least. In the craziness of Race Week, planning meals, filling water bottles, icing legs, and massaging calves, it may slip our mind to give ourselves a PEDICURE. You may laugh, but you will thank me for the reminder on mile 11 when you look down at your foot and DON'T SEE BLOOD! Fact: RUNNERS loose nails.  Having your toe nails nicely trimmed will minimize your chances of walking away from Bay Front Park with purple toe that will eventually turn black, and slowly slide off in the following 2 months making it difficult for you to wear sandals or heels if you remotely care about what people think of your feet. I did say- GIVE YOURSELF a pedicure. Call me paranoid, but I strongly encourage you to do it yourself because if you go to a salon, you may happen to get the nail lady on a bad day when she is out to save the world one cuticle at a time. You definitely don't want that! Safest bet, do it yourself and book a real "pamper-your-feet" Pedicure with your friends for anytime after Sunday Morning.

Long story, short...DON'T CHANGE your routine too much. Drink what you are used to, eat the supplements you have been eating while running, and wear the clothing/shoes you have been training with. RACE DAY is not the day to experiment! In order to perform at your best, make sure your ENERGY STORES are stocked up with the right foods to HELP, not HINDER, your race day performance. And lastly, double check that your toe nails are trimmed and ready for the BIG DANCE!

Hope these tips help....5 days to Go!
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Necessary alignments...

12/19/2013

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Ever finished a run with a hand and arm cramp? 
Yea that just happened!! 6 miles felt like 12, not because I was pushing an almost 40-pound wiggling toddler but because my stroller wasn't aligned! It kept pulling left. I'm exhausted, sore, and downright wornout!

Can u imagine the toll it must take on our bodies to be dis-aligned? If we have our leg pulling one way while our hip pulling the other direction?  Or worse, if we are pushing our bodies in one direction and our other life choices are pulling our body in another direction?!?! (I know it sucks...I've been there!)

I need to take a stroller to get re-aligned ASAP! There are times when we need to make some LIFE TUNE UPS too; Tweak a couple things here and there so that WE TOO can start running in a straight line.

Since September I have dropped my time 1 min and 19 seconds in the 5k, PRed in the 10k, by 2 minutes, and 2 weekends ago I swam/bike/ran my way into the OVERALL slots of  a Triathlon placing 3rd with the fastest 5k time in the run (for male and female competitors). Keep reading--THERE IS A POINT, and it's not for you to hate me. The reason I am telling you all this is because in the last couple months I've changed a couple things, made a couple adjustments that I wanted to share with you. You can read and become informed, read and disregard, or read and perhaps try some yourself and see what results you get.

Change 1- MY SOCIAL LIFE- I've tamed the social life down a notch (just one, don't worry- I am still a good time). Burning the candle at both ends isn't sustainable. And though possible to go out on a Friday with one group of friends and still mange to get by on a long run on Saturday morning with another group of friends...It's much more enjoyable to pick one of the two and do it well. I've been opting for the "enjoy the Saturday morning long-run" and notice that it's a lot EASIER with a full night's rest.
 
Change 2- MY EATING HABITS- Using Herbalife shakes for breakfast and cutting down on bread (which I love), I've managed to shed 17 pounds in the last 3 months. Notice that it wasn't like the ads in Facebook that say, 20 lbs in 20 days or the miracle pill for 3 sizes in 1 week... blah blah blah. It has been 3 months. meaning about 5.5 lbs a month. Just to give you some food for thought. Try running around with a gallon of milk everyday you go for a run/workout. A gallon of milk weighs a little over 8 lbs! CRAZY HUH! It's WEIGHT that you have to carry around with you...FOR A LOT OF MILES. Make your runs easier for yourself by making the dietary adjustments that you can! Your body and your running will love you for it.
 
Change 3- My HARD WORKOUTS- I have become more disciplined about workouts. At least once a week I've been doing harder/longer workouts at race goal time pace--not to mention trying to keep up with the boys that show up. It's really made a HUGE DIFFERENCE. Though recovery days, easy days, and steady long runs are a very necessary part of the equation, HARD RUNS where you are training your body to run at the pace that you want it to run at are ALSO a necessary evil!  I remember my High school cross country coach would always say: "LONG SLOW RUNS equals LONG SLOW RUNNERS". Give yourself a chance to impress yourself; try incorporating these faster workouts into your routine! (Check below for some info on workouts around the city.)

"Sometimes we are putting in the work, just not in the right way. All we end up doing then in wearing ourselves out! " 
These alignments are just the beginning. There is still a lot of work to be done and adjustments to be made! Just like we take our bikes in to get tuned up every couple months or before races, our lives and our running need the same TLC. Give yourself a gift this holiday season and take the time to make some alignments- personal, professional, emotional, and physical! 
-Happy Holidays
For a great physical alignment: Check out 
Dr. Flores 
Chiropractor, runner, and friend
4150 Nw 7th St Ste 200
Miami, FL 33126
Neighborhood: West Flagler
(305) 240-0929
floreschirogroup.com

Track Workout Options

Mondays
FDC/ Solerunners Marathon and Half Marathon Track Workouts at Tropical Park at 6:45pm
Call Store for more details:
(305) 595-7867
IRun Speed Workouts at IRun Store at 6:45pm
Tuesdays
Wolfpack Tempo Run at Tri-Beach at  6am
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Picture by Bryan Huberty
Thursdays
Wolfpack Track Workouts at Miami Country Day School at 6am
IRun Marathon Training Speed Workouts at AWP at 7pm
Call Store for more details: (305) 751-9440
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Goal, Support System, and Reason---CHECK

9/15/2013

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Over the years I've run for different reasons. It started as therapy, due to leg defects at birth, then it evolved into an identity, then an outlet, and soon it became my eyes. At some points I just went through the motions because I had been doing it for so long. At other points, I did it because I felt it was the only thing I had control over in my life or the only familiar thing left. I've run for people that physically can't, I've run to prove points, I've also run simply because I can and it feels right. Now, as the training for the MIAMI MARATHON has officially begun, I'm starting to think about the reasons that I will be competing on February 2nd 2014.
 
Without a clear, strong goal,  well-based support system, and highly motivating reason, it's  hard to stay committed to your training, even harder lace up for workouts before the sun comes up, and  close to impossible to roll out of bed on the weekends.

This coming February, at the Miami 1/2 Marathon, I'll be representing TEAM SOLERUNNERS and running to support a movement that some pretty incredible friends of mine are investing their lives in: ROOTS OF HOPE.

Roots of Hope was founded in 2003 by a group of college students. It began with an interest in Cuba, an interest in getting to know their roots, their counterparts on the island and their history. It started with a conference between Georgetown and Harvard’s Cuban-American student groups entitled Raices de Esperanza (Roots of Hope). Since then it has grown into a movement of young people, from all over the world, working to help their counterparts on the island by providing resources, information and solidarity.
I have been impressed with the real love they are bringing to real people miles off our coasts here in Miami, who may be inspired to believe in something better, a brighter future, a different tomorrow because of the work their organization does. In the last couple years I've caught a glimpse of the lighter fluid fueling the fire in their eyes. The world needs more people like them---- people that stand for change and more importantly, stand for HOPE!

What's your GOAL?
"Shoot for the moon, cause if you miss, you'll still land among the stars." Cheezy as it may sound, it's true! DREAM BIG! Imagine the possibilities of where your training can take you if you commit to putting in the time. Try to take some time out to formaulate a GOAL that's a little more complex than: I want to FINISH or I want to RUN. It can range from setting yourself the goal that you will NOT WALK or you hit a certain time.

Who's your Support System? SURROUND yourself with people who believe in you, will encourage you to make the better decisions, will keep you in line, will keep you accountable, and will be there with you every step of the way! There lots of options out there so don't DO IT ALONE!  It's a long journey and it becomes so much more than just a race when you see teammates and training partners turn into lifelong friends and family. TEAM FDC & SoleRunners offers you a structured training guide, group runs, resources from what should or shouldn't go into your mouth to what you should and shouldn't put on your feet.

What's your Reason?
Use this race to inspire a friend, you set an example for your family (especially your kids), and make those miles count double! Run for Roots is just ONE of many worthwhile causes. Just like this, there are many amazing organizations that are changing the world around us, LOOK FOR ONE has special meaning to you, in which you can help.

Well I have my goal, my support system, and my reason... so I'm ready for the kick off of this 1/2 Marathon Training Journey....Question now is, Are you? 

Run for Roots is an opportunity for every participant in the US to form a connection with a young person on the island, and for our counterparts in Cuba to feel our support and friendship first-hand. The new year has always been a time to reground and refocus: what better way to do so than to support Roots of Hope and get in great shape in the process? We welcome runners, joggers, and even walkers to sign up. and will have a comprehensive training program to help everyone stay focused and on track. We will also be pairing runners by city to offer support and running buddies. In the end, all of our work pushes towards a day when youth in Cuba can freely participate in open exchanges about their ideas, hopes, dreams, and realities.

VISIT RUN FOR ROOTS

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    Author

    Teacher, Author, Mother, and Runner. As I try to balance it all, I sometimes ask myself why I run. The Ironic things is that the runs themselves hold all the answers.

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