Tuesday, June 25, 2013

The Truth about Cellulite

Most of us are familiar with the rippled or dimpled skin on some parts of our bodies...the dreaded cellulite!  Usually it occurs on the legs or butt, especially in women.  So why the heck is it even there?  First of all it is fat storage, but the difference comes with the underlying connective tissue and the overlying skin.  Men tend to have less cellulite because the connective tissue under the fat is actually laid down in a different pattern than women.  Men have more of a mesh pattern creating a smoother surface,  where women's connective tissue is laid down in a parallel fashion.  This parallel arrangement can shift and move creating indents.  Paired with the fact that women tend to have a thinner top layer of skin than men, cellulite is more pronounced.  
So, naturally, the next question is, how do you get rid of it?  Unfortunately, for most people it will never completely go away.  The best way to lessen the appearance of cellulite is diet and exercise (sorry, no magical treatment here).  The less body fat you have the less storage you will have.  Staying hydrated and eating a clean diet is the next best way to fight it.  When you consume clean food and drink like fresh fruits and vegetables, the less water you will retain.  Sugar is a big culprit.  When you consume sugar (which also includes alcohol) your body sees it as a toxin and your cells surround themselves in a water casing for protection.  This is the bloat you feel.  This bloating of your cells also emphasizes the look of cellulite.  Of course there are all those treatments out there that are said to get rid of cellulite or smooth skin.  I've seen everything from lotions to lasers.  The truth is that those are expensive cover ups that don't last or do nothing at all.
So the next time you think about consuming that whole bag of M&Ms, think about what it's going to do to the rest of your body.  What's more important:  that craving or feeling good about yourself in swimsuit?

Monday, June 17, 2013

The Ragnar Relay Experience

I had heard of the Ragnar Relay Series before, but didn't think much about it.  All I knew is that a bunch of crazy people run from Madison to Chicago, which is exactly what it is, but way more fun than I could have imagined.
I was actually asked to do it about a month and a half before the race by a friend and client of mine.  I had been training for a half marathon so I was a good candidate for a fill-in.  There are 12 people per team (although you can have a 6 personal ultra team) that ride in two vans that leap frog though the course.  Each member of the team runs 3 legs of the relay with total mileage being somewhere between 14 and 20 per person.  It all adds up to the 200 miles it takes to get from Madison to Chicago.

The Evening Before the Race:
I arrive at our team dinner where we get together and go over operations for the next two days.  I quickly find out that there is a lot of coordinating that goes into making this race go smoothly.  We have to make sure that each van is equipped with food, drink and supplies as well as proper attire for running at night (yes, you run all day and all night).  You, of course, are responsible for your own running gear, sleeping necessities and other personal items.  There is also coordinating where we will rest.  We where lucky enough to have people willing to let us crash at their houses so we could get a little sleep... if any.  Finally we pack up the van and since I am in van 1, it's off to Madison.  The next day is a 7:30 am start.  We are able to stay at a friends home in Madison to be closer.  At this point, I am mildly uncomfortable.  I only know two of the people I'm with and I'm staying in a strange place.  I was having flashbacks to sleep overs when I was in grade school.  I didn't like them then either.

The Start:
We wake up early and leave in a hurry.  I think I only slept about 4 or 5 hours so I'm already tired.  However, I don't even begin to know what tired its yet.  We get to the starting line and check everyone in and at 7:30 our first runner is off.  The rest of us get in the van and make our way to the next hand off stopping periodically to check on our runner in case she needs water or electrolytes.  This is the way we roll as each runner takes a turn on their first legs.  Now it is my turn, runner number 5.  I'm waiting for the hand off and I'm nervous.  It feel like I was back running relays in high school track.  "People are watching me...what if I can't run fast enough?...what if I get lost?...what if my I.T. bands tighten up and I have to walk?..." and various other dramas run though my head.  I get the hand off and I go.  My legs are leading the way, the rest of me is just coming along for the ride.  My first leg was 6.3 miles and it was going well.  According to my Garmin, I had a half mile to go and someone says to me, "You're almost there.  Just over a mile to go!".  Excuse me!?  According to my watch I'm supposed to be almost done!  Little did I know they added about a mile extra to the course.  My brain was not having it.  That last mile was the hardest one I think I ran the whole race.  It felt like it took me an hour to run that last mile, but I finally passed it off to our last runner.  Runner number 6 hands off to the first runner in van 2 and we are on our first break.  Now I'm stiff and tired.  Sitting in a van directly following a run does nothing for flexibility.  It's now mid-day and we have a few hours to rest while van 2 runs their legs.  I was lucky enough that we were going back to my friends house which is only a few minutes from mine so I could go home and shower in my own shower and sleep in my own bed.  I maybe napped for and hour and grabbed a snack and it was time to run again.

Leg 2:
Our second legs started in the late afternoon and went into the evening.  The weather started out warm, but as the sun went down it got cold.  After your run you don't really have time to change or a place to change so you end up sitting in wet clothes and that can chill you to the bone.  My second leg started about 10 at night and it was dark.  You have to run with a reflective vest, headlamp and blinking light on your back to make you visible to cars and all the vans on the route.   I'm a little more relaxed now and actually excited to run (mostly so I can warm up).  Once a gain I get the hand off and my legs take off.  This one is only 4 miles and I'm on a mission.  It was a beautiful night and as I was coming up on a hill I see a deer walk across the street.  I felt like I was in the middle of the country even though I was running though the suburbs of Milwaukee.  Suddenly a guy ran up on me and asked me if a mountain lion had just walked across the road.  My first thought was where the hell are you from?  Chicago?  but I just told him it was a deer.  He seemed relieved and took off.  I finished that leg with the fastest split I have ever run for 4 miles.  It felt good, but now I really was tired and our break was short.  After we handed off to van 2 again we went to the house we were crashing at, changed into fresh running clothes and maybe slept and hour before we hustled out the door and were on our way to the last leg of our journey.

Side note:  Anyone who runs long distances knows what happens to your digestive system when your body is pushed to extremes.  Add very little sleep and a diet of peanut butter sandwiches and electrolytes and it is recipe for disaster.  Your nauseated, your stomach is cramping and when your body is ready to let go of whatever is in there, it's a train that's not stopping.  Yes, I did run with baby wipes in case of emergency.  Luckily I didn't have to use them!

The Final Leg:
Our first runner started her leg around 2:30 in the morning.  This is when you have to dig deep.  Not only is your system generally messed up, it is definitely not used to running at such strange time of day.     Our third runner got to see the sun come up over the lake and by the time I began my last leg through northern Illinois, it was around 7:30 am.  It was a beautiful day.  It was my last leg and I was ready to be done running.  I was cruising at a pretty good speed even though my body felt like I was barely moving. I was essentially on autopilot.  My last leg was 5.5 miles and I felt every mile...and the pile of dog poop I stepped in.  Finally, I was done and our van's last hand off was made.  Once our last runner handed off to van 2, we were done running but we still had to make it to the finish to come in with the rest of our team.  One of our teammates was gracious enough to let us all shower at her house.  So, shower, eat and off to the finish!

The Finish:
We arrived at the finish just in time after battling the Chicago traffic.  It was like those stories about epic journeys where you think they are in the clear and there ends up being one more battle or one more challenge before they can make it home.  We ran up just as the rest of your team was running down the shoot to the finish.  We made it!  We were tired and sore and we didn't really know what time or day it was, but we made it!  It was a feeling of being part of something special.  Something you wouldn't understand unless you had been thought it.  Our own little war in which we were fighting our bodies and our splits.  It have run plenty of 5ks, a 10k, a few half marathons, and even a 50k, but this was a different high.  Maybe it was the team atmosphere or maybe it was the lack of sleep, but I can't wait to do it again!