NYC Running Show

Welcome to a new week! I hope you all had a great weekend. Overall mine was pretty good; I just wish it was longer (but when is that not true?!).

I started writing this post yesterday and realized that it was going to be pretty long; so, I'm doing part one today and part two tomorrow. I'm also extending the PopChips giveaway till tomorrow night! (Go enter if you haven't!)

As I mentioned Friday that I had taken the day off for a mental health day and I definitely needed it. Before meeting up with Grace, I stopped off for a little pampering and got a manicure and a 10 minute chair massage, which really helped loosen the tight muscles I've gotten from using the crutches for a week! I went with Essie's Nice is Nice purple for my nail color, what do you think?

Then Grace and I met at Jack Rabbit's NYC Running Show, the first running expo not associated with a race, in NYC. I loved the idea of it and was excited to check out the running gear and hear some good speakers.

The show was held at the Metropolitan Pavilion in Chelsea. There was plenty of space to move around between booths (even on crutches) and an easy flow. Since we were there early afternoon on Friday when most people are at work, it wasn't too crowded and we had plenty of time to look at everything and talk to people. The top brands represented were Brooks, Asics, Adidas, Mizuno, Saucony, and Vibram. (notice, Nike isn't on the list) Others there included New Balance, Nathan, Zensah, CWX, Feetures, and more. We were surprised by the lack of clothes available for sale, but that kind of fits with Jack Rabbit stores, as I feel they don't devote a lot of square footage to clothes.

We found seats and listened to some interesting speakers.

First was Grant Robison, a member of the 2004 Olympic Team, talking about good form. Here are a few pointers he gave us (audience participation was encouraged):

• Posture: bend knees, keep arms loose & don't swing across body. Everything else works best if arms are working efficiently. To 'reset' posture, reach arms above head, clasp hands and stretch.
• Foot fall: the heel isn't stable on it's own (try balancing on your heel, it doesn't work well) so the mid-foot, including the heel, is the most stable way to land.
• Cadence: most people hit the ground approximately 75 to 80 times per foot per minute, but 90 is much more efficient. It keeps your stride shorter (less likely to strike with your heels) and you lighter on your feet.
• Lean forward: lean slightly forward and let gravity help move you forward. Don't sit back or lean back, you're working against yourself!

After taking a break and heading out to grab a snack, we came back in time to check out a few booths before our next talk: Preventing Common Running Injuries (I needed this a few months ago!).

Dr Jordan Metzl, of Hospital for Special Surgery and a 28-time marathoner, spoke along with Heather Williams, a marathoner, Physical Therapist and co-author of Run Metrics. I took a lot of notes, but I'll share just a few with you now

• Dr Metzl sees far fewer triathletes in his practice than runners because they build muscle balance through the mix of training
• Goal setting is incredibly important for runners/tri-athletes and it needs to take into account the athletes current level of fitness, physical attributes and background. Most importantly, the goals need to be realistic.
• overuse injuries are the most common in runners, usually due to running to far and/or too often without enough preparation or buildup.
• pylometrics training is incredibly important to build power needed for running
• strength training to build a strong core is also key; high reps with low weights. Running is an endurance sport and being able to complete a lot of reps helps increase endurance.

Dr Metzl writes columns for Triathlete Magazine and has also created a library of videos. They can all be found on his website HERE.

Okay, I think that's enough for today. There's more to cover but I'll post that tomorrow! I'll just leave you with this: Woody and I tried a new restaurant for brunch on Sunday - Coppelia. It's a South American restaurant on West 14th St and it was delicious! They don't have a liquor license until the end of May and in a few months they should also have a back garden. The atmosphere was relaxed, the food fantastic. The pastry chef is forward thinking Pichet Ong. Woody doesn't like me taking pictures of food at restaurants, so I just have this one to post (there are more HERE).

I definitely recommend this place if you're looking for somewhere to eat in the area!

• How was your weekend?
• What's your favorite Spring nail color?
• Peeps or NO Peeps?

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Saturday's workout -

10 min arm bike

200 crunches

3x15 reverse crunches

3x10 flys

3x12 weighted back extensions

3x20 lat pull down
3x30 superman's
50 ea side - lying leg lifts
stretching
foam roller

Sunday's workout -

None! Rest day!!

Today's workout -
10 min arm bike
2x20 hammer curls
2x20 cable push-down
2x20 front arm raise
150 crunches
2x35 sec superman's
stretching
foam roller