DNA Testing

Throughout my life I've been told I'm predominately Irish & German, with some English, Scottish & Welsh mixed in. As the years have worn on, I've often wondered what my actual ancestry is because in truth, only 25% of my genetics come from a verifiable source, that being my German Maternal Grandmother. My Maternal Grandfather was a bit of a mysterious man who claimed Irish roots, but provided such sketchy details about his life before starting his own family, that I've never fully trusted that story. Not knowing my biological father, another 50% of my ancestry is immediately lost (though my mom believed him to be Irish, English Scottish & Welsh - a freckled, curly red haired man). So, who am I?

I researched DNA testing companies, and settled on 23andme. When delving into your genetic roots, you can search for ancestry, medical history (and predispositions) or both, and to varying degrees of complexity. For my purposes, I only wanted to know the broad strokes of my ancestry. For $99, 23andme perfectly fit the bill. I received a simple kit via snail mail - a tube in which to spit - and sent it off in the self-addressed, pre-paid box that it arrived in. Instructions advise that results take 6-8 weeks, so imagine my delight when just 3 weeks later, the first results came in (pictured below). 

I admit, I was hoping there'd be some shocking and unsuspected news revealed, something exotic that would set me apart from the standard profile of the earliest immigrants to the United States, but alas and alack, I am predominantly Northern European. However, there are fun surprises in this early report, specifically the fact that I am nearly 25% Ashkenazi! Ashka-what??? Here's a quick tutorial:

"Ashkenazi’s are Jews who lived in the Rhineland and in neighboring France before their migration eastward to Slavic lands (e.g., Poland, Lithuania, Russia) after the Crusades (11th–13th century).There may be no such thing as a Jewish gene, but communities can definitely have defining characteristics, and one such community is Jews with roots in central and eastern Europe. A model based on the genetic sequencing of 128 Ashkenazi Jews concludes that today’s Ashkenazim descend from the fusion of European and Middle-Eastern Jews during the medieval era, between 600 to 800 years ago. The math also indicates that today’s sprawling community of Ashkenazi Jews — there are more than 10 million around the world — derived from just 350 people or so. That previously postulated population bottleneck — a drastic reduction in population size — occurred between 25 to 32 generations ago, the scientists say."

Mentioned above is that Ashkenazi's descend from Middle-Eastern Jews...well, get this. In DNA testing, you learn your about your maternal and/or paternal haplogroup. A haplogroup is essentially an ancestral clan, a large family, like the Celts or the Vikings. There are Paternal clans tested by the Y chromosome, which only males possess (therefore, my testing will not yield a paternal haplogroup), and Maternal clans tested by mitochondrial DNA (only women pass on mitochondria). This testing can literally tell you where your "original" mother came from. My original mother (here's the Middle East-Ashkenazi connection!) most likely lived in Iraq (the fertile crescent) more than 40,000 years ago. A Haplogroup occurs and is tracked by a new mutation in the DNA. This means that there was literally a woman living 40,000+ years ago who had a gene mutation that persists to this day -  eventually being passed down until it reached my great grandmother, my grandma, my mom and now me. Fascinating, right?! These clans have smaller subgroups for which more specific historical information can be gleaned. As more detailed analysis of my DNA is processed I will learn more about my subgroup. 

Lastly, this testing can discern whether or not you have any Neanderthal ancestry (Africans have none because Neanderthals lived in Europe and the East). The average person has 1-4%, with an average of 2.7%. I am 2.4% Neanderthal. I joked to Joe that this makes me superior to most, and he cautioned me against my speciest attitude!☺

Say Cheeze!

Joe, Rosanna and I arrived to this beautiful sunrise

Following a perfect and productive day off, we awoke to a perfect morning (50's, sun, no wind) for Kenosha's Wisconsin "Cheezy" Half Marathon along a serene stretch of Lake Michigan. This was my 22nd half marathon and my 3rd time running this course, but my first time doing so without fog, cold or rain. During the week I visualized a promising race (my friend Jenny is all about the visualizing, which seems to manifest as truth for her), a race in which I would duplicate the pressure-free, body-feeling-good enjoyment I had in our KY half marathon in March. My visualizations did not mirror the outcome. 

After snapping the great shot above, we headed to the Northern bank of Port-o-Potties. Exiting, we then rounded the corner to the Eastern bank of Port-o-Potties and got right back in line! Waiting to race always fills the bladder - even if you haven't been drinking. Planning to meet up with our friends Bobbi & Dan and Scott & Kathy, we eventually found them in line for the bathroom, and guess what? Yep, we went a third time☺

Rosanna, Me & Bobbi with our medals on the rocks

Rosanna, Bobbi and I decided we'd begin the race together, and go our separate ways as needed. We ended up doing the entire 13.1 together, crossing the finish line a second apart. When we cleared the finish line and how it felt to get there is another story. For whatever reason, this was not my time to shine. In fact, this was my 4th slowest race ever. I had no pep in my step and my cardio system seemed easily taxed. There was nothing in my training, the days leading up to the race or this morning that would predict such an outcome, but I know enough from racing experiences (over 60 races of various lengths) that shit happens and you don't always know why. I finished in 2:27:25 (just last year I had a 2:08 PR in a harder race). In the past this would have devastated me, but today I truly take it in stride and feel grateful that I can run. My stats:
Overall: 1378 out of 1982
Women: 717 out of 1205
W 40-44: 119 out of 203

Now on to the star of this show ... Joe. Joe PR'd!!! I told Rosanna at the start of the race I thought he'd PR. On this out and back course, we were still going out as the fastest runners were coming back, and we passed Joe before even 100 people had gone by. He was flying, landing in 64th place overall with a personal best of 1:33:53 (7:10 pace). Joe's stats:
Overall: 64 out of 1982 (top 3%!)
Men: 55 out of 776 (top 7%)
M 40-44: 6 out of 114 (top 5%)

I would be remiss if I didn't mention that Dan & Scott ran the full marathon offered today. This was their first 26.2 mile distance and they saw it through to the end. As we approached Mile 12 and read the sign that said "Half Marathon Turnaround Ahead, Marathon Continues Straight" I thought of them and shuddered at the thought of having to go another 14+ miles. They are either better than me or crazier than me - probably a bit of both!

Next month all the people mentioned in this blog, along with 7 others, will take on the Ragnar Relay. I will blog details about that event in my next posting. In the mean time, I will take a week to recover and then start my new regimen with Coach Matt Thull on 5/11/15.  I will see new PR's yet and today's results will make that next PR all that much sweeter. 

Why I Run

I run for multiple reasons. I run for fitness. I run for a sense of accomplishment. I run to be in nature. I run to have a never-ending stream of goals to pursue. I run because I enjoy the lifestyle that accompanies it.  I run to stay trim. I run to guard against heart disease.

Heart disease is THE disease in my mom’s family. And if it isn’t exactly a case of disease, it’s a case of malfunction. Her father had multiple strokes before the final one did him in. Her mother had a pace maker. Her younger brothers had quadruple bypass surgeries before they were 60, and her younger sister has had a barrage of heart matters, including Afib. My mom had a stent placed in her narrowing circumflex artery several years ago, which got her into an annual routine of seeing a cardiologist. Last year her annual echocardiogram showed that her aortic valve wasn’t working ideally. The doc said they’d keep an eye on it, and that a valve replacement would be needed down the road. The road came to an end quicker than expected.

Last week, mom had her annual echocardiogram which revealed her aortic valve is not doing its job, and as a result her left atrium has become enlarged due to pressure/volume overload from a stenotic aortic valve. The valve has narrowed with calcium deposits and age, so it can no longer effectively pump blood. In her case, valve failure is not part of heart disease, but the result of use over time; wear and tear. I like to think of it as her being born with a generic valve instead of a name brand valve.  The cardiologist scheduled a heart catheterization to ascertain if there is anything else that needs to be done with the heart when they go in to replace the valve. He also ordered her to not run, lift or walk too fast. He said there is a 2% chance of sudden death while doing nothing.

Yesterday was the catheterization, which found her heart to be in tiptop shape aside from the junky valve. Surgery has been set for Tuesday 4/28/15 at St. Luke’s. Surgery will take about 2.5 hours. It is unclear yet if she will need her sternum cracked open for this surgery or if they’ll be able to do a less invasive procedure. When she awakens, she might moo or oink with her new biologic valve made from cow or pig pericardial tissue. The new valve is expected to last 15-20 years, and should help her pick up some speed in future 5k’s.

Of note is that my mom has not been symptomatic. There has been no sudden shortness of breath, noticeable reduction in stamina or fatigue. This is probably due to her fitness level and to the imperceptible adaptation of her body to the day-by-day decline of the valve failure. Mom looks forward to having a new and improved valve and to toeing the line for the Rock-N-Sole 10kon 6/13/15!

Thunderdome

After 8 years on my own, I'm super excited to up my game with a running coach. For years, the generic plans offered by Hal Higdon and others helped me build up my mileage, incorporate speed work and quicken my pace, but there comes a time when you plateau with the cookie cutter plans and/or you reach a state of overtraining as I nearly did. Not wanting to return to those old ways of training, not wanting to continue with the low heart rate approach and tired of trying to synthesize all the information I know into an effective plan, I'm hiring a reputed running coach - Matt Thull of Thunderdome Running based out of Milwaukee. 

Matt has 25+ years of experience running and coaching. He's worked with people coming fresh off the couch, to high school students, to elite level athletes, to professional level runners. He will create a plan specific to my needs. Unlike the cookie cutter plans, my plan will take into considerations the other physical activities I do each week - 1 hour biking, 1 hour yoga, 1 hour dance, 6-7 hours walking, 3+ hours weight lifting, yard work, etc. - as those activities also strengthen or wear down the body in relation to running loads. 

Coaching nowadays is mainly done by email unless you live in a massive metropolis where a coach could piece together a large enough client base within a small radius. Matt charges $95 for one month of training (a drop in the bucket after spending $100/wk on personal training for the past 3+ years!). He will email me a detailed 6-7 page training plan and we will have email contact 2-3 times per week to track how training is going. I've determined that I will start working with him the week of May 11th. This allows me a solid week of recovery from the May 2nd Cheezy Half Marathon. Matt promises me I will be training smarter and will see results if I put in the effort, which we all know I will! He cautions some of the training runs will be hard, with the idea of overshooting race day efforts in some training runs so that race day exertion feels comfortable, which inevitably leads to more fun and more confidence. I like the sound of that☺

My primary goals with Matt are threefold:

1) Get back to a faster overall pace

2) Avoid overtraining

3) Set a half marathon road PR

Since my next 2 half's will be trail races, we're targeting my November 1st half marathon as the target PR. If you're doing quick math, you'll see that I intend to be working with him for at least 6 months, though I'm told a year of coaching can yield startling results, so I'm inclined to stick with him if I'm happy with my progress by November. 

By the way, Matt is no running lackey who had to turn to coaching to keep his toe in the running world. Look at his accomplishments and PR's listed below - this dude runs sub 5-minute miles as easily as he breathes oxygen!

Tattoo #12

Sitting 1 of 2. What you see here is 3 hours of jarring pain. My hardest-to-endure tattoo thus far. Joe can in large part be thanked for this pain. It was whilst backpacking in the cold rainy Colorado Rockies last summer that Joe made the mistake of pointing out I still had open real estate on my outer lower left leg. This innocent observation set my mind in motion. I perseverated on how to develop this space until it dawned on me that a tribute to my love of backpacking the mountainous Western wilderness was just what this leg needed. I spent the autumn searching images on the Internet that captured my vision - I love the pine trees and ravens found at altitude. Joe sealed the deal for my painfest by giving me a $100 gift token towards this tattoo (tats are about $100/hr, but George only charged $180 for today). Strategically planned to be done after running tight's season (tights could ruin a healing tattoo by pulling scabs off and ripping color out in the process), and after one race, but before another, I consulted with my artist, George. I brought him three different images to impart what I wanted and he agreed it could work and today was the day to make it so. George drew all of this on my leg free style, and it was perfect on his first draft. Next, the silent needles began to tear through my flesh, sending jolts of pain through my body. At times my leg jumped involuntarily with a nervous system gone awry. I found the best way to cope was to dull all other senses. I closed my eyes, tuned out sound, pulled my free leg  in towards my chest and wrapped my arms around my torso - one arm gripping  my side... the other holding onto the chair for dear life. And I practiced good yoga breathing ☺

While I have facetiously thanked Joe for indirectly causing me pain, I do have to thank him for sacrificing a precious Saturday for me. First it was hammering out a 10-mile run, then rushing over to a running expo at Fleet Feet where we met my future running coach (more on that in another blog!) and then to Waukesha Tattoo Company. 

Just hours into this tattoo, people have begun to ask about the character beneath the roots. The symbol is the word for "Joy" in Japanese. It is an old tattoo that I had done to reflect my involvement in and love for the martial arts. The fact that it is surrounded by the roots of this tree means nothing - it's just a matter of fitting the tree in around this existing ink. The next round of ink will flow in one month, finishing the top of the tree and the back branches that wrap around the side of my leg to my calf. I'll post another picture of the completed project then. Off to bed now and to find a position in which this doesn't hurt too much when touching the sheets!

Run the Bluegrass

Race Day. Keeneland Race Track. Waiting to begin my 21st half marathon, my numb feet toed the line in Wave 4 of 7. When imagining this day, 13° windchills in Lexington, KY at the end of March was not part of the picture. I wouldn't feel my toes and forefeet until well after Mile 2. 

"America's Prettiest Half Marathon" is not an exaggeration. This course earned the title fair and square. The entire route rolls along undulating hills outlined with black or white fences delineating private horse pastures. Looking to the right or left, layers of green earth unfolded to the horizon. Some of the deeper folds were dotted with trees and it occurred, "I'm in Kentucky! Those be called hollers!"☺ Sights along the course included grand mansions, horses, cows, chickens, herding dogs and shadows on the land of vultures circling above. Sounds along the course included roosters cockadoodle-dooling, a noticeable absence of urban sounds and at Mile 7, the tight rock-rap music of the live band Elephant Room. 

It would also be fair to call this course "The Hilliest Road Race In The Non-Mountainous Areas of The United States." Too wordy? Literally, if we weren't running up, we were running down. There were no flats. My FitBit counted 120 floors, which equals 1,200 ft. of climbing - the equivalent of running vertical for .25 miles. By contrast, our hardest and hilliest road race prior to this had 44 floors. On multiple occasions before the race, I ran a 12-mile route that had 70 floors. I believe that prepared me well, as did the 80/20 training, but more on that in a second...you probably want to know our performance results.

I preface the race results noting that I went into this race with no real expectation except to run strong. I did not have a time goal, though based on my training runs, I assumed I would finish around 2:30. I did not have strict expectations on how to execute the run either, such as my past edicts of "no walking!" Additionally, for the first time in half marathon history, I was racing without a Camelbak and gave myself permission to stop at aid stations for water as needed (normally I never stop since I carry my own, but over the winter I ran without water, got used to it and I liked not having the extra weight on my back). Giving myself these freedoms removed the usual pressures and anxiety I have before a race and led to a fun, strong and rewarding performance. 

Results
Joe Finish Time = 1:40:07 (7:38 pace)
Male 45-49 Place = 11/156 Top 7%
Gender Place = 128/1155 Top 11%
Overall = 155/3082 Top 5%

Joy Finish Time = 2:22:20 (10:52 pace)
Female 40-44 Place = 118/311 Top 37%
Gender Place = 836/1927 Top 43%
Overall = 1707/3082 Top 55%

I was thrilled with my results! I finished 8 minutes faster than I assumed I would. This was a badass course and yet I was in the top third of my age group and did better than more than half of my female peers. I accomplished this despite stopping at ALL 6 aid stations for water (the cold dry air had me parched) and despite walking up a lot of hills (done to keep my heart rate under control to prevent early fatigue).

80/20 Training Thoughts
It's clear to me now that low heart rate training works. The science behind it made sense to my intellectual mind, which is why I took a leap of faith and ran like a tortoise for 4 months. My emotional mind could not comprehend how running slow could help me run well in a race. I knew it could help me recover from over-training, but beyond that? I was dubious (though Rosanna kept saying she just knew it would pay off). 

On race day you do not worry about your heart rate, you just run. I was solid in myself and did not start too fast, knowing that the speedsters passing me by now, would be walking in the final miles later, as I cruised by. I ran what felt comfortable. I looked around and took in the views, telling myself how pretty it was; how lucky I was. 

Since I had no pressure on myself to hit a certain time/pace, I looked at my watch infrequently. When I did look, I was often surprised to see I was running between a 9:15-10:00 pace - a far cry from my training long run pace of 11:40-12:30. If my mind started doing the math, whispering in my ear, "If you keep this up you could finish in x amount of time", I quickly quelled it, and reminded myself to stay in the moment, not to worry about the outcome. 

In training, I'd worried that I'd gasp for air if running faster in a race with a higher heart rate (HR) since my body had grown accustomed to moving slow with a HR of 145 or less. Not the case. My breathing never felt taxed despite running this race with an average HR of 160. 

In most races, I'm acutely aware of the miles. I live for the next mile marker. This time, I actually lost track once and was pleasantly surprised to find I'd hit mile 8, when I thought I was on 7. I wasn't desperate to see mile markers because I wasn't suffering physically or mentally. My slow training taught my body to use fat for fuel, so I needed none on the course. Because my body was using fat in conjunction with glycogen (converted carbs in your muscles), I wasn't pushing my body into the bonking zone. Mentally, my slow training taught me to settle in for the long haul. Running 12-15 miles in the final 6 weeks of training, left me outside slogging along for 2-3 hours. I learned how to hunker down and stay the course. These lessons, all from 80/20 running, were learned over the past 4 months and then realized in this race. 

After the race, I had high energy and wasn't sore or stiff. The next day, my body felt loose and limber. We spent a couple hours climbing (and zip lining) the ropes course at the Mega Caverns, then went for a 3 mile hike and still I felt good. 

The take away point of the 80/20 training is that my body was fresh to run faster on an uber challenging course because my nervous system was not taxed from months of medium intensity running (running too fast a lot of the time while not running fast enough some of the time). My recovery is fast because of this principal as well. I will no longer train exclusively by low heart rate, but I do intend to make sure my long runs and recovery runs are S L O W, and I'm going to be diligent about resting properly in the following 2 weeks before gearing up for our next half marathon - the Wisconsin Cheezy on May 2nd. 

Donning our 2# Medals!

15 Miles

I've been running for 8 years. In that time, I've covered more than 8,000 miles, completing 20 half marathons and 40 races of lesser distances. It is not uncommon for people to ask me when I'm going to try a full marathon, and my answer is always, unwaveringly the same, "Never. I have no desire to run that far." I usually go on to say that 13.1 miles (a half marathon) feels like plenty each time I cross the finish line, that there is no way I can even imagine doubling that distance for a full marathon. I stand by that statement. 

Most half marathon training plans have long runs that max out between 10-12 miles. There is no plan out there (that I'm aware of) that actually has you run the race distance, let alone further than the race distance. This is because it is not physiologically necessary to do so... unless you're doing the 80/20 aerobic building plan, which calls for a 14 mile run 2 weeks before your scheduled half marathon. 

Since I've had a lot of 12 mile runs in this training plan, I did not feel daunted by running 14. In fact, I was excited to run further than I've ever run before. Yesterday was a gorgeous day for a run - temps balmy in the 40's, bright blue skies, windy (but not chilling), bare ground exposed after a week of snow melt. Well rested, steel oats in my belly, I ventured out to ALL corners of Waukesha. The first 3-4 miles of my run were terrible. My legs felt like dead weight, I was hyperaware of my breathing and constantly checking my heart rate (HR) to insure I was in the correct parameters. During this period of struggle, the strangest thing happened - I latched onto the idea of adding an extra mile to make my run 15 miles. Say whaaaaaat? 

Yep. A barrage of thoughts occurred at once. They went something like this: I remembered a non-pressing goal uttered some years ago about trying to run 15 miles someday. I thought about how that vague goal wasn't compelling enough to motivate me to run 15 miles on my own accord. I acknowledged that the chances of having another training plan dictating a 14 mile long run were nil. I identified the perfect weather as a rare occurrence and I imagined the sense of accomplishment I'd feel having run a solid 15 miles. The convergence of these thoughts gripped me, the miles started getting better (because my legs finally started working) and the run took on new momentum. I was on a mission. 

When I say my run took me all over Waukesha, I do not exaggerate. I traveled from our house on the SE side to the furthest portions of NW Waukesha. covering 90 freakin' floors in the process! This route, almost exclusively along attractive residential streets, took me through my Carroll University neighborhood, along the Fox River, beyond Waukesha Memorial Hospital, onto the Glacial Drumlin Trail and into the area I've termed the Glacial Cone neighborhood (see picture below). The "Glacial Cone" neighborhood is on the Western edge of the city, with fingers extended towards the Retzer Nature Center and beyond to the Southern Kettle Moraine Unit and Lapham Peak. The glacial cone is a large, tall, treeless cone that towers over the neighborhood. Streets stem away from the base of the cone, like spokes on a wheel, with names such as Cone View Court, Crestwood Drive, etc. This neighborhood is full of woodsy patches and a large grassy mall (think of a much smaller version of the mall in Washington DC). It was in this space that I encountered Joe and told him my plan to extend my run to 15 miles (he didn't bite - after a long work week, 14 was all he cared to do). 

The "Glacial Cone" Neighborhood - see the cone? the mall?

When I hit the 12 mile mark, I checked my time. I was running 15 seconds per mile faster than I had 2 weeks ago on the same route! Now all I had left was 3 miles and I could bask in the glory of pushing myself for 15 miles. Those final 3 miles slowed a bit and it became more difficult to keep my HR low, but I never considered stopping at 14 (even though I was only 4 blocks from home). Walking in the door, nearly 3 hours after I set out, Garmin reflecting 15.00 mi (with an average HR of 147), Joe gave me a high five and I got started on the second half of my day☺