Competitor's 3 Things Every Runner Should Do

Just got a shout-out on Competitor from Cait Chock (first high school girl to run sub-16:00 and former professional runner for Nike, currently working as a running writer/blogger/artist). Well, actually, it was a couple days ago, but I've been swamped lately and just had time to post it now. Check it out here!

Gear Review: PlantFusion protein powder

In a perfect world, we'd get all the protein we needed from real food. And for those of us whose mouths water at the thought of a thick, juicy, medium-rare steak, getting protein from real food probably isn't much of a problem (though I do supplement with whey protein shakes because steak right after workouts tends to not happen nearly as much as I'd like...plus protein shakes are just so convenient). Protein's a little trickier for my vegetarian and vegan friends though, since while animal sources of protein tend to be complete proteins (includes all essential amino acids), plant sources are usually incomplete, and you have to mix and match plant proteins in order to get all of your essential amino acids (for example, beans and rice combine to make a complete protein). There are exceptions, like quinoa, which is considered a complete protein, but even mighty quinoa has a lower Protein Digestability Corrected Amino Acid Score than say, whey and casein (from milk), eggs, and beef. Vegetarians and vegans may turn to soy for protein, but soy is such a controversial food right now that many people want to avoid taking in more than they already do. So what's a vegan to do? Well, if my several of my fellow chiropractic student friends are any indication, PlantFusion may be an option.

Seneca Falls Track Club

Friend of mine asked for some design work. I may have slipped in some Bucknell colors. Ignore the navy blue on black...the background is just a placeholder for now. Somehow it looks like I may have become co-admin for this...it popped up on my Facebook newsfeed the other day (much to my confusion), but you know, Facebook official and all. And it's not really a club, per say, at least not as of now, but in my opinion, "track club" sounded more professional than "running group," which is what the actual head honcho named it, so I took some artistic license with my logo. Anyway, on the off-chance you live near the land of women's rights and wonderful lives, hit me up if you want to run with a bunch of chiropractic students. Should be fun.

Gear Review: AEROBIE AeroPress

How many of you caffeinate before running? Be honest, I won't judge, because I certainly do. I've explained my schedule before...you don't really think I'd be able to run triple digit weeks while still passing my classes without a little help from my roasted rocket fuel? I'm sure there are some people in this world who can pull that off, but I'm a mere mortal, albeit a mortal who likes to partake of some of the gods' Italian roasted ambrosia (and I didn't judge any of you for caffeinating before running, so none of you hardcore coffee geeks who claim that dark roasts destroy the delicate flavor of the beans can judge me!). Anyway, I've tried a few different brewing methods, but one stands above the others as far as coffee quality, ease of use, and value for the money: the AEROBIE AeroPress.

Race Report: Rock 'n' Roll Philadelphia Half-Marathon

A year ago, I was just starting up chiropractic school, and I was in the beginning of the training cycle building up to the Philadelphia Marathon, a race that I felt I had executed well and signaled a successful return from surgery. A year later, I've returned to Philly and run...an okay race. Not bad, but certainly not good...just okay. But it's only a complete failure if you don't take anything away from the experience, so here goes!

Gear Review: Brooks Mach 15 and Mach 15 Spikeless

Early last year, I picked up a nifty little pair of spikeless cross-country flats, the Brooks Mach 13 Spikeless. They were a neat shoe...light, nimble, fun. Sure, they weren't very versatile, but whatever, they were cheap, so it's not like they had to be the only shoes in my closet. So I bought a bunch of them...enough that I completely missed out on the Mach 14 because I was too busy going through a pile of Speed Dragons. By the time I had exhausted my stash, Brooks had moved on to the Mach 14's successor, the Mach 15.

Active Release Techniques (A.R.T.)

In case you've wondered where I've disappeared to, I just finished finals and then almost immediately went to Boston for the lower extremity Active Release Techniques seminar. In case you're not familiar with A.R.T., it is a soft tissue technique that treats problems with muscles, tendons, ligaments, fascia, and nerves by applying tension and getting them moving relative to each other. Many of you have probably heard the term "scar tissue adhesion" being thrown around by your friends who have had body work done. These adherences can limit range of motion, cause muscles to shorten and weaken, cause pain, and entrap nerves. Breaking down these adhesions is a large part of A.R.T. But Dr. Leahy explains it better than I, so check the site for a full explanation.