Dear Body,

I need you to hold me up to run the marathon! Quit giving me weird pains in my legs with no warning. Right shin occasionally feeling a shin splint kind of pain. Left knee tingles weirdly and I have tight ITB bands. I don’t know if I am being overly sensitive or if I’m just listening to my body A LOT. You treat me well during the runs (my times are great, I am right on schedule with the plan- it’s after the run where you start talking to me). I really want to have a good marathon experience but all these weird pains are making me paranoid. I am attempting to treat you with respect: stretching, core work, myo-fascial release, resting (?!!)

From: Brain Training for Runners by Matt Fitzgerald.

Illiotibial Band Friction Syndrome means weak abductors, tight ITB bands, and the remedy is strengthening hip flexors, stretching and deep tissue massage.

Shin Splints caused by increasing mileage too quickly or overstriding and the remedy is to reduce running then increase it more slowly, gait retraining, and changing shoes.

Patellofemoral Pain syndrome (runner’s knee) caused by weak hip adbductors, weak quadriceps, week deep abdominal muscles and the remedy is to strengthen hip abductors, quadriceps, and deep abdominals.

Message here:

Runner’s need as much core/functional strength as you can get!! The more I run, the more I stretch and strengthen on those off days. Thinking that the weight training is almost more important than the running.

Eccentric Leg Squats for Runners:

Stand up straight. Lift one leg up to a 90 degree angle and do a half squat. 10 repetitions on each leg for 2 sets. This exercise can be done in a variety of ways- but the bottom line is to strengthen weak quad muscles as well as your balance.

What do you guys think?

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Sara Kirsner, founder and designer of Doie Designs, has created fabulous, eco-conscious clothing made out of bamboo! These clothes are cold washable, hang dry, softer than cotton and incredibly comfortable. The clothing is a combination of bamboo jersey and 100% silk.

“Bamboo fabric is incredibly soft and has a natural sheen to it. It is naturally anti-microbial, which means that the fabric actually prevents bacteria from growing on it, resulting in clothing that remains odor-free longer than other fabrics. It is naturally breathable to help keep you dry and comfortable. Bamboo fabric stays around 2 degrees cooler in hot weather and can also keep you warmer in cool weather.”

A note from Sara about her hobbies and fitness:

I grew up in Northern CA, so I always loved to go hiking or on long walks outside. Here in New York I do a lot of cardio classes, at the gym, like kickboxing, and I also do Pilates at a Pilates Studio. I exercise for both physical and mental health reasons. I will be moving to Los Angeles next week and I plan to do a lot more outdoor activities- like hiking in Runyon Canyon.

Doie Designs has been in business for three years and can be purchased online as well as some boutiques across the country. Click here to find a store in your area.

Doie Designs has been featured in Yoga Life, Family Circle, and Nashville Lifestyles, just to name a few. I am a firm believer in less is more. One quality piece of clothing that looks fabulous is better than 10 cheap cotton shirts from Target. The price is worth it!

Here are a few of my favorites:

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Ingenious desk pads designed by a mom for moms! Everything to keep you organized from shopping lists to Fit Me pads to keep you organized for charting your exercise, water intake, healthy food, etc..Check it out!

lobotoME {luh-bot-uh-mee} A surgical incision into one or more of he nerve masses in the front of the brain. A lobotomy may be performed or the relief of certain mental disorders, although it has been largely abandoned in favor of less radical treatments.

Because people who have had a lobotomy often become quite passive after the operation, the term is often used to refer to someone who shows lack of response or reaction.

Example: “She was so tired she just sat here as if she had been lobotomized.”
American Heritage New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition

A note from Jenny:

I am a work from home mom - In addition to doing everything for LobotoME (PR, design, order processing, etc)- full time, I also work part time with my husband - we put on mt. bike races & adventure races throughout the Rocky Mountain Region - www.GravityPlay.com - so we are both work from home entrepreneurs. I get 3 FULL days of work in each week while Sam is at preschool and then the other 2 days I stay up and work late after my daughter is in bed (actually every night I do that, but I try to fit a good 5-6 hours in on T/Th nights).

I love to do anything outside - mt. bike, road bike, hike, kayak, etc. but right now my favorite form of exercise is YOGA. I am always running around (either chasing after my 4 year old daughter) or scoping out race venues/courses, so when I have an hour to myself to exercise lately I’ve been opting for Yoga over my mt. bike.

I usually race in a couple of races each fall (after our busy summer event production season) but haven’t honed in on any in particular yet for this year. I like to do triathlons or adventure races - I’m more of a multi-sport kind of gal. I get bored easily!

Jenny also has a blog so you can show her (and me) some comment love!

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