Dorothy Beal

I have this thing with running...

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Make Plans, God Laughs

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I’ve started a handful of posts that are sitting in drafts and two of them both start with the quote about making plans and God laughing….

The elite edition of the London Marathon 2020 is this Sunday, October 4th. London was going to be my last major marathon finish I needed in order to earn the Abbott World Marathon Majors 6 Star Medal. When London was postponed this spring I was initially disappointed. I trained hard all winter for what was hopefully going to be one of my faster for me marathons and while I was able to swerve when Tokyo was canceled and run something else, I had hoped to better my time at London. That being said London being postponed was a blessing in disguise, I honestly wasn’t ready for my six star journey, as they call it, to be over.

I was sad about London being over before it even began. This is something I continuously struggle with…I know that almost everything ends and that it’s just a normal part of life, but I sometimes have a hard time being fully present in a moment because I know it’s already a memory on some level. If the memories will keep happening, then it’s not a big deal, but when it’s something that may never happen again, I feel a bit sad before it’s even happened and certainly long before it’s over.

I’ll never forget the first time I went to Kona to watch the Ironman World Championships, it was my first time visiting Hawaii and for someone who loves watching endurance sports, it was Hawaii on a whole other – better – crazier – more intense – level. Lost in thought one afternoon a friend asked me what I was thinking about. When I said oh I don’t know, just in my own world I guess, he responded, you are already sad this is over, aren’t you?? I had literally never shared that, that I have this weird? quirk so I was taken aback. Yeah I was sad, I was in paradise and I was already sad it was over, even though it wasn’t close to being over. He told me that it was only the last time I would spectate that race if I wanted it to be the last time, that if I wanted to go back I would find a way to make it happen…and I did, two more times.

The more I like something or enjoy something the more I’m preemptively sad it has ended. The thing is I know logically that endings make room for beginnings and not going on the same life adventure repeatedly makes room for different, often better, adventures.

I’ve run Marine Corps Marathon 11 times, but up until I ran The Great Wall Marathon I don’t think I fully realized that yeah it’s fun to run the same thing over and over, there is a sense of comfort there, but there is also something exciting and fun and truly much needed when you try something new and step outside of your comfort zone (even if that something new involves a hell of a lot of steps of varying sizes, that you don’t totally feel prepared for).

I signed up for the virtual London experience thinking I would run 1 mile every hour for 24 hours with a couple of hours being more than 1 mile. I was honestly really excited about it and then you know, plans changed (in a good way, but not one I’m ready to explain)…

The crazy person inside of me keeps telling myself to bust out a marathon. Drive to the end of the trail in the dark, park and just jog for hours, walking when needed and finish 26.2 all at once. I know I could do that…which yes I am grateful to have a body that can handle my nonsense, but I also don’t feel like that’s very smart when I’m under an abnormal amount of stress right now + I don’t have time to lay around and recover from what that will do to my body.

So I’m choosing not to do the 24 hour thing, choosing not to be a moron and run 26.2 miles off no training and I’m choosing to not dwell on it or care. I have exactly a year to get myself together so that at the finish line of London, I’m not sad it’s already over, I’m just fully present in the moment with my friends (and medals!!!) and ready to drink lots of whiskey + dance the night away.

p.s. Don’t @ me and tell me London 2021 might not happen either, I’m a bright side person and I’m choosing to hold on to this dream 🙂

InsideTracker InnerAge 2.0

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Yesterday InsideTracker launched their InnerAge 2.0 test, something I’ve been really excited about!

I was part of their beta tester group and couldn’t wait till it launched so I could talk about it. Why do secrets feel the worst – lol!?!

The InnerAge 2.0 test tests 14 biomarkers that determine your biological age as compared to your chronological age. I’m not sure what age I was expecting it to come back at but I’m highly competitive with myself so when it came back with 35 I felt let down – I REALLY wanted it to be lower. After consulting with InsideTracker, it turns out that anything under your chronological age is really great. Most participants of the beta group were actually older biologically than chronologically, which made me feel a bit better about my 35!

I have 6 biomarkers that are raising my InnerAge and 8 that are lowering it.

If you are wondering what exactly a biomarker is, you aren’t alone. When I posted a Dear Dorothy on my instagram page the other day that was the most asked question about InsideTracker. If you CLICK HERE it links to a FREE e-book that explains everything you need to know about biomarkers.

My iron and ferritin levels (my ferritin is currently 30 ugh) have consistently not been where they should be so it was no surprise that my TIBC (total iron binding capability) is adding to my InnerAge. I’ll continue to try to figure out that piece of my “health puzzle” as simply supplementing didn’t work for me.

The other 5 that are raising my age I had no clue what they were or how to improve them, thankfully InsideTracker takes the work out of figuring out how to improve biomarkers. On the right hand side of the screen in your individual dashboard there is a link you can click that tells you how to improve each individual biomarker.

The biomarker lowering my InnerAge the most is one I’m excited about (yes I’m a nerd), my LDL. My LDL was high in January when I took an Ultimate Test and honestly it made me mad – lol. I consider myself a mostly healthy person, so to have a cholesterol level that was in the high zone made me feel terrible. I have this thing about wanting to live for a really long time. My best friend from 2nd grade often laughs at me and is like but yeah who actually wants to live to be 100, you would be so old, and I’m like ummm yeah me, I do. My great grandmother lived to be 100 and got to meet Chloe when I was pregnant with Miles. We have a photo of 5 generations all standing together and I think it’s the coolest thing ever. My grandfather passed away last year at the age of 90 and my grandmother just turned 90 this month! She still does yoga, goes for walks, and is generally an active person. I want to be like her!!! It’s literally a life goal of mine to live a very long life!

After testing in the high LDL range I followed some of the InsideTracker recommendations and have since then lowered my LDL significantly! So yay to being younger on the inside than I actually am and yay to being competitive with myself and making it a goal to lower that number on my next test!

If you want to try InsideTracker for yourself (they are a partner) you can use code: mileposts 

The code gets you 20% off the Ultimate or Vitality tests and for a limited time the InnerAge add on is complimentary if you use my code! (I don’t see who uses it and I don’t get anything from it, if you are the type of person who is worried about that!)

Questions? Send me a DM on instagram!

Brooks Glycerin 18 Review

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Sponsored by Zappos

Let’s talk about Brooks!! One of my very first jobs in the running industry was selling running shoes. The store I worked at is where I first fell in love with running and started to consider myself not just a girl who ran but a runner! 

One of my go-to shoes during that time was the Brooks Glycerin. Shortly after I graduated from college there was an opening for a local field marketing representative for Brooks. After applying for the job twice, I eventually got the job (a lesson in not giving up!!) and I have loved the brand ever since. It’s been 15 or so years since I worked for Brooks but I’ve continued to keep their shoes in my running shoe rotation, specifically the Glycerin. 

I ordered the Brooks Glycerin 18 from Zappos on Friday afternoon and by Saturday morning they had already shipped! Patience is a virtue I joke, that I was not born with, so I’m a huge fan of how easy it is to order from Zappos and how quickly whatever I order arrives!

I’m a Zappos VIP (FREE to join) which is why I often purchase shoes from them. One of the perks of being a VIP is that when you return an item you don’t have to wait for it to make its way back to Zappos before they credit your payment method back. This makes for no-stress, easy returns!

The Brooks Glycerin 18 is a solid neutral shoe with a 10mm offset. I’m a neutral runner who rolls a bit to the outside (supinate) so I always run in neutral shoes. Brooks states on their website that in this version of the Glycerin there is a “reconfigured midsole allows more DNA LOFT cushioning underfoot for extreme plushness.” I completely agree with their description of how the shoe feels. It literally feels like I’m running on clouds while also not feeling so soft that it feels unstable. 

I mention this all the time but I’m going to repeat it again – one of the main ways that I’ve managed to stay injury free for the past 20 years has been rotating my running shoes. You can rotate your running shoes one of three ways, between different shoes from the same brand or different shoes from different brands, or a combination of different shoes from the same brand plus different shoes from other brands. 

One of the main complaints I hear about this practice is that not everyone can afford to have a zillion pairs of running shoes, which I definitely can appreciate. If you can budget the money in advance, rotating between two pairs of shoes can actually extend the life of each pair of running shoes by giving the shoes a “break” between runs. 

Running shoes typically last between 300 – 500 miles. You will hear about runners who can get higher mileage on a pair or those who start to feel niggles at 250. In my experience as someone who has been running races for 20 years you absolutely get more mileage out of any one running shoe if you aren’t wearing that shoe every single day. Buying two pairs at once can often help you save money in the long run if your shoes last longer. 

It’s also always good to keep in mind that running shoes should be primarily kept for just running, not only is this a great mental practice to get in to so that when you put on your running shoes your body knows it’s time to run, but also because a mile walking around the grocery store is the same as running a mile. If you want to cut down on cost, wear other shoes when walking around and save your running shoes for running. 

Brooks has always been a brand that I’ve felt feels great straight out of the box. There is zero break in time for me, so instead of running a couple of shorter runs in them to get used to them, I can jump right in to whatever mileage I have planned for that day!

I’m wearing the Greenlight 7” Short Tight in these photos and LOVE them! I’m always on the hunt for good black running shorts and while these are longer than what I typically wear I am a big fan of these shorts. The side pocket is perfect for holding gels and the pocket is even big enough that it holds my phone while running! I have last years version of these in capris and have loved the mesh paneling on the side.

Zappos has 11 colorways of the Glycerin 18. The colorway I have is the Black/Blackened Pearl/Latte color way. I’ve been a fan of black running shoes since Des Linden wore all black Brooks running shoes when she won the Boston Marathon!

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Dorothy Beal