Interview with Apolo Ohno & $25 Subway Giveaway

SUAR “does” Apolo, soul patch and all

He’s been famous for many things – 8 Olympic medals in speed skating, his sexy (or sordid) soul patch, those hunky thighs, and winning the 4th Season of Dancing with the Stars. One thing is for sure, Apolo Ohno is always up to something.

On DWTS in 2007

Apolo’s most recent athletic pursuit has been marathon training. Rumor has it that Jared from Subway, who ran his first marathon in New York last year in 5:13, challenged Apolo to run the New York City Marathon this year.

On the Olympic medal podium in 2004 – he was just a baby, only 22 years old

Apolo’s been running for years as part of his speed skating training, but did not actually train for a race until this year. He ran the Chicago Half marathon in September in a time of 1:40. His coach said that Apolo could have run faster (yeah, sure), but that this was a “training” run for New York and not meant to be a true race for time.

Apolo training at the track with Michael Phelps. “Hahahah! We both shave our legs!”

I was invited to interview Apolo via conference call yesterday about his upcoming race. This is not the order in which questions were asked and some of it is not verbatim (I can only write so fast), but you get the idea:

Everyone wants to know what your time goal is. What are you aiming for?

I want to beat Jared and Mario Lopez (laughs). Really, I’m hoping to do the race in  3 1/2 hours. I am sponsored by Subway and they have promised to donate $26,200 to the Special Olympics if I’m able to run under 4 hours. I’m ready to rock and roll!

Do you have a mantra you use when the going gets tough?

Yes, when I’m in pain and having doubts, I have to dig deeper. My mantra is “zero regrets,” something my dad taught me.  I want to know that I gave all to my performance.

How has running changed your body?

I have actually lost weight while marathon training. My legs are ridiculous things, but they have gotten smaller with marathon training. They are 50% smaller than they used to be! I don’t have to have my jeans custom made anymore.

How is marathon training different than speed skating training?

They are nothing alike. With speed skating it is all sprinting and explosive. My coach really needed to work with me to slow down.

What do you eat before and during a race?

A good blend of carbs and proteins the night before (he finds brown rice pasta to be a good choice). The morning of the race I eat some oatmeal. During the race, I do liquid gels and try to stay hydrated.

How do you recover after a long run or race?

I love to drink low-fat chocolate milk. It’s the perfect blend of carbs and protein. A lot of times I’m not hungry after a long workout so it works for me.

What is your advice for first time marathoners?

Make sure you are consistent and plan ahead. If you can, get a good trainer/coach. Without my coach (Todd Rushworth) I would just run hard everyday. But it’s really important to know when to take it easy on the long runs. I also learned the value of rest.

How do you stay motivated when you don’t feel like running? (my favorite question)

This happens all the time. I give myself no choice. It’s not an option. I just get out there and do it.

You are working closely with Subway to run this marathon. What’s your favorite sub?

I’m a double meat guy. I go for a foot long double meat (turkey) on honey oat with all the veggies, banana peppers too and oil/vinegar. Sometimes I add in avocado.

 

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Do you want to be like Apolo and run to your nearest Subway for double meat on honey oat? Subway is giving away a $25 gift card to one reader.

To enter, just tell me how you fuel up before and after a tough workout. That’s it. A random winner will be chosen on Tuesday, November 8.

SUAR

Fine print: The Zocalo Group, on behalf of Subway provided me with a $25 Subway gift card as well as the gift card for the giveaway in exchange for my interview with Apolo Ohno. I paid nothing for the items.

No More Custom Jeans

Just got back from my Cortisone injection. By the way, “high hamstring” means lower ass. I always think it’s funny when you go the doctor. You get very intimate very fast. In my case, I had never met the guy and five minutes after getting there I was bare ass up on the table and he was pushing and prodding my butt, trying to find the sore spot. I asked for a cigarette.

Here is the pre shot set up, very simple indeed:

He poked in and out (TWSS) looking for where to do the injection, but  never hit a spot that was especially sore. WTF? I mean I’ve been dealing with this pain for awhile now and why when someone pushes the hell out of it, do I not feel anything? Am I lying? Making this up? Maybe I have some sort of disorder where I just want attention from doctors. Lord knows I’ve seen enough of them this year.

The shot itself was not too painful except when he hit the bone (sorry, I know that made you cringe). However, at this moment in time I am very sore. Time will tell if it works or not. I am not expecting a miracle, but I am hoping for enough relief that I can start working on getting the area stronger again.

Your insights about strength training on my last post were very helpful. I am resigned to the fact that building strength will become a part of my repertoire from here on out. It just has to be.

In other news, my phone interview with this dude went well today:

There were about four bloggers on the line, and we each got about ten minutes to ask Apolo and his coach about his training and upcoming marathon on Sunday in NYC.

I’ll post the full interview tomorrow, but a couple of teasers:

• His goal is to finish in around 3:30
• He has run 700 miles since he started training for the marathon
• His quads have gotten smaller since he started running and he now does not have to buy custom made jeans (I mean, seriously, look at those bitches):

• He loves me and asked if we could hold hands and speed skate together, but I told him I just had a Cortisone shot and am a bit sore.

Who is your fitness idol? I am on the fence. But I like the legs above. A lot. I also like Dolvett.

On a closing note, my impression of this week’s Biggest Loser (spoiler alert):

1. Ramon likes Jess more than she likes him
2. I don’t know why Dolvett’s team isn’t losing more weight
3. Bonnie cries too much and I wish she would have gone home before Jess
4. Anna’s team got results this week but I’m still not a huge fan
5. Bob’s hair is not growing on me
6. I about died when Vinny did that move where he flopped on his stomach. I’m sure he broke five ribs if that is possible to do through all of that extra fat
7. Chocolate gravy is the most disgusting food I’ve ever heard of. Isn’t it just Hershey’s syrup?

Sorry for any typos. In a hurry to get to a meeting. More tomorrow.

SUAR

Self-Indulgent Thugs

Did anyone see the article in today’s Wall Street Journal entitled “Who Quits Before Race Day?”  In my humblest of opinions, it actually doesn’t say a whole lot. Basically, lots of people over-train for marathons, get injured and never make it to the start line – “Of the 60,000 runners who registered for the New York marathon several months ago, about 45,000 will show up for the start.”

Apparently, for some runners, fear of under-training actually leads to over-training. One more example of how we runners can be quite the bunch of overachievers. Several injured people were quoted in the article, most of them voicing disappointment at training for so many months and not being able to run the race.

I’ve been there. You’ve probably been there too. It sucks the big one. One more race shirt you can’t  wear, one more day of the year when you wake up and cry in your Starbucks because you are supposed to be racing and are instead watching re-runs of America’s Funniest Home Videos (which is always on, by the way. No one ever gets tired of swift blow to the crotch) .

Just for the record, I’m sure it breaks some law in some country (Sri Lanka?) to wear a shirt for race you never ran. I give them to my kids.

What struck me the most about this article was not the content, but the comments that followed, like this one:

“I have zero sympathy for the "sense of loss". Life is full of *real* stuff to mourn: people losing jobs, spouses, children, and the actual ability to walk or run. Training and then not being able to run is a bummer but it falls into the category of not being able to indulge in that weekend away. Anything longer than a few days of self-pity indicates a serious lack of perspective. Learning to count your blessings in a far less than tragedy situation like this is how resilience is built for when life *really* slaps you upside the head.”

Are we runners really such a group of whiney, self indulgent thugs who have completely lost perspective?

Yes, I have been guilty of getting caught up in running and having a one-track mind. Yet, just because I love to run and grieve the loss of not being able to a race or train does not mean I don’t “get” that there are worse tragedies in life. Give me a break. At the end of the day I know that running is not everything. But, it does make me happy so I miss it when I can’t do it. Like anything, when you want it and can’t have it, it hurts.

SUAR

PS: Stayed tuned later this week as I talk to would-be marathoner and gold medalist, Apolo Anton Ohno, who will be running New York on Sunday. I bet he is not whiney.

Week 4: Injury Update

I don’t like it, but I’ve gotten used to not running. I know running and races are in my future, so I try to see the big picture. Kind of like when you’ve given up chocolate for Lent. If you know you'll have it again, it makes it a lot more bearable.

Most of all, I’d like to get rid of the crutches and just be able to walk again. I miss going to the grocery store alone while hungry and buying crap we don’t need. Ken has been a huge help taking my lists full of requests for hominy, hummus, ricotta and scouting the store for these items. But, like a good shopper, he sticks to the list and does not deviate. No impulse buys. No Ho-Hos and Cheez Whiz.

While I’ve held it together pretty well considering the circumstances, I have had moments of falling apart. Last night I got in an argument with Emma, my 9 year old.  She was upstairs so I surreptitiously (big, fancy, SAT word) crutched it to the pantry and took her 10 lb. Halloween treat bag. I had barely gotten to the couch and made my way through a fun sized box of Dots when she came in the room. Oh shit. I tried to hide the overflowing bag, but didn’t have time.

Emma: MOM! What are you DOING? That is my bag. My candy. You have to ask me!!

Me: C’mon. Really? You need to share. You’ve got ten stinking pounds of candy. CAN’T YOU SHARE?

Emma:  MOM! That is mine. I went out and got it for myself. I had to wear a box to get that candy!

Then it occurred tome she was right. She did wear a box around the neighborhood and this is her candy. She earned every gram of sugar. The least I can do is ask permission. I know she will say, “No” which is why I didn't ask in the first place, but still. You have to give respect to get respect. Another reason I need to go to the grocery store for Twinkies.

I am making progress with this damn injury, be it it slowly. Here’s how the week shook out:

Monday: Blood work including a metabolic workup to see if I have some sort of deficiency or absorption problem that could be leading to the stress fractures. Low mood day overall. Not seeing any light at the end of the tunnel. The weather was absolutely, stunningly gorgeous. Shitty, cold and rainy would have fit my attitude and would have made it easier not to run. My mom brought a yummy Greek dinner – Pastitsio (Greek version of lasagna) – and that helped matters.

Tuesday: Dexa Scan (bone density test). Again, to see if my bones are weakening. Another possible cause of the fractures. Mood was somewhat lighter. One week until I see the sport’s doc again and can (fingers crossed) ditch the crutches. Chipotle for dinner. A burrito the size of Texas always cures what ails ya’.

Wednesday: First workout in 27 days. Went swimming. Did about 35 lengths. Very little pain, just some achiness in the beginning. No post-workout pain. YES! Felt wonderful to be moving again and to get my heart rate up. Started taking a holistic food-based calcium supplement that is easily absorbed. I also got some a women’s multivitamin made by the same company. Cheap prices and free shipping at Walgreens.com.

Our Food-Based Calcium™ product is a holistic, whole body calcium system, formulated with magnesium to support bone and muscle health.  Important nutritional cofactors such a vitamin D ensure optimal assimilation to create a difference you can feel - in just one tablet a day.

 

 

 

Thursday: One hour of water running. I could feel some pain in my piriformis area.  This is the type of pain I had throughout my whole training cycle. I thought it was just an inflamed muscle. Now, I wonder if it is related to the hip injury and might have been a warning sign. Didn’t love water running, but I will do it if it keeps me in shape. Again, mood was better since I was moving and feeling like I kinda sorta got running back.

Friday: Not so great day. You might have read about it HERE. No workout, but I did get in a couple of glasses of wine and a frozen pizza. I read through the injury chapter of Brain Training for Runners.  The author believes runners can outsmart injuries by dong two things:

1. Running more naturally – the author switched to a pair of minimalist running shoes to correct gait and stride flaws. 
2. Never running in pain – he had zero tolerance for pain while running. If it occurred, he stopped. Didn’t start again until he could run pain free.

Saturday: Back to the pool. Swam 1600 yards (64 lengths) doing this workout:

Warm up (free): 200
Swim, Kick, Pull, Swim: 4 x 100
Pyramid (free): 4 x 50 (60 secs), 3 x 100 (2 mins), 2 x 150 (3 mins), 1 x 200 (4 mins).

There was more to do with this workout, but I was sick of swimming and ready to call it a day. Plus, there was some chick in my lane who kept hitting me each time we passed. I think she was actually hitting ON me, but I’m not sure. I get my swim workouts HERE if you’re interested. This is #38.

Sunday (today): Another beautiful weather day. I take the high road and bless all the runners on the roads and trails. I even include Jared from Subway and Edison Pena (Chilean Miner) who are running in NYC today. Secretly I have made voodoo dolls of them all and sit in the bathroom with stick pins. If Jared finishes the marathon with a knife in his back, you’ll know why.

I see the doc on Tuesday, we will review my next steps and my test results. Crutches, be gone!!!

One day at a time,

SUAR

My Interview with Jared from Subway and Gift Card Giveaway

His real name is Jared Fogle, but most people call him “Jared from Subway.” We all know Jared  lost an astonishing 245 pounds by eating Subway twice a day for one year back in 1999. What  you may not know is that Jared, age 33, will be running the New York City Marathon on November 7 – his first marathon ever! I caught up with Jared today for a telephone interview about his upcoming race.

SUAR: It’s one thing to lose all that weight, it’s another thing to decide to run your first marathon. What motivated you to make that choice?

Jared: Running a marathon has been on my bucket list for years. I started to really think about it last year, just to shake up my fitness routine a bit. I knew it would be hard, and I was concerned how being heavy in the past would affect my training. I worried about my knees. I started with a great trainer, Ryan Harbor (of St. Vincent Sport Performance). I saw a podiatrist and my family physician and was cleared to train. I jumped in head on. I had some IT band issues a few months ago, but that’s it.

SUAR: What advice do you have for people who are intimidated by running?

Jared: I don’t know if it went back to my childhood, but I had a mental block when it came to running. The perception of runners is that you have to be extreme with it and you can’t do it for fun. I’m trying to get the message out that it doesn’t have to be like that. You have to believe in yourself. If I can run a marathon, anyone can. The key is starting slow and pacing yourself properly.

SUAR: How much of running is mental for you?

Jared: I think most of it is mental. The vast majority of people would be fine running and training once they got into it. You just have to get over those mental humps. There are days you don’t feel great and don’t want to run. On one of my 18 milers I had a head cold but I gutted through it. I tell myself, “It will be over soon” when it gets tough.

SUAR: How did you train for this race?

Jared: I trained for about five months. I had goals along the way like doing a 5K, a 10K and a half marathon (in June). Given my travel schedule, I ran three days per week on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. I would do my long runs on Mondays. After the half marathon, my long runs started at 12 miles. Each week I would add a mile or two, then scale back on the fourth week. My Wednesday and Friday runs would be tempo runs. On my long runs I do about an 11 minute mile pace. For my tempo runs I would do between a 9:30 and 10 minute mile pace.

SUAR: How was it training with some famous athletes like Meb (Meb Keflezighi, winner of the 2009 NYC Marathon)? Was he able to keep up with you?

Jared: (laughing) Yeah, I left Meb in the dust. I really didn’t know what to expect from Meb. I was in awe because the guy ran a marathon in 2 hours and 9 minutes. Last year that number meant nothing to me, but now I know what an incredible feat that is. He was such a humble and nice guy. One thing he told me was to make sure that I did not get so focused on my pace during the marathon that I forgot to enjoy the race – to take in the scenery and the sites.

SUAR: What do you eat before along run?

I do my long runs in the mornings. I get up two hours beforehand and have a big bagel with some reduced fat peanut butter. I also have some yogurt and coffee for the caffeine and energy. While running, I take GU every three miles. I love those things (his favorite flavor is espresso). One thing I love after a long run is Rockin Refuel, a post-run sport’s drink from Shamrock Dairy.

SUAR: Ever have stomach problems when you run?

Jared: No. I try to cleanse out first.

SUAR: How has your view of food changed with your training?

Jared: I now view food as fuel. I also realize that every lost pound helps you run faster and more easily. I lost about six or seven pounds while training and I think I’ve gained muscle.

SUAR: What is your goal for the marathon?

Jared: Completion! If I could get in under five hours, that would be awesome.

SUAR: Do you think you’ll do more marathons?

Jared: I love to run but I don’t see myself doing more marathons. I will continue doing 5 or 6 mile runs because they don’t leave me so exhausted {as the long training runs} where the day is shot. Before this year, I had never run a mile in my life. I am excited to do this once, but I’m not sure if I like the long distance.

Thanks, Jared. We’ll be stalking you on November 7^th.

As a thanks for participating in all the Commit to Fit stuff and reading this interview, Subway would like to give away a $25 Subway gift card to one reader.  Here’s how to enter (comment for each):

1. Have you been successful at losing weight and keeping it off? How?
2. Tell me something you learned from this interview.
3. What is your best tip for someone training for their first marathon?
4. Write about this giveaway on your blog, FB, Twitter, etc. +1 entry
5. Follow this blog or let me know if you do already + 1 entry
6. Enter Subway’s FB sweepstakes HERE and let me know + 1 entry

Giveaway ends November 5.

The fine print:

• Per FTC guidelines: Subway provided the Subway gift card. They also gave me a second gift card for my personal use. I did not pay anything for it.
• Contest only open to US residents. Sorry! 
• The winner will be chosen at random by Random.org
• Check back November 5  to see if you won!
• If I don’t hear back from the winner within 2 days after posting that they’ve won, I’ll Random.org another name

For more information about the Commit to Fit program and for a chance to win up to $26,200 please visit the Subway Facebook page at www.Facebook.com/Subway.

Here’s to getting and staying fit,

SUAR