Book Update #1: December 2021

It’s been about 3 months since my maternity leave ended and I’ve been able to officially start working on this book, so here’s where things are at!

Book Focus 

I’ve gotten clear on the book’s focus: the mental lessons you learn in running that apply to motherhood, and vice versa, the mental lessons you learn in parenting that change who you are as a runner. The book won’t focus on physical training tips like “strength training during pregnancy” because I think that could fill a whole separate book, and I worry that type of information will quickly become outdated and be better off as an online resource. If you do want resources on those physical topics now - I’ve linked some at the end.  

Book Origin Story 

I don’t know if I’ve shared with all of you where this book idea came from, so here it is:

While I was pregnant, I was learning about hypnobirthing (basically meditations for labor prep) because I wanted to go into labor feeling strong, capable, and relaxed. These guided meditations would have me picture soothing imagery, replace my fears and doubts with positive affirmations, and redefine what it means to be in pain. I kept thinking, This is just like sports psychology, but applied to birth. I wanted to read a book about how female athletes had approached and experienced birth, and later I thought about how the lessons of sports psychology don’t just apply to birth, they apply to all of motherhood. 

I read a LOT of books during pregnancy. The ones I found most interesting were about parenting in a kind of philosophical way, and about the transition to motherhood. These books were interesting, but mostly depressing. I kept reading about the identity crisis of motherhood, the typically unequal division of labor in heterosexual households, the emotional burdens of “invisible labor” ….. Agh!!! 

I thought these books would be better read by men and I wanted the books for moms to be a bit more uplifting. Not all rainbows and sunshine and fake-white-smile positivity, but a more balanced portrayal of, “Yes, there are challenges, and also you are strong and capable and here are some ways to enjoy the process and feel good about yourself along the way.” 

So this book is going to be combining these two threads - (1) applying sports psychology to motherhood, and (2) balancing discussions of challenge with strength, humor, and encouragement. 

Lastly, what made me go from thinking, I’d like to write a book someday, to, I’m going to write this book now, was talking with Gaby Grebski, a woman from my high school who is writing a book about our incredible XC/Track coach Jim Mitchell. I’m so excited for her project to unfold, and as I was telling her, “I’d love to write a book one day,” I realized, I don't need to wait, I can do this now! 

Book Progress 

I ended my maternity leave in September and I’ve been splitting my time about 50/50 with running coaching/personal training clients and working on the book. 

I joined a nonfiction writing mastermind led by Jen Louden. (Jen coached Lauren Fleshman on her forthcoming book Good for a Girl, which I’m very excited to read. Lauren once mentioned Jen on her podcast and that’s how I found her work). It’s been encouraging to have a weekly group to check in with and to get feedback from Jen on my project and writing. This group is sadly ending soon! 

I’ve interviewed these amazing women, a mix of pros/elites, and recreational runners. I have LOVED doing these interviews, it feels like this huge gift to get to ask people questions for over an hour, and hear them process their lessons aloud. I’m seeing a lot of shared themes come through, like how having less time can help quiet your self doubt, what it looks like to practice forgiveness for yourself and others, and processing anger in parenting… more on these in the future! 

1. Quanera Hayes

2. Neely Spence Gracey

3. Eloise Wellings

4. Jasmin Paris

5. Alisa Harvey 

6. Claire Maxted 

7. Katie Grossman

8. Sarah Lesko

9. Makenna Myler

10. Erica Sara Reese 

11. Katie Follett

12. Julie Markley

13. Elizabeth Herrick 

14. Elizabeth Weil 

15. Patty Kroppe 

What I’ll be doing next: 

• More interviews! I have a list of about 150 women I’d like to interview (and I know this will only grow) .. so there are many interviews ahead. Some women I have interviews scheduled with in January are: 

  • Stephanie Howe

  • Caroline Sekaquaptewa

  • Mary Johnson

  • Carrie Tollefson 

  • Erin Taylor

  • Ali Feller

  • Erin Azar

  • Verna Volker

• I want to find ways to be in community with other writers, because it can get lonely and dark working solo. I’m excited that I have my first short writing group starting in February, hosted by Nicole Antoinette.

• I know it’s time to start sharing my work more publicly. I hate the idea of sharing things “before they feel ready,” or feeling promotional, or just being on social media in general ... and, I also know I want to share this work with people, and get input from people who will read the book, so some ways I’m going to try this are:

  • Creating a podcast with the recorded interviews I already have … my goal is to release this by March 2022

  • Sending weekly emails - not just about the book, but also about topics broadly related to running, mindset, mental training, and how this all affects our lives

  • Share updates on instagram, while trying to maintain healthy boundaries for myself with using social media again 

  • Writing articles for other online publications 

And I’ll keep updating you all here by email as well! I don’t know if I’ll send another update in a month, or two, or three … but sometime! This is a great way for me to feel accountable, reflect, and look ahead. 

Questions for you:

• Does anybody know a podcast editor? 

• What else do you want to hear updates about in the future? 

• Any suggestions for me on sharing my work publicly and building community online? 

Resources on Physical Training in Pregnancy and Postpartum: 

If you do want to learn more about physical training tips during pregnancy and postpartum, my #1 recommendation is to see a pelvic floor PT (If you’re in Portland, go to TAI Bethany, where all of their PTs are trained by the incredible Jessica Dorrington). Even if you’re not having “issues,” or even if it's been 20 years since you had a baby, go find one and make an appointment. In addition, some online resources I recommend are Expecting and Empowered, Recore Fitness, Fit4Mom, P&PP Athleticism and Birthfit. 

Podcast: Running in Pregnancy and Postpartum

Listen in on my conversation with Liya Leng of Bump & Baby about my advice for running during pregnancy and postpartum:

Why I'm Going To Run a Race I'll Most Definitely Lose

The inspiring women of Team Athena!

I’m going to run a 5k this week, and there’s a very good chance I’ll be dead last. Possibly by a lot!

Every race I’ve ever run, I’ve entered it with the intent to truly race. I’ve never entered a race purely “for fun” or without a “real” goal.

But my friends on Team Athena are racing, and I want to be out there with them, and I miss the running world, and I want to experiment with my relationship to running and racing.

I want to loosen my grip on my identity as a runner and the attachment I have to being a “good” runner.

I want to let racing feel casual, silly, inconsequential.

I’m not trying to swear off more “serious” racing goals forever, but I’m wondering if being more carefree right now will bring a lightness and ease to those future “more serious” goals.

I want to keep running in spite of the fear that no one will take me seriously as a running coach if I’m “this slow.” I want to push myself to feel confident and happy out there without having to validate my results by saying things like, “I just had a baby and I took a year off running,” or tell people, “I ran in college so I’m still a real runner.” Because really, who cares?

What if I never run faster than this? Won’t I still love running? Won’t it still fill me up with pride, joy, pain, excitement, clarity, and love? Won’t it still be fun?

When you fail

That dreaded moment of crossing the finish line and knowing you didn’t reach your goal. You might have been way off, or so close you could almost touch it. Either way, you’re as deflated as a big popped party balloon.

What do you do?

First things first, it’s time to get in a bath with all your sorrow, disappointment, frustration, confusion. Maybe you literally get in a bath. Know that it is okay, and even healthy and natural to give yourself this grieving period. This wallowing. And also, know that this period doesn’t have to last forever. You can sit in it until you don’t want to anymore. You can say to yourself, “I’ll be sad for 1 week, or 1 day,” whatever it may be.

When you’re ready to move on, what comes next?

You’re probably going to want to look back. You might go through your training log and calendar from the last few months - assessing what was going well and what was challenging in both training and life. Perhaps you could have done more of certain things. Gotten more sleep, done more strength training, more yoga, more hydrating. Or maybe you could have done less - less drinking, less unnecessary work, or even less mileage or fewer workouts. (Over-training is just as much of a possibility as under-training!)

You might have benefited from doing things differently. OR your training could’ve been perfect, and you might just need more time. You might have just had an off day. You will never know, and you can let this haunt you, or set you free. You’ll never know, so there’s no pressure to try to figure it out.

Maybe you can make some changes to your training, or maybe you just keep doing what you’ve been doing and link arms with your good friends patience and trust.

If you genuinely ask yourself, you’ll know if you need to make a change or stay the course.

Big goals take time, and far fewer people reach them on their first try than you’d think.

Life is a series of peaks and valleys, including all the hard-won scrambles, glorious meadow views, plateaus, and switch backs in between.

You will never know exactly why you didn’t have a good race. And when you do reach that goal, you’ll never know exactly why you had a good race either.

That’s okay. You can embrace that uncertainty as freedom. As trust. Trusting the process, and yourself.

What does it really mean to use VISUALIZATION in your training?

You may have heard how elite athletes visualize their big races, and this sounds like a helpful practice in theory, right?

But when was the last time you visualized something? If anything, some runners will visualize a race the night before. But think about it - your body can’t do things it hasn’t practiced (and practiced and practiced), and neither can your brain. Unless we use visualization frequently and purposefully, we can’t actually reap the benefits.

Now you might be thinking - I just run for fun, I don’t need these fancy tricks! I’d disagree and ask you this - have you ever felt tired on a run and wanted to keep going? Have you ever been in the middle of something challenging at work and wished it didn’t have to be so painful? Visualization can change all of this. We can’t often change reality, but we can always change our thoughts about it.

Runs will always inevitably feel hard, work will always have challenges, so will life! What you can do is practice seeing yourself experiencing these moments and deciding how you want to feel and think about it. With enough time, patience, and practice, you can actually rewire your brain to see challenges in a new way. In whatever way you’d like to see them! Maybe you’ll start seeing challenges as opportunity, or as the part of the day where you’re expanding yourself, or as a meditative time where you surrender and go with the flow. It doesn’t matter what you pick, it matters that you recognize you have a choice.

Here’s how I suggest you start practicing visualization. Once you get the hang of visualizing your runs, you can use visualization for any aspect of your life.

1. Set aside 1 day a week where you will take 3-5 minutes to visualize an upcoming run. Pick a specific day - this could be an easy run, workout, long run, etc. You can use this for any type of workout day - including your easy days. Maybe for you, you need to practice going easy on those recovery days, so you will visualize yourself doing the smart thing and going easy enough.

2. Set a timer and close your eyes. I have some guided audios you can listen to here, or you can read the following and guide yourself through:

Start by thinking about how you’ll get ready for your run, think about what the weather might be like, then picture yourself warming up, and getting started. How might you feel during the run? If you’re feeling great - what will you say to yourself? If you’re feeling tired or sore - what will you say to yourself? What skills will you use to get yourself through the workout? How might you feel when it’s over? Picture the cool down and then continuing on with your day.

And repeat! The key with making this work is repetition, so keep going with the same visualization each time you practice, and eventually you can add a 2nd or 3rd day to your week.

Lastly remember - not every run is supposed to feel great, and in fact, probably half of your workout days will feel lackluster. That’s how training goes, and if you can reset your expectations to prepare for that, you’ll save yourself a lot of disappointment and frustration. Wouldn’t that be nice!

I'm writing a book, and i'd love your input!

I’m writing a book about how runner mothers can use the tools of sports psychology to improve both their running and more importantly, their parenting, relationships, work, and life. 

There’s a lot of talk right now about the challenges of motherhood in general, and I think there is a place for that, but perhaps more for non-moms (aka their partners!) so they can understand the mother experience. For moms, I don’t think there’s enough emphasis on the superpowers that being a runner and a mom give you. There are countless lessons learned in running that lift up your parenting, and vice versa, and I want to highlight these stories.   

I’d love to get your input in this survey so I can learn more about what you’d like to see in this book!

The book will be a combination of:

• Stories from professional, elite, and recreational athletes, centered on common lessons learned in running and motherhood 

• Stories from partners or children of these mothers, sharing what superpowers they see in their partner/mom 

• How to use tenets of sports psychology in your daily life to improve not only your running but also your parenting and general outlook on life 

• Practical tips and advice on training, balancing a full life, and pregnancy/postpartum tips on topics like pelvic floor health

I want women to read this book and:

• Feel inspired by the stories shared and remember that they are capable of handling challenges and creating the attitude they want to have in life 

• Feel capable in using mental exercises based in sports psychology in their everyday lives 

• See themselves in the varying stories shared, while also learning from new perspectives

• Reflect on the challenges they've faced and how their running improves their parenting and vice versa  

• Feel educated and empowered to pursue their running in a healthy way physically and mentally 

• Laugh! Humor fuels my life, and who doesn’t love a good laugh?

One more time :) I’d love to get your input in this survey so I can learn more about what you’d like to see in this book. Thank you in advance if you share your thoughts!

Running & Exercise During and After Pregnancy

There are a LOT of mixed messages out there about pregnancy and exercise, and the hard truth is that recommendations DO vary from person to person. Your previous exercise experience, pregnancy symptoms, other health conditions, and lifestyle will all affect what constitutes safe, supportive exercise during pregnancy and postpartum.

That being said, I tried to compile the best tips that nearly everyone can use to help create your movement routines during and after pregnancy.

I’ve put the information in the video above into an easy to use free PDF, grab it below!

As always, if you have questions about your training - email me at caitlin@tendathletics.com

What You Need to Know About Running & Your Period

If you ask most female runners about their period, they’ll probably tell you they hate it because every month they feel shitty for a week and their training suffers. You may even hear stories of races “sabotaged” by a period ... oh the nerve! 

Yes, periods can really suck. But what if you didn’t have to fight against it all the time? What if I told you that understanding your cycle and embracing adjustments to your training can actually improve your performance and contribute to your longevity as an athlete? 

I spoke with Dr. Constance Ohlinger, a naturopathic doctor who specializes in womxn’s health and hormone balancing, to get all the details on how understanding your hormone and menstrual cycle can help you improve your training. 

Dr. Ohlinger is currently leading a year-long course called Bleed Like a Badass: It’s a gender inclusive and holistic virtual course aimed at reimagining our menstrual cycles as a source of self empowerment. Enrollment is ongoing and some features are free or donation based. The month of March will focus on Athletic Performance & The Cycle, so check it out now!   

Q: What do you think runners need to know about how their hormones can affect their training?

I think the top thing to remember is that hormones aren't always just "that annoying thing that happens each month"- there are some wonderful effects they can have as far as giving us good energy, muscle building, helping with restorative sleep, you name it! But I think we can get bogged down a lot with the negatives. Instead of writing off our cycles as a hindrance to performance, what if we asked ourselves, "How can I use these monthly changes to my advantage?" When we start thinking in that way the possibilities for using our natural cycles for optimizing performance can be pretty mind-blowing! 

Q: Is it true that your performance may be limited during menstruation? 

Yes and no. It goes back to that mindset of, "How can I use this part of my cycle to my advantage?" The premenstrual week is a great example. Culturally, there's a lot of talk out there about how we feel pretty crappy in this phase of our cycles. There can be a lot of cramps and joint pain, which don't exactly make us feel great all the time (a totally valid feeling to honor!). We also can have more intense emotions here (which often get written off...but that's another soap box for another day!). 

But this premenstrual week isn't all bad! Progesterone is high in this time, which does cause some extra joint mobility (among many other things). While this extra mobility can be a cause of more joint pain- if we instead ask, "How do we use this to our advantage?" then the answer is quite simple! This is a GREAT week to work on mobility. 

If we can get creative about adjusting our workouts each week to our needs then I don't think anything can hold us back!

Q: How can you optimize your training to meet the fluctuations of your cycle?

I think the first step to optimizing training with our cycles is to start with self-awareness in our bodies. Practice self-awareness before every workout. I call this the "Naturopathic Warm-Up" and it's just a few deep breaths, eyes closed, and a quick body scan before we dive into the workout. 

Ask yourself:

"How do I feel today?"

"How do my joints feel today?" 

“How is my energy today?"

Over time, this practice will allow you to be your own coach, your own smart-watch, and even better - your best athletic self! 

In my class Bleed Like a Badass, we talk through all of the details- there are times that we need longer warm-ups to prevent ligament injury; there are times where long-distance cardio might be easier on our bodies; there are times when estrogen is high and we have a great opportunity to go all out on muscle building workouts! At the end of the day, if we listen to our bodies, they will likely tell us the same answer if we can practice using that intuition. 

Q: Do you have any tips for eating, sleeping, or other habits you can adopt during certain times of your cycle? 

I definitely recommend more dynamic and longer warm-ups in the week of and leading up to ovulation (that's usually around Day 14-16 for most women. Remember, Day 1 is the first day of your period). There is consistent research showing we have an increase in ligament tears (particularly ACL tears) that week because that high-estrogen time can make our ligaments more fragile. 

Menses week - the week we bleed - is a great time for replenishing nutrients, especially iron. I highly recommend cooking in a cast-iron pot that week if you have one, or talking to your doctor (or naturopath!) about a good non-constipating iron supplement if you have a tendency for iron deficiency anemia. 

Q: What do you think men can take away from learning more about how hormones affect training and athletic performance? 

I think it's important for everyone (including cis-men) to understand that every body is going to have different needs when it comes to physical, nutritional and mental well-being, just as a start. 

Cis-men should know that they have hormonal cycles too! Their testosterone is the primary player in their cycles, and male cycles vary tremendously in time (sometimes they last 2 weeks, sometimes months long!).

Most consistently though, we know that testosterone is highest in the mornings, and this is partly what can help us with that get-up-and-go feeling. We can use this to our advantage too: Morning work-outs might be more productive for muscle-building work-outs, and may also help keep a good circadian rhythm. In the afternoon - when testosterone is relatively lower - that might be a better time for mobility work, since we know that testosterone does impact ligament rigidity. 

Q: Is there anything else you’d like to share that often surprises athletes? 

There's so much we wish we knew about how hormonal cycles affect our performance, but there is such a bias in the research towards male athletes! The small female-based studies that are out there (what a lot of my class is based on) are really small studies on 7-10 athletes on one team, and usually are only done over a single months' cycle. 

A lot of them conclude something like "grip strength doesn't differ between the luteal and follicular phases". But I think every female athlete will tell you that they feel different in different phases! So taking what we know about hormones and putting it into the context of how we feel is so important. It's really why I put this course together, and I hope it's going to be really helpful for athletes and trainers to do a deep dive into options for training around our cycles!

Here are my key takeaways from talking with Dr. Ohlinger: 

1. Developing your sense of how your body is feeling is the most powerful tool you can build as an athlete. 

2. Everyone benefits from times of higher training intensity followed by times of lower intensity, so embrace this and use the weeks you feel off as a time to back off training and rejuvenate. (I train most of my clients to build in workouts and mileage for 3 weeks, and then take 1 “down” week - try a structure like that to fit into your cycle). 

3. Don’t skimp on good nourishment during your period - try to get enough iron and a balance of whole foods - including plant or animal protein, fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grain carbohydrates, and unsaturated fats. 

4. No two people are the same, so when considering taking a training tip from a friend or teammate, experiment with it and ask yourself, “Will this work for me?”

Resources to learn more about athletic training and your period:

Dr. Ohlinger’s course: Bleed Like a Badass

ROAR by Dr. Stacy Sims 

Try a period tracking app like Flo 

Want to ask Dr. Ohlinger a question directly?

Ask her here! 

My Favorite Granola Recipe

Ingredients:

Dry:

6 cups rolled oats

3-4 cups of any raw nuts - my favorites are a mix of slivered/sliced almonds and pecan halves

1.5 cups shredded coconut

2 tsp cinnamon

1.5 teaspoon salt

Wet:

2/3 cup maple syrup

1/2 cup melted coconut oil

2 egg whites (optional to make granola more clustered)

Etc:

2 cups golden raisins - to add after baking

Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 250* F.

2. Combine dry and wet ingredients separately first, and then together.

3. Spread out in a thin layer on greased cookie sheets.

4. Bake for 1 hour 15 minutes. Mix every 20-30 minutes for even color and texture, or leave alone for more clustered texture.

5. After cooled, add raisins.

Why Your Plantar Fasciitis Isn't Getting Better

Plantar fasciitis can be the WORST. It is a super stubborn and persistent injury and can feel elusive to cure. I spent four years struggling to heal PF in both of my feet. Along the way, I made tons of mistakes and learned a lot. There is no one magical way to cure it, but I hope my experience can help you in healing from your plantar fasciitis:

My Tips for Healing Your Plantar Fasciitis

1. There is growing evidence that plantar fasciitis (which means an inflammation issue) is in fact plantar fasciosis (which means there is dead tissue in/around the plantar fascia). This is important because dead tissue is caused by lack of circulation, so part of the cure is to increase blood flow to the area. Many of the ways to do that are actually the opposite of a lot of standard plantar fasciitis protocol. Watch this video by the foot experts at NW Foot and Ankle to learn how to treat yourself for plantar fasciosis.

Immediate Pain Relief for when you’re in the thick of it:

1. Don’t Run: Know the difference between soreness and pain - this takes a lot of trial and error, but likely your plantar fasciitis needs a break. Even if it doesn’t hurt on your run, if it is hurting significantly after - that’s a problem. Remember, there ARE other things to do besides run.

2. Vary Movement: Just because you can’t run doesn’t mean you can’t exercise. You can bike, swim, aqua-jog, elliptical, kayak, row, do low-impact (aka no jumping) strength training, rock climb, do yoga or pilates … there are SO many possibilities! Not only will these activities keep you sane and healthy when you can’t run, but also these are great practices to keep even when you start running again. Our bodies thrive on variety.

3. Consider A New Approach to Self Massage: I used to looove grinding my foot into a golf ball. I’d hear all the popping sounds and say, “I’m working out the knots, I’m loosening my fascia!” Wrong-o! What I learned is that I was actually reigniting my injuries every time I did this.

   Self massage is an incredible tool for an athlete but must be executed with caution. Rolling an injured area on hard surfaces like golf or lacrosse balls damages those tissues more and activates our sympathetic nervous system - our “fight or flight” response. In this state, our bodies experience stress and cannot recover.

   When we roll gently on softer, squishier surfaces like tennis balls, soft foam rollers, or Yoga Tune Up balls, we activate our parasympathetic nervous system - entering our “rest and digest” state that supports recovery, builds muscle tissue, restores our hormone balance, and boosts immunity and digestion.

   It’s also important to only roll sparingly, or perhaps not AT ALL, on injured areas. So I stopped rolling the sole of my foot completely and instead started rolling out my whole body, with an emphasis on my calves and between my metatarsals.

4. Active Recovery: An injury in one are is always linked to issues elsewhere. So assume you need to roll out/do yoga/active stretches more often for your whole body, and take this on like it’s your job. If you’re being really serious, set aside 2 times each day where you do a combination of yoga and rolling out for 10-20 minutes. Try these 5 essential stretches for plantar fasciitis relief.

5. Strengthen your feet: Your feet have to work so hard to keep you moving, and likely you’ve never worked on intentionally strengthening them. Make the time to perform these exercises for 10-15 minutes, 3 times each week.

6. Comfort First: If your feet feel best in crocs, wear crocs. If they feel best barefoot, go barefoot. Whatever will keep your feet as pain-free as possible, do that! Later when you are pain free you can reconsider your footwear.

How to transition back to running:

1. Strength Training: It’s essential that ALL runners establish a regular strength training routine. At minimum, take 15-20 minutes, 3 days/week to go through some basic strength training that targets your glutes, core, and shoulders. Strengthening these muscles will enhance your stability and form while running.

   • Start here for a simple strength routine

   • Find more strength moves and free classes here

2. Consider Your Shoe Choices: The most important thing about a shoe is that YOU feel good in it. There is no universal shoe knowledge that everyone can use. It’s more important to have a strong body than to have the “right” shoe.

   Learn more about picking out a shoe and how to minimize your injury risk by rotating your shoes here.

   For some people, highly supportive orthotics keep their feet healthy and happy. For others, like me, the minimal and “natural” shoe approach may be better (I only wear Altras). The key is to experiment and to do so GRADUALLY. Never jump into a new shoe style on day one (more on breaking in shoes here).

   If you want to learn more about “minimal shoes” that feature a wide toe box and zero drop, keep in mind it could take years to adapt to this type of footwear. I recommend learning from the work of Dr. Ray McClanahan at NW Foot and Ankle and Katy Bowman, the author of "Whole Body Barefoot.”

3. Go Slow: Transition back to running with run-walk combos. Yes, walking! Be patient. Take a few weeks to gradually increase the amount you run, as you decrease the amount you walk, by following a plan like this (“normal” or “full” pace refers to the average pace of your easy runs before injury. Don’t worry about being too specific, just run slow and easy to start!):

Being injured can feel like a dark and lonely place sometimes, so try your best to keep your spirits up and remember that you can do hard things. Perhaps take the time you would’ve been running to start a new hobby like painting, playing an instrument, or reading. Find the opportunity!

For more injury support, check out the Running Injury Encyclopedia from Recover Athletics.

Questions about how to deal with your plantar fasciitis? Email me, I’d love to help!