Jodi grew up in Long Beach, California, and is married with two sons, 9 and 3.   After attending  Golden West College she has been working in medical billing for a heart monitoring company.  In her free time, she runs and goes to nine year old’s soccer games.

Jodi is currently training with us in preparation for the Surf City USA Half Marathon on February 7.

Coach: How did you start running?

JD: I gained 65 lbs with first son, and a co-worker asked me to train for a 5K in 2006.  I started walking with her at lunch and then running on a treadmill, a 5k every time.  Once you start, then you see people doing a 10k, then a half, and then you find yourself saying hey, what’s that full!  When I had my three year old, I came back and started with a half.  I did the Huntington Beach [Surf City USA] half, then did Long Beach, then did Surf City full, then the San Francisco full!  I wanted to finish the California Dreamin’ series [promotion offering a commemorative jacket for those who participate at Surf City, Long Beach and San Francisco]. Now my husband is like,  “You’re wearing that jacket again!”

Coach: Who is your running role model?

JD: I have to say it is my mother-in-law.  When I told her I was going to try for the 5K all those years ago, she was like, “ Oh, I run!”  She has been running for years. Now, every year we do the 10K together at the Long Beach Turkey Trot.  I don’t want to say how old she is, but she looks 20!  So my goal every year is to try and beat her!

Coach: What has been your most memorable running / racing experience?

JD: It has to be the San Francisco Marathon.  It wasn’t my best time, but so many times you would turn a corner and you had to go uphill again! I couldn’t believe it. It was really cool to run across the bridge, though.  My nine-year old thought that would be really cool.  I would love to do a sub 4 and thought I was going to pr on this course, but there was no way.  Too hilly.

Coach: What have you enjoyed about working with Focus-N-Fly?

JD:  I email questions to Kate and I love checking the forum to see what questions people are asking and how they get answers.  At work, I have a couple people who ask me questions and I I have no idea.  So I email Kate or ask it on the forum.  I also like if you enter on your training and haven’t done exactly what you were supposed to, the color of the day changes, so you can kind of see where you were off.  I wish I could see blue the whole month!

Coach: What is one part of your racing routine you can’t do without (sleep, pre race meal, tie shoes certain way, other ritual)?

JD:  I always have a bowl of cereal for dinner the night before, cereal and an apple or a banana.  I can’t eat the morning of or drink, I drink during, but I have to be completely empty when I start.  I just get the worst stomachaches.  When I wake up early in the morning and go running those are the best runs. Ed note:  this interchange prompted a longer conversation about the benefits of pre and mid-race fueling, and Jodi energetically agreed to embrace some suggested ideas for ways to introduce fueling into her pre-race routine.

Coach: What is your favorite place to go for a run?

JD:  It has to be this place by my work, Newport’s Back Bay.  It is so hilly, and there are routes that are 3 miles or 7 miles.   You don’t have any stoplights.  It is asphalt, then it moves into San Joaquin hills which have dirt and trails.

Coach: In the next year, what goals do you hope to accomplish?

JD: I was in a car accident in august of 2009 with a fractured foot [among other serious injuries] and it was kind of like starting over for me, where 3 miles I was sweating.   So, I would like to get back to where I was previously I feel like it is starting completely over again, So, I would just like to get back to where I was, maybe to do a sub 2 half marathon, but that is not anywhere near in my future.  My son comes and runs with me for 2 miles, and I force my husband to come out with me.  I would like to keep them involved and get into a good steady running routine again.  I would also love to do a triathlon!

Updated by Rosie Edwards

While not everyone can be the running equivalent of a Tour de France champion, dancing on your pedals as you climb the Alps and the Pyrenees with the ease of a mountain goat, we all will encounter hills in our running, and probably all could use a periodic refresher on how to get the most out of our efforts on the ascents.

With the climb or descent looming ahead, how should you prepare to for the challenge ahead? Read on for a few simple cues....

1.  The basics of general good running form almost all still apply.  Keep your arms at 90 degrees (click here to review our column on What To Do With Your Arms) and keep your shoulders low (not hunched) and square to the direction you are heading.  Keep your hands relaxed and swinging through your "pockets", and maintain tall posture.

2.  Don't lean too far into the hill on the ups or too far back on the downs.  Try to maintain a slight lean forward (long lean from the ankle, not the waist) both up and down, just as you would on the flats.  Leaning too far forward on the uphill restricts the ability of your knees to drive and can compromise your ability to maximize your inhales if you are hunched over.  Stay tall, open up your chest, and give your legs and lungs room to work.  On the downhills, braking yourself by leaning backward puts unnecessary stress on your muscles and joints, and often squanders a chance to make up ground in a race.  A little forward lean, when not on an area with dangerous footing, can help get you a couple seconds closer to that PR, and leave you a bit less sore the day after.

3. Concentrate on cadence.  Resist the urge to overstride on the downhills, and do your best just to maintain your rhythm on the uphills. Yes, you will be going faster than the flats on the downhills and slower than the flats on the uphills if you maintain a similar rhythm and effort level, but you will also most likely arrive at the top of the hill without wasting a bunch of energy for little advancement, and keeping your stride landing underneath your body on the downhills instead of in front will minimize excess pounding.

4.  Don't spend a lot of time on the ground.  Keep your feet pushing off of the ground quickly, just as you would on the flat. For those used to heelstriking on the flats, hills can be a valuable tool to build foot and calf strength as you land more on your midfoot than you might normally.  On the uphills, it should almost feel like your feet are striking the ground behind you.  On the downhills try (as we have discussed), to let your feet land underneath you so you do not have to wait to let your body travel over the top before pushing off again.

5.  Look ahead.  Sure, it is tempting to look at your feet and make sure your legs are doing what we have just been talking about, but looking several steps ahead will help you anticipate any undulations in the hill ahead, any poor footing areas requiring caution, and will keep your posture tall (more air in the lungs!)  and your arms at the right angles.  

This fall, may you approach every hill with anticipation and crest the top with satisfaction! 

Have a suggestion for next month's Personal Best?  Email it to us at info@runcoach.com.