Training like an Elite

Three months to the day that I broke my leg, I started running again. But before I go on about how awesome it is to run again (because it is), I want to reflect on some things that happened to me during my recovery process.

Robyn was the one who pointed this out to me. After I texted her about setting up an appointment to run on an anti-gravity treadmill, she observed that I’ve essentially been training like an elite runner, minus the whole running part. And she’s right; I’ve run on both an underwater and anti-gravity treadmill, machines that your average runner doesn’t normally have access to. More on that later. I’ve also been working with a physical therapist (read: trainer) on strengthening my legs and working on those inequities that developed from 6 weeks in a walking boot. But what Robyn doesn’t know is that I’ve also formed some pretty solid connections with a couple of my favorite (actual) elite runners.

First, I was driving on Comm Ave in Newton a couple of weekends ago, looking yearningly at the runners out for their long runs and Boston Marathon build up runs, when I noticed one runner running with traffic. That’s annoying, I thought, any real runner knows to run against traffic. I looked closer and realized that there was a reason this runner was running with traffic. Clearly she was training on the exact path of the marathon, instead of sticking to the safer sidewalks. There was someone biking next to her, protecting her from traffic. She was blonde and she was going fast. Could it have been…it must have been Shalane Flanagan! Perhaps the best American female distance runner and the top American woman in last year’s Boston Marathon. I didn’t stop or roll down my window to say hi, and this may very well end up being one of the biggest regrets of my life because seriously, how cool would that be? I was still only 99% sure that it was Shalane (a Massachusetts native as well—twinsies!) so I casually tweeted at her when I got into Boston and put my phone away. Little did I expect a response. Day/week/life made:

Meanwhile, Shalane’s longtime best friend and training partner, Kara Goucher, also had some great recent news. After running for Nike in Oregon for 12 years, Kara ended her contract with the athletic goliath and moved back to Colorado to train with her coach, legendary Mark Wetmore. At the same time, Kara needed a new sponsor and after a lot of deliberation she signed with Oiselle! I’ve written about them here and there on our blog before, but it’s an awesome women’s apparel company that makes comfy and fly clothes and champions women’s running. I have loved every article of Oiselle clothing I get and I’m so glad that Kara and I will now be twinning in our neon strappy bra and rogas. Kara has been my favorite runner/role model/hero/motivation for years, so now we’re basically best friends.

Aside from Shalane and Kara, I follow a lot of other professional and elite female runners (Lauren Fleshman, Jordan Hasay, Alexi Papas, Mary Cain, Brenda Martinez, etc) and one thing that they do often with their coaches and training programs is to train at altitude. Training at altitude is all about putting in the hard work now to reap the benefits later. At altitude, the air is much thinner so you have to work harder when you breathe to absorb enough oxygen. It takes a while to acclimate but training, or simply being, at a high altitude will allow you to maximize your oxygen intake when you come back to sea level, likely for competition.  Although this was not my intent (I won’t be racing for a while still) I headed up and out to spend a long weekend in Lake Tahoe, California with one of my best friends for spring break. The trip was so fun and Tahoe is one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. It’s an active place so I did as the Romans do and hiked, walked, paddled and ran. Yes, I actually ran this time! My first real run back I was very careful and ran on a flat and clear bike path. I did 2 minutes running/2 minutes of walking for a total of 20 minutes, plus a long walking warm up and cool down. Look at me getting after it. Even though I’m sure I was going at least 10-minute mile pace and probably looked ridiculous, I felt awesome (must have been the Oiselle apparel I was wearing) and elite-worthy. I snapped some pictures during my walking intervals to document my return to running in this beautiful and altitudinous destination.

So even though I’ve only run a total of 3 miles, maybe, since being cleared to run, you better believe that I’m out to get it. Rubbing elbows with elites and using elite-worthy equipment has motivated me to keep after it and hopefully I’ll be able to enjoy a true run outside, just in time for Spring! Stay tuned for my anti-gravity treadmill recap, since you’re probably not even reading this anymore. And if you just read this whole post, thanks and you should probably stop and go for a run.