Since yesterday marked the one year anniversary of breaking
my leg, and as the year draws to a close, I thought a bit of reflection on the
last 12 months was in order.
I started off the year relearning to how walk and eventually
run, thanks to my fractured fibula. I focused on upper body and core strength
until I was out of the boot, and then worked my way back up to running. First a
comeback-5k, then a 10k until eventually I was back to running normal mileage
and workouts. And let’s not forget the time some famous sister-runners tweeted
at me!
This summer I fell in love with the trails and rolling hills
of rural Vermont. A hot and muggy 5k on Middlebury’s xc course didn’t
illustrate very well the shape I was in, but I’m still happy with the process
over product. I can’t wait to go back next summer.
Also, in August I achieved a big goal of mine and joined the
Oiselle volée team. I know I sound like a broken record, but I love their
clothes and am honored to be sponsored by them. The sisterhood and motivation
I’ve found in just a few short months of being on the team is incredible. I’m
one lucky bird!
Autumn rolled around and with it came another season of
coaching my girls cross country team. Despite a great group of talented and
invested girls, they weren’t able to race up to the potential I knew they had,
and so the season ended in some disappointment. Regardless of their results
every week, my girls pushed me to be my best self and to be a good role model
for them, and with that in mind I started PT on my aching hip (actually a psoas
issue…who knew?!), took care of myself and raced my 4th half
marathon. I, too, didn’t quite achieve my goals but I’m proud of running a consistent
race.
In the midst of the fall running, I was able to get into
Boston a number of times and see Robyn! Now that she’s only about an hour’s
drive from me, it’s been great seeing her more frequently and getting in some
runs together. I also have acquired an embarrassing/impressive amount of
Oiselle gear. My new favorite by far is the Lux Funnel Neck long sleeve. It’s
so soft and the faux turtleneck offers just enough protection from the cold;
it’s my go-to layering piece. Here I am
post-run at the gym, wearing as much Oiselle as possible and looking fly:
 |
| Rogas, big O burnout tank, lesko bra, and lux funnel neck |
Recovery after a half marathon can be physically and
emotionally hard, I’ve found, but this year I was determined not to let myself
slack too much so I signed up for a local turkey trot. Unlike Robyn who killed
it at her turkey trot, I viewed my Thanksgiving day race as an opportunity to
get in some quality miles before gorging myself that evening. I showed up, ran
a 1 mile warm up, negative split the 5k, finished in 23:02 and left. My parents
had politely requested to not wake up early and stand in the cold while I raced
so I didn’t have anyone to take my picture in my Oiselle singlet. I did manage
to snap one picture once I got back home and back into bed. Here’s my kitty,
Reginald, and I keeping each other warm:
So what’s up for 2015? Who knows for sure, but I do have a
few exciting things lined up. I’m lucky to have been selected as a Nuun
Ambassador for 2015. I haven’t talked a lot about Nuun on here, but it’s a
great hydration option for after workouts and everyday life. I have also signed
up for an open indoor track meet on January 3rd in Connecticut,
where I’ll be racing the 3k. I’m hoping the adrenaline kicks in. Could I go
sub-12:00?
Lastly, I’m going to run my first marathon! Guys, I’m really
going to do it this time. I’ve already signed up for the Cox Providence
Marathon on May 3rd. A friend from work is running it as well, and
bestie Jillian is running the half, so I’ll have some training partners and
motivators. My next step is to decide what training plan I want to use. I know
a lot of people have had success with Hal Higdon’s various plans, but I’m not
sure if that’s the direction I want to go in. I also don’t think I’m up for
making my own training plan, since this is my first full. Feel free to leave suggestions of what has
worked for you!
Happy holidays and Happy New Year. Thanks for reading our
blog!
Rachel “big things acomin’ ” Runner
