The December That Wasn't

At the beginning of the month, I was excited to start upping my running a bit and get back into shape before I tackled my first marathon. Midway through the month, I had some inspired runs in Central Park and got to meet a coach whose philosophy on running and training clicked with me. After the coaching clinic I emailed him for help running my first marathon, my "debut," if you will. I was going to title this post "Stop...Treadmill time" because so many of my RunStreak runs had been inside and after dark. I was hoping to run between my boyfriend's parents' houses on Christmas Day, a nice 8 mile, head and stomach clearing jaunt between all the gluttony and sloth of the holidays. I was going to continue with my Run Streak all the way to New Years Day...and then I broke my leg.

And then the Run Streak stopped

As my cousin described it, I tried to "ice skate without skates." I simply fell while walking and did some pretty bad damage. I broke my fibula, probably sprained my ankle, and kissed those marathon debut dreams goodbye. Luckily I was on the edge of winter vacation so I've spent the last two weeks at home on the couch catching up on new and old TV shows. My friends and family have been awesome about taking care of me, even my angsty teen brother.

It's definitely been hard not moving at all over the break, and seeing other people's pictures from runs or a beautiful day outside makes me miss the ability to lace up and get out even for an easy run. My right calf is already noticeably atrophied and I know that it's going to be a long and slow process getting back to even be able to run. I'm currently still on crutches but extremely hopefully that I can just be in my walking boot before I get back to school. It's scary how much I'm looking forward to going for a walk. The marathon plan is definitely off the table for the spring, and likely for 2014 all together. Depending on my recovery, I'll shoot for a 5 or 10k in the spring to have something doable as a goal. But for the moment, I'm looking forward to that New Years Eve cheese platter and the day I can wear shoes on both of my feet.

Wishing everyone a happy, healthy and fast New Year!

Rachel "yoga pants for days" Runner

Concrete Jungle Where (Coaching) Dreams Are Made

One of the biggest perks of my job is that they support continuing education and professional development, in and out of the classroom. I have attended a number of seminars and conferences on teaching already in my year and half at the school. Last year, when I was visiting other private schools, I noticed that one of the cross country coaches was USATF certified and got it into my head that I wanted to obtain that certification as well. It was a long process but I finally accomplished it: USATF membership, an online course on fundamentals training and then this weekend a 22-hour coaching education level 1 certification course.

The course was awesome, and way better than I imagined. Although we spent plenty of time on horizontal jump approaches and the blocking position for throws (which I'm still not sure I understand), we covered so many topics that will definitely help me coach and train better. Obviously the endurance section was the most helpful for learning about drills and running-specific recovery, but I also nerded out during the training theory, physiology and biomechanics sections. One of the biggest points I took away from the course was the importance of multilateral training. I'd heard about this concept before but now I understand why it's so important. Basically, there are five biomotor training components that athletes* should constantly and consistently be addressing in their training: Strength, Speed, Endurance, Flexibility and Coordination. The integration of all of these practices into one's training is crucial to success. I've already expressed on this blog that I often eschew speed work and put off my lifts. I knew that I shouldn't and that I should always strive for a more well-rounded training plan, but now I have to practice what I preach. Fortunately, I already coach this way, and reviewing my training plans from the past xc seasons has shown me that between dynamic mobility, strides, long runs, strength circuits, etc, my girls are pretty well prepared. I base my coaching on how I was coached at Colby, and Deb definitely knew her stuff. I'm grateful for a coach who trained us as well rounded athletes.

*Speaking of athletes, another great takeaway from the course is that as coaches, we want to train athletes who run marathons/10k/800m/etc, rather than a marathoner/10k runner/800 runner. Being generally strong, flexible, coordinated, fast and enduring in any event or sport is infinitely better than being confined to one specific race because of your training. Do we need to go into why? Glad we're all clear on that.

Aside from spending 22 hours in an elementary school auditorium, I was able to get in some touristy moments as well. I ran (and took selfies) in Central Park both days, once during sunrise which was pretty neat. For a decidedly country mouse, running in the city was a fun change of pace. I still don't like waiting at crosswalks, but I saw so many people running and that was really refreshing. The whole gamut of runners were out, especially on Sunday. I passed a bunch of ladies waddling in their yoga pants and jackets, and then definitely got lapped by some Columbia runners out for a workout. It was exciting and motivating, and had I not been so exhausted from the work week and the demands of the weekend, I would have stayed in the park for hours.

While I was not running or learning about running, the boyfriend and I got out to explore the city a little bit. We ate at Chinese, Italian and Cuban restaurants and saw the Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center. We also visited with a good friend and saw her new apartment. We did a lot of walking and exploring. I've always been and will always be a Boston girl, but it was a weekend well spent in the city that never sleeps.

Rachel "Level 1" Runner

A tale of two turkey trots (Part 2)

Confession time: I got cold feet...

…literally and figuratively. I didn't run my turkey trot this Thanksgiving. I signed up a few days before Thanksgiving, but in reality, I hadn't been running a lot, I was unprepared to deal with the cold, and to top it all off, I got sick. Even though I wasn't feeling well the night before, I planned to race and I even had my racing clothes all laid out. But on Thanksgiving morning, I wasn't up for it. I'm going to be honest: part of me was afraid of racing when I knew I wasn't ready. But a part of me was actually not ready. I made the right choice not to run, but since Robyn and I had already named our blog posts "A tale of two turkey trots," I knew that I'd have to report back here. In the end, my entry fee helped support a local food bank so all was not lost.

Feeling bummed that I couldn't follow through on my turkey trot, I've rededicated myself to running. During the holiday season when it's often hard to stay motivated and people worry about overeating, Runner's World sponsors a run streak, where runners run at least 1 mile every day between Thanksgiving and New Years. I'm in on this, and hopefully it will keep me outside in the cold while I build some milage before my spring training cycle starts.

To kick off my run streak, I needed to get a little silly. I wanted to conquer the cold, but unfortunately I hadn't brought enough layers to stay warm on my run. So I threw together the silliest outfit I could find with a little help from my family,  and headed out for a photo shoot with my dad pre-run.

Pictured here: Mizuno Wave Riders, my mom's old Smartwool socks, my new Oiselle Lesley Knicker, my brother's oversized soccer warm up top, and my team's new headband. I looked ridiculous but it gave me enough giggles to get in a good run. I ended up ditching the top layer less than a mile into the run. The general rule of thumb for cold-weather running is to dress for up to 20 degrees warmer than it feels. I've known this forever, but I needed a reminder that the cold isn't that bad or intolerable. This was a great run on some of my favorite trails and it completely set me straight for the rest of the month.

Going forward, I'm excited to say that I think I've picked a marathon training plan and a marathon for the spring! I'm thinking the Cox Providence Marathon in early May. It's a fast and flat course, not too far from me and it has pacers. This is an important aspect for me for my first marathon, so that I'm not running for hours and hours on my own. The training plan I've picked is a Hal Higdon program. It's the Intermediate 1 plan. There's no speed work, but the long runs get up to 20 miles. Since this will be my first attempt, I'm going to focus on just finishing, and then I can reassess to see how my training can help me get to the next level.

So even though Thanksgiving was almost a complete bust, I haven't given up. I'm not a speed work kind of gal, so I would much rather stick to a plan that has me running far than fast. Especially for a marathon, I have to be committed and willing to do the work. For now, I'm just building up my base of miles, but on January 1st it's go time.

Happy holidays and happy running!

Rachel "loves all kinds of streaking" Runner

A tale of two turkey trots (Part 1)

Twas the eve before Thanksgiving and 60 degree rain poured about, an unseasonably warm day in New Hampshire, no doubt. The racing flats were placed in the entryway with care, in hopes that the cold front would stop in midair.

Unfortunately, no amount of thanksgiving-tainted Christmas poetry could change the weather forecast for the turkey trot that I raced this year. Back in August I had decided that my long-term goal would be to break 5 minutes in the mile by the time I turned 25. At the time I had just taken nearly a month off of running to study for the GRE and apply to PhD programs (and escape the Baltimore summer heat), so I was in desperate need of an aerobic base. I thought the best - and most motivating - way to get mileage up was to train for a 5K. Last year I ran the Portsmouth Turkey Trot with my family. My mom was in a neck brace but took it off to run. My dad had thrown out his back the day before but ran anyway. I had done about one speedwork in the past three months but still managed to set a road 5K PR. My brother bailed on us but we gave him crap for the past 365 days so he ran it in 2013. This year he's in the midst of a 50 day running streak. They make me look a little more normal, huh?

This year, I had hoped to be in (just barely) sub-19 shape, which would be a roughly 25 second PR from my track 5K. Based on my speedwork I feel like I have the fitness to at least attempt sub-19 right now. I worked my repeat 800's down from 3:00 to 2:53ish (which was my criteria for "in shape") and in my tapering 400 workouts I was consistently 75-77 on my own and not on a track, also a good sign. Therefore, it was rather disappointing that the weather decided to work against me at this turkey trot. Not that I'm making excuses, I'm still happy with the 20:23 that I ended up running, but something about 20 degree weather with 25mph winds doesn't make for a fast day. It came down to frozen limbs and lungs holding me back, but I still managed to pull out an age group win meaning I walked away with a Dunks gift card and a necklace from a local jeweler. Not a bad outcome by any measure.

My crazy family:

Kevin: (the guy in the "LOCO" singlet, center, with me off his shoulder) 

Refuses to run in pants. Ever. 

If it's minus 10 degrees he wears two pairs of shorts.

Linda: (on right) My 54 year old mother who finished only 30 seconds behind me and won her age group.

Mickel: (center, LOCO singlet) My dad and exercise-induced asthma partner-in-crime.

Me: Competing with the turkey mascot for puffiest outfit of the day.

I ran track with Rachel (middle) in high school.

Until next time,
Robyn "Doesn't like cold but is from NH" Runner

Runs in Strange Places

Like Robyn, I too headed to warmer ground recently for a work conference. Last week I attended the annual conference for the American Council of Teachers of Foreign Languages in Orlando. It's funny that both Robyn and I had conferences in places where Colby has frequented for Spring Break track trips. And although my runs were not quite as scenic as Robyn's, it was still so nice to get outside in shorts and tank top and feel that sweat dripping down my back.

My first run took me down International Drive, which leads to Universal Studios. This route was not the most beautiful or runner friendly, but there were sidewalks and it was a very busy road so I figured that I would be safe. I was running by myself in a unknown place, so I wanted as many eyes around as possible in case anything happened. I had my iPhone strapped into an arm band, and I jammed out to some Lorde as I passed by strip mall after strip mall. But I wasn't just carrying my phone for my music. Being a young, female runner wearing short shorts and a tank top and running alone, I also carried my phone in case of emergency, if I needed to call my colleagues back at the conference for help, or worse. This is a scary thought, but a necessary one. I was prepared. I wore my Oiselle Distance Shorts for their ample pockets, and stashed my hotel room key and debit card. Just in case.

Let's get real, runners. If you're like me, you go for runs all the time with nothing on you: no phone, no keys, no ID. I often tell myself that I'm close enough to home that someone will help me, or I could outrun a creeper if he/she is chasing me. Running around rural Connecticut does not pose many threats (although a colleague once told me someone was shot while running, so there's that). I worry about falling and injuring myself and being alone, but thankfully and luckily, this has not happened so far. This fall, I finally wised up and got an arm band for my iPhone. Not for me, but for my cross country team. As an adult responsible for fifteen young girls running around, I needed to actually be responsible. My girls are not as fit as I am, and with so many bodies, something is bound to happen. I did not want to be in a position where I couldn't help them, or lose my job because of this. I have since gotten used to wearing my iPhone arm band, and it's not that bad. But over the course of this fall, I have been realizing how important it is to keep yourself safe. Just in case. Bringing a phone or a few bucks on a run is no big deal, and could really save someone one day on a run. Pocketed running bottoms are great for stashing some GU, but those pockets also fit credit cards, keys or even phones. Especially when running in a strange place, it's definitely better to be safe than sorry.

Now, back to my Orlando runs. On the first day, I saw a distant castle and an upside down building.

 

On day two, I decided to find some green and I ran away from the busy roads (still with my phone and money, of course) toward prettier spaces. I saw some quintessential palm trees, the back of our convention center, and decided to take a selfie to show just how hot it was: close to 80! It was a great trip, and a fun change of pace for my runs. Next up: some turkey trots and serious winter running.

 

Rachel "already vitamin-D deficient" Runner

Let's Go to San Diego - Hey, where's Ron Burgundy?

I wrote this post while sitting on an airplane on route back to Baltimore from the wonderful city of San Diego, but was too lazy to transfer pictures to my computer until now (procrastination isn't just for college kids).  Over the past week I met my yearly quota for geekdom at the Annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience. Imagine 30,000 people like me who want to be able to read your mind. OK, enough with my misrepresentation of what neuroscientists do. I won’t bore you with the exciting things I learned this week (including that the same brain area controls both aggressive and mounting behaviors), as this is a running blog. So instead I’ll share some of the incredible pictures I captured on my runs and my thoughts that were most relevant while juggling training in an abnormal week. 

Tip: if you aren’t interested in reading my ramblings and just want the goods, pictures are at the bottom of the post J

I happened to leave my trusty iPod shuffle at home, so instead of listening to the bustling sounds of a city I took along my cell and wasted some Gb’s on Pandora. As a rule, I never run with my phone (anything that I have to hold in my hands will inevitably get dropped, so I tend to bring a clip-on shuffle or nothing at all).  It ended up being a happy accident that I brought my phone along because I got in a lot more sightseeing than my fellow neuroscientists. Not only did I get a bunch of great pics, but I made the clutch discovery of a Ben & Jerry’s stand right near our hotel, picked out our dinner destinations, and saw some street performers.

The main running issue I thought about this past week was the tremendous difference you feel when you have to walk everywhere. There’s something you take for granted – how walking can affect your training. Well given that I barely walk anywhere anymore in Baltimore, my legs and feet were feeling a bit shell-shocked this week. You don’t notice it at the time but walking takes a toll on your body and for those of us who are frustratingly delicate and injury-prone, it’s something you don’t ignore. My advice is this, if you’re feeling the effects of being on your legs all day but don’t want to change your running plans – consider my opinion on the matter. Do you need those additional miles for training or is it that you aren't (mentally) flexible enough to alter your training plan to accommodate the unusual fatigue in your legs? Not everyone shares my philosophy about training – that training smart can trump training hard. Kid gloves aren’t shameful when it comes to preventing injury. So I'm arguing that you knock a mile or two off your intended run. You could change your route to a hilly course so that you get more bang for your buck. Hills slow you down but (should) keep you at the same effort level, meaning that for the same time on your legs you’re getting less impact. Lower impact = avoid overuse injuries! Sometimes it’s not all about the numbers. In this instance, I’d argue that there is equal gain in fitness to do a really challenging hilly or trail 6mi run than a 7-8mi run on flat pavement/concrete where your legs are already tired and likely to add on to an impending injury. 

iPhone camera really pulling its weight

1, 3/4, 1/2, 1/4 mile @ lactate threshold pace at sunset

Seriously, no photoshopping, this sunset was unreal.

Andiamo means "let's go" in Italian.

Sunrise run on the last day. 

The D-word.

Going to college in Maine had its perks--a beautiful fall, great terrain, lonely roads and trails--but it also had its drawbacks. And one of the biggest challenges that we runners faced at Colby was the end of Daylight Savings. Way up north, in the thick of the winter, it would often be dark by 4 pm. And I don't mean sun setting, dusky dark. I mean pitch black, cars can't see you, headlamp dark. We took the necessary precautions: reflector vests, running early, sticking to sidewalks and running in packs. At the very least, I always had teammates with whom to run and their company made the runs fly by. I always watched the calendar anxiously for December 21st: a good friend's birthday that will always also remind me of the winter solstice. On this day, we celebrate the day of Debbie's birth and the return to the lengthening of the days. Once past this day, we can at least look forward to the days getting longer little by little. (Conversely, I always mourn the occurrence of June 21st).

I supposed, though somewhat naively, that moving so far south so Connecticut would mean longer days and the sun setting later in the winter. And yet nothing much has changed. Let's be real here, CT is not that far from ME. New England is not that big. When classes get out at 3:30 and practice starts at 4:00, it's a race against the sun to get in our runs. With my team, we donned our reflector vests and got right to work. I overestimated how fast (read: slow) we would go on a 7 mile run last week, and ended up running the last two miles in complete darkness. And this is just the first week after Daylight Savings! The kicker of all of this is the complete and utter lack of sidewalks (let alone shoulders) or street lights. You're shooting completely in the dark around these parts.

As cross country winds down and the days get darker, I struggle to find ways to stay motivated--and safe. I can run 3 miles every day and then hop on the treadmill or bike, but that's complacency right there. And while I may not be training for a big race for another 5 or 6 months, I always need something to work towards. A few ideas: fitting into my winter pants (I'm currently sitting in a cafe with my pants unbuttoned. No shame), seriously lifting multiple times a week, reclaiming my abs, focusing on speed work, getting my yoga flow on, or relying on weekends for that clutch long run. I will not be confined to the treadmill, nor will I be hit by a car due to poor visibility. For me, it's definitely worth it to get outside, reflective gear on, and log some miles. I just need to make good choices and accept weather-defeat occasionally. But if I've made it through 4 years of cold, cold Maine winters, another Connecticut winter can't shake me.

Stay warm,
Rachel "I hate winter yet I went to college in Maine" Runner

P.S. I'm thinking of running a full marathon this spring. Am I crazy?

"A mule is easier to obtain than a hinny"

Fun fact (courtesy of Wikipedia):

A mule is the offspring of a male donkey and a female horse.

A hinny is the offspring of a male horse and a female donkey.

Despite Wikipedia's claim that a mule is easier to obtain than a hinny (see #3 definition here, http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=hinny), as of late I have been finding the presence of mules to be rather elusive. It appears that I have been out of their natural habitat and thus I traveled to less temperate climates this past weekend in hopes of a spotting of this species. And much to my delight, I found a whole flock of mules (because didn't you know that mules travel in flocks?) located on the grasslands of a park in Connecticut. It was hard to contain my joy at this rare occasion, as seeing one mule in the wild is a blessing, and finding myself surrounded by mules was a dream. I was so joyous that I didn't even mind the stampede of embraces that ensued less than 60 seconds after stepping out of the car and into the parking lot. 

Several hugs later, our cluster of Colby Alumni who had traveled from near and far to watch the NESCAC cross-country championship race stood comfortably on the outskirts of the Colby area waiting for the race to start. I had a weird flashback moment when Coach Deb was explaining the course to me on a map. Per usual, I had no idea where she was describing and started feeling that anxious knot in my stomach. Luckily I remembered that I wasn't actually racing. Old habits die hard...

Perfect weather, a multi-loop course, and fantastic ocean views made for a spectator's dream. It had been almost exactly two full years since I raced xc, and just over one year since I had attended an xc race. Obviously, my love for the sport has not died since graduating from college. This became apparent by my gleeful sprinting from corner to corner around the course to cheer on my friends, and aided by the loss of my voice from screaming. In fact, I'm surprised at myself for not taking splits (blame it on Deb's confusing explanation of the mile markers).

Too many fantastic moments occurred this weekend, and this rambling post makes a mockery of how much fun I had being reunited with my mules, but there was one thing that stood above the rest. An inspirational comeback story of a runner who fought through years of injury and unjust team cuts to finally have the season she deserved.

Congrats to my girl Bah-reezy for killing it this past weekend and all season. 

May you run and never look back.

Let me be your hero - Enrique Iglesias

Robyn "many shoes, one mule" Runner

Miles, Milkshakes and Memories

Things that happened to me today: crossed a state line with my team to preview our championship race course; talked about mile splits, surges, and attacking the hills; realized that our team actually has a shot at this championship; decided to take a detour to stop for milkshakes; sang along loudly on the ride home to Miley, Carly Rae and Shaggy; talked about Colby the whole ride back; witnessed my top 6 girls realize that their friendship will make them a better, stronger and faster team.

Now...

Things that today reminded me of: long runs with best friends, Dairy Cone milkshake runs in the freezing March cold, steamy hot milkshake showers, long bus rides to meets, elation at winning states and celebrating races, working with teammates to charge up the hills, silly rituals hugging trees, spending every day together, running for the team, friends forever. 

...and then.

Mules for life, 

Rachel "<3 Deb" Runner

Ordinary people running elite marathon pace

Do you know the feeling you get when you’re out biking and fly down a huge hill at nearly out-of-control, careening, reckless speed? Maybe I was a little too much of a daredevil as a child but I have so many memories of doing this, both in my neighborhood growing up and on our annual vacations to Acadia National Park where we would bike carriage trails. Something about the feeling of speed has always fascinated me. Aren’t you a little surprised that I haven’t ended up in a more dangerous career? I suppose that I’m satisfying this need for speed through my running. Those few moments where you feel like you’re practically gliding and could accelerate more and more: those are what I train for. Sure, I have some goal times that I want to hit in my lifetime, but it’s really all about the feeling.  Recently I have started to get that feeling back. An hour run is now the norm, and my speedwork has progressed past the point of slogging through intervals to something more decent. This past weekend I even stepped foot on a track for the first time in months. I had impeccable timing too, sneaking onto a Catholic boys school track during Open House weekend. Hey, maybe a post-grad female running repeat 800s around their track could boost their applicant pool…some good old bait ‘n switch action.

Back to out-of-control speeds, I found these great videos on a letsrun forum post…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=v0jYFDv8kSc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yDs4j8ZHzVg&noredirect=1

They are Asics ads of people trying to run at elite marathon pace.  The second one is clearly not a fair race because Ryan Hall has a running start, and we all know that even if matched perfectly for speed with someone, they’d smoke us in a sprint if they get a running start.  Right now I’m thinking about those indoor track workouts that I did in college where we’d have a 10m run-in, I'm pretty sure I'd never have come close to hitting my splits without the run-in. Oh wait, we never hit our splits anyways.

Until next time,

Robyn “can’t pass as a catholic boy” Runner

A PR is a PR

Alright, here I am finally getting around to my race write up. I know you're all dying to know how I did. The answer: pretty well actually. It was a beautiful day and I felt awesome. I warmed up before the race started, luckily, because I figured out where the starting line was. Lucas and I got into a good position and pretty soon we were off. My plan was to start out a little conservatively and negative split the rest. I almost accomplished that. The first mile was 7:23, which was faster than I would have liked but comfortable. A woman running next to me commented that we were running a good pace. It was a nice gesture but we had 12 miles left to run so I didn't think much of it. I ended up going back and forth with that woman for almost the whole race, and eventually I beat her.

Unfortunately I started to get a stomach cramp around mile 3, so I slowed down a little bit. I took my GU at mile 4 instead waiting until miles 5 or 6, hoping that the energy and electrolytes would help me get back in the game. It took about a mile and a half, but my splits started coming down again. I hit mile 8 right at 1 hour, and realized that I could PR if I kept up a good pace. Right after that a small and hairy Indian man passed me, so I put a target on his back and started trying to gun him down. He looked pretty old to be going as fast as he was, but that confusion made me want to beat him even more. Up until this point in the race we had been running in cute neighborhoods around a pretty lake with lots of foliage. We crossed back over the highway and into an industrial park. The sun was beating down and without the shade it was pretty warm. Another older man pulled up next to me and we ran in sync for a while. I liked having his steps next to me but I started pulling away and definitely wasn't going to stay back to I could run step for step with this stranger. With about 2 miles to go, I started digging in and trying to push it. I did the math in my head and knew that I could PR, but it would be close. at 11.5 miles, the race turned onto a bike path by the water. We faced a really strong head wind, which threw me for a loop. I was trying to go as fast as I could at that point, even though my mile splits weren't any faster. This was actually a good sign; I didn't die and I was able to kick after 12 miles. I hit the 13 mile mark with about 2 minutes left to PR and I went for it. My mom was near the finish line and got some pictures of me. One of them is probably the worst running picture I've ever seen of myself so I'm not going to post it here but it's clear I was working hard. I crossed the finish line in 1:39:14, a 19 second PR. I was 4th in my age group, too.

Even though my goal was 1:35, I don't have much to complain about. My training paid off, I felt strong, and ran a PR. Lucas also ran a PR too so it was a great day all around! I had a lot of fun at the race, in part because of my colorful outfit. My new Oiselle Distance shorts served me well, especially with the multiple pockets where I stored my GUs. I did chafe a little bit on my legs and my arms as well, but I think it was from the heat more than from any of the clothes I was wearing. And I definitely rocked my neon compression socks. I was hoping that the compression would help my legs recover, but I ran so hard I don't know that my compression socks could do so much more to help my recovery.

When I was on the starting line I spotted my friend Kat from Colby. She was our track and cross country captain our sophomore year and now, a few years out of college, she's tearing it up on the road.  She won her age group in 1:26, even though she said it wasn't her best race. I got a picture with her afterwards. She's such a strong no-nonsense runner and I totally look up to her; I loved running into her at the race.

Now that my training has come to an end, and week later my calves have finally stopped hurting, I'm turning my sights to a Thanksgiving turkey trot. Nothing too ambitious, but it's always helpful to have a goal when running so you don't get complacent. But for the moment, I'm taking a rest week or two, resting up and focusing on work. Eventually I'll pick my spring half marathon and start all over again. You can't stay away from running for too long.

Ready, Set....

On Sunday, I'll finally be racing my next half marathon. It's the Newburyport Green Stride Half Marathon, and I'm hoping to do really well. I think I have a good plan, and hopefully it will result in a big PR.

The race starts at 11 AM, so Lucas and I will aim to leave Boston around 8. We'll get there at 9, check in, get our shirts and warm up. My goal is to run 1:35:xx, but I think if I feel good, I could go even faster than that. I've looked at the results from the past two years, and if I stick to my plan, I think I could bust out a top age group finish. I hope to start out at a more conservative pace and pick it up as the miles go on. Since my training went pretty well for the past 9 weeks, I'm hoping for that feeling of the perfect hip extension, passing people, kicking at the end and generally flying. I'll get back to you about what actually happens...

I've already packed up my race day necessities. I usually like to race in spandex, but because I'll be bringing some GU along with me during the race, I needed to change up my bottoms. This time I'll be wearing my new Oiselle Distance short. They have 3 pockets and are really comfortable. I'll definitely be buying more Oiselle apparel soon. In keeping with their bright color, I'm going all out: neon yellow compression socks, my similarly-neon-but-actually-clashing Colby singlet and teal racing flats. I haven't decided which watch I'll use yet. My Garmin is nice because it gives mile splits, but often in races the miles are marked slightly differently than the satellite reads, so it may not be worth it. I can split my other watch myself based on the mile markers on the course. Either way, you'll have no problem seeing me on the course.

Since tonight is the night before the night before my race, I'm headed off to bed to make sure I get those 8+ hours of sleep! I'll be back here soon to let you know how I did, if I lived up to my goals or if I totally bonked.

How do you think I'll do? Leave a comment with a prediction of my time!

Furlough day one: trail run

Yesterday I had a much needed break from the city. I drove about 45 minutes north to do my long run on rail trails that stretch some 120 miles up into Pennsylvania. It was a great break for many reasons. For one, my shins were dying to get off of the concrete. It was the first holiday I'd had off for months (thanks shutdown). And of course, it was nice to breathe in some clean air and see some trees. I wasn’t the only one who was excited about nature yesterday. I saw a couple taking pictures of something off the side of the trail. With blatant disregard for social etiquette I  obnoxiously stared at them trying to figure out what they were taking pictures of. It seemed like just a regular tree. Was there something cool in the branches? I thought to myself…is it an eagle, an owl, a dragon? What are they so excited about? And then I realized…it was “foliage”. If I could insert a gif of Deb quotes here, I would. It was basically a tree whose leaves were turning brown and were ever so slightly red-tinged.  I forgot how awesome New England fall is comparatively.

I continued on a half mile past my planned turn-around point. Since it was an out-and-back I managed to convince myself to drop 5 sec per mile for the second 5.5mi of my run. It felt good to keep picking up the pace, and my form felt surprisingly conserved so I was able to work all the way down to 7:45 for my last mile. When I do long runs these days, which is certainly not as often as I should be…I make a point to make them quality miles.  This is probably the biggest change I’ve made (and stuck with) in my post-collegiate career. It’s probably a chicken-egg argument, but it seems that I have my best racing seasons when I’m able to do my long runs averaging 8min miles or faster.

In other news – my parents are still tearing up the racing scene in New England. I can’t even begin to understand how my mom runs so fast these days. She was 2^nd overall female in a 5K, winning $125, and running a 20:20. That’s 6:32 per mile and she’s a 54 year old lady who doesn’t even do speedwork anymore. No that green tinge on my face isn’t jealousy. OK fine it’s jealousy. Seriously, she would be top 10 on the Colby women’s team. Now I really need to make sure I keep up my training or else she will beat me at the Turkey Trot 5k this year!

The joys of coaching

Yesterday, my girls team had their first home meet of the season. It was a dual meet against a strong team with one really fast girl. Last year we lost by just a few points because our #2 girl had sprained her ankle. This year, I went back and forth between thinking we could pull off a win, and that we would get crushed. The biggest factor is that my top runner is battling shin splits (we can have a whole other post about that later if need be...) and the question was: is it worth it for her to race this weekend? She and I ended up deciding that it would be better to be healthy the rest of the season than to race today but risk being out for months, in a walking boot. And honestly? We ended up losing by 2 points, so if she had run, we would have won. But we still had a great day.

The course at my school is one of the hardest in New England. It's certainly harder than any college cross country course I encountered in 4 years. I ran this course in high school, and when I arrived on campus as a coach last August, my legs remembered the 1/2 mile uphill. It's grassy, it's hilly and it can be lonely. We ran the course during the week as a tempo run and I finished the 5k in a less than impressive time of 24:20. My first mile was 7:07, but the hills killed me. And the same happened with my girls today. Luckily they showed so much grit and determination. In true xc fashion, one girl lost her shoe on the course. Two girls wore spikes for the first time today--I think they're converts now. On a course as hard as ours, it was remarkable that many of my girls came close to their PRs or season bests. Over the course of the season, our team has been missing one girl or another and we haven't been at full strength. While we weren't today either, if we factored in our top girl, we saw how great we could be if we were completely healthy.

My girls had fire in their bellies today. That's not something that I can help them with; they have to find it themselves. One way or another, they found it and it burned bright today. As their coach, I train them physically and encourage them mentally and emotionally, but there are some aspects that they have to figure out for themselves. As devastating as a 2 point loss is, the way the girls rallied and fought, I know that they are ready to bring it and make up for that at our next race. I hope we win!

Meditating before the race.

Butt Cheeks and Baltimore

There was a time, not long ago, when I would take every opportunity to roll those short-shorts just one more time. Sometimes I wonder why, or how, I ever managed to fold over the top of those teeny-tiny blue uniform shorts from freshman year in college. I think that there was something about the freedom of skin-tight spandex that just felt right when you’re gutting it out in a race. I was thinking about this just the other day because I was realizing how differently I think about running outfits these days.  It’s not that I wouldn’t love to hang out some butt cheek or flash a little midriff during a race or workout, but  something is different now. I’m pretty sure the difference is only partly due to living in the city. It certainly has nothing to do with my love for nudity fading – that still holds strong.

There are a lot of things about city running that are quite different from what I’m used to. For one, there are people everywhere, all the time. Before living in Baltimore, dodging branches or mud puddles was the norm and now I have to squeeze between tourists and phone poles on crowded sidewalks. It sure changes your running style. Another thing is the sound, it’s impossible to find silence on a run when you live in the city. The sense of solitude on a long run is somehow lost when you can’t hear your own steady breaths.  But these things I’ve come to terms with, and when it comes down to it, running is running. It’s what I do and a few tourists won’t stop me.

The change that I didn’t anticipate was the lack of butt cheek. Yes, that’s right, I said butt cheek. Maybe it’s no longer having a constant rotating gaggle of girls to run with, or maybe it’s the infrequency of my visits to a track, but the days of carefree clothing is gone. Don’t get me wrong – I rock the suns out guns out look from time to time, but usually only if I’m staying close to home and it’s nowhere near dusk, and it’s not a Friday or Saturday night, or a Thursday night, or a Ravens game… You get the picture. I don’t feel free to dress for the weather anymore; I have to take other things into account these days. At risk of sounding like a negative Nancy, I’m sure that this change has happened because of the increased awareness needed for safe city running. Especially in a place like Baltimore, where a good block can directly border a bad block, there’s always a little bit of anxiety following me around on my runs. Sometimes the feeling comes when a biker comes up a little too close to my shoulder, other times it’s when a car drives slowly through a crosswalk I’m waiting at, but the instant high alert my body kicks into is never ideal for training. My heart rate was already elevated enough, thank you very much. This mild underlying hypersensitivity to my surroundings stole that part of me that proudly frolicked around in spankies at Franklin Park and stashed it somewhere in ME or NH. It’s not gone for good, get me with a group of my CCXC girls and  I can guarantee some excess skin will be on display, but for now, I’m just trying to get back some of that feeling of freedom. I’m a few weeks into my speedwork plan (crafted by coach Dad) for a turkey trot 5K and I really need to remind myself of how good it feels to pull on a pair of tiny black spandex shorts and bust out some repeat 400’s. So here’s to bringing back the butt cheeks…watch out Baltimore.

Fueling for the Long Run

A couple of weeks ago, a colleague’s professional triathlete wife, Amanda, came to talk to my cross country team as motivation. Honestly, I think I was more into than the girls were because her words really resonated with me. One of Amanda’s main points was to make sure that you are constantly fueling—especially during a long run or race. Now as an experienced runner I know that it’s important to get enough energy and calories when you’re working hard. But for some reason, this one piece of advice has never stuck with me. When Amanda championed taking GU during her long runs (and she runs long), I finally got it. I went out and bought some Chocolate Outrage GU and was anxious to test it out for my next long run.

I’m gearing up for my 3^rd half marathon this month and going after an abitious 4-minute PR. Last Sunday I headed into Boston to my boyfriend’s place to complete a 12 mile long run on Comm. Ave, which is part of the Boston Marathon course. I stored a GU in my shorts pocket, pulled on my neon yellow compression socks and headed out. It was a sunny day and not too warm; conditions were near perfect. I ran past Boston College and down Heartbreak Hill, knowing that 8 miles later, I’d have to run back up this infamous hill. I hoped the GU would give me the strength to let the miles pass easily and quickly.

3 or so miles in, I ran into a charity walk going on that conveniently had water stations set up. The women running it were nice enough to let me stop and have a drink, and I realized that drinking water might also be a key to a successful run that day. (Amanda did say that you should always take water from the water stops even if you’re not thirsty. I learned a lot from her!) I hit the second water stop and soon got to my turn-around point, 6 miles out. Even at this point, my body had warmed up and my pace had dropped from 9:30s to 8:30s. I was feeling good. I took out my GU and ate it, found a trashcan to dump the packaging and headed back up.

I didn’t realize it right away, but man, the GU works! Slightly caffeinated and with carbohydrates that send sugars to your muscles within minutes, GU provided me with a quick pick-me-up just when my energy stores were starting to get depleted. For the 6 miles back, I felt like I was cruising. My mile splits stayed around 8:30, but I was running uphill this time. At 10 miles, I was stopped at a crosswalk when a serious looking runner came up next to me. I looked at her and told myself that I should try to stay with her, but as we started running I realized that she was going too slowly for me. I passed her and charged up the next hill. With one mile to go, I was feeling great (and running a little late to meet my boyfriend and his family for lunch) so I decided to just go for it. My last mile split was 7:50! I felt absolutely awesome and if I’d had more time, I would have done another mile or two at that pace as well.

I don’t know if this was just a great day for me or if it was really the GU that helped me super negative split my 12 mile long run, but I’m now a believer. I now know that GU works for me, whether it gives me a mental edge or actually helps with fueling. I plan on stashing at least one, maybe two, GU in my shorts or sports bra for my upcoming half marathon. I hope I feel as good as I did during this long run. If I have another good day, I know I’ll get that PR!