Race Recap: Hollis Fast 5k

Finally, a fast 5k! (Try saying that five times fast)

After scouring the web for a good race with which to end my spring racing circuit, I settled on running the Hollis Fast 5k, up in NH. Our speedy friend Kat had run it the year before, and after runner-stalking her and being impressed with her time, I signed up myself.

Unlike my last race, this 5k was very well put together. It was point-to-point, which was super cool and I got to see the whole course as I drove to the parking lot. The course was very downhill (hence the Fast 5k name) and was clearly marked. I got there early enough to have plenty of time to use the bathroom, drink lots of water and get bussed to the starting line. I warmed up thoroughly and even did some Dynamic Mobility exercises to kill the time. There were lots of people there; some of whom were there just for an evening jog (did I mention this race was 6:30 pm on a Thursday?) and some of whom were ready to rock it. I spied a number of team singlets: Western Mass Distance Project, Greater Boston Track Club, etc. I even spied some other women wearing Oiselle duds. I myself was enjoying being seen by everyone in this Oiselle Big O Burnout Tank in fresh green, with my neon yellow Strappy Bra poking through. Some of these women looked fast, so as the race started out I picked a couple and tried to stay with them.

I'll say it before and I'll say it again, I do not like going out too fast in a race. Some of the women that I had my eyes on took off and I was tempted to go with them. But I knew that if I ran a smart race, I'd be able to reel many of them back in. So I settled for a comfortably hard effort and ran my own race. I hit the first mile in 7:07, and that was exciting because I did not feel like I was running that fast yet. The second mile was slightly slower, 7:09, but still pretty good. After Mile 2, I felt like I was starting to slow down, and some of those women were pulling away from me. After two pretty quick miles, I was expecting to feel tired and run-down, but I did a quick body-scan and realized that I felt fine. Why not push it a little more? I set my targets on a woman in purple and a very sweaty man. As we closed in on the final stretch of the race, we had to zigzag through some of the slower people in front of us, and I lost the purple woman. However, my Garmin beeped at me for the last mile: 7:05. I crossed the line and immediately checked my time (22:10) and Age Group position. I hadn't thought I even had a chance to "Age Group" but it turns out I was 4th. I think I said a couple of choice words out loud at missing 3rd, and headed back to the banquet hall and parking lot to cool down.

The Hollis Fast 5K definitely lives up to its name, and my splits showed how beneficial a downhill can be. I like to think my time was due to weekly track sessions and some solid milage, but in reality the negative slope did most of the work for me. I'm still really happy with my time and my effort. I ran a smart race, and I will never complain about negative splitting. I initially was bummed that I missed getting an AG medal and was worried that the purple woman, who beat me by 5 seconds, got it instead. Turns out, however, that she was 40+ years old, and that 3rd in my AG ran almost a minute faster than I did, so there's no shame in my 4th place after all. 

The biggest disappointment is that there is no photographic evidence! It was a weird sensation driving to the race all by myself and not knowing anyone there. I didn't have a change to snap any selfies, and the official race photographer apparently decided to take a break for about 2 minutes, during which time I crossed the finish line. Suffice it to say, it was a good race but I'll have to go back next year to get my proof. 

Cast to 5K: Complete

"When the legs go fast, the heart goes free" -Lauren Fleshman

There is something to be said for rest. Despite having been on my feet and back running seriously for 4 weeks, when it came time for my first race back (!) after breaking my leg in December, I was hoping that rest was on my side, and that the time off my feet would actually help me in my glorious return to competition.

There is also something to be said for adrenaline. I really wasn't sure what to expect for this race. I had run a handful of fast miles but hadn't done any real speed work yet and had run no more than 7 miles at a time. Certainly I had a base, but what was I to expect in a race where 3 months prior I was in a walking boot? The excitement of the race propelled me forward, along with the sloping downhill of the first mile, and my competitive spirit came back.

Before the race started, I warmed up for 15 minutes nice and slowly. I had my racing flats on and some new Oiselle duds (the Winona Tank is the softest article clothing I own, and Oiselle's signature Roga Shorts are tight and flattering without the bunching up of spandex and are the absolutely best pair of shorts I have ever owned), so I was ready to focus on the race. I drank a lot of water and did a few dynamic stretches, because let's not get too ahead of ourselves with pre-race prep. Joining me were the boyfriend and my best friend and running buddy from work, who ran almost the whole race with me.

We don't look pretty, but we look like we worked hard!

My goal was to run sub-24, but I didn't have a true sense of how my fitness and speed would play out in the race. We started in the middle of the pack and went out comfortably. I was surprised when I looked at my watch that we were chatting easily at 7:45 pace. We somehow managed to keep that up and went through the first mile in 7:44. We soon stopped talking and started passing people. The race, Jog with Judy, was a relatively flat out-and-back, so we looped around the farthest point and picked up the pace a little more. I saw a lot of women ahead of me but we kept it up and were able to pass many of them. The second mile ticked off in 7:42 and we had negative split! Unfortunately the last mile was the most uphill and this was where it started to feel hard. I dug deep and was surprised to find that I actually had another gear. Maybe it was that my legs were actually well rested, or maybe it was the adrenaline, but I was determined not to slow down. It hurt and I liked it. It felt good to run fast again, and especially to do so while passing lots of people. With less than half a mile left, I yelled to my friend to come with me as I surged, but she didn't have it in her and so I went. I battled with one last woman as we rose and approached the finish line and she ultimately won but I was okay with that because I was spent.

I crossed the line in 23:48, beating my goal of sub-24 and I negative split the whole way and came from behind, which in my opinion is always the best and smartest way to race. And running with a friend and partner for the majority of the race gave me so much strength to keep working hard. I finished 4th in my age group, but the 3rd woman was over a minute faster than I was so I don't feel so bad about that.

I'm charged up about being truly back, about averaging 7:39 pace (that's my half marathon pace already), about long runs and track workouts and no more PT. And I'm psyched to race more and get my speed back, so I have two potential races lined up to keep me honest. First is a Girls on the Run 10k in Providence which supports a great organization, on June 1st, and soon thereafter is the Hollis Fast 5k in New Hampshire on June 12th, which claims to be the fastest 5k in New England. I'll take it! I have a lot of work to do to get to anywhere near my speed from college but after so long I'm definitely ready to take on the challenge.

Follow me and Robyn as we chase down some new PRs this spring and summer!

Celebrating our comebacks post-race

The Anti-Gravity Experience

As I mentioned in my last post, one of the ways that I got back on my feet (literally) as soon as I did was because I ran on an anti-gravity treadmill. Its huge advantage is that you can run at a percentage of your body weight to minimize the impact on your legs. I ran so much more than I thought I would be able to, but before I recount my weightless experiences, let's go back a little farther.

The summer before senior year of high school, my mom connected me with a colleague and friend who coached and ran. Her guidance and support, among other influences, helped me reach the next level of running and training, and senior fall I finally had the cross country season I was hoping for, and got my 5k times down enough to run in college. This mentor, Marcia, helped me think about my training, connected me with a sports masseuse, and got me in the pool the first time for aqua jogging. Marcia is the queen of aqua jogging, due--unfortunately--to the many injuries that have plagued her over the years. She has since stopped running, but we've kept in touch and she always inquires into my running when she sees my mom.

December, when I broke my leg, was the first time I considered an anti-gravity treadmill. I knew that elites often ran on them, but never thought that I, a mere D3 college runner, could or should try it out. My mom brought up Marcia and her connection to a local AlterG (that's the brand) at my very first orthopedist appointment. I was barely on crutches, but was already planning on my return to running via an anti-gravity treadmill.

No sooner was I given the green light to run (3 months to the day that I broke my leg), than I contacted Marcia and booked an appointment on the AlterG. For those of you in the Boston area, this one is in Woburn, right off of I-93. It was surprisingly affordable for 60 minutes, and I visited once for free to work with the physical therapist to figure out the machine and focus on my stride. To get set up on the AlterG, you put on wetsuit-like shorts that zip into the bubble. You turn the machine on and it weighs you and calibrates. This is where it starts to feel exciting, because as it's figuring you out, you're being raised and lowered by the seat of your pants. I elected to run at 80% of my body weight, and it didn't feel particularly special. Any lower percentage and I felt like my feet were barely touching the ground. But at 80%, I was able to run without pain for 3 miles. We won't talk about how slow those miles were, because that short distance was a huge milestone in and of itself. Once I turned the machine off and came back to 100% gravity, I noticed the difference; all of a sudden my legs felt so heavy and leaden. This is how our legs normally feel, and the difference of 20% body weight makes me realize how much stress we put on our bodies on a daily basis. The AlterG is undoubtedly a great advantage for elites or recovering runners, and it turns out that anti-gravity treadmills are way more accessible than I thought. Many marathoners will often do one anti-gravity run a week to minimize the pounding in a high milage training plan. The treadmill looks badass, but isn't just for those hardcore folks out there. I encourage everyone to try it out, either for the thrill of weightlessness or for the recovery advantage.  

Marcia accompanied me on the last day, and as I slogged through the miles, she took pictures of me and we caught up and talked about running and life (one in the same, right?). I am so grateful to Marcia for her support over many years despite her own athletic ups and downs, and for introducing me to her secret recovery weapon. She refers to the AlterG as "Mariah" because it can be a lifesaver. This is certainly true in my case, for it not only got me back to running and kickstarted my running recovery, but it gave me the confidence and strength to tackle the humbling and invariably frustrating experience of a slow comeback. Thanks to Marcia and Mariah, I have many miles ahead of me once again. 

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. 

Street Dreaming

Last week, a friend told me about a local road race that his family put on every August. I drifted off, imaging rounding the corner of this race wearing spandex and a singlet and being soaked with sweat from working hard and the warm summer sun. And in that moment, I was ready to race again. Since then, I haven't been able to take racing off my mind. When I drove into Boston to visit my boyfriend, I saw so many runners out for their Sunday morning long run along Comm Ave. I slowed to catch the collegiate logos on hats and jackets and wished I could have just jumped out of the car to join them. Later, the football coach at my school approached me about learning how to run. How could I say no? On our first day in which I evaluated his speed and fitness, he told me that his goal was to run a 6 minute mile by June 1st. Though he's coming from a place of very little fitness and I've been working out since January albeit without running, I said I'd join him. I'm thinking of challenging him to a race.

All of this is to say that I've been bitten by the racing bug and I'm working hard to embrace the run when I finally can. At this point I have maybe 3 weeks until I can run on land, so I'm continuing to bike and elliptical to get my aerobic capacity back up. I've really enjoyed the strength I've developed from lifting multiple times a week, and will likely continue that through the summer. But the most exciting development of my slow comeback is the presence of an underwater treadmill. I stepped on it today and started with a slow walk. The resistance from the water is a strange feeling, even though I haven't run on land for more than two months. After some stretches, I finally got to jog. I felt on top of the world and ready to take on anything...until I was told that I was jogging at 3.5 mph. It was humbling but nonetheless so exciting to finally take some real steps. I'm only aqua jogging once a week and I already can't wait to go back. I'm fixing all of my imbalances and strengthening my legs in way that I possibly may never have before, so I can only imagine how it will feel to finally set foot on land. Now I have goals and visualizations and motivation, and you know that come August I will be racing that 5-miler just like I imagined.

Getting Faster without Running: part 3

Last week I finally got the good news: I could walk on two feet. No crutches, no walking boot, no seat in the shower anymore. I'm still walking slowly and carefully, but what a feeling to wear two of the same shoes! Just a few days into my two-footed ambles, I am nowhere near being able to run again. I start physical therapy tomorrow and am going to work as hard as I can to get back to running sooner than later. The doctor told me that people with breaks like mine (distal fibula fracture, if you're wondering) usually don't run for 4 months. 4 months!! I still have 2 and half months to go before I run if that's the timetable I'm following, and at that point I'll still be far from any good racing shape. But one can hope.

A milestone: two of the same shoes!

In this vein, I'm calling my comeback "cast to 5k." No offense to those who have earned their stripes by following the Couch to 5k program, (and I've looked at it for some of my xc girls; it's prettttty basic) but my plan is only related by tongue-and-cheek alliteration. Despite my inability to run, I've already made strides (pun definitely intended) to run a great 5k at some point this spring. So this brings me back to...my critical nonessentials, part 3.

Since I got off crutches a month ago, I've been in the gym about three times a week lifting. To keep it safe, I've been focusing on arms and core and I can definitely feel and see differences already. I started bench pressing with just the bar, keeping the weight low with many reps. In college we lifted 3x10 (3 sets of 10 reps each) with a focus on low weight and strength endurance, and I still ascribe to that. This doesn't mean, though, that I'm not increasing my weight as I go. As I'm getting stronger and more fit, I've been slowly adding weight to the bar or picking up a heavier dumbbell. Last week I benched 55 pounds--that's 5's on each side of the bar! I'm pretty happy with myself for that. I've also been working triceps, pecs, deltoids, back and all parts of my core. Deb had us doing "7 minute abs" weekly at Colby and I still do those with great results, but I am careful not to neglect the more important but less noticeable other core muscles. Many people don't realize that your core includes your back and your hips and I would argue that having a 6-pack means almost nothing for core strength. In my repertoire of strong core exercises are fire hydrants, superman lifts and rotating planks. I've forsaken my beach body for a warm winter hibernation layer this past month, but I'm still worker towards being stronger every day.

Today I biked for 20 whole minutes with no resistance. It was harder than I expected but I'm not embarrassed about that. Slowly and steadily I will recover and return, and hopefully win that race in the end!