Endless tomorrows

I thought not of the day's worries and sorrows but rather my mind filled with flurries of endless tomorrows. 

As I sit in a seminar, contemplating how long it will take me to finish my experiments this afternoon, I waffle about whether to run 8 or 10 miles later today. My hip flexor felt a little tight this morning on my walk in, perhaps I should just do 8, my legs need a little rest. "Just do 8? Who is writing this blog?", you ask, perplexed. Certainly it can't be the quality-not-quantity middle distance runner you've grown to know. 

"It is still me!" I exclaim, a newly minted mileage buff. The past couple of months I have been flirting just above and below 60 mile weeks, and partially adopted a naive sense of being part of the club. The club of long distance runners, marathoners, those undergoing the real trial of miles. I don't want to mislead you, I am very aware that I'm not running high mileage. BUT I have been running high Robyn mileage. In other words, I've (finally) figured out a training regimen that does not result in physical breakdown over 40 miles per week. 

No, I'm not moving up to marathons (or 10Ks for that matter), I'm still focused on breaking 5:00 in the mile. August is wrapping up and I have just a few more weeks of my mileage base before I transition to lactate threshold and tempo work - sticking in the 50's for weekly miles. I'm not sure how my indoor track season will pan out, but it's fun to find new comfortable states in my training. Especially finding a way to reliably increase my volume by a whopping 25-30 miles per week. I still surprise myself when I think of an 8 mile run as an easy day, however, there are many training challenges to come... I'm just going to savor this feeling for now. 

PS - Random destination run recommendation: Niagara Falls, Toronto side at 7-8am (before the tourists!) to the butterfly gardens

PPS - If you're curious, the main 3 changes to my training are:

1. Inhaler - controlling my asthma has drastically improved my recovery between training runs

2. Hip circuit - religious strengthening & range of motion exercises 3x per week has kept me moving relatively pain free

3. Dairy - this delicious food group makes me feel ill/fatigued, so now, sadly, I eat less of it. (<3 cheese forever)

Training like an Elite, Volume 2

Two years ago, just coming off a broken leg, I was in Lake Tahoe, California at 6,000 feet above sea level when I started my slow comeback to running. This trip, with its scenery and confidence building steps, gave me the altitude bug. Ever since then, I've kept in the back of my mind that I wanted to head back to altitude to do some serious training. Training and peaking in my milage for Boston seemed like the perfect opportunity, so I booked tickets to Boulder, Colorado to visit a good friend and have the wind knocked out of me.

I was in Boulder for a full week and initially I didn't seem to be affected by being at 5,000+ feet above sea level. A quick shake-out run the first day I was there felt normal, even good. I did burn the chicken I cooked because #bakingataltitude. But my big concern, and the reason I was there, was my impending 20 mile long run on Saturday morning. 20 miles, or for me three hours of running, is mind-numbing and potentially awful on one's own even at sea-level, so I sought out a local running group that I could accompany. I got really lucky that the women I ran with were chatty and good for about 14 miles in the morning. They lead me through the packed dirt roads around the Boulder Reservoir, and thanks to their incessant chatter (one woman was espousing the incredible company that is Uber...like who's never heard of them before?), I was able to soak in the sun and beautiful scenery and forget that I was suffering internally.

No wonder I had a nice run!

In reality, my 20 miler went great! I ran the third hour on my own, and while I did start to get very hungry around mile 17, I didn't hit a wall and was able to keep pace for my whole run. Even more exciting was that this 20 miler was two minutes faster than my run of that distance last year, but this time I was breathing in significantly less oxygen. I had been warned beforehand that recovery at altitude often takes a lot longer, so as soon as I finished my run and returned to the car, I chugged some water and a protein shake, and nibbled on a pistachio muffin (all the sugars and carbs!) as I did some dynamic stretching. Once I got home, I showered, pulled on some compression socks and curled up for a nap.

Of course, my "elite" altitude training wouldn't be complete without some sort of social media interaction with women much faster than I. Heading to Boulder, I knew that many elites were in the area altitude training as well, and I was hoping to at least run into them, if not actually stalk them and become best friends (Kara Goucher, why didn't you respond to my invitation to get coffee together!?). And I did almost literally run into a few. My running team, Oiselle, has an elite training group called Little Wing that at the moment consists of three steeple chasers chasing the OTQ, and coached by the incredible Lauren Fleshman. Halfway into my LR around the reservoir, my group and I ran by another group and I recognized these women by the Oiselle clothes they were in. Later, on my own, I ran by two of the women and waved to them, yelling "Hey Little Wing!" They seemed pumped to both recognize my running top (also obviously Oiselle #flystyle) and realize that I knew who they were. After my run I checked Twitter, and was delighted to find this awesome tweet from them. Once again, day/week/life made:

*praise hands emoji*

And my active altitude training didn't end there. The next morning, I headed even higher up, to about 10,000 feet, to go cross country skiing. Now I am not one to put on any type of snow sport equipment, but knowing that Nordic skiing is such good cardio and non-impact cross training, I had to give it a try. I went with my friend to her local mountain and we explored the pristine trails for about two hours. We worked up both a sweat and an appetite and had so much fun. My parents can't believe I'm saying this, but I would definitely cross country ski again!

Now that I'm back at sea-level and tapering, I'm continuing to get massages from my amazing PT, and today even I ran some easy miles on the AlterG anti-gravity treadmill at 75% body weight. Boston is 11(!) days away and I'm doing the best I can to take care of my body, given how many miles I've pounded them through over the course of the past four months. My training hasn't gone exactly as planned but at the same time I've had some awesome runs. I feel fit, ready and beyond excited to toe the line in Hopkinton and make my way into Boston, with a right on Hereford and left on Boylston. My stint as an elite at altitude in Boulder has prepared me well.

Love,
Rachel "legs up on the wall" Runner

Runcationing

It's true, the best and fastest way to explore a new place is by running. Unfortunately, I can't stand running with my phone so usually the cool places I visit go undocumented. Earlier this summer I was in Newport, RI for the first time and enjoyed a run/hop/skip along the cliff walk. Unfortunately, no T Swift sightings. Ran to something called Purgatory Chasm, wicked cool spot on the ocean, wish I'd brought a camera for that one. I was there for a scientific conference, so I also went for a walk on the cliff walk (what a crazy notion) with some colleagues and took pictures then. The views were incredible...

Newport Cliff Walk

This past weekend I was in beautiful Bar Harbor for a quick vacation with Ben's extended family. We ran around Eagle Lake on Saturday which brought back all sorts of memories for me;  huffing up the hills in my one-speed Huffy back in the day with my family, the final "long run" (it's 6 miles) we took the campers on for Colby XC camp, doing LTP with friends after said long run, dangerously hurdling the gates with terrible form, and chatting with the sub-4 miler crew of guys filming a documentary up there. I've been battling a hamstring/IT band issue for about 6wks now (although pretended it was fine the first 4 of 6), so I and Ben's brother opted for rental bikes Sunday and accompanied Ben on his long run. After biking to the trailhead, we set off. All was rainbows and butterflies and fun downhills until we started going up. And up. And up. Turns out we picked a loop that included going up Sargent mountain and we ended up on continuous incline for 2 miles. Woof. Jumping on a bike for the first time in a year should not have involved climbing a mountain. We didn't manage to get sunshine for either of the days we were there but it was serene and wonderful as always. Glad to get this healthy dose of trails and nature.

Bubble Pond

View from our room at the Bar Harbor Inn

Eagle Lake

Until next time,
Robyn "running wild" 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

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.