I Love My New Stuff

It's new kit time for us BRC folks. My raggedy shoes were begging to be replaced and my legs are thankful every step for some fresh cushion. And with my reluctance to transition out of break mode, I needed the reality of a new uniform staring at me, begging to be worn! So, that's the first sign that it's time to get goin'. Next, our team had some awesome results at Gate River. especially at my current fitness level, I am insanely jealous! Great job everyone! So, sign number two. And last, spring is here!!! The days of slipping through our runs are over for a while. We may have wind, but at least the footing is good again. I've gotten to wear shorts and t-shirts. It's so liberating after several months of wrapping up like a mummy in what we affectionately refer to as our panda suits every morning before stepping out.
Soooo, what's stopping me? Well, nothing but this darn cold! I was on a roll last week. Having fun pushing the mileage and upping the pace. Feeling like I'm getting my fitness back. . . Then one of our old teammates Megan got married which was so fun and so happy for her. But, unfortunately I came home sick. Since then I've been hitting the vitamins and getting lots of sleep. I'm crossing my fingers that all is not lost. I guess I'll know soon. Im really looking forward to summer and just getting consistent and super fit! I just can't wait to do all of those long meandering runs on the trails. So, as I'm sniffling and typing, I realize it's time for another dose of vitamins and off to bed. The trails and sunshine await.
See you out there!

Wake up call

A "wake up call" is what I decided to call my Gate River race. Although the weekend was a blast, and I had a great time getting to know some of the guys, the race itself wasn't what I was hoping for. I began contemplating what exactly I had done wrong in the preparation for this last race. It soon became quite clear, lack of preparation was exactly the problem.

Ever since I started grad school in 2007 I became accustomed to relying on the running talent I had, and a couple good runs a weeks, to help me win local road races. Most of these were 5k or mile races and usually took about a 14:30 (no altitude) to win. This type of racing and training was easy to maintain and worked well for the schedule I had at the time. Upon graduation I swore to myself that I would try to take running seriously again, at least for a couple years before responsibilities(i.e. kids) took precedence. After graduation last November, I really pursued my dream and trained upwards of 110 to 120 miles a week with good solid workouts. However, this was easier to maintain as I wasn't working, just studying to take my boards. Come January, I posted what I felt was a good race at Houston and everything was right in the world.

After Houston, I started working 4 to 5 days a week, and my training started taking a back seat, much as it did in grad school. My mileage dropped to around 80 to 90 mpw, and even though I was putting in solid workouts, I didn't have the cumulative fatigue effect you need for running at a high level in races longer then 5k's. Hence, the sub-par performance at Gate River. It was however awesome to end up getting second as a team, and I'm proud of my teammates for helping to make the trip much more worthwhile.

So now, after this realization, I am back to training 120 miles a week, with solid workouts and no excuses. And even if I don't achieve the goals I have in mind over the next couple of months, at least I will be able to look at myself in the mirror and say I did the work and went for it!

Best of luck out there everyone!