I put my body through heck this summer/fall, training substantially more than I ever have before, logging in 100-115 miles most weeks. And for what you may ask? For the chance to add a minute to my 10k time at Clubs (on a faster course) and to go from 8th to 56th in the span of 12 months. You can do it too!!!! Here's how: Just run as much as you can and if your body tells you to let up for a few days, just throw in a really hard workout or add a couple of doubles. It is pretty much sure to work.
But seriously...I have finally been feeling better, and am ready to finally take advantage of all of the mileage and workouts from the fall. I have cut my mileage down to a more manageable 85-90 a week, and had some solid hill workouts and tempos.
Dahlberg invited me to partake in a delightful hill workout yesterday, and I think it may have really changed my life. I learned something at the top of that hill. I actually learned two things... Hills are much more difficult at 7,700 feet. Secondly, and perhaps more importantly...Dahlberg is extremely ticklish.
I am going to New Mexico with the Western State team this weekend, but will not be running in any sort of footrace while down there. And I will then travel with said team to Grand Valley the following week, but will probably still not compete in any sort of land speed competition. I will, however, tickle Dahlberg in our hotel room....and probably tickle Art at the meet if the opportunity presents itself. At the very least, I'm probably going to run my fingers through his beautiful goatee. It is the same color as the golden retriever I had growing up....and that is comforting.
Lastly, a big shout out to Shannon "Life's a" Payne and Ryan "Banana hands" Haefer. Happy running everybody.
Paul
Boulder Running Company/adidas Race Team Blog
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Brrrr....
Nothing like a couple sub-zero runs with a ridiculous windchill to make you really appreciate those 20-odd degree morning runs. After yesterday and today, anything over about 10 degrees seems downright tropical. However, you know you're blessed with very good and understanding friends when someone will drive you 10 miles north of your destination so that you can do your whole run with the arctic-caliber wind at your back. Oh, and I'm happy to inform everyone that there is no truth to the myth that running in cold air freezes your lungs--but I'm sure all of the Gunnisonites could've told you that.
Not too much exciting running-related news right now; just training with nothing too big on the immediate horizon. Most likely I'll jump in the Gate River Run 15k in mid-March (I have unfinished buisiness there from last year, ha) or another possibility I am looking at is a different 15k out in Scottsdale, AZ on the same day as Gate River. Prior to either of those I'll probably do a local race to just get the legs going. Then we'll see how things unfold and what leads where. I would really like to get my feet wet in some longer race distances this year though. By "longer" I mean anything beyond 10k. I've laid down a few concrete goals for the year and I think that I have a pretty good idea of what direction to head in training-wise to make them happen. I'd like to get in my first half-marathon (which is still a race distance that practically boggles my mind right now) in the latter part of the year and see where that takes me...maybe a marathon down the road? The more I think about it, the more likely that seems. I also plan on getting in a few track races this spring for the sake of possibly laying down some very overdue PR's.
So that's the 4-11 for now. Till then, just putting in the miles. Also I have to give a big, gigantic, ridiculous congrats to Tera for an amazing race and PR at the Houston half!!! Way to represent and we are proud of you!!!
Over and out.
Spring Outlook
After a period of reflection following a bit of a down year in 2010 for me I have renewed my focus for 2011. I started 2010 off well in the 25k Championships but then lost my focus and the rest of my training and racing was sub-par in my opinion. Things kind of culminated at the Chicago Marathon in miles 18-23. I've never bonked like that before and I never want to again.
Presently I am training for the marathon again. I will be running the Eugene Marathon on May 1st. My mileage is already higher than it was for Chicago and my focus is back. This time I know what I'm getting into and I am ready for it. I truly have only one goal for this race, sub 2:19. That's it, I could finish way back in the field and I wouldn't care just so long as I run that time. I will post back with my progress frequently but for now I'm just hoping it warms up soon. Nobody likes negative temperatures for the morning run.
Presently I am training for the marathon again. I will be running the Eugene Marathon on May 1st. My mileage is already higher than it was for Chicago and my focus is back. This time I know what I'm getting into and I am ready for it. I truly have only one goal for this race, sub 2:19. That's it, I could finish way back in the field and I wouldn't care just so long as I run that time. I will post back with my progress frequently but for now I'm just hoping it warms up soon. Nobody likes negative temperatures for the morning run.
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Today's workout 2-01-11
Feb 1st 2011
Freezing cold outside, but nice to have an indoor track to workout on!
Greg and my lunch-time workout:
3 mile warmup/5 mile cooldown, needed a longer cooldown today because no time for a second run.
2 x mile 4:49, 4:49 90 sec rest
3 min rest
4 x 400m 64, 63, 64, 63 2 min rest
At 38 I can feel a bit more strain on the faster stuff on the tight indoor turns, but my fitness is starting to come back after the Chicago Marathon wrecked me.
Goal at Grand Valley State 3k in 2 weeks - 8:19
Freezing cold outside, but nice to have an indoor track to workout on!
Greg and my lunch-time workout:
3 mile warmup/5 mile cooldown, needed a longer cooldown today because no time for a second run.
2 x mile 4:49, 4:49 90 sec rest
3 min rest
4 x 400m 64, 63, 64, 63 2 min rest
At 38 I can feel a bit more strain on the faster stuff on the tight indoor turns, but my fitness is starting to come back after the Chicago Marathon wrecked me.
Goal at Grand Valley State 3k in 2 weeks - 8:19
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Indoor track time.
Found this
Watch more
Videos on Flotrack'>video of Scott Dahlberg at the UW indoor meet in the 3000m. Scott needed to go sub 8:03 to qualify for the US indoor championships in Albuquerque and just missed is by running a very solid 8:03.59. He will head to a meet in MI in 2 weeks to get his time. Also husband/wife team of Stephanie Bylander and Matt Levassiur traveled to the University of New Mexico to race. Stephanie ran 5:10 in the mile and 10:08 in the 3k while Matt ran a very solid 8:45 3k at altitude.
Friday, January 28, 2011
Let 2011 begin.
Well as 2010 came to a close the BRC/adidas team proved once again that when it comes to the USATF Club XC Championship there are few teams out there better year in and out. With a 2nd place from the ladies and a 7th for the men it was another good day. With 2011 here and the racing just beginning make sure that you check back often to see how the athletes are doing. See you on the road,track and trail.
Sunday, December 19, 2010
Thomas Edison once said, "I haven't failed, I've just figured out 10,000 ways that don't work." Surely he must've been a runner.
Back on the bike, up in the air about what's next. The Positive Pollyanna side of me tries to keep things in perspective and see the glass as half-full, because in all actuality, it is half-full. It's not as though your life is really that hard, it's just that you're spoiled. Aren't we all? And the Negative Nancy side of me says, "Screw you, Pollyanna!" And just wants to bang my head against a wall out of bewildered frustration, punch myself in the face as punishment for committing another fatal error, and wonders why on earth I keep coming back to this running thing (sometimes I sort of think of it as my imaginary abusive and manipulative boyfriend...or something...). Oh but wait, that's right....because you don't know who you'd be, what you'd be, or where you'd be without it. Combined with the fact that the peaks make the valleys worth it, and the process is just as worthwhile and enjoyable--often more so--than the result. And because, by God, ONE DAY it's GOING to pay off and I don't care who says it's not! But where have the peaks been lately? Valleys are getting old. Especially when you just nose-dive straight into them. Is it too much to ask for a gradual descent?!
I'm hoping 2011 will be a breakthrough year, and hoping to lay down some long overdue PR's. I think everyone deserves an occasional breakthrough and a few PR's after the effort put into training over weeks, months and years. The fruits of your labor so to speak. Unfortunately getting de-railed and starting over at square one every few months really hinders those efforts. Not to mention shakes the confidence. And let's face it, any runner can attest to the fact that there is no joy in struggling to defend your hard-earned fitness while not being able to train. Whatever happened to the good old days of lots of miles, tons of workouts, and being exhausted and stale long before being hurt?? How was that me?!!? You get better with the passing of time, right?
The whole being self-coached thing has been a good learning experience and definitely forced me to take ownership of my own running--and that means the successes and the screw-ups and everything in between. Maybe I'm blind to some obvious errors; at best I stayed the same, at worst I went backwards. I'm not too proud to say that the writing's on the wall. Somehow things seem to be going in a circle. So maybe it's time for some serious adjustments and some much needed outside perspective. Being successful post-collegiately takes a lot more than just knowing how to push yourself--all you need is a goal and lots of motivation for that. But you have to know how to fine-tune yourself too, and how to really see the big picture rather than just the right-now-this-instant-today. You know, the "microwave" mentality. There really is a lot to know, and evidently I know NOTHING.
So we will see how things go in the coming weeks. Till then, good riddance to 2010 (you won't be missed), this year seemed like one big tease as far as running is concerned. So here's to hoping for some great things in 2011. What is it that they say? Oh yes, plow the fields and pray for rain.
Back on the bike, up in the air about what's next. The Positive Pollyanna side of me tries to keep things in perspective and see the glass as half-full, because in all actuality, it is half-full. It's not as though your life is really that hard, it's just that you're spoiled. Aren't we all? And the Negative Nancy side of me says, "Screw you, Pollyanna!" And just wants to bang my head against a wall out of bewildered frustration, punch myself in the face as punishment for committing another fatal error, and wonders why on earth I keep coming back to this running thing (sometimes I sort of think of it as my imaginary abusive and manipulative boyfriend...or something...). Oh but wait, that's right....because you don't know who you'd be, what you'd be, or where you'd be without it. Combined with the fact that the peaks make the valleys worth it, and the process is just as worthwhile and enjoyable--often more so--than the result. And because, by God, ONE DAY it's GOING to pay off and I don't care who says it's not! But where have the peaks been lately? Valleys are getting old. Especially when you just nose-dive straight into them. Is it too much to ask for a gradual descent?!
I'm hoping 2011 will be a breakthrough year, and hoping to lay down some long overdue PR's. I think everyone deserves an occasional breakthrough and a few PR's after the effort put into training over weeks, months and years. The fruits of your labor so to speak. Unfortunately getting de-railed and starting over at square one every few months really hinders those efforts. Not to mention shakes the confidence. And let's face it, any runner can attest to the fact that there is no joy in struggling to defend your hard-earned fitness while not being able to train. Whatever happened to the good old days of lots of miles, tons of workouts, and being exhausted and stale long before being hurt?? How was that me?!!? You get better with the passing of time, right?
The whole being self-coached thing has been a good learning experience and definitely forced me to take ownership of my own running--and that means the successes and the screw-ups and everything in between. Maybe I'm blind to some obvious errors; at best I stayed the same, at worst I went backwards. I'm not too proud to say that the writing's on the wall. Somehow things seem to be going in a circle. So maybe it's time for some serious adjustments and some much needed outside perspective. Being successful post-collegiately takes a lot more than just knowing how to push yourself--all you need is a goal and lots of motivation for that. But you have to know how to fine-tune yourself too, and how to really see the big picture rather than just the right-now-this-instant-today. You know, the "microwave" mentality. There really is a lot to know, and evidently I know NOTHING.
So we will see how things go in the coming weeks. Till then, good riddance to 2010 (you won't be missed), this year seemed like one big tease as far as running is concerned. So here's to hoping for some great things in 2011. What is it that they say? Oh yes, plow the fields and pray for rain.
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Capping off the Year
Club XC, what a weekend--lots of plusses and a few minuses. Highlights from the trip include but are definitely not limited to:
1) Tera's race. I mean seriously. I think that she needs to patent a training program titled something like, "From-Boot-Back-To-Badass-In-Just-Six-Short-Weeks!" She could make millions. (Individual results may vary.)
2) Running Republic of Who?
3) Mechanical Bull Riding. Enough said.
4) EVERYONE'S mad dancing skills.
<--Tera on a mission.
Now on to the race. Bittersweet. On the whole we ran well, second only to McMillan Elite--worthy competitors to say the least. Our scorers (Tera, Ali, Cassie, Nichole and Stephanie) packed it up and did a great job. Well no, everyone did a great job, we've got serious depth, and it's only going to get better. But alas, no three-peat for us this year. The course, outside of a crazy bottle-neck start made more crazy by the fact that there were about 250 people in the race (even more for the guys), was about as fast and flat as they come, minus that one doozy of hill--namely the backside of the hill, where it was about everything that you could do not to fall straight down it. Conditions were great.
Wendy, Kristin and me on the homestretch.-->
Individually though it was tough not to be more than a little disappointed. My initial goal was a top-30 finish, realistic considering the quality and depth of the field. Despite running what I thought to be a relatively smart race, I finished back in the 60's and ran a time equivalent to what I've run 5,000+ feet higher in elevation. No excuses, I got spanked, that's all there is to it. But needless to say I've got some reassessing to do and 6 weeks until USA XC, so maybe there'll be a shot at redemption there. But talk is cheap, so back to work.
Anyway, thanks to Cody for keeping us all in line (and defending us from the onslaught of creepy cowboys at Whiskey River), Eron for the sweet Adidas gear, and of course everyone on the team for your....awesome-ness. Bigger things to come for 2011!
1) Tera's race. I mean seriously. I think that she needs to patent a training program titled something like, "From-Boot-Back-To-Badass-In-Just-Six-Short-Weeks!" She could make millions. (Individual results may vary.)
2) Running Republic of Who?
3) Mechanical Bull Riding. Enough said.
4) EVERYONE'S mad dancing skills.
<--Tera on a mission.
Now on to the race. Bittersweet. On the whole we ran well, second only to McMillan Elite--worthy competitors to say the least. Our scorers (Tera, Ali, Cassie, Nichole and Stephanie) packed it up and did a great job. Well no, everyone did a great job, we've got serious depth, and it's only going to get better. But alas, no three-peat for us this year. The course, outside of a crazy bottle-neck start made more crazy by the fact that there were about 250 people in the race (even more for the guys), was about as fast and flat as they come, minus that one doozy of hill--namely the backside of the hill, where it was about everything that you could do not to fall straight down it. Conditions were great.
Wendy, Kristin and me on the homestretch.-->
Individually though it was tough not to be more than a little disappointed. My initial goal was a top-30 finish, realistic considering the quality and depth of the field. Despite running what I thought to be a relatively smart race, I finished back in the 60's and ran a time equivalent to what I've run 5,000+ feet higher in elevation. No excuses, I got spanked, that's all there is to it. But needless to say I've got some reassessing to do and 6 weeks until USA XC, so maybe there'll be a shot at redemption there. But talk is cheap, so back to work.
Anyway, thanks to Cody for keeping us all in line (and defending us from the onslaught of creepy cowboys at Whiskey River), Eron for the sweet Adidas gear, and of course everyone on the team for your....awesome-ness. Bigger things to come for 2011!
club cross
I haven't been this sore since my first marathon in 2005. Today is 3 days after club cross and it won't go away! I feel like a little old lady. Racing so soon after such a long post injury break (6 weeks in a boot) was definitely jumping the gun.....But I'm happy I got to help out my team and be a part of it instead of my original plan of being the water girl. I am THRILLED to be running again pain free and getting to race was a huge bonus. Although our team didn't win we had a great weekend and I'm pretty sure everyone had an awesome time.
I'll admit it....I stayed up way past by bedtime and danced for 5 hours straight Saturday night. (can I count that as my long run?) It's not something I do often. I'm pretty much always in bed by 9 reading and sometimes even earlier. But sometimes its good to let off some steam and there's no one I would rather do that with than my BRC teammates.
I don't know whats up next. I don't have anything on my racing schedule because I had no idea how long my foot would take to heal. It didnt hurt after the race so I think I am good to go once the rest of my body comes around.
In non running news I'm looking forward to going to Chicago this week! I love the city at christmas with all the lights and window displays. I have been wanting to see wicked since it came out and its finally going to happen. Plus I get to eat potbellys everyday for almost a week and see a bunch of friends and family. It's going to be a very merry christmas.
I'll admit it....I stayed up way past by bedtime and danced for 5 hours straight Saturday night. (can I count that as my long run?) It's not something I do often. I'm pretty much always in bed by 9 reading and sometimes even earlier. But sometimes its good to let off some steam and there's no one I would rather do that with than my BRC teammates.
I don't know whats up next. I don't have anything on my racing schedule because I had no idea how long my foot would take to heal. It didnt hurt after the race so I think I am good to go once the rest of my body comes around.
In non running news I'm looking forward to going to Chicago this week! I love the city at christmas with all the lights and window displays. I have been wanting to see wicked since it came out and its finally going to happen. Plus I get to eat potbellys everyday for almost a week and see a bunch of friends and family. It's going to be a very merry christmas.
Friday, December 3, 2010
The Hay's in the Barn
Well, here we are 8 days out from Club XC and looking at the start lists as well as listening to folks talk about it, it sounds like it might be a better field than in previous years. I don't really know because I've never run it before. But I'm pretty excited, the better the field the more honest the race so bring it. The course looks a little more pleasant and lovely than what I generally prefer, and it would make me even more excited if it would dump rain or snow or something all over it and get it as muddy and nastified as possible. Maybe an earthquake or something to shake things up (pun...ha? No.). But whatever the weather it should be a great race.
Anyhow, training's gone pretty well the last few weeks. I hit a couple small speed bumps along the way and didn't get in the tune-up race that I wanted to last week. Not perfect, but you have to roll with it. At any rate, I had a great workout yesterday and will have one more on Tuesday then all that's left is to beat the Voices of Doubt into submission and it's go-time. Thankfully this time around I have not been overcome with fits of ridiculous nervousness that leave me wanting to curl up in the fetal position in the cabinet underneath the kitchen sink for days at time and think irrational, self-defeating thoughts. Is that a good thing? I'm thinking so. But we'll find out.
Alright, since this post is not particularly interesting or insightful or humorous and I'm really only writing it in an effort to procrastinate on going to do a spot of pool-running, I'm going to leave it off here. However, I will include this below photograph to give it at least one redeeming quality:
There.
Ok. That's all I got. Hopefully we'll all have wonderfully exciting blogs about the race coming up soon.
Anyhow, training's gone pretty well the last few weeks. I hit a couple small speed bumps along the way and didn't get in the tune-up race that I wanted to last week. Not perfect, but you have to roll with it. At any rate, I had a great workout yesterday and will have one more on Tuesday then all that's left is to beat the Voices of Doubt into submission and it's go-time. Thankfully this time around I have not been overcome with fits of ridiculous nervousness that leave me wanting to curl up in the fetal position in the cabinet underneath the kitchen sink for days at time and think irrational, self-defeating thoughts. Is that a good thing? I'm thinking so. But we'll find out.
Alright, since this post is not particularly interesting or insightful or humorous and I'm really only writing it in an effort to procrastinate on going to do a spot of pool-running, I'm going to leave it off here. However, I will include this below photograph to give it at least one redeeming quality:
There.
Ok. That's all I got. Hopefully we'll all have wonderfully exciting blogs about the race coming up soon.
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