This week training has gone really well. I am excited and starting to feel more confident about my marathon cycle! I recently committed to running Grandma's Marathon in Duluth, MN on June 19, so my training is finally starting to have some direction. While I am not currently doing any marathon specific training yet, I am working on increasing my ability to adapt to the added intensity in my schedule along with a small bump in mileage.

My coach usually sends me workouts in one or two week increments--when he starts sending two week increments I know that he is starting to have confidence in my ability to handle whatever he throws at me. So, this past week I finally got the first two week schedule in months . While I was glad to know that he was starting to have a little bit of faith in my body handling the work, I can't help but look ahead at the workouts I have coming up and feel nervous. I have 5 marathons on my feet and even though I know what to expect with the workouts and what the build up will look like until June, I can't help but feeling butterflies when I look at my schedule and see something like 3x2 miles or 15 miles with the last 5 miles at high 5's to low 6's. Sure, it doesn't sound like much or even that fast, but since I have done very little training over the past 5 months seeing the added intensity and knowing that I will have to push myself harder than the normal everyday run pace is scary. I am excited, of course, to get on with starting a little bit of speed work but nervous that my body is going to fail me again; nervous that I will be left flailing like I have in the past couple of cycles I have attempted.

The scariest part is there is no guarantee--we are doing all we can to monitor energy levels, sleep, appetite, and runs on a daily basis, but even with the increased scrutiny and a very conservative, long term approach no one knows or can predict what might happen over the next 5 months. I haven't had a training cycle yet that was completely perfect and I know I never will but this spring I am hoping not to experience some of the speed bumps that I have in the past--I have endured everything from freak illnesses to home invasions. But with each a successful end of a racing season, I felt like I had really accomplished something because not only did I race well or learn a valuable lesson for future racing, but I persevered and didn't let adversity dictate racing or my life. So while I do hope for a clean build-up, I also know that I can tackle any setback and not let it direct the outcome of my training. So, bring on the marathon!!

The Weekend/Upcoming Races

Hey everyone! Good job to those who competed this weekend! BRC is looking strong! I just wanted to post up what I dealt with this week/weekend. I had to wait for a response from the Meyo Invitational mile to see if there was any room for me. Unfortunately the Notre Dame coach declined my entry. He is pretty big on letting holding off all post collegians. He mentioned that their was 50 entries, and that he considers all collegiates before any post collegiate. So that was that. I had purchased my flight early in the week just in case I was making my way out there. I had it all set up. I was amped! So after that, I figured that coach Martin was going to have me compete at UNM. I was going to do a DMR with some of the post collegiates that are around Alamosa ( If I had know a BRC DMR was running one, I would have been on board!) The reason I didn't go to that meet either was that I had to help out around here with my work. So I ended up doing a workout solo. It sucked!!!!

I did it on Friday, which consisted of four 400's, with 9 min. rest. I ran them as follows: 55,54,53,52. It just felt awkward running solo for a quick session. Saturday I ran 65 min. Today I ran for 85 min. with the Adams guys.

Next Saturday I am heading out to Seattle which I will be doing the 3k (with possibly doubling in the mile).

Now you know what I've been up to, and what I will be doing!

I think this coming Saturday is the infamous "Michel vs. Seimers" 3k race!

If these two gentlemen are still competing together, and the rules still apply(handicap conversion or whatever they called it!) comment on this post to see who you are cheering for!!!!

I personally are hoping both these guys get some personal bests out there in Grand Valley!

Good luck to all and remember,

Lets have fun and Go BRC!!!!!!

Blessing in disguise?

So I felt like I was finally starting to come around...I was up to running 50-60 minutes 5-6 days a week, which is pretty good considering I'm a stay-at-home mom to a 5 month old. Then...bam...injury! Right now I feel like a detective trying to figure out what's wrong. Lucky for me, I have some great friends who are runners and physical therapists, so they're actually doing more of the investigating than I am. Mainly, we're working on ruling out a stress fracture, so hopefully I'll have good news next week. If not, I guess at least I'm now motivated to work on my imbalances and weaknesses and will hopefully come back stronger and healthier.

Good luck to all the BRC team members who are racing in the coming weeks on the track and at cross nationals!

I'm Nervous.

So it's 12 days out from this one race (USA X.C.) that I feel like I've waited for basically my whole entire 24 years of life, and I'm so nervous I feel like barfing. Well no, that sounds negative. I mean I'm way excited but really nervous--it's kind of like being really excited for Christmas but terrified of Santa at the same time...or something. That's about the best way I can describe it.

I feel like last week went well, but not great. On a scale of 1-10 (10 being magnificent, 1 being I guess I should just give up running for putt-putt) it gets a 7.5. That's a C. I did some hills last Monday where I could not decide if I did a good job and ran them really hard, or if I did a terrible job and they just hurt real bad. I hate it when when I can't figure those things out. Kevin Bacon estimated that they were about 350-ish meters long (and he's English, he knows these things), they took me about 75-78 seconds each, and I did 10. I really want to buy a measuring wheel so that I can figure these things out for myself. That, and I'm just that cool. If anyone has one they want to sell me let me know. As an aside, on #8 I almost got hit by a kid on a skateboard. Okay seriously, the road is about 25 feet wide and there were NO cars--or anything else except for me running up it for that matter--and he almost takes me out. Awesome. Then the following Thursday I did 12x60/90, for some reason those didn't feel too fantastic either, sorta couldn't get the legs turning over that fast and felt all weird and uncoordinated-like. You know, like that feeling where you feel like your head is detached from the rest of you and the legs are just sort of doing their own thing. I'm sure everyone knows what I'm talking about. But it was nonetheless enjoyable and was a really surprisingly nice morning even though it was flurrying a bit, it was really quiet outside with no wind or anything. Plus I can't complain as long as I get to be out there running. Then I had a Sort Of Long Run (my Long Runs are an hour forty, and those are every other Saturday, then the Sort Of Long Runs are an hour twenty five, and those are on the alternating Saturdays) that went really well on Saturday, I got to run with the UCCS distance guys, and they help keep me honest.

So this morning I did 75 minutes with some drills and strides and such, and I have a not-too-crazy ladder workout on Wednesday before taking it easy leading up to a week from this Saturday.

But yeah I'm nervous.

Today was a beautiful day for a run:) 75 minutes of running along the river never felt so refreshing. After spending 6 hours watching little kids this morning, I was exhausted. When I got home, I sat on the couch and debated whether or not I should run or take a nap. Needless to say I put on my shoes and slowly walked out the door. I'm so glad I chose to run because I have more energy now than when I got home.

Moral of my story is...just get your butt out the door and past the first 5minutes and you'll feel so much better!!!

Better Believe It!!!!

Hey everyone! I hope everyone is having a good 4th quarter winter training sessions! It's been a very strange indoor season for me so far. I had took 7 days off which had started Jan. 1st. During that, I started living a comfortable life. By comfortable, I mean having to live a "normal" life. I tell ya, when I decided to come back from those days off, I had the mindset that Indoor season was just going to be a mess, I wasn't motivated to do much. But I jumped back into training quite fast. I was doing workouts that were hard, but felt comfortable doing them. I then asked coach Martin what he thought I should do as far as the season went. He told me, "the sooner you race, the better". So i took his advice!

University of New Mexico(UNM) has been hosting plenty of races, which I have taken advantage of. My first race of the indoor season was last saturday(23rd). I jumped into the mile. I went in the race with a mentality of... just compete. Sometimes people get caught up with, "I need to run this fast halfway", or" I better slow down". I had forget all about competing. I went out there just to compete. I went out really sluggish through the 800 (2:07). The leader had a 4 second lead on me halfway, I had to put in good work to catch him. It came down to the last 50 meters. I passed him with around 30m to go. but he came back on my shoulder and just nipped me! 4:10.31 for him and 4:10.35 for me! Too close. but nonetheless it converts to 4:04-4:05. I figured it wasn't bad considering how I ran it.

I hope everybody ends up reading my whole thread being that it might be a long story!

Ok so this past weekend was also a situation where I just listened to coach Martin. I was considering running the mile at UNM being that rumors where that Rupp was going to try and run a fast mile there. That was my mindset earlier in the week. But I felt really tired and really not in the mood to race again the following week, being that I had just raced and had a very long weekend. So I go to coach and ask him... "coach, what do you think I should do this weekend? Should I compete, and if I decide to, what race"? He thought about it and told me "you should run the 3k". "They are going to pace the race to make it go fast". My first reaction was... Holy Sh!t!!!! I don't feel ready for it!! But I told him that I would do it.

Race day comes and the field was pretty solid. you had Patrick Smyth, Ben Bruce, Kyle Miller, Darren Brown, Adam Perkins, Rory Frasier, all these D1 studs. But I didn't even think about how good they are or what they have done. I thought to myself, "if they can do it, why not me"?

Off we go! I stayed around 5th for most of the race. Don't really know what we went through half, but I felt really relaxed. I covered all the moves. The only mistake was not staying close enough to the two guys in the front. Anywho, I ended up 4th overall behind Rory Frasier(UNM kid), Patrick Smyth, and Ben Bruce. 2 seconds separate the 4 of us. I ended up running 8:10.44. Which converts to 7:58.something. I thought to myself.... This season might not be a mess after all!!!! lol. I know I have more me.

I am working on getting into the Meyo Invitational mile race this following week. I should find out tomorrow if they let me in. I might have to pace the 3k but I'll do it for a shot at my first sub 4!

After that, the following week I will go to Seattle for a 3k. I know, I know, I'm quite the whore on the track! But I want to have 2 qualifiers for USA Indoor Championships. Sucks that they don't allow altitude conversions.

I will keep everyone posted to see what the deal is with my following race!

Good luck to all in your upcoming races! Stay Positive and most of all...

Enjoy what you do! Don't Force it!

random

I do most of my running on my own. I run at weird times, do a lot of treadmill work, and my easy day pace varies quite a bit. So its kind of hard to coordinate with others. But in the past year I have realized how much benefit I get from training with other people. Before the World Championships Kevin Bacon did a couple of the longer hard workouts with me. It was a lot easier to get through with someone helping me along. I could do a lot better workouts with less effort while also having more fun.
Yesterday I did a workout with Cassie and we had a blast. I had to change what was on my schedule a little bit but it was worth it. We didn't run entirely together but we were both out there encouraging each other. It worked well because she is really strong from the start of the interval while I like to push the second half. I couldn't believe how fast it went by.
I'm super happy that my plantar was able to handle the entire workout. It started hurting on the cool down and didn't feel awesome today but I'm getting there.
In other medical news the eye twitch is back. I have an appointment with an eye dr. next week. Its been on and off (mostly ON) for 3 weeks and I've had enough.

Stop signs and cars

So I was running this morning and when I started to cross an intersection that had a stop sign for cross traffic, there was a typical person who sped up on the cross street to try and beat me out from crossing first. I thought what an idiot I am already 1/3 of the way across the street and I have a florescent yellow jacket on (how could you not see me???). So I kept going then looked over and realized that the car's hood was unlatched and could fly up. I raised my hand up for him to stop, which he almost didn't do and he then gave me that "I don't care about you but I see you and am going to stop" look that I am sure any runner has seen before. I went to the front of his car and grabbed the hood, which got him pretty startled. Before he could even open the door or roll down the window and yell at me I had the hood opened then closed all the way and I was moving back down the street.

I would have to say that the guys mood seemed to shift from an unpleasant "I don't want to stop for you" to a very nice "you just saved my arse" and I will stop and say thanks as I go by. So I feel as though I have done my good deed for the day and in the mean time I hope to have changed at least one person's opinion about being a little more courteous to runners.

Sick of sick

Three weeks ago I had a great week of training as I continue my Boston buildup. I hit 117 miles with a 21 mile long run and one light workout. On Sunday morning that week I woke up with a scratchy throat, but tossed Morgan in the baby jogger and headed out for an easy 10M to cap off the week. Unfortunately, I spent the rest of the day on the couch with a fever while the baby abused me with her toy hammer. Over the next week I had a fever, headache, upset stomach, weakness, you name it and eventually broke down and went to the doc to find out I had at least strep throat, bronchitis, and a sinus infection (yeah!). I missed two days of work that week (I've only taken one sick day in 3+ years previously) and only managed a miserable 46 miles of running.

Last week I felt relatively better, but still not well. I muscled my way through 100 miles of running and by the end of the week convinced myself I was well enough to toe the line in the 5000m at the Mines indoor meet. Big mistake. It took me about a mile and a half to realize I didn't have my strength back and by two miles I peeled off the track and went for an easy jog.

Finally this week I've been able to resume my schedule (though pushed back a couple weeks in workouts). Early in the week I still had a cough, but have had two solid workouts and a whole pile miles. I'm at 108 miles for the week right now with the weekend still to go and feeling the best I've felt in a couple months.

I think the last time I had a cold was last April. Now hopefully I can start another 8+ month streak of being virus free.

Yes! Sometimes I don't feel like running!

As a runner, I often listen to jokes and questions from co-workers and friends who are non-runners who don't understand our sport. I will often hear, "You ran 22 miles yesterday? I don't think I even drove my car that far." or "What do you think about when you run?" or how about the classic "Do you ever just wake up and not want to go for a run?". I will often smile/laugh at the jokes or just give a really vague answer, but to the last question I often want to scream "YES! I don't always want to go for my runs."

Over the past few years, I have been blessed to have a coach that is working on making me learn to read my own body and know when I should or shouldn't do a run. Now that I am still dealing with the after effects of some health problems, this is even more important than ever before. In the past I would run even if I really, really didn't want to do it. On those days I would get my husband to drive me out however far I was supposed to run and drop me off. Then I had to run because otherwise it would take me FOREVER to get home! Now, especially coming off the fall I have had I realize more than ever before the importance of listening to my body. I love to run. I love the feeling of pushing myself, working towards a goal, and running workouts that I am not sure I can finish and then when I finish feeling so good about the work I just put in. So, when my mind is screaming at me not to run, I take that as a sign and am learning to listen. Now, don't get me wrong, there are times when I am just feeling lazy or would rather finish watching the tv show that I started instead of heading out into the cold, but there are also times when my mind knows something that I don't consciously know (yet).

Yesterday (Wednesday) was one of those days. Tuesday I had a really, really stressful day (that started out with getting stranded in a broken down car and just sort of went downhill) and got in about 11 miles total in two runs with a small workout in the afternoon. I was exhausted, tired and in a horrible mood by the end of the day and I also thought I was getting sick. My throat was a little sore and I was starting to feel congested and sinus pressure. So, I decided to sleep in and not worry about meeting people the next morning for my run. Then the whole day I managed to put off the run. I went to work, but was done by 2:50. I came home but instead of lacing up my shoes and layering up, I got into bed and took a nap! I talked to my coach and the decision to run was left up to me. So after some debating, I took my procrastination as a sign and rested. And I am glad I did. Even though marathon training is partially about training your body to run when it is tired, I know that at times, especially now, I need to listen to my body. Instead of always pushing and always wanting to get in more and more miles, I need to learn to recover, relax and understand what my body is telling me is best. I have been running pretty seriously for about 15 years and I think this is a lesson that I will continue to have to learn with each and every training cycle that I do. Thankfully, I don't have to navigate this all by myself--I have a husband who understands running and me and he can often tell when I need to rest (although I don't always listen), I have a coach who has been a respected runner and coach for years (and I do almost always listen to him, but at times do it grudgingly) and I have amazing family/friends/training partners of all abilities that remind me to relax and take it easy at times. So next time your coworker wants to know how you can motivate yourself to get out the door each and every day for a run and you want to respond by either crawling under the covers or yelling at them--remember to listen to your body to see if you really shouldn't rest instead!