This team is on FIRE!

We have had some AWESOME performances lately and I'm really proud of everyone on this team! Hana relays domination, Wendy's 10 miler and huge half marathon PR, Ali's 6th place finish at the 20k, Mario tearing up the roads everywhere, Cassies 9th place at the 5k champs, Tommy Jesse and Scott at Cow Harbor, Adams 3rd place trail adventure, Amanda's 5k, our team win at Tufts, and many many more. A BIG congrats to our newest trials qualifiers Matt and Adrian. It was exciting watching you guys in Chicago.
It seems like everyone just keeps improving. Lets keep the momentum rolling through clubs and the trials!
Huge thank you to BRC and Adidas for the support and GOOD LUCK to Cassie at Pan Ams in a couple weeks.

Dreams Do Come True

I've always dreamed of wearing the USA jersey and racing for our wonderful country. I just was selected to be on the USA team for Pan Am Games!!!!!! I can't believe it, but I'm so honored, blessed, and super excited. I'll be racing the 10k on the track in Guadalajara, Mexico in the end of October.
This dream also meant I get to be on the national list for drug testing...yippee. It was time consuming to fill out my day to day whereabouts for the next three months especially because I barely know where I'll be next week. I thought "I'll never get drug tested"...i was wrong. I submitted my info on the 10th and was drug tested this past Thursday at 6am. This isn't the greatest time for guests but a great time to pee. Anyway, now it feels real that I'm really going to Pan Ams.
Today I'm in Providence, RI for the USA 5k and excited to race. I have no idea if I'm in 5k shape but it will be fun either way. Thanks Adidas for letting points cover travel and for the cool kit. Thanks to the amazing race directors, Charlie, Tony, and Jim. Hopefully it will be a wonderful day.

MIA

I have definitely been MIA for the past couple months. It's been a combination of things, the foremost being I forgot how to actually post on the blog, yup I'm an idiot. But along with that I had a pretty substantial ankle injury that bogged me down for the past 4 months. My last official race was the 25k Champs in May, which went pretty well, but starting the day after I couldn't walk right for about 2 weeks. Then I kinda just decided well I better get back in shape quick cause I wanted to run Chicago. So I hopped into some workouts with a buddy of mine and well needless to say it never healed right. So for the past 4 months I went into this on and off again cycle which culminated in a "F this S***" and a three and a half week running vacation. So instead of running we bought a house, I caught a bunch of fish, and probably gained 10 pounds of beer weight.

So all that ended three weeks ago and I have currently been running about 8 to 10 miles a day at a decent pace. The ankle still gets sore every now and then but for the most part I'm pain free. You would think being a PT and all I would be able to cure myself, but ask any PT and they will tell you we don't make the best of patients.

Anyway I'm finally starting to get psyched up again for probably the biggest 4 months of my running career to date. The main races being Fort Collins Turkey day 4 mile, CLUB NATS, and of course the trials in Houston. Let me just stress that CLUB NATS is gonna be awesome. My old team in So Cal started another Adidas sponsored running club and well we have beat them, period. So I'll be there in full force, and hope you guys and gals will catch fire and get pumped for the awesomeness that is CLUB NATS!

Break time

It’s been a little while since my last proper break from running. Over the past 13 months, I think I’ve taken a total of 9-10 days off including a week stretch in May when I was sick. This is by far the longest I’ve gone without taking a good 2 weeks to completely recover from all the nagging injuries that come with running. Really, there is never a good time to take a break since there is always a race coming that you would like to do, but sometimes, your body makes that choice for you.

I’m coming home from the US 20k Championships, which is now the site of one of my biggest blow-ups to date. My plan was to go out somewhat conservative and work my way into the top 5 towards the later stages of the race. I was actually in good position to execute the plan for the first 5 miles. The lead pack was a manageable distance away and runners were starting to come back. By 5.5 miles, I was completely cashed. The legs weren’t responding at all, and I started going backwards in a hurry. In hindsight, the 20k was probably a little ambitious after running a fairly tough Half Marathon 2 weeks before. Obviously, my legs didn’t recover in time and if I had to do it again, I would have skipped the 20k and focused on the 5k Championships that will take place in 2 weeks. Hindsight …

The Half Marathon I mentioned happened in San Diego 2 weeks ago. I ended up placing third with a time of 1:04:20 on a course that had some serious hills (up and down). I was hoping to run a little faster going into the race and was on track at 10 miles to do so (around 48:00). However, the biggest hills came at the end of the race and put a hurt on everyone. Overall, I was pleased with the result since it was a Trials qualifier in the marathon. Now, the focus will shift to preparing for the Trials in January and hoping my body will be able to handle the training necessary to do well in a marathon. We’ll see.

Also, my wife and I had our daughter August 6. Here she is:

August 22-28

Monday:      90 minutes easy (12)

Tuesday:      20 x 1 on/off @ 90-95 % (13)

Wednesday: 105 min. easy (16)

Thursday:     85 min. easy (12)

Friday:         A.M. 4 x 3k w/ 3:30 rest 9:27, 9:18, 9:19 (12), 9:33 P.M. 30 easy (4)

Saturday:     A.M. 30 min. easy (4) P.M. 60 min. easy (8)

Sunday:       160 min. (24)

Total:           107

With only 6 weeks between now and Chicago I'm feeling pretty good.  The 3k's were tough but I mainly focused on getting in the mileage, whiling attempting to adjust to working again.  The next 4 weeks are slated to be 115, 130, 130, 120.  Time to buckle down. 

Ouch!

So, after months of not being able to run well and feeling run down, I'm so happy to say that I think I am back in the game. Today was my first little workout. In two months (hopefully sooner) I'm sure i'll look back and laugh at my puny workout. Today, however, was no laughing matter. With double side cramps, fighting a cold, and a little asthma for good measure, it was painful! But, I made it through without making any bargains and fighting the whole way through! regardless of where my fitness is, that is all I can ever ask for :-) There is nowhere to go but up from here!

What does running mean to you?

This is what I have been asking myself since last week when Scott asked everyone on the team just that. The funny thing is right now this is such a loaded question. When I got the chance to work with Scott I thought wow this is great nothing but good things could come from this and than I soon realized a lot of things were about to change. So what did running mean to me really? Was it worth all the drama, was it worth having to walk away from things that I love, was it worth losing relationships with people I thought would always be on my side? Than out on my second run today with tears in my eyes and a lump in my throat I realized what running means to me...........
To me running is inspiring people to do things they never thought they would or could. Like my best friend who started running just to lose weight who can now run 7-8 miles and no matter how slow she thinks it is she is RUNNING 7-8 miles! Not everyone can say that! Its my long time friend who is going to run his first half marathon in October who asks for advice and I get to see post how he just finished a 5 mile run in heat. There are days I don't want to run in heat and he is out there kicking butt! It's my husband waking up every day at 4 am so he can go run 3 miles (if you knew how much he hates running it's a big deal)and show his kids he can race the Race against Cancer. It's the people I see at track group every Wednesday running their hearts out and giving it their all no matter if they are the fastest on the track or the slowest. It's my kids asking me how my race went and honestly giving me crap when I don't win. It's them knowing how hard I work to be able to toe the line with some of the best. It's my training partners who go out and do workouts And runs they would prefer to not do, but they are always there to help me get through it. Most of all it's all those people telling me how amazing I am to be able to run as fast as I am and still be a mom to two very active boys. Yes I know I am not even close to being the fastest mom i mean look at Kara Goucher, Colleen De Roucke, Magdalena Lewy Boulet (seriously rocking a 5k pr that anyone at any age would take) and Nan Kennard just to name a few could all kick my butt with little to no effort at all. All of these people think I am the one inspiring them when the truth is it's the other way around. I get through the hard workouts that make me want to throw up and quit, through the races that I am getting my butt kicked at, through the victories, the PR's and everything in between because of them! My inspiration is knowing they are rooting for me, knowing they believe in me when I don't even believe in myself.
Yes I have definitely given up a few things lately that I really enjoy and wanted to continue to do, lost some important friendships and have taken a risk that I can not guarantee will pay off. But I have those amazing people behind me, family, friends, Scott taking a chance on a nobody, my amazing teammates who inspire me and give me so much advice and a dream! next week when I toe the line in Edmonton I would love to get the PR I am looking for, I will dig as deep as I can, but if I don't I know it does not define me. My kids, family, friends and faith are what defines me. Running is just an added benefit.
So to the answer the question. What does running mean to me? It means EVERYTHING and NOTHING all at the same time

Evergreen Town Race

Evergreen has got to be one of my favorite places in Colorado. It's so beautiful and a fun place to be. This past weekend they hosted the USATF Colorado State Championship for the 10k. Typically I (and most others) race the 5k since the course is quite a bit downhill and fast. This year the Colorado State Championship designation attracted many of us from the BRC team (Jay, Wendy, Robby, Paul, Christy-Marie) and other elite athletes. The 10k was a bit less organized than the 5k, but I don't think they usually get as many runners as they did this year. There was limited parking and the bus was quite late. Luckily we had a great bus driver who understood the importance of getting to the top quickly; she must have made record time.
With 35 minutes to warm up I was a bit nervous if I was loosened up enough. Luckily the 10k is long enough where a short warm up can work as good as a long one.
The first mile was quick with a steep downhill and adrenaline pumping. I stayed relaxed on miles 2 and 3, then picked it up to get out of no-mans-land to catch up to the guys ahead of me to keep focused. Thanks to those wonderful guys for being tough and dragging me to the bottom of the hill. I was dead with 1/2 mile to go, but finished the best I could. I finished first in a time of 34:40!! Close in 2nd was Wendy Thomas, then Candice Chavez, and for fourth, Kristin Johansen. It was a good day!
The awards ceremony was excellent and their were some great sponsors (Thanks runcolo, Honey Milk, USATF, and whoever donated the beautiful painting of Evergreen Lake). I was excited to see my family, many running friends, and other friends from the past that showed up to the race.
Now I'm extremely sore and tired from the pounding of the downhill. Yesterday I was a turtle, hopefully today I will feel better.

Comeback A Success So Far

It's great to be back to full training after 9 months of not being able. As I've said many times here, I was out for 5 months with a foot injury and then while coming back I was dealing with bad tendinitis in the same area and was stuck at relatively low mileage for the first 4 months back. Since then I've been hitting the PT's prescribed drills very hard and all issues are nearly resolved. In fact my foot has hurt just a few times in the last 3 weeks. I've been able to get some really solid mileage averaging just over 100 a week for the past 6 weeks. It feels great to be getting back into shape again but my fitness has come along very slowly. I still don't feel like I'm in great shape but I think a few more weeks and I'll be ready to go.

My next big race is The Great Cow Harbor 10k out in Long Island, New York in mid September. I'm excited to go back after missing last years race. They put on an excellent event and treat all of the 'elite' runners very well. I don't really consider myself elite but I guess I'm fast enough to make the cut to be one of a group that gets help with a portion of the cost to fly out and they even put us up with a great family while out there.

Most importantly though is that the year is about to get started for the Mountaineers down at Western and I'm very excited to get back to coaching after the summer break. We are going to have a great team again this year on both the mens and womens sides with an excellent chance to challenge for the win. As always though, there will be some very stiff competition and I know those boys and girls down south will be doin work.

On a final note I wanted to welcome Sean Brown and Loren Ahonen to the team. Both of them are recent Western State grads who I had the pleasure of being teammates with and coaching for several years. They both boast some pretty good PRs so watch out.

Bix 7 Diaper money

I’m sitting at DIA with some extra time on my hands (partly thanks to United Airlines who feel they should be compensated $75 if I am going to fill a vacant seat trying to get home on an earlier connecting flight), so I figured this would be a good time to update the blog. I’m returning home after competing in my third straight Bix 7 mile this morning in Davenport, Iowa. Bix is probably the toughest road race I have run. (see course at http://www.bix7.com/2011/bix.php) The course is extremely hilly, but it’s the heat and humidity that really put it over the top. I’m not exactly sure what the temp and humidity levels were – all I can really say was that it was hot as hell out there. Despite the conditions, I was pleased with the result today. I went out fairly conservative just off the second pack for the first 2.5 miles. Familiarity with the course definitely helps, and I knew the predominantly downhill first third of the race turns into grinding uphills real quick. It was around the second big uphill (mile 2.5-3) that I surged into 6^th place and tried to make a move to catch a couple Kenyans falling off the lead pack. I was slowly closing the gap through miles 3 and 4, but then started hitting the wall myself. The last 2 miles turned into a death march that I’m sure we’re all familiar with. I was hanging on to the 1^st American position as best I could, but when Abdi passed me around mile 5.5, I couldn’t muster any response. I ended up 7^th overall and 2^nd American. I felt it was a pretty solid effort but not a great race.

I actually wasn’t planning on running Bix this year. My wife is 8.5 months pregnant with our first child, and it took some lawyer-like arguing to convince her that it was a good idea to run. I ended up spending about 18 hours total in Davenport and was calling every hour to make sure Courtney wasn’t going into labor. Looks like I’ll catch the birth of my first child after all.