Dirty Shoes

Happy birthday, IT-band injury!

2011-10-27T11:28:00.004-04:00

I am approaching my year anniversary of being injured.

A whole year.

Last weekend I went to a wedding with many college friends I haven't seen in over two years. This happened about 7 times: "Not that I stalk you on facebook, but you're like... a crazy runner right?" Besides the one stint in March where I ran a 50k training run, I've been doing small mile runs and nothing like what I'm used to. But, I'm actually quite ok.

I walk a lot to get in my "me" time. I volunteer at races so that I still see the VHTRC folk. I spend more evenings with my boyfriend. I read more and have moved my ambition focus to the fuck-what-am-I-going-to-do-the-rest-of-my-life part of my brain. It's probably a good thing.

Surprisingly, I haven't gained any weight, in fact I've lost a few pounds and my jeans fit much better. It's actually sort of nice that I don't need to eat so much. Even though I hadn't worked out for well over a month, I was still able to do some decent hiking in Colorado. Oh, right, I've been hiking a lot--it keeps me sane. It's like trail running, but slower and you have to carry all your shit with you. (Tip: get hiking poles so that you can control the weight on your injured leg)

So, twitter and facebook friends, I'm still out, yes, but I'm ok. Really. Promise.

Oh, and so that I can be helpful, here's what I would have done in hindsight:

Don't go running with people or a group when you're recovering. A year ago, I quickly completed a 14 mile trail run that I would have half-walked if I was alone.
If something doesn't stop hurting in two weeks, go see a physical therapist. I waited 8 months.
Try to solve the root of the problem first. If I had stopped my minimalist footwear kick and put my orthotics back in earlier, I might have jump-started recovery.
Look for a complete list of activities that will aggravate your injury. I was doing deep squats, jumps, deep squats, breast-stroke, deep squats, hiking... all things that kept my IT band tight.
Have patience getting back into the game. Don't run 30 miles after you've only been back a couple months. (Like, DUH!)

P.S.: My feet look so pretty now!

Nostalgia: MMT volunteering

2011-05-21T12:56:00.003-04:00

Volunteering at MMT this year was a little sentimental. I wasn't very sad or bummed about not running it, especially since I was a little hungover and exhausted. I went to bed at 3 a.m. on Saturday morning thinking "the race starts in an hour" but I was warm in bed and grateful that I had 8 hours of sleep ahead of me.

Last year I volunteered with Brian at Camp Roosevelt and was finally introduced to VHTRC. I knew no one. I was surprised that as runners came into the aid station--everyone knew their name! After years of road running and never belonging to a running group, this was very odd. The thought of knowing all the volunteers, the race direction, the pacers, and spectator/photo support was foreign to me.

Doing CrossFit moves at ultra events.... I'm allowed to when Bobby Gill is around.

I remember meeting people who had run several ultras and finally started to understand how ultrarunners break every running rule in the book. These crazies ran an ultra every other weekend! I remember being surprised that there were so many young people and I was invited to WUS about 30 times.

Another tattoo picture :) Of course I was showing it off.

This year, I showed up in my WUS shirt. I knew at least a dozen runners. I knew the volunteers and most pacers--I was running around the camp chatting with my friends all night. More than ever, I was reminded of how awesome the VHTRC/WUS groups are. Even though I had run several ultras and 100 since my first exposure to ultrarunning last year, I felt the same admiration for the runners. I had the same awe when someone entered the aid station in bad shape, but was still courteous to all volunteers and in the end found the energy to stand up and go on. David Ploskonka was especially impressive; he was at Camp Roosevelt for over three hours but he went on to pull through and finish the race.

I have buckle envy.

Congrats to all the runners and thanks for letting me be involved in some small way (quesadillias anyone?!). Here are some awesome race reports:

Doug Sullivan - PRed on the course by over 4 hours!

Rob Colenso - First 100M finish!

Kim Love-Ottobre - First MMT finish!

Dave Ploskonka - A serious fast dude who proved that he can dig deep and finish a bad race.

Neal Gorman - Impressive 2nd place finish!

Thanks to Bobby Gill for all the pictures.

My tattoo isn't pretty and I don't care

2011-05-03T15:40:00.008-04:00

I've wanted a tattoo since I was 15 or so years old. I wanted something meaningful. I wanted something pretty. I've been brainstorming tattoos involving pretty crabapple blossoms (my hometown's name is crabapple in the local Native American language) or snowflakes (that hometown is outside Buffalo). When I got my tattoo last weekend, I loved it because it wasn't pretty. It wasn't supposed to be sexy or attractive. It's just cool.

Not to mention, it's on my foot, and I'm a runner. So, it's not like these things are pretty to begin with.

I remember on October 1st last year, sitting by a lake enjoying a beautiful fall day in Virginia. I was drinking a beer and celebrating my 23rd birthday by starting a 100 mile race in just a few hours (I pregame races sometimes). We were talking about tattoos and Brian and I brainstormed a tattoo of the impressive Grindstone elevation profile onto a foot.

I loved the idea immediately, as long as I finished of course. I didn't like the thought of having a tattoo in recognition of a 100 miler since I was planning on doing several more. But Grindstone was more that that. This isn't a tattoo to memorialize a race, it's a tattoo to remind myself that I can work hard and be dedicated. This elevation profile at one point terrified me. I've never considered myself hard-working, I'm way too laid back, but I thought up a crazy goal and here I was pulling through and doing it. I felt like I had learned so much. This was to memorialize that we can surprise even ourselves.

I get that it's permanent, and in 15 years I might wish that it was "prettier" or more "feminine." When I voiced these concerns, I got the usual retort from my boyfriend. "You need to re-evaluate what is and isn't feminine." And when I roll my eyes and say something like "but it's not." He'll mumble something like "this isn't 1953" and then starts talking about hot, athletic-bodied tennis players. That wear skirts.

Athletic women are sexy.

He'll add "You live the feminist notion that we all create what is feminine for ourselves, that we self-define and derive confidence not from conformity with a dated societal expectation, but from being you." But is the traditional idea of feminine really outdated? At first I think that it is, that we still divide the athletic girls from the girly-girls, but the more I think about it, this is not the case. If it was, there wouldn't be so much pink athletic gear.

Pink!

CrossFit makes me feel even less girly than trail running does. It's not a big deal when you lose toenails, but now I also have blisters and rips on my hands. I got my nails done a month ago and realized that they hadn't had polish on them for almost two years. That day I went for a muddy trail run and had to dig perfectly manicured, red nails into the mud in order to get up a hill. I wished I had a camera. I could go on--I don't remember the last pair of heels I've purchased, but there have been several pairs of running shoes since--but I am in a time where I'm re-evaluating what "feminine" means to me.

I come from a family of four girls and my dad. I never excelled at anything involving catching or throwing, and so I understand why I did dance, gymnastics, and cheerleading, but we always did girly things. My mother took me and my sisters to the mall a lot. We got our eyebrows waxed every two weeks. To do or not to do cheerleading wasn't a choice that I made. We were reminded to put lip gloss on every time we left the house. I remember getting a serious talk from my mother about not wearing make-up to school and how I needed to get up earlier. She even paid for indoor tanning.

It's funny how my youngest sister and I, once we both moved away from home, have become the opposites of our High School selves. My little sister almost never wears make-up, has hair perpetually in a ponytail, and I had to beg her to just buy a pair of ballet flats instead of being in sneakers all the time. She spends all day studying and rolls her eyes at the thought of going through all that work just for school. She's a relaxed kind of confident about who she is and what she has to offer. She doesn't care about wearing lip gloss anymore either, as do I.

I've written before about becoming more confident and working through body issues, and while I still think that presentation matters, it's been years since I felt the need to always make sure I had make-up on. I'm not so insecure to worry about being girly or feminine. And yes, slowly the idea of being feminine is less about being a pretty girl and more about being confident. It started off with my being anti-feminine (I'm going to wear a sports bra all the time!) and it's turning more into embracing that I'm never going to feel the need to wear eye shadow again. Which is awesome. I feel much more happy with my new CrossFit sculpted shoulders and arms than I would be with a flat stomach.

The most incredible thing about who I've become since leaving home is that I've somehow developed some weird determination to prove myself. My mother always encouraged giving up with the going got tough--but I've done everything I can to prove that I'm not that little cheerleader anymore. I'm not delicate.

And the traditional idea of being feminine is actually very unsexy to me compared to my new idea. Confidence rocks. Which is a reason why I'm cutting off all my hair this week. I'm going to rock a pixie cut starting this Friday, something I've been wanting to do for months. I think that, on young women, it oozes confidence and defies traditional notions of sex appeal and femininity--something that I think I'm ready for.

Yes, I have a new nose piercing, my first tattoo, and I'm cutting off all my hair. Now, who's going to buy me a motorcycle?

My sister asked me if I was turning into Lisbeth Salandar. I am dating a journalist after all.

Inaugural WUS Doughnut Run

2011-04-22T15:11:00.001-04:00

VICTORY

I don't remember why I came up with the idea that the WUS group should run from headquarters to Krispy Kreme and eat 12 doughnuts. I think it was because I was injured, and couldn't run much but since I could eat doughnuts, this was a way to still do a WUS event. The "race" probably doesn't need a report, the pictures speak for themselves. Thanks to Martha and Neal for organizing, and to everyone who came out to run it. Thanks to Bobby Gill and Keith Knipling for taking pictures!

We started off at WUS headquarters... 15 minutes late and wearing our new WUS shirts!

The 10k/6 doughnut option runners are off!

The lonely 5k/12 doughnut runners.

We're so legit that we had on-trail photographers!

So many more to go. Anna and I were the first ones there, not because we were fast but because we ran 1/2 the distance.

Sean couldn't run because he recently shattered his thumb during a tough 50 miler.

I was totally that kid who's mother always said "Stop playing with your food!"

Neal ate his 6 doughnuts in the time that I ate two... and had a few more for extra measure.

Doug decided to make a large sandwich with all 6.

@ultrarunnergirl and her hubby ate a few doughnuts then went to eat sushi.

Doughnut running is as dirty as trail running.

We're done! Everyone told me that I couldn't do it. This is exciting as running 100 miles.

"The doughnuts are pushing forward my six-pack."

The different forms of fitness

2011-04-16T13:05:00.000-04:00

I have no running planned until August. Nothing. I dropped out of BRR, of MMT, and I'm frustrated with my ITB enough to just, sort of, give up.

Funny thing is, I feel stronger today (right now) than I did before Grindstone. I don't think I could run 100 miles right now, but I just did 90 pull-ups (with the lightest band) and 45 overhead squats. I had a large part of my skin hanging off of my hands when I was done. I've moved up to Level I at District CrossFit and in just a month and a half of doing the WOD twice a week I've seen incredible improvements.

I have a stronger core and upper-body than I have ever had in my whole life. Although, my boyfriend complains that my legs are "getting small." Still, I'm working my whole body and doing workouts with such a higher intensity that I feel strong, faster, and fitter today than I think I ever had.

I think a huge part of this is also how I've changed my eating habits. I've been trying to wean myself from sugar and I'm eating lots, and lots of more protein. Once I upped my protein my weight lifting ability tripled. Seriously, over just two weeks I was able to go from holing my chin to the bar for 2 seconds to 20, it was freaky!

Also, since I'm not running a gazillion miles, my appetite has dwindled. I'm no longer the little girl who could down pints of ice cream and eat 5 meals a day. Now, I'm eating little sugar and carbs, and focusing on eating just protein, fat, and veggies and fruits. I'm not strict about it, I get a sweet or a beer everyday and I eat carbs with at least one meal. Still, I eat way less, and even though I'm doing little cardio, I'm losing fat (gaining weight due to muscle mass but my clothes are bigger) and it's awesome.

Anyway, this post is inspired because I was hanging out after the WOD, and people were chatting about distance running. I tried to describe running in the mountains and I miss it so much. I can't wait to get out there and run another long mountain run. Till then, I'll just day dream about it while hiking/running in Rock Creek Park.

Massanutten Mountain

2011-03-14T14:17:00.001-04:00

How many times have you heard me say I hate Massanutten? For several reasons: the rocky climbs, the rocky flats, the rocky downhills, the downhills too steep and technical to run down, all the roads in the MMT course, etc. I am always complaining about them. I spent all last weekend in the Massanutten mountains; I ran and hiked a cumulative 35 miles. And you know what? I enjoyed it! Me!

Elizabeth Furnace 50k

This run started off really well. The rocky climb up Signal Knob wasn't bad since we had to walk it anyway. The trail started thinning out quickly, and the sunrise was incredible. We started early, but getting to see that view made it worth the early wake-up call!

Boots (a WUSer) and I really started running 3 to 4 miles in, and it felt great. My legs felt strong, the trail felt good, and I was concentrating on navigating the rocks with my small feet. Then, we hit a trail bottleneck, but this was fine since we started chatting with a big group. Soon enough, Mike Baily joined us and we all chatted and had a great time taking a fire road at a good pace.

Look! Dirty Shoes!

It was wet outside, and when we hit the big stream crossings that made last year's race memorable, we got soaked past our knees in freezing cold water. After three dips most of us had numb toes. I think these stream crossings should be included at mile 90 of MMT.

I really enjoyed being on the trails with new friends and soaking up the warm weather. I gave Mike dating advice, we all discussed ultrarunning in general, and about some cool runners. We gossiped and the miles flew by. Soon it was 15 miles, and my IT Band was throbbing. Words cannot describe my frustration. WHY GOD WHY?!?!

Orange markings on the Massanutten trail

I told them to run ahead and I walked to the finish. I did some running on flats, and sometimes it felt ok. At 22 miles, I ran into the first aid station, happy to see my boyfriend, more friends, and beer.

It turned into a way fun day. We hung out at the aid station for a few hours having a good old time, and then at the finish I got some chili, finally talked to a few VHTRCers I hadn't met, tried on club shirts, made inappropriate jokes, laughed at Gary's inappropriate jokes, and I got tortured by the Egyptian Magician. He worked my ITB like it's never been worked before, and showed Tyler how to do it. Also, I gained lots of advice from the other runners, including advice to try the strap. I hope it works.

That night, Tyler and I went to Clementine in Harrisonburg, VA and Dave Fraizer was there with his lovely fiance. Our coversation went like this:

"Did you run today?"
"Yeah."
"Did you win?"
"Yeah."
"Did you get a course record?"
"Yeah."

He got more talkative as the evening (and weekend, we ran into them at Breakfast) went by. Overall, it was a beautiful day spent with awesome friends and despite the injury bug, I couldn't frown, or cry, or be angry. I could only smile. (OMG, so corny)

Duncan Knob Hike

After breakfast at the Little Grill (best pancakes in Harrisonburg and maybe all of Virginia) Tyler and I headed back to Massanutten for a 12 mile hike.

See! Rocks, like I told you about.

It was really warm out and the hike was lovely. We got to help a lost family find their way and also tried to catch some idiot motorcyclists on the hiking trail with our blackberrys. It was exciting. The hike was wonderful except the trail was a stream for more than 1/2 the hike due to all the rain recently. By the end of the weekend, I was sick of having wet feet. They also smelled pretty bad, I'm surprised I still have a boyfriend.

Goodbye Results... to start CrossFit!

2011-02-25T10:27:00.002-05:00

Yesterday was my last day at my gym. I know, I loved it to. The clean locker-room, the sauna, the pool with a treadmill, the amazing spin bikes, the awesome instructor, the convenience of it being right across the street from my office.

I've spent many a lunchtime there doing strength training, stretching, running, biking... it was sad to leave. The membership people sure do know how to send you out right. The complimented my "athletic body" (Whaaa? Me?!), and all yelled out a great farewell as I left. Goodbye Results Gym. I will miss you.

Now, CrossFit has a bad(ish) rep. It's cultish and intense. But, from what I've seen, it works. The people who I know that do CrossFit have total body physique and strength.

I've been trying to apply CrossFit ideas to my own workouts: "varied, full body, functional, multi-joint movements." I've been jumping up and down on a block, noticing how I use everything to get to the top and my heartrate spikes. I've been creating circuits of planks, pushups, lunges, and jumps, and competing with friends. I've been using kettleballs, doing cleans, deadlifts, squats, and pullups. Over the last month, I've noticed how much my core strength has improved and how easy a 25lb kettleball is to whip around and lift up.

I decided to focus on full body strength when I realized that I could run 100 miles but couldn't do a pull-up. When I was weeks away from Grindstone, I felt so weak and out of shape. How dare I attempt such a crazy athletic feat when I still got winded running uphill and couldn't lift my body weight?

The dude from District CrossFit that
kicked my butt in just 7 minutes.

I love the idea of CrossFit: fitness for the sake of being able to do more. While yes, my friend who does it has the most amazing abs I've ever seen in real life, the CrossFit workouts are designed to create a body that can do more than just run, or weight lift, or row, or do gymnastics. It's designed to make you good at all of these things, so that you can lift your heavy carry-on out of the overhead bins and run to the next plane.

Also, without running or being able to race, I need motivation. I need something to get me fired up about fitness so that when I show up at the MMT start line, I've had months of good training. Every CrossFit workout is a competition. Gymnastics was the first sport I ever did, and I'm kind of excited to be doing some of those workouts again.

Trail running does require total body strength, and I know that even though pull-ups have little to do with running, it will make me a better runner, a better athlete, and open up doors to new activities, friends, and challenges.

MMT Training Run #2

2011-02-21T18:19:00.002-05:00

One of the coolest thing about MMT is that VHTRC hosts training runs on the course over three different weekends in the months before the race. I suspect the real purpose is that more people will drop out and make room for the members that didn't get the lottery. I always forget how little mercy these trails show your feet. After only 25 miles I wanted to sit down and be done for the day. This could be because it took so damn long.

I was still injured for the first training run MLK weekend, and so training run #2 was my first.

Now, I knew that my first ultra distance attempt since my 5-month running hiatus was going to be rocky (pun intended). I loved the vibe of this group run, it was large enough and long enough to feel like a race, but it was really low-key and relaxed. We started off in a big group, but this broke up quickly. I settled into a group of 6 or 8 for the first few miles, then it became a group of 4. It was hard to talk on the run because the wind was so strong and noisy that it was difficult to hear.

The only problem with this section is that it has 7 miles of road. Roads have been death to my IT band, and so I walked almost all of them. Despite the roads, they were still very pretty.


Thanks Bobby for taking pictures!

We certainly took our time, taking pictures of the amazing vistas and enjoying the warm, windy day. There are some seriously beautiful views on the run. I was surprised with how great I felt. I took my time on a lot of the trail, walked down steep downhills and roads, and was able to get through most of the run. There were two aid stations, and my boyfriend volunteered at them, so it almost felt like he was crewing for me again!

I walked into the last aid station, unsure if I should go on. I got through 20 miles at this point pain-free and I didn't want to push it. There was beer, food, and good company, but then I was told the most grueling climb was ahead of me, and so I decided to go on. Last year, I volunteered at the next aid station and people came in constantly in awe of this next section. It took some of the leaders 3 hours to get through, I couldn't pass this up!

The next climb was a bitch, and to think I'd have to do this after 50 miles! I was nearing the ridge and all I could hear was the wind! Once I got up the mountain I could get in a decent amount of running. It was rocky, but mostly flat. At this point, I still felt good but I was getting tired and my body felt ready to fall apart. I almost blew away with the crazy gusts of wind heading over the mountains. Several times, wind sent tons of leaves into my face, or I had to stop and crouch down. I was a little worried that the wind would throw me off balance.

But it the wind blew me away and I ended up here:

It would be totally OK because I would be the tallest person ever and I would beat them ALL at ultras.

Finally, I found the yellow blazed Stephen's trail (follow the yellow-blazed trail, follow follow...) and I was only 5 miles to the end! Things started hurting (hips, feet, knees) and so I decided to walk to the finish. I also took out my iPod and started jamming to some tunes. My next post is going to be about songs that are really about ultrarunning, you should check back every day this week. Like at Uwharrie, I was passed, but it was by cool friends and people that made me feel better instead of worse.

I was an idiot, and since I was taking my time I decided to move a tree off of the trail. But, there were pretty rhododendrons right there, so I carried it uphill and set it down where it was cleared. But when I threw it, a branch didn't make it and tore up my leg. Ouch. But, I felt really strong and cool and did something resembling this.

I loved the Stephen's trail, it was rocky and technical, but it was full of rolling hills down to where food and beer waited for me. I walked, I ran, and I skipped. My legs were torn up, my feet ached, my energy level was at a -2/10. I forgot about how much an ultra can take out of you as I spent the last few days exhausted. But, it hurts so good.

From drafts...

2011-02-14T17:47:00.001-05:00

One of my favorite things to do every couple of years is re-read old diaries. They are often hilarious, sometimes pathetic, and I finish each one always very glad that I've grown up. I re-read my freshman year diary for the first time after college graduation and had forgotten about a very painful entry. It started out with

Last year Mr. Bink [my AP Biology teacher] asked us when we saw when we looked at ourselves naked in the mirror. The answer was protein. What do I see when I look at myself?

I tore apart my body and found something wrong with absolutely everything. I was too short, my breasts were too small, my arms were too flabby, I didn't have flat abs, I didn't understand what a nice ass looked like to begin with, my thighs were too big... It ended with "What is my body made of? I don't care. I hate my body."

This little struggle started when I was 11 years old and went from 78 to 92 pounds in one summer. I shot up to near my now 5'2" height. I used to be so skinny, people literally didn't want to be my friend. At this point, I'd been a gymnast, ate healthy for a normal kid, and it was one picture of me in a two piece bathing suit, and I remember so clearly looking at it and thinking I looked fat. Its never been a struggle with a weight goal, but in every Life's to-do list, or New Year's resolution, I always included body-confidence. I didn't care if I gained or lost 5 lbs, I just wanted to live again without tearing myself apart every time I looked in the mirror.

This continued all through Junior High, High school, and College. I still wear size 00 jeans and have trouble finding clothes that fit me, yet there's always pressure from everything telling me that I should/could be thinner.

Since that diary entry, I've run three marathons. I remember finishing the Baltimore marathon in 2006 and thinking that Marathon training should be a part of every eating disorder rehab center. How do you not love your body when you give it a challenge like that, and it delivers?

After MCM I looked at myself again naked in the mirror before hopping in the shower. No, its still not perfect, but my body not only delivered my 3:30 goal, it killed it and finished 8 minutes faster. My body built up speed and endurance in over 500 miles of training. What is my body made of? Protein. Muscle. And now, I know what it can do. Now, I love my body.

This draft was written back in 2009. I was keeping it safe in drafts, waiting until the day I could post it, when I truly got over my body images issues. Funny, it still hasn't been published. Instead I published this post, recognizing that I may never get over them, and I should focus on that small breaks I get after running and how awesome it is. So, I wanted to share it anyway, and clear out my drafts folder, because I know that more than half the women in world deal with the same issues. I love reading posts like this on other blogs, and knowing that I'm not in it alone, and so hopefully someone else loves reading this.

Better late than never: Eagle Run!!

2011-02-14T13:19:00.001-05:00

This is weeks late, but I wanted to post something about this fun run! It was the last year for VHTRC's Eagle Run, and boy am I glad I made it!!

First, I carpooled with some cool ultra peeps and hung out in a parking lot, happy to see so many people that I haven't seen since Grindstone. We all drove to Gary Knipling's house, where he had a fire ready for us, beer set out, snacks, and I even saw a birthday cake. (Score!)

Brian, me, and Martha

After a brief intro we all set out for different distances. I planned to go short and just enjoy being at another event. I haven't done a group run in a long time!

At the Eagle run, you're on the lookout for Eagles (duh) and I didn't see any. I'm just bad at finding that small dot on the ice across the bay that other people can. I chatted with people (who were still asking me about Grindstone), found a WUSer to run with, and... got lost.

My little group took a wrong turn, but eventually made it back on the trail. We ran to Gunstor Hall (home of George Mason) and instead of adding a 2-3 mile loop, I stayed back to lay off the IT band. We got a tour of the house (which was warm! it was below 20 degrees outside) and it was a ton of fun.

We started our run back to the house, which was unfortunately on a lot of roads. My IT Band started to feel a little tight, so I walked the last mile or so. The whole run was pretty slow, with walk breaks, but I wasn't exactly trying hard. My only fear was that my beer was freezing and worse yet, gone.

Warming up with some liquor

After the run, we all ate pizza and dessert, stood around the fire, drank beer and whiskey, and had philosophical discussions about things like what-makes-a-100-miler-hard?, will-that-beer-stain-come-out-of-martha's-jacket?, the-@vhtrc-twitter-account, and then I caught up with Jeff Reed who I worked with at my first VHTRC event. It was way fun. Thanks to Gary for hosting!

On the way back into DC, as we were passing over the Memorial Bridge, a bald eagle flew over the vehicle. At least I saw one!

** All pictures from Bobby or Quatro, found here: http://www.vhtrc.org/news/node/517

Uwharrie Mountain Run

2011-02-07T14:11:00.007-05:00

At 6:55 a.m. on Saturday morning, the 40-mile Uwharrie runners were still in the drop bag tent, despite the race starting in 5 minutes. Why? The cold temperatures, buckets of raining pouring down, and... well do I really need another reason? If I was planning on running this race, it would be one thing. I'd have adrenaline, the running would keep me warm, and racing in the rain makes sense. Hiking to a DNF does not! I really, really did not want to start this race.

We entered the trail almost immediately (almost no road!) and the forest was beautiful. The trail throughout this race was a twisty, undulating single-track that had some technicality through the whole race, but it was runnable and scenic. It had been raining for over 12 hours at the race start and the trail was muddy (but not shoe-sucking muddy), streams were high, and the leaves could have been slippery, but I didn't trip at all.

I went in almost last, with a pretty good attitude about the run. First, I was just so, so happy to be doing this again. I missed that race tension in the air, the crowded start to the trail, and that energy pushing us all forward--it was exciting. Second, I knew my limits and that I was planning to drop at the turn-around. I'd be happy just to run 10 miles pain-free. Third, if I finished, I would probably be the last person to cross the finish line.

Hell, I might be the last person to get to the turnaround! But, I was ok with this.

I chatted with a few people, and then the field spread out. I was alone for hours. With the rain, I wasn't listening to music. I had my usual "deep" thoughts while running alone. Is there a God? What is the meaning of life? What should I do for a living? Should I just go ahead and buy that skirt I loved at Bloomies?

Then I was being chased down by fast, wild animals--the leaders of the 20 mile run that started an hour later. They were flying! Soon, my first teammate, Sean Andrish, was flying by. I love seeing friends while I'm racing, it really lifts my spirits. I cheered, I shouted, and I wished him good luck. I did a mix of walking and running, walking the steep up and downhills. The running felt really good. Martha Nelson, another teammate, was the first woman in the 20 mile run and looked awesome. I was about fifth in my field... fifth from the end. Definitely the slacker on the team.

The trail was very wet and I was so glad I had my light WT 101s on. I came to the 14-mile aid station and couldn't believe my luck. 14 miles! Pain-free! I was elated. This run's mood was much worse than the elevation chart. After this aid station I decided to take a walk break due to some tightness that was about 0.5/10 on the pain scale... nothing to worry about. Until I hit the stream crossings. We crossed one stream three times... ice cold and really freaking high. The third time, the water came up to my hips and I went through way slower than I should have.

I came out of that stream so cold and when I started to run I decided instantly it was a bad idea. The cold would tighten up my IT band, and I might not feel the pain. I decided to walk to the turnaround from here.

Getting passed by people for hours SUCKS. They need shirts for runners that say Injured on front, and Usually I'm a better runner than this on the back. Once the middle-of-the-pack 20-milers started passing my walking, cold self, I felt awful. Brian Greeley was already heading back in first place, I told him I would trip the next guy and he told me not to because it was our other teammate, Mike Maason, who followed in minutes. 20 milers passed me, I'd tell them that they were doing a good job, and they would say "you too." Really? Really?! I'm pretty much last. I am not doing a good job.

This really started pissing me off. As the 40-milers were heading back, they all told me I was doing well, looking good, etc. I usually love that ultrarunners are like this, but at this race, they were all liars to me. I was not feeling well, I was cold, and I know that I did not look well. And some people were worse. They would pass me and tell me to start running. One told me that I should take advantage of the downhill and run. Idiots! Running downhill is the last thing I want to do right now! Soon, I would let people pass me, and I would wince and grab my leg as I did so.

Finally, a guy passed, and I told him "Good job! Looking great!" and he replied, "I like your pigtails." Awesome. Whoever you are, thank you for complementing my pretty locks as opposed to lying about my lacking performance. I was really downhearted and decided that I'd drop at the next aid. Now that I wasn't running, I was really cold, and didn't feel like hiking 6 miles. Finally, I had purpose. There would be cookies. There would be warmth. I would be done and back with my friends.

More 40-milers passed me and I looked at them with pity. I got to drop soon and wouldn't have to go swimming in ice-cold creeks again. I was not only way smarter but lucky for the excuse to stay away from those streams. I was walking slowly and worried about how cold I was. Losing a toenail during a race was ok, but losing toes would not be.

The flags and white tents were in the distance and I was there! Done! I got the aid station and told them I was dropping with a giant smile on my face. My interaction with the aid station volunteers went like this:

"I'm going to drop!"
"Why don't you take some cookies."
"I'm really cold and I can't run anymore."
"We can give you a blanket."
"I want to stop now."
"It's only 2.5 miles to the end you can make it."
"But, can't you drive me to the turnaround? I'm a 40-miler, I'm already going to drop there."
"We can send you there with a blanket and cookies."

I smiled, thanked them, took cookies, and marched off to the turnaround. Really, I wanted to tell them to go fuck themselves for being so unhelpful when I just wanted to get this over with already. I was disappointed and angry, but there were no cars in sight so I realized that they may have hiked in from a road. Then, I saw their large SUVs and pick-up trucks on the gravel road and I was fine with walking. Having them drive 6 miles just for me would severely impact my carbon footprint average for the month.

Then, I don't know where this came from, but I started crying. I was eating a cookie and realizing that I would go through that stream 10 more times if it meant that I got to chase down the female leader. I would run through a hurricane if it meant that I got to race today and fly downhill and run the flats. I just wanted to recover from all this IT band stuff and be competitive at a race.

I just dared someone to tell me that I was looking good and doing a good job. I would probably finally stop smiling and yell at them. Then, I would throw a cookie at them, which would be unfortunate because then it would get soaked in muddy water and I would still eat it.

I got seriously angry again when a couple passed me and I stood off to the side and they asked if "I was going in the wrong direction." I was stunned and said nothing but I wanted to say: "No, I have not gotten to the turnaround yet. Please open your fat mouth so that I can shove a handful of mud into it you stupid cow."

Then, I heard chanting and cheering. It was only maybe a mile from the aid station, but I was definitely hearing the finish line. Maybe, there was a short-cut and I could make it there by bushwacking. I was really excited... and then I came across a bunch of kids that were hiking, and chanting our race numbers and high-fiving runners. I told them thank you, and that they were sweet. But I was really thinking that these little fuckers should not get our hopes up. So, soooo not fair. Then, one of the adults joked that "the female leader just passed! Go get her!" and laughed. I wanted to punch him in the face.

The last mile or so was really, really pretty and I enjoyed being out in the woods. Near the finish, there was an old man walking down the trail playing the harmonica, and I thought that I was hallucinating. Finally, I saw the finish/turn-around. I came in, and people started cheering. I took two steps of a mock sprint and then stopped and said "just kidding" and everyone laughed. I then said that I was dropping out of the race and within two minutes, I was drinking bourbon in hot chocolate and sitting by a fire.

Getting back to the start was a hassle, but then I finally made it there to find out that our team kicked butt! Brian got first in the 40M, Mike 4th, Martha won her race, and Sean got 7th. Rob was still out there, but was moving along faster than his goal time.

The race was fun, and even though my emotional chart was more extreme than the elevation chart, I'm glad I did it. I got in twice the miles I've been able to, and I'm definitely healing. Plus, the road trip was probably the most fun thing I've done in a year. I haven't laughed that much in ages.

FYI, Apple cinnamon gels are evil. One opened up in my purse and got EVERYWHERE. Hopefully I will have awesome pics to add to this post soon. Like, 4 of us in one double bed and me brushing my teeth while sitting on a cot in the hotel bathroom. Oh yes.

P.S.: Brian inspired a search for bigfoot in the Uwharrie forest: bigfoot-search-begins-nearby

Preparing for 100 miles

2011-01-11T16:55:00.011-05:00

It seems like 100-milers are the new marathon. Seriously! I have three or four Daily Mile or Twitter friends recently announce they are doing their first 100-miler. And, half of them talk about "training." Of course, whenever I said I was running a 100-miler last summer, most responses from non-ultrarunners were "How do you train for that?" My response was "you don't." You don't find 100M training plans out there... why? Because, if you're gonna run 100 miles, you know what's best for your body; you don't need someone telling you what workouts to do.

From June to September, I just ran a lot. There are no 100-mile training calendars because it's not about following a schedule. It's about building endurance and listening to your body so that you don't break. It's about running all night until you want to cry because you’re so tired and still standing up at that aid station to make it to the next one.

As I look forward to my second 100-miler, I thought it'd be nice to go over my Grindstone training, starting from June 5th, my first 50 miler. You'll see that many of my runs were with my running group (WUS), I went hashing, I did VHTRC races--which are a big party, and did a lot of hiking as part of back-to-back weekends. Running took over many aspects of my life.

The key to preparing for a 100M race is getting advice, leaning what works for you strategically on race day, nutrition, and getting the long run in almost every to every other weekend. I did several runs over 26 miles long.

I had two, minor injuries that were not running related. I rolled my ankle in while I was running drunk at hashing (I sound lame) and I fell in the bathtub and hurt my back (I sound even lamer). Otherwise, I really listened to my body and only ran when I wanted to and when my body felt up to it. This kept running fun and me injured-free!

I did a good bit of strength training, mostly mountain-man reps, core, and hip workouts.

I spent 18 weeks preparing for Grindstone, with the first week my 50-mile qualifying race. You can see that I didn't run many miles; focused on the long run, recovering from that, and spending time on the trails.

Week 1:

Run 1: 2 miles

Run 2: 7.5 trail miles

Run 3: 50 trail miles - North Face Endurance Challenge

Total distance: 59.1 miles

Total time: 13:16

Week 2:

Run 1: 13.1 miles

Run 2: 4.5 miles

Total distance: 17.6

Total time: 2:57

Week 3:

Core workout (30 min)

Run 1: 10 trail miles - WUS run

Run 2:10 miles

Run 3: 13.5 miles

Run 4: 10 miles

Total distance: 43.5

Total time: 7:01

Week 4:

Strength training (1 hour)

Run 1:7 trail miles

Strength training (30 min)

Run 2: 9.5 miles - fartlek

Run 3: 4.2 miles - hashing **rolled ankle**

One hour doing exorcist stairs reps

Total distance: 22 miles

Total time: 6:07

Week 5:

Run 1:12.25 miles

Strength training (30 min)

Run 2: 6.27 miles

Run 3: hashing (3-5 miles)

Run 4: 25 trail miles

Total distance: 43.5

Total time: 9:34

Week 6:

Strength training (30 min)

Run 1:6.3 trail miles - WUS

Run 2:5 trail miles

Run 3:7 miles

Run 4: 32 trail miles - Skyline 50k

Hiking: 7 miles

Total distance: 55.42

Total time: 13:45

Week 7:

Strength training (30 min)

Run 1: 8.9 miles - WUS

Run 2: 3.73 miles

Run 3:4.78 miles - hashing

*moved this weekend with my parents visiting

Total distance: 17.41

Total time: 3:36

Week 8:

Run 1: 8.94 trail miles

Run 2:7.5 trail miles - WUS

Run 3: 6.72 trail miles

Run 4:31.05 trail miles - Catherine's FA 50k

Hiking: 9 miles

Total distance: 63.25

Total time:18:11

Week 9:

Strength training (30 min)

Run 1: 8.4 trail miles - WUS

Run 2: 7.1 trail miles

Run 3: 3.1 miles - Battle for Ballston 5k

Run 4:26.2 miles - my solo effort towpath marathon

Total distance: 44.8

Total time: 8:54

Week 10:

Run 1: 6.35 trail miles - WUS

Run 2: 4.1

Run 3: 30 miles

Total distance: 40.45

Week 11:

Run 1: 6.35 trail miles - WUS run

Run 2: 7.74 trail miles

Run 3: 3.5 miles

Total distance: 18.6

Total time: 3:56

Week 12:

Run 1: 3.5 miles

Run 2: 3.73 miles

Run 3: 7.78 trail miles

Run 4: 6.43 trail miles

Run 5: 27.5 trail miles

Total distance: 48.93

Total time: 10:51

Week 13:

Run 1: 6.5 trail miles - WUS

Run 2: 9 trail miles

Run 3: 6 trail miles

Hiking 13 miles

Hiking: 13 miles

Total distance: 45.44

Total time:15:58

Week 14:

Run 1: 8.3 trail miles

Run 2: 13.5 trail miles - WUS

Run 3: 7.68 trail miles

Run 4: 4.18 miles

Run 5: 38 trail miles - The Ring

Total distance: 72 miles

Total time:17:17

TAPER:

Week 15: 33 miles, 6:49

Week 16: 32 miles, 6:26

Week 17, 28 miles, 5:55

Race week:

Run 1: 3 miles

Run 2: 4 miles

Race: 101.87 miles, 32:06

2011

2011-01-05T14:16:00.003-05:00

Looking at my 2010 goals post I realized that this year was a big failure... in the best way. I got promoted instead of getting a new job, I'm still trying to figure out what I want to do with my life, I'm not out of debt (and never will be with my student loans), and I did not get a marathon PR.

I did finish my 100 mile race, and last year I said " I would love to do Grindstone on my birthday, but I want to work toward a better marathon PR. ... Its a hard goal to give up, since I said that I'd do it, but I really will one day! Its just not the best for this year." I also said "I love running with all I have, so I'm doubting whether I'd be good at storing my energy for something like a 100k or 100M race." Silly Brittany had decided against something she never tried!

Seeing as I didn't do anything I planned on doing last year, is there really a point to this post. Do I need to recap my year and outline goals for 2011?

Why not?

My Goals:

Start running again. (Kind of important)
Two 100M finishes: MMT and Pine to Palm
Place in an ultra. (I always get 4th or 5th and it's kind of annoying)
Run in all minimalist shoes.
Keep up strength training year-round.
Get out West for a race at altitude (and a vacation).
Don't get injured.

I think these are good goals. I just need to get my IT Band healthy!

(Running miles by month. Don't include hiking miles.)

I said 2010 was a failure, but it really was a great year. I jumped into trail running, ultras, and I discovered something I love even more than road running. I didn't get any PRs, but I reached new distance goals with my first 50k, 50M, and 100M races. I also ran a fast 20k in 1:31. I placed fourth in my first 50k and fifth in my first 100M. I pushed myself more than I ever had, and learned a lot. Not just about trail running, but about what I'm capable of.

Daily Mile provided a page with all my 2010 stats: http://www.dailymile.com/people/BrittanyZ/training/2010/summary

10 Things I did in 2010:

Ran 1,453 miles.
Burned off 1,066 doughnuts.
Raced 6 ultras.
Raced 3 marathons.
New distance PRs at 101.87 miles (32:03), 50 miles (11:20), and 50k (6:33).
Did one 5k at the exact time as my last (and first) one. Damn.
Learned how to swim.
Got promoted (twice).
Moved into a group house with awesome access to Rock Creek Park.
Lost my anal virginity.*

*Kidding. That was 2009.

Just because I need a happy post

2010-12-17T13:11:00.002-05:00

One of my running friends told me I needed to update my blog. The first post is a heavy, depressing post, and I haven't talked much about running on twitter either. I haven't even been doing a good job at updating Daily Mile. Thanks, for pointing out that I suck. Here are my 5 things Friday.

1. INJURY UPDATE
First, an update on my IT band issue. This is not going away! Especially not as easily as it did last time. Often, it wont feel tight, my foam rolling barely hurts, but then after running a few miles, my knee is feeling a good bit of pain. It's very odd. I want to crack and see a physical therapist, but that just seems lame. I should be foam rolling more. And suddenly, it's Friday and I haven't gone to the gym all week! Oops?

2. I GOT INTO THE MMT LOTTERY!
I don't know why I'm planning on running MMT. Every time I've been out there, I've had an awful run. But, I guess that's why I want to do it. At the same time, after running the Ring, we were driving home on 81 and I used my map to figure out which mountain we were looking at, and it was incredible to see how far I ran and how beautiful the ridge is. When I started running with Happy Trails, I couldn't figure out why so many races were in those mountains and why everyone loved them so much.... but I think I'm catching on!

3. TRAIL FUN
Just because I'm injured doesn't mean I've abandoned the trails! My boyfriend and I did a fun hiking trip in VA a few weeks ago and did a hike to Bird Knob and Great North Mountain. It was cold, windy, quiet, and wonderful. We saw prints from a large cat (bobcat?) and I got to see even more of the Massanutten area.

Last weekend, Jon and I finally met up for a run. We're both fighting off injuries and are sort of new to ultrarunning. We walk/ran/skipped our way along the perimeter of Rock Creek Park (15ish miles) in the cold rain. We couldn't stop talking, jumped into puddles, and had a really good time. It felt great to get back out on the trail and get some running in.

I really love my house. On Wednesday night, I skipped my workout, and Brian comes home and nearly drove me crazy until I finally agreed to run with him. We ran to my boyfriend's apartment and then he ran back to our place. It's about 4 trail miles. We had deep discussions about the meaning of life... as per usual.

4. NEW TRAINING CALENDAR
I really wanted a new calendar that I could use for planning workouts and races. I made it with Keep and Share and finally started planning out the Spring... which is already full!

January 15-16: MLK Training weekend (I doubt I'll be ready for this) - 32.6 miles and 26.7
January 22: Eagle Run
February 5: Uwharrie run- 40 miles
February 19: MMT Training Academy #2 - 50k
March 12 - Elisabeth Furnace - 50k
March 26 - Terrapin Mountain - 50k
April 9 - Bull Run run - 50 miles
April 23 - Promise Land - 50k
April 23 - Chocolate Bunny - 32.3/40 miles
May 14 - MMT - 100 miles

That gives me an ultra almost every other weekend. Which is perfect for MMT training. And yes, I'm thinking of running two 50ks on April 23rd. I'm aware that I can't run yet, but that's a minor detail.

6. NEW SHOES
Even though I'm not running, I've gotten three new pairs of running shoes.

First, I got a pair of Gore-Tex Inov-8s for running in the snow. I haven't run in them yet because I think I need a bigger size, but they feel pretty good! A little heavier than what I'm used to, but I find the Inov-8 footbeds to fit really well.

Another pair of Inov-8s I got are the Roclite 305s, in the hope that they may keey my feet from catching fire during MMT. I was shopping for my old shoes, only to find that Inov-8 cut all but 3 women's styles, while there were 21 men's styles. I sent them a tweet, and they responded that most of their shoes are unisex. These are made for men, but they fit me really well. I've been running in them a handful of times, and I think they are a good balance. There is still a low heel, but a good bit of cushioning. I've found that, like my other Inov-8s, they don't have the traction for wet rocks. I almost fell several times in Rock Creek.

I updated my WT100s with the WT101s. They are the same light shoe, but I was disappointed that they didn't lessen that achilles support. It's led to some bad blisters int he past, and I remember reading that they were planning on doing that. The support structure makes it look a little flashy, and I find myself missing my WT100s when I wear them.

That said, I do love New Balance shoes, and I leave you with a pretty sweet video. It will make you want to disappear into the mountains asap. I also have a mild crush on Tony Krupicka.

Have a fabulous weekend!

Reflections on life, death, injuries, and other lightweight matters

2010-11-19T11:50:00.001-05:00

(Disclaimer: My title was stolen from the VHTRC list-serve)

For the past few weeks, the VHTRC listserve has been filled with e-mails about Mike Broderick, a Happy Trail member who recently died of lung cancer, only 4 weeks after he was suddenly diagnosed, and who just completed Western States four months ago. Stories like that hit everyone, even newcomers like me who didn't know him, because ultrarunners like to think we're strong, invincible, and able to overcome whatever life throws at us... even death. All my housemates went to the funeral, friends changed their facebook pictures to photos with Mike, and paid tribute through a blog post. It was sad to see my friends mourn a loss of another running partner, friend, and coach.

Within a week of his funeral, I got a text message from my cousin that an old friend of mine, Anne Jackson, a cross country runner at Nyack college in NY, collapsed while out for an evening run and died before her family made it to the hospital. She was a senior in college (with a 3.97 GPA--holy cow!), 21 years old, and had not a bad bone in her body. She was young, healthy, and there was no known pre-existing condition. It was so sudden and shocking, and her friends, now scattered across the country, are mourning the sudden loss of a runner and friend. I can't imagine how her family, close friends, and teammates are handling this tragedy. My thoughts and prayers have been with them every waking moment since hearing of her death.

Yesterday, after hearing the news, I stumbled onto another blog with a tribute to Mike, and I was almost angry. His life shouldn't be mourned; he had really lived, he had fair warning, he completed races around the world and had touched so many lives that police were needed to direct traffic to his funeral. Anne was too young, it was too sudden, and it all of it too shocking and unfair.

I became friends with Anne through our church when I was around 14 years old. She was two years younger than me, but we had the same group of friends. We lived near each other and so we would often carpool to events or meet up on weekdays. I have so many wonderful memories that include her, and I don't remember one in which she was not smiling... looking through her facebook pictures, I swear that she is glowing in every one.

Moving away from home to go to college is tough. She stayed close friends with everyone in Buffalo, and was the Maid of Honor at our friend's wedding earlier this year. Unlike me. I barely talk to my friends anymore. I think a comment on a facebook photo about the beautiful wedding pictures is sufficient... I didn't even send a card. I envy her ability to stay close with our friends, and I've been hearing from them throughout the last 24 hours. Things like "I feel like I should tell you I love you..because I do! and I never said it enough to anne..and I certainly don't say it enough to you." What kind of person does it make me that I haven't spoken to people that I considered my best friends five year ago, in years? Is it time and miles that bring people apart, or is it people?

And what of the friends and relationships I have now? Already, since it isn't as convenient as when we were in college, I make little room for my closest girlfriends and sorority sisters. I'm fighting an injury, and I wonder what will ever happen if I am out for months on end. If I get seriously injured, will I keep my friendships and ties with the running community I've jumped into, or will I lose them as friends too? I am thankful that while miles have hurt friendships in the past, they build friendships today.

Runners are supposed to be patient people. When we get injured we should build miles up slowly. We shouldn't race too much too quick. We all schedule only 1-2 big races a year. I keep getting told I don't need to do every big race in my first few years of running. Recent events have put into perspective that maybe we shouldn't be patient. You never know when you'll get injured, get in a car accident, or have one of your vital organs fail you. I might not be able to run Western States in 2012 or 13... and it's awful bold to think I will be.

Last night, I wanted to go out for a run for Anne. In a way, to let out all the frustrations of the week and the sadness that I feel guilty for feeling. I walked for about 5 minutes and then tried running again. I was able to run for about two minutes before my IT band felt tight. I stopped and walked home, knowing that the only way it will heal is by resting it. After just completing my 100 mile race (101.87, actually) less than two months ago, I've had to deal with a tight IT Band that kept me from doing well at MCM and kept me out of my running shoes for weeks. Even though I have never felt more strong and able, I cannot overcome this injury.

And that's what I've learned recently, as a runner and a person, that even when we feel our stongest, we're still weak and fragile.

MCM - Halloween edition

2010-11-01T11:18:00.002-04:00

On Sunday, I ran the Marine Corps Marathon for the 3rd time. I wore my friend Ann's bib, and removed the chip. Yes, this is generally frowned upon but it's not my fault marathons tend to have giant sticks up their ass and charge a ridiculous bib transfer fee.

On Saturday night I was inspired to dress up like a zombie. This is why I wanted to do MCM to begin with! I went to CVS to buy black eye make-up and red lipstick when I ran into Brian, who was on his way to get a bib from a guy in Arlington. I was excited I'd have a housemate headed to the race with me. I made my costume: I ripped up a 5k t-shirt and shorts, lined the rips with lipstick, and wrote "First rule of Zombieland: CARDIO" on the back.

We decided to leave a little late because I'm always sitting around the start line forever. But, I didn't anticipate a 15 minute metro wait. We were totally screwed. We got to the Pentagon City metro at 8:05 when the race had already started. It wouldn't have been so bad if we knew where the start was. We were in a car with two guys and we all ran out of the metro station. When we got to a broken escalator (typical) the two guys ran up it when Brian and I slowed to a walk at the exact same time. We burst into laughter... it was the most typical road runner v. trail runner scenario imaginable.

There were no directions to the start. We were running around, hitting dead ends, and wearing ourselves out. Finally, we figured out the route to the start, and we were probably 2 miles into the run. As we neared the start, a spectator yelled "You're almost there! You can do it!" #clever

Brian and I jumped into the start just moments before the police cars that trailed behind the last runners. There was a sea of slow runners and walkers to work through for the first several, several miles. Brian disappeared ahead of me (and finished in 3:09! Incredible!) and I let go of any hope of getting anywhere near my PR or a BQ time. It was like a fartlek: run slow behind a group then speed up the moment a window opens. My only forseeable problem at the time was a blister that already bothered me at mile 3: the most epic blister ever! It literally takes up 1/3rd of my foot.

The race flew by. I couldn't believe when we hit a new mile marker. I got a little bored, started a few conversations, listened to some good music, and started a list of why I like trail running better. This is what I came up with:

Trail Ultramarathons	Road Marathons
Better aid stations with food and awesome volunteers who feed you and fill up water bottles.	More water stations so you don’t have to carry water—but almost no food.
Made a wrong decision and wore old shoes? Change them at your drop bag.	Made the wrong decision and wore old shoes? You’re fucked.
Lots of trees.	Lots of spectators with funny signs.
Run alone or with a group of friends. Single-tracks usually get crowded at the beginning but thin out over the first few miles.	Run through massive crowds with people cutting you off and getting knocked over.
Built in walk breaks up mountains. But, this means more time on your feet.	You have to run it all—and fast. But, at least you can run it fast.
You have to carry all your garbage.	Volunteers pick up all the garbage.
Friends, housemates, or boyfriend chauffeur me to start.	Metro. Fuck. Metro.
You can’t get lost in a loud iPod. People might need to pass, and you need to listen for rattlesnakes and bears.	You can just ignore everyone and blare your iPod to get you through the race… even though they discourage it.
You can find your friends easily; there is hardly anyone else there.	Trying to find one person in a sea of 35,000 people is impossible.
The trail is gentler on your body. Unless you’re running on rocks.	The constant pounding on roads hurts more.
Always exciting with falls, wild animals, mountains, stream crossings, etc.	You run a road the whole time. Sort of boring.
You are sleep deprived and bleed real blood.	To look like a zombie you need black eye make-up and red lipstick.
Pictures from event are free.	Pictures from event cost at least $40.
Gear is more expensive.	All you need are the running basics.
Usually in the middle of nowhere. Requires rental car.	Located in accessible cities. (Metro. Fuck. Metro)
You run through streams.	You run on bridges over rivers.
At mile 19 you realize you have 83 miles left.	At mile 19 you realize you have 7 miles left.
Better value per mile.	Usually very expensive.
Serene and quiet—unless running with Snipes.	People bring cowbells and scream at you as if muscles feed off noise.
After the finish, you can sit right down and start drinking beer and eating food.	After the finish, you are stuck in an unmoving crowd for an hour. Still standing.
At sunset you are still running.	At sunset you are on the couch watching a movie.

At mile 22 I ran into my hasher friends and I hung out too long and had 4 (or 6) cups of beer. I ran into thisamazingday and stopped to chat. I thought my 4 hour goal was totally do-able. Then, my IT band really started to act up and I was really slowed down at the end. I pushed through it and unofficially finished in 4:00:32.

At 6:00:32, I made it through the start area and headed to Chadwicks where I drank several glasses of champagne, then stumbled/limped home (it was to make my costume better, I swear). But I woke up this morning with sore quads, and achy IT band, a swollen ankle, and low energy. It doesn't matter if I proved I can run 100 miles, 26.2 still isn't easy.

Grindstone 100

2010-10-04T17:49:00.008-04:00

Start/finish line, picture courtesy of Bobby Gill

Most people don't celebrate their 23rd birthday with a 100-mile race. I'm pretty sure that my finishing Grindstone was against all odds. Of the 106 starters, only 72 finished, and only 6 of us were women (11 showed up). Not only was I a 100-miler virgin who picked the hardest one on the East Coast because it was local and started on my birthday (it was destiny), but I've been running trails for uh… 7 months. The first time I even climbed up a mountain was after I signed up for it (confession).

At the start, picture courtesy of Bobby Gill

As the race approached, I was hit with exactly how long 100 miles is. I recognized that this wouldn't be all fun and games. Grindstone would be the hardest thing I’ve ever done. I would likely spend most of it miserable. I got to the race somewhat excited but honestly, I was not up for it. This course was going to chew me up.

The best advice I received was from Quatro, who told me “Don't run 100. Just run from aid station to aid station. It'll be all good - next thing you know, you will find yourself back where you started.” I always did this during ultras, but I had never thought to really only think about each section and nothing else. Anytime I let my mind wander to what I did or had yet to do, I told myself to forget it. All that mattered was getting to the next aid station. So, this is how I broke up my race report. It was a somewhat uneventful race, but beware, it’s a long report!

Splits can be found at my eco-x runner page.

Start! Picture courtesy of Bobby Gill

Start to Falls Hollow

Brian and I signed up for Grindstone together and so we ran the first mile together (how corny and sentimental, I know). He’s the one who made me change from the North Face 50k to the 50 miler and sign up for the race. The first portion was rocky but quick, and I knew the race didn’t really start until we got started on summitting Elliot Knob.

Me and Brian, ready to go

Falls Hollow to Dry Branch Gap

Getting to Elliot Knob requires about 3,000 feet of climbing, two stream crossings (the day after 3 inches of rain), and a 1.5 mile climb up a crazy steep gravel road. I played leapfrog on the still-crowded trail, and I ran a lot of the gentle uphills, the flats, and got my feet wet. It got dark, and I was glad I couldn’t see the never-ending road. It wasn’t as bad during the race as my hike (since we didn’t have 95 degree weather), but a cold breeze hit me on that road. After the summit, I had never seen the rest of the trail in this section.

It was nasty. I’m still scarred from my Ring experience in the Massanutten and I was not happy to see all the rocks! I even yelled out to the group I was in "I thought MMT was the rocky one!" There was a little ridge running, and then the descent was switchbacks along a rock trail with a scary drop off. I heard and saw Snipes and his group ahead of me, but mostly ran it by myself with my iPod. I’m surprised I did this portion in less than 4 mph because was near impossible to run a lot of this and I wasn’t happy to give up a running descent. But, it’s ok, I had plenty of chances later!

Mile 1.5

Dry Branch Gap to Dowells Draft

The main motivation for this section was seeing my crew at the next aid station. We went over Crawford Mountain and this was probably my favorite section of the whole race. There were rolling hills interspersed with steeper climbs on the way up and then I flew down it. I’ve really just got the hang of running down technical trails about 2 months ago, and I totally put it to work. I was laughing the whole time and had a blast. I’m pretty sure that running down a mountainside is the closest thing to flying that man can get on its own. I passed a man and yelled “this downhill is amazing!” and it really was. I knew that if I didn’t let myself just fly down the hills, my knees would be destroyed. If I wanted to finish, I needed to hold off the brakes and just go. I flew through this section and had a blast.

Heading out of Dowells Draft, picture courtesy of Bobby Gill

My crew was amazing and Tyler got me out of the aid station in 7.5 minutes. I ate butternut squash (it was perfect) and got refueled and on my merry way.

Dowells Draft to Lookout Mountain

This was another great section. I made a friend and getting to talk and meet new people on the trail is always one of my favorite things. He ended up deciding he couldn’t keep up and I ran ahead. It ended with several miles downhill on a fire road that I took really easily. The aid station came up sooner than I thought and it was the best aid station of the race (both times through). The people were so supportive and energetic. They screamed and clapped when they saw you coming, they had coffee, they were super helpful, and it really lifted my spirits.

I hit 30 miles in 7:08, only 45 minutes slower than my 50k PR.

Lookout Mountain to North River Gap

I had done Lookout Mountain as a hike, but I completely forgot how rocky it was. It was really late and dark, and I started getting spooked. A log was a wolf. The moon was a fire. A stick was a snake. It was silent, I didn’t see anyone, and I was letting my imagination get the best of me. I focused on my iPod and the trail, and belted out to Miley Cyrus. I know, you thought I was hardcore until you read that. But who can resist Party in the USA?

Coming into the next aid station, I was excited to see my crew and I finally decided road running was ok. Running down the road to the aid station, the crescent moon was visible through a tree gap and the sky was covered in stars. It was such a clear, gorgeous night!

There was a weigh-in at the TWOT lot and I had lost one pound. Not bad for 35 miles, but I made a note to continue to hydrate.

North River Gap to Little Bald Knob

I knew this was the worst part of the race. The 7-mile climb just got worse and worse. I tried to run the flats and the downhills, and the climbs killed me. I think I pushed it too hard. I reached the “bald knob” that was covered in grassy meadows, but there was no aid station. The mileage was off and instead of 7.74 miles, it was 8.83. I was cold, tired, and was frustrated that the aid station wasn’t where it should be. I saw Sean pacing the leader in and Keith, who was kicking ass as usual. Finally, I got there and sat by the fire and had three cups of soup. I dropped my pack, grabbed an extra handheld with some gels and salts in the pocket and ran toward Reddish knob feeling quite miserable.

Little Bald Knob to Reddish Knob

Even though this was an easy piece of trail (other than the mud) I took it pretty slow. My feet hurt, I was exhausted, and not feeling hot about the run. I saw the first woman on her way back and Brian, who looked fantastic.

Before really getting to the Reddish Knob station, you have to summit it. I caught up to Snipes and a group of us dropped our things and walked up the asphalt road.

The view from Reddish Knob made the entire 47 miles to get there worth it. We arrived as the sun rose and the 360-degree view of the Northern Virginia and West Virginia mountains was amazing. I remembered seeing the intersection of the Black and White desert in Egypt and being motivated to travel and do more with my life if the world had places like that to offer. I was sure that was one of the most beautiful, unreal views I’d ever see and the view from Reddish Knob topped it.

The mountains looked blue, and you could see about 8 ridges, the last topped with a line of red to bright pink. The valleys were filled with fog and this really lifted my spirits. It inspired me to want to run more trail races if this is what ultrarunning has to offer.

The aid station had brown sugar poptarts. ‘Nuff said.

Still running at mile 66, picture courtesy of Bobby Gill

Reddish Knob to Briary Branch and back to Reddish Knob

I thought for sure that when I saw my crew again, I’d take a nap. I saw Mario on the way out and he said that he did it last year and woke up a new man and had a negative split. I half ran the road down because my feet were throbbing. I was worried I wouldn’t be able to run any more of the race. I was determined to nap.

I got in, left my iPod to charge, changed my socks and shoes, and felt like a new woman!! The difference between my Inov-8 and Masochists was crazy. I was so excited that I could run again! Mark took me to the turn around, and now I was headed back to the finish. I saw Doug and Steve Pero and walked a lot back to Reddish Knob due to exhaustion.

Reddish Knob to Little Bald Knob

I barely stopped at Reddish Knob and had a tough time with this whole middle section. I wasn’t feeling great when I got to Little Bald, especially knowing what was ahead. I decided to cave and take some painkillers and holy crap, they worked!

Weigh-in at TWOT, picture courtesy of Bobby Gill

Little Bald Knob to North River Gap

I don’t know if it was the painkillers or knowing that I’d be picking up my pacer, but I ran a lot of the descent into the TWOT lot. I hung out and chatted with some cool people, listened to my iPod, and ran all but the very steep and rocky descent… which was most of the trail. I knew if I ran those, I would have to put the brakes on and I might not be able to run downhill for the rest of the race. Again, this section never ended and just got worse and worse. I came into North River Gap saying that it was an evil trail. Then I got weighed and found out I gained that pound back and I made a joke about running for 20 hours and not even losing a pound. I was able to get down a rice and bean burrito (a little one) and my pacer and I went out for the finish.

Me and James out of North River Gap, picture courtesy of Bobby Gill

North River Gap to Lookout Mountain

James and I hauled up Lookout. We made excellent time and started chatting about everything. I could run well and I felt amazing. He was surprised I had so much energy, and I was too! The huge bummer about getting to this aid station was seeing Brian there shrugging and telling us he DNFed. His ankle was irritated and swollen. Since Brian and I were in this together, it was tough to know he was out.

Lookout Mountain to Dowells Draft

From North River Gap, James and I passed 10 people through these sections. He was really pulling me along and making me run everything that wasn’t uphill. I felt so great, and I can’t believe I felt like this after how miserable I was earlier. I remembered ultrarunnergirl telling me to remember that it doesn’t always get worse, and that was great advice. James and I just had great conversation and he had so much energy. One of the best things about having a pacer was being able to look forward to meeting him and then drawing energy from him. It made me feel so fresh!

Dowells Draft to Dry Branch Gap

Clark Zealand is a sadist. There are two, 2,000 ft, 4 mile (ish) climbs in the last 10 miles of this course. It was hard to focus on just this section knowing I had to do it again. The sun started going down, and James had heard it was 5 miles hard, 4 miles easy, and so we tried to run the easy parts. It started off as a nice run and then we took the climb pretty hard. Once the climb was over I told him I was finished running. No more running for me. He says “But look what you just did… its like waking up Sunday morning and saying you’ll never drink again and then by Wednesday you’re out at a bar.”

We took it slow for a moment to get our energy back. This is when I started losing it mentally. I was seeing crows everywhere, and sticks looked like they were twisted into some type of voo doo doll. The sunset made the trees look like I was seeing the course ribbons everywhere.

James said we should try to run a quarter mile. So, we did and I started to feel really good. We got to a descent and I just leaned forward and ran effortlessly again (seriously, I just loved Crawford Mountain both ways). When we hit the rolling hills part, running up the slight uphill rocked. It was all new muscles being used and we tore through that section.

Me and my awesome pacer, picture courtesy of Bobby Gill

Dry Branch Gap to Falls Hollow

The sun was down when we left the aid station, with just one to go. I remember ultrarunnergirl also saying that at one point, you will want nothing more than to stop, and that’s where the race begins.

This is where Grindstone began.

The 4-mile climb on the rocks was downright dangerous. I was cold and wobbly and the rocks were not stable. For the first time, I sat down on the course. James was smart and made me take some salts, gels, and water while I sat. It was a really, really awful stretch. When we finally hit the gravel road, I tried running but it didn’t work well. I fell once and another time just sat right down, hugged my knees, and tried to muster up the strength to go on. If it were possible for someone to drive up the gravel road, I would have quit right there.

When we were off the road and the ridge and finally out of the breeze and cold, I sat down again and was seriously so far gone. James dragged me over the streams and we got a little running in on the jeep path. When we hit the last aid station I ran (or walked) straight into Tyler’s arms and started crying.

I couldn’t fathom being out there for another few hours. I put pants on, I ate (was hand fed) crackers, I closed my eyes, I cried, and I really felt awful. I spent 23 minutes there and almost locked myself in the car so I could sleep because they wouldn’t let me. Tyler literally had to drag me out of the car and push me back onto the trail.

Falls Hollow to the Finish

I’ve never been so slow in my life. I even needed a walking stick to handle the terrain at this point. I was so slow but just kept moving and the miles came onto my watch so slowly. When I finally hit 100 miles, James congratulated me and we discussed this whole “101.87” thing. Can you imagine if you’re signed up for a marathon and you check out the elevation profile and it said 28.17? Seriously, why can they do that in a 100-miler?! It just wasn’t fair. We hit the 1 mile to go sign when I thought we had about 8/10ths and so that was a major bummer. Then James says, “look behind you”

There were 2 headlamps.

“Let’s move!” We did some running with some walking and I still had my stick. Then I heard a female voice. I was not giving up my 5^th place finish in the last ½ mile. Hell no! (FYI, she was a pacer) I threw my walking stick and took off. My pacer fell, and I left him there and damn near sprinted across the lake (ok, around it, I cannot run on water - and I really did sprint. I got my pace down to 7:23 min/mi!) and then got lost for the first time about a tenth of a mile away. I ran through the flume and then stopped, done! I did it! Clark Zealand then told me I had to actually cross the finish line, and I got my first belt buckle and hugged the totem pole.

Finish photo

I don’t believe (still) that I made it. I made it to the finish line uninjured, with no nutrition problems, perfect hydration/sodium balance, a tough finish, but a good race, and a great time.

Totem pole hug

Thank you to Tyler and James, I couldn’t have done it without either of you. The ultrarunning community is truly amazing. Everyone has been so eager to help me, to share their knowledge, to give me a ton of advice and encouragement. Grindstone was a success not just because I finished, but because it introduced me to so many great people. There are few things I am more proud of than being able to call myself a 100-mile finisher and an ultrarunner.

Grindstone... its here!

2010-10-01T11:35:00.003-04:00

If you wanna follow updates, Tyler (my crew) will be updating my twitter page, accessible at www.twitter.com/beezales

Eat extra calories for me this weekend!

When I get older, I will be stronger.

2010-09-15T14:17:00.004-04:00

During Catherine's I ran with a man in his late 30s who was an elite speed skater and then became an ultrarunner. He loved that he could still be growing at his age and that few sports allow for that. It's incredible to see generations of a family running the same race (hell, that's common) and that I'm constantly picked on for being so young. I think I'm getting involved in the only athletic community where 22 is young.

The beauty of ultrarunning and trail running in general is that "PRs" don't matter. If you can run 50 miles on a towpath and get a great time, it actually won't mean as much as a 50-mile mountain race that takes 4 hours longer. There seems to be no magic formula, no training plans, and the one thing that matters most of all is experience.

For my last big long run on labor day weekend, I set out to run from Camp Roosevelt to the finish of the Ring, a 71-mile fat ass known as a tougher, rockier course than the 100 mile MMT. I tagged along with Snipes again, a man in his early 40s who has run almost 200 ultras. Snipes is known for finishing a steady race and talking the whole time. He's always trying to teach the younger gang something on the trail. I only did 38 of the 46 miles I set up to do. By the time I dropped, my legs and feet were destroyed from the rocks, I had several blisters, I couldn't speak, and hadn't been able to swallow water for the last three miles.

This was such a great way to end training because I was reminded of how far I have come from my first training run in the mountains and VHTRC event. In May, I volunteered at Camp Roosevelt for MMT and knew no one. From there Brian and I did 11 miles on the course, in the dark, and it was awful. I remember thinking that I would have nightmares about this course until October and we only lasted 11 miles. This time around, I knew a great deal of the people there and I lasted 37 miles. But yes, I'll still have nightmares about it.

image from Bobby Gill

The run started off at a slow climb since everyone had just eaten a good bit at the aid station. I got stung by a bee within a few miles (my first sting ever!) and it was a slow, beautiful day. At the next aid station we picked up another Grindstone runner along for the ride. I didn't want to eat since I wasn't a runner, but I was starving by the the next aid station. We were moving along steadily and I felt great. I got some food and felt that sore throat and cough that had kept me up the night before come back. By the next aid station, I had no voice left.

Another guy, Tom, joined us and we were a group of four. I was having some serious trouble keeping up. The running part seemed fine, but I just couldn't walk and climb as fast as the guys, especially on the super rocky course. I tried hard to keep up, but I spent the next 20 miles or so chasing them. The course wasn't marked, and since I was a pacer I could not ask them to stop for me and I was scared to get lost. I failed to take gels and salt tablets because I was struggling to keep up. I even ran for about 20 minutes in the dark because I didn't have time to take out my lights. And because I had no voice, I couldn't scream to ask them to stop and wait for me, not that I wanted to.

Because of this, I came into one aid station seriously wobbly. I'd never felt so tired and beat up and low on energy in my life. Snipes could tell. He told me he was worried that I was sick, and that I shouldn't wear myself out for Grindstone, but I told him I wanted to go on. I needed to get some of that mental toughness required to finish 100 miles. This was my last chance to get it.

I won't do nothing but complain on this post, it's not my style. At every aid station, it was a hard decision to decide to continue on the run. But at one 9 miles stretch, I had a great time. I felt so "in-tune" with the trail (for lack of better terms) and I was enjoying all the beauty, my fatigue, the pain, the rocks, the running and climbing... for a good hour or so I was so, so glad that I had decided to keep running. It was a beautiful night!

My throat got really bad at one point, and I could no longer swallow water. I was going to drop at the last aid station, but it was only 5 miles to the next and I decided to keep going. I was counting down every mile and finally could no longer drink water and nearly lost my group because my energy was so low. I struggled to make it to the next aid station, and then decided I was done for the day, with only 8 miles left.

I hate to think that I dropped early during a training run. I felt pretty awful about the run, but I really did learn a lot. I learned that when I'm racing, to be smart about pace and nutrition. It did test my mental capacity to run ultras, and I didn't feel very strong by the end. I wanted nothing more than to curl up in a ball and sleep (or cry). After that weekend, I took it easy. I went to the gym on Sunday and ended up being really sore after that and a 15 mile run. I'm not feeling as strong as I feel that I should before my first 100 mile race. I'm doubting any ability to do it and finish strong.

This isn't a great way to come back from over a month of no blogging. I've had this post 1/2 written for a few weeks now. But now that my training has ended, here are some things on my mind.

There is no way for me to predict how I will do at Grindstone. I love running, I love trail running, I had some great, strong trail runs, and I've worked hard. But anything can happen that weekend. I may not have done all I could to train, but I did it smartly. I still had a life and I'm going to get to the finish line un-injured. That's a huge accomplishment in itself.
Labor Day weekend, I was passed by several people twice my age, running twice as long. This is the beginning of a life-long activity that I will continue to get better at. This is just one race and I know I learn more and more as I continue to pursue them.
I signed up for a 100 mile race knowing I couldn't do it. It's kind of exciting to not have any idea what will happen. I've already pushed myself more than I ever imagined. I constantly will feel tired and then remember I've done an ultra every other weekend for 2-3 months. 26.2 is now a breeze.
Because of my race, I've had some really wonderful weekends hiking in VA with my boyfriend. I doubt I'd know this much about him if we didn't spend hours in the woods together talking.
Training is always more fun than the race itself anyway. I used Grindstone as a motivator to get into trail running, the ultra community, and to test my dedication. I had a strong summer of running and I've met some real kick-ass human beings.

Now the only thing I can do is run a little, cross-train, stay healthy, recover, plan, and then hope to God October 1st is my day.

Brittany's Fat Ass

2010-07-27T11:23:00.002-04:00

31 miles in 100 degree heat? I knew I could use this one as a "stop-whining-look-what-I-did" for at least a few years. Drinking out of a spring instead of a cooler? Post run grill, beer, and body shots?

Oh, VHTRC, where have you been all my life?!

Hanging out with Mark at the race start

Picture courtesy of Bobby Gill

The day started late--at 8:00 a.m. I had two handhelds and started off on my own, with no one to talk to, and trying to decide what I felt like doing today. There were two distances offered because of the heat and I was contemplating either racing, or taking it easy to get more time on my feet. I started to join a group of 4-5 men, and ended up sticking with Sniper for the rest of the race. Sniper and Mark both ran Grindstone twice, so we talked about the race a lot. I ended up running the rest of the race with "Professor" Sniper who did what he could to get me well-educated on trail running. He's run almost 200 ultramarathons.

On the trail

Picture courtesy of Bobby Gill

The first 8-9 miles were without aid, with some fun climbs, rocky downhills, and hot weather. We came into the first aid station just to eat, before heading up a gravel road about 1.5 miles to a natural spring to fill up water and they poured buckets over our heads to soak us up and cool off.

Best post-race party ever (with ultrarunnergirl)

Picture courtesy of Bobby Gill

The volunteers were amazing and I ate more at these aid stations than I did at my last 50k. I ate PB&J sandwiches and they settled very well. I need to remember to eat gels more because I was starving at the finish. I stayed well hydrated in the heat (I had to pee three times) and had no cramping. I was disappointed the race wasn't actually 31 miles, so we did the overlook twice, taking down those ribbons for the sweeper. I ended up doing 8,224 feet of elevation gain and 8,243 of descent--way more than I expected.

I'm big at stealing hats when I'm drunk

Picture courtesy of Bobby Gill

The after party was a blast. It was hot, but I handled the heat well. We all but bathed in the streams and I carried a rag to dip into ice water at the stations and in the creeks to cool off. My knees felt way better than they have for any long run and with a slow, 8.5 hour finish, I felt great at the end. And yes, my average moving speed was only some 14 min miles, but I think it was smart. Sniper made the point that today would probably be more beneficial if we took it slow, since at Grindstone "this may be the fastest you can move."

and holy hell was he right.

Almost there!

On Sunday, my friend and I climbed Elliot Knob, one of Grindstone's big climbs. There was a 1.5 stretch of gravel road, and in the heat it was just way steep and really brutal in the sun. The four mile climb was tough on my legs, and I wasn't even planning on getting another 98 in that day. The loose gravel would make running down it without tripping very tough on the way back to the start.

The gravel road

I also realized that planning to run with a pack, and then not doing so all summer was a big mistake. I might plan to run with two handhelds. My shoulders were sore after hiking in my backpack all day.

At the summit of Elliot Knob

All in all, it was a great weekend. I got 40 miles covered, ate a lot of good food, was surrounded by good company, and learned a lot. Next time I'm planning on getting out to the mountains is for the big training weekend August 14-15th! Way too far away!

Playing hooky

2010-07-19T11:30:00.000-04:00

I skipped my race this weekend. I was moving, my family was in town, I had a lot to do, my legs were tired, and I didn't really have a ride.

So, I'm ok with it! Instead, I got my whole room unpacked, my old place closed up, and I got to see the boy before he left on vacation.

Race Report: The Skyline Challenge

2010-07-12T13:10:00.001-04:00

I signed up for the Skyline Challenge 50k Tuesday last week. The "thrifty fifty" option offered a 50k supported long run in the mountains for $20 with aid stations stacked with Hammer products (my new favorite nutrition line). I had to get up at the god-awful hour of 1:15 a.m. to catch the last metro train out to Bethesda to get a ride with Brian out to Ward, VA. It started pouring rain, and the drive was actually quite frighting. I can't believe we didn't get lost, and made it to the race start with about 40 minutes to get situated.

I'd been feeling awful and tired all week. My knees still hurt a little, my foot was starting to bug me again, and my stomach hadn't felt well all day on Friday and I really didn't want to eat any food that morning. I expected to have a really bad run. The elevation ended up being twice what I expected (I was told 3,000 feet of elevation gain and it was close to 6) and I had no idea what the terrain would be or what the course was like.

This was a memorable race start, when over 100 runners took the wrong trail in the first mile. We were heading up a hill when everyone started running back down it, and almost everyone just laughed it off. The first few miles included some big climbs so steep that climbing them could be considered a calf stretch (elevation profile said 18% incline). It also got so muddy from the rain that the trail was unrunnable unless you wanted to trip. Being in a group was helpful since you saw what worked and what didn't. Climbing on the side of the trail worked. Trying to run up the muddy climb caused you to slide and fall into mud covered rocks. We all climbed our way on the side of the trail. It took almost 2 hours to do the first 8 miles!

I ran most of this alone, chatting some with RussianBear (Peter) and some of Brian's friends. I did my best to focus on strong climbing, running up some of the easy climbs, and keeping my form and nutrition in line. I was passing people like crazy as I focused on my climbing and really felt those Mountain Man reps I've been doing. My hamstrings, hips, and bum were really being put to work! When we reached the top of the climb, you looked out and should have been able to see three states and seven mountains, but instead it was white. There was a 2 mile detour to an aid station that you could barely see because of the fog, and thank God because on the way back it looked brutal! This was a pretty rocky course and that was the worst of the rocks.

After hitting that detour, the trail was gorgeous. I tried to get in some quicker trail running since I felt good, and ran about 3 miles with a girl to the next aid. The switchback down the mountain was rocky and covered in wet leaves and so I took it easy and safely. After the next aid station at mile 13, there was 8 miles of road with the turn-around in the middle. I tore through it, running almost all 8, and finally getting some speed under my legs. My pace was dipping far under 8:00 and I tried to keep it slow! I did! A truck passed me and told me I was fifth woman, the fourth was ahead of me, and I could catch her. Fifth!?!? I had no idea I was doing so well! The guy lit my competitive side and I picked up the pace.

Brian came through in fourth place and it was great to see him running so strong. The first woman was all smiles and yelled "hey lady! Looking awesome! Go get those boys!" Feeling good, I gained on the group of men ahead of me (they told me to slow down!), and passed them. I was starving, but didn't want to stop for a gel. When I get to the aid station, I contemplated waiting to eat since I'd be doing some hard running back, but decided it wasn't smart. The fourth woman just left, and so I crammed pretzels, bananas, chips, and soda. The volunteers were quick to fill up my water. I totally improved my aid station times in this race.

On the way back, I did about 7 miles with John, a Navy guy who has attempted and finished six 100s! The company was great. We caught up to the next woman and got some great running and climbing in. We did a lot of talking, he had great stories, and he complimented my trial skillz (I have them apparently). I was doing great on the technical stuff for a novice ("don't be offended by that word") and I've only been trail running for what, 2 years, right? "No, more like 2 months." He gave me lots of tips, including switching up the climbing so that your toes pointed outward and it used some different muscles.

Finally, we finished the climb, and he told me to go on and let him go. I ran ahead, concentrating on speed and using my small feet to navigate through the rocks. I came around a boulder and there was a fork in the trail. I looked for streamers and turned to find two, big, black bears.

Holy. Shit.

I stepped behind the nearest tree and caught my breath, going over in my head about what I was supposed to do. Don't run. Make noise. But, I was pretty sure you shouldn't make noise when they were right there. So, I slowly went back around the boulder, and ran back toward John. He was totally confused until I told him about the bears, and so we ran together back through, talking loudly and clapping our hands. I hoped they were gone while he hoped he'd get to see them.

I jumped ahead again, and finally hit the last aid station. Now that I could see the mile detour, it looked awful! The last four miles were downhill, which my knees were not looking forward to. I was back alone on the trail, and now scared of bears. I started saying LA LA LA really loud in hopes to make enough noise, which turned into Ra ra ah-ah-ah-a ro-ma ro-ma-ma gaga ooh la la... want your bad romance.

Lets just say, the bears ventured away from my Lady Gaga singing. My knees weren't feeling too hot, and I switched my form which really helped. When we hit the last mile of road to the finish line, I took off! I got my pace well under 8:30 and finished in about 6:33, fourth woman, first in my age group, and 23 among 117 finishers! I'm really happy with my experience here! I learned a lot and proved to myself that I really can do this whole trail ultra thing.

Brian finished second! Totally kicked ass. He has so much potential! (He didn't sleep the night before, we did a trail marathon the weekend before, and he had the death race prior to that, and got SECOND! I'm amazed.) I stayed in Winchester, VA for the night and did a 7 mile hike on Saturday. My legs felt great! I'm really starting to feel more confident about Grindstone.

Just for fun: things in my purse

2010-07-08T15:34:00.000-04:00

I carry around a giant bag all the time. And, I have a lot of random stuff, especially as a runner, that will hopefully either make you laugh or at least shake your head and think I'm crazy. On with it! (I'm bored at work)

Water bottle (my camelback handheld) with a pocket with cash, my ID, a debit card, and my Smart trip.
My entire make-up bag in case I need to look pretty
A book
Perfume
My wallet (I have over 37 cards)
Sunglasses with my giant pink case
Sunscreen
Camera
Deodorant
Keys (with a bottle-opener key chain--very useful!)
Antibiotic ointment (I fall a lot) and bandaids
My watch (a garmin, that doesn't tell the time, but can tell me my pace and map out my movements)
Nuun tablets and clif shots
A hammer (there isn't much pepper spray can do that a hammer can't! I take it out at night in case I get attacked)
Headlamp
Three chapsticks and a lipgloss since it takes me forever to find one
ibuprofen
A lock
A pencil
An extra pair of shoes (flip flops or heels, whatever I'm not wearing at the moment)
Usually some sort of food
Tissues
Condoms
Cell phone
Ipod

Trains well with others

2010-07-08T10:44:00.001-04:00

Before say, February, I was always dead-set on running alone. I liked to head out with my water, iPod, garmin, and feel free to speed up, slow down, stop to adjust my shoe, and run whenever I wanted to. I didn't understand why people ran with groups. Why on earth would you want to do that? When I did run with a friend that was visiting, or my roommates, it was nice but I wanted to put my iPod back on and reclaim my "me-time."

I joked that I didn't train well with others.

Now, I have two running groups and I almost always do my long runs with Brian. I only run with my iPod half the time, I'm moving into a house of ultrarunners, and I plan on taking advantage of group runs and training runs in the mountains. My last race, I spent more than half of it running with someone else. Basically, I have decided to let running take over every aspect of my life (including dating) and I've become a group run convert. Here is a narrative of my slippery slope.

First, in an attempt to get motivated almost a year ago I joined twitter, starting blogging, and started talking to other runners. I loved the community aspect of running, but still resisted running with people. I met someone who put me on a listserve of those running the North Face race, and it was selfish, but I started opening up to the aspect of running with them so I had access to the race course because I didn't have a car.

This is how I met Brian and we became very fast friends and both signed up for Grindstone, with the promise that we'd train together. We started running together and I couldn't believe how fast 15 miles went by when we were chatting. We volunteered at MMT 100, and met a bunch of people associated with VHTRC and were told we needed to go come out to WUS runs.

Woodley Ultra Society
It was mostly ultrarunnergirl's fault that I started coming to these runs. Two groups head out from "the ultra house" (a.k.a. my new home) into Rock Creek Park for about an hour and a half every Tuesday and end up at a bar with great pizza specials. The first couple times, I ran with the first, leisurely paced group and it was a blast. We talked, walked up hills, took it easy, and had a lot of fun as I learned how to navigate RCP. We all eat at least 1/2 a pizza and sit out on the patio of the bar after with a few beers, and then I run to my friend's house just a mile away to sleep. Its a perfect set-up!

I tried keeping up with the fast group a few weeks ago, and found that I was, in fact, able to run at a decent pace on the trails when forced to stop overthinking it! I'd like to run with the guys more to get faster on trails. They just fly up hills like they aren't even there and it encourages me the rest of the week to get better so I can keep up. A few weeks ago, Mike Wardian and Matt Woods (first place at TNF race) showed up. I was already feeling sick that day and only lasted 3 miles with them, but it was pretty cool to have elite runners show up for your group run!

Hashing
What is hashing? Running, with beer stops, an after party, and constant sexual references. I've been told I needed to join for years and I can't believe it took me this long! A bunch of my college friends are there and I've decided its a must-do every week. The running isn't too difficult, but the "hares" lay trails through places like Pentagon City Mall, up a creek, and through backyards and ghetto neighborhoods. There are plenty of rules, and if you break them you're "violated" by being forced to drink a beer at the end of a run. Last week, I got four.

Photo by EWH3

With my group runs on Tuesday, hashing on Thursday, and long runs with Brian over the weekend, I'm doing half my running with other people, and I love it! I'm a group run convert, mingling social life with running and finding its much more fun!

With all these long training runs coming up, I'm getting three 50ks in 15 days, all of which were either free or less than $30. Two are in the mountains, and I know they will be great workouts and I always have fun at races. In August, there is a big, group training weekend for Grindstone, where they split up the "out" part of the course into two days of running with camping in between. Do I have a tent? No. Have I ever been camping before? No. Have I ever been hiking before? No. I'm still trying to figure out why I think I can do this.

Life & Training

2010-06-24T15:23:00.000-04:00

I'm exhausted today and in a very bad mood. I overslept and wanted to oversleep some more. I was late for work. My boss is pissing me off. I asked for less ice in my iced latte and instead of cheering me up it pissed me off more because they filled the whole cup up with ice and I paid $4 for it. I even bought a really cute skirt and shoes on sale, and I'm still not happy. So, I took a deep breath and realized that I've been really just building my base so far this year, and now I feel like I'm training again. For those of you either training for your first big, long distance race, or dealing with me, I thought I'd summarize the (read: my) body's reaction to training.

MORE SLEEP
I remember reading that you should add your weekly mileage in minutes per night of more sleep. So, if you run 60 miles a week, you should sleep an extra hour every night. This is why I can get 8 hours of sleep and still be exhausted. But trying to run 60 miles a week, sleep 9 hours, and work 40 hours, is rather difficult. Running 120 miles, sleeping 10 hours, and working 40 hours is impossible. And no, sleep cannot be substituted with coffee.

While overall, training will give you more energy, it doesn't happen on days you run 12 miles before showing up to the office so expect to feel worn out. But, I can feel it on a rest day that I have more energy.

MORE FOOD
Get ready for your appetite to spike. You will be hungry All. The. Time. Plan to have food ready:

Before running.
After running.
Breakfast.
Mid-morning snack.
Pre-lunch workout.
Lunch 1.
Lunch 2.
Dinner.
Dessert.
Midnight snack.

I find that when I don't adequately prepare, I get hungry and irritable, and leave the office 6 times a day for a crappy snack. So I claim a spot in the fridge and keep a lot of food at work. A person my height/weight will only burn 1300-1400 calories if they weren't active... about how much I burn on a run/strength training workout with recovery. So, I make the joke that I'm eating for two.

MESSED-UP LADY SCHEDULE (men: skip this)
My PMS stage (a week or two before the start of my period) is blown out of proportion. I'm twice as irritable, I need my food cravings, I'm so, so, so exhausted all the time, my work-outs suck, and I can't schedule a race during this time. Also, my periods are much more frequent. They are really early, which is better than being really late I guess. Yesterday mine came 5 days early.

LOTS OF BODY-LOVE
A good thing! Yay! I feel so great about my bod during training. Even if I don't lose weight, I am so impressed by how it handles everything that my negative body issues disappear for a while (remember this post?). If your libido dies away, you're over-training.

With the impending 100 mile race, my new, challenging running partners, and my feeling out of shape and slow, I've stepped it up the past few weeks. I'm strength training more. I'm focused on my pace. I'm trying to fit in more hills. And, I can feel it. On Tuesday, I ran with some elite ultra runners and talked with Matt Woods (who won the North Face 50 miler) over pizza. His peak weeks are 90-120 miles, with a full-time job. I asked him how stressful that was, and his response was (paraphrased) "You have no life. I tried to fit in a few group runs and a movie night so that I kept my sanity. That was the extent of my social life." It doesn't sound promising.

The Omnivore’s Hundred

2010-06-14T14:40:00.001-04:00

Since the only thing I like more than running is eating, I was intrigued by this list of 100 things every omnivore should try. I say I would try everything once, and at first, the only thing I crossed off was "whole insects" until I realized that I've totally accidentally eaten bugs before--that counts, right? I've eaten a lot of French, Indian, and Asian dishes, where I had no clue what I was eating (especially the Indian food), so I may have more bolds than I think.

Here’s what I want you to do:
1) Copy this list into your blog or journal, including these instructions.
2) Bold all the items you’ve eaten.
3) Cross out any items that you would never consider eating.
4) Optional extra: Post a comment here at www.verygoodtaste.co.uk linking to your results.

The VGT Omnivore’s Hundred:
1. Venison
2. Nettle tea
3. Huevos rancheros
4. Steak tartare
5. Crocodile
6. Black pudding
7. Cheese fondue
8. Carp
9. Borscht
10. Baba ghanoush
11. Calamari
12. Pho
13. PB&J sandwich
14. Aloo gobi
15. Hot dog from a street cart
16. Epoisses
17. Black truffle
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes
19. Steamed pork buns
20. Pistachio ice cream
21. Heirloom tomatoes
22. Fresh wild berries
23. Foie gras
24. Rice and beans
25. Brawn, or head cheese
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper
27. Dulce de leche
28. Oysters
29. Baklava
30. Bagna cauda
31. Wasabi peas
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl
33. Salted lassi
34. Sauerkraut
35. Root beer float
36. Cognac with a fat cigar
37. Clotted cream tea
38. Vodka jelly/Jell-O
39. Gumbo
40. Oxtail
41. Curried goat
42. Whole insects
43. Phaal
44. Goat’s milk
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more
46. Fugu
47. Chicken tikka masala
48. Eel
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut
50. Sea urchin
51. Prickly pear
52. Umeboshi
53. Abalone
54. Paneer
55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal
56. Spaetzle
57. Dirty gin martini
58. Beer above 8% ABV
59. Poutine
60. Carob chips
61. S’mores
62. Sweetbreads
63. Kaolin
64. Currywurst
65. Durian
66. Frogs’ legs
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake
68. Haggis
69. Fried plantain
70. Chitterlings, or andouillette
71. Gazpacho
72. Caviar and blini
73. Louche absinthe
74. Gjetost, or brunost
75. Roadkill
76. Baijiu
77. Hostess Fruit Pie
78. Snail
79. Lapsang souchong
80. Bellini
81. Tom yum
82. Eggs Benedict
83. Pocky
84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant.
85. Kobe beef
86. Hare
87. Goulash
88. Flowers
89. Horse
90. Criollo chocolate
91. Spam
92. Soft shell crab
93. Rose harissa
94. Catfish
95. Mole poblano
96. Bagel and lox
97. Lobster Thermidor--that sounds so good.
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee
100. Snake

What I learned from my first ultra

2010-06-13T18:05:00.000-04:00

I think my first ultra was a success, solely because I learned so much. I finished and had fun (my priorities), and I have a ton of room for improvement.

TRAINING
When I first read that time on your feet was all that mattered, I didn't really consider it an important point. First, I did not put in enough miles, and then I missed a key, big, long run due to family plans and my inability to find a good trail in Western New York. I honestly can't believe that I finished (and felt great after) a 50- mile run on this training, since my IT band injury:

I put more into my weekly mileage for MCM, for goodness sake. I had a lot of setbacks, I had to recover from Boston (it took a lot out of me), I hurt my foot, I was really, really busy last month, and I needed to re-build my mileage. I had some good long runs, did some training in the mountains, and ran two marathons as prep. My training focused on only running about 3-4 times a week: a long run with a few days off to recover, and a few 10-12 mile runs. My focus was solely on endurance. I was really focused on recovering fully to keep from getting injured and introducing myself to trail running. I was only over 50 miles one week--the week of my double-20 miler.

It wasn't the lack of mileage that hurt. Honestly, I felt really good throughout the race and I wasn't sore, and doing so on such a low mileage is crazy. Maybe it was the cross-training and strength training. It was time on my feet that I wasn't prepared for. The longest I had been on my feel was the 32, 6-hour long run I did in March. Other than that, my long runs kept me on my feet from 3-4 hours tops. I was on the course for over eleven. On the trails, I did the mileage, but I ran uphill and took no walk breaks. In the future, I will focus on time on my feet and make sure that I run my long runs at my race pace, not 2-4 minutes under it.

AID STATIONS
My "moving time" for the race, according to garmin, was 10:13, meaning I spent over an hour not moving. This had to do with Dani and I running together and stopping and waiting for each other for bathroom breaks, but I clearly spent too much time at aid stations. Granted, the volunteers were great but didn't help us much. We had to find our own bags (my first time at Great Falls I couldn't find mine), pour our own drinks, etc., but I need to learn how to do all that more efficiently.

PACE
If I'm not ready to spend 12 hours on my feet, I should avoid it. I wish I went out a little harder, while it was cooler, because once I hit that 10-10.5 hour mark, I really wanted to just sit down already. It was a very long day. I paced myself, but next time I'll keep in mind that I'm racing. That when I walk uphill, I need to learn to start running right away. Also, not to take my time, but march forward. There were also some tricky, rocky sections that I just did my best to get through, but I may have taken it a bit too easy.

FOOD
Clearly, there were some stomach issues. I'm gonna try to limit my fiber intake the night before, no matter how much I say I'm used to it. I think I did a great job hydrating that day but it really did get hard to eat after awhile. I would like to try some new products and strategies, but I need to make sure I take time to prepare for it on my long runs. I am signed up for three 50ks in July to work on my eating and aid station habits.

PLAN OF ATTACK
In prep for Grindstone, I am going to do hill workouts until my head spins, get in more time on my feet during my long runs, learn what my stomach can and cannot take, recruit a crew, convince Dani to pace me, and do my best to get out on those mountains. Knowing this course and having experience on the trails was probably the key to my success and me not pulling my hair out from nervousness the day before. I need to stimulate race conditions more and get my uphill charge down. I will keep up strength training and make sure I stay healthy by slowly adding miles and making sure I recover. I have 3.5 months to prepare for my "A" race of the year.

North Face Endurace Challenge: The Musical

2010-06-07T15:12:00.004-04:00

If it ain't rough it isn't fun, fun.

I sang this little Lady Gaga line, when my new bonded-for-life-best friend Dani fell into a stream at mile 5. And it all started there. I met Dani at 8:00 the night before the race (we were supposed to meet at 7-7:30, but I was late, as usual) and we made our way to our mutual friend Brian's friend Jeff's place to sleep there. Despite the four of us really not knowing each other, the camaraderie of all of us running a 50-mile course the next day had us talking until past 10:00. No one slept well, and it was at 11:30 when it really hit me how long 50 miles is. I was terrified.

After 3 hours of sleep, I got up to shower and shave my legs. I like to shave fresh race morning to minimize chafing, but I will never do this again for a trail run. After being covered in bug spray, dirt, sweat, dirty pieces of ice, submerged in streams, smacked with grass and weeds lining the course, covered in sunscreen, and for 11.5 hours, I have really bad razor burn/rash/infection and its stingy. I bought a giant tube of antibiotic soothing ointment for them Saturday.

Me & Jeff

Back to race morning, I love having friends at a race and this was the perfect course for it since its out, three 7ish mile laps, and then back toward the finish. I got to pass my friends a lot and gain/give encouragement. At 5am the race started and it was already in the low 70s with 80% humidity. I had several Hammer gels, my handheld waterbottle, and a light waist pack with salt tablets, tissues, and some extra food.

Dani and I started running together, and talked about everything we could think of. We kept a steady pace, walked uphills, and took it easy. We had a ton of fun. We both love Glee and so started talking Glee, leading to Lady Gaga (its amazing, you only have to talk about her to get your pace up! You don't even need Bad Romance blasting through earbuds to get energy).

I took my first (and only!) fall around mile 7.5. So far, my average is a fall per 10 miles when trail running. So, I stood up and said "oh well, one down and four to go!" My stomach was funny feeling and I took my first ever poop in the woods. I was very glad I had tissues in my little pack. I was hydrating super well and eating a little at every aid station. I wanted to go out easy, since all that mattered was finishing in under 13 hours today.

The course was meticulously marked. There were two dead birds on the trail and I pointed out the "road kill" since "Wardian must have just blasted through here." (If you don't know who Mike Wardian is, google him. Right now.)

The first 14 miles flew by and all of a sudden we've been out for three hours. Dani and I were constantly laughing and singing, and throwing out awesome Glee quotes (did you know dolphins are just gay sharks?) and we got to the Great Falls aid station to find that Brian already lapped us. "Whatever" Dani says "he can worry about getting a good time. We're having so much more fun."

At Great Falls aid station

I ended up not using about 89.6% of the things in my drop bags, but I loved the dried fruit and the Imodium and crystallized ginger saved my life. Ultrarunners are truly amazing people. When you passed someone they'd tell you how great you looked instead of being pissed about getting chicked. On the loops, there were out and back sections, and Dani and I tried to cheer on everyone. We had started singing Disney songs, and totally forgot that this was not ok on busy sections. We were singing some I'll Make a Man Out of You on the swamp trail, and when we came up on more runners and stopped singing, they asked us to please continue. (A Girl Worth Fighting For was another fun one from Mulan, except I had the beef, pork, chicken... yum part in my head for another two hours).

Now, I can't sing. And when I'm running, its probably 10 times worse. But I'm used to running with an iPod, and I was having way too much fun to stop. We hit Mile 25 and started singing Bon Jovi's Living on a Prayer. We even took each other's hand at take my hand, and we'll make it I swear (oh yeah, there were dance moves involved too). I figured these were all strangers until I got a comment on Daily Mile that Orla enjoyed this particular rendition.

The volunteers thought we were crazy. One group asked us if we were on drugs. "Shhh... don't tell anyone!" Something other than salt was definitely in those tablets I got from Jeff. We were outside the bathrooms and when Dani ran in to use one (yes, there was one part with actual toilets!), she asked me to hold her 1/2 eaten potato. I did so and waited diligently for her return: a sign of true love (slash some awesome teamwork). When I made fun of her for eating a potato while running, she decided she didn't want it anymore and threw it into the woods and instead, it hit a tree and broke into pieces--most of which came right back at us. I think we stood there holding our stomachs from laughing so hard for about 45 seconds while brushing off pieces of potato. That gets taken off my time, right?

Smiling at mile 27(ish)

Mike Wardian passed us twice, and I never imagined I'd be singing showtunes while this happened. The second time we started a little "Mike! Mike! Mike!" chant and he waved back at us. We had way too much energy. There was nothing else I'd rather do all day than run trails at this point. I was putting forth minimal effort, and as it got hotter the humidity lowered and the sun was really hot in some places, but we were mostly in the blessed shade. I was putting ice in my hat at aid stations and it was pure heaven to have ice water dripping out of my hat instead of sweat. Around Mile 33, I stopped for a big toilet break and told Dani to go ahead. This was my last one for the day (thank goodness), and from there on out I was on my own.

I immediately missed the companionship and so I took out Lady Lola (my awesome new iPod) and threw on the quick playlist I made up while I finished my last lap. It was great to head back to the start after Great Falls, and I felt so great with a ton of energy. I was ready to kill the last 15 miles in just over 2 hours and finish in 10.

Ha!

A couple miles in, my right foot started to ache. The bad ache, that mimicked the one that was bugging my left foot a month ago. I took it a little slower, and just enjoyed the hills at Riverbend. These are fun since they do down and then shoot right back up, so you gain some momentum to half run up them. There were a lot of people walking and limping at this point, and I tried to encourage them all. One guy was leaning up against a tree and when I asked if he was ok, his only response was "Its just these hills" and I said "Yeah, they're fun aren't they?!" They're rooty, and a little rocky, and steep. They started to bug my knees on the downhills and by the early 40s I was no longer running down them and so tried to start running up them.

At Mile 40(ish) my dull ache caused a sharp pain with one step and I stopped running immediately. Bad pain bad pain bad pain (why don't runners get safewords when the trail is beating our feet?). I decided to take a good half mile walk break and tried to determine if I could finish the race walking within 13 hours. After I started running again, it was fine for the rest of the race. Within a mile I had a really bad ankle roll-in. Since I was alone on the trail I just shouted a whole bunch of curse words and trekked on. I came upon a runner and his pacer within a minute and realized they could probably hear me. I told them I was ok. I was still walking and it meant I would start running again. After that break, I started running, and kept going till the finish. I was out of water, and had no idea where the next station was. When I finally came upon it, it was like heaven. I chugged water, sucked down gels, and knew I was so close to the finish.

I never thought I wouldn't finish, but I really had to dig deep. 11 hours on your feet is tough! At one point I stepped in mud so deep I had a good inch caked me to my foot. Luckily, there was a stream within a mile. The trails were pretty muddy! I just watched the miles build on my Garmin and when I hit that last aid station before the two mile loop, I saw that there was 4.1 to go. A lot of the loop was on asphalt (which sucked) but I saw Jeff and Dani on the way out and that lifted my spirits. A lot of this section was also in the open and it was about 90 degrees at this point. I sucked down water (with nuun tablets) like my life depended on it and just did not stop running. I would not let myself walk this close. I could finish before 11.5 hours if I kept running.

Coming through that last aid station and knowing there was 1.7 miles left before I was an ultrarunner was really emotional. I may have had to keep down tears. I was appreciating the trail, the heat, the fatigue, and I didn't want to stop just yet (Why not a 100k today!? Kidding.) I had a guy right next to me and U2's Beautiful Day was blasting through my right ear. Our little conversation went something like this:

"This trail is really beautiful."

"It was beautiful 10 hours ago."

"Ha! But really, when you're at that point where your body is totally spent, yet still moving along. There isn't any effort, just that easy cradle movement, and the sun is coming through the trees up ahead." I gestured ahead and gave a long, happy sigh. "I just love running."

Long pause and then he looks over with a smile.

"Me too."

"Well of course, what else would you be doing out here?!"

We came through to the finish together, and I pulled in front of him with my fastest mile split of the race. I had a ton of energy still and while that meant I should have ran harder (that, and I wasn't sore the day after... and I'm still not sore), my point was to have fun and finish. I wanted to revert back to that place where I went for distance instead of time and had fun with running and signing up for an ultra helped. That, and knowing I had more to give makes me more confident about tackling a 100.

My friend Jody finished the marathon right before me, and so I'm on his finish footage in the purple hat. I think the part with his kids running up to finish with him almost makes me cry!

Once again, the twitter support was overwhelming and a huge thanks to: all the volunteers, every runner who gave me encouraging words, Jeff for a room nearby and a drive to the start, Dani for keeping me laughing, Brian for making me sign up for the 50 mile instead of the 50k, Dani's friend Nick for driving me home, Rick for taking pictures, Tyler for the Espom salt bath and beer, and finally to my feet for not falling off after 11.5 hours.

Dani & the best sign ever

Ultramarathoners!

Massanutten Mountain Trails 100 Mile Run

2010-05-19T20:45:00.003-04:00

Volunteering
In preparation for Grindstone 100 in October, my friend Brian and I signed up to work the Roosevelt aid station at the MMT 100 race. It was in the same area, same distance, and we needed the volunteer hours to qualify. I was hoping to learn as much as I could about ultramarathoning, but I got way more from the experience than I feel like I gave.

The Roosevelt aid station was the first aid station a pacer could join, and so there were a ton of experienced ultrarunners hanging out. I met so many awesome people and talked with guys who have done several 100 milers. The runners were coming in slowly at first, and they all looked so great! I didn't understand it! We were the aid station at mile 63, and these guys looked like they were at mile 12. The first runner was a whole 45 minutes ahead of the second. Then finally these guys arrived, and I thought "that's what mile 63 should look like"

image from MMT facebook photos

As the night started, the runners looked worse and worse. Since we were so close to the start line, many dropped at our station. We had hot soup, sandwiches, potatoes, fruits, desserts, etc. When runners came in, I would fill up their packs, help them get food, help administer first aid, and send then on their way. It was a blast! Then, a guy came in saying he had a rough time with his toe. I said I would do what I could to help. He took off his shoes and socks and...

I was dumbfounded. I had no idea how to handle this. Another volunteer went to get our aid station captain. This had happened at mile 19. Nineteen! And he continued running on it until mile 63! It was insane to hear his story. I got him ice, and he wanted to go on! Our aid station captain told him he needed to wait to be taken to a hospital, and he hung out icing it at the aid station. He definitely won the award for most bad ass runner that day.

I really had a blast. We were on our feet most of the time. I got eaten alive once the bugs really came out. It was so inspiring to see all the runners pour in, looking tired and some very sick, and then watching them pull themselves together and get back out there. The crew members were so awesome, and it was a blast to hang out and meet new people.

The Massanutten run
As 3 a.m. came around, our aid station started closing up. Brian and I decided we would go run some of the course, to see how it feels to run at night, in the mountains, with little sleep. I had on almost 3 layers, I was so cold, and I made the bad decision to keep my jacket on. We were both in street shoes, with a few water bottles, and completely unprepared for this crazy rocky course.

It was rough. We did the nearly 6 mile stretch from our aid station to the next and by the time I got there I wanted to curl up in a ball and quit. It took us nearly 1:34 to get to the aid station. From there, we could go up the course's biggest climb, or head back to the car for a 11 mile loop. I was so sweaty from having my jacket on, and was almost out of water. It had been my first run in the dark, and I tripped over some rocks, banging up my hip and chest pretty badly (still hurts... ouch). My calf was tight, my shoes were not built for those rocks, and I wanted to go on, but I voted to head back to the car. I finally got to feel what running up a mountain is like--and I will have nightmares about it until October.

This was great in that I learned a few things from Brian re- trail running. For example, when you run downhill, you need to keep your body over your legs, which builds up speed and helps gravity pull you down. But, on rocky trails you can't run that fast because of the footing, and so my knees were killing me after running downhill. Brian told me to lift up my knees more and stagger my steps and it really helped!

Brian is such a great runner. He treks uphill faster than I run on flats. I keep forgetting he's a guy and so that's kind of ok. Its probably a good thing, he makes me run faster, but it also makes me feel like I'm slow and out of shape. What was funny is that after we got up the next hill, we were on a road for 3 miles and somehow got 8:49, 8:26, and 8:14 splits. I felt comfortable again getting back onto a road. When we got into the car, we both felt pretty good and so decided Brian would drive back to DC right away instead of taking a nap. I just wanted to get off my feet. I was feeling like the biggest failure ever.

I realized I'd signed up for a whole different level of trail running. These mountains were serious. I needed to live to do hill training. I needed to do more work in higher heart rate zones. I needed strength training. I needed to get in more and more miles than I've ever done before. I felt awful as we drove back into DC. Surely, I sucked at running and had no idea what I was doing.

Riverbend Park run
On the way home I saw the Great Falls exit, and joked that we should put in some miles on the race course. Before I could say I was kidding, we were on the exit and Brian looked for Riverbend Park, where the course hills are. Awesome. I felt like this was the worst idea ever. I was exhausted and wanted to get home to bed. Once I got to the bathroom, washed my face, filled up my water bottle, and got onto the trail, it was an instant runner's high. I felt amazing (even though I tripped again).

We had a blast, tearing up the hills that looked so tiny compared to our last climb. When we got to a field, I joked that we should frolic through it, and so we started skipping on the trail. All my confidence came back. We did an extra 11.5 miles and I felt more ready than ever for my upcoming 50-miler. I couldn't stop laughing. It was a great reminder that I love running.

Back to back

2010-05-10T10:27:00.000-04:00

I know, I know... I have yet to do a Boston race "review" talking about how awesome it was. But, honestly, I'm not really over it yet. Gimme some more time before I can speak fondly about the experience. Yes, I'm aware its been more than 20 days, but every time I run I regret so much about it. Getting over a bad race is no fun.

Since Boston, I had to take a week off to recover and that Saturday did a 15 mile trail run with my friend Brian. It was our first time meeting up in person, and I recognize that meeting someone you met over the internet for the first time by hanging out alone in the woods is not very smart. However, we got e-mail addresses from a mutual friend, so I was pretty sure he was cool. He was, in fact, and the run went really well. I was finally able to move without grimacing from pain, and I was sore once again the day after. We're running both the NF 50-miler and Grindstone 100--we should become good friends.

Then, I had a foot stress injury, and needed to take a few days off. I meant to do a long run in Western (not upstate) New York while I was visiting the weekend of May 1st, but I got lost and couldn't find the trail. Yes, I got lost with a GPS. Don't judge.

Last week, I did two mid-length runs while my sister was visiting, and then had a great weekend which really upped my confidence. I did back to back 20 mile runs (ok, 19.3 and 19.55) and they both went really well. The second one went better than the first, and I just still felt so strong and fresh. 39 miles in one weekend! Whoa!

Also, I didn't really take time to recover. After my first 20 miles, I got home, put my feet up, drank a smoothie, and then got ready, made french toast, and then went around with my sister visiting monuments and such. We did a lot of walking. Once we ate dinner and took a bus home I passed out in bed and got a little less than 8 hours of sleep. My legs were dead and I doubted I could do another long run in the morning.

I woke up early feeling so refreshed. I ate a quick breakfast and got out before 8am, to give me more time since I hit the trails. I ran out to the C&O towpath, crossed the chain bridge, had fun on some trails (played fetch with a dog) and then headed back on the super rocky trail. The really rocky mile took only 23 minutes this time (a 5 min PR), but no one else was out so I could do it more quickly. The trail to asphalt transition was tough on my feet (especially in my MT 100s) but I was amazed with how fresh my legs felt, and how well I could handle the rocks already 12 miles into my run.

After, I didn't sit down until getting to the metro an hour or so after (and another mile walking), walked around the Holocaust Museum for 2.5 hours, and didn't really sit until 7pm. Lots of time on my feet this weekend, and I'm so surprised my body isn't completely drained. My legs are feeling a little stiff, but some swimming tonight, stretching, and foam rolling will do me well. My race is less than a month away! I can't wait till I can call myself an ultramarathoner!

Race report: Boston Marathon

2010-04-20T00:07:00.004-04:00

image from Boston Globe

All day, people have been asking me "how did it go?" and my reply has been "awful."

It wasn't that my performance was awful, or that I'm not happy with my time and my huge accomplishment of running the Boston Marathon. I've never had a bad race. I've never hated running so much. I've never been so tempted to quit in my life. "It was so hard" was what I said the first time I saw my parents at the finish line. My Dad's reply was "of course it was."

I'll start with the bad, and then end up raving about how great the event was in my next post. It was clearly meticulously planned, the crowd support was insanely amazing, and I've never been a part of such a big running event!

First, it was a tough journey to the start. Not the whole qualifying stuff, the hotel shuttle line, to the bus line, to the bus ride, to the race start, to the porta-potty line (wow I had to pee), and then finally getting to my start corral. While walking I actually thought the words "I really don't feel like running today." NOT what you want to be thinking at the start of the Boston Marathon!

I had to start talking myself through the race at Mile Three. That is unheard of in my books. I thought the 5k sign was the five mile sign. I always spend the first three miles of my run just adapting, so I thought I just needed to get into my groove. I tried to put as little effort into the run as possible. I just pushed forward and let gravity do its work.

At Mile 8 I really started to feel it. I felt just tired and my legs felt dead. My hips were hurting already but I just focused on keeping my pace up. I was waiting for my runner's high, an endorphin rush, my usual adrenaline rush, a second wave... anything! But nothing! I knew I was in trouble and I was really getting to the point where I was not enjoying myself at all.

I'm surprised I kept my pace up. At half-marathon I was around 1:40 and that's pretty surprising. I was holding on to hope and just waiting for the downhills to end. My quads really started cramping. This got unbearable at Mile 14. The song "Eat you up" came onto my iPod and I felt like it was the course serenading my quads. And I still had 12 miles to go.

Miles 15-19 are a blur. I kept my pace under 8:00 until Mile 16--don't know how I did that. I was actually ready for the hills at Newton because I wanted to get off the downhills. My quads were screaming. My energy was at zero. I hit "the wall," which pissed me off, damn it! I liked to think I didn't have one! The last water stop at 19, I finished my water off to the side and just stood there. A girl in the crowd told me "Six miles to go! Keep going!" and I remembered that this whole marathon-thing started with a 6 mile run in 2006, and so I started running again, choking to keep tears down, and focused on making every mile.

Seven more miles after reaching that point of exhaustion is awful. Just no fun at all. I tried reminding myself so many times that I love doing this. I'm a runner. I love running. I actually seriously doubted that I could finish the race. But, I had a jacket, hoodie, and a t-shirt I wanted to wear with pride. I knew every mile I pushed myself would come back to make me stronger and better during the-race-that-shall-not-be-named. I stopped drinking water because I knew if I stopped I wouldn't start again.

I kept up my pace pretty well until Mile 23. And every time my watch beeped, I was surprised to see my pace. How was I doing this?! A toenail started bothering me and once heartbreak hill passed and we had all downhill running to go, I was reduced to a mix of running and limping. My quads were dead and my foot was killing me. Every mile after 22 was hard as hell. It was hard to have the strong happy runners passing me because I've always been one of those! I hated the weak finish, and yet I was proud of every mile marker I passed because I was working so hard to get there.

At Mile 25, I was able to pick it up for a moment, until being reduced back to my shuffle. But hell, when I turned to see the finish line, my quads were fresh feeling and I took off. I ran as hard as I could and I've never been so proud to cross a finish line. And, I reached my real goal: I gave it all I had. By the time I finally made it to the space blankets I was shivering and choking down tears again. I was spent. Getting that finishers medal felt amazing--I don't think its ever meant to me as much as it did today. I've never thought that I might not finish a race before.

A few months ago, I doubted I could run a marathon by mid-April. I had to work through an injury and rebuild my miles again while taking it easy on my legs. I ran 32 miles two weeks ago and a marathon two weeks before that. My taper included getting so sick, I couldn't run for a week. Hell, I did freakin awesome under the circumstances! I ran the Boston Marathon today! My goal for the past 9 months! I'd rather give birth than do it again, but I finished, I never stopped running and I worked through a lot of pain. I feel great about the race, no matter how awful it was (that's my word for the day).

Thanks to everyone who inspired me, who supported me, and the overwhelming amount of texts, e-mails, and twitter shout-outs yesterday meant more than you could ever imagine. And thanks to my parents who made it out to see me run! They were right by the finish line and got to see the elite men finish--how cool is that!?

This is it!

2010-04-17T09:32:00.000-04:00

Two days away from the Boston Marathon.

In the week leading up to MCM, I was insane with anxiety. But, I realized that it was just another long run and only step one to my actual goal: Boston 2010.

It's really hard to believe that its here. There are very few things that I've worked this long for at 22 years old. Its hard to remember running the Baltimore Half Marathon in Fall 2008, and hitting that 8:00 pace and realizing that if I worked hard, maybe I could qualify for Boston--something I never imagined I would do. I thought about trying the Spring of 2009, but decided to wait until MCM in October. In May 2009 I started training, and found that 8:00 pace hard.

Marathons are all about the training. Every runner sees the actual race as the Victory Lap--the 26.2 mile run that tops 500-1,000 miles of training. And on Monday, I feel like its finally my victory lap. After two marathons, countless long runs, three injuries, and 11 months of training, this is it! This is the big one! This has been my goal since May of last year. Its been my computer screen background, my phone background, my motivation for every run, swim, spin and strength workout. The reason I didn't go out so many Saturday nights; why I got nothing but cold running gear for Christmas; and why, for some reason, my race pace has gone from 8:23 min/mi to 7:17 min/mi. I've learned how to challenge my body, to stop underestimating it, and that its possible to overwork it. I actually started to take running seriously.

I've been sick all week, but finally recovering from a bad head cold. And no matter what happens on Monday, no matter what time shows up on the clock--I made it. I set a goal for myself and I got there. And really, that's all the matters. The finish line has been my phone background for 9 months now, and I can't wait to cross it.

Good luck to all the other runners on Monday. I'm bib # 9546 if anyone wants to track me online or by text/e-mail.

Playlist necessities

2010-04-15T20:40:00.001-04:00

I'm not going to post my Boston Marathon playlist, since there are way too many embarrassing songs. But for anyone looking for some new additions or ideas, or need a power song, here are some playlist necessities:

I Made it Kevin Rudolf- when just getting to the start line was a huge accomplishment
Its My Time Fabulous- LOVE THIS SONG
Sexy Bitch David Guetta- "they say she needs to slow down, the baddest thing around town"
Living on a Prayer Bon Jovi- At 13.1... ooohhh we're halfway there
You can do it Ice Cube- ...put yo ass into it. This is my hill song.
Eat you up BoA- a new find today and I think I like it...
The War Angels&Airwaves- I love the "why won't you tell me that its almost over" at mile 20 or so...
Halo/Walking on Sunshine Glee cast- This is my fav song to come onto my playlist mid-run. Its just so upbeat and happy! The walking on sunshine part is just perfect for reminding me that I love running. I swear if you put it on you'll get a solid two minutes of awesome running in with a smile on your face!
Baby Got Back Sir Mixalot- No explanation needed.
Remember the Name Fort Minor- Best pump-up song
Run this Town Jay-Z, Rhianna, and Kanye- Again, no explanation needed when "run" is in the song
Don't go Breaking my Heart Elton John- for right before I should be hitting heartbreak hill
Heartbreaker Mariah Carey- for Heartbreak hill
Lose Yourself Eminem- gets me all competitive feeling
Move Along All-American Rejects- Got me through mile 23 at MCM
Alice Avril Lavigne- Great song for the end of the race
Bombs Over Baghdad Outkast- Once, I held <6:00 pace to this whole song. Its magical.

How to catch a runner

2010-04-08T11:46:00.002-04:00

Step one: find a trail

Step two: leave behind a tangled, near invisible fishing line

Step three: watch as they run, get caught in it, and not realize its wrapped around their legs until they fall over.

Success!

Last weekend (yeah, this is a little late), on a beautiful Spring day, I wanted to spend a lot of time outside. I planned on a 20 mile trail run, and then running back to my place if I felt like it.

First, I was running along on a trail (in the "woods") and turn to find a giant, black and gray, super-hairy, huge (did I say giant yet?) dog. Alone, just standing on the trail. I honestly thought it was a wolf. There was no one else around. So, I stood completely still and for a good 20 seconds, was scared to death. I was in between climbing a tree and jumping into the Potomac, when the dog's owners finally turned the corner.

Then, the fishing line accident happened. And, I discovered why I only ran 4 miles an hour last week, as I actually watched my splits, they went: 8:53, 10:57, 13:42, 27:16. One mile in nearly 1/2 hour!! There is a ton of rock climbing and its just not runnable. This time I got stuck behind a family and they weren't very speedy. It was annoying since I was on the clock.

I really like trail running, except I get lost every 10 minutes and it totally kills my rhythm. But, its ok when that leads me to hot boys who can give me directions (twice). The Potomac Heritage trail is really confusing and at one point goes through a neighborhood. I got lost, gave up, turned around and hit the C&O Canal towpath after 9 miles on the trails.

The towpath was beautiful, the weather was perfect, and I finally got into a great rhythm. Thing is, I ran out of water, and luckily there was a park with Gatorade, and I chugged 1/2, poured the rest into my fuel pack. I had made corn tortillas with black beans for the run, and was glad to see how well my body handled food.

So, I kept running, and running, and realized at mile 14 I ought to turn around and head home. Then, on my way home, I decided to do a lap around Haine's Point to see the Cherry Blossoms. At mile 28 my feet finally started to hurt, but I was still 3-4 miles from home. I walked through the massive amount of tourists for 1/2 mile and then ran home, giving me about 32 miles in 5:48!!

This is what happens when you threaten me with a taper!

In light of all this, and after finding trail running friends to convince me, I moved up to the 50 mile run in June! So excited! And, I'm really looking forward to the Boston Marathon--11 days away! I'm taking it easyish this week and then next week I'll rest more. I decided to try and PR at Boston. If I die out at mile 20, then I die out. The goal is to have fun and not be able to walk the next morning :)

National Marathon: Long run and 10k race report

2010-03-21T09:45:00.000-04:00

It didn't matter that I was just using this as a catered long run, I still didn't sleep well Friday night. I had nightmares about not getting to the race on time, torrential downpours and hurricane force winds, and forgetting my sneakers. Every time I woke up, I would be disappointed it wasn't 5 a.m. already.

This is probably because I seriously doubted my ability to not race a marathon. I had many points that I kept repeating in my head:

Elite runners use races as training runs and run them 40 minutes over their PR all the time. This is ok.
Last time I was on my feet for 4 hours running was in 2007, so this will be good practice for my 50k trail race in June.
When I signed up, I knew I would do this as a training run. I'm not giving up on anything.
This was capping off a week of over 9 hours of training, 38 miles of running, and nearly 100 miles of biking, running, and swimming combined. I shouldn't PR. And, I still plan on a full week of training. So, its pretty important that I'm able to run again by Wednesday.

Still, I went through the pre-race routine. And, as a bonus the start was six blocks from my house and we basically passed it during mile 12. So, to keep my pace even, I left my iPod at home and left out some food and water for when I stopped by my personal aid station. I decided that I would run 20 miles at a 9:00 pace, and then I could race the last 10k.

My Garmin wouldn't catch the satellites and I started tracking the run 4 minutes in. However, it still says I ran 26.3 miles, and I heard other marathoners complain that their Gamins said they ran over 27 minutes. So, I'll just use my unofficial Garmin time for splits... if you don't mind! :)

The weather was perfect for a half-marathon. It got a little too hot for the full, but the first 12 miles I ran with my friend Natalie. This was her first half-marathon and long distance race. She really rocked it out, we ran 8:30-9:00 pace. We rocked the downhills, took the uphills pretty strong, and she listened to her iPod while I chatted her ear off half the time. When I left her at mile 12, she was feeling pretty worn out, but still finished strong and picked people off in the last mile or so.

1- 9:13
2- 8:57
3- 8:40
4- 9:02
5- 9:13
6- 8:58
7- 9:03
8- 8:30
9- 9:50
10- 8:27
11- 8:43
12- 11:44

I stopped at home, and went all Tarahumara, downing some iskiate I'd made to test how I handled it mid run. I went to the bathroom, washed my face, took a few sips of water, grabbled my iPod and jumped right back in.

Once I had my music, my pace definitely jumped a little bit. This race had a LOT of water stations. I took one powerade at each, and once it started getting warm, two. I felt like the last 6 miles had one every mile, but its interesting to see that I walking for about 10-15 seconds never really affects my split times.

During mile 14, U & Ur Hand, by Pink came onto my iPod. This is my favorite fartlek song, but you don't do speed play in a marathon. Except, I told myself, this was a training run. And so, that's right. I fartleked during a marathon.

13- 8:22
14- 8:31
15- 8:27

My right achilles has been bugging me during long runs lately, so I think I had to stop and stretch maybe three times. The first, during mile 16.

16- 9:16
17- 8:33
18- 7:59
19- 9:47
20- 8:19

At 19 they had an aid station with bowls of pretzels, orange wedges, etc., which was AWESOME. And there were a whole bunch of runners standing around a table shoveling food in our mouths. I stuck around to re fuel and get ready for my 10k. I was running with the 9:00 pace group and all of a sudden, hit mile 20 and pulled this:

21- 7:37
22- 7:19
23- 7:29
24- 7:52 (Holy crap, rolling hills! I didn't expect these. My calf was irritated by the uphills so I had to take them a little slow, but I kept pushing on and targeting men to pick off)
25- 7:56
26- 6:49 (Where did this come from?!)
.33 in 2:19, a 7:05 pace.

I would look for men who were shirtless, wearing bright colors, or wearing red and just had fun earning this shirt that I got at the expo:

Only one got me, we were racing at one point and I didn't lose him until I was at a 6:00 pace, then in the last mile he pulled ahead and I just couldn't keep up. I was disappointed, but it happens, he looked very fit so... (grumble grumble)

After racing MCM, I was shaking uncontrollably for a good time after and was hardly coherent, I was so dead. But yesterday, I felt like I had just completed a long run, so mission accomplished. I was energetic, and full of energy. I went out to the park when I got home to enjoy the sun and went to a movie. Today, I'm only slightly sore, and my legs feel very fresh.

I was worried after MCM that my ultra dreams were unrealistic. I was wiped out after 26.2 miles. But yesterday was really encouraging, because by taking it easy most of the race, I still had more to give. I learned the difference between racing and running, and now I feel even more proud of my MCM time. I definitely raced that and gave it my all. I 'm feeling much more confident about my 50k in June.

I always underestimate what my body can do, I didn't even think I would be marathon-ready by mid-April, and here I did a great 26.3 training run and I feel fantastic. I still have no clue what my Boston goal should be, but I've got nearly a month to build on what I've done this weekend.

The National Marathon, cross-training, my new gym, and Daily Mile

2010-03-18T16:36:00.001-04:00

The National Marathon

I'm running it. As in all 26.2 miles. I am going to try really hard to run, and not race, it but I have been forgetting the fact that I have a marathon Saturday all week. I'm starting to get excited! To keep my pace down, and prep me for the JFK 50 miler in November, I'm thinking of running it without my iPod. I know, that its a crazy idea (me, who obsesses over her running playlists), but it will keep me focused on what my body is telling me instead of the beat. Still undecided though.

Its going to be a bit warm, and super sunny, so I'm sticking with the little outfit I wore for MCM and hoping I'll finish before the temp rises above 70 degrees. After, everyone is invited to my unofficial after party at Good Stuff Eatery on 3rd and Penn SE. Can you beat delicious, free-range burgers on whole wheat buns, with farmer's market quality veggies, delicious ice cream and shakes, and carb filled fries? No, you really can't.

Cross-training

Since my weekly mileage is so low for peak training, I have made up for it by including a ton of cross-training, and its become such a great habit! My running has been average-to-slow paced, and so I've been using the bike to really get my heart rate up mid-week. I've been hitting a peak of 180-185 on the bike, which is pretty high up there (although, I'm not an expert on training according to heart rate).

In the last 30-days, my Garmin calendar tells me I've done 32 workouts/activities (I do double and triple up some days) and I haven't even felt very worn out. I really love that I'm getting sculpted shoulders from weight training and swimming, my core is definitely becoming stronger and my abs more defined, and I've been cycling more miles than I'm running! I feel more active and fit then on running alone, now that I'm taking time for other activities to work other muscles.

My Monday recovery swim is becoming a strict habit. Every Monday after work, I go to the local pool and do anywhere from 30-60 minutes of light swimming. My legs feel so refreshed, and I'm able to stretch once my muscles are warmed up. I also really love doing a lunch-time bike ride the afternoon of my mid-length weekday run (usually 8-10 miles). It just gets my muscles warm and ready for my evening run. Also, a longer (60-100 minute) bike ride on a rest day kicks my ass every time. Yesterday I did a double spin class and covered 38 miles.

I'm trying to do more weight training, but I'm still on only once a week. This week, I hope to get another one in, and focus on getting some hip and leg work in on top of just arms and core.

New gym

Most of this has been made easy by my awesome new gym. Results gym is located at the entrance of my new metro station (we moved offices at work) and right across the street from my workplace. So, if I want to skip a workout, I have to walk past my gym on the way home which would probably put me on a guilt trip. I can now do lunch time bike rides and weight training. Plus, the have a pool with a treadmill for aqua-jogging! I haven't tried it yet, but it looks pretty spiffy. Its clean, they provide towels, and their spinning classes are great. The bikes have all your stats (most spinning bikes just have resistance) and if there isn't a class going on you can do a recorded workout off the giant plasma screen.

Daily Mile

I finally caved and joined Daily Mile (the runner's version of facebook) once they started the Garmin sync, and I love it! I could go on and on about how cool it is! I really like the bar graph of all the miles you've logged. You can connect with local runners, those you'll be doing a race with, motivate friends, receive encouragement, and see how many doughnuts you've burned off.

Pushing myself again

2010-03-10T21:39:00.001-05:00

Since my ITB injury induced break, my running pace has really suffered. I've babied my legs, and I just couldn't really pound and push them anymore. You could tell in my average paces: 11:01, 9:34, 11:36, 8:59, 9:13, 8:19, 9:53... 3 miles or 14 miles, my fastest splits were still in the 8s, and I was no longer dipping into the 7s regularly.

I was trying to take it easy and just enjoy running again, and its really helped. Maybe its the beautiful weather, or heading out in the mornings again, but running has been really fun lately. My cross training habits are just flourishing, I'm spending a lot of time on the bike, at least an hour a week in the pool, and trying to get strength training in twice a week. I feel really solid and strong at the moment. I'm so proud of the way my body is responding to two-a-days and longer workouts.

Last weekend, I went out for a 20 mile run, and I felt fantastic. I was getting regular splits in the 8:20s, right where I was for my MCM long runs. I ended with a 8:15 mile, and I was really fighting to finish my run strong. I was far from home still, with the National Mall stretching in front of me, and I decided to run to the Capitol. For the first time since coming back, I just flew! I went into the 6:50s, steadied out in the low 7s and (mostly due to having to stop and start again do to traffic lights), topped off my 20-miler with a quick 7:24!!! I stopped my watch, looked down to my legs and accused them of holding out on me, where did that come from?!?

Just two miles earlier I was struggling to finish and then I push out my fastest mile in months?!

After a 1.5 mile walk home over a bottle of Gatorade and a bagel, a grocery store trip, a walk to Eastern Market, and a walk to my friend's party later that evening, I'm pretty positive that I covered 26 miles Sunday, and yes I'm still feeling it today!

I stayed at my friend's last night and once again faced the Rock Creek Park route that killed my ITB. I took it really easy, and covered over 1000 feet of elevation and descent in 5.66 miles. I'm still pretty sore, so I canceled my cycling workout and got home to rest. I decided on a 16 mile run this weekend and, gulp, the full marathon March 20th. I'm quite positive that I'll do well. I won't PR, but I hope to qualify for Boston again in 3:40.

The perfect long run

2010-02-28T16:28:00.000-05:00

I had the perfect long run. Really, it was just perfect and wonderful. I think the 20 mile bike ride yesterday did great things for loosening up my legs. I had a bowl of Quinoa this morning, read some of my book, got ready and headed out by 10:30.

I started off running to Hains Point and getting a lap in, and was up 7 miles. The miles today just piled up without my realizing it. I had to stop and use the bathroom, which never happens, but I just felt so good and light on my feet. Nothing hurt at all. Halfway in, I was worried because my energy was so high and I thought I'd get burned out. I ran, ran, and all of a sudden looked down and I was close to 12 miles in, and about 7-8 miles away from home. I just couldn't believe I felt so strong. I turned around and ate the rest of my cliff shot bar. These breaks took a little longer since they were the consistency of a soft rock in the cold. While getting a bottle of water down to chase the shot (haha), a guy ran by me with a giant maple leaf on his jacket and the offensive word "Canada" underneath.

I threw my bottle into its back pocket, which I'm admittedly bad at doing without getting myself wet, and chased him down, passing him easy and maintaining my lead for the rest of the trail (take that, Canada).

This taking a step back and enjoying myself is really going well. I've been really easy on my legs still, and not running very fast. The thing that's frustrating is I'll feel like a 7:30 pace, when I'm at like 8:45. I just can't run very hard anymore. I'm baby-ing my ITB and quads too much. Back to my perfect run, there were no tourists out, I only had one red light, there were only a few cyclists trying to run me down, and a ton of runners out. Mount Vernon trail was finally completely clear, and I naturally got faster, and faster as the run went on. It was a natural progression run!

1- 9:22
2- 9:06
3- 9:07
4- 8:53
5- 8:56
6- 9:08
7- 9:21
8- 9:20
9- 8:47
10- 9:19
11- 9:09
12- 8:48
13- 8:57
14- 8:29
15- 8:52
16- 8:44
17- 8:25
18- 8:55

Yeah, since I didn't feel like stopping I just did 18 miles instead of 16 :) Runner's high lasted for about 8 miles: it was so wonderful.

I've fallen in love with Garmin Connect's goal system:

Mostly, because you can watch the % completed throughout the week, or month. And it really helps that I want to complete every goal so I try my hardest through the week to get there.

After today, I'm feeling much better about Boston, and it will really be hard to not run the whole National Marathon in a few weekends. We'll see!

The hockey game is back on now... go Team USA!

Training update!

2010-02-25T13:30:00.001-05:00

My training has been going really well. I'm focusing on just getting the miles in, enjoying myself, staying injury free, and cross training. I ran 26.82 miles last week, and did just one gym day with a spinning class and a core workout. I really think I needed that week to just step back and take a deep breath.

My 16-mile long run was really good. I felt great and it was beautiful weather. I was able to run on the Mt. Vernon trail a little (although I had to climb over a tree to get onto the bridge) and I was so excited about this that I actually screamed with joy when I saw the large portions of cleared trail. Then, I was able to run around Haines Point, which was very pleasant!

On Monday I spent a whole hour in the pool and I focused on using my arms and core more and just letting my sore legs recover. It felt great and I got home, stretched, and had fun with my foam roller. Yesterday I did a 10 mile bike ride during lunch, stretched, and felt great all day. I topped off the day with an accidental 9.5 mile run instead of 8.

This week I'm running 29 miles. I'm planning on the gym today, running to work tomorrow, a yoga class tomorrow, a quick spin on Saturday and a long run on Sunday. I feel like I'm still working hard, and by mixing up the activities, I'm not overusing any part of my body. My IT-band feels good too!

I've basically planned out the rest of my year using goals on Garmin Connect. And, I've updated my tentative race schedule. I'm going to be taking things slow to avoid any more injuries.

My sugar-fast is going really well! I really don't even crave it anymore! Tomorrow, the office is getting doughnuts, but I am determined to resist them!

Boston fun run!

2010-02-16T14:08:00.000-05:00

All that said, and it looks like I'm running it. Maybe I'll survive, maybe not. I most likely will not PR. I'm not tapering. But, I'll do my best to prepare while still taking it slow!

Boston 2011

2010-02-15T13:07:00.001-05:00

Wow. I can't believe I'm writing this post. When I first said it, I burst into tears on the bus and felt more pathetic since it was Valentine's Day, and to the outsider it probably looked like I was crying over an ex. Talk about heartbreak hill...

Really though, my morning was disastrous. I was looking forward to a real long run V-day morning that would leave me happy and full of endorphins and self-love. The snow has just killed the joy of running, since it made every fun running trail inaccessible. I could only do laps around the National Mall, and even then I could only lap the Washington Monument on the one-way streets because the walkways were either icy or full of tourists. I accidentally punched a little girl in the face (oops?) and after slowing down behind a large family after yelling "excuse me" five times I whipped around and (in a very rude, biting tone) said "you really should take up the entire damn sidewalk."

Yeah, I was in a very bad mood. Not to mention the streets were packed, and a guy was swerving around talking on his cell phone. My glare must have looked like I was checking him out (he was fairly attractive in a nice car) because he smiled back at me and gave me the nod, which I responded to the with phone-to-the-ear gesture and yelled "get off the phone" as I passed his window, while trying to bring my glare up a level. Jerk.

My watch said the 14.5 mile run lasted about two hours, when I had been outside for nearly two and a half hours. That's how much time I spent stopped at lights or stopping in between parked cars to let a bus go by without flattening me out. At mile 12, my right IT-band started hurting and my quad was just cramping really bad. I fell apart. I stopped and just wanted to start kicking the piles of snow while screaming to let out my frustration with it all. The next two miles included a lot of thinking.

This wasn't normal. Since when did running become a source of frustration instead of an outlet for it? What happened to running for fun? The last three to four weeks have been so stressful, because I took two full weeks off of running, and then got back into it only to have the storm hit and hurt my running plans more. I should be at 45 miles this week, and instead I'm just over 20. And now, my right quad (just above my knee) just feels twisted and sore today. I decided I could go without tapering, but then I wouldn't really be ready for Boston.

The Boston entry fee is pretty steep, and then there are flights and hotel arrangements (which, by the way, if I can't cancel my hotel room this post is completely void--I just thought I'd answer all the "WHY?!" replies I got via twitter) for the marathon. If I'm not even going to get there and do my best, what's the point?

It's one thing to run 26.2 miles and another to do it well. I realize that I haven't done a legitimate long run in over 4 weeks. I could just finish the 14.5 miles (which was supposed to be 16) and I should be at the 18-20 mile mark by now. Its just not going to work. This feels like the right, smart thing to do. I realized this at mile 14 and finished the run in tears. I can't stand the thought of deferring to 2011. I've worked for this for nearly a year now. This was supposed to be my Victory Lap for every workout since June 2009. It's all been focused on Boston. I got back to my apartment, and felt the opposite of what I was expecting. On Valentine's Day I let myself down, and as a single gal--I'm all I have.

In the next hour, just about Every Little Thing went wrong, and when I ran into neighborhood friends on the bus, I just burst into tears. Luckily, I have really awesome friends that I just love to death. We went to the movies and a great dinner where I had lots of margaritas and a ton of Sangria. My day went from plain awful to a ton of fun. Thanks girls!

For three years, I ran marathons for fun. I didn't know what a split was. I didn't use a special training program, and I never got injured or stressed out about it. I loved it and I was addicted to them. So, I've decided to switch my thinking and focus on the distance again rather than obsessing over every aspect of the course, my pace, and every workout I need to do each week. I'm going to jump back to where I was two years ago. Maybe that drive led me to a 55 minute PR, but I can take this slower. I have years of running ahead of me, and so I want to be smart about it.

This is why I've decided to defer Boston, jump down to the National Half-marathon in March, and focus on rebuilding my mileage and focusing on distance for that 50k. I'm counting on that new challenge to take me back two years. I'm going to take it back to my first race where I just focus on preparing for the miles. Yes, its fun to be fast. It feels incredible to pass the finish line 18 minutes faster than your original goal. But, I don't want to get hurt again, burn out, and I can't stand the constant frustration every time I need to build mileage back up. I decided this is all because I broke my toe, and I kind of want to take out my anger by destroying my Vibram Five Fingers.

So, there it is. Thanks to my friends and family for all the support, and I hope that in 2011 I'm ready to race.

Snowmaggedon

2010-02-12T14:53:00.000-05:00

View from my front door Feb. 10th. It was about a foot and a half

after Round 2. We got about 20-25 inches Round 1.

Since my last post, DC has gotten a ton of snow (in case you don't live here and haven't been watching the national news). Now, I'm from Buffalo. I've seen storms with over 6 feet, but Buffalo can handle the snow. The airport has at least 20 snow-plows. The District of Columbia has four.

I've been snowed in and off of work since noon on Friday. On Saturday, my workout included shoveling for a half hour. On Sunday, I ran 10 miles. I didn't expect that many cars to be out, but I ran down the streets and it took almost two hours to get those 10 miles in. I was panning on 16, but it wasn't easy, and it started getting dark. I also couldn't feel that my feet were cold anymore, and since I had run through calf-high puddles of cold water and slush--this was a bad sign.

Since I was in the streets, I wore my reflective gear. I decided this would be categorized as a trail run. Instead of streams, I ran through giant slush puddles. Uneven terrain? Check. My "single-track" was running on tire-paths on unplowed streets. Ice? Yeah lots of it. Climbing over mountains? Well, do mountains of snow count? I think I can definitely put this under training for my upcoming 50k trail race in June. Wow, I'm actually going to be an ultramarathoner! Crazy.

Yesterday, I went for a 5(ish) mile run. It was pretty solid and my speed picked up a little. I was going to go to the gym, but the metro was crazy slow and my bus line hadn't started up yet.

It sounds like an extra week off of work is awesome, but I was getting pretty antsy. Other than meeting my friends for lunch (which I ran two miles to), a TWO AND A HALF HOUR trip to the grocery store (god-awful lines), and my running, I've been stuck in my hole in the ground (aka basement apartment). What does one do for 6 days?

I rearranged my apartment. It looks cool and extra spacey. I now have a coffee table!
Cooked extravagant dinners for myself nearly every night and big brunches every morning (french toast, pancakes, crepes, etc.)
Went through almost two cartons of nutella. I discovered the amazing thing that is heated soy milk with nutella whisked in, and have consequently went through over 2 liters of milk.
Cleaned my apartment so thoroughly that you can probably perform open heart surgery on my floor. I cleaned and vacuumed out my closet for goodness sake, tore apart and scrubbed my stove, did about 15 loads of laundry, scrubbed the bathroom down with bleach...
Finally hung things on my walls.
Read and re-read multiple books.
Watched two seasons of HBO's Big Love (my new obsession).
Ate cookies.
Made and devoured my family's infamous chocolate peanut butter fudge (yeah, that's two cups of sugar and a stick of butter).
Reacquainted myself with daytime Food Network.
Made meringues for the first time.
Had dancercize sessions and made love to my foam roller.
Made up a google profile.
Watched Ovechkin dominate the Pens.
Came up with my own blend of Malbec and Corbieres. I didn't like the bottle of Malbec, so I made my own blend of wine.
Went for walks in the pretty snow (where I saw a woman XC skiing while talking on her cell phone--wtf?)
Talked to my mom on the phone for hours.
Went through all of my piles of paperwork. I like to ignore paper bank statements since they make me sad, so I had to do a lot of tearing up since I don't have a shredder.
Ate everything in my fridge... including a tub of butter.

Now its Friday and I'm back to work, with birthday plans tonight, so no workout today. I'll be doing a 90-min spinning class tomorrow morning and a long run on Sunday. Its weird when life revolves around the weather and not your training schedule! (wow, that's kind of sad)

Getting my feet wet... literally

2010-02-04T10:28:00.001-05:00

I ran 4.5 miles Sunday and felt pretty good. I took Monday off, had an awesome spin class Tuesday after a core and upper body session, and ran almost 7 miles yesterday! I felt really great. My pace was slow, but I didn't want to push it. My heart rate was probably barely over resting, but my legs felt good. I'm feeling confident I can do a good long run this coming Sunday, despite the Snowpocalypse: The Sequel planned for this Saturday. Hopefully, the roads with be somewhat clear by Sunday afternoon, and I can stick to those as I get in somewhere between 14 and 16 miles.

Yesterday, I needed to go out for a run. The weather was gorgeous. It really warmed up after the snow, which made for huge puddles of slush everywhere. I tried to avoid it, but still arrived home with soaking wet feet.

I'm trying to plan out some very smart training over the next nine weeks to Boston. I'm really going to take it easy to avoid over-doing it, especially since I signed up for a 50k trail race in the beginning of June. I'm going to focus on that, rebuilding those base miles, and working on stamina and speed (Boston), and then focusing on endurance and getting out to the trails in late April and May.

The National Marathon isn't looking too hott right now. It just doesn't fit in with training anymore. I was thinking of doing a 4-week taper after that run (like I did for MCM), but now I almost just want to take a few weeks off before Boston after this setback, making a 26.5 mile run four weeks out a problem. I've always underestimated myself in the past, but I want to make sure I do everything right.

Just because its Feb. doesn't mean its any warmer

2010-02-01T11:19:00.000-05:00

As the snowing was falling rather heavily on Saturday, I was actually glad that I didn't have to go running in it! I went to my spin class, did an hour on the elliptical, and then found out at the metro that my pool was closed due to weather. I really wanted to get in a good three hours of work, so that it mimicked a long run. Oh well!

All this cross training and people think I'm training for a triathlon instead of a marathon!

I ran 100.94 miles in January with an average pace of 6.9 mph. I spent about 5 hours in spinning class and 2 and a half hours in the pool. Now that I like swimming so much, I'm going to try to make my Garmin calendar very colorful in February, with lots of cross training since my running mileage will be so low. Over the next few weeks, I'm going to start--cringe--running in the morning again, and going to the gym at night. Since I'm only doing 2-3 runs M-F, I think its a good idea.

So this week, I am running Tuesday and Thursday morning. Five miles each: one easy, one fartlek run. Monday and Wednesday are pool workout days. Tuesday is spinning and lifting. Friday is a two hour yoga class. Saturday is a 90 min spin class, weight training, and an hour long swim. Sunday I'm doing a 16-mile run.

And yes, I gave myself Thursday night off for dinner with a friend, I'm going out after my yoga class Friday, and I have multiple parties on Saturday--I can have a life and work my ass off. I'll be exhausted, but I can do it!

Now what?

2010-01-29T17:36:00.000-05:00

When I don't follow rules, I usually at least know what I should do, but right now I've no clue. Since MCM, I've broken my toe, took about 6 weeks off from running completely, then ran for 5 weeks, and ended up injured again with ITB issues. I know it may not have been totally due to weekly mileage (a lot more sidewalk running then normal, didn't wait to recover from my race, I did way too many hills, etc.), but now that I'm feeling good and I think I'll be ready to go this weekend, I have no idea what to do.

My weekly mileage so far has been:

14
0 (decided toe still hurt)
30
33
34
32
31

I thought I could handle weeks in the low 30s right away, since I was feeling good and I was never sore or exhausted. But I have no idea what to do to get back into training. Where should my mileage begin? Can I handle doing a 16 mile long run right away? How can I adjust my mileage so that I can get back into serious training for Boston right away?

Before MCM, I had taken months off of running. In July, I was about 3 weeks into building my base, when I took 2 weeks off from working out in any way. There were a lot of reasons why, but I got into a big mid-training slump. I came back with two really strong months of training, just went right back into higher mileage weeks, and did very well in my race. So, I'm not completely dismayed by having to take two weeks off, since I've been cross training every day, but I want to get right back into it. It would be stupid to risk another injury, or irritate my ITB further, but I'm really at a loss with what to do and how to plan this. I think I can handle strong training again, but getting injured is just no longer an option. It's just not do able. If I'm out for even one more week, my marathon prep will be crap. That's not a risk I can take.

And, now that I'm two weeks behind, can I make it to the National Marathon as my last long run?

For MCM, I did one 20 and one 23 mile run. For Boston, I planned an additional 26.2 mile run because, hey, what's 3 more miles? And, its catered! But now, I don't know if I'll be ready for that by March 20th.

So far, I think I'll keep up my 16 mile long run. And, I am going to peg a swim workout to the end of my long run since its actually supposed to be 18 miles. I think I'm only going to run four times a week: a "track"/park workout, a tempo run, and a long run, with an easy 3 miler in there somewhere. Every other day, I'll cross train. Hopefully I can ease back into running, while really improving speed through quality workouts and cardiovascular fitness with the help of cross training. Every mile will have to count--I think I might consider just walking as most my warm-up and recovery so I don't have to count them!

Instead of a "long run" on Saturday, I am doing a tri-day of one hour spin, one hour elliptical, and 45 minute swim. It'll keep up my endurance! Then Sunday late afternoon I will try to run again.

On another subject, through work I got my first professional massage. Perfect time to get one since my ITB is so tight. He's also a marathoner and works with a lot of athletes, I was promised 50% off my next session and a continued discount. I might go in Feb. and again after the National marathon if I run it! It was amazing. My ITB feels so great.

I got my body fat percentage taken yesterday at the gym, and I'm around 16%. Since I'm technically "underweight" and low on the athletic range for women, I think I can eat sweets again. If 12-14% of fat is essential for women, I'd only have about four pounds of fat I could lose. Funny thing is my weight is higher then ever, so I'm really packing on the muscle! Goodness, negative body image issues are so weird. I thought I was at 20-22%. Totally off...

Today, I have a 2 hour yoga sesh planned. Can't wait. Its my first class ever!

Injured

2010-01-25T13:39:00.003-05:00

I'm pretty sure that the worst thing about running injuries, is that you're just fine, and then in one moment there is a pull, a twinge, a break, or an ache, and then weeks of recovery that interrupt your training schedule, your endorphins, your race plans... basically your life.

I've decided my knee pain (which went from light while running to HOLY CRAP THAT HURTS) is IT-band related. From what I've read, this can last from two weeks to two months. It was feeling really good, so I decided to try running on Saturday, and I lasted about 15 seconds. I've done research and found out what I was doing wrong:

A hilly race followed by a hilly run (it was hurting on the downhills)
Too much too soon (I was really focused on recovering from every run but I still should have took it slower)
Running on the edges of streets, and always on the left, so that the left leg was always a grade lower than my right
Too much running on sidewalks and cobblestones (I did a lot of speed-work around Lincoln Park and decided to go from the dirt path to the cobblestone--bad call)

I'm not going to let this stress me out. If it kills my Boston training, its ok. If I need to defer the National Marathon, no big deal. Luckily, I have fallen in love with swimming, I have a gym membership, and I can cross-train all I want.

I bought a foam roller today, and I plan on stretching twice a day, and icing it everyday after working out. Since I'm not running, I'm cutting out sweets and trying to lose a few pounds while I don't have to deal with a raging appetite.

My everyday stance regarding stress is that nothing is worth breaking out, gaining weight, and getting wrinkles. When I start to stress, I think about all the money I spend on skin care products, worrying about this is not worth a new pimple.

I am not stressing out. I am not stressing out. I am not stressing out.

The skinny on why I love running

2010-01-20T13:01:00.001-05:00

I'll never say that I have or ever had an eating disorder. Sure, I've gone a day or two without eating or made myself sick, but I've never been undernourished in my life. When I was little I would look up to people who were anorexic, I even respected them. I could never be so dedicated to losing weight and I was so impressed by people I read about, that I used their stories for motivation. And, that's pretty messed up.

Until I was in fourth or fifth grade, I was skinny. So skinny, that classmates would come up to me and joke about how they could fit their hands around my ankles. I even had someone tell me "you're not that bad, I always thought you were just that really skinny, shy girl." I ate everything in sight, and so I decided I was one of those blessed people who would always be skinny.

I started doing gymnastics, hit puberty, and in one summer I went from 78 to 91 pounds (yes, I remember the exact numbers). I freaked out about it. I remember the first picture I saw that summer, in a two-piece bathing suit, and I thought I looked fat. So began my crazy body image issues.

When I see overweight children (especially girls), I think less about their future health problems and much more about what they will go through once they hit adolescence and their figure will mean the world to them. In one way, I'm glad it happened to me. I focused on healthy eating and started running.

By mid-high school, I no longer really wanted to be skinny, I just wanted to be happy. In every resolution, and in the letter I got to write (and address) to my future self, I never said that I wanted to weigh 100 pounds, just that I wanted to be happy and confident in my body. Its exhausting to worry about it, to rip it apart in the mirrors, to feel guilty through every bite of food. It takes so much of a toll on my life. I don't even want to be skinny anymore, I just want to be fit, healthy, happy and confident.

I get these small reprieves from my body image issues, which is why I cherish them so much. Because, when your body takes you through 26.2 miles in just over 3 hours and 22 minutes, you can't hate it. Its not about what it looks like, its about what it can do. I discovered this the first time I ran ten miles, while training for my first marathon. I came home, and I looked in the mirror. I wasn't any thinner than when I left, but I felt so great and all I could do was look at myself and think wow, those legs just took me ten miles.

And, there is no mirror more flattering than the one at gyms. Every time I stand in front of a mirror to lift weights, I'm incredibly happy with my fit, little self.

I've been waiting to write about conquering these issues, but I've realized that it just might never happen. I'll probably never rid myself of them for good. But training helps me focus on being healthy. Food becomes fuel, and putting it in that perspective really helps. While running, and after every run, I feel absolutely fantastic and happy with my body. It may last anywhere from 10 minutes to a few days, and that small break from stressing out means the world to me. Its why I really don't think I could ever give running up. The best way to accept my body is to challenge it, and every time it comes through for me, I get a little better at accepting it as is.

Training Log: Jan. 11 - 18

2010-01-18T20:12:00.001-05:00

Last week was my week to take a break, including a 12-mile long run (the JFK 20k) and only 30 miles for the week. I feel good, except today I thought I could do a tough workout since I took yesterday off completely, and I plan on cross-training tomorrow. But my knee started feeling off (which has never really bugged me before). I don't feel particularly tired from the running, so I don't think I'm adding too much too soon. I think the problem was the terrain and that I've completely forgotten about my orthotics, and I should probably be wearing them still for longer runs.

Interval run (7 miles): I was shooting for a warm up, two 7:30 miles and two 7:00-7:15 miles, then my run home. My splits were 7:32, 7:33, 7:08, 7:26. Mediocre, but I was feeling pretty dead that day. I really should just start taking Mondays off!

Spinning class (1 hour): My favorite instructor, Jennifer, was subbing, which was awesome! And I got in an upper body workout.

Speed-workout Part I (3.5 miles): I only got half my workout in because of girly-time induced gelato cravings, but I got 3:04, 2:58, 3:04 splits.

Easy run(6 miles) and speed-workout Part II(3 miles): My easy run was at a 8:33 average pace, and the Part II splits were 3:00, 3:07, 3:01.

JFK 20k: Went pretty well, felt good after! Went to the gym and did a core and arm workout.

The Sadistic, Evil, Progression, Hilly, Run (Forever labeled SEPHR) (9 miles): Three laps of this:

Need I say more? It went well. I did the first lap at a 9:15 avg pace--real easy. The second at 9:01, and the third, I shot for 8:30, but my knee really actually started to bother me, so I cut the run short (I wanted to do 4 laps) and got my classic ham and cheese croissant for recovery. Yum!

JFK 20k: Race report!

2010-01-16T14:53:00.002-05:00

This morning was the JFK 20k, hosted by the DC Road Runner's Club. It was the perfect way to end my "getting faster and building base miles" section of training, and a great way to start adding stamina. I also got to test out how much my fitness has recovered from the weeks I took off to let my toe heal.

I was running late (obviously) and arrived at the Rosslyn metro, yawning, and remembered that I forgot to drink coffee!!!! So I grabbed a cup and drank it as I walked across the bridge to the start line. It was a small, $5 race, with no bag check, t-shirt, or anything. It was unorganized... but it was $5 so I didn't expect much. There was one water stop at the turn-around, and two more for a team (I took one). It was an out-and-back course, out going mostly uphill and back mostly downhill.

My splits were (Mile: time - elevation gained/elevation loss)

1: 7:22 - 224/315

2: 7:29 - 24/0

3: 7:30 - 35/8

4: 7:42 - 71/0

5: 8:00 - 112/62

6: 7:35 - 76/35

7: 7:45 - 32/2

8: 7:22 - 33/101

9: 7:31 - 68/139

10: 6:53 - 24/101

11: 7:07 - 137/137

12: 7:02 - 84/55

13: 3:05 - 0/73

My watch says 12.4 miles exactly, at 1:32:27, but I remember the clock saying 1:31:-- when I passed it and I had left my watch on for a bit before remembering to turn it off. So, the course may have been a little short, or I lost some feed going under the tunnel. I got 8th place (among women) and almost reached my 1:30 time goal. There were some big patches of ice that were hard to run on, and add getting stuck behind a group of runners over the run-able portion (ggrrr)... I would have probably been able to do it. Also, I had to pee the WHOLE time. Coffee right before running is not a good idea.

Also, did you notice I got a super negative-split!?! Well, thatwas easy with that hilly course, but I was very mindful of starting out easy,and taking those hills based on effort. I tried passing people on the way back, and apparently I played rabbit for a few guys. I almost beat the one I was trying to chase down, but I couldn't pull ahead of him.

I'm pretty happy with my time, I put forth an honest effort and yet I wasn't dead at the end. I high five-ed my friend Joe, ran into a fellow Loopster from Runner's World (phoenixshade), and spoke to some really nice people afterward. Then, I went to the gym and got a solid core and arm workout in!

My playlist today was awesome, with a lot of great dance, rap, and pop music (all the great, guilty pleasures)... I decided today that running a race is kind of like going to a dance club: have a great time, listen to good music, and chase down boys :)

Gelato is not a good substitute for GU

2010-01-14T10:00:00.005-05:00

Clearly, I give really good advice. If you don't follow me on twitter (@BeeZales) you should, because I give useful tips such as:

Yesterday, Iforgot to put gloves on. Don't ever run without them in Dec., it waspainful. I will never make that mistake again.

9:56 AM Dec 29th, 2009 from web

I know none of you ever thought to wear gloves when its freezing outside! Yesterday I almost wrote this piece of advice down, but I think its best with an explanation:

Before doing a workout that usually makes you a little nauseous, don't eat a half pint of gelato.

Just in case you were all thinking of trying it, that's my advice. Last night, I stopped by the grocery store on the way home from work, since I was out of oatmeal, bread, and curry powder--all essential! I was going to grab a bar of dark chocolate, but this is at an organic market that has great bulk items, but otherwise is way too expensive. $4 for a bar of chocolate? No, thanks.

On my way home, I decided instead to get some sorbet at the gourmet market. They have, hands down, some of the best ice cream ever. I went in, and saw that they had my favorite: Chocolate-Hazelnut gelato. Not only is this like frozen nutella, but it also has crushed hazelnuts, which makes it taste like the gelato version of the Ferrero Rocher chococlates. Plus, if you bought a pint of this brand, you got their Lemon-Basil sorbet for free. My decision was made.

I got home, and decided to try the Lemon-Basil sorbet, which sounded interesting, and then I needed a sample of my Chocolate-Hazelnut gelato. Since I was decked out in cold gear, I found the situation pretty funny.

Imagine a runner,decked out in night-cold gear, sneaking in spoonfuls of gelato beforeheading out the door. Yup, that's me right now.
about 14 hours ago from web

Then, I hit a patch of delicious crushed hazelnuts, so I took one more spoonful.

And by spoonfuls, I mean an entire serving.
about 14 hours ago from web

And by an entire serving, I mean half a pint. This happens a lot, I find not finishing the entire pint to be impossible. I've tried everything and it doesn't work. But I was ready for speed-work (which usually makes me a little nauseous to begin with) and so I shrugged, put it away, drank some water, and went out to run.

You know what,I'm gonna work extra hard, so I make all my splits,and then I canblame the ice cream and have an excuse to do this everyday
about 14 hours ago from web

I actually did do 3x800 (1/2 my workout) really well. The speed-work didn't bother me, but then I'd have a swig of water and on my recovery lap I would fight down the nausea. Finally, on my fourth lap, I couldn't do it anymore. I got sick (is this what they call exercise bulimia?) and went home. To be fair, I burned all the calories, and was too sick to eat dinner, so if anyone wants a diet based on ice cream, this is a great choice!

Yes, a really silly decision. I will do my planned 5 mile fartlek run tonight, and then head back to the park for my last 3 laps. This time, I'll stick to genuine simple carbs (like dried fruit) for my pre-run snack.

Training log: Jan 4-8

2010-01-11T10:51:00.001-05:00

Last week I ran 33 miles, it was supposed to be a 35 mile week but I skipped an easy, 3-mile recovery run yesterday. Its hard to get out there for only 3 miles, mostly because:

The best way to do that is just run easy laps around Lincoln Park, which is boring...
Otherwise, I have to run on streets, and stop for cars every 1/10th of a mile...
I spend more time prepping for going outside in the cold then I actually spend out there...
I never really warm up in this weather...
Its too cold and three miles won't do enough for me to get me out there for that long...
You get the point.

But, I did walk at least three miles yesterday, that's something, right? My workouts this week included:

Four mile repeats and a stair workout (8.5 miles): I wasn't feeling 100% last weekend and so this wasn't my best run to start off the running week. My first two mile repeats were at a 7:09 and 7:07 pace (my run on the Mall isn't exactly a mile), but I was dying out there. I was cramping (stomach felt weird), and I was tired, and I was getting weird twinges in my shoulder.

Easy hill repeats (4 miles): One mile warm up, some hard running up and down Capitol Hill, and then an easy mile back. This was a nice easy run, but got my heart rate up and some hill fun in.

Speed-workout. Six laps around Lincoln park (5 miles): A mediocre speed workout. I definitely need to give myself more warm-up time. My goal is 3 minutes, my times were: 3:17, 3:00, 3:02, 3:00, 2:58, 3:10. It was a big jump in speed-work from my last, which was only 4 laps. I'm still getting used to doing them! I never really did speed-work too much. I remember that I wasn't feeling warmed up that first lap, but I don't know what happened during that last one. Guess I was losing steam!

Long run (15 miles): I've been struggling on my long runs. I think its because my toe recovery included a lot of 45 min-1 hour classes, and I'm not used to being on my feet for this long and pushing myself. Its hard to hold back on pushing forward with the long run, and getting used to the cold. Friday night, I couldn't put my book down. I finished it around 3 a.m. (super late for me!) and it took awhile to get my mind at ease to get to sleep. I slept in, and ate oatmeal. I should have had another small bit to eat before leaving for my run.

I took the metro out to Bethesda, MD, and ran the Capital Crescent Trail into DC, crossed over into VA, and then did a lap around the National Mall before heading home. It was a gorgeous day. Since I had waited to get out of the house until 1:30, temps were well above freezing and the sun was warm. The trail was a bit icy at first but got better.

The point was a run that was mostly downhill to get my quads working

I did 15 miles in 2:02, averaging 8:11min/mi pace. With it only being 16 miles (the course was laid out as 16 miles, but the first one I was waiting for my watch to catch a satellite), I wanted to run this faster and do a progression type run. I also wanted to see what I should aim for for this week's 20k race. I was looking forward to keeping up a 7:30 pace (its becoming my new happy pace), but my splits were:

1- 7:28
2- 7:28
3- 7:34
4-7:31
5- 7:41 (still feeling awesome despite ice)
6- 7:43
7- 7:54 (decided my new goal was just to keep it under 8 min miles)
8- 8:04 (new goal fail)
9- 7:58
10- 8:28 (I was crossing over the bridge and went headfirst into tough winds--this was a hard one)
11- 8:24 (I'm dying out)
12- 8:29 (dying out and ran into a group of 8th graders on a school trip... grrr)
13- 8:32
14- 9:14 (Capitol hill... pain... I was trying to draw from my hill workout this week and it helped)
15- 10:20 (at this point, I was headed home, and didn't even stop my watch for streetlights. I was dead on my feet. I nearly stopped to just walk home every block, and was barely moving by the end)

This run WIPED me out. It took an hour for me just to get into the shower, and then I just laid down and closed my eyes for an hour or so and started reading the next installment of the series I stayed up reading the night before. I was so drained of energy that I got nothing done at all. My biggest error was losing my focus here, I kept forgetting to really apply my energy, my pace, and watch my form. I definitely got very lazy toward the end.

Overall, not a bad week in training. I'm trying to use my miles wisely, since I'm just getting back into running and I don't want to kill myself with over-training (another reason I thought it was alright to skip an easy run). I didn't get to the gym, due to forgetting my clothes on Wednesday, and scared about the rush of New Year's resolution folks. This week, I'll get there twice!

I can't believe I'm on Week Four of training already!!

Spice things up: throw out the junk miles

2010-01-07T11:41:00.001-05:00

I love stalking other running blogs, articles, and websites. I look at a lot of other training schedules in an effort to tweak my own. I find that there are so many different ways to train for a marathon. There is the run-walk program by Jeff Galloway. First time marathoners focus solely on building up weekly mileage and their long runs. There is the newer training program from Bill Pierce that has you run three times a week--all hard runs. At the same time, people are telling you to run slow and long.

I mean, whats a runner to do?!

I was looking at a girl's blog yesterday (a seasoned marathoner, not a newbie), and her training week consisted of a day of speed-work and then all easy runs. She had a lot of miles that week, but her long run was easy, there was an easy mid-length run, and two easy shorter runs. I don't really understand the easy run. If you're a seasoned runner, then a 7-mile easy run won't really do anything for you to improve, other than keep up some fitness and just add a lot of "junk" miles that could lead to over use injury. At least, not during training season.

Yesterday, I had an easy 4 mile run planned, and instead I ran to Capitol Hill and did hill-repeats. It didn't take much out of me, it was still an easy run, but at least I got some hill-speed-work in. I ran up and down as quick as I could (almost a half mile) and then walked around for 30 seconds or so at the bottom until doing it again. I only did three sets, but my quads were a bit achy, and it came to nearly 4 miles of running.

On Friday, I have an easy 3-miler planned, but that's just to loosen up my legs for a Saturday long run, its the consistent, mid-length easy runs that stump me. And, aren't they a bit boring? So spice up the easy runs! Do some fartlek exercises, make it an interval run, ramp up the speed, add some hills (even if its just 2 miles worth)! Try to take something from each of your runs, instead of just burning calories.

To spice up the long runs, here are some ideas: do the last 5 miles at race pace, make it a progression run, alternate easy and comfortable-hard miles, or work toward a negative split.

Its training season folks!

40mph winds=speed-work (right?)

2010-01-03T19:21:00.002-05:00

I knew I would hate winter training! I promise to never say this again, but running today was just miserable. That's honestly the best word for it. I really wanted to get in a 14-mile progression run (instead of treating it like a regular long run). During the first mile around the National Mall, the wind was so bad that I stopped moving while attempting a 7:30 min mile... twice.

There were gusts of wind around 40 mph (according to weather.com), and I failed to check out was the temperature "felt like" before heading out. It read 30-23 degrees during my two hour run, but it felt like 10-14. I didn't dress for this at all. I lost my footing while crossing the bridges, since the wind was hitting my side and I couldn't run straight. I had on a base layer of tights and a performance shirt (not my nice Under Armor), a jacket, headband, normal socks and basic gloves. My shoes ripped open a blister, and I looked down after just 3 miles to see my heel covered in blood.

My hands were the worst. After 5 miles, I stopped for some Clif shots and some water. The water was so cold that it hurt going down and I didn't drink anymore until I got home. Since I had walked trying to do all this, I cooled down significantly. My hands were so cold, that I could barely rip open the package. At one point, I couldn't move them, and they really stung, so I pulled my jacket over my water belt, shoved my hands in the pockets, and moved along slowly.

I wanted to turn back more times than you can imagine, and the will to finish those miles took enough out of me, I had nothing left to keep the pace up. I averaged a 9:22 pace. I tried really hard to be optimistic (like, this is considered speed-work running against the wind, right?), but by the end, I really was miserable.

Also, the 14 miles brought me a mile away from home, so I walked that last mile. I hope that was equal to taking an ice bath--it sure felt like one! I had a scorching hot shower, a stretch session next to my space heater, and now I'm all warmed up and walking around in shorts! (Ok, and knee-high socks, I'm not completely crazy). I hope everyone stays warm tonight, my tip is not to step outside (at all).

Training Log: Dec. 31 to Jan. 1

2010-01-01T14:59:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, I did a 6 mile "Fartlek" run to music. I ran the choruses hard, and recovered during the verses. I went with the beat, so if the chorus was extended at the end, I stuck to the hard run. I got most of the songs and strategy from spinning classes.

My playlist was:
7 Things - Miley Cyrus
Total Eclipse of the Heart - Bonnie Tyler
So What - Pink
Bombs over Baghdad - Outkast (I ran comfortable-hard the whole song)
Thousand - Moby (amazing song for this)

I warmed up for over a mile and cooled down. During B.O.B., my average pace was 6:55min/mi. During Thousand, I watched 5:30ish on my watch for an extended period of time, which was awesome! I'm pretty sure I'd never run so hard before. This was the core to my speed-work the last 3 years, before I had my Garmin.

Today, I planned out an 8-mile route from the Silver Spring metro into DC. It would be mostly downhill, and so I was planning on doing 7:30/7:00 interval miles. I loved this workout last training season, so I thought I would cut the pace, especially since it was downhill, and the miles.

I was a little lost at the metro, and so I took a different route than planned. Wow. It was hilly!

And, the hills came at all the wrong times. I didn't make any of the 7:00 intervals, either because of a ridiculous hill, stopping and starting for streets, people getting in my way... it was really frustrating. To make the first 7:00, I did a 7:30 pace uphill. My hard was pounding at the top. Those hills totally killed me, I was fading by the end and my cool down mile was really difficult and slow.

But, mission accomplished! My quads are shot. My knees hurt, my hips were sore feeling... I definitely let those hills take a lot out of me. I'm bummed about that, seeing as this was 8 and not 26.2 miles, but I have months of training to get myself up there. Elevation gain was 1,329 feet and descent was 1,533 feet. Splits were 7:26, 7:08, 7:22, 7:20, 7:35, 7:23 with a mile of warm up, cool down, a mile run to the metro, and a mile back from the drugstore. Over 10 miles logged today. 10 miles to start off 2010 :)

2010!!

2010-01-01T14:01:00.002-05:00

I have a few different 2010 goals: get out of debt, find a new job and figure out what I actually want to do with my life, and run faster and longer.

I know that I originally said that I wanted to move on and start running trails and ultras, taking the focus off marathons and road running. I've been researching trail running and ultramarathoning, and found that training for one requires you to focus on long, slow runs. And, that usually people get slower.

Since I'm only 22 and I've only been marathoning for three years, I'm going to postpone it and focus on mastering the marathon and getting faster. I'm going to shoot for the JFK 50-miler or the Mountain Masochist for 2010. The JFK-50 isn't really a trail race, and so that's my first choice. I think that it would be a good plan to split the year as you would training: get fast, work on maintaining speed over long distance, lengthen long runs, then focus on endurance, race, then rest. I want to get my speed up there during Boston training, and then try to maintain that speed for 50 miles. Why not kick ass by taking time to really train for that distance and do well?

Also, I love running with all I have, so I'm doubting whether I'd be good at storing my energy for something like a 100k or 100M race. Also, I'd rather train for that when I have a car to drive out to trails.

I don't want to start focusing on trail running, and lose my speed. It would be frustrating to get it back. I don't want to look back and wonder if I could be faster. I would love to do Grindstone on my birthday, but I want to work toward a better marathon PR. Not to mention, it would be an expensive endeavor to take up that kind of running. I'd need a ton of new gear, and it would require a trip to get my 50-mile qualification experience. I've thought a LOT about this, and talked it over with friends and family. Its a hard goal to give up, since I said that I'd do it, but I really will one day! Its just not the best for this year.

I don't get to offer up numbers for this year, since I didn't start recording miles until MCM training. But, this year I ran my first 5k and 10k, winning my 5k, and I got a 55 minute marathon PR, a 7 minute half-marathon PR, and a 10k PR, all at MCM. That was definitely a huge achievement, and I can't wait for the upcoming marathon season.

Happy New Year everyone, in 10 minutes I'll get another post up from my run today.

Awesome Christmas Presents

2009-12-29T15:59:00.002-05:00

When the Christmas shopping season was starting, I had been counting on qualifying for Boston. I was looking forward to winter training, but I was running 5-6 times a week and always doing laundry because of the countess shorts, tanks, socks, and bras I went through. I had one set of cold running gear, and I knew that would be a problem. So, I asked for cold running and trail gear for Christmas, and my family really delivered!

From my parents I got a lightweight reflective jacket--something to wear over my fleece in the winter, or during summer night runs, a matching headband, and Brooks pants.

I also got an under-armor shirt in a lovely bright green and black tights.

My grandmother did a great job and I got a black performance shirt, an adorable red vest, and a FILA sport jacket.

My Aunt got me a hydration pack. (and the newest Armani perfume and a great bottle of wine)

So, I'm all ready to go! Yes, I'll still need to do laundry every week, but at least its not every day!

Training log: Dec. 28

2009-12-29T09:55:00.000-05:00

Hold on people, I think I actually enjoyed my first speed-workout!

I know that I usually talk about how much I hate speed-workouts, and if I had the chance to run 20 miles a day, I'd prefer that to never doing 800 repeats again. But yesterday, I did four speedy laps and four recovery laps around Lincoln Park, and just being able to open up and really run, felt amazing. Lincoln Park's outer path is .45mi around, or 725 meters (about). So, its not exactly 800s (and I definitely take that into account) but with my watch on autolap based on position, it works out perfect so I can grab my water bottle for my recovery lap.

My splits were 2:59, 3:09, 2:57, and 2:55. The 3:09 is because the auto-lap confused me, and it beeped before I set my water-bottle down, so I was stationary for a few seconds there. I basically was at a 6:30ish min/mi pace, which is definitely not fast enough for speed-workouts, but then it was my first one. Next week, I'm doing six laps, but I wanted to give myself a week to adjust to speed training.

I found a great link describing the Boston course, and it really does scare me. Maybe I'll shoot for that bigger PR at another race! I decided I needed to really focus on that hill training, so I'm going to be taking the metro up to MD and run down into DC. I need to get my quads ready for all those downhill miles.

On 'dem back country roads

2009-12-28T09:54:00.001-05:00

This weekend's long run consisted of 14 miles in west Pennsylvania. I headed out for the run in weather conditions that went off and on between snow and rain, with nothing but shoes, clothes, and my iPod. I tend to forget that 14 miles is actually quite long and that I should bring water and some clif shots or sports beans.

I had also forgotten that this was Pennsylvania, and I would not only be doing 14 miles, but 14 hilly miles.

When I got to my turn-around point, I was amazed to see the hill I had just climbed, and took in the beautiful scenery. I didn't hit any traffic lights, and only had to stop running for cars once! As I strolled along, I envied those that got running conditions like this everyday (yes, even in the rain/snow mix!)

... then I nearly stepped in a deer carcass.

... then a truck flew by me and covered me in water and rocks.

It was a really great run. I got a horrible blister. It took quite a bit out of me (I needed a nap an hour later). But, I'll be glad to return to the Mount Vernon Trail. The 14.17 miles took me 1:57:05. My average pace was 8:15min/mi, but those hills killed me! Two on my splits were close to 9:00min/mi pace, because the entire mile was uphill. But, I pushed through best I could! First long run = success!

Training Log: Dec. 21-24

2009-12-24T16:56:00.000-05:00

Tuesday, I felt really sick at work. I still made it to the gym for my leg and hip workout, and I started the spinning class but felt really nauseous. Wednesday, I did a 3 mile run with some extra trips up and down Capitol Hill. Today, I was too hungover for the gym (The Sabres lost) and we will see if I get my 5 mile run in. Its not looking good people.

Cancelled classes, a tweet-up, and one hell of a workout

2009-12-22T10:39:00.002-05:00

After the snowpocolyspe, the Federal Government was closed yesterday and I got to stay home. A Twitter friend, Joeruns26, asked if I'd like to go running with him that morning. He's very fast, and he's run Boston before, so I thought it'd be a lot of fun. We met at 8:30 (Well, 8:40 for me, I'm always late) and headed out for a lap around the mall. Unfortunately, it was still covered in ice and packed snow. I did 7 miles in 1:06, but I didn't turn it off during my walking break when I left him off and such. We definitely had some higher pace running in there, but he had special screws on his shoes for the ice and I was just petrified of twisting my ankle.

I did learn that frozen fruit smoothies after a winter run=a really bad idea. After running again, the most sore body part is actually my abs/core. I wonder if its because I'm keeping it very tense while running on the ice.

After, I went to the gym and found that all the classes were canceled. I did a really strong upper body and core workout. I did planks until I was nauseous and my upper body workout was so tough (man, I'm feeling it today) that I couldn't lace up my boots without my arms and shoulders shaking. After the workout, I went to Harris Teeter for some groccery shopping, and got 35 pounds worth of grocceries (I weighed it when I got home).

My refrigerator had been empty, so I really needed most of these items. Walking 1.2 miles home, with my gym bag and 35 lbs. of food, through slush, ice and snow was probably the most tiring part of my day. Especially, after all that upper body work!

I was only supposed to do 3 miles yesterday, and I really want to be running consistently so that my body get used to it, but if I keep my 3 and 5 mile runs this week and my long run this weekend, that's 35 miles. Which is way, way too high my first week back. BUT, I think that the 5 and 3 mile runs are so short that I'm ok, and I know I can run 13 miles, and so I'd really like to. I thought about maybe keeping my weekly miles at 35 for the next 4 weeks, and that can get my body used to it before I start cranking it back up. After two 7 mile runs, I'm not really sore. So, that's a good sign. Is this a bad plan? Thoughts?

Training Log: Dec. 19

2009-12-20T13:51:00.002-05:00

December 19th! Its officially 4 months to the Boston Marathon and today marks the first day of training. My Friday and Saturday workout plans were a bust because of a party I forgot I needed to go to and the snow closing down the pool I planned on using. Today I did about 7-8 miles (my garmin ran out of batteries a few miles in) through ice, packed snow, some one-foot deep not-so-packed snow, and *shudder* puddles. It was a lot of fun, although my pace was pretty slow.

The next few weeks are going to focus on gradually starting to consistently run again, cross training, and weight lifting. I have a 20k planned for Jan. 16th, and I want to do it at goal pace for Boston, around 7 min/mi pace. So, most of my running is going to be speed training (once the snow melts), tempo runs, and not so slow long runs. That race is going to sneak up on me, and I want to get some 14 mile runs in before it at a decent pace.

My toe still isn't feel 100%, but I've put in the rest, and its just not getting better. So, I give up. I can't afford/stand anymore down time. I took 3 weeks off after the half, another week off from that short 5-mile run, another week off after my 10k, and now, I'm done. It doesn't actually hurt, it just twinges, and I can live with it.

Monday: Run a light 3 miles. Spinning class. Yoga. Core and upper body workout.
Tuesday: Spinning class. Leg and light core workout.
Wednesday: 5 mile tempo run
Thursday: 4 miles of speed-work. Leg, core, and upper body workout.
Friday: Christmas. I get off today :)
Saturday: 13 miles at 7:30 min/mi pace

Workout update: Dec. 17

2009-12-18T09:43:00.000-05:00

As work was coming to a close yesterday, my eyes were drooping and I was just worn out. I went to the gym anyways, motivated by all the cookies that were brought in. When I got there, I realized I was missing two necessities: a sports bra and socks. I was about to pack up and go home, but instead I kept on my everyday bra (its not like I was running) and went sockless (gross).

It was a good spinning class. She went a little too easy on us for my liking, but my knees started bothering me. I'm careful to set my bike up right, so I think I just am spinning too much. I did some ab and core workout for a good 20 minutes after the class. Today, I'm going to go a leg and core workout after work and tomorrow I'm going to hit up the pool for the first time. I'm reading up on pool workouts today.

Just in: one of the attorneys is picking up doughnuts for the office.

Workout update: Dec. 16

2009-12-17T09:24:00.000-05:00

Had an amazing spinning class yesterday. I was really glad I took the day before off to rest, because I was able to go all out. It was only 45 minutes, but really intense with awesome hills, speed-work, and hills+speed-work! It was a great class, paired with lots of squats and a hip workout after class.

Yesterday, I was ravenous all day, and so I made a point to eat a bigger breakfast today to curb hunger and cravings later on. I'm going to resist the temptation to go buy really cute workout clothes, because I swear half the men at my gym belong on the cover of fitness magazines...seriously. But, I will NOT be one of those girls! Of course, the day after I make that promise, I forgot a hair tie, and so I was working out with my hair held back in a pretty clip. Hopefully I got sweaty enough to make up for it!

Workout update: Dec. 14

2009-12-15T10:17:00.002-05:00

Yesterday, I slacked off during my spinning class since my legs were shot from Sunday's 9.57 miles, a jump from my non-running state for the past month. My quads were a bit achy, so I focused on my glutes for most of the class. I didn't really dig the Monday night instructor. Peri is tonight, and she's my favorite, but I'm still sore. I decided I'll wait until Wednesday to take a rest day, since I know I don't like that instructor either.

I did however, get in a great upper body and core workout in. Which, made the spinning class a little uncomfortable, but I'm only slightly feeling it today. I was at the gym for about an hour and 45 minutes, and got home in time for some hockey, and a quick dinner.

I went to the doctor's office this morning, and I was scolded when she asked if I wanted to lose weight and I said yes. I've a 20 BMI, at 5'2" and 112. My blood pressure was low but good enough and everything else good to go. I really love my doctor, she's so cheery and enthusiastic. She said 7-8 servings of fruit and veggies a day, instead of 4-5. I'm a-okay with that! She said to keep doing what I'm doing, so marathons are awesome.

Also, she said my 2-3 cups of coffee a day are alright. The loop had a great blog post about running and coffee, and I don't like running without coffee in the morning so I had to read it. There are a ton of great benefits to drinking coffee, especially before running. Definitely give this one a read!

Boston training to commence Dec. 19th. I'll be going to the gym everyday this week. Must get into better shape!

Jingle All The Way 10k

2009-12-13T15:07:00.002-05:00

I did everything wrong to prepare for this race, mostly because I didn't plan on "racing" it. My friend Natalie was running it for her first road race ever (and she did awesome! Way under her goal time), and so I was going to run it with her. I planned on 6 miles today at 9:30-10:00 min/mi pace. I stayed up late, I didn't get anything ready, I ate cookies for dinner last night, I had run once this week, for the first time in over a month, and I was definitely not in shape to race this morning.

I woke up at 6a.m. and I had nothing ready. I had decided to run to the start, since it was the best/cheapest/fastest way to get there (oh, public transportation). It was 35 degrees and raining, but while running, I didn't feel cold. I had a "fanny pack" water bottle holder with my phone, necessities, and a trash bag in place of the water bottle. As I ran to the start at a 8:20ish pace, I laughed thinking that I was running to the race faster than I planned on running it!

Problem: I couldn't find Natalie. She had checked her bag before I got there. So, as I looked for her, I was thinking "Damn it, now I actually have to run this thing." See, I tend to get competitive. That, and this was my first 10k. Clearly I wasn't going to run it very fast, but I still don't like people beating me. I walked around for the 10 minutes between my arrival and the start, and then literally stood at the start line waiting for Natalie. My first step was over the starting line and then I spent the better part of the first two miles passing people.

I'm really surprised that after all the rest, I was able to push out a 47:06 10k. I paced pretty well, my splits were:

1- 7:31

2- 7:28

3- 7:39

4- 7:38

5- 7:32

6- 7:17

I mean, I was coughing and spitting up mucous on the side, my toe was throbbing, and it was cold and rainy. So, I give myself an A for effort. However, I clearly get an F for recovery. Why does my toe still hurt?! I was freaking out the whole time, because I clearly need another week or so off, and I was supposed to start training next week. I'm going to be living at the gym, apparently, which I'm not happy about at all.

After the race, I was so cold that onlookers were very concerned. A guy on the metro even offered me his coat (I was huddled in the fetal position shivering, I don't do well in the cold). My shower was heavenly, and then I met a bunch of runners for brunch. What a fantastic morning! All in all, I ran 9 miles today, and I feel like a runner again!

First run

2009-12-11T10:00:00.001-05:00

Yesterday, I had my first run in the cold. I've been out for over a month now, with one, awkward test run over a week ago. This time, I was recovering from not only a broken toe, but the flu. My plan for winter training was to run after work, so that I was warmed up from the walk back from the metro. The metro is a good 13 blocks from my apartment, it can be a brisk 20 minute walk, or a nice 25 minute walk... yesterday I may have made it in a record 18 minutes. I was in a skirt and little ballet flats and I was freezing. When I finally got into my apartment, I loathed the thought of going back out, except at least I got to put pants on!

I may have overdressed a little, but I headed out with my Garmin for a 5 mile run in my Under Armor tights, turtleneck, my north face, gloves and earmuffs on. Unlike my last awkward run, I felt smooth. I focused on my form, how my foot hit the ground, and looked at the pretty lights as I headed out to the National Mall. I checked my Garmin, and my pace was 10:00 min/mi, but I was blocks into it and just warming up.

As I neared the Mall, I looked again, and I had jumped to 9:30 pace. Still not exactly fast, but I was starting to warm up. I love the stretch of the National Mall, and seeing the monuments lit up. It was empty and I took off, focusing on keeping my stride short, but my legs moving fast. 9:00.... 8:45.... the Mall was empty and I was so excited to be running again that I threw my arms out and mentally yelled, WOO HOOO!!

As I looped the Washington Monument, my pace was hitting 8:15/8:00 and I felt great. My biggest motivation at spinning classes was that when I started running again, I didn't want it to be too hard. I didn't want to hate it. I didn't want to get discouraged. I soared down the National Mall and got to pass this on my way home:

(picture courtesy of google)

This morning, I woke up early from a weird dream, and went out for a couple mile run. Man I missed morning workouts!

Yesterday I sang Taylor Swift during sprints

2009-12-02T12:44:00.001-05:00

Mid-monster month for MCM, a lot of my friends (mostly casual friends) thought I was running my first marathon. I guess this was because of how seriously I was taking my training this time around, my lack of going out, and facebook/twitter updates galore about running. Truth is, it was my third, I just never trained hard. My first two marathons, I didn't do speed training, I didn't research running, I didn't even know what a split was. I had multiple 4.5, 6, and 8-mile routes what I did during the week, and a long run on the weekend that went from 8 miles at first to18 miles for my first marathon and 20 miles for my second. I didn't know what my VO2 max was, and I just went out and logged miles.

Now, looking back I shake my head and wonder how I made that 14 minute PR when I didn't change anything, and also how I even managed to finish my first one without any walking breaks (except at water stations, I still don't understand how people can run and drink at the same time). I just really loved running, and the workouts didn't matter has much as lacing up my shoes and logging the miles. Just by making a structured training plan, and incorporating a few speed workouts here and there, some hilly runs, and getting a garmin, I took 55 minutes off my PR.

So, the whole point of that bit, is that I've always been a runner, and this post is actually about something I've been relying on with my injury: spinning classes.

A few summers ago, I ditched running for spinning classes 4x a week, and now I'm reminded why. For a while there, I wondered how I did it, but I've discovered that I really love them! They're so fun, and with such high energy! I feel like every class is focused on intensity, while running always seemed very relaxing to me. For some reason, I find it easier to push myself on the bike, when I can either take off the resistance and sprint, or add it on and go nice and slow. There are so many ways to mix it up, all within an hour!

Over the thanksgiving weekend, I did one 90 minute spinning class that was just fantastic. I've also started loving the instructor at Gold's Gym Midtown location on Tuesday nights. Her name is Peri, and she has such great energy, great music, and switches it up every class. Last week, we did a class of all jumps. Yesterday I came up with the term "ache-ful pleasure" for my level 7 resistance. I'm proud of my new term (wow, I'm such a masochist)... really though, when you get to those high levels and you can really feel it all through your glutes, I really enjoy it.

Last week, I did a full leg and hip and core workout for the 45 minutes before the spinning class, and man was I feeling it the next day. I've never really done hip strength training, and hopefully this will improve my running. I'm focusing on quad workouts so that I can rock that 13 mile downhill at the start of Boston. Overall, this gym membership is getting me pumped up. My toe is starting to feel a lot better, so I can't wait to lace up again and hit the pavement!

Resting is Training

2009-11-25T09:49:00.001-05:00

As training looms in my near future, starting mid-December, I can't help but think about all the awesome workouts I will do, and the reality of a 25 minute PR. Mostly, I think I can do this, because I will actually be doing speed-work this time around. Boston training will provide the base mileage (gulp) for ultra training.

I'm forgetting that, yes, 70 mile weeks will mean I can eat whatever I want, but I need to incorporate rest. I need to work up to this slowly. I swear I'm developing OCD to keep from getting injured again, because I can't handle this time off.

Next week, I'm throwing in some 3-5 mile runs to my cross-training, and then I just need to slowly add the miles over the next 8 months. I want to give myself more time off, and if I'm still sore from the day before, to rest. Its hard to do things in moderation, but I need to remember that resting is training.

I hope everyone has a Happy Thanksgiving! Good luck to all Turkey Trot runners, I will be on a plane that morning, so no racing for me!

New and Creative

2009-11-23T11:21:00.001-05:00

If you recall, my mantra regarding my toe was: I will use this as an opportunity to be creative and try new things.

Rock Climbing
I tried indoor climbing this weekend. I really enjoyed it. I was told that the owner of the climbing center, and many of their members, were runners who were injured and needed something new, and then it turned into a cross-training outlet. I can definitely see that. Charlie and I are going to get certified in a couple weekends to belay each other, and try to make it a twice a month activity. I only did 3 climbs, but man am I feeling it. Its a great workout for your whole body! The only problem is that it was no toe-happy. I definitely felt it, both during the activity and the day after. Its a bummer because if it was just going to bug my toe, I should have just gone running.

Hiking
Jaclyn and I got up at the crack of dawn Sunday to meet a 20-30s hiking group. We made it to the metro meet just fine, but got lost due to poor directions about 5 different times on the way out. The group left without us, but after two and a half hours of driving, we decided to go ourselves. This was also not exactly toe-friendly, especially since we had to climb over creeks a gazillion times, and my toe wanted to curl under to grip the rocks. Still, it was fun and I had a blast with Jacyln, as usual. She's one of those friends you can just relax around, and although we never, ever run out of things to talk about, we can also walk in the woods or drive in silence, and its comfortable, not awkward.

Gym Membership
From what I've always known about Gold's Gym, especially in the Buffalo area, is that they were always so difficult. So, when I won my 3 month membership to Gold's Gym Ballston (out in VA), I was ready for the midtown DC location to tell me they wouldn't honor it. Not only did they sign me up, but they gave me the rest of Nov, plus Dec-Feb! Totally awesome! Once Feb ends, it'll be monster month and I'll spend all my free time running, and so this is perfect. Today I start my spinning. I have some day passes to the Buffalo Athletic Club for this weekend. Gold's also offers Yoga classes that I want to try. They have a 2-hour Friday class I want to take.

Swimming
I haven't gone yet, mostly because I'll have to deal first with proving I live in DC and I have to put a bathing suit on, and I'm not feeling it. Maybe I can even go to a public pool this weekend to get started, and steal some goggles from home.

All in all, I've been walking a lot more. I go for walks during lunchtime, I walked home from work a few times last week (about 3 miles), and I walked a lot this weekend. I'm trying to eat less, and healthier, and I'm doing ok with that. One week until I can start running again, but I want to take it easy, with some 3-5 mile runs, and then gradually work up. The last thing I want is another injury!

Run to Read Half-marathon

2009-11-19T12:39:00.000-05:00

I found this race today while looking for any Half-marathon between Jan and Mar 2010. Its a 3.5 hour drive from DC, with only a $20 registration fee. It also starts at noon, so you can drive out, not leaving until 7am, and get there in time without leaving super early. Its also the only one even remotely near DC during that time period. Half is on crushed limestone (not too crazy about that) but its held in a state park, and so I'm sure the scenery is nice.

I mean, I can rent a car and drive out myself. But, I thought this could be a fun opportunity do get out with another DC area runner who is planning on a late Spring marathon. Any takers?

Gear advice? Anyone?

2009-11-18T15:53:00.000-05:00

This is way too familiar: the post-MCM injury, the weeks off from running, lacking motivation, sleeping a lot, not wanting to do anything but go for long walks (sort of reminiscent of long runs), sit around, eat, and read/watch TV. I'm falling into endorphin withdrawal. I'm still staying focused on "training" and waiting for the three week running hiatus to end, but not gonna lie, I'm feeling really down. Luckily, I've got rock climbing and a hike planned for this weekend, and I'll be going home for Thanksgiving. Its been 10 days since my half-marathon, and 11 days left of toe resting before I start running again. ELEVEN!

I went to the gym three times last week, but this week my firm is at trial, and I've been hanging out until at least 6:30 everyday. I also have a bad infection that I've just started meds on. I've been dizzy and lightheaded all day, getting overheated, head aches, and the infection itself is really uncomfortable, and so I haven't been to the gym at all this week. I don't even want to go for long walks, since I get dizzy just sitting down. The last thing I want is to pass out, alone, in Northeast DC.

With all the clients and expert witnesses here, every meal has been catered with really good, free food that I can't help but eat. I know I'm eating too much, and its really bringing me down. That and I think its adding to my wacky fatigue levels. I've been sleeping about 9 hours a night, and I get tired too early, and I can't get out of bed early enough to keep myself to only 8 hours. However, it is flu season, and I want to stay healthy-ish. So, if my body wants 9 hours of sleep, I'll give it just that.

Hopefully, tomorrow I'll feel good enough for a workout. Unfortunately, I really hated going to the gym last week after work. Getting home so late really put a damper on things. I want to try going to the gym in the morning, but that would mean lugging all my make-up, hair appliances, shower things, everywhere and everyday. I'm not fond of that either!

On another, non-whiny note. I need to put together a Christmas list to get the cold running and trial running gear I need. I need a few new pair of warm running pants, an under Armour base shirt, a windbreaker, a headlamp, and a Camelbak for long trial runs that can hold fluid and basic survival necessities. Also, I need one that will fit well on my tiny 5'2" frame. Any good recommendations for any of these? I'd like to find good pants that aren't $100. I have no idea how to search for a headlight. And, there are so many Camelbaks, most for bike riding, and I'm lost. Help!

Boston Marathon Entry Confirmation, received!

2009-11-17T11:33:00.001-05:00

Yay! I did it!

I've been lacking in updates because of a weekend visitor and a work week from hell. But, this needs to be posted. That, and Boston Marathon registration has already closed, nearly two months earlier than last year. Boy am I glad I didn't have to resort to Plan B (Vegas marathon) for my BQ!

Endorphin fix

2009-11-13T13:04:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, I tried out eating a big breakfast, and planning two mid-day snacks, and found that it really helped me with curbing hunger, cravings, and kept me satisfied all day! Also, I ate a small dinner, which was my plan, and was good without a second helping and with a few fig newtons for dessert.

My workout yesterday was awesome. Again, I really didn't want to go to the gym after work, but I took possibly the best spinning class of my life. Bruce, the Thursday at 6:30 class instructor at the WSC Connecticut Ave location, is everything a spinning instructor should be and kicked my ass. The class was pretty hard, with few recoveries, and when you slowed down he would call you out and snap his fingers to the cadence you ought to be at. At first, I thought it was really obnoxious, until I was dying and chanting 2:58 in my head just to finish one set of jumps. I was sweating profusely and worn out at the end.

My favorite thing about spinning classes is that you ultimately control the intensity. I always keep the resistance nice and high, because I feel more in control of the bike. Finally, I felt an endorphin high and that wonderful feeling of completing a great workout. I'm in such a good mood again. After, I did a strong, hard core workout with more planks that you can imagine, playing with the stability ball, and mixed an arm and core workout by lifting weights over my head.

Getting home at 8:45 is still pretty rough, but its perfect for a shower, a small meal, and getting a few things done before bed. This cross-training thing ain't too bad!

Its supposed to be 70 this Sunday, so I'm going to try to drag my visiting friend out kayaking in the Potomac and then I'm going to my first swim session Monday. Have a good weekend everyone!

Half-marathons: Love 'em or hate 'em? and Spring Marathon Plans

2009-11-12T12:41:00.006-05:00

As I was finishing up last weekend's Half-marathon I was thinking about how this wasn't my best, but I would still technically PR since its been a year since my last one. Do halves of a full marathon count? I want a better half PR than 1:39, I know I can run 13.1 miles faster than that. As I passed Mile 9 I decided I should take a season off from marathons and train for a half. My half training history is made up of...

In 2007, I planned to run the National Marathon, but came down with Mono (huge damper on training). I didn't run for about three months (give or take a few exceptions), and then race weekend came up. The race was on a Saturday and my training consisted of:

Tuesday: 6 mile run
Wednesday: 8 mile run
Thursday: 10 mile run
Friday: rest day
Saturday: National Half-marathon.

No, I'm not kidding. And I didn't do bad in comparison to my last marathon (2:05 half, 4:37 full, 6 months before).

The second half-marathon, I didn't really train for either. I had decided to take that season off, because I didn't want to train at home in Buffalo, NY (its all sidewalk training, which is basically torture) all summer long. I was still running, but mostly my favorite loops, one was 4.5 miles and the other around 6 miles. When my friend asked if I would run it with her, I did a 10-mile run the weekend before to make sure I could finish it, and then ran a quick 1:47.

So, I was wondering if I should should take a season off from fulls, after my planned ultra next fall, and do a half-marathon where I focus on speed workouts. Except, I hate speed workouts. I like long runs. I'd really rather start running ultras. And so, I tossed the idea within the next mile. I finally started a good runner's high at Mile 12, only to have the race end a mile later. I mean, where's the fun in that?

I was thinking of running the National Half again, as a BM training run, but it works out that its exactly a month before, and perfect timing for a nice long training run as opposed to 13 miles. I'm gonna run the full marathon, with half at 14-30 seconds below race pace, 10 miles at race pace, and then do a slow jog to the finish line. I know me, and this won't work. Maybe I could force the first half slower, but I will most likely give it all I can at the end. However, the race is a good month beforehand (as mentioned) and I will start tapering right after. The 4-week taper worked for MCM, so its in the plans for April.

On top of that, both races will probably start up ultra training. Then I'll do the 30, 50... uh 75 mile training runs on my own? I should really start researching how to train for a 100-mile trail race in the mountains. From what I've read so far, its the same as marathoning, but longer long runs and mid-week runs. And, I need more hills (I might move out to Rock Creek Park once my lease is out). But, a 75 mile long run sounds like an awesome Sunday activity, doesn't it?

Motivation fail

2009-11-12T09:18:00.000-05:00

Yesterday's workout was very lame. I was so unmotivated. It was a miracle I even made it to the gym (the computer screen actually helped get me there!). I did about 50 squats with a 50 lb weight, 50 calf raisers, and then just decided to go up and do the stationary bike. I got out of work 30 min late, meaning I didn't get to the gym until around 6:45, and I just wanted to get home, make dinner, and relax. Luckily, I discovered the joy of having a tv screen at an exercise machine, and was able to sit and watch the Caps game while getting in a (very) light workout.

On the way home, I got ravenous, and so when I stopped for some cheese for my dinner, I ended up grabbing a bag of wasabi peas and snacked while walking home (a really bad habit I picked up from those damn Parisians). My pasta dinner got an entire handful of shredded Parmesan and I craved ice cream, but settled for some salty snacking before headed to bed. All in all, not a very good day. At least I have a lot to improve upon. Spinning workout is planned for 6:30, with a core workout following and a light upper body workout.