5k pain

As part of my only-run-short-races summer running plan, I finally found what I believe may be the ‘pain-place’…the 5k version. I have definitely experienced a marathon version; imagine 10 miles with your quads feeling like fireballs with each and every step. I’m sure I will have a far more punishing marathon someday. But the 5k pain-place was foreign to me until a couple weeks ago at the West Seattle 5k.

With the goal of breaking 19 minutes this summer, each race is an opportunity to work on some aspect of my 5k strategy. My typical downfalls include: going out too conservatively, getting complacent during mile #2, rarely doing speed work, and never racing hard enough to blow up (which is arguably a good thing to do every once and a while). My strategy for this race was to go out aggressively and then see how the cookie crumbled. 

Mile 1: 6:05

Okay! All is going according to plan!

Mile 2: 6:17

I’m feelin’ it and sucking wind in a serious way. I still have another mile?!?! I am entering the ‘pain-place’.

Mile 3: 6:11

I haven’t keeled over yet, but want to.  I can see the finish off in the distance and it looks at least 3 miles away. Trying to run hard and ignore the pain/discomfort simultaneously, but this is nearly impossible. Ignoring the pain usually leads to minimizing the pain which then results in slowing down. Running hard requires pushing to the edge of your fitness and performing your best on the given day; you’re really looking for more pain.  I was trying to muster some mental toughness by reminding myself how few minutes a 5k lasts…but it felt like foreeevvveeerrr.

In the final stretch of the race! Tried to relax my face when I saw the cameras...haha!

Final time: 19:11 and a new PR!

As I finished, someone associated with the race tried to talk to me. I tried to respond between wiping the spittle off my face and trying to catch my breath while doubled over. Ha. I felt totally humbled by the discomfort associated with a hard, short race effort.

The 5k is definitely uncharted territory, and I like it. 

In need of something lighter

Boy, the post-marathon funk can be a doozy. Especially the post-Boston Marathon funk.  It’s been several weeks now, and yet I haven’t bounced back into a training state that feels fun, or directed, or productive.  I have ‘burnt-out’ written on my forehead. More like ‘ burnt-out without a new PR to show for myself’.



At least I look happy at the finish AND I'm wearing a cape.



I don’t need another big, looming, built-up, emotional goal like Boston (or a marathon in general), but I need a goal to keep me leaping out of bed in the morning.  I need a fun, small, manageable goal that I can tackle without the emotional commitment. Essentially, I need a psychological break from hard training…while still doing hard training. That's possible, right?

The 5k and 10k are going to be my friends for the next few months. They are generally low commitment, in that if you have a bad race you can hop into another a couple weeks later without stressing your body.

Perfect. This is what I need. None of the build-up-for-4-months-and-put-all-your-eggs-in-one-‘race day’-basket.

Of course, coming off of marathon training, I am not in ideal shape for laying down a 5k PR.  I’m hoping I can crack the 19 min mark by continuing a similar type of training (tempos and long hard runs), while throwing in a couple track sessions (cue "track" rundies).  The best part about this shorter training? Reclaiming my Sundays during the summer months! 20 milers really put a damper on the rest of my day (imagine zombie fatigue + eating a lot), and I'd like to hike, bike or rekindle my friendship with the sun instead.

The true, underlying motive to my 5k/10k racing scheme is to run some PRs and redeem myself (in my eyes) after a disappointing finish (time-wise) in Boston.

I'm in need of something lighter. Light-hearted and lightning fast.





"Beat the heat" --Boston Marathon 2012

Wow. The Boston Marathon. It happened.

I made some rookie mistakes despite tons of advice from friends and family, because until you actually get there, it’s hard to know what to expect. Here's what I learned.

Tips for running Boston (or any big race)

1. Do your whole pre-race eating/coffee/bathroom routine before getting to shuttles or the starting area. Why? See tip #2.

Pre-race lining up for the bus

2. Be prepared for chaos. The. Whole. Way.  Loading the buses at Boston Common was my first glimpse of what ~25,000 people looked like. It’s impressive. The bus ride went smoothly, but I wished I had something to read en route.

Lines of runners waiting for buses.

The starting area was much more chaotic than I thought it would be. Tons of port-o-johns, and tons of people going in every direction. I had visions of finding other Oiselle athletes, but I quickly realized it just wasn’t going to happen.



Tons of people streaming into Athlete's Village

 Here’s what to bring:

-Something to sit on: This can be an old shirt or sweatshirt, cardboard, a tarp, a garbage bag, or whatever.  It’s a way to stake out a small territory and have a dry place to plop down to make final preparations (sunblock application, final gel flavor decisions, etc…)

-Extra toilet paper: Apparently they run out?!?! Panic moment. I had some nightmarish scenarios running through my head for a few minutes, but luckily I got a port-o-john with TP.

-snacks: Bring whatever you usually eat before your morning runs (as in, something you know sits well with your stomach) because you might be waiting for quite some time.

-a sharpie: Writing your name on your arms will get you lots of cheers from strangers and it’s insanely helpful during a tough race. 

3. Aggressively get to the start! Right when you can start dropping your bag to move to the start…DO IT.   If you have a pace/time goal, and you are seeded into a corral, PUSH YOUR WAY THROUGH THE CROWD! Otherwise, you will end up in a corral with folks that have a different pace in mind. I had no idea that I needed to do this, so I just merged with the throngs of people heading toward the start, thinking that somehow we would all get sorted into our appropriate corral. Much to my dismay, my wave started before I could even see the start, and people in the wave behind me had already started lining up, making it nearly impossible to get through the crowd. The result? Wasting who knows how much energy in the first 5-6 miles trying to get around people in order to be able to run a comfortable, steady pace. By that time, all hopes of running my goal pace had been dashed. There was no way I was going to make up minutes of time in 80 degree weather.

4. Be aggressive again! The water stops are a mess of veering bodies so you’ve gotta barrel your way through pretty rudely if you want to maintain pace. I didn’t really do this, because I had changed my race plan several times so that ‘getting a tan’ had reached top priority.

5. Enjoy the distraction of the crowd! There were so many people out there cheering, that the miles just clicked by!

After my lesson-learning was over, it was time to deal with the fact that it was SOOO HOT! To" beat the heat", I drank water and dumped a cup on my head/body at every single station. But that wasn’t enough to stay cool in the blistering heat on a virtually shade-free course. Thankfully the lovely people of Massachusetts were ready for us. Hoses. Sprinklers. Ice. Mist tents. Fire hydrants. Freeze pops. Oranges. Salt tabs. They had it all! And it was so life-saving! I was drenched the entire run, and yet still felt too warm. I tried to keep my pace where my heart rate seemed reasonable and I downed my gels as scheduled although my appetite had fled once the temperature reached 75 ish.

The crowds during Boston were truly incredible. They were so enthusiastic and positive. I could hear them yelling the names of runners around me and I sincerely regretted not having written my name on my arm. The Wellesley girls were impressive, and it was really fun to read all their “kiss me” signs. 



Although the crowds were amazing, seeing my family was way better. I waved and smiled for a photo as I ran by my family and high-fived my Dad. The adrenaline high for that moment lasted for several miles and pushed me right over heartbreak hill…which was so wussy! My imagination had concocted something like 2 Stoneway’s* linked together (*Seattle reference), but it hardly qualified as a hill. It felt more like a gentle incline. Turns out the hill up to my house is more challenging than heartbreak.



Around mile 16, smiling and waving at my family



Towards the end of the race, tons of people were walking. This was startling, since I knew everyone had qualified by, uh, not walking. It was not a pretty sight. Very fit looking people were barely shuffling or walking it in.  It was the kind of day that harshly punished mistakes.

I was so relieved when I finally saw that notorious Citgo sign, and crossing the finish line was amazing and emotional. It didn’t run the blazing PR that I had dreamed about for months, but I held a steady pace, ran smart, and didn’t get carted off to a medical tent. All in all, I am very happy with my performance although the actual time is a hard one to swallow.



Post-race treat :)

The (usually dreaded) taper

This is the first time in my (albeit short) marathon career that the prospect of tapering sounds quite lovely. Less miles, more free time, and less exhaustion on Sunday afternoon.  Ahhhh.

Why is this happening?? Well, as it turns out, actually running two workouts per week with the intermittent hard long run thrown into the mix will do the trick.  My workouts were by no means grueling track workouts or insane tempo runs, but they added up week after week.  Secondly, my taper is shorter than ever before. I did a long run last week (21 miles), and will do a 10-miler this weekend…er, once I get over the food poisoning…then Boston is NEXT WEEK! The two week taper has dramatically minimized the panic that usually sets in mid-taper. Example typical taper thought pattern:

“Omg! I’m-going-be-out-of-shape-for-my-race-because-I-haven’t-done-a-long-run-in-7-days-and-I-have-so-much-pent-up-energy-that-I’m-on-the-verge-of-running-out-the-door-right-now!!!” Repeat repeat repeat.

Overall, my body is ready for the down time. Running Starfish can attest to this; she’s drug me through several easy runs in the past few weeks.

About Boston being ridiculously soon: I’M SO NERVOUS! AND EXCITED!

eeeek!

I’m nervous before every marathon, but typically they’re not such a…big deal. I’ve wanted to run this race from the moment I decided to run my first marathon, and although I qualified once before, I missed an opportunity in the madness that was the 2010 registration fiasco. This year is my chance to go run a race that everyone says is super amazing and one of a kind.  

There are so many reasons to be excited. Here are a few:

- My family and my boyfriend will be there to cheer me on.

- I get to meet a few other Oiselle racing team ladies that live far away from me!

- I have an excuse to go to Boston.

- I get to see what kind of time I can run after a solid training cycle with ZERO injuries.

- I get to run an iconic race!

- I get to rock a super cute Oiselle outfit!!! (More on that in another post)

And now…a shout out to a few edible products that have made my training jive:

Picky Bars! The perfect snack. They are tasty and not filled with weird ingredients.  I eat them as an afternoon treat most days.



Such a yummy packet of deliciousness!

Note: The package shown above is being

repurposed for almond transport.



Justin's nut butter: This stuff has been especially life-saving while traveling. They make small packets of nut butter that can be taken on the airplane.  If there's one thing I miss while traveling, it is my beloved jar of nut butter.

Addicting

 


Nuun: A low calorie electrolyte replacement drink that tickles the taste buds. Banana is my personal favorite flavor, but I will drink any flavor available. I drink this stuff at work to make sure I'm getting enough fluids down.  










Nuun I won during a nuun pong tournament. Most hydrating experience to date.

 

A Sense of Place

I grew up in a small town in eastern Washington. We had a huge backyard that I spent the majority of my free time in. I built forts, I tromped around in the creek, I found snakes and other creepy-crawlies, and I would take a shady mid-day break in the most peaceful place: the limbs of my favorite oak tree.  Often my tabby cat would join me and we’d lounge amongst the leaves. That oak tree was a place of refuge, but it also represented a connection to my parents.  We planted acorns from that oak around the yard, in the nearby golf course, and eventually in new backyards after my parents got divorced. To me acorns also represent the potential in each of us. They are adorable little bundles of energy, and if given the right conditions, they will become beautiful, strong trees.  Something about them just tickles me.



Cute little packets of potential



English oak tree

I have a strong sense of place, and I feel emotionally connected to my hometown still.  There is something wonderful about really feeling like a place is ‘your own’. It’s hard for me to leave places to which I’ve gotten attached. When I moved to Massachusetts for a couple years after high school, I had an intense homesickness for my hometown (the weather, the people, the smells, the quality of light, etc…). I was so happy to return to Washington. This year I’ll be moving to the other side of the country (again) to begin graduate school. I’m a little scared to move away from Washington, but I’m excited at the prospect of an adventure and the opportunity to forge ahead in my career pursuits.

I’m moving to Raleigh, NC. But guess what? Raleigh is the city of oaks.

The (social) pitfalls of running

Training is exhausting.  Whether it’s the early wake up call, fatigue from a hard workout, the post-long run sleepiness, or just the cumulative effect of week after week of miles, runners are a tired lot of people. For some of us more than others, staying up late seems downright impossible. 

I’m confessing today that serious training makes me a serious party pooper (those close to me already know this fact). I want to go to bed early. I don’t want to imbibe excessively. I don’t want to eat greasy, gut-bomb food at 2am (or ever).  Does that seem unreasonable? Can’t we all just hang out/party/do whatever a few hours earlier to allow a decent bedtime?

I know that some folks can squeak by on 6 or 7 hours a night and feel fine. I know that my own body moans and groans and feels like a pile of rubbish if I get less than 8. With all that said, maybe it’s just the fatigue of marathon training that is making me especially lame-feeling. I ran more miles this week than I EVER have before! To celebrate, I think I will go to bed early J

How do you balance the rigors of serious training with your social life?

Running (away from home)

I recently returned home from a glorious trip to sunny Davis, CA, where I was visiting UC Davis for graduate school. It was a truly delightful place! THEY LOVE BIKES!

UC Davis campus: heaps of bikes everywhere

Something here isn't quite right...

Although biking is clearly the pride and joy of Davis, I needed to sample their selection of running routes to keep truckin' along through marathon training. Predictably, I had to follow a few bikes to find the good paths. As it turns out, Davis has miles and miles and miles of bike paths all through the town. Score.

During the long run I realized how small Davis really is. I began my run along campus, and within, oh, 3 miles, I was out of town. Wait. Really? I tromped along 'country roads' on the loop I had mapped on gmap pedometer. It looked as though I would be running on real roads the whole time. Ha. 5 miles into my loop I turned onto Vineyard lane. It was a dirt road that was clearly on someone's private property (signs confirmed this).  I hesitated, and then ran on. After many miles of gravel roads, fence-jumping, and 'no trespassing' signs, I made in back into pavement-land.  Although this run was a far cry from what my teammate Tita experienced on one of her runs, I was still a little nervous that someone would drive up and ask what the heck I was doing on their property. Armed with two GUs and hotel key, I didn't have much to show for myself.  Thankfully, I was unbothered and left to retreat into my mind for a couple hours, soaking up as much vitamin D as I could.

Overall, I give Davis a thumbs up! Good restaurants, lovely farmers market, great university, AND, just a few miles down the road outside Santa Rosa, you can find handmade gems like this:



Considered bringing this guy home...