My Ramblings in a Quote and Oiselle in Runner’s World!

Posted on July 27, 2012 by Jen

A month or so ago, I posted about how running starts off hard for everyone but eventually becomes an addiction or necessity for many. I run every day (aside from sickness, important family stuff, injury) and love it. I’m happy with a 4 mile run and I’m happy with a 15 mile run. I just love getting in my daily run.

Today was hot and muggy when I started out at 11:15am (earliest I could go due to family stuff) so I planned on going just 3-4 miles easy. I went longer and added drills and strides at the end as I thought of all the friends I’ve made through running – it made me feel strong. Some of my best friends are my running friends (husband, siblings, and parents included).

When I got home from my run, I checked the mail and saw the September issue of Runner’s World. On page 31, I found the following quote:

“At first an ordeal and then an accomplishment, the daily run becomes a staple, like bread, or wine… or air. It is also a free pass to friendship.” -Benjamin Cheever, Author and Runner’s World contributor, in his memoir Strides.

Had to take a pic of the page from RW!

And just like that, a few of my mind’s ramblings fell into place by a single quote.

Other cool things from that RW issue: The Oiselle NYC Marathon Tote was featured on page 24!

The Tote in Runner's World!

The pic in the magazine is of Oiselle’s own lovely Sarah Mac but I had the honor to wear the bag in the fashion show at the Olympic Trials. Remember that?

NYC Marathon Tote during the Oiselle Fashion Show!

I also enjoyed reading about all of the Olympians, past and present that were featured, and especially liked seeing Frank Shorter since we met him recently. I’d say if you don’t subscribe to Runner’s World, this would be a good one to buy at your local store.

What do you think of the Oiselle NYC Marathon Tote? Do you read Runner’s World? (I actually don’t have a subscription, but my dad has subscribed since the early days and I view his sometimes.) Any weekend racing plans? I’m traveling back to Seattle and won’t be racing.

You Never Regret a Run?

Posted on July 26, 2012 by Jen

How true is the common saying, “You never regret a run, but you do regret skipping one”?

I’ve used that mantra many times to get me out the door on less than motivated days, but there are actually quite a few days where I HAVE regretted running. The most recent was this week when I came down with a horrible cold. I had problems with everything from my chest up – chest congestion, sore throat, sinus headache, stuffy nose, runny nose, ear aches – you name it, I had it. The first day, I could barely pull myself out of bed – no run. The second day, I was able to put on a happy face and move around, but wasn’t feeling much better. I was exhausted so I thought “what do I always do to give myself energy and feel better? RUN! Yes, I’m going to run!”

I got dressed and headed out the door. I felt a pounding headache the first step I took. When I wasn’t feeling any better a little over a mile in, I shut it down and went home. The rest of the night I felt horrible. The next day I felt sick again. I think a rest day would have been better than attempting that run.

Pic of me laying down a speedy 5k last summer, where it was ok to be filled with pain. Also shows how I looked on my entire "sick run" a few days ago.

Or what about the countless times where I’ve run through an injury and had to take weeks and months off when a few days off at the beginning might have cured the problem before it became huge?

Now don’t get me wrong, I’m a run-every-day-no-matter-what (almost) type of girl, but I really feel there are some days where you just need to stay home and be okay with it. Train smart, friends!

What do you think? Have you ever regretted a run? Run through a bad cold/flu/injury?

Vacation and Some Free Running

Posted on July 19, 2012 by Jen

I’m on a mini-vacation this week. My husband has a conference at Suncadia so my daughter and I came along for the ride. This place is AMAZING. It’s a nature-lover’s paradise. There are trails, mountains, pools, a lake, a river, playgrounds, lots of climbing structures, things to rent like bikes with or without kid trailers, jog strollers, canoes, kayaks, paddle boats, you get the idea. We are having a wonderful time.

Intense art session

As far as running goes, I’m not doing much. I’m not wearing the Garmin, but I know I’m not doing more than a few (2-3 miles) a day. I am staying very active with ~~swimming~~ floating a toddler around in the water, walking to different activities, climbing up hilly trails, paddle boating and pushing the stroller around. My 10k-a-day has gone out the window and it’s feeling pretty good this week!

Currie asked me "Mommy what is nature?" I decided to show her.

Sometimes I think one of the best things I do for my daughter is show her how much I love running and being active in general. She is becoming quite the outdoors-woman!

Do you maintain your regular running schedule on vacation or do you mix it up with other activities?

They Say It’s My Birthday

Posted on July 17, 2012 by Jen

Today is my 31st birthday! It’s been a good day. I was only able to run 5 miles (with the stroller) because I chose to sleep in (6:45am, woohoo!) and sit down and enjoy breakfast at Starbucks with my family before my husband had to leave for work. I took it easy on the 5 mile run and just enjoyed the scenery. Then I spent some time at the park with my little lady, did some packing, and headed to the resort where we are staying for the rest of the week (husband work conference).

This might be a bit delusional, but I feel like I have another 10 years of elite running and PRs left in me. Some people get a little depressed when they turn 30 and every year feels a little bit worse, but I honestly feel stronger, faster, and YOUNGER than I did when I was 18! Sure, this could change any day, but right now, I have high hopes for my running future.

Took this picture a few minutes ago. I'm either supposed to be waving or saying "stop-if you come any closer I will flash an even bigger smile!"

How do you like to spend your birthday? Isn’t it great that running makes us feel younger (for the most part)?

Friday the 13th, Superstitions!

Posted on July 13, 2012 by Jen

It’s Friday the 13th so I couldn’t let the day pass without posting about superstitions! I mostly have 3 racing superstitions:

Can’t race with a Garmin. Despite my recent Garmin-love posts, I feel like racing with a Garmin will cause me injury or lead me to the worst race of my life. Silly, right?
Can’t wear the race shirt pre-race or during the race. This came about because I wore the race shirt the day before once and had a horrible race. Crazy, I know.
Can’t talk too much about goals pre-race. I don’t like to discuss my race goals too much before they happen. I will talk about them with the important people- coach, race director who gets me comp entry, husband, but no one else. Don’t want to jinx it!

Do you have any racing superstitions? Running superstitions? I would love to hear them!

The Garmin Only Works…

Posted on July 13, 2012 by Jen

if you remember to start it…

The same day I wrote the Precise Logger post, I planned to do my first speed workout with Club Northwest in Seattle and forgot to start my Garmin. AHHHH!! I would say “how could that happen”, but given the workout buildup it makes sense.

Sorry to forget about you little Start/Stop button!

My husband left work early so he would have plenty of time to get home and watch our daughter so I could join the workout. There was an accident on the commute so his normal 25 minute bus ride turned into a 90 minute commute. He got home 30 minutes after practice started. I was feeling sorry for myself, and went out for a pouty run alone. I started my Garmin and headed out. I took a path where I thought I might find the group and sure enough I found them! When I saw Tom who leads the practices, I stopped running and stopped my Garmin. We chatted about the workout and we made a plan that I would run out a little more at a tempo pace then come back and do the 5 x hill repeats (since I already missed the 20 minute tempo the group was doing). With all the excitement of finding the group and thinking about doing my own up-tempo run, I forgot to restart the Garmin! I didn’t realize until the 3rd hill repeat. To make matters worse, I ran a route that I don’t usually run so I really have no clue how far I ran that day! Oh boy. But guess what? I was totally ok with it. I had a slight uneasy feeling but realized it didn’t really matter. I know I was gone less than an hour total because my husband had been grilling chicken and it was just getting done when I got back.

I counted the run as a solid 5 miles. I know I worked pretty hard with a moderate pace for a few miles and pushed it a bit on the hills. I’m ok with that! It actually felt a little good to have no idea about the numbers. I was slightly sore in my hips, butt and hamstrings the next day so I’d say it was a success.

The big question: did I wear my Garmin on the run the next morning? You bet!

Precise or Round-It-Out Logger

Posted on July 11, 2012 by Jen

Although I’ve been running a long time, I didn’t start keeping a training log until January 1, 2010, just one month before my daughter was born. I wanted to track my fitness during the end of pregnancy to remember for future pregnancies and to just have something fun to look back on. In the back of my mind I know I also wanted some exercise accountability after giving birth and the running log was sort of like my journal.

My training log, January 2010. I had my daughter the first week in February. For a detailed view, click the picture.

Once I started logging my miles, I was addicted. Then came running with a Garmin. I started by mapping my runs on gmap-pedometer but it was time consuming and I had enough on my plate once my daughter was born. One day I remembered we owned a Garmin that we never used. I instantly fell in love with GPS running and have been obsessed with the thing ever since.

Since I do most of my running alone, my GPS is like my training partner. It tells me when I’m doing well, and when I’m having an off day and need some rest. When the Garmin messes up (very rarely, but it does), it gives me a little chuckle (oh you silly little thing, I know I didn’t just run a 4:30 first mile!) I have definitely become a better runner since using the Garmin and logging my miles.

For me, GPS running and logging miles go hand in hand. Seeing my true mileage build up day by day and adding it to my log makes me want to run more miles. Doing a great workout and seeing the splits reflected on my Garmin makes me want to do another great workout. When I look back at my training log, it makes me feel confident about racing. Seeing my workouts, exactly transferred into my running log, makes me have ~~no doubt~~ as little doubt as possible about my peak race.

I’m what I would call a “precise logger”. I log EXACTLY what my Garmin says, no rounding allowed. For me, rounding is like cheating and it makes me less confident about the work I put in. At the end of a training cycle, I know at least one thing – I did everything in my log. I’m not saying this is the “right” way. I think it has been the right way for me and my personality the past few years. Lately, I’ve been talking with all sorts of runners who are more in the “round-it-out logger” category. They finish a run where Garmin says 5.76 miles and they call it a 6 miler. Initially, this gave me a very uneasy feeling. However, the more people I talk to who do this, (and still run well) the more interested I am in this approach.

So tell me friends, do you log your runs? Use a Garmin? Are you a precise logger or a round-it-out type? Will I ever change my precise logger ways?

Running Highs and Lows

Posted on July 9, 2012 by Jen

Running is such an interesting sport. Most people hate it when they start. If they stick with it, they usually get addicted. In the first few months, or at least the first year, new runners will see improvements fairly quickly. Seasoned runners can go without a PR for what seems like ages and then have a breakthrough that invigorates them. And there’s almost always the burnout phase, where it’s hard to get motivated and it just isn’t fun.

I have a lot of friends who are in the burnout phase right now. In fact, I was in this phase for about 6 months and am just coming out of it. The burnout can come for many reasons such as:

The completion of a big race where you did great but have no new goals
The completion of a big race where you didn’t do well
A period of time where you don’t see improvements where everyone else seems to be tearing up the racing scene
Boredom with running partners/groups/solo running
Too much training
Too little training
Buildup of injuries

When you are in the middle of a burnout phase, it might seem like you will never get out. But you will. If you stick with it, you will climb out victorious! I went through a good 6-7 year burnout in my 20s and the thing that pulled me out was my own change in attitude. Everyone’s solution to getting back on track is different, but here are a few ideas:

find someone who believes in you. I find that when someone else believes in me, it can help me believe in myself
find another way to believe in yourself
try something new-work out at gym, weight lifting, take a class, try a dvd, trail, workout with partner/friend
find a group or start to workout solo
dial back intensity – just do it for fun without goals for awhile. I find running local races and concentrating more on the social aspect can get my mind back to where it needs to be.

Having fun with the Roadkill Racing crew before a winter racing series called Freezeroo during my "low phase" this past winter.

dial up intensity- a track workout might be just what you need!

I think burnouts are normal and show that we are training hard and setting goals. What do you think?

My Friday Run

Posted on July 7, 2012 by Jen

I had the running stroller and I was on the Bridle Trails. Here is what I saw:

First this...

then this...

Can you tell how steep the hill was by this picture? No way. If a sign is needed to tell you there’s a steep hill ahead, it’s probably not the best idea to bring a jog stroller on it. Thankfully, we came out alive. My daughter sure does see a lot of adventure in her life (especially for a 2 year old)! Thanks for another adventure, Seattle!

Oiselle Totally Trials “Track and Fun Party” with MC and Booby Hammer!

Posted on July 6, 2012 by Jen

AHHHH! THIS IS SO COOL! OMG! AHHH! I CAN’T BELIEVE THIS! HOW PERFECT! HOW AMAZING! AHHHHH! This is what we found ourselves repeating all night at the Oiselle Track and Fun Party. Here’s how it all went down.

We arrived at Studio Mantra in two groups. I was in the second group. When we arrived there were fancy cheeses, breads, crackers, veggies, sparkling water, you know, the usual model stuff (HA!) We all joked about how we shouldn’t be eating pre-fashion show as we went to town on that spread. Our look for the show was to be natural, afterall we were modeling running apparel! I’m used to a daily regimen of thick, colorful eyeliner so I was curious to see the end result. My makeup was done by Kelly who spoke with me about the Emerald City Roller Girls, her roller derby league and how she wanted to have me over for dinner to put some meat on my bones! She did a great job on my makeup and was fun to talk with. Next I had my hair done by Dede, who realized I have some of the slippery-est hair on the planet as she was perfecting my 3-side-braids-into-a-side-pony look. Loved my hair and she was such a sweet girl!

By the time our second group was done with hair and makeup, we were slightly late to the party. We hiked up the street to the Downtown Athletic Club, me in super-duper high heels that I was borrowing from my friend Casey (thank you Casey, they looked superb!) We had just a few minutes of mingling then we were backstage changing, getting sprayed with avocado oil and lining up. At this point, I was trembling with excitement and nervous energy. We were all trying to pump each other up, dancing around and cracking little jokes. Then, the magic happened:

Here are a few shots of me taken from Oiselle’s Facebook page

My first look: Fall 12 Mesh Tank and Spring 13 Bum Wrap and custom marathon banner bag.

My second look: Cannot wait to get my hands on these comfy pants!

Wow, the fashion show was so much fun! The audience was great! Beer/wine/drinks were raised, loud cheering began and everyone had huge smiles plastered on their faces. They put our minds at ease immediately and it wasn’t scary at all once we got out there. And obviously the apparel spoke for itself. I think everyone wanted everything they saw on stage – I know I did!

After the show we were high-fiving, hugging and laughing-so amped up! We got changed into our party clothes and were ready to dance the night away. And we DID! MC Hammer and his son, Booby entertained us until around 1am. Here are some highlights of the night.

Lauren Fleshman facing me, grabbing my arms, looking straight into my eyes, saying “you did a great job” after the show. She did this to the other “models” standing with me as well. OMG! Arguably my favorite athlete EVER not only talked to me, gave me an autograph, posed for a picture, but ALSO approached me and told me I did a great job?! Too cool!

Oh darn, no flash on camera. Lauren Fleshman!!

Meeting and getting pictures with Steph Rothstein, Ben Bruce, Ro McGettigan.

Me, Ro, and Oiselle Teammate Mollie

Partying with MC Hammer and Booby Hammer!

Models posing with MC Hammer

My blurry iPhone pic with MC Hammer!

Peace!

Booby Hammer gave me his iPhone case! We were dancing, then got to talking about my cool Lytro camera. I asked Booby to take a pic of his dad and me with my phone and he noticed the back of the phone felt strange. I told him my daughter shattered it and he pulled off his case, told me his was broken too then said “here take mine”. I followed up with some girly screams, “OMG I ARE YOU SERIOUS?! REALLY? NO WAY!?! REALLY?” then proceeded to text message almost everyone in my phone about it.

Booby Hammer performs

Totally Trials winners Sarah and Emily with Booby and me. I believe I stole this photo from one of SarahOUaL's tweets!

Quality time with my Oiselle Team ladies. What a group of ladies! I can’t say enough about them. There is something special about each lady on our team and I am so thankful to be a part of it.
J Lesko’s dance moves. This is worth searching on Youtube!
Alysia Montano’s freestyle on stage.
Meeting up with Twitter buddies who are even better IRL.
The photo booth – where memories were made!

This was a party of a lifetime. I’m still riding the buzz…

Anything I’m missing? Anything you want to know about the party? What did you think of the show? The apparel?

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