My Olympic Experience

Posted on June 4, 2012 by Jen

This is the first Guest Post on my blog, by none other than my Dad, Doug Ordway!

I started running in the late 60’s and have kept with it with only brief periods of downtime ever since. Some of my early heroes were Jim Ryun, Buddy Edelen, Bob Schul, Steve Prefontaine, Dave Wottle, Frank Shorter, and Boston Billy Rogers. Shorter winning the Olympic gold in 1972 and Pre failing in the 5000 are images I will never forget. While successful at the local level it was clear to me that I would not be an Olympic caliber athlete myself.

My Olympic “opportunity” occurred in the winter of 1983. The summer Olympics were coming to L.A. California and a nationwide torch relay team would carry the flame which would light the Olympic flame the following summer. Garnering a spot on the torch relay team was easy for some, just fork out the $2,000 required to carry the torch for 1 kilometer on the streets of Toledo, Ohio. For me as a father of 2 working in the feast or famine auto industry of the time, I spent much of 1983 unemployed as the auto industry was suffering huge layoffs. The 2 grand price tag was out of my price range.

Luckily for me, Larchmont Apartment Complex, of Toledo, had purchased a spot on the torch relay team and decided to hold a 5k event in which the overall winner would carry the torch in the relay for them. Very cool I thought!! My summer races were going exceptionally well as I was averaging about 15:45 for 5k and had not run any races slower than 16:00 flat. My peers in Toledo were having equally good seasons and there were 4 or 5 of us capable of winning local 5k’s on any given Saturday.

About a month before the Larchmont 5k was set to go off sometime in November of 1983 I was out doing a track session of 12 x 400 meters when I developed a deep right thigh pain which felt like a stress fracture. I was forced to cut my mileage by 50% usually running only every other or every third day depending on the level of pain. I was able to continue on with regular speed work as long as I rested well between work outs. Certainly this was not the lead up to this big race that I had expected or wanted.

The morning of the Larchmont 5k was cold, about 29 degrees and breezy. My warm up went well and I was pain free after having taken 2 days of complete rest in anticipation of the event. The gun went off and the lead group of 4 of us jockied for position the 1^st mile, which we passed in 5:00. Shortly afterward I got a second wind and surged to the front of the pack. I did not realize until about 30 seconds into the surge that no one else went with me to cover the move. It seems that the other contenders had relaxed a bit in their winter training and were already over extended. I ran scared the rest of the race, looking over my shoulder for over takers, and worrying about whether my thigh could handle the stress of the race. Fortunately, the competition never closed the gap and my thigh remained pain free as I finished 1^st in 15:08, nearly a 30 second P.R. . I had won the right to carry the Olympic torch in the spring of 1984. For me, this was my Olympic 5k.

The morning of the torch relay my family accompanied me to my kilometer of road in Toledo. My wife, 2 children, my in-laws, and my parents were there to witness the event, hold the torch, take pictures, meet my sponsor, and share in my joy. I had a cool white racing singlet and matching shorts, tube socks with the Olympic logo, all of which I was allowed to keep. I handed off to a young lady whose dad had purchased 2 kilometers of road for her to carry the torch through. My one kilometer was ample as I was numbed by the experience and totally out of breath as I finished it. That day is also one that is forever etched in my memory.

Here I am holding the torch and wearing my sweet singlet

View of the entire "uniform" and sharing the torch holding with my beautiful wife

My parents holding the torch

My mother-in-law holding the torch

Doug Ordway has been a Local Elite since the 1960s and has inspired countless individuals with his dedication to running, working and helping his wife raise a family of 4 children. His most recent accomplishments include a 2:58 marathon at Houston 2012, placing top masters runner at numerous local events and being selected to run as an elite masters runner at the Twin Cities Marathon for the USA Track & Field 2012 USA Masters Marathon Championship. Here is a picture of him taking my older brother and me out for our first race around 1984.

Looking good kids, looking good

To Race or Not to Race…

Posted on June 3, 2012 by Jen

Yesterday I was hoping to run the USATF Niagara Trail Championships (8 miles) at Mendon Ponds. I wanted to run this race because I love running championship races, there were cash prizes for 1st-3rd place, it was a challenging course on trails, I would see a lot of people I know, I heard the winner gets a log “trophy” (I enjoy a unique award), and the winner gets a $200 stipend to use towards the USATF National 10k Trail Championship in Laurel Springs, NC on August 25th. My foot had other plans though, as it has been acting up over the past week. I struggled with whether I should race all week but woke on Friday morning unable to run due to some sharp, stabbing pains so I decided racing, especially on tough trails the next day, wouldn’t be smart.

I got to bed after midnight on Friday but still woke at 5:55am, exactly when I planned to wake if I was racing. I laid there in bed, putting my foot through range-of-motion exercises and thinking it was feeling ok and I should probably go out and see what happens. Then thought about how a trail race would be the worst idea possible – I could make a small injury a huge one with one bad decision and I needed to forget about racing. Then I thought maybe racing wouldn’t make it any worse and I could at least try to get some good miles and see what happened. This went on for a good 45 minutes. I finally convinced myself racing on trails was a really horrible idea and I was able to go back to sleep.

The rest of Saturday was spent traveling through airports on our way to Seattle for a little vacation. I thought of the trail race a few times, wondering how my foot would have felt, what the conditions were like for the race, how the whole thing played out… By the time we got to our hotel, around midnight (3am EST) my foot was a little sore and I was exhausted. At that point I was happy I didn’t race since I was already running on empty.

Today I’m happy to say I was able to run 8 miles almost pain free and feel so thankful I was able to talk myself out of racing. Looking back it was the only logical decision and I’m happy I’m getting to a point where I can make smart decisions like that and know they won’t affect my fitness as much as previously thought.

Happily splashing myself with water, a day before feeling the first sign of foot pain. This picture was taken at an innocent looking park that is actually filled with steep trails, sharp turns, creeks to jump, and lots of critters to dodge on the path.

Have you raced through an injury and regretted it? Have you skipped a race you were excited about in hopes to prevent an injury? Are you lucky enough to never get injuries?

I Want to Run There!

Posted on May 31, 2012 by Jen

I’m not sure if this is a normal runner thing, a crazy-obsessed runner thing, or a high mileage runner thing but I can’t help but want to run almost everywhere I go. For example, I drive from New York to Ohio to visit the family quite often. If I see a little stone road or dirt trail running along the highway, I really want to run on it and see where it leads. If I come across an unusual driveway (long winding, short steep hill, long drawn out hill) I really get the urge to stop the car and run it. I imagine what it might be like if I lived there and had to start and end each run on that kind of driveway. If I see something beautiful, a park with gorgeous flowers, a mountain range in the distance, famous historical sights, I always want to run them. This is definitely a plus when we go on vacation because we see so much more of a city than we would if we weren’t runners. It’s a negative when I have 6 more hours of driving ahead of me and all I want to do is go for a run…

Just a few cool places we have run…

June 2006 in Barcelona at Olympic stadium. Didn't have camera phones so didn't shoot a pic while running but came back and got one!

January 2007 after running up Diamond Head on Oahu.

July 2010 in Prague. We ran on trails overlooking the city!

October 2011 we ran in Holyrood Park in Edinburgh. 823ft elevation gain and beautiful at the top! I obviously wasn't running in this pic.

Do you ever get a similar urge to run when you see something beautiful or interesting? Have you ever stopped the car to run because a path looked too good to pass by? Where is your favorite vacation spot for running?

Make Things Happen

Posted on May 30, 2012 by Jen

I came across a quote from someone on my Twitter feed yesterday, that said something to the effect of “if someone wants an excuse they will find one.” Though I heard it before, it really stuck with me through the night and into this morning. This morning, just like last week, I woke up before 6am to get my workout done before my daughter woke up. My foot was bothering me because my navicular bone was rotated. I was tired. I was very unmotivated. I didn’t even have enough motivation to make coffee, so I didn’t. I went out for my run anyway.

When I arrived at the track, the college groundskeeper was standing in the infield. I really don’t like an audience when I’m running so I thought about scrapping the workout. I thought, “there’s an excuse”. I did my first set of track work. The groundskeeper moved up to the bleachers at that point and was just sitting there watching me. A little creepy, but not threatening. I thought I should quit. Again I thought, “there’s another excuse”. Though I had no pain when I was running, standing between sets made my foot feel a little pinched. I thought about stopping. Again, “just an excuse”. The sun came out and it started feeling hot. I had finished most of the workout. One more set wouldn’t make or break me, right? “Hello, excuse!”

I finished the workout happily and dry heaving, something I haven’t experienced from a workout in a long time. I looked at my splits and they were better than goal pace. In my training shoes. In a workout that I almost stopped countless times.

You can have excuses or you can make things happen. Today, I made things happen.

I'm training hard so this pace will feel easy again!

How do you squash your excuses? How do you pump yourself up for a workout when you just aren’t feeling it? Isn’t Twitter awesome for workout motivation?

Quick, Effective Post-Run Stretches

Posted on May 29, 2012 by Jen

It seems runners are divided on whether stretching is good or bad. Those against stretching have told me things like “studies have proven that stretching does nothing to improve running or reduce injuries and it can even make your muscles weaker.” In fact, for the first 15 years of my running career, I was very much against stretching. I was so sure it was a waste of time, I convinced my husband to stop his daily stretching routine!

These days, I’m a huge believer in stretching post-run. Though my life is busier than ever, I always make sure I do a few stretches every day within a few minutes of finishing my workout. My change in attitude started by listening to elite runners, and watching what they do. I don’t know any great runners that don’t do some sort of stretching routine. I’m sure they are out there, but I don’t know any. Second, I’ve had every running injury imaginable and since I started doing just a few stretches a day, I’ve been injury free (knock on wood!)

Stretching doesn’t have to take up much time at all! I see a huge benefit with just 4 stretches a day. On the rare occasion that I skip my stretching all together, I definitely notice a difference.

If I’m really pressed for time, I do just two dynamic stretches that work wonders for my hips and hamstrings:

Linear and Lateral Leg Swings – this link will take you to the Running Times website and the stretches I do are #14 and #15. I first started doing leg swings while training for the steeplechase for one season during college but stopped doing them after that season. I revisited this stretch after watching a video on the Coach Jay Johnson website. I usually do 15 linear and 15 lateral on each leg.

If I have a little more time, I also do my own version of the pigeon pose. I’m not an expert on yoga, but I like this one. The final stretch I do is downward dog. Again, I’m no expert, but I feel like downward dog is great for realigning and stretching every part of my body. I hold these stretches for approximately 30 seconds.

My version of pigeon pose

Hope you find a stretching program that works for you!

Quotable

Posted on May 25, 2012 by Jen

It’s Friday, my favorite day for quotes! I was talking to my husband, Jeff, about quotes last night and how I need some new ones. He jokingly said, “life is about making your own quotes.” Just like that, I had some new inspiration!

Jeff and me before our first marathon, Seattle Marathon 2004

I’m a quote girl. Always have been, always will be. But Jeff gave me something to think about. Why am I looking for words from others when some of the most personally inspiring words come from myself? As a runner, I’m constantly coming up with personal motivations on runs. Sometimes I say these crazy things that don’t even make sense to me when the run is over, but they get me through. Other times, I come up with something that really works, maybe even my marathon mantra, during a particularly hard training session. Sometimes, the best words come from within.

Have a great Friday!

My RunLove Post

Posted on May 24, 2012 by Jen

The reasons I run are endless. Oiselle asked Twitter followers to show or tell why we run. Here’s my #runlove list, in no particular order!

I run…

to prove to myself I can
to show my daughter women are strong, capable, competitive
for happiness – running is my drug
to fuel a healthy lifestyle
to see the world. Jeff and I always run together on vacations and we see so much more than we would if we weren’t runners.
to bond with family
to beat myself up
to make sense of the world
to vent
to see the sunrise/set
for friendship, to meet new people
to get lost in a moment
to appreciate the little things
because it heals every heartache/problem I’ve experienced
because you don’t need anything to run other than yourself. Though there are lots of fancy gadgets in the running stores, but all you really need is yourself (just ask my husband, winner of the Bare Buns Run, Seattle area, in 2002.
you get out what you put in

Family bonding! Husband, Dad, 2 brothers, and me headed for a run around the holidays.

I want to hear why YOU run!!

Time to Get Serious

Posted on May 23, 2012 by Jen

2011 was an awesome year of racing for me. I believe I ran 17 races (including 2 marathons and 2 half marathons), and won 12 of them. I got PRs in almost every distance and I never felt a sign of burnout or injury. I had the negative Cleveland Marathon experience, but I immediately began training for the Columbus Marathon and was able to push it out of my mind for awhile. My fitness kept improving and I was able to get my 5k PR of 16:40 at the USATF Niagara 5k Championships in Bergen, NY.

Racing to a PR in Bergen

A few months later I had another disappointing marathon experience in Columbus and that’s where my running took a negative turn. I have not been able to get my mojo back. I haven’t lost my love for running, but I definitely lost my love for fast workouts. The workouts that once got me excited and kept my running interesting filled me with dread and negative thoughts.

I decided it was time to take a few months of easy running, no workouts unless I got the urge, and just occasional races to ride out my previous year’s fitness as long as possible. A few months turned into 6 months, and I found myself feeling like 2011 happened a lifetime ago. My current trip to Ohio has come with some soul searching and I feel that it’s finally time to stop feeling sorry for myself and my situation and time to get tough again.

Last night I went out to feel like my old self again. I went to my high school track (though it is in a different location than when I lived here) and set out to do 5 sets of 5×200. I ran the 2 miles there with my flats in hand, at 7pm when it was still near 80 degrees just to find there was a football scrimmage going on and I couldn’t get on the track. I was really disappointed, ran back to my parents’ house and dropped off my flats, then finished my “10k a day“. I decided right then I was going to get up at 5am this morning and get after my workout at 6am.

When my dad woke me up at 5:40am I was feeling full from last night’s indulgences, exhausted from a sleepless toddler, and unmotivated for a track workout. However, I forced down a peanut butter sandwich and a half cup of coffee plus a large water and was out the door by 6am. On my warmup I was sluggish and groggy but I kept a positive attitude. I witnessed a beautiful sunrise and made it to the track before a single car arrived at the school. It was 50 degrees, clear skies, and little wind. I nailed that workout like I’d never stopped. The whole process brought tears to my eyes. I truly got a little weepy on my last 200, knowing I’d completed an entire workout, faster than expected, and felt good the whole time.

Matchy-matchy at its finest! Oiselle apparel + New Balance shoes!

I came home to a supportive dad who didn’t complain even though my late return (7:15am) made him a little late for work, a sleeping daughter and mom, and a feeling that anything might be possible.

10K a Day

Posted on May 22, 2012 by Jen

Here comes another post inspired by my dad! We were talking about how to approach our current training. My easy runs are always 30-40 mins, 4-5 miles. With marathon training, this increased, but I’m not in a training cycle so I have been ~~slacking a little~~ more laid back in the mileage department.

Heading out for a run I asked my dad how far he wanted to go. He said “let’s make it at least a 10k. I like to do at least 10k a day.” I didn’t realize he made this “daily goal” but it got me thinking about my own training and how I’ve definitely been dropping my mileage. I think having a daily goal is a great idea. The goal would be different for everyone, depending on their goal race or general fitness goals. It could even be a mile a day. I find when I don’t have a goal distance (or amount of time) to run per day, it’s so much easier to tell myself “one more easy 4 miler and tomorrow I’ll go longer”. With the 10k a day goal, my mind is made up and the shorter run isn’t even an option.

I’m following dad with a goal of 10k a day. Will you join me in making a goal?

Me and Dad before Glass City Half Marathon 2011, photo courtesy of Larry Herrett.

Country Roads, Take Me Home

Posted on May 21, 2012 by Jen

A year ago this weekend, I made my first true attempt at an Olympic Trials qualifier at the Cleveland Marathon. I had fueling and stomach problems that led to a 2:53 finish, definitely slower than what I felt I was capable of at the time. So, as race day approached this year (I wasn’t running), I found myself dealing with a bit of a heavy heart remembering the disappointment I faced after last year’s race. Luckily, I had an amazing weekend planned, visiting family and friends in Ohio which helped keep my mind off it most of the time. Still, I occasionally thought of the race, especially while running.

Thank goodness for the country roads! I love running in the country and through small, familiar communities. My husband and I both grew up in tiny towns in Ohio. Every time I run in these areas I feel inspired. On Saturday I ran through my husband’s hometown and saw the following sign at the football field as I was running around the track:

HEART High Expectations Are Reached Together

My high expectations are reached with support from my family and friends.

It brought an instant smile to my face. Then I ran past the tiny gas station and some middle school cheerleaders were having a car wash fundraiser, enthusiastically shouting “come on, get your car washed! You know you wanna get your car washed! Car wash right over here!” Another smile spread across my face. Then the cheerleaders say “Hey girl, we’ll wash your body for $1!” This made me instantly laugh. Witty, outgoing, middle school girls, trying to make a buck for their pay-to-play requirement. I had to finish my run, but when I was done I went back and bought a car and body wash.

Sunday I ran a long-ish run, 10.5 miles on the country roads, starting at my in-laws farm lane. I didn’t see a single person or car the entire run! It was just me, some pavement, and a few dirt roads. By this time there was a huge smile plastered across my face. How often can you run over 10 miles and not see a single person or car? Being back in the country reminds me of everything I love about both running and life. After these two runs and some amazing nights spent with good friends my Cleveland marathon heartbreak was gone. I’m so happy I have another week in Ohio, currently a few days with my parents, where I can get some good runs on my old favorite home-town courses!

Have a great Monday!

How do you deal with disappointing races? Where are your favorite places to run?

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