Weekend of Races

Posted on September 4, 2012 by Jen

Someone please stop me from racing 3 days in a row this weekend.

There are 3 options for races this weekend and a small part of me wants to do all three. I’ve done it before, but I had a much better base, many more workouts under my belt, and different goals. At this point, racing 3 days in a row is asking for an injury. The races are as follows:

2-ish miler on campus where Jeff works on Friday night. Pushing Currie in stroller.
12k on Saturday which goes towards the local runner of the year series (I won’t have enough races to count toward the Runner of the Year title since we were gone all summer, but it’s fun to do these races).
5k on Sunday to win free bagels for a year. I won this race the past 2 years and have happily devoured the prize. What runner doesn’t love free bagels?

The Friday evening race is a definite. This was going to be my only race until I started looking at the local racing calendar. Then I saw the 12k and thought it would be a good effort to do some miles before and after and make it a fast middle portion long run. Then my friend mentioned the bagel race last night and I looked it up today and saw it falls this weekend as well. I feel like I need to do the bagel run for tradition if nothing else. Plus, they have free childcare during the race so Jeff and I can both race!

With all these things in mind, I think I should forget the Saturday race. I guess that’s where I’m leaning… but something is telling me to do all three…

What would you do? Have you ever raced multiple days in a row? How did it feel?

We’re Home!

Posted on September 1, 2012 by Jen

We are finally back in Rochester and it feels so great to be home. We had a perfectly wonderful summer in Seattle and I’m so thankful for the opportunity to live in such a beautiful city and spend time with so many wonderful people! Still, we have our lives, our friends, and our home here in New York and I’m so happy to be back and ready for Fall!

After leaving Seattle, Currie and I spent a few days in Ohio with my parents, where I watched my sweet little 9 month old niece while my sister worked. I was able to run a few doubles, but nothing to brag about. My dad has been injured (achilles) for the longest time ever – around 12 weeks – and he’s just getting back into running. Usually, running with my dad is one of my favorite parts of being home and I’ve missed running with him. He’s doing 2.5-3 miles a day so I joined him on a few of those runs.

We also did some fishing in my parents’ pond:

First time fishing and she got a big one! She was wearing one of my old t-shirts in size 6 or so!

Although my running was nothing to brag about, I did get an extremely short but solid workout done, and will log a little over 60 miles this week (thanks to short doubles with dad). I ran my long run this morning since my parents were still in town so I could have my husband, Jeff, as a training partner. I ran on long grass for the majority of the run (found a few new trails-woohoo!), and pushed the pace in the middle (by pushing the pace, I mean 7:00-7:10 pace). In the past, I’ve never done super fast long runs. I usually keep them right around 7:45-8:00 pace but I am switching things up, keeping it fresh. My legs are tired but my mind is fresh. It’s a great feeling.

I’m running a little race this coming Friday, more on that later in the week. It’s a small 2-ish mile race on campus where Jeff works. I’ll be pushing the stroller. Jeff will be going for the win and I’m hoping for 2nd!

Are you having a nice Labor Day weekend? Any exciting plans? Any fun races? Any cute toddler fishing stories?

Race Recap – Run for Aidan 2012

Posted on August 28, 2012 by Jen

I had such a great time racing on Saturday! After a high-ish mileage week, including 10 miles for my pre-race day, I was really curious how I would feel on race morning. I was a little tight, but have felt worse on race days in the past so I knew I could run a good effort. I was warned that the course was 5k-ish, very hilly, full of roots and gravel, and was a few minutes slower than a normal 5k. I wasn’t going for time, but for effort.

The race took place at Wilburton Hill Park in Bellevue, WA. It’s a cute little park with a large playground and some great running trails. I instantly loved the location and knew it would be a great morning.

I watched Jeff run the men’s race and took a few pictures. I had about 20 minutes between the end of his race and the start of mine. I handed him the stroller with Currie and headed out to run the more confusing part of the course as my warmup. Before I knew it, I had run about a mile (usually warmup 2 or so miles, but kept it short due to time constraint) and it was time to put on my flats and get racing.

$jeffrace$

As we stood on the line, the race director explained the course, then took a moment to thank us for coming out to support Aidan, his son, and reminded us that we are out moving our bodies in ways that so many others, like Aidan, can’t. Talk about a tearjerker, yet a wonderful start to the race.

The second we heard “on your mark, get set, go!” we were off sprinting and my Oiselle teammates were cheering me on – love my team! I instantly started thinking about my college cross country team. The corners of my mouth turned up and formed the hugest smile that didn’t leave until well after I crossed the finish line. As my mind wandered, I realized I went off course. I was in the lead, and although the path was well-marked with cones, I lost track of them because I was lost in a moment. I quickly got back on course and tried to pay attention!

After the first mile, I realized I was pretty far in the lead and knew it would be more of a tempo effort. I was the only non-high-school person trying to run fast. (My teammates were running for fun and the others were high school kids.) I ended up gaining more of a lead each mile.

Running on the only paved portion of the race

By the end, I was a few minutes ahead of second place. We ended on a nice, flat soccer field so when Currie started chasing me down the field, I stopped. I waited for her to catch me and we ran about 50 meters into the finish holding hands. It was one of my happiest race moments! My time was over 20 minutes which was expected given the course, and stopping, and jogging it in with a barefoot Currie. I didn’t care one bit!

mom and daughter finishing race together

Hand-in-hand finish. So much fun!

Things I loved about this race:

true cross country style course with hills, roots, gravel, grass, interesting loop course
separate race for males and females so Jeff and I could both run
Oiselle teammates ran

Post race picture!

finished with my little lady
small race atmosphere with friendly runners, bake sale, funny awards

Jeff won this inflatable grasshopper which Currie loved!

people cheering for me and each other all over the course
the race raised money for a cause – to help fund medical costs for Aidan, a little boy who is full of life and diagnosed with DMD (Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy) at a young age.

I would recommend this race to anyone and everyone in the Seattle area in the future. Make sure to pack water and any food you want (other than bake sale items). It is a small race atmosphere and all proceeds go to help Aidan’s medical needs.

Do you like cross country courses? What is your fondest racing moment?

A Whole Lot of Randomness

Posted on August 21, 2012 by Jen

Random fun things about running lately:

Jog stroller stuff:

I was doing an out-and-back course and really struggling on the slight uphill about 1.5 miles from the finish. A cyclist passed me and said “you are AMAZING!” I certainly didn’t feel amazing but my pace instantly quickened, my spirit lifted and I was happy the remainder of the run.

I run this trail almost every day with the jog stroller. Sometimes Currie gets out and runs too!

I was running on that same trail a few days later, feeling like I should have done my run earlier so I didn’t have the stroller, when a group of male college runners passed me. I heard them say “that’s awesome” and “that’s definitely dedication”. I’m 99% sure they were talking about something else going on it their exciting college lives and not my stroller running, but I pretended they were talking about me and it helped me push through.

Like the recent post from my Oiselle teammate Andrea, make sure to give praise to stroller runners (or really any runner you meet on the trail). It can really change someone’s day!

Husband runs too:

Jeff runs! He even pushes the stroller on rare occasions!

Here are a few running conversations I had with my husband on Sunday, mixed in with playground time, random life topics, and talking politics…

Me: So a five-fifty is 87s and 88s, right? Jeff: Yep, 87.5.

Me: Mason dropped it and we did a six forty one to finish up today. Jeff: That’s cool!

Me: How far did you go? Jeff: Hour twenty with some fast ones in there.

If he wasn’t a runner, would he understand my need to randomly bring up workouts of the past, present, and future into our totally unrelated topics of conversation? Would he even know what I was talking about and be able to answer these questions without hesitation? I know most couples have their “things” that keep them in sync and make them feel connected. I’m glad one of ours is running.

Training:

I had a strange day of training today. I ran 2 miles to the zoo, the last mile is a long uphill. I felt good about that effort, and was planning on running longer on the way home. While playing at the zoo, I got a sharp pain behind my shoulder blade that wouldn’t go away. It was bad enough to stop me from running home with the stroller. Later in the day the pain was slightly better and I ran another 3 miles. So, I did 2 runs today, but only got 5 miles total! Funny two-a-day.

Post second run silly girl

This is my last week of Seattle running before we head back to the east coast. Going to make it count by running with friends and running quite a few miles (as long as the shoulder blade cooperates!

What randomness has been sprucing up your runs lately? Any cures for a random behind the shoulder blade pain?

ME Monday – Genes versus Healthy Lifestyle

Posted on August 20, 2012 by Jen

I sometimes feel like my life is an experiment to see what role genetics versus healthy living play in disease prevention and longevity.

I wasn’t born into a family with the healthiest genes. Heart disease, stroke and cancer killed my grandparents – none of them lived to see their 70th birthday. Breast cancer has plagued my mother in her 30s, again in her 50s and her mother in her 40s. (On a side note, my mom tested negative for the “known” breast cancer genes.) My mom has also battled thyroid and skin cancer. Many of my great uncles and my maternal grandfather battled melanoma. Blood pressure problems and diabetes run strong on my father’s side of the family.

No matter what direction I look, I see potential health problems in my future. But – I CHOOSE to live a healthy life. An optimistic life. An active life. I have made healthy-living a part of my lifestyle and I love the way these things make me feel. I don’t smoke. I drink alcohol sparingly. I eat mostly from the earth, following a flexitarian diet (mostly plant based with occasional animal meat). I exercise daily. I try to keep a healthy level of stress in my life.

Toddler cuddles are good for the soul.

I have definitely pondered whether this way of life is worth it. I’ve thought, “what would I change if I found it didn’t matter?” Would I eat twinkies all day? Would I stop running? Would I be a half-glass-empty type of girl? The answer comes naturally – I really wouldn’t change anything. The choices I’ve made help me feel energized and strong and good about my life in the present moment. And when it comes down to it, that’s really the only thing I can control.

Hope to be around for a long time with this little lady.

Have a great Monday!

How is your family health history? Does it influence the way you live your life?

Forget Shark Week – It’s Snake Week!

Posted on August 17, 2012 by Jen

Two events have happened in the past week that brought pythons to the front of my mind. First, I read that a woman made a very realistic looking python cake for her 6-year-old daughter’s birthday party. Um, no thank you. Unrelated in all ways except in the category of “cake-I-wouldn’t-eat-even-though-I-love-cake” is this picture of the cake my brother-in-law had at his 30th birthday party. Um, definitely no thank you.

Brother-in-law’s “poop” cake (I think they use another not-so-nice-term), complete with real toilet paper and fake flies.

Back to the pythons. I was running in the park where I run every day, pushing Currie along in the stroller, when I noticed bright red, orange and yellow signs everywhere. I figured they were warning us of upcoming construction or pesticide use and I ran right past. On the way back through I decided to stop and see what the sign said.

Oh, a 7ft python escaped? Hmm, how does that happen exactly? Wikipedia tells me that attacks on humans are rare. I guess we will continue running there for our last 1.5 weeks in Seattle! Afterall, there is a heat wave coming through and this park is a great place to find shade!

pretending to be scared of cowen park python

After reading the python signs, I did what every parent would do. I stopped and took of picture of me and Currie looking scared. I look more happy and weird and she looks peaceful. Oh well.

So while most of you have been enjoying Shark Week, I’m enjoying snake week.

Would you eat that python cake? Would you keep running through a park if you knew a python recently escaped? What’s the strangest animal you’ve encountered on a run?

Running to Impress

Posted on August 16, 2012 by Jen

I remember my first run with my now-husband, shortly after we met. I ran much faster than I normally would, both from excitement to be with him and a desire to impress him with my running. Afterward, he said “you kept a great pace”. What a compliment for a girl like me! The fast runs continued through our first few months of dating. He lived in Seattle and I was in Ohio so we only ran together when one of us flew to the other side of the country to see each other. It was fun, and tiring!

Still in the “honeymoon phase”, San Fran, 2005.

Eventually, my real training pace revealed itself – I stopped trying to impress him and started getting real. Since then, when we run together (not so often these days) we follow my normal pace.

A few nights ago, we were able to run together while his mom was visiting and watching Currie. The run was so much like our early dating days! We started off fast, and only got faster. We ran hills at his pace and I didn’t complain! He wanted to go longer and I was right there with him!

Life is a lot different now, but some things will never change. I will always love to run, and always enjoy impressing my husband!

Have you ever tried to impress a partner or friend with running?

Secrets to Success

Posted on August 12, 2012 by Jen

I’m taking a year off from the marathon, but I’m busy every week making my “next marathon goals”. I’ve been thinking about my secrets to success, hoping to uncover something that might take me to the next level. I’ll continue to update you as I think of more, but here are a few “secrets to success” that I came up with so far.

Believe in yourself. I wrote about this in my recent ME Monday, and I can’t emphasize it enough. You HAVE to believe in yourself to get anywhere near your goals. It seems like the most simple concept, but it can be the hardest for most runners (people).

This is my confident/determined racing face.

Trust and commit to your training. Find a coach or training plan you can trust and commit to that training. Don’t worry about other people’s training. There are so many blogs, twitter updates, training logs to check out, but too much obsessing over others’ training can make you lose focus on your own training. Everyone is different. What works for me isn’t going to work for you. Sure, we can learn from each other, but you need to find a training plan you believe in and totally commit to it.
Do your training. Yes, are definitely times you need to skip a run, or rearrange your training schedule (I rearrange ALL THE TIME to fit my life and the way my body is feeling) but to be successful you have to do the training. It seems a little silly to mention this but it’s important. I remember arriving at college and my coach asked how much of the summer training plan I followed. When I looked at him puzzled and answered “all of it, what do you mean?” he was in shock. This is when I first realized that many people don’t follow their training plans. If you stick to a consistent schedule, you will be much closer to your goal.

Family run time. Getting the training done and having fun!

Have a support system. A support system can be family members, friends, or babysitters who watch your kids while you run. It can be buddies who meet you early every Sunday morning to make sure you get your long run done. It can be online friends who support your training and help you through the rough weeks. They can help you physically by running with you or cheering on the race course, or they can help you emotionally. Whatever the support system is, find one and it will make your running improve.

Those are my 4 top secrets to success! Do you have any to share?

ME Monday! Confidence

Posted on August 6, 2012 by Jen

I didn’t have confidence in my running for the first 28 years of my life. One of my racing “secrets to success” is that I’m at a point in my life where I truly believe “I’m fast” and “I work harder than most of the people out there”. It’s completely different than the way I used to feel.

I can pinpoint a few things from my past that made me think I wasn’t fast:

First, every year my siblings and I would enter a short (maybe 100 meter) race against all the other kids at my mom’s huge work picnic. My 3 siblings would almost always win. I finished mid-pack at best EVERY SINGLE YEAR. It made me feel slow, like I didn’t have the “family talent”.

Second, when I was going into my freshman year in high school, I raced a summer 5k. I had been training every day all summer. My sister was going into the 5th grade and never trained. She beat me! Ouch…

Love you sis! Best buddies!

Even with some success in high school and college, I always thought I was the “slow one in the family”. I stuck myself with a label and it was self-fulfilling.

The turn around happened when I was pregnant with my daughter. I started to think about what I wanted her to think of women, of me, and of herself. I got the urge to forget about labels and failure and try to do something great. When she was 5 months old, I entered my first post-pregnancy race. I had a 5k PR. Every time I raced, I improved. That fall, when she was 8 months old, I had a 23 minute marathon PR.

First post-pregnancy race, Ten Ugly Men. 2nd female and 5k PR!

These days, every time I race, I am excited. I still get nervous, and even a little scared of my competitors, but I turn it into fuel for the fire instead of crippling fear. I love it!

The Week in Workouts and Pictures

Posted on August 4, 2012 by Jen

This has been a tough week of training, as I did every run with the stroller and did about double the mileage of the week before. (To be honest though, I was sick the week before and had incredibly low mileage since I took a few days completely off.) I wanted to run more mileage this week and I definitely accomplished that goal despite a toddler who wasn’t loving the stroller and my own tired body. Here’s the breakdown:

Monday: As mentioned earlier this week, ran to grocery store the long way, loaded the stroller with food, then ran home the short way.

Tuesday: Currie wasn’t excited about the stroller run but I told her we would run to the zoo and she was happy. Went the long way which was 5 miles, pushed pretty hard up the hills (was sore the next day) and played at the zoo for a few hours before running back home the medium distance way, 3.25 miles. Added bonus, Currie was happy the whole time, played with her favorite ZooMorphs and slept on the run home.

Gotta love the Zoo Morphs, available on amazon.com

Wednesday: Jeff worked from ~~home~~ coffee shops which means he came home and did a family run with us midday. Approximately 6.5 miles on some trails and bike path. Death grip on stroller entire time thanks to bumps that can easily send the stroller flying.

Sure, the jog strollers have improved a lot in the past few years, but they still don't deal with bumps like this very well...

Thursday: Ran with a few Oiselle ladies, including my buddy Sarah K who was in town for the day. I was so happy to be running with them that I didn’t notice when my happy hoodie fell out of the bottom of the stroller! After 5.37 miles, we were back at Oiselle HQ and I noticed it was gone. Currie and I ran the route backwards, and eventually found it, but not before I accused a girl who happened to be carrying the same hoodie in the same color (violet!) about a mile from where it was found. (“Oh, did you just find that jacket? It’s yours? Are you SURE it’s YOURS? Well, if YOU ARE SURE it’s YOURS”) Oops, sorry girl! So, I ran about 10 miles when I planned on going about 6. Currie asked me along the way “mommy, why are you running so slow? Just speed up please!” Oh my.

Reunited and it feels so good!

Also, Currie took her first picture of me with an iPhone:

Apparently she didn't think my face was important in this photo. Wearing the new Oiselle Mesh Tank

And a more professional pic, Oiselle Mesh Tank in Violet. Pairs well with Indigo Roga short in my opinion!

Friday: Ran a loop around the lake with Oiselle Team manager and friend, Kristin. Then ran the short way, 2 miles to the zoo with Currie, once again pushing the long uphill portion hard. Finished with a 2 mile run back home a few hours later. Thank goodness the zoo is just 2 miles away. I can always keep Currie happy about the jog stroller if I say we are ending at the zoo! It also means I get a good burn pushing hard up the hills to get there.

She calls this "the fountain".

Saturday: early 3.1 miles around the lake with my friend Em and Currie in stroller. About 2 hours later, pushed Currie to a track with Jeff where he did a real workout and I did maybe 8-10 strides as Currie ran around the field. I felt so fast and light and wonderful. Today would have been a good race day!

Currie runs, one shoe off and one shoe on.

Mommy, they have a sandbox here!

Go Mommy!

I did a lot of random miles this week. Lots of stop and go which makes me sort of feel more tired than running all the miles at once. I was happy to get more miles this week. I also wanted to do a real workout, but it wasn’t happening with the stroller. I’m counting my 2 hard uphill days as semi-solid workouts and my strides got my legs turning over faster than they have for the past month so that’s progress! Tomorrow I get to do a long run stroller-free! Yay!

Have you ever lost something on the run? Did you find it? I was devastated when I lost my hoodie! How is your weekend going?

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