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!

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?

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)?

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?

US Half Marathon Championships 2012- Race Recap

Posted on June 23, 2012 by Jen

This Guest Post is by my youngest brother, Jason Ordway! You can learn more about Jason at the end of this post.

My bro looking ripped while racing a few months ago.

Here’s my review of the US Half Marathon Championships that took place last weekend in Duluth, Minnesota.

First off, let me say I never believed that my legs would be able to take me to so many amazing and interesting places. In high school, I was always in the top 10 at State every year in track and cross country in the small school division in Ohio, yet I didn’t believe I was even good enough to run in college. Flash forward a couple years and I’m getting comped entries into races, free hotel rooms to myself, and $400 towards travel and food for a US Championship race! I often ask myself, “How did I get here!?”

The race was held within the Grandma’s Marathon and Half Marathon. The course was slightly rolling and ran right along beautiful Lake Superior. 57 and clear skies overhead as we had our 6:15am start time! The earliest race start of my life! I had to get up at 4:00am to be bused over to the half marathon start line. I was on a bus with the likes of some of the best runners in the US. Like a boss!

We arrived a few blocks away from the starting line to our own private tent with chairs, water, and such and 6 portable bathrooms all to ourselves. Gotta love those perks! As we toed the starting line I notice I was directly in the middle. Front and center. RIGHT beside Abdi Abdirahman (the eventual winner). No big deal! We made small talk before the gun went off and he slapped my hand. Down the way was Ian Burrell, Josh Hartmann, Patrick Rizzo, and all sorts of people I’d seen in magazines or high up in the results at big time races. Kara Goucher (the women’s winner) had passed me on the bike path behind our hotel the day before so the races were all stacked with big names.

Personalized Bib at US Half Marathon Championships

Personalized bibs are just one perk of elite entry into races.

The race went about as well as I could have hoped. For the first time in my running career, I actually caught a second wind at mile 8 and was able to change gears. I caught about 8 people from that point on and ended up at a comfortable 21st place with a 1:05:29, 24 seconds off my PR. 21st in the nation has a good ring to it! Plus, the $500 bonus I got for running under 1:06:00 was a refreshing surprise! Almost directly after I finished, 2 fighter jets had a fly-by that gave me goosebumps and short term hearing loss! Worth it!

I know I can’t exactly go to races like this and expect to win, but I can get an amazing experience out it. I got to hang out with some of the biggest names in our sport and get treated like one, a feeling that I feel I didn’t deserve. It’s kind of like playing dress up, except people are actually waiting on you hand and foot and giving you free stuff!! Oh yeah, the night after the race there was an awards ceremony and elites-only party where I drank free champagne and other drinks with some Ohio people and Abdi in a train car built in 1916 in a museum. That was a sweet way to cap off the night! All in all, it was a fantastic experience and I can’t wait to go back and do the full marathon. Who knows where these legs will take me next!?

Abdi walking into the train car

Jason Ordway is my youngest brother, and a local elite! He has been tearing up the racing scene since he was about 8 years old running in the Junior Olympics. After a successful high school career, Jason attended college and ran at Southern Illinois (with my former Ohio State coach, Matt Sparks)! Jason took to the roads and within months of graduating he ran (and won!) his first marathon where he qualified for the Olympic Trials Marathon (Columbus Marathon in 2010, 2:18:08)! He has since run a 1:05:05 half marathon in Columbus 2011, and ran in the Olympic Trials Marathon in Houston this past January. Jason races every chance he gets and makes some cash along the way. He’s also a Saucony Hurricane Team Captain. Jason says, “I run to push myself and see just how fast I can get. I know I don’t have near as much talent as Ryan Hall or Dathan Ritzenhein, but I strive to maximize my own potential.”

What is The Local Elite?

Posted on May 14, 2012 by Jen

I’ve been thinking, talking, somewhat even dreaming about starting a running blog for years. Thanks to a little extra push from real-life friends, online friends, and especially my husband, I’m finally making it a reality!

The Local Elite is a place where I will blog about my journey as a local elite runner. People have different ideas of what it means to be a “local elite”. Here are some of the things it means to me:

I know I will never be the best of the best, but I train day after day, and sacrifice a lot to see what I might accomplish. I test my limits!
I place in the top few at local races and run as many local races as possible.
I dream of qualifying for the Olympic Trials!
I want to run big races and hope to break into one of the top American spots.
I have a regular life/interests/job other than running.
I am not afraid to have children because I think it will hurt my running career.
I obsess over little details about my running life even though it may only get me seconds faster.

This is my blog! Hope you enjoy!

The Local Elite

Live/Laugh/Love Running

Tag Archives: elite running