breaking in the singlet

On Saturday, July 26th I ran my first race in my shiny new Oiselle singlet. It was amazing. Well, the race not so much I guess, but racing in the singlet was everything I had hoped for and more. The race was a 5k in Somerville, MA called Running on the Streets of Gold. I ran with my totally awesome teammate, braid twin, and new friend Rebecca. She picked me up around 7, after I made her wait in the parking lot while I finished gathering all of my stuff. I am a terrible packer and planner, I am great at throwing things in a bag last minute. 

at least I have an awesome new spike bag to throw it all in

We got to the race early so we would have time to do about a 15 min warm up, get our bibs, and braid some hair. Thankfully, I perfected the art of the french braid at a young age. Also thankful I was able to share this skill with Rebecca on Saturday. When we got to the race we were pretty surprised by the number of people. There couldn't have been more than 20. We weren't sure if we were in the right place until we spotted the porta potties. We were able to grab our bibs pretty quickly, along with a fresh copy of Chicken Soup for the Runner's Soul. Definitely the first time I've gotten a book at a race! After we got our stuff, we ran just under 2 miles to warm up. The sun was already warm and the humidity was already making things sticky. My singlet was soaked before the race even started. 

I look half asleep because I was...
(picture stolen from Rebecca)

Once we returned from our warm up miles, there were many more people lined up to get their bids and take a trip to the porta potty. After some delayed announcements, the race finally got started close to 8:30 (it was supposed to be an 8:00 start). It was their first year doing the race, so we cut them some slack. I went in to this race not knowing what to expect. Of course, I always want to shoot for a PR, but even more importantly I want to walk away knowing I gave it all on that day. Training lately has been extremely up and down with the weather (heat and humidity is NOT my friend). I also very rudely woke up at 2:30am Saturday morning and was not able to go back to sleep. I finally rolled out of bed around 5:45 and hoped some extra caffeine would give me some wings. I knew very early on this would not be the case. Rebecca is a super speedy bird. I knew she would be running much faster than me, even on my best of days. My thought was I would just try to keep her in sight as long as possible. It didn't take long after a couple turns, and some hills before I could no longer see her. I was flying solo and feeling pretty beat up. 

I had two options. I could give in to the pain, slow way down, and just use the race as a training run. Or I could embrace the pain and push on knowing I 'only' had a couple more miles to go. I chose the latter. I knew if I completely gave up I would be really upset when I finished. So, I chose to push forward and give the most that my body could at that moment. Near the finish, the course did a weird little out and back and I was able to see Rebecca in the distance still running strong. It gave me a little boost I needed to finish strong as well. 

I crossed the finish line at 23:47. Not even close to a PR, but not my slowest 5K either. It was however a fun day with a great teammate. I'm starting to understand that just because every race doesn't result in a PR, it doesn't mean every race that doesn't result in a PR is a bad race. Racing is fun because it's a challenge. You can't predict how your body will perform on any given day. You can only keep challenging it and hoping for great results. All I can ask of myself is to give my best in that moment. I want to walk away from each racing knowing I gave my best. Thankfully, I can say I gave my best effort at that time, during that race on Saturday. 

after we run...we drink coffee!
(again stolen from Rebecca)

 

Volée!

I have started and restarted this post a handful of times. Where do you even begin to write about something that still seems pretty surreal. I still feel the need to pinch myself...maybe I'll wake up and this will all be a dream.

I have a fun announcement.

I run for Oiselle!

Wait, what?! Me? Yes, I am EXTREMELY (caps are necessary) honored and proud to be able to say that I am a member of the Volee Team. Saturday I will be running my first race wearing the coveted Oiselle singlet that I've been dreaming of wearing for almost two years. Holy shit. This is real.

Side note: in case don't know, Oiselle is this totally incredible company that produces beautiful running clothes, supports incredible athletes, promotes positive change for the sport, and has inspired me to believe in myself every day. They're pretty amazing.

Oiselle gave me wings

Let me back track a bit. I applied to be a member of the Oiselle Team last year in June. On the last day of July I received an email saying I was not going to be offered a spot. I was totally bummed. I thought a lot about it, along with the email I received from Kristin (fearless team manager). Then wrote this post. There was a line in the email that stuck with me, "We hope that you keep in touch with us and continue to be persistent if being on the team is a priority to you." It absolutely was a priority for me. Even though I was not an official member of the 2013-2014 team, Oiselle had become a very important part of me, and I wasn't willing to let it go.


I never gave up hope over the past year that I would one day be able to say I run for Oiselle. I reached out to Kristin throughout the year and kept in touch. I continued to be inspired by all the talented, speedy Oiselle athletes and always felt welcomed and loved by the running community (family) they've built. It really is something very special. 

Ragnar birds

Seriously, when can we do this again?!

  

Oh wait, this isn't a Ragnar post

Steph and I at the Turkey Trot in NH
(can we do this again?!)

To my biggest surprise, a couple of months ago I was asked if I would like to be a member of the Oiselle Team. My response? YES!! Proceeded by jumping and dancing around my apartment for a while. The catch? I had to keep quiet until now. Maybe this is what winning a reality TV show feels like. It was tough because I obviously wanted to scream to the world that I am a member of the Oiselle Volee Team! My profile is on the athlete page. I almost still don't believe it.

Please don't pinch me. I don't want to wake up from this dream.
    

from the city to the trails

I'm always so sad when Sunday evening rolls around, but this has truly been a great weekend. It started yesterday with a short drive in to Boston to run along the Charles River. This is my favorite place to run and I haven't had the chance to do it nearly enough. However, now that I live just a few miles away, it will definitely be happening more often. If you've never had the opportunity to run here, I would very highly recommend it. I ran down one side of the river along Storrow Drive, then crossed over to the other side and ran back along Memorial Drive for a total of 12.5 miles. It was beautiful despite the humidity that doesn't seem to want to quit.

I could look at this view all day

After my run, Ryan and I had planned to spend the day in the city. It's the first time we have had the chance to do so since we moved here. We spent the day walking, eating, and drinking. It was perfect.

my last name = I have to take a picture

This morning I finally decided to explore some trails I've been wanting to check out. I haven't done any trail running since I moved, but I knew there were a lot of them right down the street in place called Middlesex Fells Reservation. I eyed spot on google maps before we even moved and have been wanting to run/walk/bike there since. I ran to one of the many trailheads and was super excited to see what I could find.

very inviting

Pretty soon after I started I was greeted with options of which trail to take. Since I'm not at all familiar with the trails, I decided to stay on as straight a path as possible so I didn't end up lost in the woods somewhere. I followed the trail called long pond, which sounded pretty inviting. It didn't take long before I was running along a pond covered in lily pads. Of course I had to stop and enjoy the scenery.

While I was running I felt this sense of freedom and almost childlike. It was so fun running along the trails, hoping over rocks and logs. I can see why trail running is such an attraction. I stopped paying attention to my watch, partially in fear of falling, but mostly because I just didn't care. I was having fun and enjoying what was around me, so the time no longer mattered.

not going to lie, I kind of love this picture

taking it all in

Both runs this weekend were the type of runs where I finished thinking, "this is why I run." It showed me that where you run can make such a difference. I am so happy living where I am, and even happier after I saw what this weekend had to offer. I can't wait to explore the rest of those trails, and am super excited to run many more miles in the city along that dirty water. This weekend proved to me that running shouldn't always be about the numbers on the watch, it should be about the true love and passion for the sport...however you may find it. 

2014 goals check in

Over the past couple months I have been working with my friend Renee, who is also a health coach. I have always, for the most part, considered myself a healthy eater. I enjoy healthy foods, but like many people often fell in to the trap of convenience. I ate the same similar foods week after week, cooked easy quick foods for dinner, and meal planning was a foreign language. I've always struggled with feeling tired and unrested even after sleeping 10+ hours at night (and by sleeping I mean waking up multiple times throughout the night). I felt like I wasn't fueling my body the right way for enough energy to get through the day, let alone with the number of miles I wanted to run added on. So, after hearing of the success of another friend while working with Renee, I decided to give it a shot.

my first experience with overnight oats...
see, I can be healthy.

I'll write another post on what changes I've been making and the progress I've felt, but this post is about running goals. One of the first things Renee and I did was set (non running related) goals for myself over the course of the six month program. Each week she encourages me to review my goals and then we talk about them during our bi-weekly phone calls. She pointed out that reviewing my goals will keep them fresh in my mind, and more likely to be met. This got me thinking...didn't I set some running related goals for 2014? Oh yeah, I remember that. Since the year is already more than half gone (how the hell is that possible?!), I thought it would be a good idea to review those goals and see what progress I've made.

new goal: start taking off makeup before bed
so I don't look like this on every morning run.

2014 Goals

1. To be good to me body, so my body will be good to me. I'm learning this is an ongoing process. As I mentioned above, I have been working with a health coach, which directly relates to this goal. I have been learning how to be good to my body and what exactly that means. I have been feeling better overall, with more energy and getting more solid sleep. I am realizing this may not be a goal I can simply check off at the end of 2014 and mark as done. It's ongoing, but I am making progress.

When I first saw this picture, I though my thigh looks huge.
Then I looked a little longer and thought, I kind of like it.
While there will always be things about my body I'd like to change,
I am learning to appreciate it for what it is and what it does for me. 

2. Strength Train. Oh boy. This is such an ongoing battle. I realize the importance and the benefits. Why can't I get myself to do it?! This is a goal I also set with Renee that we have talked about during each session so far. When we talked two weeks ago, we set the goal of starting small and adding strength training once a week. I managed to do that. Kind of. It's been very minimal. Still working towards this one. 

Does lifting a bib count as strength training?
No? Glad we cleared that up.

3. To PR in every race distance I run this year. I realize this is a big goal. An even bigger goal now that it's already July. Let's see... I ran a half marathon in February. I did not PR, not even close. It was not pretty. I ran a 10k in April and PR'd, then ran another one in June and PR'd again. Check. I ran the Vermont City Marathon in May and did not PR. Again, not even close. I'll have another shot at the marathon in Philadelphia in November (super excited). I'll be aiming for a PR (and sub 4hrs) there for sure. I ran (my first) 5 mile race in June. Automatic PR...does that count? So, this goal is also still a work in progress. Coming up on the race calendar (so far) is a 5k this month, a 7 mile race in August, another shot at the half marathon in September, and the marathon in November. Time to do some work.

running my way towards a PR at the BAA 10K 

4. To run a sub 4hr marathon. See above. 

Continuing to review my goals will be an important part of achieving them. The expression out of sight, out of mind is very true for me, especially with how busy life can get. However, they are still very real and realistic. Time to prove it.

How are your 2014 goals coming along? 

BAA 10K

This morning I ran my first BAA race, the 10K. It was an absolutely beautiful sunny summer morning in Boston. I went to the race and ran it alone. I signed up a couple months ago because I wanted to do another 10K and running in Boston is something I love very much. It was a race a really wanted to do, even if it meant going solo.

BAA had mailed out bibs, and even though I informed them of my recent address change, I didn't receive mine before the race. So I left my house an hour an a half before the start so I could hopefully find a place to park and pick up a new bib. I was kind of bummed I didn't get to have my name on my bib, but I guess there could've been a lot worse things to happen. It took less than 20 minutes to get to the city (have I mentioned how much I love living here?!). I was planning to pay and park in a parking garage, but instead I scored a free spot on the street. I walked over to the common to get my bib and scope out the scene. There weren't many people there yet, so I took advantage, grabbed my tshirt and used the porta potty while there was no line. I still had about an hour to kill, so I figured I would walk back to my car and drop off most of my stuff. I wanted to keep moving my legs so they didn't get stiff.

Feeling like a tourist taking all the pictures. I just love Boston. 

walking down Commonwealth Ave,
my favorite street, and part of the course 

After dropping most of my stuff off, I went back to the common to check the rest of my gear, use the porta potty again, and get ready to line up at the start. Side note: finally a race with enough porta potties for the amount of people! 8,000 runners and I don't think I waited in line more than a minute. Well done, BAA. Shortly after I returned, there was an announcement that we should start lining up in the corral based on our projected paces. They had a pulsed start, where each different pace group started a couple of minutes apart. The 8:00 and under started at 8:03, and then the 8-9 min group at 8:07, and so on. There were actually people with ropes separating the different paces. I thought this was great, although of course not everyone complied. I had to dodge a few walkers within the first mile. 

my nameless bib

another view down Comm Ave
the course went down one side and back on the other

Leading up to this race I was pretty anxious for a couple of reasons. I didn't have the best of weeks last week. I was sick last weekend, missed a long run, and felt off while running for the first half of the week. Because of that I had no idea what to expect from this race, but I knew I would give it my all regardless. The second reason was that my favorite west coaster convinced me to run the race without my watch. While I enjoy some long runs without my garmin, I haven't raced without one in years. It scared the hell out of me. But I made a promise, and we agreed that this was the time to do it since I really didn't know what state my body would be in. I knew there would be clocks at every mile, but I didn't know at what time I crossed the starting line. I ran based on how my body felt, not constrained by the numbers on my watch. It was scary, but an eye opening experience.

We started on Charles St in between the common and the public garden, headed down Commonwealth Ave, passed Boston University, then up a couple (bigger than I was expecting) hills, did a U turn, and ran back on the other side of the road, finishing where we started. I loved it. I'm pretty sure this is the first race I have ran with elite runners leading the field. Stephen Sambu (27:25...holy crap!) of Kenya and Mamitu Daska (31:04...holy crap!) of Ethiopia both won for the second year in a row and ran the fastest times in the world this year. It was so fun seeing them on the other side of the road flying by me. Seeing their pain faces and realizing everyone hurts while running a race gave me the strength to keep pushing forward. 

The last mile was definitely a struggle. It was hot. I walked through a couple water stops to drink some water and dump some on my head. I reminded myself not to fight the pain but to embrace it. The last mile felt like forever. I kept pushing with everything I had at that point. When I crossed the finish line I saw 50:49 on the clock. I knew that wasn't my official time, but I had no idea how much under that I would be. I went in to this race originally hoping to finish under 49 minutes, but with the events of the week prior, I would have been happy with anything close to my PR at the time. I thought it would be close, but really I had no idea.

not the elusive unicorn medal,
but my first unicorn medal nonetheless 

After the race I wandered around for a bit looking for the results. I was told they would be posted online. I decided to go back to my car and attempt to change my clothes. Thanks to Ragnar Cape Cod, I am now a pro at stealthily changing in the car. I managed to do just that in the middle of Boston (sorry mom). I walked back to the common, watched the awards, and then wandered around the city for a while. I should mention I was also obsessively checking my phone to see if the results had been posted. They hadn't. 

this just never gets old (for me at least)

I finally made my way back home, and over 3 hrs after I finished running, the results were finally posted. Official result: 49:08 and a new PR! Naturally, my first instinct was to be annoyed I was so close to breaking 49 minutes and didn't. The walks through the water stops popped in to my head. If only I hadn't done this or that, or maybe I could have pushed a little more... But I had to stop myself. In all honestly, I wasn't expecting to PR today with the way I was feeling last weekend and throughout most of the week. I went out there and I ran as hard as I could, without a watch, and put my heart in to it. There were many places where I started to doubt myself and I felt like I wanted to walk or slow down more, and I didn't. I pushed myself. I honestly feel like I gave it all I had in that race... So really, what more could I have asked of myself today? I'd say the BAA 10K was a success and I'm proud of the way that I ran. 

it's not always rainbows and buterflies

Sunday I am running the BAA 10k and I'm really excited about it, despite a few recent training hiccups. I've grown to really love the 10k distance and I've been looking forward to running another one. The course starts and finishes at Boston Common and runs down and back on one of my favorite streets, Commonwealth Ave. 

starts on the right at the green, goes down one side of Comm Ave
to Boston University, then back on the other side of Comm Ave

Leading up to this race I've had two pretty big goals in mind. One is to PR, which would be anything under 49:32. The second bigger goal, is to finish under 49:00. The course is pretty flat, and with my recent 5 mile time, I think it would be possible if all the stars were to align and I feel like a rockstar that day. Unfortunately, the past few days of training, and life in general, have not exactly gone as well as they could have. With an upcoming race, it's got me nervous and concerned about how I'll be feeling that day. 

It all started Thursday morning. Let me preface by saying my GI tract is not exactly top notch. I frequently struggle with discomfort, and have had my share of doctor appointments, without much relief. Thursday morning I went to the track to do a pretty tough workout: 15 min warm up, 4 sets of 1000 @ 10k pace, 30 sec rest, 400 @ 5k pace, with 3 min rest between sets, 10 min cool down. 

I love track days.

I really enjoyed this workout and was feeling confident about how I felt. However, during, and after, my stomach was frequently tying itself in knots. It lasted throughout the day, but I didn't think too much of it because this isn't too far from normal for me unfortunately. I thought it was maybe caused by the (too) large of bowl of popcorn I had eaten the night before. 

When I woke up Friday it was worse. I was having sharp pains right in my stomach that didn't want to let up. I went to work and then was staying with a friend in NH for the weekend. I kept hoping they would go away, again thinking it was something I had eaten and it just needed to work its way out. Thankfully, Friday was a rest day, so I could try to heal. Saturday morning I woke up hoping to be able to go for a run. I was up off and on throughout the night with pain and discomfort. Saturday morning it felt a little better, so I ate a small breakfast and attempted to get some miles in. It was more of a slow jog with many walk breaks than a run. I stopped early and called it a day. I felt off and didn't want to risk anything by forcing myself to run.

The pains lasted throughout the day Saturday, although I thought they were very slowly improving. However, when I woke up Sunday morning they were back with a vengeance. I'll spare the details, but let's just say the bathroom and I were good friends that morning. I also made good friends with the couch and a heating pad. For a short amount of time I considered going to urgent care because I had no idea what was going on. Thankfully, it started to let up, and I was able to head back home. Obviously, my planned long run was not in the cards that day. By early evening, I was feeling better, but not 100% and I knew it wasn't worth the risk of making things worse by trying to run, so I spent the night on my butt instead. 

Monday is normally a rest day for me as well, and while I was feeling much better, I was still having mild pains from time to time throughout the day. So, I took the rest day in hopes that the rest of the week would be better. Tuesday I went out for an easy 55 minutes. My legs and my body felt tired. Probably the effects of the weekend and maybe being a little dehydrated from the after effects of the stomach pains. It wasn't exactly the run I was looking for. 

Tuesday I had a workout on the schedule of 15 min warm up, 2 mile tempo, 2 min rest, 800 @ 10k pace, 3 min rest, 2 min tempo, 15 min cool down. I have done this workout a couple times and really enjoy it. It's tough, but doable. This time it didn't feel very doable. It was hard. While I got through it, and hit all my paces, I didn't feel strong at all. I was struggling by the end. This could have been partially caused by the intense humidity and heat that decided to show up this week, or maybe I'm still feeling some of the effects from the weekend. I really don't know. What I do know is I'm left feeling pretty nervous about the race on Sunday. 

These last few days leading up to the 10k I have an easy run, a rest day, and another easy run to do. I'm hoping that will give my body time to rest and recover. I'm not willing to change my goals for Sunday just yet. I'm hoping this is just a little speed bump that I can get over and move on from. It's tough to come off such a high from a great workout, to a low of stomach problems and a couple rough training runs. But, I guess it can't always be rainbows and butterflies. 

rough run, pretty path.

zero week

First the first time in years, I took a week off of running following the Vermont City Marathon.  The race didn't go anywhere near as well as hoped, and I felt like I needed the week to rest and recover physically, and maybe ever more so mentally.  I ran zero miles between Monday and the following Monday.  I was surprised to find that I didn't even have much of an urge to run until the end of the week.  This was probably largely due to being so busy.

successful recovery includes ciders

Tuesday I started a new job as a charge nurse for the same company I was working for, but in a new location.  Saturday was moving day.  NH to Boston to NH and then back to Boston.  Sunday we spent the day unpacking and trying to get settled.  Getting over a bad marathon, starting a new job, and moving makes for a pretty stressful week, especially when you don't have running to help relieve some of it.  But, with the exception of the race, the other stressors were more exciting than anything else.

new views

By the end of the week I was feeling more than ready to hit the roads again.  I emailed my coach, Stephanie, telling her I was very excited to start training again and working towards my next goals.  So far this week I've had 3 solid runs, which have included a lot of exploring my new town.

Tuesday: 9 x 2 min on, 2 min off at 10k pace with warm up and cool down
Wednesday: 40 min easy
Thursday: 4 x 1 mile @ marathon pace with 1 min rest + warm up and cool down

I must say, I am loving it here.

I'm really happy I took that week off to get my mind and my body in the right place to run again.  I've been reminded this week of why I love running so much.  It's the challenges and the achievements that make it all worth while.  I'm ready to see what this next chapter brings.