Monday, September 30, 2013

The Pieces Are Falling Into Place

As I mentioned earlier, I love putting together a training plan.  I've been thinking a lot about what I want to accomplish next year, how much time I want to spend on training, and what my big picture of running should look like.  The things I want to work into my program are the start of back to back long run training, keeping my weekday workouts very high quality and time efficient, and to have balance in my week with consistent yoga and running drills. 

I have never done back to back long runs in the past, but would like to incorporate those in later next year if I do decide to commit to the 50 mile race at the North Face Endurance Challenge.  I think I've figured out a moderated way to work that in for my 50K training.   Here's what I think my training weeks will look like:

Saturday - long-ish run of 60% of the distance of my actual long that week
Sunday - long run. 
Monday - shake out / recovery run of 25% of the distance of my long run and yoga
Tuesday - speed work and drills
Wednesday - yoga
Thursday - hills and drills
Friday - off

I still need to think on this to see how well it realistically fits into my life in general, but I think it's a great rough draft.  One last thing I like to add in to my training is to do a marathon as my last long run. I like to do that to have people around, and to also rely on aid stations a little bit so I don't have to carry all my stuff with me.  I thought that finding a marathon in early April would be really difficult, and I'd have to travel south to find one, but I was happy to find the Trailbreaker Marathon April 5th in Waukesha!  That felt like the last big piece of my training puzzle. 

Now that I have things generally figured out, I have to think about how I want to structure my workouts leading up to the start of my training.  I have been spending some of my time lately listening to podcasts on Trail Runner Nation, and there was one I listened to the other day that really hit home.  It was about rest.  Something mentioned was the importance of being somewhat out of shape when we start a training cycle.  I, like most runners, like to get in shape before I get in shape.  As Greg McMillan so expertly explained, it benefits us to rest and give our body a true break before we start a training cycle.  If we get in shape and then go into a training plan, that's often when we plateau or over train - that has been a habit of mine.  I like to prepare - A LOT, so trying this approach to truly scale way back from early November to mid/late December will be a test for me, but I think it will give me a really solid platform to start building on.  Let's hope you are steering me in the right direction Mr. McMillan!  :)   It feels GREAT to have this to look forward to right now. 

Here's the link to the podcast I mentioned - it really helped me to understand the importance of true rest.  Lots to soak up in this one - Trail Runner Nation ROCKS. 
http://trailrunnernation.com/2013/06/give-it-a-rest-with-coach-greg-mcmillan/

Fun fall-like pic from a few years back.  LOVE the changing leaves this week!
 

Friday, September 27, 2013

Am I Psycho?

I try to be a peaceful, zen kind of person. The kind of person who leaves a situation better than she found it.  The kind of person who doesn't judge, assume, or jump to conclusions.  I work hard on this, but there is one place that as soon as I walk through the doors my mindfulness goes AWOL and I am a totally different person.  It's Woodman's grocery store. 

I like to eat healthfully, and probably 92% of the food in my apartment is either all natural or organic.  As you have probably noticed from earlier posts of mine, I like to listen to my body.  It tells me loud and clear that the more natural the food I put in my body, the more energy and focus I have, and the better my performance it is.  I'd much rather eat things that make me feel good, than eat rich, fatty, processed food that taste good in the moment but then make me feel awful ten minutes later. (But I am human - I had a random craving for a cheeseburger yesterday so I got one.  Moderation is key and I have a cheat meal once or twice a week. There's also a box of Lucky Charms in my cabinet!)  I recently stopped all alcohol consumption as well and can't believe how good I feel without the occasional glass of wine or micro brew beer. 

Once I get to Woodman's there's a zillion things that set me off - people standing with their cart in the middle of the aisle with their mouth hanging open, looking amazed that there's so many different kinds of ketchup to choose from.  People that will stand and bitch at the register because Woodman's doesn't take credit cards, though there's signs that say it, and one's right on the register as well.  People that take something from the frozen section and decide later in the store they don't want it, so they put it on a shelf by the garbage bags.... just to let it thaw out and go bad.  Yes, they're small things, but convincing my brain of this in the moment is a losing battle.

But what really gets to me - I mean my jaw will drop and I've even taken pictures with my phone before to send to a friend in disbelief, is when I see someone with a cartful of processed, unhealthy food. Sugary cereals, frozen pizzas, cheese bricks, chips, soda, pop tarts, Ramen noodles.... you've seen carts like this.  You might see a bunch of bananas thrown in, but the rest is boxed or frozen, with a long list of ingredients you can't pronounce.  When overweight kids are hanging on to the cart anxiously awaiting consumption of all this sugary, fatty goodness, is when it really kills me. 


My wonderful boyfriend doesn't share my flair for healthy eating.  It hasn't bothered me - in fact we seem to meet in the middle on a lot of meals where he will add a good tasting sauce and I'll make up an organic salad.  I will keep some of his favorite snacks in the house, and I'll pick them up when I do my own grocery shopping.  Tonight he was heading to work and won't be home until late, so I lovingly ask if he'd like something put together to eat when he gets home.  He wanted a ham sandwich on white bread with cheese and mayo.  I actually had some ham in the fridge because I like to cut it up and throw some in with my scrambled egg whites.  I had to go to Woodman's for the rest. And let me tell you, it was SO uncomfortable for me to be the one with the unhealthy basket! 

I don't know if I've ever bought white bread in my life, so to see this loaf of enriched white bread snickering at me from my own basket made me jittery.  Adding the full fat Hellman's mayo, and full fat American cheese slices, topped off with hot Cheetos made me paranoid.  Are people looking at me?  Are they judging what I have in my basket?  Am I giving a mixed message that you can eat this processed crap and still fit into skinny jeans?  I literally could feel my elevated heart rate when I went to the self check out (no way in hell was I going to let another human being empty the contents of my grocery basket!) and wanted to yell out 'It's not for me!  No it's not!  Eat unhealthy food in moderation! Spend your time in the produce section and organic aisles!  Take the stairs and not the elevator!'  I quickly scanned my groceries and paid at lightening speed without making eye contact with anyone in my path. 

I got out to the car and breathed a sigh of relief that I didn't see a parent of one of my cross country girls, or someone I have trained in the past.  And then it dawned on me - Am I psycho?  I mean, come on!  Your super sweet boyfriend wants a ham flippin' sandwich after working until 3:30 in the morning - the least you can do is get a few ingredients to put something together that will make him happy after working all night.  Relax you crazy freak!  So I must be at least a little nuts I think - that probably ties back into the Type A roots many runners come from.  Maybe I need to baby step towards being less rigid with nutrition? Or at least work on not paying attention to what other people eat, but be open to helping people if they actually want help with their food choices? It looks like I will have to work on those things until a scientist magically figures out a way to let these processed food eaters get a dose of what it feels like to be running on natural energy, and then more people will be compelled to eat foods closer to their natural state.  For now, I'll do my best not to look in other people's carts, and will try and pick up my boyfriends food requests when I'm doing my regular shopping.... and can hide his white bread under my produce. :)

Wednesday, September 25, 2013

Balance

If there's  one things that runners often are, it's Type A.  We are driven, cerebral, analytical, rigidly organized, and have intense focus.  We are frequently over achievers who are driven by deadlines. This lends itself very well to competitive distance running, and it also lends itself to creating drastic imbalances in our work / personal / sport life.  I will be the first to admit that with past races I became so focused that my training practically consumed me.  I would think about my training at work, I would dream about it at night, if I was out with whichever boyfriend it was at the time I would be there physically, but in my head I was dreaming up different food combinations to try 18 miles into my next run, or calculating how many miles I had on my current Asics.  It can be so easy to let our sport focus take over our entire lives because we love it, we feel like we can think of a zillion ways to be more effective in our miles, and let's face it - it's fun to daydream about cruising through the finish chute like a gazelle, or running through mountain trails with Scott Jurek! 

But these things come with a cost, often times a pretty high one.  Over the years I have learned the importance of balance - not that I have perfected it by any means, but I strive for it all the time.  I don't believe in making New Years resolutions, but I am a habitual goal setter.  After running 11 races in 2011, and then training for and running a three person, 200 mile relay in 2012, I decided to hang up my competition shoes and focus on balance.  I wanted to be a more balanced athlete by doing more than just run, and I wanted to be more balanced in my focus.  I wanted to get better on concentrating on work while at work, I wanted to learn that it was okay to take a night in to read and stretch out, I wanted to take time to foster my other interests like writing and photography.  I wanted to work more on friend and family relationships. 


Showing off some balance with my friend Kelli at Red Rocks this summer!

I am very glad I've taken a solid year and a few months to practice this concept.  I noticed that this has become a habit when I was out having dinner at a cute little Asian restaurant with my boyfriend Monday night.  Over sesame chicken and broccoli I asked him, 'what would you think of me training for a 50 mile race next summer if my 50k goes well?'  He paused for a beat and looked at me - I of course thought he was thinking 'I think you're crazy! You'll be tired and worn out all the time, and who the heck would want to run for 50  miles?! There are cars for that!'  But thankfully he responded by telling me that it was a great idea, and that I should go for it.  He also told me that he wanted me to do whatever made me happy, that we're both individuals with our own lives, but we support each other in whatever we choose to do.  How's that for a great support system?  I was so thankful for that reaction.  I can see I want balance because instead of just plowing ahead, I wanted to talk with him about it. I am acknowledging ahead of time that it will have an impact on not just our relationship, but also my relationships with friends, family, and work. 

So how will I work on maintaining balance through what looks to be a high mileage 2014?  With the most effective training plan possible.  If there's one thing I LOVE to do, it's create training plans.  I do them for myself, friends, my athletes, co-workers, my clients, you name it.  I love taking an overview of the goal first, then break out the components of what should be involved.  Then look at the course and time of year so I know how to plan the best specificity training, and then look at the amount of time desired to be training.  Ideally I would like to do three one hour long yoga sessions a week during my entire training cycle, along with agility work three times a week, and biking twice.  If I had a very boring life with no other commitments, I could definitely do that.  But instead I have to get creative.

I tried something new this summer, and that was eliminating all 'junk' miles, unless it was a social fun run with a friend.  (That counted more as social time than a work out.)  It felt great to know that each time I laced up my running shoes I was either going for a long run, doing a track workout, a tempo run, or a hill workout.  On a day I would typically log junk miles I went to yoga instead. (I consider junk miles anything in the 3 - 7 mile range that is just conversation pace.  It doesn't serve much of a purpose other than adding mileage to your weekly total, and loosen your legs up.)  It definitely made me look forward to my running a lot more, and the addition of yoga into my routine made my legs feel a lot better and stronger.  It was a very effective way to make the most of my time.

I am looking forward to this process of looking at all the components I want to include while also weighing out other things that are important to me.  It will always be a work in progress as a person's relationship with running and their goals evolves over time, but it is a fun, Type A friendly activity to work on, which I of course appreciate.   
You know, balancing on a log takes a little skill too.  ...  Sort of. :)

Monday, September 23, 2013

Running Free

I am winding down at the end of a wonderful four days off of work, and am feeling relaxed, happy, and ready to get after the rest of the week once my alarm goes off tomorrow morning.  I had two main goals with my four days off.  One was to get back to my running roots and rediscover the original joy I found in it.  The second was to only do what I felt like doing.  I wanted to take the word 'should' out of my vocabulary.  I didn't want to tell myself 'I should run at least 8 miles today' or 'I should really do these dishes now instead of waiting until morning.'  I wanted to do whatever seemed great at the time.  That is so liberating!  And much to my surprise, these two goals joined together nicely. 

As I wrote earlier, my trail run at Indian Lake was wonderful.  I ran impulsively, taking whichever turns I felt like.  I took any pressure I normally carry on my shoulders and left them in the parking lot.  Running without the nagging pressure of the word 'should' helped me to run as I truly wanted. 

Saturday I felt like doing some yoga so I went to a class at Gold's that is Tai Chi, Yoga and Pilates combined into one class.  The combination of the flow of the class, stretching out my sore muscles, and having my mind focused only on the work I was doing on my mat was nothing short of centering.  I felt so energized after class that I did some work with my power wheel in the gym (http://www.lifelineusa.com/products/power-wheel.html) and then headed out for a 5 mile run. 

I used to live near Gold's and have run on the Military Ridge trail countless times.  This time I hit the trail with what felt like a new set of eyes.  I even came across an area of trails I have never run on before (which I later found out is Goose Lake).  I have run past the trail that leads to this area so many times, but I never even thought about turning there to see what was around the corner.  I was amazed to see a small lake, wide grassy trails, and a field of brilliantly yellow wildflowers dancing in the breeze.  At one point when I was running around the edge of the wildflower field I found myself laughing and closing my eyes to soak up the sun on my face.  I ran the exact pace I wanted, and didn't even hear the voice in my head say I should do anything - I just enjoyed the moment without having to frame it in reference to an end point I wanted to get to.  Why in the world has it been so long since I let myself run like this??  It was great!

Sunday I spend the afternoon hiking at Devil's Lake which was nothing short of perfect.  My boyfriend was great company as we took in the sights, pet people's wet, tired dogs, and took our time savoring the views from the overlooks along the west side of the park. 


I could get used to a view like this!

 
Today I was lucky enough to be able to log some miles with one of my best girlfriends from high school.  She is training for a marathon and is just about on the cusp of her taper, and I was happy to run a comfortable 7.5 miles with such good company.  Our miles and conversation were easy, and were punctuated by flowing streams, changing leaves, some gentle hills, and ideal temperatures.  We finished up our run with lunch at Villa Dolce in Middleton which was absolutely perfect.
 
It feels great to reflect on such a good mini vacation and know that I accomplished everything I wanted.  I was able to get to the core of why I love to run, and actively looked forward to my workouts this weekend.  Nothing felt forced, and nothing was done out of obligation.  I am looking forward to tackling some things at work tomorrow, and I'm very ready to coach my girls in the afternoon.  To still fall in line with doing what I feel like doing, I also have a horseback riding after cross country practice!
 
Now that my batteries are recharged and I have renewed focus, I think back to something that was written on one of the overlooks I saw up at Devils Lake yesterday.  It only gets better.

 
 

Saturday, September 21, 2013

Hitting The Trail

There's a beautiful Dane County Park on Highway 19 just outside of Madison that I decided would be the place that I get in touch with my running roots.  The park is almost 500 acres with seemingly endless trails.  There's a mix of well maintained, wide grassy trails (including a 2 mile loop around the lake) and many more technical trails that wind through the woods. 

I pulled in the parking lot and saw only one other car.  I wanted to run alone and have as little human interaction as possible, so this was perfect.  The first signs of fall were present - a few leaves were starting to change color, the breeze felt cool and crisp, and there was that fall smell.  You know what I mean, right?  The smell that reminds you of football, sweatshirts, and sleeping at night with your windows cracked open? It was perfect. 
Before I run trails I like to do a little agility work so my legs and joints are ready for the undulation and turns, so I turned up some Florence and the Machine on my car stereo and weaved through the parking lot doing my side skips, cariocas, backwards skips and high knees while acclimating to the serenity and possibility of the 500 acres that surrounded me. 

I turned off the stereo, and tuned out the rest of the world.  It was time to see if I could run like I was twelve.  I had a rough idea in mind of how long I wanted to be running for, but I wasn't married to the idea.  So I took off with no set route in mind.  I began my run on the smooth, grassy trail that ran near the edge of the lake and headed west.  The breeze was refreshing, the sounds of birds and occasional splashes from the lake were my soundtrack.  With each step I felt more free, and more invigorated.  If I wanted to stop and look at something, I stopped.  If I wanted to take a turn I had never noticed before, I turned.  It was amazingly liberating to run in a new place, and be incredibly impulsive.  It felt like an adventure! 

As the miles went by the way I looked at things kept changing. It was as if my scope of vision was getting broader and broader with each step.  I can get 'tunnel vision' in training. I am so focused on intensity and mileage that I could probably run right by John Legend without even noticing he was there.  It was refreshing to take it all in, look up from the ground, and really see what was around me.

The loop around the lake was wonderful for the five senses - the cool breeze, the sound of the water, the dew from the grass in the shady areas making my shoes wet.  It was wonderful.  I stopped and shot a short video to put in here so you could get a small taste of the beauty of this park. 
 



After the lake loop I ran into the core of the park - through the prairie and then into the woods to zigzag back and forth, climb he hills, smile at the squirrels racing around, and enjoy every second of where I was.  Each step in the woods brought me closer and closer to the root of my love for trail running.  I'm not sure if nature has this effect on everyone, but for me there's nothing but authenticity in it.  You don't have pressure to be anyone but who you are, you don't have to impress anyone, no one is judging you, and you can just let everything go. It reminds me of the scene in the movie 'What About Bob?' , when Bill Murray is prescribed to take a vacation from his problems.  That seems to happen naturally when you get on the trails!  In moments like these, running feels like an art form.  As if my feet are the paintbrushes and the trails are my canvas. 


        
I was able to run with freedom and excitement, and treat the entire run like it was an adventure - I didn't feel like it was a 'workout' at all!  I can't help but think I can take this experience and add it into my training for my 50K.  Everything is better when you make it fun - including training for a race. 

 
One of my favorite places in this park is on an overlook on the east side of the property.  There is a winding, mildly steep trail that leads you to a tiny chapel that was build in 1857.  You can go inside and see the religious statues and wall art, and there are two notebooks that people write in who visit. Some just sign their names, some write prayers, one entry I glanced at was a little girl writing to God in hopes that she can make it back to her country safely.  Puts things in perspective to say the least. 
 
Just beyond this chapel is the overlook I mentioned.  I spent some time standing there, soaking up the beauty and the quiet that was all around me.  I even took a moment to appreciate that awkward 12 year old I once was, and thank her for having the courage to get out of her comfort zone, try cross county, and set me up to be where I am at now in my relationship with running.  Taking this time to get back to the foundation of my running, and my drive to even lace up my shoes left me feeling invigorated and peaceful.  It was running in its most natural form for me. Here is one more video I took from the overlook so you can get a sense of what it's like up there.
 

 
Now is a perfect time of year for hikes, trail runs, picnics, or even just reading a book outside.  If you're interested in checking this place out here is a link to it.  It's just 2 miles off the beltline, north of Madison.
http://www.countyofdane.com/lwrd/parks/indian_lake.aspx
Happy trails my friends!

Friday, September 20, 2013

Going Back 23 Years, To Where It All Started


       Any person who considers themselves a ‘runner’ can trace their love for the sport back to a single experience that struck them in such a way, that they felt as though they were home.  This was what they loved, and what they wanted to do.  To run.  As time goes by our motivations to continue to run become more layered and complex.  We run because we want to keep pushing further, or we want redemption from a race gone bad, or because our significant other doesn't understand us, or maybe we run because we’ve always run and that’s just what we do.

 I spent some time this week thinking about my own running, and where it all started.  I know my interest was piqued back when I was 6 when I saw my mom start to run road races, and my brother was pushing his own limits in high school track and cross country.  Just seeing them run made me want to do the same thing, but it wasn’t until I was 12 that I could finally run with an organized team.  I loved to run around prior to this, but I wasn’t a ‘runner’, and had no idea what it would actually entail.  I was very excited to have something to be involved in that give me an outlet, hopefully make me more relaxed, and ease the awkwardness that those pre-teen years were known for. 

The first day of practice after school I was ready to go, but very nervous.  I was pale, had a bad haircut, was way too skinny, and was 100% uncomfortable in my own skin.  We all sat and stretched on the lawn in the front of the middle school and I silently looked around comparing myself to the other girls.  They all had Nikes, I had Asics.  They all wore scrunchies, I had just a couple barrettes to hold my hair up.  They talked with each other like they had known each other for years (because they had), and I sat by myself just watching, impatiently waiting to start running.   We didn’t run particularly far, but I made it a point to stay near one of the coaches.  He had an inviting, even stride to run next to, and I felt more comfortable talking to him than the other girls.  We stuck to sidewalks and a few roads on the edge of town, and then we started making our way back to the middle school.  I was working hard, but I wanted to push to stay next to the coach so I wouldn’t have to make uncomfortable conversation with any of my teammates, and then Mr. Greiber took a turn through the parking lot.  I didn’t understand where he was headed because all I saw was a grouping of trees the seemed to go up a hill behind the dumpsters.  He navigated us to a narrow trail and I welcomed the change from the sidewalks.  I followed him closely as we navigated the short, but refreshing trail up the hill, winding back and forth.  It was that moment, on that short section of trail that I felt like I finally exhaled.  My insecurities I carried through the school day melted away as soon as I got into the woods, smelled the fall leaves, and navigated with natural skill over and around the tree roots, rocks, and uneven terrain.  That brief moment instilled in me a love for not just running, but trail running.  It was the only place I felt truly at home since moving to Wisconsin roughly a year earlier.  That was the moment that I forgot about the other girls, any expectations, homework, my knobby knees, and my un-cool shoes.    I was just me, matching strides with my coach up that hill. 

When we exited the woods just a couple minutes later I emerged with a sense of knowing – that I had found what I was looking for.  It is this raw, natural excitement for running that I want to get back to.  As I mentioned in previous posts, I am an assistant cross country coach for a high school.  I also work full time in management and a bank, and have my own side business as a personal trainer (though I’ve scaled way back and only work with one client at the moment).  I love all the jobs I have, but every fall in the middle of cross country season I allow myself a short vacation from all my forms of work.  I need to take that time to get away from all the obligations I feel on a daily basis, and renew my motivation for everything I commit myself to doing.   I usually head out of town to Door County or something like that, but this time I am staying home and doing what I feel like, when I feel like it.  I am taking this opportunity to get back in touch with that moment 23 years ago that paved my way to run thousands of cumulative miles.  I want to head to the woods without an agenda, another person, or any expectations, and just be.  I don’t ever try and connect with that 12 year old I once was when I started running, because I honestly don’t feel like I’m that same person, but before I start gearing up and planning my training regimen for my 50k in the spring I want to get back to basics.  Remember where all this drive came from, and what I really wanted for me out of my running.  Not think about racing, goal times, specific distance, but to instead run and really see what is around me, smile for no reason, stop and look at something beautiful if I want to, or charge up a steep hill if I want to.  I am headed out later today and I am already looking forward to whatever unfolds during that process.   Let’s see if I’m able to let go of all my obligations and run like I’m 12 again!

Wednesday, September 18, 2013

So You Want to PR This Fall? Three Mental Tips to Help You Race Faster


                One thing I love about writing this blog so far, is that I don’t have to look far for ideas.  Every day I have based my post off a conversation I had with one my friends or athletes, or from a podcast I listened to, or from a book I’m reading.  Inspiration for things to write about are all around these days as cross country season is in full swing, and the fall road race circuit is well underway.  One thing I keep hearing from people around me that are racing this fall is that they want to race faster.  They want a new PR as a reward for running so many hot, hilly, painful miles this summer.  You may have done everything by the book this summer – increased your mileage by no more than 10% each week, did runs that emulate the race course, ate right, did your long runs as scheduled, and even did some tempo runs to help your overall pace.  But there is one big, important, often detrimental x-factor that often goes without attention during training. The mental game.  Have you ever gotten to a race a little early and surveyed your competition, and then got incredibly intimidated?  Or started to push your pace in a 5k and the voice in your head said ‘you can’t hold this pace, you’d better slow down and conserve energy for later so you have a kick’?  Or even questioned if you can complete the mileage in front of you?  You can thank your untrained brain for all that self-doubt.  The mind is a wonderful tool, and if you give it just a few things to focus on, you will be amazed at the difference.  It can change the whole experience of a run or race for you. And it will prevent your imagination from running away from you… and ending up in a very negative, questioning place.

                My first tip may seem like something impossible to you. In fact, you might think that your head will explode if you try it.  But that’s where the growth comes from, because we all know that the best things happen when we get outside our comfort zone.  So what is it?  It’s simple.  Leave your watch at home.  Try it on a training run first.  Sport the watch tan line so many of you have and give yourself a break from looking at your splits, doing mental math and projections, and focus on what you are doing. Running.  Have you ever been a couple miles into a run or race and then look at your watch – and then think ‘I went out way too fast! I should slow down!’?  That is letting your watch dictate how you feel.  Do you want to know why you ran those first couple miles so fast?  Because you felt good, and that felt natural for you.  There is one caveat with this – if you’re running a marathon or beyond, and aren’t one of those people that really knows your body and your pacing, you may still want it.  I only race with watches for marathons and beyond so I know I’m eating often enough.  The rest of you who are racing 5Ks, 10ks, and half marathons – think about going watchless!  It can be very liberating to give your brain a break from thinking about times and math, and instead enjoy the act of racing unencumbered – look at people in the crowd, listen to your breathing, and let your body run the pace it wants to without the nagging voice from the digital display on your wrist telling you to do anything other than what is coming naturally that day.  Maybe this style of ‘zen running’ isn’t for everyone, but every single PR I have hit in the last 2 years has been in a race where I didn’t where a watch.

                   Here’s the second thing.  It’s a harsh truth, but here it is.  Racing isn’t supposed to feel good the whole time.  If you are truly racing and pushing yourself, no matter what the distance, you are guaranteed to hit a point where you want to slow down, and your mind wants to tell you to back off.  As I mentioned earlier, the best things happen outside your comfort zone.  You will never surprise yourself, or feel like you’re hitting your potential in ANYTHING if you don’t get uncomfortable once in a while.  So do it.  Get comfortable being uncomfortable.  If you feel like you’re grinding and you are working hard in a race, you’re doing it right.  Have that conversation with your brain before the gun goes off so when you hit that uncomfortable place at mile 4 of your 10k, think ‘okay, I’m right where I’m supposed to be.  I’m doing this RIGHT and I’m going to embrace this discomfort and kill the rest of this race.’  That subtly turns the negative of being uncomfortable into a positive – it’s a pat on your back.  Good job!  You are working hard and doing your best!  THIS is what accomplishment feels like!  Every step you take outside of that comfort zone is an investment in who and where you want to be.  Rise to the occasion and get after it.  It is much easier to embrace that place of hurt when you know you’re going to be there for a while.  

                This is a Tracey patented mental trick I am going to tell you now.  I adore this one, I thrive on this one, I savor the opportunity to use this one and light up inside whenever a chance to use it comes up in a race.  This one may also sound harsh, but it’s effective.  Prey on other people’s weaknesses.  It may make me sound like a bloodthirsty crazy person, but the only person who knows you’re thinking this way on a race course is you.  This is the mindset that helped me get through my 50K back in 2011, and finished 6th overall, first in my division.  I picked off many women in that race by thinking that way.  Here’s how it works – at some point everyone hurts in a race, we already covered that.  Look at your competition when you are out there, past your half way point usually.  Many runners wear their pain on their sleeve, and you will hear them breathing loudly, or see them slow down, or even walk.  Breakdowns in posture and form are also good cues to look for.  This is when you turn on blood thirst mode.  I almost view it like a video game – you imagine yourself sucking the energy right out of them and filling up your own tank.  They are obviously tired and losing steam, so in your mind take that steam and blow right past them.  Some of you sweet, soft hearted, hug lovers out there may think that you could never go into blood thirst mode, but I’m telling you.  It completely invigorates you when you try it.  I did this many times in my 50k and it was such a boost that it had me sailing at a stronger pace for a solid 5 minutes after I passed the person, so not only do you pass someone and feel stronger, but you can put some solid distance in between you and them. 

                Give one, two, or all three of these a shot in a race this fall, or even just a training run.  Each tip gives your brain a different, more positive focus than just letting it run wild.  You will definitely surprise yourself, and will learn some things about yourself in the process.  I’d love to hear about any experiences you all have with these If you decide to try them!  Now go get zen, hurt a little, and smoke someone out on the trail!
 
I would not have had this awesome moment with Dean Karnazes if I didn't
get a little blood thirsty out there!

Tuesday, September 17, 2013

My Food Tips and Tricks


                As much as I love diving into the mindset of a runner and writing about issues we wrestle with, I also want to post some workouts, recipes, running book reviews, and various tips and tricks.  Probably the second most common topic people ask me about in regards to running (behind injury questions) relates to food.  What do you eat on race day?  What do you eat on a long training run?  What do you eat to recover?  In this blog post I will let you into my own personal world of food tips and tricks that I have found to work well for me.  There is no guaranty that any of these food-isms of mine will work for you, but I encourage you to try some of these things if you want, and experiment on your own.  It is an invaluable practice to experiment with your running nutrition on training runs, especially when you are covering distances that get well into the double digits. 

                I should first tell you my philosophy on running food.  I try not to dissect things and analyze too much.  I analyze things all day in my professional job, as well as in my coaching job.  When it comes to my own personal time, I don’t want to have to think that hard about it.  I keep it simple.  I’ll try eating something, and will then pay close attention to how my body reacts and how my performance is in my workout.  If it’s good, I keep it.  If I get queasy, I don’t like the texture of it, if it feels hard to digest, if I get sluggish, if it’s hard to carry or stash on a route, it’s out.  Simple as that.  There are tons of conflicting sources of information out there telling you what to do and what not to do with the food you consume in regards to performance.  I look into quite a bit of that information, but the voice I listen to most closely is my own body.  That being said, let’s get into my food quirks.

                The night before a long training run or a race that is marathon distance or longer, I stay pretty traditional.  I do angel hair pasta, and a meat sauce that consists of tomato basil sauce and browned ground turkey.  I’ll also have an organic salad with extra veggies on it – usually cherry tomatoes, a couple different colors of peppers and cucumbers with a little bit of organic dressing.  I think that meal is pretty standard for most runners.  We grew up hearing about carbo loading and had pasta dinners before meets, so it is just as much tradition as it is strategic eating.

                Here is my first real ‘tip’ I will give you, and it works incredibly well for me.  A friend of mine who is a cyclist told me this trick because a Graeme Obree (a world champion cyclist nicknamed ‘The Flying Scotsman') did this.  To preface this, I have to tell you one thing.  I hate running and racing in the morning.  I hate getting moving before I’ve been awake for 7 or 8 hours, I hate forcing a big breakfast down so I have sustenance to get going, I hate the creaks in my body as I get rolling before the sun comes up.  It’s just not my thing.   When we are sleeping at night we are basically fasting. We aren’t drinking water, we’re not snacking on almonds and applesauce.  We’re just sleeping.  I always felt that I had to have a very large breakfast to offset the fasting factor before I hit the road for more than 15 miles in the morning, which lead me to choke down a big breakfast, digest slowly, and be somewhat miserable.  Here’s the trick – drink two or three large glasses of water in the last hour before you go to bed.  Put a granola bar and a banana (or whatever works for you for a snack) on your night stand next to your bed, and set your alarm for the morning when you have to eat breakfast.  During the night you will have to get up and pee because of all that water (if you don’t wake up to do that, you were probably dehydrated that day which is a whole different issue).  Your body will naturally wake you up to go, and when you do, eat that snack you laid out the night before when you get back to your bed.  You should fall back to sleep pretty quickly and you have a little extra fuel in you before your alarm goes off. 

                You might be wondering why I don’t just say to set your alarm for 1am to eat. The problem there is that you’ll be jolted out of your sleep.   You will most likely have a harder time getting back to sleep, and you’ll be more tired when your alarm goes off to eat breakfast.  When your body naturally wakes you up, it is much easier on your body and your sleep cycle.  I totally swear by this and it has helped me a ton for my morning runs.

                My pre-long run / pre-race breakfast is always the same.  Two packets of oatmeal, a sliced up apple with peanut butter, and a cup of coffee.  I make sure I have finished it within 1 hour and 50 minutes of the start.  If I’m racing a marathon or longer I also have half a Snickers bar 45 minutes before the gun goes off.  That is probably superstition more than anything, but for some reason it works for me. 

                What I choose to eat while running depends on the distance and the weather.  Worst case scenario I’m running long (further than… 22 miles or so) and it is hot, humid and uncomfortable.   I will of course carry water and make sure there are spots along the way to re-fill.  I know that I will need salt because I’ll be sweating so much out, and in that case there are two things I love for salt replacement.  Boiled red potatoes dipped in seas salt, and chicken broth.  The potatoes are just fine cold (so I boil them the night before, cut them up and put them in ziplock bags), but the broth I like at least warm, even on hot days.  For that I’ll heat it up in the morning and put it in a thermos.  If I have a crew member they hold on to it for me, or I will stash it along the route to drink half way through. 

                On hot humid days, and even just on very long runs in general I like to add some electorlytes to the water I’m drinking every hour or so.  I prefer Nuun tabs that you can drop into a water bottle.  You can find them at REI.  The lemon lime ones I get have a very subtle flavor and dissolve quickly.  Even on a touchy stomach this works well with me.

                After years of trying gels, candies, and liquid calories, my favorite staple on long runs are Cliff Shot Blocks.  They are easy to get out of the plastic sleeve, they don’t get sticky gooey stuff on your hands or face, and the texture is totally bearable.  I don’t like intense flavors of anything if I’m running long, hot, or hard, so I stick to ones that are lighter in color.  I’m in no way scientific, but I feel like the more intense the color, the more intense the flavor. (The cranberry raspberry ones are dark red and WOW – super intense flavor.) I eat something every three miles on those long days.  It is probably more than I need, but I prefer to be a little ahead of the curve.  I hate to say this, but *knock on wood*, I have yet to ‘bonk’ while eating this way. 

                As for a post run / post race food, I make sure I eat something with carbs and protein immediately after (usually a banana with some nuts), but I also listen to what I’m craving at that time.  I’m a big believer that when your body is craving something in those situations, it’s telling you something.  After the Madison Marathon in 2006 (I think) it was incredibly hot, and all I could think about was nachos and Coke for the last 8 miles or so.  You can guess what I had as soon as I finished the race.  Nachos and a Coke.  And I felt great afterwards. 

                Again, I encourage you to experiment.  I’ve tried all sorts of things on runs.  Dried fruit, oreos, Cheez Its, Red Bull, Ensure, peanut butter pretzels, Pringles, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, …. Your options are endless, so try some things.  Listen to cravings.  Try things that sound weird – you never know what will end up being your go-to food combination of choice 30 miles down the trail!  
 

Monday, September 16, 2013

The complex relationship between mind and body –Part 1 of 3. Performance


                Relationships between people can be extremely complicated, but the relationship between your brain and your body can be even more intricate.  In this blog I will talk about the role of mind and body working either together or against each other in terms of training runs and racing. In subsequent blogs I will go into the mind body relationship in regards to body image, and nutrition.  This dynamic within ourselves fascinates me on a daily basis and I am always looking at how these two often opposing forces can wreak havoc on our plans, or sling shot us to success.  Let’s dive in. J

                I believe that our bodies are always telling us things.  If we’re hungry, if we’re coming down with a cold, if the lunch you ate was poor fuel, or if you got a great night of sleep.  But how often do we listen to what it is telling us?  Often times people spend a majority of their day up in their heads, thinking about the next thing they have to do, the vacation they’re planning a for a month from now, or about a conversation that ended in an argument over the weekend.  Being in one place but having your mind in another is called dissociation.  And it is incredibly common for people to dissociate during exercise.  It can be easy to face a 20 mile run and head out the door, thinking all the while about your grocery list, listening to an upbeat playlist in your iPod, or running angry while mentally rehashing something that upset you at work the day before.  All these mental tactics to get yourself through the miles also brings you away from yourself, in that you’ve logged a 3 hour run without paying any attention to how your body feels.  Creating this split between your mind and body can be good in that it will often times get you through the workout you’ve set out to do, but the outcomes can sabotage the success you’re trying to reach.

                The most common way I see this in the athletes I coach is when it comes to illness and injuries.  I have a very talented team as a whole, so the competition within the team itself is pretty strong.  This competitive drive along with the internal desire to do their best can cause the girls to miss serious signs from their bodies that something isn’t right.  Sure, we all want to be deemed ‘tough’ and shine in competition when we can, but when your foot is aching, your shins are burning, or you’re getting dizzy with blurred vision, it needs to be tended to.  There of course are different kinds of pains – some aches and soreness are to be expected and can be run through, but when you have acute pain, tingly extremities, or a sudden change in body temperature, you should listen!  Countless athletes have their season cut short because their brain would override their bodies for too long, until their body was screaming at them to stop.  Often times by then it is too late. 

                So what can you do to turn the noise from your brain down and tune into your body better?  Here is a trick I used with an athlete I used to coach, and now find myself using it personally when I can’t seem to get out of my head on a run.  I go through my five senses.  What am I seeing? (trees with leaves changing color, a for sale sign in a person’s front yard)  What do I smell? (bacon from someone’s kitchen, car exhaust, my own sweaty dri-fit shirt)  What do I feel physically? (rain drops, tightness through my right calf, the weight of my ponytail)  What do you hear? (cars passing by, birds chirping, the tapping of my shoelaces on my shoes) What do I taste? (mouthwash, orange Cliff Shot Blox)  Walking through these five senses, and taking your time with it can quickly bring you into the present moment.  Take your time with these, go through the five senses multiple times if you’d like.  I find that it also curbs any anxiety I may be carrying into the workout.

                Another way to look at the mind body relationship is to picture yourself as a builder.  The goal you have in mind to run your best marathon (for example) is the same as a goal to build your dream house.  Your mind can perfectly envision the feeling of crossing that finish line with the clock showing the time you want, or can envision the house with the white shutters and the three season porch.  Your body is the means of getting you there.  Your body is the collection of tools you need to build that house.  Just as it is the main tool you need to get across the finish line in that goal time.  If your drill is broken, and the saw is rusted and worn down, you’ll have a hell of a time building that house.  You can still probably force it to happen, but the odds of it looking the way you want and being truly sound are slim.  You need to have good working tools to build.  Just like you need a healthy and sound body to meet your running goal. 

                Next time you are out for a run and feel like you are at war with your body and having a miserable time, go through the five senses.  Let yourself be where you are in that run and take inventory.  Is your body telling you something you have been ignoring?  Take care of your tools, and they will take care of you.

 
This a one of my 'zen moments' from an afternoon of Yoga on the Rocks at Red Rocks, July 2013

Sunday, September 15, 2013

It's Time to Settle the Score

If there's one thing I love, it's picking out a goal, planning how I'm going to reach that goal, and then moving forward with as close to flawless execution as possible.  Whether it's a goal that pertains to a race, learning a new word every day for a month, or getting through the grocery store in less than 23 minutes without forgetting anything on my mental list, I'm all over it.  I love to plan. I thrive on details and preparing myself for any 'what ifs' that may come up along the way.  If I am preparing for a race I will train in all types of weather, purposely run when I am most tired to get comfortable running uncomfortable, and put extra weight in the pack I'm carrying just so it feels lighter on race day.  If I'm trying to set a land speed record in the grocery store I go through my mental list in the parking lot, in order of the layout of the store, and think of a pattern around the store that seems most efficient. My appropriate check card is the first one in my wallet, and I leave the phone in the car to minimize distractions along the way.  It's just what I do.

So as you can imagine, if I am on a roll towards my perceived flawless execution, and a large scale snafu pops up to derail me, it's hard to let go.  I can get past blowing my grocery shopping goal time because I ran into an old friend and we stood yapping about everything under the sun for 12 minutes while blocking the granola bar section from countless shoppers.  No big deal.  But when a road block pops up in training for a big race - that lingers.  Apparently for years.

In my last post I eluded to the fact that I have finally set my sights on my next milestone race.  It is the one race goal of mine that didn't come to fruition, because of a hard headed mistake I made in training.  My drive to stick to my mental plan was my detriment back in 2009.  Let me briefly give you the back story.

In 2008 I recognized that fact that I loved running on trails better than anything else. They challenged me, they renewed me, and they were often times unpredictable and difficult.  Anyone who knows me knows that I love the unpredictable and difficult.  I had done a fair amount of large scale road races at typical distances and was ready for a new challenge, so I set my sights on my first ultra marathon.  A 50K trail run in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, that was scheduled to take place in April of 2009.  True to form, I did my research, to read up on the course, and I created a training plan to follow that would include lots of long runs, hill work, and running in the worst of conditions so I was ready.  I even went as far as to train while always carrying a phone or iPod capable of taking a picture to document this journey from the beginning to the peak of my training. 

It was the day before my last long run (22 miles) and I was headed up to Chippewa Falls.  I wanted my last long run before my taper to be on the actual course so I knew what to expect come race day, three weeks later.  I stayed at the hotel I planned on staying in the night before the race, I even ate dinner at the Italian restaurant I wanted to carb load at three short weeks later.  I ordered the exact meal I planned on having on race eve.  The next morning I was suited up and out of the hotel at the same time I'd have to leave to reach the starting line in time.  And then I saw it.  It had snowed.  The forecast showed a possibility for a few light overnight showers, and instead I walked outside to see 2 inches of fresh snow clinging to everything around me. Including my car I didn't even have a scraper for. I did my best to scrape off the windows with my drivers license all the while swearing under my breath.  'F***ing snow, trying to mess up my last long run.  D*** it.  I'm running these 22 miles at 7am no matter what.  I can't control the weather and it's sure as hell not going to control me.'  Are you starting to see how stubborn I can be? 

I drove to the park and was honestly amazed at how beautiful it was.  Snow clung to every branch, and every mail box. This is literally a picture from the drive that morning on the way to start my run.

 
I didn't have my YakTrax with me but decided that slowing down my usual pace would be enough of an adjustment to deal with the extra snow on the trails.  I did the loop in the prairie area first which didn't prove to be too difficult, and then made my way into the woods where I was met with many  quick elevation changes and more technical footing than I had anticipated.  Early on my quadriceps burned because I was picking my feet up higher than normal because of the snow, but I prided myself on being tough and not letting a little bit of mother nature deter my plans.
 
After only a few miles the trail lead to an overlook that gave me an amazing view of a lake with fresh animal tracks dotting the edges.  It looked like heaven to me, and I embraced the solitude.  This was an out and back course so I had no worries about getting lost, my food supply was holding up nicely, and since I was the only person out there I sang aloud to myself when the mood stuck without a trace of embarrassment.  And then it started.  It warmed up just a little bit, enough to make the bottom of the snow slippery on all the dead leaves that had been sitting there since fall.  The trail got narrower, and instead of just going up and down, it would tip to the left or right.  I began sliding regularly to either side.  Once even falling and starting to slip down the side of a ravine.  I kept my hard headed attitude on and plowed forward. I was only 4 miles from my turn around point.
 
Half a mile later I noticed the start of a nagging pain on the outside of my right leg.  Through my years of running I knew that was the area that housed my IT band.  I tried to run more carefully and anticipate areas that may slide more than others, but mother nature was having fun making me slide, trip, and stumble. Repeatedly.  These falters upset my regular running rhythm to the point that I was running angry.  I just wanted to reach the turn around and get the hell out of there.  
 
Finally I reached my 11 mile marker and could turn around. But not without snapping a quick photo of me with my best attempt at a smile.
 
I ate a gel, gently stretched out my legs, mentally regrouped as much as I could, and then was headed back the way I came.  5 minutes into my 11 mile journey back to the car I felt it.  A sharp, burning pain quickly make its way up the outside of my right leg.  It came on so suddenly that I yelped out loud. I shook it off and continued forward, and another couple minutes later it happened again.  This happened every 2 to 3 minutes for the next 20 or so before it began to radiate all the way up the outside of my leg, through the back of my hip, and settle into my lower back.   I couldn't believe it.  It was so painful that it took my breath away and was causing my leg to lock up. 
 
I had an emergency Red Bull in my pack, along with my cell phone and some Cheez Its.  I stopped and slammed the Red Bull, called a good friend, and began walking and talking while munching on my Cheez Its.  My friend told me to take my time and listen to my body - I would make it to the car eventually, and to call him when I got there.  I calmly put my phone in my pack and did an assessment of my situation. I could barely bend my right knee, so running any of the remaining 8+ miles seemed out of the question.  I had two bars left on my cell phone, minimal food, and was starting to get chilly.  I didn't bring enough layers to stroll through the woods, only enough to maintain the perfect temperature while running.  My only option was to get back to the car as quickly as I could, while incurring as little extra damage to my IT band as possible while not letting my core temperature drop. 
 
This was work mode.  Getting back to the car was my job and I was on the clock.  The Red Bull did the trick to boost my energy, and I was focused on finishing.  As I hiked as briskly as I could I felt my IT band ease up just a little bit so I was more able to bend my leg.  After a few minutes of minor relief I decided to try and slowly run on it.  I got about two minutes in before my leg seized up again, taking my breath away, and leaving me hunched over and shocked at its intensity.  But then the pain subsided rather quickly.  I started to run again, and a few minutes later, another intense shooting pain.  I completed the rest of the miles back to the car with the Quasimodo style limp run and necessary walk breaks.  It was awful.  My Saturn Vue had never looked so inviting.  A 22 mile training run had taken more than six hours.  I had lost.  That section of the Ice Age Trail had kicked my ass, and karate chopped my right in the IT band. 
 
In the few days after this run it became very apparent that I had done serious damage.  I could barely walk, let alone run.  As 7 days with pain turned into 10, I knew the verdict.  That I would not be competing in the 50k I trained all winter long for.  On paper my training plan I constructed was flawless (or so I thought).  The miles were spot on, my hill work was great, I had been stretching and getting enough sleep.  And then my stubbornness and inability to see when flexibility was needed ended up costing my the race, and almost 3 months of running. 
 
So now, I have set my next goal.  To have a re-match with the Chippewa Moraine 50K next April.  I will again have a thorough training plan, but I will know when I need to improvise. I know I need to include agility work and running drills so I'm better prepared for the side to side slipping that is likely to happen again out there.  I will be better prepared for the elements, and I won't be so rigid that I force myself through acute pain. 
 
That is the only race I trained for and didn't get to toe the line, so after learning this tough lesson, it's time to settle the score.
 
 
 
 

Saturday, September 14, 2013

Point of Impact.... on Relationships

I often find myself mulling over different topics related to running whether it's trends in race popularity, fads in equipment, dynamics within running groups, or a zillion other possibilities.  This past week I have given quite a bit of thought to training cycles and their impact on the relationships you are in at that time. 

I'm not sure about all of you, but I have quite a few different groups of friends, and each group has their own thread of commonality that holds it together.  There's my high school friends who seem to come together mainly for special events, my good time friends that are always up for meeting at a brewery or a happy hour, my running friends that obviously enjoy running together (and sometimes going out for food and margaritas afterwards to rehash everything that happened on the run). In the context of the training, depending on how involved you make your schedule with long runs, speed work, agility, yoga, and core work - that inevitably leads to less and less time with friends that can't overlap in that process.  It is much easier to fit in time with friends when it is your running (or even just health oriented) friends because they can take part in the process.  Historically for me, the time available for friends that exist beyond the fringe of a healthy lifestyle unfortunately diminishes as you creep up into those higher mileage weeks.

The relationship most suited to be under this microscope would be the romantic relationship you're in, assuming you are in one while training.  That is the person you most likely spend a majority of your free time with, so they are the ones most immediately affected when you decide to train for a half, marathon, ultra, IronMan...  How many of you have come home excited about a race you want to train for and can't wait to tell your partner about it?  With wild eyes you tell them all about the event, when it is, how you came to the decision to train for it, and what approach you want to take with your training, all to be met with their reaction of 'really?  You want to do another one of these?  But you just did __________ race three months ago?'  And in that moment, your balloon of excitement is popped.  That interaction lays the groundwork for a few months of eye rolls and comments under their breath when you say you can't go out Friday night to celebrate a person's birthday because you have a 20 miler in the morning, or you want to stay in on a certain night because you're in the middle of a 75 mile week and you're exhausted. 

I can see two sides to this recurring issue in my past.  One being I really wasn't very balanced in my approach to my life in general at those points.  When I'm excited about a goal I am VERY excited about it and have really intense focus.  I can admit that I would place training in higher regard than those relationships at the time.  The men in my life understandably felt second rate because, well, they were.  The other side in my mind is that I clearly enjoyed running more than the relationship.  I cared about it more, I wanted to spend more time with my relationship with running, and I was okay with that.  No amount of eye rolling or passive aggressive comments were going to keep me from meeting my goal.  I think that if I really was invested in those other relationships I would have found a happy medium in my training and mental attention.  I would have incorporated them into the workouts by having them crew for me or meet me for a fun meal afterwards.  But I didn't do that. I just didn't want to. 

This has all been on my mind because just this past week I have decided on my next running goal (to be discussed in a later post) and it is a sizable one that will require a solid 5 months of training, and lots of miles.  Like any recurring situations, you have a conditioned response.  As soon as I decided on this goal and became very excited about it, my conditioned response of 'oh no, what will he think about it?  What kind of arguments are we going to have because I need to start seriously training again?' came up in my internal dialogue.  Almost immediately after the voice in the back of my head finished that last sentence I acknowledged how ridiculous it was.  For the first time ever I am entering into a training cycle in the context of a relationship with a person that is very healthy, very communicative, and he actually encourages me to race and push myself.  I am looking forward to training to meet this next goal within the framework of a relationship that is encouraging and positive.  I can admit that I want him to be a part of it too - I'd love for him to crew for me and help me lay out my gear the night before a long run, and share my secrets of my favorite pre-run foods. 

Though my time with everyone in my life becomes somewhat abbreviated during those higher mileage weeks and months, I feel fortunate to have family and friends and a boyfriend who will still cheer me on and be there for me on race day.  It is those people who your mind wanders to 25 miles into a 50k that keep you going when you're losing your zeal and your grace.  And it is those people who you want to celebrate with as soon as you cross that finish line.  They have an inexplicable impact on your training even if they are not out there on the trails with you in the months leading up to the event. If you have any comments about things you have done to incorporate your loved ones into your training I would love to hear it! 



These are some of my wonderful running friends!