Decisions, Decisions – To Race or Not

Do you ever get the feeling the Universe is trying to tell you something?

I’m six days away from the Boston’s Run to Remember Half and I’m not sure if I’m going to make it to the starting line.

From the start, this has felt like an odd training cycle — while the tempo runs and track work have been decent, the long runs have been underwhelming. In fact, because of the odd foot pain I was having a couple of the long runs were cut short.  The foot pain has passed, but the new wrench in the works is a nagging cough that showed up more than a week ago – allergies most likely. Again it put a big crimp in my final long run on Saturday to the point where I wondered aloud for the first time – “How am I ever going to get through 13 miles of this?”

The truth is there’s been something that has just felt off to me over the last 4 weeks or so, and I have done my best to try to ignore it. But, as Sunday edges closer I cannot ignore it any longer. I’m going to have to make a decision to either run the half, drop down to the 5-miler or pass on the whole thing and look for something else down the road.

I really want to run this half – it was my first ever, it’s a great course and my whole family will be there along the route. However, I don’t want to limp through this half…no every race doesn’t need to be a PR, but I don’t want to struggle through it either if this cough won’t let me run it the way I want to. I’d rather keep the great memory I have of my first run and hold off for another year – does that make sense?

Right now I have no idea what the right call is. I’m going for a short run this morning to see if the allergy meds are having any effect.

Have you ever been on the fence about a race? 
How did you make the call?
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Friday Five

  • What is it about doing speed work at the track that always puts me on such a high for the rest of the day? I need to do more of it, because if nothing else it’s a confidence booster!
  • Some how I’m now just 10 days away from my next half marathon. I feel like it’s kinda crept up on me. Time to start obsessing …. checking the 10-day forecast.
  • Yoga is kicking my butt! I joined a “Yoga for Runners” class taught by an amazing yogini/marathoner. Last night was the second class and it was tougher than the first! I am ridiculously tight and while I try to break out the Rodney Yee DVD with some consistency, there’s clearly nothing that compares to having the instructor there to point out all your flaws…correct your form!
  • My youngest announced to me this morning that he only has 15 days of school left before he becomes a 1st grader! He’s looking forward to being out of school a whole week before his older brother – I’m panicking because that means I have only 15 days to finish any of my house projects or they go on hold until the boys start camp in July – Yikes!
  • The weather’s finally turned picture-perfect around here so I plan to live in my garden quite a bit this weekend. My boys gave me some beautiful perennials for Mother’s Day that I still need to get into the ground. So in between the usual kids’ sports/chauffeuring to b-day parties/etc., I hope to be happily up to my elbows in dirt 🙂
What have you got planned for the weekend?
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ZOOMA Race Series

Have you noticed the new button at the top of my sidebar? I’m thrilled to say that last week I was invited to be a ZOOMA Connector for their Cape Cod Half Marathon and 10k on September 22! Since I first learned about the ZOOMA race series last year, I have been eyeing this race on the Cape.  As they describe on their website:

Imagine a powerful sea of women on the move–encouraging fellow runners and celebrating personal running triumphs.  Picture a post-race party and expo all wrapped up in one memorable “after-party expo” where these strong goal-oriented women come together for well-deserved partying and pampering.  This is the Muscle Milk Light ZOOMA Women’s Race Series.

Combined with the beauty of Cape Cod in the Fall — what’s not to love!?! I’m really excited to be part of this race series!

Want to join me in Falmouth?  

ZOOMA is hosting it’s first-ever national “Girlfriend Getaway” sweepstakes! In partnership with Skirt Sports, ISIS, Sherpani, Women’s Adventure Magazine and MyChelle, one grand-prize winner will receive an all expenses paid trip for two to the ZOOMA Cape Cod Half Marathon & 10k. The “Girlfriend Getaway” Grand Prize package is valued at over $2,000. Entries are being accepted now through June 11, 2012 on the ZOOMA Sweepstakes page.

Want to register now?  

ZOOMA is offering all Running with Attitude readers a discount! Use the code CCCONN3 and receive $10 off the half marathon or $5 off the 10k when you register online. There’s no expiration date!

I plan to run the half marathon and am rounding up a couple of friends to join me! Should be a great weekend!

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A race from a different perspective

Last Sunday, after weeks of planning, I officially donned my race director hat for the local 5k race and kids’ Fun Runs hosted by my sons’ school.

The start of one of the kids’ races

After being both a participant and spectator, it was such a different experience to view a race through race director “glasses.” Yes there were the annoying requests (Can’t we get an extra race shirt?”);  registration glitches (“We don’t have them on the list – they swear they paid!”), and volunteers who did not show up (“What do you mean we have no one directing the runners on Pleasant St?!”).

But as I watched the day unfold — watched each of the heats of the kids’ runs go off; medals hung around the necks of smiling faces; runners toe the line waiting for the 5k to start; and, stood along the street directing the runners, cheering and high-fiving them, before heading to the finish line to congratulate the winners and see the awards passed out — the joy (and relief) of seeing the day come together seriously outweighed any of the negatives.

Once the races were done, the awards given out, the raffles drawn and the cookout was done, our race committee was tired but feeling pretty good about how the day went overall. I think every runner should volunteer at race at least once. And, if you ever get the opportunity to be part of a race planning committee – take it! It will truly give you a whole new appreciation for the race experience.

 

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Monday Motivation

Despite the madness of my schedule last week, I’m happy to say I got all of my workouts in! Running was very much my therapy last week…my escape. I finished the week with an 11 mile run early Saturday morning so I could make it to my youngest son’s T-Ball game. It was the best double-digit run I’ve had in a while – mind-clearing and calming; my fueling worked and when I finished I still felt like I could have gone further.

So on the decks for this week:

Monday —  Strength & Core
Tuesday —  Tempo run (7)
Wednesday —  TRX Rip Trainer class
Thursday —  Intervals (6) plus Yoga for Runners class
Friday  —  Easy run (3)
Saturday — Long run (10) with middle 4 at race pace
Sunday — Rest

Have a Great Week!

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Playing catch up

Source: Google Images

I’m starting to get that hamster wheel feeling again where I’m running as fast as I can to stay on top of everything! This is literally the third post I’ve started in the past couple of days…the previous two are lying in Blogger ghetto unfinished…hopefully this one will have a better fate.

So I’ve mentioned before that I’m playing race coordinator for my sons’ school 5k and Fun Runs. Well the big event is Sunday and the running joke among our race committee is whether we’ll be bald by then (from pulling our hair out!) Seriously between the last minute requests, finding enough volunteers, and managing all the little logistical details – this has been an almost all-consuming activity in this final week (trust me I have the laundry pile and empty refrigerator to prove it!). At least it looks like Mother Nature will cooperate!

I was just looking back over my April runs and I’m underwhelmed. I had hoped to hit higher mileage, and while I’m feeling pretty good about my speed work and finally getting some hill work in, my long runs have been lackluster. I’ve been dealing with some quirky foot pain on the top inside of my right foot that has led me to cut two of my long runs short. Thankfully, ice, KT Tape, rest and Monday’s trip to the massage therapist all seem to be helping. A nice thing about my April runs is that I did a handful with my friend E – the runs have been chatting and fun, a nice change of pace for this typically solo runner. And, on Saturday, I helped nudge E to her longest distance to date (7 miles!), while getting 8 1/2 pain-free miles for myself. Yesterday was another 5 1/4 comfortable miles, so I’m encouraged I can crank things up a little in May!

I have to give a huge shout-out to my husband J who ran his first trail race on Sunday and placed 3rd AG, and 22nd overall! The boys and I had a ball cheering him on and I love the fact that he’s already scouring race listings for his next trail run 🙂

The “must get done” list is long today, but I’m determined to get my strength training in. Luckily it’s my weekly TRX Rip Trainer class so I’m less likely to put it off than if I were on my own today. I’ve got 6 miles of negative splits on the plan for tomorrow, so fingers-crossed my foot continues to respond well, then I can look to go back to double digits on Saturday.

How’s your week going?
Did you have the April you hoped for?

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Two Years and Counting

This little ole blog is 2 today!

Last year this time, I was in the middle of training for my first half marathon….now I’m getting ready for #5! Never saw that coming 🙂

Running with Attitude has been a great place for me to record my highs and lows, and growth as a runner. This blog (and running) has given me great opportunities to connect with some amazing people, try out new gear, and become a FitFluential Ambassador. I’m excited to see what’s in store for the year ahead!

And, as always, I’m grateful to all of you who’ve encouraged and inspired me on this journey!

Happy Running!
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Midday Gym Crazies

After watching the wind bend the trees in my backyard sideways I made the rare decision to go to the gym and hit the treadmill. I figured I was already feeling low in the motivation department, so better to get on the mill, set the pace and force myself to stay with it vs. battle the wind (and my complete lack of oomph) out on the road.

I don’t darken the door of my gym very much because 1) I prefer to run outside; 2) I’m not a huge fan of treadmills and 3) I often leave the gym wondering if there’s a full moon because of the odd behavior of many of my fellow gym-goers. But I figured it was an off-hour, so it should be quiet and I could just get in, run and get out. Well note to self….off hour = odder clientele!

A small sampling….

There were the bobsie twins – two guys dressed alike who seemed to move together in perfect synchronization on the elliptical. Not odd in itself you’re thinking…well their perfectly synced choreography continued as they got off the elliptical, toweled off and moved to the free weights…it was a little freaky!

There was cluster of seniors who decided to camp out around several of the treadmills to have a discussion about some friend’s recent hip replacement.

Of course, there were the obligatory grunting “gym guys” in the weights area, flexing and grunting with just a little too much … um…emphasis?

And the guy whose shorts were just a little too small who needed to do all of his stretching in full view – (Yeah I just tried my best to keep staring at ESPN on the screen in front of me!)

Then there was the woman who tapped me on my arm while I’m on the mill with my headphones on because she wanted to tell me that she thought I had great arms and wanted to know if  I was working with a personal trainer. When I said I wasn’t, she then launched into a rapid-fire series of questions. Now, don’t get me wrong, on the one hand it was flattering, but on the other hand I’m thinking Really? I’m running my butt off here, dripping in sweat and you want to have a conversation?

Yeah…just another day at the gym.

Do you have gym crazies or do I need to consider a new gym?
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Natural Form Running Clinic Notes

Last Friday, I attended a Natural Form Running Clinic hosted by Newton Running.

I met up with the Newton guys, was given a pair of Newton Light Weight Universal Trainers to put on and after quick introductions, we were off on a quick run over to the Boston Commons for our clinic. Led by Michael, we went through proper posture (head up, core engaged, “athletic positioning” of flexed ankle and flexed knee, arms at a 90-degree angle), the benefits of midfoot/forefoot strike (cushion and energy return) and quick cadence (ideally 180 steps per minute). We did a couple of exercises to get a feel for a quicker cadence and to work on the forward lean, leaning from your ankles (visualize leading with your sternum).

Then we were off for a run around the Commons. Since there were only two of us in the clinic, Michael was able to watch each of us closely and provide lots of feedback. We covered uphill, down hill and flat surfaces so we could feel the difference in the lean and learning to “flow forward with gravity.” Using his iPad, Michael then video taped each of us and then show us the areas we need to work on. For me, increasing my cadence will help to take better advantage of the elastic recoil in my lower leg muscles; also need to lean forward just a bit more to make sure I’m not sinking back on the heal when I land. I was happy to hear that overall my form looked good and I was definitely moving in the right direction! Michael then took us through a couple of post-run exercises to help re-enforce proper foot placement/landing and the mechanics of the leg rotation. He emphasized the benefit of doing these exercises at the end of every run to help build muscle memory.

When I got the invitation to attend the clinic, I went, in part, to see how their approach might differ from Chi Running. I actually found them to be very similar, though I did think with in this clinic there was a greater emphasis on the bio-mechanics of developing the proper foot strike. This may be in part due to their claim that Newtons are the only shoe on the market that will help you develop proper midfoot strike so they have more of a focus here. Also, given that I’d been through a Chi Running clinic and had a better understanding of the overall approach, I could now geek out on the details a bit more. (Quick aside: Running in the Newtons definitely felt different and piqued my interest regarding the role they could play in helping my form, but honestly that $175 price tag puts them out of my range for now).

Overall I thought it was a great clinic – the crew from Newton were a lot of fun and I definitely picked up some new tips to incorporate into my running! Thanks again to Newton for inviting me!

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The Mental Game

Spectating at the heat-fest known as the 2012 Boston Marathon on Monday got me thinking a lot about my own mental toughness. As I stood on the streets of Newton, watching runners gut it out in 89 degrees under a scorching sun, I was so impressed by how deep these people had to dig to will themselves to keep moving. I wondered what strategies they had used to build their mental strength…what mental tricks were they using now to push through the tough conditions.

How do you prepare yourself mentally for a race? There is a natural level of mental training that comes from doing the physical training. Through the long runs, tempo runs, track work, etc., you are faced with times where you must push through a tough workout, convince yourself to not give up on that last 1600 interval or even just will yourself to get out of bed and hit the road in the first place! There is no doubt that making the commitment to months of training for a race requires you to push yourself mentally.

But how else do you up your mental ante? — Do you use visualization? Vision boards? Running journals? Mantras? Draw on certain past races/training runs? I find mantras to be really helpful – short, powerful affirmations that help me stay positive and remember how I want to feel in a particular moment. And, while I have just a few races under my belt, each one is a learning experience and gives me some experiences to draw on when a race turns ugly.  For my upcoming half marathon, I’ve also started visualizing the course (easy to to do since I’ve run it before) – mentally walking through every turn and hill will hopefully boost my confidence on race day.

Despite the perfect training cycle and having a well-planned race strategy, days like yesterday prove that things can happen on race day that are well out of our control. In those moments, having a deep mental well to draw from makes all the difference!

Congrats to everyone who crossed the finish line in Boston – a huge physical and mental accomplishment!
How do you improve your mental game?
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