The Day I beat Frank Shorter - Airport 5k

My mom and I in front of one of the old airplanes

Today was the Airport 5k in Rochester, NY - my last race for a while.  I have not done any serious training since my track race 2 weeks ago.  A few runs here and there, but no speedwork.  I just wanted to go out and have a good run.  It was my hope to run under 21 minutes, but that was it.  My mom ran too, and it was her second race back after ITBS issues since last fall.  She has been running consistently, and was hoping for a PR.  She came pretty close in her first race back, but was now ready.

Way too smug about being so close to Frank Shorter

Thursday night I did a 5 mile run in 91 degree weather at 7:46 pace with my friend Jen (running friend since 7th grade) and her friends.  So hot!  So, I was hoping that with a shorter race and at least twenty-degree-cooler weather, that would help.  I did my warm-up at home, and then hopped in the car with my mom to the race, which was at the Rochester Airport.  The staging area was in a hangar and the race was on the runway!  Pretty cool experience - you don't get to run around there often!  Frank Shorter was the race marshall, so he spoke beforehand.  At the race, I lined up near the front (had looked at old results and was pretty sure I'd finish in the top 10 women)...and near Frank Shorter.  As you can see, I look pretty smug standing so close to him.  In case you missed the memo, Frank Shorter is a 2 time Olympian in the marathon - Gold in '72 and Silver in '76.  Don't think I'll ever be able to start so close to him...so I took advantage!  And then the gun went off!

So warm!  We were off and things spread out fairly quickly.  I ran 6:34 for the first mile, which was fine with me.  My friend Jen and her dad were both volunteering, so I got to see them each twice throughout the race - and Jen was at the first mile marker.  There was a turnaround, and I counted women - I was 6th.  That worked for me - the other women were way ahead, and I didn't really think I could make progress to catch anyone else.  But I was running my own race.  Mile 2 - 6:38.  At this point, running on the runway was cool in theory, but hot.  I wished there was a second water station so I could dump more water on my head.  Oh well.  2.5 miles in, a woman runs up along side of me.  I put a couple of yards on her, but she made a decisive pass.  At that point, I just wanted to finish.  I got to see my friend Jen's dad again.  Now, this man was my softball coach in 5th and 6th grade when I was a very timid catcher (I've since stepped away from ball sports).  So, I have heard this man cheering "Go Vanessa" for over half of my life.  His cheers (and my dad's) helped me bring me in, and I was very pleased to come across the finish line.

20:31 - 6:37 pace

Go Mom! En route to 29:35 5k PR!

Not a PR, but my 3rd fastest 5k.  Not too shabby for minimal training!  But while my race was over, it was my turn to play the role of spectator, as I was waiting for my mom to come in.  The cool thing was that I saw her twice during the race because of the two out-and-back parts.  I had a fair estimate of when she was going to finish, so I stood and cheered the other runners while waiting for her to come in.  Yes, that meant cheering for Frank Shorter.  Now, he is 64 and long retired, but still, for one day, I beat Frank Shorter.  He ran it in about 27 minutes.  And then, not too long after, my mom came in!  She ran 29:35 - a 20 second PR!  It was very exciting watching her come in.

Frank and I - he doesn't seem to be too upset.
 He did say when I met him, "You beat me, eh?

Afterwards,  I got to meet Frank Shorter and speak to him, which was very cool.  Very nice guy and fun to speak with.  I also won my age group, so Frank Shorter gave me my award - a gift certificate to a local salon/spa.

We had a really fun day.  My mom and I had a great time at the race, and then afterwards we saw the new movie Brave (come on, I'm a medievalist - how could I not?).  Very cute, and maybe will spark a new generation of kids to fall in love with medieval history.  After that, my dad and I played 9 holes of golf.  Let's just say that my athletic talent lies with running - but I did have a couple of good holes.

Me and my friend Jen
We started running together in middle school

And tomorrow I'll be back at the airport to fly to California!  But today goes down as the Day I Beat Frank Shorter in a road race.  I'm sure he's not too bothered about it - I'm sure his two Olympic medals are keeping him happy.

A Happy Place

Paddling around the Tidal Basin

While running has not been the focus lately of my life - only 25 miles logged last week, life has been good.  I'm at the tail end of "summer vacation" before I head off to Santa Cruz on Sunday to work at my beloved summer camp for 7 weeks.
I got good health news.  Last December, I finally got my bloodwork numbers for Celiac Disease out of the 100s, and to a 98, which is still really high.  At this point, I need to get it done every six months until there is significant improvement.  I made a few changes to my diet - knocked out some labeled seasonings and stepping things up at restaurants.  That is such a strange thing ordering at restaurants - being insistent about verifying that they understand the importance of having an uncontaminated area for cooking my food.  Anyways, I got my results back last week - 68!  I knocked 30 points off, which was the largest improvement I've made so far!  I still need to get down to about 20, but I was really happy with the big jump.

Me, my dad, and my grandpa at the Iwo Jima Memorial

I went to DC for a long weekend - my now second home.  I moved to DC to start grad school in 2008, and I don't think I ever thought it would be my home.  But each year I've been there, I've fallen more and more in love with the city.  I realize now that I have created my own life there- that's where I started running, ran 3 of my 6 marathons there, and have had my entire graduate career there - it is a great place.

One of my favorite spots of DC

So, I went for a long weekend trip there.  My grandfather, a WWII vet (stationed in England), got to participate in one of the Honor Flight trips, and my dad was his guardian.  We met up with them at the Iwo Jima Memorial - a place where I've only been before at the end of the Marine Corps Marathon!  It was nice to be able to see them on the trip.  My grandpa said the trip was one of the best weekends of his life.

Sweet 16th Birthday - 2002

I also celebrated a birthday - 26!  I though 25 sounded like the grown up age, but 26 definitely is.  It was a great day.  We went paddle-boating on the Tidal Basin - near the Jefferson Memorial.  So pretty! This is also a great place for running!  It is definitely one of my favorite places in DC.

On the Georgetown Waterfront

I also found this - from my sweet 16 party 10 years ago.  Still lucky to be friends with a lot of the girls in the picture - some are still my closest girl friends in the world.


I also got to spend it with someone special (if you had been reading into the "we" - that's who).  Not going into the details (identity hidden to protect the wonderful), but he's a great guy who made the day very special.  
So, I've started out 26 on a terrific note.  I am running a 5k with my mom on Saturday and flying out to California on Saturday.  Happy places/peaks/highs, whatever you call them - they are here right now.  Many reasons to be smiling.

Hodgepodge: aka out of season

After my mile race last week, Sarah told me to take a few days off from running and just do what I wanted - no running schedule, no plan at all.  I took 4 days off from running, which at this point, it has been over a year since I've had that much of a break.  I found some other good ways to get out and about:
Biking - biking is my favorite summertime cross-training.  It is hard for me to do more than 30 minutes of it on a machine, but if I can go on the open road, it is a lot of fun.  So, each of my off-days from running I biked between 10-13 miles.  Nothing to brag about, but a good way to go burn off some energy.  Plus, the thing that is nice about biking during the summer is that I don't get as hot doing it as running.  Biking in 90 degree weather doesn't feel like the Bataan Death March like running.  On a related note, my dad completed a 62 mile bike ride as part of the Tour de Cure!  Very impressive - I could not bike that far.

Ye Olde Golf

Golf - I am not a good golfer, but last year I asked my dad to teach me how to play.  I feel like it's one of those sports that knowing how to play, at least a little, can be beneficial down the road.  Granted, it's not like medievalists get together on the green as part of business ventures, but you never know...this is what "medieval golf" on Google comes up with.  Anyways, we went on Saturday and had a lot of fun, and I had some of my best holes yet.  Granted, they were double bogies, but that was an improvement.  We also went to the driving range Monday night, which was more fun than my first time doing that last year.  I had better success with the driver and am finally starting to hit a bit more consistently.  I think the ultimate challenge for me is that with golfing, each time it comes down to about 3 seconds.  That's a lot of precision!  There's just so much more room for adjustment in running!
I also got in a few good session as the gym.  I've been meaning to write a blog about weight/strength/core training, but I think it's going to have to wait till next week.

Talk about a view!

I started running again on Tuesday.  Just did an easy 3.4, which felt like enough for a first day back.  Then on Wednesday, drove out to Canandaigua to catch up with my old triathlete buddy, Mark.  We did a lot of summer running together a few seasons, but haven't seen each other since he moved.  His house's view is incredible, by the way.  So, we did a 5.5 mile run around his house, which was super hilly.  The final hill on the way back had a 17% grade to it - felt just like a step above walking.  But it was super fun, and I was so happy to have a running buddy for a day.
But on Thursday, I was fortunate enough to get another running buddy - two days in a row?  I had gone over a month without running with anyone, so this was exciting.  I ran with one of my oldest friends, Jen.  We go all the way back to 7th grade cross country.  She went on to run in high school and college, so there was definitely an 8-10 year gap period when we didn't run together.  While we've done some running since then, this was the first time in a while.  I met up with her and another running friend of hers, and we ran through downtown Rochester, which was a lot of fun.  While I've lived outside of Rochester my entire life, I've only done a couple of runs through the city (including the Rochester Marathon in 2010).  We had a great time!  7.5 miles flew by - just chatting and taking in the scenery.
In a nutshell (not sure if that was sort enough for a nutshell - maybe coconut), that's been the past week without a running schedule!  It is nice not to have the pressure of getting every single run in and just have fun.  Speaking of fun, I am off to DC in the afternoon for a long weekend visit.  Going to be fun!

Debuting in the Mile: McMullen Mile Race

While I have done a number of time trials, I had never actually run an outdoor track race.  I say outdoor because I did have one season of indoor track in 9th grade, which was less than stellar.  By that I mean, my 1500 PR was 7:25, and I repeatedly finished last in the races.  I would say I was due for a fresh start.  Incidentally, I bumped into my old gym teacher yesterday before the race, and we were having a laugh, because I never demonstrated any indication in middle school/high school gym that I had any semblance of talent as a runner.  Things have changed a little!

Heather is on the left, I am in the blue top

The McMullen Mile is in honor of a local elite runner, Charlie McMullen, who ran sub 4 in the mile in the 70s and 2:15 in the marathon.  It was at Nazareth College, and it was very cool to actually run in a stadium.  There were seven heats, and I was actually seeded in the elite women's heat (sub 6), which felt very cool.  I mean, how often does that happen?  Originally, there only 4 women listed in it, included me and a friend of mine from the area (and RWOL Boston Forum Friend).  So, we were actually fairly hopeful - maybe we could finish in the top 3 (which had prize money).  We were the second to last heat, which I was happy about, because it gave us the chance to watch a few races and let the sun go down a little (it was an evening race).  I watched the first two heats, so I could get a handle on how the race was going to be structured.  I then did my usual 2.5 mile warm up, and it felt good to finally get the legs moving, and the weather had cooled down a little.  Got back to watch one or two more heats, and then we were called to get our numbers (not quite a bib, but a little number that we stuck on our hips).  I wish they had safety pins, because I could tell that it might fall off, oh well.  So, as I said, there only four of us who had pre-registered, but there were 4 more women added to our heat: the GVH runners.  The Genesee Valley Harriers is a local Olympic development team that you have to qualify for (i.e 18:58 5k to be on the B team, 18:05 for the A team), and they co-sponsored the race.  So, once 3 girls with the GVH uniforms showed up, Heather and I both knew that winning or placing was not a possibility - we just ad to hang on.  I was number 6, Heather, number 7.  Here we are before the call to the start, and then this is the entire field.

So many fast GVH girls!

And then the gun (an actual gun, not a siren - and that is loud!) was off.  Immediately, the field spread out.  These girls were not messing around.  Bu the nice thing was that we had a lot of room - no one was crowded for space.  I tucked behind Heather for a little bit, then decided I was going to go a little faster.  I went through the first lap in 1:25, which was perfect.  The other girls were really far in front, and so it felt more like a time trial than a race.  I knew I could not catch anyone, so I just had to focus on hanging on and running for my goal time.  2:52 for halfway, and I was feeling pretty good.  I didn't die too much in the third lap, but it definitely felt hard to move/kick in the final lap.  Plus, the winner and some of the other girls had finished by the time I came up on the last 100m, so it was harder to motivate.  But I kept going and just resolved to get through this...
5:51

Couple of strides away from the finish

An official sub 6 race and a new PR!  My lungs were burning after for a bit, and we were all just trying to catch our breath.  It was not the sub 5:50 I was hoping for, but a PR all the same.  I had knocked 2 seconds off from my time trial in early May, and had successfully had my first outdoor track race and did not get lapped.  And, I got to run in the elite, seeded field of a race, a very cool opportunity.  When you think about the Olympic women who can run 5:15s for 26.2 miles, it is a bit humbling and mid-boggling.  But for a night, I got to be in the fast heat, and by going under 6, I showed that I deserved to be in that one - it was not a miscalculation, it was right.  Since there were a bunch of heats, and some people ran faster in the slower heats than predicted, it took a while for them to tabulate the results for the age group awards.  I came in 3rd for my age group, so I got a bronze medal.  I need to thank Heather (who won her category) for this, because the race officials had only listed the top 2 in my category.  She actually went to the officials on my behalf and made sure that I got my medal too.  Who says running isn't a team effort?  She did a great job herself, and ran a 5:58 while in the process of training for a 50 miler.  All in all, it was a very good night.
I texted Sarah, and she was pleased with how it went.  She also added, "The mile is a race that feels less crazy the more you do it."  And that's true - it did just feel crazy.  So, maybe some summer I will do a few mile races and get more experience in it.

At home with my new medal.  Wrists are glowing
from the safety bracelets I wore on my cooldown
once it got dark.  They almost look like
Wonder Woman bracelets - maybe that's
this year's Halloween costume?

My parents were at the race, which was cool, since normally I am in DC for my races.  They are so supportive and great.  They go to all of my Rochester races, and have also traveled to DC/Boston for my marathons.  But, as we were recalling before the race, this is only the second track race they've ever attended.  In 9th grade, they attended my first indoor track meet (at the University of Rochester), and I actually got lapped in the 1500 and came in last.  I told them to never come to a meet again.  Things have changed!
This spring, I was fortunate enough to crack through 2 mythical running barriers: sub 20 in the 5k and sub 6 in the mile.  I am sure that to a degree, the two go hand in hand, if you can break one, you can break the other, but it was still very cool to have both happen in the same season.  I was really pleased with how this racing season went - I was able to PR in the mile, 5k, and 10k.  A lot of that has to do with Sarah's coaching and scheduling.  She put together 5 good months of training for me, and knew how to schedule races and workouts in a way that led to some strong performances!
But the McMullen Mile meant an official end to my spring racing season.  I have been on a formal training schedule since January 9th.  I am going off of a schedule for the next month or so.  Sarah told me to take a few days off from running, and then just run when I want to.  I will be doing another race (Airport 5k in Rochester) in a couple of weeks, but won't be doing any focused training for it.
Mile training was a good experience for me.  The workouts were very hard and require a different type of skill/focus than the longer stuff.  I'm looking forward to giving it a go again down the road, but also looking forward to running for fun right now!

Sharpening - Not in Vain

The last week has been a week of sharpening and preparing all around.
My first outdoor track race is Thursday night, which I have been training for for about 5 weeks.  This has been a great experience for me, but it also has been really hard.  The majority of the workouts are at my limit - they are at an all-out effort.  But, it has been a good learning endeavor - I have pushed a lot harder for the shorter distance.  It is my hope that when I go back to the 5k/10k training in the fall, the paces for those goal times won't seem as fast!
Tuesday was my last workout before Thursday's race, and it was great.  Probably in part because it was so short, and probably in part because it went so well:
2.5 mile warmup, 6x150 meter strides, 4 x 400 (84-87 seconds for each, jog 30 seconds in between), 2.5 mile cool down = 6.5 miles
These went really well: 85, 85, 85, 84.  Yes, they felt fast, and that was the fastest set of 400s I've ever done, but it was a really good effort.  Sarah said that this is a classic workout, and if you can do it slightly faster than goal pace, than it is a good indicator for the race itself!  And today was just an easy 2 miles with 4 x 150 meter strides.  That flew by.  Perfect running weather for National Running Day!

One of the trails on the UCSC campus

I also spent last weekend at a training session/meeting for my summer program for gifted children.  It was a great meeting, and I got a lot of great ideas for the summer.  I had this job last year (Academic Dean), but it was my first time in the position.  With some experience now, I have some new ideas as to how to better run the program and make it a better experience for everyone - staff and students alike.  I cannot wait - and the fact that it's in beautiful Santa Cruz doesn't hurt either!
On the dissertation front, I am doing my best.  But by far, coming up with a viable dissertation topic is the hardest academic thing I've ever done.  I had a good idea that I was running with (pun intended) for a few months, but then my advisor met an advanced professor in the field writing a book on a similar topic.  Goodbye idea.  Then, for the last month or so, I was doing reading on a new topic and had come up with an exciting idea.  When I went to check something on a history dissertation database, I found my idea with my sources in a 2006 dissertation.  Are you kidding me?  I was so upset - it was like being kicked in the stomach and the brain at the same time.  But I took a few days away and went back to the library and drawing board.  I wrote to my advisor, explaining the situation and my new plan.  Not the best feeling - I was hoping to write her with good news, not a roadblock.  Her response included this, "Your reading won't be in vain."
I am holding onto that thought.  Not in vain will I read, not in vain will I run, and not in vain will I plan for a good program this summer.  All of this is a process - of sharpening, of preparing, of hard work.  It wouldn't feel as worthwhile if it was all an easy snap, right?  And in looking back to some of the other hurdles I've gotten over: coursework, comps, BQing, etc., that final victory after the all of the hard work has been so sweet.  So, in the meanwhile, I am in the middle stretch, and although the finish line may be in the distance, the road to getting there will not be in vain.

I will not go streaking this summer, but...

Sorry, Will Farrell, I will not be be streaking with you this summer.

Runners World is kicking off a summer streaking challenge: to run at least a mile a day from Memorial Day to the Fourth of July.  They did a similar winter challenge from Thanksgiving to New Years.  And I will not go streaking this summer. I have never been a streaker, in any sense of the word, and I don't intend to now.  I had a buddy of mine who had a 1,000+ day running streak going, and then got sidelined.  Even when I wasn't running every day, but 5-6 days a week, I got sidelined with ITBS.  Slightly less running and lots more cross-training = much better racing...for me.  That's not for everyone, and I know that.  So, I will not go streaking this summer.
But I will also be running through the sprinklers!
I had a very hard workout this morning, and it was 85 and humid.  I was so happy when I got to the track and the sprinklers were on.  They actually spilled onto the track, so every lap at the 200m mark, I got misted!  Thank God, because it was hot as hell!  I am a baby about the heat, and tend to melt/lose energy super fast, which I did not want to happen with this workout:

2.5 mile warm-up; 6 x 150 meter strides; 1x 800, 4x400, 4x200; aim for 2:55 for the 800, 2 lap jog; 86, 85, 84, 83 for the 400s (1 lap jog between each); aim for 39-40 for the 200s (200 jog between each). 2.5 mile cool down. Total=9.5 miles

 It was very tough, and I started sweating during the warm up.  This was how it turned out:
So, there was no blowing up, but couldn't quite hit the scheduled times.
800: 3:00
400s 85, 86, 85, 87
200s: 42, 42, 42, 42 - I could not go any faster on these.

It's so funny - during 5k/10k/marathon buildup, I could always go much faster than the times listed.  But during this mile stuff, I either hit it exactly, or come up a bit short.  I am definitely at my max with this speed.  There is no "oops, that was a fast one!"  Only, "nope, couldn't go any harder."   But I was very grateful for the sprinklers - getting doused each lap not only was physically refreshing, but mentally refreshing too.  I felt like a cross between these two images.  During the cooldown, as I was wiping sweat from my eyes and just trying to finish, all I could think about was "It was this hot for the Boston Marathon this year," and that is humbling, because it meant that some 20,000 people ran the whole 26.2 in this weather - I could not do that.
And for that, I am grateful to be currently focusing on the mile, not the marathon.  And grateful for sprinklers too.

Running Vacation and a Solo 800

Generally, my lack of blogging can be attributed to 1 of 2 things: I am busy or running is not going swimmingly.  In this case, for last week, it was both.  It was my last week in DC full-time for the summer.  My brother graduated on Sunday from Notre Dame (very proud), so in addition to returning my parents' car to Rochester, we then got in the car and drove to South Bend.  In short, I drove 380 miles on Thursday all by myself (yes, I know, most 25 year olds have made such a road trip), then got in my parents car and we drove to South Bend on Friday.  Commencement was Sunday (really nice), and then we moved Ryan out and came home on Monday.  In total last week, I ran about 13 miles - lowest mileage since...June 2011?  And it can be described as such:
Last Tuesday, I had a big track workout scheduled.  I felt awful and tired as soon as I started running, and my left hip hurt.  I got to the track, did 4 lousy strides, and 1 interval, and then called it a day.  I did my cooldown and trotted home = 5 miles instead of 9.5
Wednesday: easy 5.  Felt better, no hip problems (must've just slept on it funny), but still tired.
Friday: easy 3.5 at home in Rochester.  No pain, still tired.
I didn't run at all over the weekend.  I wrote to Sarah and asked for my 800m time trial to be moved from Saturday to Tuesday and got her blessing on that.  Since I had had such an off week, I was hoping that this workout would go well, especially since it included a time trial.  I was also just hoping to get in a run that actually had good speed in it - not a run where I felt like I was struggling to just put one foot in front of the other.
This was the workout.  Nowadays, I've gotten to the point where I can memorize them, but I had to write this one down:
2.5 mile warm-up; 2x200 (40-42); 800 meter time trial; Aim to run 2:42 (81 second per lap pace); 3 mile run; 6 x 300 (69, 67, 65, 63, 62, 60) (jog about 200 meters between each); 2.5 mile cool-down. Total= 11 miles
I was very excited.  During the warmup, I felt like I had more energy than I had in a week.  I ran to my old high school track, switched into my flats, and did my 2 200s in 39 and 42.  Okay, I still have the speed, and I am totally able to do this.  Now, I must've misread this, and thought I was supposed to run a 2:40, which I thought was crazy fast.  A few weeks ago, our goal was 2:50, but Sarah readjusted it...but I remembered 2:40, not 2:42.  I had never ran an 80 second 400, now I was supposed to do 2 of them?  I told myself that no matter what, it was going to be over in less than 3 minutes.  And so, I started my watch and was off!  I went through the first 400 in 80 (fastest ever) and was a bit concerned about my ability to repeat the effort.  Sarah said that this was to be an all out sprint, and it definitely felt like that.  After 500 meters, I was just trying to hang on.  I did not dare look at my watch and I just wished I had someone else pushing me through this.  It was very hard to do it alone.  Everything just hurt and felt hot, and I staggered across the finish line.
2:46
So, only 4 seconds off of the goal!  Not too bad!  That was the fastest 800 I've ever ran by almost 10 seconds.  And it was very very hard.  This video was of Jenny Simpson's reaction to an 800 that she ran this weekend, and I couldn't agree more with the feeling.
And then I did my 3 mile run off the track, and returned for the 300s, which were fine, but man, I was tuckered out by the end.  The cooldown was more of a shuffle, but I felt like it was a major triumph.  Best run and best workout in over a week, and with just 2 weeks to go until my mile track race, I felt like I was back on track (pun-intended).  I wrote to Sarah afterwards, as usual, to let her know how it went.  She knew that things had been a bit off-kilter, and we were both hoping that this would be a success.  Her response,
Well, that's only 4 seconds off the new goal, so that's not so bad by yourself!  And that feeling of complete leg burn at 500 meters....welcome to the 800!  I hope you feel good that you were able to do that time, and hopefully that also makes the mile splits seem even easier in comparison. 
And I do think that will be the case.  This also showed that some time off was just the thing I needed to feel good.  Plus, with the adrenaline of a race, I hope my 5:47-5:45 goal will be all the more attainable.  In the meanwhile, two weeks to go - time to sharpen up!

The Mile, The Marathon, and everything in between

I am now in week 2 of mile training.  This is very different from any other training I've done.  There are no 20 mile runs, nor 11 mile runs with 6 miles of tempo.  No mile repeats on the track either.  All of the intervals are now 800s or less.  Who ever would have thought this 6 time marathoner would be doing 200s as part of training?

And speaking of the marathon, when Sarah and I were running after my time trial last weekend, she asked, "Do you miss the marathon?"  And I said, "Honestly, no."  And it's true.  The marathon has been so good to me, and I've had a few really good experiences with it.  But I do think I jumped into it too fast. No problems, but too young to be committing to the marathon on a forever basis.  So, the marathon is not only off the radar for 2012, but I think for 2013 as well.  I still have so much work to do in the shorter distances, and then I will return down the road to the marathon, and re-debut.  Plus, I have had so much fun with this shorter-distance racing.  I have done 6 races already this year, and in a marathon year, I would have only done 2.  And I think racing is a lot of fun.  It is great to get out there, and really try to crank out a really hard run.  In the marathon, there is just so much time for things to go wrong and everything goes into that 1 day.  In these races, even if you have an off day, you can come back in a couple of weeks, and try again.  It makes each race less pressure-filled and more fun.  Sarah thinks that I am ready to run 3:10 when I decide to return to the 26.2, but we both think it's important to hold off on returning.  So, in the meanwhile, I am enjoying being a miler-in-training.

Which also means following all of the mile elite racing too.  Jenny Barringer, Shannon Rowbury, and Morgan Ucenny are my new favorite elite athletes -- all have done really well in the mile (or 1500m - bring back the mile!), and so I have been following all of their training.  Not to worry Kara, Desi, Shalane, Magda, Deena - I still love you all too!

These are the two track workouts I've done this week (on Tuesday and Thursday).  After the 5:53 mile trial, Sarah sent me some revised (faster) times to aim for.


2.5 mile warm-up; 6x150 meter strides; 2x800; 6 x400; Aim for 3:07 for both
800s (1 lap jog between each); The 400s should be about: 91, 89, 89, 87, 86, 84; Jog about 200
meters between each 400 (a little more if you need it). 2.5 mile cool-down. Total=9.5 miles

I went out a bit too hard in this workout, but didn't blow up too much in the end:
2 x 800: 3:01, 3:05
6 x 400: 90, 88, 87, 88, 88, 87
Still a work in progress, but figuring it out, bit by bit.  Those 400s are hard!

And then yesterday:

2.5 mile warm-up; 6x150 meter strides; 6 x 200 meters; aim for 40-42 for
all; 200 jog between each; 2.5 mile cool down. Total=7 miles

The first 2 had me unsure how well they were going to go, but I think they ultimately loosened me up for the rest of the workout.  43, 43, 39, 39, 39, 40.  The nice thing about the 200s is that they are almost done before you can feel them.  Anyways, it was a good workout, and nice that the workouts are short enough that they can wait until mid-day or even the afternoon to do them - not like a 11 or 12 mile slog fest in the heat instead!  I have never run sub 40 in a 200 before, and I did it 3 times!

So, in just a few short years, I went from training for a marathon to training for a mile.  I think normally it's supposed to be the other way around.  Then again, I am working on a PhD in medieval history - not sure if normal describes my lifestyle!

Ole: Celiac Awareness Month with French Meadow Bakery

Happy Cinco De Mayo!  It is holidays like these that among anything else, food is a major component.  and if you have any sort of food allergy, it can be hard to find food options to incorporate so you can join in on the party.  And for Cinco de Mayo, the company I need to recommend:
French Meadow Bakery
They are a great company with gluten free options.  I reviewed their brownies last year.  They sent me a bunch of gluten free tortillas, which are quite versatile.  I put them to the test for Cinco de Mayo this year and made quesadillas with goat cheese, mozzarella cheese, and mushrooms.  My mom makes them and they are always delicious (click here for the recipe).  And here is a picture of me with the quesadillas.  Now appearance wise, don't judge - that's all on me - I am not a pretty cook - I cannot make it look ascetically pleasing.  But judging on taste - yum!  This was probably one of the most complicated things I've ever made, but the tortillas were delicious and well-received (not just by me, either).  It is so important to be able to make things like these that fit with the theme of the event, and suit both my gluten free needs and the needs of the party.  Ole!

Gluten free quesadillas for Cinco de Mayo.
Ironically, I am wearing a St. Patrick's Day shirt for the big holiday.

And the other product they sent was gluten free pizza crusts.  These are awesome, and are personal size, which means you can bring them to lunch, or to a party and you are good to go.  They taste just as good as gluten-filled ones, and get the job done.  One of the things that the gluten free crust can also do (and I meant to write about this last month...but time always slips away) is serve as a nice meat-free option on Friday's during Lent.  I think of the 7 Fridays of Lent this year, I had this pizza (with cheese) for dinner 6 times.  It also served as an excellent pre-race meal, and I had it before several races this year, including the National Half Marathon.  
May is Celiac Awareness Month.  1 in 133 people have this disease.  I have it, my aunt has it, friends from high school and college have it, Amy Yoder Begley and Stephanie Rothstein - 2 of the top American distance runners have it.  And the national response has improved - there are increasing numbers of restaurants and companies taken action to provide gluten free options and gluten free cooking environments.  However, more work still needs to be done in terms of labeling products with information concerning allergies.  Visit 1in133.org for more information on this.
I'd like to thank French Meadow Bakery for jump-starting Celiac Awareness Month for me and for continuing to send and offer fantastic gluten free options, yet proving once again that gluten-free does not mean taste-free!

I'll make a miler out of you

(you have to be hearing the Mulan song while reading this)
I wasn't kidding - within 6 hours of my 10k on Sunday, I had a plan from Sarah about my next race.  It's like a riddle, it's not a 5k, it's not a marathon, and it's not anything in between.  It's not an ultra, it's not a mud race.
It's a mile!  My next race will a 1 mile track race on June 7th.  I have never raced a mile before, nor have I ever done a track race.  So, the next month is devoted to speed work, real speed work of 200s, 300s, 400s.  This is going to be completely different from any other kind of race or training that I've ever done.  It is my goal to go under 6 minutes, but maybe more like 5:55.  It will be my last formal race of the spring, and the shift in training will allow me to harness all of the fitness I've put in over the last 16 weeks, and shift into speed for 5 more weeks.
So, my new best friend is going to be the track.  Instead of 1 track workout a week plus a road speed workout, I will now be doing 2 track workouts a week, plus a road workout.  Instead of 12 mile long runs on the weekend, I'll probably max out at 8 or 9 miles for the long run.  In sum, less mileage, more intervals and much more faster intervals.
Tuesday's workout was my first test case.  2.5 mile warm up, which is usually preceded by mile repeats or something, but not on Tuesday.  8 x 300m with 200-300m jog between each.  Well, that was a different kind of workout!  65 (whoops), 71, 69, 68, 67, 65, 63, 62 for the 300s, and I jogged 200m for the first 4 and then 300m for the second 4 as recovery.  That was hard and at 250m for the last few I really had to work to keep going in the final 50.  Obviously, that first one was too fast, but then I was able to be a bit more consistent with them.  My quads were still a little sore from Sunday, which I'm sure between the effort and the rolling hills on Sunday, is to be expected.  This was a completely different bag!  Instead of easing into workouts starting at 6:55 pace, these workouts will be starting close to 6 minute pace.  These were all hard!
Thursday's workout was an 8 mile run with 8 x 60 second fartleks thrown in - not too hard, but it is definitely a different feel to incorporate some semblance of speed every other day.
Today, Saturday (Happy Cinco de Mayo!) was a mile trial at the American University Track.  Sarah was going to pace me through it and the goal was to break 6 minutes and get a good handle where my fitness is at with just over a month to go until my mile race.  So, we did a 2.5 mile warm up to the track.    It was about 70 and very humid, so I was already pretty hot and certainly warmed up.  She had me do 2 x 200 to get the legs moving, which I did in 43 and 45 seconds, while she did a 1200m .  I was a little nervous, because I knew that the was about the pace I would be running the mile, and had some doubts about my ability to keep that pace up for the whole time.  Sarah was going to run just slightly in front of me, timing me, and calling out splits.  We toed the line, ready to go, and I knew that Sarah would do a good job running even splits (that was my biggest concern - that I would go out too fast for the first lap).  And without a bang or shouting command, we were off.  The pace felt great - not like I was trying to sprint around the track.  88 for the first lap (including the 8 meters added in to make it a full mile, not a 1600) and I felt like I was in a groove.  2:56 after lap 2 and I was feeling good - time to hang on for that infamous 3rd/penultimate lap.  This one was much harder, but I was holding on and just watching Sarah has run 36:xx for the 10k, and is just very fast (she ran for Duke in college), so watching her run was good - because this was a comfortable pace for her, and she looked smooth.  While I didn't look smooth, it was easier to at least relax a little, rather than running beside someone else who was gasping, swinging, and fighting to hold on.  4:26 for lap 3.  (invisible bell clanging-bell lap)  Unlike our 5k track race simulation in the fall, which felt like I was being dragged around the track for 13 laps, I felt like I was in  more control.  I hung on, and finally crossed the finish - and phew!  I caught my breath and Sarah revealed my mile trial time...
5:53!
Wow!  That was a lot faster than I thought I could run, and actually the goal time for my race in June!  She was very pleased with the effort, as was I.  And we both think that with a good month of training, I should actually aim for 5:49 in June.  We did a 4 mile easy run in the woods (very fun - nice and cool, and a pretty run), which helped shake out/ shake off the mile a bit.  I am very stoked about the time trial, and what it means for my actual race in June.

Track at American University

So, with that (and a 9 mile "long run" tomorrow), week 1 of mile training is in the books.  Looking forward to see how all of this training plays out!