Happy Wednesday.

I apologize for my lack of post yesterday; somehow my brain has been unable to focus on anything aside prowling the internet for the perfect holiday baked goods to create—and yesterday I couldn’t quite conjure up the energy to write about running. Clearly, baked goods research will take a lot out of you.

Good thing I work for a cake magazine.

Anyways, as I’ve mentioned before, I’m traveling to Colorado for a little over a week for the holidays, and I’m going to be faced with a sea-level runner’s worst enemy: high altitude.

And not just any high altitude, mountain altitude, as in—over 6000 feet higher than the drinkable air I’m used to. If you’ve ever gone from low to high altitude, you probably have noticed the effects of thinner air and perhaps some light-headedness. As a runner, these are minor inconveniences compared to the effects altitude has on running.

In a nutshell, running at altitude really blows. I can’t think of a way to be more eloquent, because there really isn’t an easier way to describe it.

It’s kind of like being on a normal run, given a drinking straw, and told to breath through it while running. Even in my most peak physical condition, nothing can humble me quite like altitude can. The problem is that our red blood cells have not adapted to take in the amount of oxygen necessary at such a high elevation, therefore we’re left with these little baby overworked red blood cells that result in us gasping for air.

I got a C in bio by the way, I am not an expert, I’ve just learned and experienced what happens.

The adverse, going from altitude to sea level, is fantastic. Once you acclimate, and your red blood cells multiply to accommodate for the thinner air, you have these fat ole oxygen consumers that, when dropped to sea level, will still be with you for a few days. I love the first run back at sea level after I’ve been in Colorado, it’s a great Superwoman feeling. It doesn’t last long, but it’s awesome.

This is why a lot of Olympic and professional athletes train at high altitude; it’s a means of training your lungs and expanding your VO2 max. Sometimes, people take this concept to the extreme and partake in “blood doping.” If you’ve never heard this term, it’s when athletes will train at altitude and go through autologous transfusion, where they will remove large amounts of the high RBC blood and then reintroduce  that same blood right before a big race/game/etc. There is a lot of debate as to the legality of this practice, and a lot of competitions have banned it. Also, it’s effing nuts.

So no, I do not plan on using my Colorado trip to transfuse my own blood for race purposes, however I do plan on continuing to run while I’m there. Obviously, I know that my mileage won’t be as awesome, and my times certainly won’t be anything impressive, but mark my words running will be on the agenda. In fact, I’ve been signed up for a 10k race at 10 am on New Years Day! Should be fun, and hopefully my lungs can take it. Honestly, my goal will merely be to finish; mostly because of the altitude factor, but also because of the probable marginal hangover factor. And let’s get real, New Year’s Day race directors have to expect this, right?

So despite my fear of choking on the over-a-mile-high air, I plan on doing my best to keep up running in Colorado and bring back some hearty RBC.

What has your experience with altitude been in terms of running/exercise? What do you think about blood doping?

 

Overstated yet necessary proclamation of the day:

I’m seriously over how dark it is.

I feel the darkness seeping into my overall outlook on life and happiness. No, not really…but kinda, right? I’m done with it…I’m ready for the sun to be up and blaring in my eyes at 5 am again.

Moving on…hello! How’s it going? I feel like everyone is wavering between glaring at a to-do list and planning all the possible sweets they can bake and consume before the Christmas excuse is over. Does this sound like you? If so, YAY WE’RE TWINS! Seriously though, my shopping is about 98% done, and aside from a few loose ends to tie up by the end of the day on Friday, I am ready to get my Christmas in Colorado on.

This weekend, BF and I participated in the 12ks of Christmas race—the first 12k for both of us. Hooray for automatic PRs!

We woke up alert and peppy on Sunday morning and got all decked in our Christmasified race gear:

I was really into the candy cane socks (props to BF for selecting them!) and the antlers were wonderful, although they had to come off for the run.

As you might remember from my Running Wish List, my goal for this race was to run the 7.45 miles in under an hour. I was nervous, but I felt like I would be able to pull it off. So although the nerves were there, going into the race I wasn’t entirely focused on the task at hand.

Now, before I go into details of the race, let me preface it all with the final result:

Huzzah! This was the time I clocked myself, and in the end my chip time was 56:52. Better than I’d hoped, and I was psyched to see my final stats.

Robyn Broker

bib number:116

overall place:139 out of 1423

division place:10 out of 210

gender place:34 out of 907

time:56:52

pace:7:38
In a nutshell, this was actually perhaps the worst race I’ve ever run. I’m very proud of my time and happy I was able to push through to the end, but I have actually never faced tougher miles than those in this little cutesy Christmas race.If this was the bottom line, then I would say I was delighted with this race. And technically, the final results are the bottom line when it comes to racing. However, for me, numbers aren’t what it’s all about, and unfortunately I’m having a hard time blocking out everything else that came out of this race—as in, everything but the final result.

So, to recap why this race—well, sucked:

- About 100 feet after the start line, we went straight uphill. My brain: “Wait, what? Really? Did I check an elevation chart?” In other words, FREAK OUT. Not that I can’t handle a hill, but a right-off-the-bat surprise hill is seriously not cool.

[To all race directors: Give your runners at least 1/2 mile before you send them uphill]

- Due to my slight panic, I was immediately winded. WTF? I have not been winded since running 400 meter repeats in high school track. I’m talking like wheezy winded—not normal for someone who runs regularly, especially IN THE FIRST MILE.

- Mile marker 1: Look down at my watch to see 8:32 looking back at me.

Not. Good.

First of all, when I do my easy pace long runs I average 8:30 miles…easily. I was feeling like crap at this point and no where near the 8 min/mile average I needed to reach my goal. Brain: “Shit.”

- So despite my oxygen-less lungs and lead legs, I picked up my pace. I was mostly bogged down by my brain at this point: “Why is this happening? You always run on Sunday mornings and never have these problems, what’s wrong with you?” Looking back, my brain was perhaps my biggest barrier in this race. Funny how that organ can immediately overpower all previously conceived notions.

- Mile 2-3, another LONG hill. It was a little funny at this point…not only had I not even considered to look at an elevation map for this little 12k, but it had successfully already been harder than anything I’ve done recently. In an everyday run, it ususally takes me about 3 miles to really hit my feel-good stride, so I was praying this would be the case in this race. And then the hill just kept going…

-After climbing a ways, we finally leveled off, and I began to regain some brain control. There was a water station midway through the race, and although under normal race circumstances I probably wouldn’t have bothered, it was a saving grace in this race. It gave me a brief moment of nerve settling and refocusing my logic. We thankfully hit some big downhills (about time!), and I made up some serious time in my attempts to hurl down those stretches as fast as possible.

-I finally settled down and felt great at mile 5, and although I was still so bewildered at how much of a newbie I felt like, I continued at a strong pace and ran to the finish line feeling pretty good.

{A pro-looking runner man congratulated my ‘strong kick’ at the end. This made me happy.}

I waited for a few minutes at the finish line and then saw BF fly around the corner to finish in 62 minutes, three minutes below his goal time! The first words out of his mouth:

“TMH”

No interpretation needed for me, as I knew he meant, “Too many hills.”

So, despite the TMH and the mental ass kicking, I was and am happy with my time. I did, surprisingly, learn a lot from this race—and I’m actually happy that these lessons came in the form of a small 12k race instead of a half or a full marathon.

Lesson #1) Tapering is not just for long races

I realize I’m going to sound like a huge fool when I admit this, and you’ll probably be all, “No shit you felt like hell Robyn.” Warranted, but I can explain: You see, because I took a day off on Thursday, I decided to do a longer, 13 mile run on Friday. On Saturday, I did my typical double spin class. Therefore, I was really anything but rested. Honestly, I figured that because I always do my mega long runs on Sundays, I could whip out 7.45 without changing my regular routine.

Mistake. Next time, no matter the distance, I’ll take my tapering more seriously—especially if I have a goal time in mind.

Lesson #2) Warm up

Honestly, I’ve never been one of those people running around before races start. I’m not great at warming up, and I’d rather just get going. Warming up sends my nerves a-flutter, and I always would rather save my energy for the race itself. However, that’s not to say that starting a race cold is all fine and dandy. Quite the opposite, in fact. When BF and I stepped into the corral, we had both been standing still in the cold misty rain—with very little movement or even stretching. Problematic.

Rookie mistake. Even if you don’t run around before a race, make sure to at least keeping moving and stretching.

Lesson #3) If you let your brain speak louder than your body, it will always win.

One of my favorite mantras/quotes from an old basketball coach is:

“Your body is a lot stronger than your brain gives it credit for.”

In other words, your brain is the greatest barrier you will face when it comes to challenging and pushing yourself. This goes for people who are just starting to run all the way to Olympic athletes. And in all honesty, I actually hadn’t really felt this truth for a while until this race, and it was humbling. For the most part, I typically feel confident in my abilities to push out a strong performance, but perhaps I need to make sure that I don’t get overconfident in my confidence.

In other words, I need to remember that our brains are funny little devils—and given the opportunity they can easily trump all our better knowledge.

Lesson #4: Learn to strap on head apparel tight enough to run in.

I was seriously jealous of the people who managed to run with their sweet santa hats, antlers, halos, etc. I must learn their tricks!

So there you have it, the story of the 12ks of Christmas. I think the most important thing I realized from this race was that a great finish time doesn’t always mean a great race, and in the same regard a not-so-good finish time doesn’t always mean a bad race. I’m really happy with my final time, but I also would have been happy feeling strong and solid throughout the race—as opposed to feeling like my 6th grade-self who loathed distance running with every spec of my being.

In the end, it was truly a great way to start the final week of Christmas season, and the bagels and coffee afterward were delectable.

Also, I want to say just how incredibly proud and impressed I am with BF’s racing and running ventures. He was never a runner until very recently, and the fact that he has now finished 4 races since July (including a half marathon) is really quite inspiring. I love being able to share running with him, and hopefully we’re just getting started I know he’s planning the day he’ll beat me in a race, I say….bring it on boy.

I hope your week has started off magically, and if not I suggest buttery cookies and watching Love Actually.

What lessons have you learned from races that went different than you expected? Have you ever done a race in a costume? If so, and you wore a headpiece, how do you secure it???

This week has me all turned around. It’s Thursday, but it feels like Monday, and although I’m normally feeling pretty psyched and energized by this point in the week—today I kind of feel like a slug.

I think I’m a little burned out, and I decided this morning that instead of my usual Thursday morning run I’d sleep in a bit with BF. It turned out to be very needed, because not only did I fall immediately back asleep, I slept right up until my reset alarm went off.

I’m in this weird dynamic with my decision to sleep in though. Although I knew I needed some rest and extra sleep, whenever I decide to forego my morning workout I always end up feeling more tired and fog-headed. It doesn’t seem fair—for someone s0 committed to getting their butt in action almost every morning(even on the weekends!), the few days I choose to take it easy should feel good. But somehow, they leave me all bogged down.

I’m sorry to complain, but I wish sometimes I could just relish in an exercise-free morning.

Oh well, first world problems. Seriously Robyn, stop your whining.

My post today is a bit random, but who said every post needed to have a higher purpose?

As I told you on Tuesday, my best friend came and visited me for 24 hours, and it was glorious. We ate Chipotle and chocolate croissants, drank wine, shopped, cuddled, and talked endlessly. All the things best friends do. I love the kind of friendships that can pick up right where they left off—as if no time has passed whatsoever.

We had a grand time, and although I wish we lived closer to each other—I always treasure the time we get to spend in our little world.

She also gave me a subscription to Real Simple for Christmas. MEGA SCORE. I love magazines.

This weekend BF and I are doing the 12ks of Christmas race in Kirkland, WA and I’m really looking forward to it. It will be my first race since the marathon, and I’m excited to once again pin a number to my shirt and feel some pre-race butterflies. Normally for distances under a half marathon, I don’t really get too many nerves, however I have a specific goal time in mind for this upcoming race—a time that seems pretty fast to me—and so I know come race morning I’ll be a bit nervous. I want to run it in 60 minutes or under, which will end up being pretty much 8 minute miles the whole way. We’ll see…also, I’m breaking in a new pair of Asics, so who knows what will happen.

Either way, Saturday I will be in search of some long red socks and reindeer ears to wear during the race. Pictures will be posted!

I’m having a hard time believing that Christmas is only TEN days away now. The season always starts so early, but it somehow goes by so quickly. I feel like I’ve done a pretty good job at participating in the usual holiday activities, however at this point I’m really just ready to be with my family at home (in Colorado), relaxing and enjoying our breaks together.

Until then, I have a bit more shopping to do, cookies to make, and low-altitude running to enjoy.

Hope everyone has a great day! 

Hello! Today is great for several reasons (morning run, Chipotle for dinner, and new [Christmas!] episode of Glee) however there is one reason that trumps it all: My best friend is coming tonight! She goes to law school in Spokane, and due to our conflicting work/school schedules, we don’t get to see each other nearly enough. Fortunately, she’s stopping in Seattle for 24 hours en route to her Christmas vacation, meaning we get to play for a whole day!

I’m taking the day off work, and we’ll most likely spend our time shopping, eating, and maybe seeing an animated movie. Sound perfect? It will be. I can’t wait.

Anyways, today I was inspired to chat a bit about a concept that is very familiar to some runners and very horrifying to others: Running in the early morning.

Let me explain…

This morning, as I nestled in my warm, cozy bed trying to will every morsel of my being to get up, get dressed, and go for a run—I began thinking about the trials and tribulations of being a morning runner. I talk often with my coworker Leanne about this habit, as she’s in the process of trying to establish it in her morning routine.

I would say that 90% of the time I run in the morning, and I often get asked:

“Why the hell do you do that?”

Now, in that 90% of the time I do manage to get out of bed and run, about 80% of that time I ask myself this exact question before getting out of bed. Why the hell do I do this? Running in the morning not only requires missing out on an hour or two of sleep, but it also means leaving your bed and jammies to go outside in the dark and cold morning and run. To a non runner, this probably sounds like hell. I don’t blame you, because to a lot of runners, it can sometimes start out as hell.

Even as someone who has adapted and learned to love a morning run, nearly every time my alarm goes off I have to fight all my instincts that are screaming at me to stay horizontal. However, I have learned that the momentary pain of deciding to run in the morning yields and entire day of satisfaction and enthusiasm. Ultimately, being a morning runner makes me a more enjoyable person to be around for the rest of the day. I’m more productive, less antsy, and there’s never pressure after I’m done with work to get a work out in. You know that strong desire to plop on the couch after you’re done with a long day at the office? Well, if you workout/run in the morning—that’s exactly what you can do. It’s awesome.

Now, I will admit that I do have a few advantages on my side when it comes to being a morning runner. I am a morning person by nature, and ever since high school I have been used to exercising in the wee hours. Also, I currently telecommute, meaning that if I’m not showered by 9 am, no one’s going to be offended. However, other than these minor advantages, I truly believe that anyone can become a morning runner.

Here are some of the reasons why running in the morning are great, and how you can train your brain to get up and at ‘em!

Why Run in the Morning?

Weather: The weather is typically much cooler in the morning, meaning that in the summertime you can avoid the heat and humidity by logging your miles early. Now, it’s true that in the winter it might be a bit cooler than the rest of the day as well, however the variation is honestly not enough to warrant an excuse to not go in the morning. Additionally, the cold factor is the same whether or not you go in the morning or at night in the winter—so really, there’s no excuse.

Earning Your Shower: You want to be clean for the day anyways, right? So might as well break your sweat before showering as opposed to needing to shower after you’ve already gone through your day. If you typically shower in the morning, you also avoid having to shower twice in one day if you were to run in the afternoon. Saving water!

Also…if it is cold out on your morning run, a hot shower feels incredible.

Freeing Up Your Day: As I stated earlier, there is nothing more liberating than getting done with work, school, errands, etc. and not having the pressure to go to the gym. A long day exhausts you, and you’re much less likely to workout once you’ve gone through your busy routine. Also, with the earned liberty of a free night, you are able to make plans with friends or go to dinner without the guilt of “Damn I should have gone to the gym.”

Rev Your Metabolism and Energy Level: Without fail, I always feel better during the day if I’ve exercised. I am more upbeat, more productive, and generally in a better mood. Endorphins can carry you a long way, and in my opinion it’s silly to waste them on a few hours before you go to bed when they could benefit you for the entire day. On that note, I found that if I exercise in the morning, I’m much more focused on fueling/refueling more effectively than if I were to laze around all day deciding whether or not to get my butt in gear.

Your Boss Will Notice: There’s a great quote I’ve heard that goes, “Runners are busier than non-runners.” This seems counter-intuitive; if someone is a runner, doesn’t that mean they have more free time and therefore are less busy. In some scenarios, sure, but overall runners are busier (aka, more productive) folk than non runners because they have adapted to compartmentalizing and prioritizing their time. Runners operate at a high level of efficiency, whether they are actually on a run or going about their daily lives, and I think you’ll find that adding a run to your routine will strengthen your efficiency and diligence in all other areas of your life.

 

So then (for those of you who I haven’t lost to my insanity), how do you become a morning runner?

Practice: The saying “practice makes perfect” is just as true when it comes to a running routine as it is to running itself. Just try getting up for a run once, and see how you feel. Remember that feeling, and when you’re inspired try it again. Nothing becomes easier without intentional repetition, and you’re fooling yourself if you think that one morning you’ll wake up and decide, “Hey, I think I’ll run every morning from now on.”

Prepare: Lay out your clothes, shoes, socks, iPod—whatever you need to make your running preparation quick and easy. If you see your clothes laying out and ready to go, you’d be surprised how your mind can convince itself that it’s ready to run. If this doesn’t work, sleep in your running clothes. I’m serious…sometimes you need to guilt yourself into it before it becomes easier.

Make Plans for Later: Eliminate the excuses. If you have plans for after work, and you intend on exercising, you have no choice but to obey your alarm clock.

Give Yourself Wiggle Room: Does hitting the snooze button twice comfort you? That’s fine…just sent your alarm two snooze times ahead of when you need to get up to run. Also, I know that I tend to go a bit slower getting out of the house in morning, so I allow myself enough time to dress, drink some water, grab a snack, and lace up while still have a decent amount of run time.

Just Do It: Nike says it best. Getting up in the morning takes gumption, no matter how experienced you are with it. As I said earlier, I still frequently have a hell of a time convincing myself to get out of bed. When it feels like the last thing you want to do, you need to push aside all thoughts of self doubt and suck it up. I believe that the most rewarding things in life are the harder routes to take, and running in the morning is a great example. Tell yourself all the benefits, visualize the good feeling it will leave you with, and get up and at ‘em!

 

And when all that fails, set an absolutely, horrible sounding alarm and put it on the other side of your bedroom.

Somethings gotta give, right?

Are you a morning runner? What does it take for you to get out of bed and on the roads?