Category Archives: Running

Mulan music, weekend things, and GOTR love

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Why have I not used “I’ll Make a Man Out of You” as my pump up song for every race I’ve ever done EVER???

This is such a no brainer, and when it came on my Pandora station mid-shower yesterday, I decided that it will now be my pre-race anthem forever.

Sure, the title/lyrics of the song are a bit sexist—and by a bit I mean a lot—but in the end, Mulan proves that being a WOMAN is not only good enough—it’s better. So take that.

{Glee Cast radio was the station, in case you’re wondering how you too can hear such an epic song}

Ready for the most random post of your life?

Okay, good.

I just have too many things I want to talk about, but none of them are really worthy of a singular post. Is anything I write really worthy of publication though? Whatever, you’re here…right?

Cool. So, to start out, I want to give some snapshots of last weekend, as it was spent in my most favorite place on Earth with some of my most favorite people on Earth. And I say “some of” because Kate Winslet, Kara Goucher, and T. Swift all couldn’t make it. Next time, girls.

[An aside…I’m obsessed with Kara Goucher. I love Shalane and Desi too, but there’s something about Kara that I just adore. It’s probably the fact that her son Colt is the cutest thing in the world (and he’s probably already faster than me), and Kara’s a runner who isn’t afraid to show her vulnerability. You go KG. And on that note… Runner’s World, why the f didn’t you send me the cover with Kara on it this month? I didn’t want semi-creepy-looking-though-still-fast-as-shit Ryan Hall, which you decided to send me instead.]

Where were we? Oh yes…my weekend.

My brother Scott, my cousin Lily, BF, and myself

In a nutshell, I jammed as much as I could into the 36 hours I spent with my family at our summer house. Some highlights include:

–A trail run with BF. We tackled 6.5 miles and some serious rolling hills of a gorgeous forest trail. It’s my favorite trail run in the world, mind you, which admittedly isn’t saying much—because I think I’ve run about 3 different trails in my life. Still, it’s spectacular and it’s actually the trail that inspired me to run outside more years ago. And I’m still tallying…but the mosquito bite count for this run alone is at about 2,500 right now.

No, you’re right, this is not a picture applicable to trail running.

– Swimming with my Granddad. If there was a lifetime fitness award, it would go to my Granddad. He has been a consistent exerciser his entire life, and even now at the age of 79—he still manages to get out there. Since the only swimming he can do at our summer house is on the lake (aka, open water) I joined him to both try out my own open water abilities and play lifeguard.

Waving from the raft!

I also remembered that I’m terrified of swimming in open water and should probably practice that.

–Beach sunset followed by ice cream. Do I really need to explain this one? Here are some photos to prove myself:

Oregon coast love ❤

–16 mile long run followed by blueberry pancakes. Emphasis here on the blueberry pancakes…I credit them with my willingness to get the run over with. I’m convinced if you imagine delicious post-run food awaiting you the second you’re done, you’ll actually run faster.

This would, however, not work with imagining a Whey 1000 Maxx Green Soy TurboCharged 50mg protein smoothie. At least…not for me. No. Long run refueling needs to be solid, real food…and while I personally kind of suck at making pancakes, my Uncle Dave is a pro and it was his promise of hot cakes that got me through the hills on Sunday morning. And sorry, there is no photo available as I was too focused on expediting consumption instead of developing my food blogger resume.

This is how close people will get to you for post run photos. It’s okay Uncle Dave, your pancakes make up for it.

Oh yea, back to the whole long run highlight.

I tend to go on food digressions, in case that’s news to you.

Anyway, I ran long, which I was happy about, and it wasn’t too tedious, although the terrain was never really flat the entire time.

Talk about a hilly course. There really wasn’t an alternative though, and in the grand scheme of things—testing my flatlander legs out on some real elevation changes will benefit me in the long run…long run meaning Chicago, which is all flat. I can actually draw their elevation chart for you:

start_______________________________________________________finish

-Wakeboarding. On Friday I said that I needed to redeem myself for my massive face injury that occurred the last time I wakeboarded. And although I was a bit nervous at first, I eventually got into my groove and claimed my redemption over that little board.

Look ma, I still have both my cheeks!

Impressed with how much I was able to accomplish in 36 short hours? Yes me too…BUT when I need to capitalize on time, I make it happen. And the good news is I’ll be heading back this weekend for more lake fun, family fun, and pancake fun.

Although round two of a 6 hour car ride there and back isn’t exactly awesome…

Good thing I capture the on-goings of these road trips:

This is me, in the car. No I will not photograph my ice cream, but I will document the most boring moments of my life for you to see.

To finish up this random post, let me show you what was waiting for me when I returned home Sunday night.

I was giddy with excitement and totally unsuspecting that GOTR would send such wonderful goodies!! I’m actually not sure if the top they sent is supposed to be worn for the actual race, so that’s yet to be determined, but you can bet your britches that I’ll be using every last thing they sent.

What are britches? Are they pants? Underwear? Can someone tell me why I use outdated expressions that I don’t even understand?

A big THANK YOU to GOTR for showing me, and all other Solemates, so much love. It makes me feel even better about raising money for them.

SPEAKING OF WHICH, what a wonderful transition for me to probe you to donate!!!

If you want to learn about my fundraising efforts for Girls on the Run while training for the Chicago Marathon, check out my page here.

If you feel inspired to donate, I will love you forever, as will thousands of excited little girls all around the country.

So, if this were a school essay and it had come time to write a conclusion, I would now realize that this post was about 10,000 different things, and I was probably going to get a D on my essay.

But this isn’t school, it’s blogging—my blog to be exact—and in this world, I think the more haphazard, the better.

I also don’t know why I am continually justifying my lack of continuity today. I don’t care, you don’t care, I’m done.

Oh, and as for the CIM decision…not telling, YET.

Do you have a pre-race pump up song?

What’s your favorite post long run breakfast?

I love a huge bowl of oatmeal 

Is there an age that’s too old to have Glee and Disney music on your iPod?

If your answer is anything but, “NO! NEVER!” kindly get off my blog.

To CIM or not to CIM?

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Anyone who follows Seattle running bloggers knows that for the past few weeks, a hot topic of conversation has been the California International Marathon on December 2nd. In a not at all surprising move, it was Nicole who initially contacted me asking if I wanted to do it. We both knew there were a lot of bloggers around the country that were committed to going …and slowly but surely, the whole idea exploded into a PNW who, what, when, where discussion forum. There are actual Google doc spreadsheets—this is a serious topic.

Now, I am not typically someone who stresses about race details, especially so far out. If I know there will be someplace to stay, available pasta, and someone there that I know, I don’t get too bugged out about the logistics. I focus more on analyzing the biggest factor of all—running an effing marathon.

So plane tickets, hotels, rental cars, and weather aside…my dilemma right now is simply whether to run or not run the race.

Let’s  play a little game then, called “I tell you what I think, both pros and cons, and you tell me what you think.” Cool? Honestly, I’m in some big time need of practical guidance on this one. This game is also known as, “The price of registration goes up tomorrow, and I still haven’t decided what to do.”

I need help!

So, CIM: A very famous race in California’s capital—in the dead of winter, no less. CIM is popular for a number of reasons, but I would venture to guess that its course—namely its elevation map—has something to do with its cool status.

Obviously, this is one fast course. Even Bart Yasso says so. The race is known for spoon feeding PRs and handing out BQs like free smoothie samples. It’s also during a time when there aren’t many races at all, and because it’s in California…the winter climate could make for ideal racing conditions.

If I had a clear schedule, this would be a no brainer. I love the idea of a winter race, and I love the idea of traveling, cheering, eating, and celebrating with fellow runners. However, there is this teeny tiny detail that’s throwing a wrench into the mix—you know, that thing I’ve been talking about for two months.

The Chicago Marathon is on October 7th, just seven weeks before CIM.

Now, if I was one of those hardcore, seasoned marathoners, two months between marathons wouldn’t be a big deal. I am not, however, and although two months is definitely a good amount of time—I’m still hesitant. I would essentially be nonstop training from now until December 2nd—and presuming I would still be alive/not yet checked myself into an insane asylum after that, there are the questions of injury, burnout, and a loathing hatred of anything to do with Brooks and Gu to consider.

So, now that I’ve laid out the logistics, let’s take a look at the two scenarios—and what each entails in terms of good stuff and bad stuff.

Scenario #1: CIM is a go.

If I do register for CIM, it will more pressure off of Chicago. I already decreed that I want to have a fun, more relaxed approach to Chicago training. A good finish time would be great, a BQ would be better, but I’m not really focusing on that. And I love it. I love that I’ve reacquainted with the joys of just running as opposed to focusing on 3:34:59 over and over and over again. So, if I add CIM to my calendar just two months after Chicago, I’ll probably focus even more on taking that race a bit easier and finishing with some steam left instead of going all out.

This approach would pave the way for some big opportunities at CIM. I’ll have to recover for a week or two, however coming off of Chicago will put me in an ideal place in terms of high-mileage race prep for CIM. I can hit in pretty hard once I’m recovered and presumably go into CIM with even more hay in the barn (thank you Ali) than ever before.

In that case…I’ll be in a great position to go for that all elusive BQ that I’ve been eyeing since I first started marathoning. I may choose not to (I don’t want to throw that out there yet), however given the ample training I’ll have and the quick course at CIM—I would really be looking at ideal conditions.

PLUS: Lots of lady bloggers, so many runnerd opportunities, Christmas shopping, food, drinks, merriment.

It would be a party.

Now, that’s all well and good…but let’s look at the other scenario:

Scenario #2: I play it safe, and don’t do CIM.

As demonstrated during my last jaunt at 26.2 miles, marathons wear you down. I was slapped in the face with injury after Tacoma, and I was forced to own the fact that I had pushed it too hard.

Running is a frickin’ roulette sport, man. No matter how many things you do right, injuries can be inevitable. As someone who has wasted more money than I care to share on DNS registrations, I really don’t like the idea of signing myself up for another unclaimed race packet.

Injury is really my primary concern when it comes to the CIM decision. The fact is, I know I might burn out a bit on running after it all, but I’m much less concerned with that. Running burnout requires a few weeks off, a few veg-sessions complete with beer, sweatpants, and chick flicks, and just like that…the desire comes back. I know myself well enough to know that my love for running can withstand many months of continuous training. The constant icing, stretching, fueling, hydrating, etc. is what gets to me more—but it’s something I’m prepared to deal with. Just kidding! I love the fueling.

If I don’t do CIM, I’ll have more options available after Chicago as well. Do I go for that half marathon PR that I’ve resisted committing to for so long? Do I stick to shorter races? Do I sit on my butt until Spring? Truthfully, I do have some big 2013 endurance racing plans in the works, and so some time to breath between Chicago and then would be helpful.

So which do I do? If you know me, you know that I never shy away from an aggressive training regimine, and I really love the intensity of a big challenge. But, in the same breath, I don’t want to be injured or worn down.

Obviously, I haven’t made up my mind, and I have until midnight tonight to decide. And by midnight, I mean like 8:30…because that’s when I start to get ready for bed. I rage.

I technically can register after tomorrow. But, with the price increase happening and the need for training decisions to be made…I’ve self-designated today as my do or die deadline.

HELP!

I want honest opinions here…don’t spare me your sarcasm, bluntness, or “Girl you cray” comments. But, if you are an eternal optimist and believe running is magic, I’d like to hear from you too.

GO!

Chicago Marathon Training Week #4

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I’m currently laying on the couch, feet up, with two different ice bags around my ankles.

Normal aches and soreness aside, this was a great week of training—and I’m zonked. But, I thought I’d give a quick baby recap of last week’s running/training.

M: spin + lifting

T: 10.3 m run

W:6 m treadmill run, 1 m warm up, 4 m < 7:50, 1 m cool down + body pump

T: 8.4 m run

F: Rest

S: 6.5 m trail run

S: 16.3 m run @ 8:30 avg pace

Total: 47.5 miles.

This week was run heavy. This was the first time in a while I’ve run 3 days in a row and 5/7 days of the week. I felt pretty good each day, although by the end I was experiencing some tendinitis in both my ankles. This could have been from doing a trail run in my Pure Connects, followed by a 16 miler the next day. Or just basic mileage increase.

Either way, the time for proceeding with caution is upon us. Although these are normal aches for me, I want to be especially careful to tend immediately to them. Ounce of prevention=pound of cure. On that note, my IT band continues to feel great, and maybe this week I’ll get brave enough to ween myself off of the strap I’ve been using. It’s really become a security blanket at this point…so hopefully before too long I’ll be comfortable heading out without.

That’s all for now, but I’ll leave you with a photo from the weekend. More to come soon! This is perhaps the funniest real-life photobomb I’ve seen. If you know my Granddad(the bomber in the photo) you’ll agree…

20120730-081114.jpg

Happy Monday!

This Time Around…

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Warning:

This post is going to be all about running.

But that’s not too off-beat, I suppose.

Running!

This is what a stupid runner’s high-enduced smile looks like

I have been stupidly excited about my runs recently. Like, smile plastered on my face, greeting every person/biker/car/rollerblader I see going by with a toothy grin and an in-your-face “GOOD MORNING!”

Here’s an example about how this elation has taken over my better senses: Tuesday, I finished a 10.3 mile run feeling on top of the world, both literally and figuratively. I had just climbed the super steep hill up to my house, and I felt super confident about my overall speed. Also, my IT band/knee was completely unnoticeable, which took my runner’s high to a recovered runner’s high—a whole new degree of giddy. THEN, later as I was driving back down said hill I’d just climbed, I saw a fellow runner girl grinding back up, and you know what my thought was? “I wish that was ME doing that right now! Jealous!”

Seriously, someone cage me.

But overall, I think these euphoric (bordering on obnoxious…I know, you can say it) feelings are stemming from two things:

1) My return from injury

2) My new-and-improved approach to marathon training

Obvs returning from injury (and please knock on every wooden item near you right now) is great reason to dig your runs. You have such a heightened appreciation for running after being away from it for so long. Relatively speaking, I wasn’t away too long, but I think any unplanned time away from running can totally revamp your love for it. I always love running, but there’s something so renewing about it when you come back from injury.

I know I haven’t discussed much about my new training mentality, partly because it wasn’t complete, but I love what it’s been doing for both my physical and mental strength.

So what, pray tell, is this new approach?

Very simple: Take myself less seriously, try new things, and be flexible.

These things are working together quite well so far, and I think they’ve done wonders for my training.

I’m having more fun, I’m looking forward to workouts more, and I’m less stressed out about the whole shebang.

So what are the steps I’ve been taking to ensure that my new approach works correctly?

Well, to begin, I think that the biggest thing I’m working on is very intentionally caring less. This sounds counterintuitive, because…um, hello, doesn’t marathon training take a butt ton of self motivation?

Yes, but hear me out.

As I realized after the Tacoma Marathon, the physical training—meaning the daily workouts, the mileage buildup, and the general grind of it all—isn’t the hard part for me. By nature, I enjoy the physical challenge, and my brain is programmed to go!go!go! all the time in terms of pushing harder and getting stronger. I realize that this can be a benefit, particularly for someone who runs marathons, however it can absolutely be taken to a destructive level. Take the TCM for example, or the fact that to this day I have to force myself to be okay with taking days off.

No hard feelings, Tacoma. Kidding! There still are. I hate you. Oh, it was all my own fault? FINE. I still hate your hills though.

So, I needed a new mentality. And that entailed letting myself off the hook and focusing more on the day-to-day victories. I realize this may only make sense in my own head, but essentially what I’ve done is I’ve taken the pressure off of performing at an unreasonable standard. I still want to run fast, and I still want to run many miles, but those numbers aren’t the reason I love this sport. What I love more than anything is to just run—fast, slow, long, short, outside, inside (okay…that’s pushing it), alone, and with others. So although I am training with number and mile goals in mind, they aren’t my primary concern.

With that said, I am also trying to get myself out of my normal exercise comfort zones. Sure, I can muster up the energy for an easy run or a gym workout—but within my own agenda. Ask me to go to a class I’ve never been to before or try a crazy lifting move I’ve never seen—fogetta about it!

However, I am a big believer that it is outside of our comfort zones where we find excitement, challenge, and—ultimately—improvement. So I committed myself to trying new things, yes in hopes of building my physical strength, but more so in hopes of shaking up my routine.

And I’ve found that you never quite know what you like until you venture into the unknown. I have absolutely loved trying new things (weights classes, different running workouts (tempo!!), new yoga poses) and I think the best part is that they make me excited for each daily workout. Instead of just being a means to an end (the end being Chicago in this case), I’m taking pride in my day-to-day sweat sessions and enjoying the smaller victories they present.

In addition to trying new things, like lunges, squats, and mountain climbers (I want to go on record saying I HATE THESE), I’m also getting very cozy with my rest days. They are scheduled into my training, and I’m taking comfort in them instead of letting them make me anxious. I’m realizing that if you are training at a hard enough level, you should want your rest days instead of fear them. I think before, when I was avoiding any rest at all, it’s because I was operating on an at-threshold activity level just for the sake of not wearing myself out. I wouldn’t push myself too hard for the sake of not needing a rest day.

DUMB

I’d much rather work hard, recharge, and stay healthy. Plus, now that I need to wake up a 4:45, days off are like a beacon of light every week.

Resting must involve rehydrating with a tropical beverage.

I know you’re probably getting bored (that’s presuming you’re still reading…and if so, hi!) so I’ll be brief in finishing up my last approach to marathon training.

Be flexible…that’s the motto I keep telling myself.

Flexible, yes, in the sense of stretching and yoga (jk I haven’t been in two weeks). But more so in being okay with the fact that life is going to get in the way of marathon training. And I’m letting it—because when marathon training starts to take over all other joys in life, such as an extra beer or three the night before a long run, a weekend visit to see your friends, or a lazy Sunday, it starts to drain us.

Running is a huge part of my life, but it’s not all of it. I like to use running to enhance the other great things in life, not take away from them. This means that my training schedule is amendable, and I’m not freaking out over hitting every target workout every day of the week.

A perfect example would be this upcoming weekend. BF and I are going down to my Summerhouse to play with my family…meaning LR plans needed to be altered. Ordinarily, this would stress me out. But instead, I rearranged, I front loaded the weekend with some extra miles this week, and I’m allowing myself to be excited about everything else I’ll get to do.

I’ll probably run there, but I feel a lot less pressure to break X number of miles with so many other wonderful things to occupy my time with.

So there it is: Robyn’s New Approach to Marathon Training. I am sure someday I’ll be gunning for a specific time goal, BQ, etc. But for this training cycle, I’m more interested in enjoying the running, fundraising for Girls on the Run, and getting excited to run in one of the biggest races in the world.

Based on my current mood and euphoria about anything involving Body Glide or Brooks, I’d say my new technique is working.

What do you think is the best way to approach marathon training? Relaxed? Goal-Oriented? Nutella in one hand and Nuun cocktail in the other?

 

Chicago Marathon Training Week #2

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“What’s up with that chick who thinks she has a running blog but hasn’t posted in almost a week?”

That’s totally what you’re thinking, I know.

Sorry for my absence as of late. Actually, I’m not really sorry because I’ve been doing some fun things that have kept me away from the computer for nearly 4 days. And I’ve loved it.

So… sorry, I’m not sorry.

To give you the quick-and-dirty update, I left with BF on a jet plane last Friday morning for a lovely little vacation to our hometown of Colorado Springs. But more on that in a bit…

For now, Chi-town training week #2!

M: Rest

T: 10 m/8:30 avg. pace + lifting

W: Body pump class + spin

T: 7 m “tempo” run, 3m at <7:50 + yoga

F: Rest (lazy)

S: 13 m/8:45 avg. pace

S: 7.5 m recovery run/9:00 avg. pace

This was a cutback week (which correlated beautifully with the altitude in CO inhibiting my ability to breathe), and I ended with a total of 34.5 miles for the week. Not much down from last week, but I like not adding heavily back to back to back. Which means 18 is coming up this weekend…..yea…..

Now, back to the reason why I’ve been MIA.

I was in Colorado for 4 beautiful days, doing lots of fun things but mainly enjoying being home with my family. BF and I went to a wedding and an OAR concert at Redrocks, and if you know where that is you know it’s a good time. Basically, it’s an enormous outdoor amphitheater made up of really cool red rock. Like, obviously.

Here are some select photos from said Colorado vacation:

We are at a wedding! We are adults!  We are pros at self photos!

My puppy…and yes, she is in fact a “pure” lab.

OAR concert!

 

I always get nervous to run in Colorado. When you go from sea level to running at over 6,000 feet, scary things can happen to your lungs, heart rate, and muscles. Luckily, I was able to pump out a long run without too many issues, and I got reacquainted with the feeling of dripping with sweat after running. Both runs in CO were done in 80 degree morning heat, which added some pizzazz to the already compromising altitude conditions.

What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger I suppose. And plus, Chicago has been known to be hot in the past few years on marathon day…better to get used to it now.

In other news, I started a new job today! Which is definitely exciting, and I’ll give some details soon, however for now I just need to get used to a new daily schedule…including a significantly earlier running time. Which will get rough at some point, but with this as my wake up call, I think I’ll survive:

Hello Seattle, let’s be friends.

I hope your week is going great, and because I would love to hear from some of you out there…

Have you ever run at altitude? Are you training for anything right now? Running in the heat…love it or hate it? 

 

Running to Feel Clean

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This morning I had a tempo run on schedule.

I woke up and knew within about .2 seconds that 8:00 miles were not on the agenda.

I did a body pump class yesterday, which was great, but it included several leg lifty things, meaning many squats and lunges. Needless to say, I had some unhappy hamstrings upon waking up.

However, I dragged myself out to do what I could, resolving that just getting the miles in was more important than the timing. And it was good that I started off with that mindset…because those first two miles were butt ugly. I felt awkward, slow, and just groggy.

Very standard for the beginning of a morning run with sore legs—I am sure you can relate.

But then, at my self designed halfway point, I decided to get over myself and kick it up. Miles 4, 5, and 6 clocked in around 7:50, which was very encouraging. Although it wasn’t the amount of distance I was supposed to cover at tempo pace, I was glad to get in some quick miles.

Ended with 7.1 miles in 55 minutes even. I’ll take it.

The truth is that when it comes to speed, my body is definitely stronger than my head most of the time. Normally, when I start picking up my pace, it’s unintentional—and I feel great. Then I look at my watch, get scared that I won’t be able to hold it, and slow down. It’s like my body wants to go fast, but then my brain gets scared and hits the brakes. I tried to push through this a bit today, and although I’m definitely feeling some tired legs, it did feel good to not let the watch scare me.

In running, I always love knowing that slowing down is an option. It makes me feel better about the times I want to go faster, and it’s comforting to know that no matter what speed—running is still running.

Afterward, per standard post run procedure, I felt great. Sweaty, tired, and satisfied.

I realized this morning that one of the primary things I feel when I finish running is…clean.

Strange, of course, because I’m normally everything but clean. In fact, I’m rather gross a lot of the time.

However, there are few times when I feel fresher than immediately following a run. It’s like through the sweating and panting, the grime of the day before just washes out, and I’m left with a fresh start.

So despite the stank and salty face and all that, I would say that just after a run is the cleaniest I feel. Of course, the greatest sense of cleanliness is the mental detoxification that happens along the way. As the saying goes…I never leave a run in the same place as I started. And 100% of the time, I always feel better afterwards. Cleaner, fresher, and lighter.

I think this is why that post-run shower always feels oh so good. You’ve already rid your body and mind of the waste it was holding onto, and the actual soap-and-shower process wipes clean all the residue of that grime.

What am I trying to say in this post? Why knows. I hardly ever know, actually.

I suppose it’s just to remember that running is refreshing, and it does an incredible job of extracting the dirt we carry around that perhaps we weren’t even aware of.

 

Chicago Marathon Training Week #1

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Hello! Welcome to Monday. I hope your weekend was stupendous and filled with rest, relaxation, and ice cream.

Here’s how my first “official” week of training for Chicago looked:

M: Rest

T: 10 m run/8:30 avg. page + yoga

W: 10k fun run!

T: Spin + 20 min stair stepper

F: Maximum sculpt class + 80 min swim

S: 16.2 m run/8:45 avg. page

S: Spin + 4.4 m run

Totally weekly running mileage: 36.8 m

I wasn’t going to run yesterday. I had planned on a recovery run from Saturday’s LR, but since my knee hurt a bit from the day before, I decided to opt for spin. However, around 5:30 (and after a lot of beach relaxation) I felt a weird urge to go run in the evening heat. I went with the urge, headed out watch-less for a quick little out-and-back, and wound up feeling better than I’ve felt since I started running again!

It also felt fast, which immediately made me regret not wearing a timing device. But have no fear, because I’m OCD and was determined to figure out just how fast I was going, I tallied up the songs I had listened to on the run and added up their times.

Creativity points?

Anyways, I figured out that I was averaging 7:30 miles, which is much lower than I’ve been clocking recently. It was a little surprising, because like I said—I felt so good on this run and my legs felt happy and pain-free. Looks like I might need to let the chains let loose a little bit more.

This was one of those runs where I decided to listen to my body (not a training plan, not my Garmin) and just GO. And the results were great! It truly is best sometimes to just run by feel. I knew I would have been fine without going yesterday, but something was telling me to head on out. I loved this run, and I loved feeling some speed under me after so much time without.

The rest of the weekend can pretty much be summed up in one word: SUN!

So much sun. So many sunshine filled activities—including the aforementioned one above:

The rain does go away sometimes!

I made friends with a jelly fish yesterday, although I don’t think he was as into following me as I was into following him.

Also, does your face look like this after long runs?

Salty face by way of emo MySpace picture

I was told during my time in the medical tent at the Tacoma Marathon that I’m a “salty sweater” and I was a little surprised because I thought everyone got this salty during long runs. Do you? Just me?

How was your weekend?? What kinds of things did you do in the heat? Did you have to adjust your plans according to the hot weather? Are you a salty sweater?

A Running and Zoo Filled Weekend

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Happy Monday!

I have nothing very specific to talk about today, but I am pretty pumped about the random musings I do have to deliver. I know what you’re thinking…”Robyn, everything you have to say is exciting! I totally love hearing about your injury whining and cookie addiction on a daily basis.”

You guys, stop making me blush.

No, I know I’m not very original. BUT, happenings such as those that went on this past weekend (super interesting grammar right there) ARE in fact exciting to me, therefore you get to hear about them.

This weekend involved a lot of running… …but not by me.

Which was fine! Because it was still great, and I enjoyed every minute of it.

I spent a raging Friday night curled up on my couch watching the trials and crying for cheering on Amy and Dathan. It is SO amazing to me that all these athletes train for YEARS for just ONE race that will determine their Olympic future. Many of those races, mind you, are UNDER ten seconds. TEN SECONDS! All of which hold the fate of their Olympic dreams.

Crazy…and I admire that kind of determination. It takes some kind of guts to know that all your hard work will either make or break it in such a short time frame.

Anyway, I geeked out hard over the trials, and it reminded me so much of my old track days. I was a sprinter in high school, however my main event was the 400m hurdles. We short folk have a disadvantage in the 100m hurdlers, therefore my coach forced me into the longer race, which should also be known as, “Hold in your puke while jumping over 10 barriers and sprinting at full speed.”

That race is a beast, and I still have nightmares about it. But, I still loved it, and I could so clearly remember the butterflies that came with sprint races while watching the trials.

Oh! And the whole Western States thing that was going on this weekend, which was also fun to follow. The nice thing about a 100 mile race? You can check on it, go about your day, do whatever you want, then that night you can check on it again and the runners are STILL GOING. Just another weekend, right guys?

Onto Saturday. I think everyone with a Twitter account/everyone within a 100 mile radius of Seattle knows that Seattle Rock ‘n’ Roll was on Saturday at 0700. I wasn’t doing it, but a ton of Seattle area bloggers were…which obviously meant I was a)jealous and b)determined to involve myself somehow.

So, when I asked Nicole (who was running the full) where she would like the most cheerleader support, she responded asking if I would run the last 6 miles with her.

Um, best question ever?? YES! I was psyched…partly because it would lessen my sadness about not running the race, but mainly because I am ready to jump at any opportunity to help someone to the finish line after over 20 miles of running. After the kind lady in Tacoma helped carry my feverish butt to the end of the race, I not only felt indebted to the universe to help someone myself…but I also realized how moral support can really be a clutch after that many miles of running.

Sign me up RicoleRuns, I was pumped.

However, despite my ample pre-planning (course studying, timing allowance, etc.) I quickly realized there was no way I would be able to join her at mile 20. You see, mile 20 was one of the miles along i-90, so in order to get on the course I would have to park on the side of the highway, dodge traffic, run the wrong way against thousands of people running a marathon, and causally hang out until I hopefully spotted Nicole. AKA, not happening.

When you’re in a panic to get to a race course, you obviously should Tweet about it.

So, I rerouted, meandered around Seattle, and found the closest spot I could get to that was off of i-90, which ended up being just before mile 23. So I cheered, I chatted up some super fast chick who was rooting for runners as well, and just like clockwork there was Nicole…right on time target!

She said she felt terrible, but you wouldn’t have guessed it. She looked great, and I did my best to distract, encourage, and move her along those hilly last three miles without her punching me in the face for being too chatty/energetic. It was funny because I think some of the aid stations thought I was running the marathon too—humorous, because if they saw what I really look like at mile 23 of a marathon, they would realize how false their assumptions were.

Anyways, Nicole killed it. And despite the normal “I hate everything” feelings that come at the end of a marathon, she finished strong and I was so honored to have been a part of it. 3:57 for her, 3 of those miles I got to spend along for the ride. Good times. Read her race report here!

Run Nicole Run!

Thanks to Becky for snapping this shot!

And how does one get back to one’s car after running along a race course to the other side of town? Why, by running back of course! Fortunately for me (and thanks to the fine organizers of Seattle RNR) the course ran right alongside downtown Seattle, so I was able to weave my way back to my car no trouble. In fact, I got to see many RNR runners that had finished their races along the way…so I congratulated every last one all while on my own run. It might have been weird, but whatever…I dug it. Although I would have liked to have been running the race, I felt like I had actively participated as much as I could otherwise.

Sunday, after a two hour spin class (also see: sweat, sweat, and a very slippery floor), BF and I headed to brunch and then the zoo. I don’t care how old you are, the zoo is crazy amounts of fun—and thanks to the lovely weather yesterday, all the animals were out and about and strutting all their wild stuff. BF and I are both big animal lovers (him probably more so) therefore we are unable to leave even one display unseen.

Flamingos!

The butt of a hippo.

Children, don’t you know I am trying to photograph the orangutan wearing a burlap sack as a cape WHILE drawing on the window in chalk for my blog/personal collection??? Rude.

More trials last night, more gawking at abs and quads, and all in all a very enjoyable weekend.

I’m getting my running groove back (please knock on your table/desk right now), I have some pretty sweet life changes happening, AND I have a sweet announcement for later this week. HINT: It involves running. Unpredictable, right?

Have yourself a lovely Monday friends…and because I enjoy hearing about people’s weekends/races: Did you run RNR? How did it go?! Any other neat weekend happenings? Did you want to do sit-ups after watching the women’s 10,000m too? Did you just go get fro-yo like me instead? What’s your favorite zoo animal?

A Shoe Thing: Focusing on Footwear

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Hello!

This post should be read with the full understanding that this is 100% my own opinion, and not based on any professional training or research.

If this is your definition of “professional,” then I’m your girl.

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you are well aware that one of the hottest topics in the running industry nowadays is footwear.

{How would you live under a rock? That saying makes no sense. Unless you are an ant or other small insect, there is no physical way you could live under a rock. Unless there was a cave under the rock…in which case you would be living in a cave. But if there was a rock on top of the cave…you could never get out, and who would have put that rock on top of the cave in the first place? That saying makes no sense. I digress, but THINK ABOUT IT.}

Moving on. Shoes.

The debate has been running (pun, duh) rampant, and even folks outside of the running world have caught wind of the minimalist versus support shoe debate. In a lot of ways, this ongoing controversy has done a lot for the running industry; it’s brought a lot of attention to the sport as a whole, and it’s given running the spotlight in terms of sports science research.

I don’t need to reiterate the debate between the two schools of shoe ideology, because surely you have heard them. Everyone’s seen Vibram Five-Finger wearing lagoon creatures people, and nearly every runner has read or at least heard of Born to Run. Running stores are now offering different choices of shoe support (or they heavily favor one side over the other).

Yesterday, this article came out about yet another study in favor of minimal shoes.

So who’s doing it right? Who’s doing it wrong? Is the debate ever going to come to a halting end, with one group walking away with their heads hung low?

In short, I can pretty safely guess the answer to that last question: No.

This minimal versus structure debate is very similar to bi-partisan political views, in my opinion; neither side is going to budge, and the biggest advocates for each group are going to continue to hate the other extremists no matter what studies come out.

As for the two other questions, who’s right and who’s wrong, my personal answer is that I don’t know. And honestly, I don’t actually think either is necessarily right or wrong. I can see valid points on both ends of the debate, and ultimately I think it comes down to one simple conclusion: wear the shoe that works for you.

If bare-bones, flat stanley sneakers help you run comfortably, then stick to ’em. If those chunk-mcgunk, super-shox, double cushion (Insert Brand Name) shoes have never given you problems, why switch?

Much like all other aspects of this sport (clothing preference, training schedules, fueling options, etc.) I believe everything should be up to you. It’s one of the things I love most about running—it’s all unique for everyone, and what works for someone may not work for someone else—and it’s okay. Running requires you to put one foot in front of the other, and everything else is just extra paperwork.

With all that said, it would be a lie to say that the shoe debate hasn’t peaked my own curiosity. I’m pretty consistently both a skeptic and a bandwagon-er in most hot topic areas— as in, I always take everything with a grain of salt, but I also really enjoy hearing new, innovative news and information. So, while I’ve definitely been interested in the whole “minimalist” running thing, I also believe there is somewhat of a fad element to it. Through all my scrutiny (read: talking to other runners, hounding running store peeps for information, and reading tons of stuff on the matter), I believe I have come to two conclusions that I personally believe about the whole “barefoot running” thing.

Let’s start with my argument against it: For years and years, runners have gotten faster and stronger, breaking records and setting higher standards for their competitors. And not one of them was barefoot. They were all wearing regular ole shoes with some support in them, and they are fared very well. So, obviously structured shoes have been a part of some of the most impressive running feats in recent history.

Now, for my argument for it: I do believe that running is something humans should be able to do, regularly, without pain. Our bodies are designed for it—and despite evolution and the concrete jungles most of us live in, we still have the ability to condition ourselves to run long distances. With that said, I am a proponent for recreating our “natural” running selves; i.e. without huge Nikes weighing down our feet and changing our foot strike. I do think there is something to the idea of stripping away all the cushion and allowing our feet to adapt to a freer running style, using a more natural foot strike and gait.

So where does that leave me? Well, pretty much right in the middle of it all. Which, coincidentally is the shoe I’ve now found myself wearing while running:

These are Brooks Pure Connect, which are—according to them—a good middle ground between really structured shoes and minimalist shoes. And that’s pretty much exactly what they are—there’s a good amount of cushion to support the arch of the foot, but they are really light and the toe is split a bit.

I was interested in getting into some less structured shoes for a number of reasons, but namely because something never felt quite right with my others. I’ve been an Asics 2170s devotee for some time (through both of my marathons) and on paper, they were perfect for my foot, gait, etc. And they were great—except that they didn’t necessarily feel right.

That sounds super hippy, but as runners we just know when a shoe feels right. And after experiencing some plantar faciitis, ankle pain, and my knee pain earlier this year, I knew that eventually I would probably need to try out a new shoe.

And what better time to do so than when I have lower mileage and no immediate training needs? Since I’ve slowly started running again, I’ve been wearing these puppies…and I’m realizing that I definitely wasn’t wearing the best shoe before.

I’m not saying that I (or anyone) should have been “barefoot” all along, but I have already noticed a difference in my overall efficiency and comfort. I feel faster, lighter, and I like the way I can feel my foot strengthening. I was always a heavy heel striker, and with the new shift to the ball of my foot, I can feel my pronation and general turnover changing. I’m not sure if this pattern will continue, but for right now I’m digging this new way of running.

Is it an argument for minimal shoes? No, not at all. But it is an argument for experimenting and finding what works for you. I was always too scared to try out other shoes because I didn’t want to get hurt or lower my already established mileage—but I’m realizing that one of the surest ways to save your ability to run is to focus on your footwear, no matter how chunky or bare it might be.

Now for the real reason I wanted to write this post: WHAT DO YOU THINK? Extreme on one shoe versus another? Let’s hear it. Have you gone through a drastic change in running footwear? Do you think one if better than the other? LETS GET SHOE SASSY!

Getting Fixed?

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In lieu of any suspense-filled build up, I’m just going to get straight to this point.

This happened yesterday:

Now, I know what you are probably thinking…because I was/am still thinking the same thing.

“Um Robyn, haven’t you, like, not run at all since the Tacoma Marathon and been complaining incessantly about your injured IT band?”

Yes and yes. Let’s back track a bit though, and perhaps this will make more sense.

I had come to terms with the whole “injury” thing, and I’d accepted that I needed to focus on r&r as opposed to long runs and fartleks. Kidding, I never do fartleks.

However, despite the fact that I was getting over my boohoo, “woe is me” phase of being injured, that didn’t mean that I wasn’t still on the lookout for anything that could help me start running again.

Which brings me to Friday afternuun. I was in need of some Nuun and went to West Seattle Runner to pick up some new bottles. Also, strawberry lemonade *might* be a new favorite.

While there, I happened to see this little gizmo hanging on the wall with all the other braces and such:

Now, if you’re sitting there with one eyebrow raised full of skepticism, trust me—I was right there with you. I asked the guy working what was up with this thing, and he didn’t say much about it other than, “A guy bought one for his knee pain and he never came back, so that’s good?”

Right. I was mainly skeptical because a) this was perhaps the least technical thing I’d ever seen, and b) in the nonstop research I’d been doing on healing IT band injuries, I’d NEVER seen anyone mention these.

However, thanks to return policies, I decided why not—I’d give it a go. I definitely wasn’t optimistic, but I figured $16 for a velcro strap was worth trying before building up some lovely PT bills. I decided to check online to see if anyone at all had any success with this thing, and much to my surprise—a lot of people had. Amazon’s reviews were full of positive accolades for this strap, which definitely heightened my curiosity.

However, I was still very wary. When you’re injured, it’s easy to get really excited about a potential “cure,” only to be disappointed that it doesn’t immediately alleviate your ailment. I’ve learned this lesson too many times, and I’m very settled with the fact that injuries require patience and time to truly get over.

Fast forward to Saturday: BF and I decided to hike Mt. Si in honor of our four years of couple-hood, and I figured I’d wear the strap for poops and laughs. I wasn’t concerned about the going up part, as that’s not what irritates my IT band/knee. No, the downhill is what worried me—and I knew that this was when I’d be able to tell if the strap had any advantages.

From the top! Washingtonians, you must hike Mt. Si, it’s fantastic.

I had zero pain going up, and as we started going down—I was anticipating the stabbing knee pain to start at any time. I kept waiting, and still…no pain. I could definitely feel the pressure of the strap, but not even a glimmer of the pain I’ve been having for the past 6 weeks. So, in a completely reckless and probably unsmart move, I asked BF if we could try running a bit…just for fun.

Off we went, in hiking boots no less, and still…no pain. This was shocking. Even if I can get away with little knee pain in exercise, going downhill or downstairs will always flare it up. But there was nothing, and the further we went—the bigger my smile became. I love running down trail hills, and it felt so good to be flying down each switchback. We stopped a few times to make sure my knee was cooperating, and still…absolutely no pain. I was shocked and encouraged.

After we finished, I removed the strap, expecting to feel at least some of the familiar knee stiffness, but there was nothing. Aside from some very tired quads, my leg felt completely normal.

Obviously I was excited about this excursion, but I was still very wary. The true test would be how my knee felt the next day, and more importantly—if it worked again.

All through Sunday, and all through yesterday, I felt fantastic and decided last night to really see how this thing fared in some real running.

And you already know the results of that. I was blown away, confused, and mostly super excited. I stopped every two miles to stretch my IT band and check on my knee, and every time I stopped my knee felt completely normal. I admit I got a little ambitious with my pace and my mileage, but I couldn’t help it. I haven’t had a pain free run since before the marathon, and it felt so good to be running my familiar route. Not walk-running. Honest to goodness running, the entire way.

I was wiped by the end, understandably, and after finishing and doing some regular post-run stretching and foam rolling, I was still pain-free….and continue to be today.

Now the question becomes… what does this mean?

Well, for starters, while this IT band strap definitely does work—I understand foremost that it’s really just a bandaid. It’s alleviating the symptom of my injury, but it’s not solving the root problem. I’ll still be rolling and stretching regularly, icing, and popping anti-inflammatories. I won’t be stupid or reckless just because I “can” run again. I’ll get back into it slowly and cautiously, and be aware that the goal is to run without the strap at some point.

So, I’m going to be smart. But guess what? It looks like I’m also going to be running!

Who knew that a 1 1/2″ piece of material with velcro could be so effective? Remember, I am speaking solely from my own experience with this thing—I have no professional medical training or education (I know, you’re shocked), so please seek expert advice when considering options for treating this injury.

However, this IT band strap has helped completely reduced the pain in my knee caused by running. It also could be a number of other things—I hadn’t run for over a week when I tried this guy out, I have been consciously rolling and stretching a lot, and I’ve given this thing a while to sort itself out. I don’t know if this strap would have been helpful even two weeks ago, but no matter the combination of why my pain is going away—I’ll take it.

I realize that was an incredibly long-winded way of saying, “I bought a weird strap thing, and it’s working,” but I think you could have figured out that brevity isn’t my specialty 🙂

In other news…this little girl is back in my possession:

MY BABY'S HOME!!

MY BABY’S HOME!!

My credit card is also feeling incredibly appreciated.

Things seem to be getting fixed around these parts, and while I’m trying to stay cautious, I can’t help but feel pretty darn hopeful as well.

Have a great day!

SEATTLE PEOPLE! If I organized a group hike (either to Mt. Si or elsewhere) would people be interested? Let me know, and any suggestions are welcomed!