If I'd known then what I know now...

I'm not sure there is anyone among us who doesn't fantasize about going back to their past self with their current knowledge.  "If I only knew then what I know now."  The older we get, the more we realize how little we knew.  Although I've been a runner for a very long time, I spent most of those years clueless about what I was doing.

I began competing at age 11, with some success in junior high and high school in spite of never training properly.  I ran low mileage (20 miles per week or so), ran a lot of speed work year-round, and raced almost every weekend in events from 800 m to the 5K.  I was coached by some people who were really amazing, but who knew little about training distance runners, and back in my high school years of 1995-1999, there wasn't much easily accessible information out there about training - not to mention that exercise science has come a long way since then!

I managed to win a handful of Kansas high school state championships and an AAU national championship in the 3000 m, and was recruited to run cross country and track in college.  Fortunately I chose my college based on academic scholarships, because I ended up being injured in college much more than I actually ran.  I had several stress fractures and ended up quitting the team since I kept getting injured.  For many, many years I thought that my body couldn't handle more than 30 mpw, since trying to run 40-50 mpw had resulted in so many injuries, but now I know the problem was that I wasn't transitioned up to that mileage properly.  I needed to go from 20 miles to 30, then gradually to 40, then to 50, and so on (over years), instead of from 20 to 50.

I never stopped running after I quit running collegiately, but for a couple of years I was very cautious, typically only running 5-8 miles every other day with no racing and few workouts.  I wanted to run for the rest of my life because I enjoyed it, but resigned myself to the fate of never being able to put in many miles.  One of my friends talked me into training for a marathon with her when I was in my first year of graduate school, and I acquiesced but was extremely wary about getting injured doing it.  I did a minimal training plan (I think it was Runners World's beginners marathon plan), but I successfully ran 4 days a week and worked my long run up to 20 miles, while staying healthy, which was a pleasant surprise.  After that marathon, I knew I could run another one faster, a thought pattern that has continued after every marathon I've run since.

Although I've run many marathons (31), I didn't train properly for one until I began working with a coach at age 34.  Even for that one (Dallas 2015), my mileage was very conservative considering my goal; I peaked at 50 mpw trying to break 3:00 (I didn't make it, coming in at 3:01).  Since then I have gradually increased my mileage in a planned and measured way and had actual training cycles, and my PRs have gradually improved along the way.

All of this to say, I wish I'd have proper training from the beginning of my running career.  I wish I'd had a gradual mileage progression instead of minimal running (relative to maximizing performance) in my 20s.  I wish I had years of mileage behind me.  I wish I'd have periodization in my training.  I think I could have run much faster and prevented many injuries with simply appropriate basic training.  There is no way to know for certain, and maybe I'd have gotten burned out and quit running instead; perhaps how it turned out saved my love for the sport and increased my running longevity, in which case it is of course all worth it.

I also wish I'd have taken better care of myself overall in my 20's, namely eating better, sleeping more, not drinking alcohol, and taking care of body when injuries did occur.  I always got mad at my body for breaking instead of thinking about how I could best help it repair.

I know it's not productive to look back and wish I could change things, but I write this in hopes that someone who is like the younger me will benefit.  Recently I've been particularly reflective on this because I've started to worry that time is running out for me to make improvements and gains, due to the aging process (I turned 38 a couple of weeks ago - although I am excited to move to the masters category in 2 years).  Running really should be looked at in terms of long-term development in order to maximize potential for anyone, and I had no idea that this was the case until relatively recently.  It's great that we have so many resources online, and even information in podcasts and the mainstream media now.  If you're making your own training schedule, educate yourself well.  Be patient, increase conservatively, use periodization, train smarter not harder, and think long-term, and improvements will come!

30 things I learned in 30 days off running

Due to an injury, I was unable to run from September 30 through October 25.  Since then I have been running on the AlterG treadmill as possible (not every day).  I've had 30 days completely off running at this point, which has been quite rough especially when you consider that during the 15 months prior to this I'd only taken 5 days off, all right after the Houston Marathon (also during our worst snow/ice weather of that winter!).

It is hard to take a photo on the AlterG!

I am sure I learned much more than 30 things, but...

1. 30 days is a long time when days pass slower when you're unable to run.
2. Every runner understands how it feels to be an injured runner, but you lose touch with the feeling to some degree when you haven't been injured for awhile.
3. Not having a timeline is hard (the advantage of bone injuries over muscle and tendon injuries is a more definitive timeline).
4. My identity is tied to being a runner so much that this occurrence made me very concerned with how I will cope if/when the time comes that I cannot run anymore.  I truly don't feel like myself.
5. Running is truly a lifestyle, and it's my lifestyle.
6. I eat healthier when I'm running than when I'm not.  This has always been the case and I've typically cited a slump in my mood as my reason for reaching for many more sweet treats and desserts, but this time I realized it's also because I'm not thinking about how my fueling will effect my next run.  When training hard, I don't want to screw up a run by eating crap, but I really don't care how what I eat effects my next aquajogging session!  The same goes for recovery between workouts; I care a lot when I'm running but I don't care when I'm not.  I also realized I see a lot more food advertisements when I'm cross-training since I watch TV while on the bike and elliptical, which also may tie into this.
7. I'm in a better mood when I'm running than when I'm not (sorry everyone who was around me for the past 30 days - although I did better this round than in the past).
8. Confidence nose-dives quickly!  What a mind trip to go from PR-form to unable to run even 100 m., to see people you used to race with competing and feel that you will never keep up with them again, to see your fitness slipping away...
9. Goals are hard to let go of, and it's very easy to vacillate back and forth between "I'm going to get healthy and go get it" and "I'm never going to run anything worthwhile ever again".
10. Graston can be brutal, but hurts so good and has helped my injury a great deal.
11. I need sunlight in my life (once I could walk pain-free, I went on walks just to be outside...also, walking is slow).
12. Perspective rapidly changes; I went very quickly from wanting to hit 80+ quality miles a week to simply wanting to run an easy 3 miler.
13. With one workout obsession gone, I take up others (e.g., deciding I need to bike a certain number of miles, PR on my bike pace, hit a certain weekly cross-training duration, etc.).
14. Cross-training fatigue is different than running fatigue.  My legs and body felt very different with the lack of pounding.  I could workout for 2+ hours a day with interval efforts and still feel like I didn't do much.  Perhaps I'm not as good at pushing myself with cross-training, but even running very easy for 2 hours I'd feel like I'd exerted myself.
15. My spin bike time re-sets after 99:59.
16. Intervals make cross-training workouts pass much faster.
17. I still can't flip turn in the pool.
18. I can circle swim.
19. Swimmers think I'm crazy for swimming for 60-90 minutes non-stop.
20. I swim like a runner.  I have also been told I bike like a runner, although not this round because I did my bike workouts on my spin bike at home (I am fair weather/daylight only road cyclist).
21. I can aquajog for 2.5 hours straight.
22. I will get up at 4:30 a.m. to cross-train (I have previously said I won't get up at 4:30 a.m. to do anything besides run, but I stand corrected).
23. There will always be other races and seasons, but it is also okay to mourn for those that you've lost.  This wasn't my plan or how it was "supposed" to go, but it's what happened.
24. Being injured is lonely.  Running is my biggest social time!
25. Scrolling Strava sucks when you can't run.  Sorry for not giving kudos, friends.
26. The runner mentality never leaves us; I may not be able to run a mile right now, but you know I have over 10 races on my mind for 2019.
27. We often ask "Why did this happen?" about bad things that happen to us, but we don't ask it about all of the blessings we have:  Why did I have so many great runs and races?  Why do I have an amazing family?  Why do I have a job that provides?  Why do I have so much more than I need every single day?  You get the picture!  Who am I to complain when so many people are facing harder issues?
28. With any rough patch in life, it's important to remember that it will pass...the only way over it is through it.
29. Knowing that God has a greater plan doesn't always make hard times easier, but it always makes them do-able. 
30. 30 days passes before you know it.  It will likely be over 30 more before I'm "really" training again, but the thing about time is that is always keeps passing.

"Faith does not make things easy, it makes them possible." - Luke 1:37

You can find me on here for awhile

Sarah Hall has a similar injury to mine...this also made
me wonder if attempting full butt-nearly-to-the-ground
pistol squats (holding onto chairs on both sides)
contributed to my injury

The "U" Words

Upset, unhappy, unwell, unsettled, uncomfortable, uncertain, unsure.

There are many words that begin with U that describe how I feel about my current injury.  In general, I don't think runners deal well with not running (I sure don't!), and forced time off is far worse than a planned recovery period.  I struggle with not having a definitive timeline for my return to running.  I will start back when my peroneal muscle is healed, however soon or later that occurs.

My mom has an app that finds photos that go with
specific verses, & it is on point!

Initially, at Indy I was sure the injury was season ending.  However, in the 3-4 days right after race, I had dramatic improvements each day, progressing from being unable to walk without holding onto something/someone to being able to walk normally with only slight tightness.  Prior to Indy, my calf bothered me just as much while walking as it did while running, so once I could walk normally I was quite hopeful.  I also had it looked at twice that week, along with Graston and ART treatments, and my chiropractor (who is also my coach) said it was much better on Thursday 10/4 than it had been on Monday 10/1.

I made an appointment to run on the AlterG treadmill on Monday 10/8, sure that I would be able to run on it at a reduced percentage of body weight.  I thought I'd possibly run on it all week, or maybe even alternate runs outside with runs on the AlterG.  I calculated how far I could run during my appointment and even took an hour of vacation from work so I could go in late, since the AlterG isn't open until 6:30 a.m.  I knew I was hard up when I was super excited to run on a treadmill!

When I began running on the AlterG, I had a very abrupt rude awakening.  It was extremely painful.  I adjusted the body weight down farther and farther, hoping for relief, but it hurt just as much at 10% as it had at 80%.  I thought maybe it would loosen up so tried to run for a bit, but pulled the plug at 1 mile.

That was when I truly knew my season was over.

I know I still have time before CIM, and I could probably still run it; but I was never going just to finish another marathon.  I can't miss as much training as I'm going to need to and have a chance to PR, so it is better for me to take all of the time I need to heal and to then select a different marathon based on when I'm able to resume training.  That is also probably smarter long-term, marathon time goals aside, because I'll truly be able to get this muscle back to 100% without rushing back into training.  I want to run a 2:45 badly, but I want to run for the rest of my life a million times more.

There have certainly been tears and stages of grief, and I sure don't deal with work and life stress as well when I'm not running!  But I've learned lessons from this already, and I don't regret the training that I put in one bit.  I loved the day-to-day process, and I would train even if I never raced.  I did things in training I never thought I could do.

I did most things right.  I followed my training schedule well, I ran consistent mileage week after week - you're more likely to get injured when you're inconsistent with your mileage or increasing mileage, and I didn't do either - I mostly sat at similar mileage week after week.  I stretched and foam rolled daily, often twice.  I strength trained twice a week.  I ate nutrient-dense foods and took care of my body the best I could.

My best wasn't enough, and I realize that I made some mistakes (more about that here).  In particular, I need to be more careful about running when I'm sick, and I need to listen to my gut instinct about taking days off.  If I truly don't want to run for a few days in a row or get nervous about runs that should be insignificant, that is a major indicator that I need to back off before an injury occurs or worsens.  I also need to work on sleeping more, but I have a very difficult time falling asleep and staying asleep, which oddly enough gets worse the more active I am (I also don't want to take sleep meds, although I use Melatonin a few times a month).

Perhaps I should not have run the mileage I was running, but I don't regret taking that risk either.  I'm not going to OTQ without running higher mileage than I've done before.  I felt so strong during my build, and I felt like I was handling the mileage extremely well, until suddenly one muscle wasn't.  I am still proud I ran what I did; for 8 weeks (July 30 to September 3) I averaged 78.3 miles per week.  This paid off with a big 10K PR and will help me in my next marathon build.

I'm not sure what's next, but I'll select another marathon once I'm back on the road.  I am sad that CIM 2018 isn't in the cards, because I truly thought it was my best chance for the 2:45, but I suppose CIM will be there in 2019 too!

"The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it." - 1 Thessalonians 5:24

I am trying to think of positive U words, which is a little harder...  Uplift,  unconditional, ultimate, unstoppable... (although maybe unfit - as in, lost fitness - too!).

The "I" Word

Injury.

At least the tape looks fun!

If you read my Indy Women's Half race report or my September monthly recap, you know I'm injured.  I used to consider myself a highly injury-prone runner, but I have been very healthy since my last injury (which was relatively minor) in January 2016.  I've had niggles that I've been able to address with foam rolling and strengthening, or at most an ART session, but overall my body has done really well, especially considering I've been running by far the highest mileage I've ever done.  The longer the injury-free streak, the easier it becomes to start feeling immune to injuries, and I admit I was there, especially because I haven't had any injuries while training with my current coach. 

My current issue is a peroneal muscle strain.  The pernoeus is two muscles that run alongside the outside of the calf and act as stabilizers.  Strains in them for runners are usually caused by overuse.

It started at the end of August with a hamstring niggle.  When I'm building up mileage, I sometimes get a little niggle in my right hamstring, which I've been able to resolve without too much effort each time it has occurred (this was the third time, and I've never needed even a day off for it).  August was the highest mileage month of my life, and I had the little issue with my hamstring that I was able to train and race through from the end of August to the beginning of September.  While I was addressing that, I felt a little twinge in my left calf, and chalked it up to all being part of the chain.  My hamstring was 100% back to normal by mid-September, but the calf twinge hung on.  It was very minor and most of the time I didn't feel it, so I figured I'd up my eccentric calf raises and foam rolling and it would be just fine.  I am super in tune to my body and notice anytime anything doesn't feel perfect, but have also learned that most of those tiny things go away within a few days with no training adjustments.

The week of September 17, my calf became somewhat more bothersome, but it would always loosen up after I'd run a few blocks or at most a mile.  I became more aware of it, and the first time I became pretty concerned about it was after my long run that week.  It felt fine during the run but afterward was not happy.  It was also angry after I spent all day on my feet that Saturday.

The week of September 24 (the week leading up to the Indy half), my calf continued to bother me and I didn't enjoy my runs because I was worried about it.  Race week went like this:

• Monday - I had ART on it, because I wanted to be extra proactive since it was race week, and because I planned to jump right back into training post-race.  
• Tuesday - It slowed me down during a run for the first time.  I also wasn't feeling the best, and after I completed my track workout on Tuesday morning, a full-blown stomach bug hit me and I was unable to keep much nutrition or hydration in that day.  The worst symptoms of that abated within less than 12 hours, but left me depleted.
• Wednesday - I felt weak and hadn't recovered from Tuesday's workout, but I ran anyway because I didn't want to miss the mileage, and because it was a much shorter than usual Wednesday run at 7 miles.  This was the first run my calf hurt throughout and at the end, but it was still minor and mainly just tight feeling.
• Thursday - This was the second run it hurt throughout and at the end, but I hoped that the reduced volume of my 3 day taper would resolve it.  It also didn't seem any worse when I ran strides than when I was running easy.  I went in for ART again and my coach also taped it up and told me he didn't think I'd have any issues racing with it since it is a stabilizer and not a major muscle.
• Friday - I only ran 3 miles plus strides, but it felt about the same or slightly better.  I wore compression socks and elevated it most of the ride to Indy, hoping for the best.
• Saturday - You can read about that here, as well as more about my reasoning for refusing to DNS or DNF, but after this race running on it (or even walking) was no longer an option.

Looking back, I wish I'd have stopped running after Tuesday's workout and illness.  Maybe if I'd have taken days off then it wouldn't have worsened.  Clearly I shouldn't have raced either, but I think being unable to recover from Tuesday's effort (due to lack of nutrition and lack of sleep when I was uncomfortable and sick) really hurt it.  It felt markedly worse on Wednesday than it had before then.  Historically, I've had other injuries that came up following running while sick.  However, I pretty much always run when I'm sick (not that I'd advise this!) and 95% of the time I'm fine.

I've also read that most injuries come 2-3 weeks after training errors, and the main error I see looking back was not sleeping enough.  Training as much as I do while being a full-time working mother, I never sleep enough, but the week I traveled to and raced two 10Ks early September I missed a lot of rest.  I know I am pushing the envelope with the mileage I'm running, but I also believe I need it to have a chance at accomplishing my goals.  I think I can handle the mileage in itself, but when you combine the mileage with working 45-50 hours a week, big events every weekend, lack of sleep, family life, etc. it is a lot.

Initially I was in so much pain that I was convinced my season was over.  However, each day I've made improvements, beginning even the day after the race, which was a pleasant surprise - with how bad it felt on Saturday, I fully expected to be unable to get out of bed on Sunday, and was highly concerned about whether or not I'd be able to get around at work the next week.

Right now, I am still on the road to CIM, so I have cross-trained too much a lot this week, at minimum trying to match what I'd be running each day.  Starting with 90 minute workouts on the bike and in the pool has been interesting, since I hadn't done either for almost 3 years!  I am also working on my glute medius weakness, which may have contributed to this (even though I was doing diagonal sits and clamshells with a band like crazy before this occurred!).  I am not sure I will be able to run CIM, because I'm not going just to finish a marathon -- but I'm not sure I won't at this point, so I am working to maintain fitness with abandon.  Although I miss running like crazy, it's been nice to have a clear direction on whether or not I should run; the week before the race I felt very unsure about what to do every single day and it caused a lot of stress and anxiety.

[Follow up post about my exit from the road to CIM is here].

I'm by far the most at peace I've ever been with a running injury.  I've always have very little stress about things that cause many people much stress (e.g., finances, world news, job interviews, etc.) because I trust God so much, but this is actually the first time I've been able to fully and completely feel that ways about time off running.  I trust that it will all go as it should, whatever way that is, and I'll do the best I can along the way.  That doesn't mean there haven't been some serious lows this week or that I haven't been pretty moody at times, but I know I'll come out the other side.

I have amazing cross-training friends Monday
with bike shorts edition

I have amazing cross-training friends Friday
I-still-own-a-lap-suit edition

Indy Women’s Half: You don’t know, until you know

Sometimes it’s difficult to know whether to toe the line or DNS. It can be even harder to know when a DNF would be the best call. I now know I should have made the first choice about the Indy Women’s Half Marathon, but if I had to start the race again I would have made the second choice, pride and other considerations aside. But I’m getting ahead of myself...

Expo fun

After I PRed at the Plaza 10K at the beginning of the month, I felt really good about trying for a half PR in Indy. Typically I don’t have to slow down much from a 10K to a half; last year my differential between the 2017 Plaza 10K and the 2017 Indy Women’s half was 8 seconds/mile. To hit my big goal time of sub-1:20 at Indy, I could slow down about 14 seconds/mile from what I ran at this year's Plaza. I felt really good about going for that, and thought if the weather was good and I could get in a fast pack that 1:18:59 would be realistic.

Leading up to the race, I felt a niggle in my calf (full details about this here). Initially it was too tiny to even worry about, and loosened up after a few blocks or at most a mile into my runs, but 6 days before the race it started getting worse and I started worrying. I did not enjoy my runs like usual during race week, because I was worried that my body was betraying me. I also had a short but intense stomach bug on Tuesday during race week that certainly didn’t do my recovery or body as a whole any favors. I had ART for my calf twice during race week, hoping for relief.

I really vacillated on whether or not I should start the race, and had pretty much backed out, but the lightened up mileage of race week had me feeling like a race horse and I became optimistic that I could race and then take a few days off afterward to address the issue. On Thursday morning I told my parents my decision to race, since they were traveling to my home that day to leave for Indy with me on Friday morning. When I went in for ART on Thursday evening my coach told me he did not think racing on it would make it worse or that it would jeopardize CIM in any way, so I felt validated in my decision. He didn’t even think I’d need time off afterward as I expressed. He said it was a minor strain to my peroneus longus, a stabilizing muscle on the outside of the calf. I also rationalized it away by deciding that if this turned into a season-ending injury, I would be happy that I went to Indy to go for a PR because I might never get to my current fitness level again. Worst case scenario, I wanted a last hurrah.

Throughout this time, my instincts were screaming at me: “Don’t do it! This is a bad idea!” I wouldn’t listen; I told myself I would power through the pain, mind over matter. I was honored to be featured as one of the Five Women to Watch in the race, but this honor also greatly contributed to my stubbornness about a DNS. I was already printed in the race program; what a loser I would be for pulling out last-minute. The weather forecast was also perfect for racing, at 50* and light wind (bad weather would have made pulling out much easier).

The photo of me was NOT the one I submitted to be
published, & IS the worst photo of me from the
2017 event...not sure what happened there, but it
upset me the day before the race

Starting photo from 2017 - can you find me?

Posing with bib #3

My sweet mom

My sweet dad

Race morning my calf hurt on my warm up, but I was used to the feeling from the week before. It wasn’t terrible and I figured I’d just power through. Prior to this race, I'd never really tried to race with an injury so didn't know the reality of your body simply not allowing it to happen, no matter what your mind says. As the race started, adrenaline took over, and I told myself, “See, you’ll be fine.” I could tell I was running tentatively but thought maybe it would warm up more and I could speed up then; I wanted to go out conservatively and negative split anyhow. I felt like I was in my own little world, just me and my calf, not like I was in a race; although I knew by mile 3 I’d moved up to 5th place in the all women's field. I looked at my first 3 splits and then stopped checking them, disheartened, because my leg wasn't working right.

Trying to stay optimistic pre-race

Start

By mile 4 I was limping. I couldn’t focus on racing or the women ahead of me; all I could think about was my leg. I tried changing my stride slightly, varied my foot-strike, anything for some relief, but nothing helped. I went back and forth between telling myself “this was a terrible idea” and “you’re going to be just fine, it’s just getting warmed up, just don't think about it.” My body was fine otherwise; I wasn't putting out a race effort, which was discouraging. I kept telling myself to toughen up; to just power through. Mind over matter. Make that leg work; force it to feel normal.

I made it through the halfway turn around in a solid 5th place. I knew by that point that my sought after PR was for sure out the window, but I hoped I could stay in the top 5. By mile 7 I was becoming increasingly concerned about my calf, and by mile 8 I was truly dragging my left leg along. My body kept saying, “just stop” but my mind wouldn’t listen. I thought about my seeded race ranking. I thought about my parents who’d traveled to watch me. I thought about how this could be my last run for awhile...what if this was my last race ever?!

Mid-race

By mile 10 I was truly worried my leg was going to give out with each step. My body begged me to stop, and my mind acquiesced that I would if I couldn’t hang on to a top 10 spot. I stumbled along, and a slight decline in mile 11 truly made my leg scream (had this course not been so flat I would certainly not have finished). At mile 12 I was still in 5th but I could tell someone was coming up on me. I knew I’d have no response when I was passed. She blew by me like I was standing still, and I figured several more were coming, but there was nothing I could do, and I was so close I knew I'd finish even if I crawled it in. Effort-wise I felt like I was out for an easy run, but my leg was shooting pain and wouldn’t move any faster. My positive splits told the story of my increasing discomfort.

I was so relieved to see the finish line ahead; I was going to make it in. It's funny how adrenaline carried me to the line but not a step farther. I had no idea what my time would be, but it didn’t matter at that point. I crossed in 1:24:18 and immediately broke into tears. If I’d just had an off day and run this time it would have been quite disappointing, but it wouldn’t have shaken me in my pursuit of a marathon PR; my recent 10Ks showed me my fitness was at an all-time high. I cried because at that moment I was certain my season was over. I got my last hurrah race but I couldn’t show my fitness in it. I was too stubborn to quit but not stubborn enough to over-ride my own body; I couldn’t force my leg to be okay.

Exactly how I felt photo 1

Exactly how I felt photo 2

Finally!

Hindsight is 20/20, and I should have listened to my own body and head instead of what others told me. The whole week my gut told me no. I prayed about it and thought God told me no. I did it anyway. I was wrong. But I also didn’t know until I knew, and by then the damage was done.

Post-race I couldn't walk without holding onto someone or something. My cool down mileage wasn’t an option, and my dad ended up walking to the car and coming back to pick me up. To add injury to injury, my poor mom tripped and fell while trying to get from the start to a spot a few blocks away where we would later run by. She scraped and bruised her face, broke her glasses, and bruised up her knee and body. I was just sick about this happening to her; I felt like it was all my fault for not staying at home in Missouri like I clearly should have. Instead of having fun in Indy post-race, we headed home since we both couldn't really walk.

Most of the top 10, in no particular order

Winnings

We both visited the med tent for ice!

I’m thankful I was able to finish, even though I shouldn’t have. I’m thankful I held on to 6th (video of the awards here; official results here). Happiness is based on happenings, but joy is based on Jesus. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t very unhappy, but I am aiming to choose joy. “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” - Joshua 1:9

Going from running 80 miles a week to 0 is a huge mind-trip, but I know that is what I have to do until I'm pain-free. I’m not going to do anything to risk permanent damage. As much as I want to run CIM 2018 in 2:44:59, I want to run for the rest of my life so much more. The good news is that I've had significant improvements every day post-race, and no longer fear that this is season-ending (plus I was able to go to work on Monday then walk across the Missouri State campus to teach on Tuesday, both of which I'd been quite concerned about!).

I didn't know I shouldn't have run until I did...now, I know.

Post-race meal at Texas Roadhouse

Fitting rest stop on the drive to the race

2 days after the race while I was on the spin bike
my cat knocked my award on my workout room
floor...it felt sadly symbolic

Books in 2018 - Third Quarter

This continues my un-originally titled Books in 2018 Series.  The first quarter list can be seen here, and the second quarter list is here.

July:

• Another Piece of My Heart by Jane Green.  Green is a great author, and she is really good at making you like and/or dislike certain characters at certain points in books.  Put her work on your reading list.
• Falling by Jane Green.  A great read with some unexpected events.  Green's books seem to share some commonalities, including blended families, marital issues, addiction, adoption, 30-40-something main characters, betrayal, and forgiveness/resolution.
• Sociable by Rebecca Harrington.  This book made me really happy that I was married by the time I got a smart phone, hah.  It was kind of anticlimactic but it was a quick read.
• Rabbit Cake by Annie Hartnett.  I found this book in the adult fiction section of my library, but I think it would be more accurately categorized as young adult or adolescent fiction.  It was a good read and I'll pick up more from this author if I can find it!
• Tempting Fate by Jane Green.  Continuing on my Jane Green kick!  I thought the ending on this one was unrealistic, but it was still a really good story.
• The Sign of the Beaver by Elizabeth George Spear.  This was a book that Albani checked out from the library that I read because I'd finished all of the ones I checked out before we had a chance to return.  I could see why it was an award winner; have your 8-12 year old child read it.
• The Sisters Chase by Sarah Healy.  This one was full of surprises and an excellent read!  It kept me on the edge of my seat so to speak.
• The Good Byline by Jill Orr.  Another one with several surprising twists and a lot of action.
• Lily and the Octopus by Steven Rowley.  I loved part of this book and hated others.  I think if I could cut a lot of the middle and weirdness out it would have been much better.

August:

• And Then There Was Me by Sadeqa Johnson.  Loved the story, but couldn't love the ending.
• The Writing Desk by Rachel Hauck.  I will be reading more from this author!  I particularly liked how she weaved faith and Christ into the book without being overbearing about it.
• Dune Road by Jane Green.  More continuing on my Jane Green kick!  Reading several by her close together illustrated to me that her books tend to have a lot in common, as I mentioned above.  This story had some unexpected twists and kept me very interested through the end.
• This is Your Life, Harriet Chance! by Jonathan Evison.  I couldn't put this one down; it was a good big picture whole life reflection with several twists.
• Love Starts with Ellie by Rachel Hauck.  This had a lot in common with the other book I read by this author this month, and I would also recommend it, but maybe don't read the two books close together.
• Asymmetry by Lisa Halliday.  This one was okay.  The only reason I continued reading it and finished it was because it was the last of several books I'd checked out together, and I had a stretch of time where I was too busy to get to the library to check out new books; if I'd had other options I wouldn't have read it because it didn't capture my attention.

September:

• But Not For Me by Mona Ingram.  This was good, but I feel like it could have been so much better, if that makes sense.
• The Beet Queen by Louise Erdrich.  I alternated periods of enjoying this one and struggling to get through it.  The good parts were enough to keep me hanging on, but I wouldn't read it again.
• One of the Boys by Daniel Magariel.  The opposite of The Beet Queen, I flew through this one, although I did not like the ending.
• The Fallback Plan by Leigh Stein.  This was humorous and a quick read.
• The Perfect Nanny by Leila Slmani.  This was dark but a page-turner.

I think I got too busy in September to write book descriptions, haha!

Strength & Agility Routine

When I began my training cycle for Grandma's Marathon in early 2018, I asked my coach for a strength training workout to best supplement my running.  I'd been going to a bootcamp class that I enjoyed for over 3 years (a major strength training record for me - and I wrote about it here), but as my mileage was increasing and my weekly training structure was changing, I was finding it increasingly difficult to get the classes in, both logistically and physically.  I'd also been reading more about how bootcamp/HIIT classes don't optimize strength training for endurance athletes, and that lifting on easy running days like I was doing wasn't ideal because it makes them into harder days instead of a recovery days.  My coach confirmed that I should lift on hard running days, which was initially intimidating, but I decided to give it a shot.

While I liked the bootcamp class and at first really missed having a scheduled class time and other people to lift with, once I got used to lifting on my own on my hard running days, I grew to like it and believe it's made me stronger.  Now that I am running more mileage, recovery is really important on easy days.  Sometimes it's tricky to get the strength work in, since the entire workout takes about an hour to get through, but I've found some good systems with how I can split it up and ensure that I get through the exercises twice a week.  

Usually I do the full workout all at once on Saturdays, either immediately following my long run or later in the day.  This was really challenging when I first started it, but soon it became normal/not a big deal.  I think when I do it right after my long run I get endurance benefits, and if I do it later in the day I also get recovery benefits (due to increased blood flow).  On Wednesdays I always have to split it up somehow; the best case scenario is that I do about half of it after my morning hard workout and the other half after my second run, but I also have days where I run before work and at lunch, then strength train after work, effectively making it a third workout.  I don't necessarily recommend this though (keep in mind I am also working 8-9 hours on Wednesdays, and often picking up Albani from after school care and driving her to Awana).  Sometimes I complete part of it on Tuesdays to "get ahead" and other times I have to carry part of it over to Thursdays, and sometimes both.  When I do any of these I make sure it's the arm, core, and/or agility stuff that I move, so that my leg strength work is all done on workout Wednesday.  I am guilty of rushing through the routine to get it done sometimes (especially if I'm hungry for a full meal after my run!), but even then I assume something is better than nothing.

Here are the exercises that I do!  I mix up weights, reps, and hold times for variation.

Glutes and core:

Front plank & variations

Side plank & variations

Diagonal sit

Running man
Glute bridges with foam roller roll out

Crunches

Bird dogs

Dead bug

Theraband:

Side shuffles

Monster walks

Standing side kicks

Clamshells

Lower Body

Weighted squats & variations

Lunge variations (I alternate weighted and body weight on different days)

Eccentric calf raises

Weighted step ups

Hip dips
Weighted dead lifts
Wall sits

Upper Body

Rows

Push ups

Curls

Tricep dips

Lat pulls

Agility Ladder:

One step

Two step

Iggy shuffle

Single leg suffle

River dance

Scissors

Centipedes

Karaoke

Cross overs

*You can find videos of all of these on YouTube; I had to watch and practice multiple times when I began this routine because I'd never done anything like this before.

I really struggled to get a good action shot for this post using
my phone's timer, then I gave up...this shows glute bridges
on the foam roller

Although I'm used to this strength routine, if I go even a little overboard on the weighed moves (especially squats, deadlifts, and lunges), I can make myself quite sore.  It always blows my mind how I can get more sore from 5 minutes of squats than from running a marathon!

Plaza 10K: "I'm either going to have a huge PR or a huge blow up"

The short:
When I saw my mile 1 split, the 5K course clock, and my mile 4 split during the Plaza 10K, a thought kept popping into my head:  "I'm either going to have a huge PR or a huge blow up".  God blessed me with the former; I ran a PR of 36:34, nearly a minute under my previous road PR from the 2017 Plaza 10K and even under my track PR of 37:09 (I also broke 18:00 for the 5K for the first time during the process).  I thought races like this only happened to other people, and I may never beat this time, so I am going to ride this post-race high so hard!

Working on my season goal of smiling in my
finishing photos

The long:
I thought I'd worked my PRs down low enough (in relation to my capability) that I'd be lucky anytime I could shave off a few seconds.  It's always blown my mind to see experienced runners with already fast bests drop a lot of time off of a PR, especially when they remark afterwards that they got out there and felt fantastic running faster than they'd expected, so they just kept going and ran a time beyond what they'd dreamed.  I've had some break-through races like this years ago before I was running to my potential (the 2015 Waddell and Reed half was the most memorable one, when I hoped for 1:26:59 and ran 1:24:33), but I thought I was to the point where my margins were slim enough that dropping even 2-3 seconds/mile would be a really good day.  In fact, I went into the Plaza 10K thinking that if I had a really good day I might be able to rival my track PR of 37:09.  I thought if a miracle happened I might hit 36:59 and my big dream goal of breaking 37, but that would be a stretch.

Since I ran this race last year, I knew the course and logistics, which is always helpful.  I also had a planned pace partner, my friend Jessi who I trained with as often as I could while she was running for Missouri State (she now lives in Kansas City).  I seemed to always nail workouts when I ran with her, so I was optimistic that she and I could pull each other through to stronger performances than we'd have alone.  I felt good coming off my performance 6 days previously at the Run for a Child 10K, and I also felt completely recovered from that, despite being in a 73 mile week (I did have 2 short days prior to the race, which helped!).  I knew the women's field as a whole would be very competitive, and when race morning gave us 56 degree temperatures, fast times looked promising.

The start seemed much more crowded than this!

At the gun, a lot of women took out fast, Jessi included.  I quickly realized that she was used to cross-country and track racing where it's important to establish position early.  I wanted to be with her so we could work together as planned, but I knew that it wasn't smart for me to go out any faster than 6:00 (6:05+ was actually my plan - after Run for a Child especially I wasn't afraid of a slow first mile).  I settled into pace hoping that I would reel her back in before too long.  My first mile was still faster than I'd wanted at 5:57, but the effort felt appropriate so I tried to push any worry out of my mind.  I was moving up in position towards the end of the first mile and the beginning of the second, although at no point during the race did I know or care what place I was in.

I pulled up with Jessi towards the end of mile 2, and settled in stride with her.  I didn't look at my second mile split because I felt like I was running exactly as I should be for a 6.2 mile race.  I didn't want to get discouraged if the pace was slower than I wanted, and I didn't want to get scared if it was faster than I'd expected.  Mile 2 was 5:48 so I'm glad I didn't look because I would have been worried I was going too fast too early.  I have learned to trust that I race best when I race by effort, and I've learned to let go of thinking I need to micro-manage every single split, especially when I'm in a competitive field.

Jessi and I said a few words of encouragement to each other and pressed on side-by-side.  Janell was also right in front of us (I mentioned her in my post about Rock the Parkway, where we ran nearly the whole race together before she out-kicked me - she is also training for a 2:45 at CIM and working with the same coach as me!).  We all passed the 5K clock together, and it read 18:08ish, although based on my splits it should have been more like 18:20, which doesn't surprise me because every course mile marker was slightly wrong, mostly coming too soon.  I hadn't looked at my mile 3 Garmin split, and I didn't do the math on our pace, but did tell Jessi, "Well, I just ran a 5K PR".  I felt like I was running within myself, and I felt like I could run that pace for that distance again (often I don't at the 5K mark of a 10K!)....but at the same time I thought, "This is either going to go really well or really poorly!"  I also kept thinking, "58 degrees is like a performance-enhancing drug!"

Jessi & I synchronized running right
behind Janell on the Plaza

Ditto

Mile 4 has a lot of decline in it, so I expected it would be my fastest mile.  I didn't make any conscious moves at any point during this race, because my goal was to get the best 10K time I could out of myself and not worry about what anyone else was doing, but Jessi and I gapped Janell slightly at some point after the 5K, and I started pulling away from Jessi as I accelerated down the decline.  I encouraged her to stick on me, but we separated at that point.  It was almost like Run for a Child was a preview for this race in regards to how I felt; I felt like I kept gaining momentum as the race progressed and I just felt so good.  I also kept reflecting on how much better I felt at every point on the course than I had in 2017!  I looked at my mile 4 split mainly because I figured it would be a confidence boost with the decline, and it was 5:38.  I felt like I had a solid 2.2 more miles in me, but at the same time kept thinking, "I'm either going to get a huge PR or huge blow up!"  Also I didn't even know I could run a mile in 5:38!

Around mile 4

Mile 5 goes back up most of the elevation that drops in mile 4, so I expected it to be my slowest mile, although it wasn't.  I was pulling in a couple of men so I focused on them and maintaining my turnover.  I looked at my mile 5 split because I wanted to get some gauge on where I was at overall, and it was 5:52, which was a pleasant surprise because I expected over 6:00.  Strava grade-adjusted it to 5:40 on flat ground.  I also realized that I still didn't have a great gauge on where I was since I hadn't looked at my mile 2 and 3 splits and I wasn't smart enough to look at my total elapsed time, but I felt ready to pound it in with all I had and to see what that got me!

It's a nice course, but it's not a track!

Mile 6 also has some uphill before some decline to the finish, and I remembered how very long that mile felt the previous year.  I felt strong this time, but also pretty spent, and in hindsight I may have pushed up the incline in mile 5 a little too much.  However, I was also in no man's land during the final mile - I was not going to catch anyone and no one was going to catch me.  I think if I'd been with someone I could have closed at 5:40-5:45, but I pushed as much as I could solo, which was another 5:52 (I didn't look at that split during the race).

Once I was close enough to read the finishing clock, it read 36:12, and I knew I was going to be way under 37:00.  I kicked it in with all I had left, which gave me a 5:25 pace final 0.28 on my Garmin and a bright shiny new PR of 36:34, chip time!  One of my season goals is to smile for my finishing pictures, but I think I'd have been glowing in this one even without that game plan.  My previous road PR was 37:30, which I ran last year at this same race, and my track PR is 37:09 so I beat that as well.

Finishing with joy

As I walked through the finish chute and then enjoyed an 8 mile cool down with great friends (Jessi, Janell, and Michelle from left to right below), it all felt surreal.  I thought 36:59 would be a big stretch, but I certainly never expected to run in the mid-36's - at this 10K or ever!  I also forgot what it was like to run in 58 degrees after a sweltering summer, but I quickly remembered that I like it!

I love how we can all race each other while supporting each other 100%

This course was certified so it was 6.22 miles, but my watch read 6.28 (at Run for a Child, which is also certified, it said 6.15).  It was more difficult to run the tangents in this one, though, due to a more crowded field.  I've decided if I had to choose I'd rather have a Garmin reading that's a little long than one that's a little short, because I want to know I for sure ran the distance (but right on would still be most preferred).  Can you tell I like data?

Garmin splits

Because when your Garmin says 5:49, you
take a picture!

As a whole, GAP was -2/mile on average pace
per Strava

I am riding the post-PR high for all that it's worth!  Like Run for a Child, this was a really nice checkpoint and confidence boost for me.  I'm running pretty much all of the same races this fall that I ran in 2017, so I can see how my fitness compares, and so far so good on my progress!  Being able to maintain the pace I did in this race really shocked me, because I haven't done any real speed work; my training has been strength-focused (tempos, long runs with some fast finishes/pick ups, and mileage).  Really all that I've run at 5:49 pace has been strides and fartleks (and sometimes not even those!).  So add this to my data indicating that speed work is worthless, haha!  Especially because I also ran a 5K PR during this race, with my fastest 5K coming in at 17:55 on my Garmin.  I won't count it as an official PR, but it shows me that I can do it.  My actual 5K PR is 18:18, and 18:17 + 18:17 = 36:34, so this race was a faster pace as a whole as well.

I will probably never beat this

This would also be my fastest 2 mile
since high school track!

Official results are here.  I was 6th overall female and 1st in age group 35-39.

Winnings

Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and He will establish your plans. - Proverbs 16:3

The more I give my running to God, the better I feel about it.  That doesn't mean I perform any better or see linear progress - and early 2018 is sure proof of that - but that I know I'm going to be just fine no matter how races and workouts go.  I'm sure thankful for this one, and also for the opportunity to continue to pursue my running dreams.  Next up is the Indy Women's Half Marathon on September 29!

Run for a Child 10K: Traditions & Surprises

The short:

It's been awhile since I've come down the final stretch of a race to see a finishing time faster than expected with less effort than expected, but it's sure a great feeling!  This was my fourth consecutive year running the Run for a Child 10K, and each year I've run faster there, although I didn't expect to continue that streak this year.  My race plan of "win with the least effort possible" turned into winning overall female by over 5 minutes with a negative split and a 37:55, which was a course PR.  It was one of those races where I felt like I kept gaining momentum and couldn't slow down - and those are rare to come by (I think the last time I felt like this was the Phoenix Marathon).  I was pumped about defending my overall female title from 2017, I was ecstatic to break 38 on the hilly course in warm and humid conditions, but I was most thrilled about just how good I felt doing it!  I guess God knew I needed a little confidence-boost at this point in my training, and I am very thankful for it.

The big check photos prop never get old to me

Packet pick up; I always travel in
compression socks!

The long:

I keep going back to the Run for a Child 10K each year; I am picky about races so this is saying something.  I know it's always going to be warm, humid, and hilly, but for some reason I can embrace that for this race, I think because every year is comparable.  My only goal going into the 2018 event was to try to defend my overall female title from 2017.  That fate of that type of goal always depends on who else shows up, but I never stress about it like I sometimes do when I have time and pace goals, because I have no control over the former and a lot of control over the latter.  I have a goal 10K coming up on September 9, so I also went into this one hoping to save my legs for that one.  I'd briefly considered trying to better my 2017 time, but after running an 8 mile tempo that was really rough on me on August 29 (details here), including inducing a little pull in my right hamstring, I decided holding back was a better option.  My husband and I discussed the plan the night before:  try to win while running as slow as possible.

The best laid plans, right?  The race went like this:

Serious starting line debates with my friend
Daniel, who was the male overall winner

Mile 1 - As the field spread out after the gun, I positioned myself just behind the fastest women and sat there.  The first 1.25 miles of the race is nearly all uphill, so I always go out slow, but she was slowing from what already felt very conservative, so at about 0.75 I threw the towel in on my plan and pulled into the first female position, moving along with a male who was passing.  I looked at my watch when it beeped splits during this race because that felt right (I hadn't really thought about it beforehand), and mile 1 was 6:32.  It was relaxed, but my main thought was, well, I really don't want to run over 40:00 so I'll just run the least it takes to be in the 39s, which would be in the low 6:20s from there on.  I "knew" at that point that my time would be slower than the past 2 years, and I was fine with that because a win seemed pretty secure even that early, which always makes it easier to relax.  The grade-adjusted pace of that mile was 6:14, so it wasn't as slow as the numbers showed, but it was slower than I'd gone out there previously.

Can you see why mile 1 is slow?

Mile 2 - I fell in step with a male and I could feel him speeding up.  I thought, well, it's always easier to run with someone so even if he's a little faster than 6:20 it will be an easier effort than running solo the whole race.  The next split was 6:14 and I felt like I was striding out better.

Mile 3 - I continued stride for stride with the male, and we were pulling in other men.  I started to pull away a little towards mile 3, and encouraged him to come with me so he would move up in place, but he fell back and I was on my own.  I felt like I was in a good place; putting in effort but still feeling really relaxed.  Mile 3 was 6:08.

Mile 4 - I had to smile as I passed the halfway point, because typically in 10Ks I pass the 5K feeling like there is no way I can run that distance again at that pace (even though I always do so I know that feeling is a liar - it occurs in nearly every tempo too), but in this one it seemed like an easy task.  I passed a couple of men and focused on the ones ahead of them.  Mile 4 has a lot of uphill in it and in the past I've always slowed in that mile, so was prepared for that if effort stayed equal.  When I saw my split of 6:10 I knew I was really having a good day.  I then figured I could try to be under 39:00.  In the past I've always been hurting pretty good at the mile 4 point of this race, but this year at every point I passed I kept thinking, "I feel so much better than every other time here", which is always encouraging!

Mile 5 - I felt like I was in a great rhythm and the effort was brisk but not dying (usually mile 5 of a 10K feels like dying).  I was running alone but there were two men within striking range, so I decided I'd try to pull them in.  That mile was 6:07.  At that point I was thinking I'd be somewhere around my 2016 and 2017 times (38:43 and 38:19), which was good enough for me!

Mile 6 - At this point I decided I'd try to run under 6:00 for the final mile for fun.  I passed one of the men I'd been chasing and kind of just felt like I was barreling in towards the finish.  I didn't look at my watch during or at the end of this mile, but I just knew I was running sub-6:00 (I've finished a lot of tempo runs with the same "sub-6:00 for fun" idea, and although those are on flatter courses I have a pretty good sense for pace).  The split was 5:56.

You can tell I'm not falling apart because my arm
swing form hasn't gone to crap like usual, haha!

Final stretch - I was gaining on the other man, so I decided I'd pretend he was a female and really try to pound it to catch him.  When the clock came into view during my final sprint, I saw it was still in the 37s, and gauged that I could actually make it in under 38, which really surprised me.  At that point it became just me and the clock, and I didn't even know if I beat the man or not until I looked at the photos Jon took (spoiler, I didn't).  My last 0.15 on my Garmin was 5:06 pace.  This course is certified, but my Garmin always reads it a little short, which the OCD in me dislikes but has also happened to me on several other certified courses (Rock the Parkway Half, Rock 'n' Roll Phoenix Half, White River Half, Phoenix Marathon).  I'm not sure if I dislike it more when it reads short or long (yeah, I haven't gotten the newsflash that Garmins aren't perfect and like to think mine is, and it kind of was at CIM and Grandma's)!

Eyes on the clock

I'm pretty sure I lit up walking through the finish chute, thinking "what just happened?!".  In 2017, I wanted to break 38 on this course and I wanted it to feel like less than an all-out effort (I was kind of demanding in 2017, hah).  But that year I ran a 38:19 with all I had and was disappointed I didn't have more.  I guess I accomplished my 2017 goal 1 year late!  The slow first mile really threw me off on finish time expectations, but I'm glad it worked out how it did, because the pressure of a time goal may have changed the outcome.  I was really excited about my course PR (also my 3rd fastest lifetime 10K), but I just couldn't get over how extremely smooth I felt doing it!  Especially considering how not good I'd felt on my recent tempo run in similar weather.  Race morning was 74* with a dew point of 70*.

Official results are here.

Garmin splits - course splits would
be a shade faster at 6:07 average

I love Strava's grade-adjusted pace feature

I love that this race does the big check photo prop at the awards!  I also love how we combine it with a fun family weekend (many photos from that below), so this is a tradition I hope we can continue!  There will come a time where I won't run a faster finishing time than the previous year, and I've also made peace with that.

Outtake

I hope to be running when I'm in my 70s like
Dr. Bob!

My progression for this race:
2018 - 37:55 and 1st overall female
2017 - 38:19 and 1st overall female, details here
2016 - 38:43 and 3rd overall female, details here
2015 - 40:22 and 3rd overall female (recovering from cryptosporidum so this one set the bar pretty low to start with)

Our traditional moms by the hotel pool selfie

Loves

Hotel pool = successful trip

Shel Silverstein wrote about this spot

Jon found a charging station for our Volt

Ice cream & Nickelodeon also make any
vacation successful

The Amazeum was pretty amazing

I'm not sure this was the safest children's' activity

Never stop exploring or believing!