(Down) Week in Review

76 miles
4 doubles
1 day off
2 races in 48 hours
6 avocados

After four weeks of progressive mileage building, it only made sense to take a step back this week, especially when factoring in two weeknight races. I hadn't planned on taking a day off, but after sleeping in on Friday morning I found myself with exactly zero motivation to run after work. So, I didn't. Instead, I read a book and drank a few glasses of wine and fell asleep at 10pm. It was glorious. I capped off the week with two mid-day 20k runs, Saturday with Emily and Jordan around the Marblehead Neck and Sunday with Jordan through Salem and along the coastline in Beverly. 

Most productive part of the weekend: buying new sheets. Weezy approves.

Next week I plan to return to high-mileage business as usual, although things will start with a whimper thanks to a 6:30am flight tomorrow. Starting off with a Monday morning goose egg will make it all the more challenging to hit triple digits--as will the weather in my destination cities, Atlanta and Nashville, which will likely approach triple digits themselves--but I'm up for it. I can feel myself getting stronger with each passing week, and I'm excited to keep laying the foundation for a great fall season!

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Where I've Been and Where I'm Going, v2.0

This time last year--almost one year to the date, in fact--I wrote a blog post titled "Where I've Been and Where I'm Going." In it, I detailed a lackluster spring, a nagging injury and an abysmal showing at the US Half-Marathon Championships in Duluth (sound familiar?!), but--and here's where I finally get to the good part--it also served as a preview of sorts for what was to become a simple, beautiful, uncomplicated, flawless summer of training. Though I didn't know it at the time, the following Monday I would embark on a virtually uninterrupted streak of 14+ 100-mile weeks, culminating with a two-minute PR at Philly Marathon in November. 

I was standing on the precipice, full of some paradoxical mixture of uncertainty and resolve, determined not to look back at the failures behind me but, rather, to the scarily intangible potential ahead. I was prepared to put my full energy into the pursuit of an uncertain outcome, trusting that the only possible direction to go was forward, and with abandon.

Flash forward to a year later, to now. This spring has been an unequivocal bust, comprising one great race and a handful of objectively underwhelming ones. My trip to Italy was amazing, but instead of returning fit and healthy and poised to execute a quality segment of training in preparation for this year's Half Champs, I limped my way through a few miserable, discouraging months. My work travel, often a hurdle that proves challenging when I'm in the thick of a training cycle, this time served as a blessing in disguise. In the past 28 days, I've visited--and by that I mean conducted legitimate business or spent significant time in, not just passed through the airport of--Chicago, Madison, Edmonton, Calgary, Denver, Minneapolis, Duluth, San Luis Obispo and Huntington Beach. There were plenty of days when I couldn't have run even if I'd wanted to--and with a throbbing shin and a woeful lack of fitness, I wasn't exactly dying to hit the pavement. I still went to Duluth, the travel locked in and the girls' weekend planned long ago, and I don't regret it for a second even though it meant dropping out of my second consecutive national championship race. Unlike last year, I didn't leave feeling as though I wasn't good enough to compete among those women. Instead, I felt a renewed sense of determination to replicate last summer's archetypical training and translate it into another successful fall marathon, to prove myself yet again, even if I'm the only one taking notice.  

hold your own/know your name/and go your own way

So, here I am once more, on the precipice. I'm far from fit, but finally healthy. My sole goal for the remainder of 2013 is to come away with the "A" standard for the 2016 Olympic Marathon Trials, which is 2:37:00. Even if this doesn't happen right away, I'll still have two years to chase it, but that's not my desire. With each marathon I've run, I've cut large chunks of time off the previous one, and I have to trust that the same kind of training will produce commensurate results this time around. As I said after Philly, and mean even more today: I've done the work before, and I'll do it again, and everything from here on out is a step toward the marathon trials of 2016. 

Oh, and if nothing else, I totally hung out in the hot tub with Meb.

This happened.

Reunited with Laurie, Sarah and Caitlin at the US Half Champs

One year later and I'm still getting tipsy on a stationary train in Duluth. Good times.

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(Semi-Injured) Week in Review

45 miles
3 days off
75 mins. hot yoga
6x10 mins. core 
30 min. massage
2 days in Vermont

This week was pretty much a bust no matter how you slice it. I mentioned in recent entries that I've been dealing with a nagging shin/soleus issue ever since returning from Italy, and this week I'm disappointed to inform you that it's getting worse instead of better. Whereas last week I was able to run hard several days in a row, this time I spent most of Thursday limping around after a hard workout Wednesday evening. This is particularly frustrating because the workout itself--5x3 mins. hard on a hilly road loop around the Beverly High School campus, plus 2x uphill strides--went great, and I actually ran a comparable pace to when I did something similar right after the BAA 5k a month ago. So, the fitness isn't completely gone, but it's hard to build any momentum when each step forward necessitates two gimpy steps back. The obvious solution is to take some substantial time completely off, but with the US Half Champs a mere month away I simply can't afford to do so. I'm aware that I'm riding a very fine line right now, but I'm trying to be as smart as I can about doing all the little things to keep this situation in check.

But enough about me for the time being. This weekend was meant to be about Jordan and my boss, Eric, both of whom were racing the Vermont City Marathon in Burlington. When I'd originally agreed to tag along for the holiday weekend, I'd envisioned myself sunbathing beside the water--Burlington sits on Lake Champlain--or poolside at the Hilton. This seasonally appropriate dream was squashed midweek when the weather forecast turned downright wintry. Sure enough, as I sat crammed in the way way back of Eric's family's SUV driving northbound on Saturday morning--Jordan having already been in Burlington for over 24 hours to work the expo--I could only shake my head and chuckle as seemingly angry snowflakes mixed with an incessant and insistent rain pelted our windshield. What a beautiful winter we're having this summer!

Unfortunately, conditions were not much improved come race morning. If anything, they were slightly worse. Light rain isn't necessarily inclement, but a steady downpour accompanied by 40-degree temperatures and a 20 mph wind is unpleasant to say the least. For Eric, who was embarking on his first attempt at 26.2, and Jordan, who was hoping for a respectable sub-2:30 finish in his first marathon since winning Thunder Road in 2010, the weather did little to assuage their nerves. Ultimately, the result would be a mixed bag. Jordan never settled into a groove and ended up reluctantly pulling the plug just past 15 miles, while Eric persevered through some dark late-game miles to finish just under his 3:30 stretch goal in a remarkable 3:29:45. If he starts running more than three days a week, I predict a Boston qualifier in his future!

The two leaders, Chris Zablocki and Matt Pelletier, grinding up the monster hill at mile 15. They would go on to finish in astounding times considering the conditions, 2:18:24 and 2:19:02 respectively. Not coincidentally, I'm standing in the exact spot where Jordan would decide to call it a day a few minutes later. 

As for my own future, I have no choice but to stay the course and hope things improve next week. I've got enough time to put some decent training together before the half, but only just. Fingers and toes crossed that the proverbial tides (and this weather!) turn by the end of May!   

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(Down) Week(s) in Review

4/29 - 5/5:
68 miles
14-15 mile long run
1 day off
3 days sick

5/6 - 5/12
45 miles
14-mile long run
3 days off
5 days sick 
5 days with pinkeye

As the above stats indicate, the past few weeks have been pretty disastrous as pertains to my health, fitness and overall state of well-being. I caught the cold and/or virus from hell shortly after returning from my amazing trip and felt so terrible on Friday that I actually took my first day off from running since Nemo in early February. I salvaged a few decent runs on the weekend, including a hard solo 20k around the Neck on a picture perfect Saturday afternoon and a fun 1:45 with Carly in Cambridge on Sunday, but by Monday morning I'd coughed myself hoarse and was reduced to pantomiming or acting out most of my sentences. It didn't help that this was the busiest week at work in quite some time, with 10+ hour planning sessions each day, so when I woke up with my left eye swollen shut on Wednesday I just assumed my illness was invading more innocent body parts. That notion was dispelled 36 hours later when my bosses all but pushed me out the door to the minute clinic, where I discovered that I had somehow managed to contract conjunctivitis (i.e., pinkeye) in both of my eyes. Was this related to being sick? No, the nurse practitioner told me as she failed to mask her revulsion at my monstrous visage, just a delightful bacterial coincidence. 

Oh, and did I mention that something is going on with my shin? Apparently I've got some burgeoning soleus issue that has reduced me to limping down the stairs and uncomfortably shuffling (even more than usual) through morning runs. I was certain that three days off earlier this week would nip this in the bud--the irony that I'm on the verge of celebrating one year of injury-free running is not lost on me--but unfortunately it still remains an increasingly major inconvenience. If I didn't have the US Half-Marathon Championships looming on the relatively near horizon I would shut things down for a full week, but that's a luxury I simply don't have right now. Instead I'm strengthening and sticking and epsom salting and compression socking and doing just about everything I can think of to manage the issue. As it stands, I've done nothing faster than a jog since my race in Italy, so I need to get this under control enough to attempt a workout or two next week. Fingers (and toes) crossed for a return to good health sooner than later!

To my left, Marblehead harbor view from the causeway leading to the Neck. No filter!

To my right, ocean view. If you look closely you can see the Boston skyline in the background.

If there's one silver lining to this shitstorm of a week, it was the opportunity to cheer on the three fastest ladies I know at the New Balance Boston Twilight Meet on Saturday evening. Abbey D'Agostino, my NCAA champ training buddy from earlier this winter, crushed the women's 800, while Kim Smith and Molly Huddle mixed it up with the boys (and beat a good number of them) in the 5k and 3k respectively. It was great to catch up with each of them on their cooldown jogs and then to enjoy a highly meat-intensive dinner with Kim and Molly after the meet. Hoping some of their speed will rub off on me (as opposed to, you know, my pinkeye infecting them). If nothing else, their performances have definitively motivated me to put my life back together and get in shape!

Kim on her way to a 15:02 world-leading 5k

Molly tucked in with the boys en route to an 8:57 3k

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Week in Review

75 miles
4 doubles
1 day off
2 treadmill runs
3 days stuck in my house

Well, if I haven't earned my stripes as a New Englander after this weekend, I doubt I ever will. As you've surely seen and heard on every news and social media outlet in the world, a blizzard (let's call it "Nemo") hit New England on Friday, and hit us with a vengeance. It is no exaggeration to say that between noon Friday and tonight, I set foot outdoors exactly three times. One of those times was to snap a few of the photos posted below, and the other two times were to go for a run...on the YMCA treadmill. Yes, fortunately we live literally 50 feet away from the Salem Y; unfortunately, even that wasn't enough to grant us access on Saturday when it, like literally every other business in our community, was closed.

So, understandably, this week was a bit of a bust. After billing it as Boot Camp Week #2, I really only got in one quality session and nothing even resembling a long run. Friday morning we set out for the Neck with the hopes of sneaking in a lengthy tempo before the storm deteriorated every inch of road between here and Marblehead, but even before the first snowflakes fell the wind was already gusting hard enough to render our efforts futile. We jogged it in for a solid 20k instead, a respectable morning run but not likely to contribute to my fitness levels.

As I type this, the fate of next week's runs and planned pre-race workout remain a giant question mark. The roads are being plowed like clockwork, which is great, but unfortunately there's nowhere for the surplus to spill over except the shoulders and sidewalks. A business contact of mine at the Y was gracious enough to hook Jordan and I up with a one-week free pass, but I don't know how many days in a row of indoor doubles I can stomach. None of this is exactly confidence-inspiring leading up to Mercedes this weekend, but I'll try to remain positive in hopes of reaping the benefits of a forced taper. The timing could be worse, I suppose.

The view of the "sidewalk" across from our building

 

Our parking lot on Saturday afternoon...

 

...and on Sunday morning (taken through our window screen, sorry.) If you weren't sure what 8-ft tall snow banks looked like, now you know.

We're number five! We're number five!

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Found By Nemo

I captured the above video--of a plow truck fighting a losing battle with a snow drift--from the vantage point of our living room window, looking out onto (what used to be) our parking lot. Suffice it to say Nemo found us, and I did not run today.

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(Down) Week in Review

45 miles
1 day off
0 doubles
6x10 mins. core
5 days in SLC

There's not much to say about this week. I predicted it would suck, and it did. The fact that I'm proud of myself for getting up every morning at 5:30 and slogging through 45 minutes on the hotel treadmill is in itself indicative of the sad state of affairs. I would've loved to explore some of the reportedly sweet trails near downtown SLC, but the necessity of early morning running plus the constant inversion led to icy, nasty roads and even nastier air quality. I do find it more than a little ironic that despite being in town for a trade show called Outdoor Retailer I spent no more than a grand total of 45 minutes outside the Salt Palace or my hotel the entire week.

I snapped this photo while driving (well, sitting at a stoplight) to the convention center on Saturday morning. That would be smog, not fog, clouding my view. Gross.

On a positive note, my legs should be nothing if not well-rested and recovered leading into next week. (The rest of my body, not so much, thanks to a particularly cruel redeye trip that involved a 3.5-hour flight to JFK, then  3.5-hour wait at JFK at the crack of Sunday morning for a mere 45-minute final leg back to Boston.) I'll need all the spring in my step that I can find since I've asked Jordan to put me on a crash course bootcamp schedule to ensure that my fitness is somewhat respectable for the Mercedes Half in three weeks. Time to get serious. 

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Week in Review

38ish miles
2 days off
4 days in NC
0 AFDs

Epic life week. Horrific running week. Thank goodness that's as it should be right now. Have I mentioned I'm so glad I picked a mid-November marathon??

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Week in Review

32 miles
3 days off
14 miles at Battle Road
1 AFD (new record!)

Autumn at Battle Road

I probably shouldn't have run 14 miles today, but there was great company (Jordan, Terry, Jenn and a BAA crew) and a great venue (the always pleasing Battle Road) and, well, the loop is 14 miles. I could've turned around by myself at the five-mile mark before the Great Meadow section, but what's the fun in that? However, by the final 30 minutes my legs were screaming righteous indignation and my hamstrings felt tighter than at any point during last Sunday's marathon. I need a day off and a massage, both of which are in the plan for tomorrow. And hey, if these are my biggest gripes one week removed from Philly, I can't really complain.

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A Rare Day Off

Yup, that happened. I wasn't necessarily planning for it--in fact, was easily roused by my 6am alarm--but one look outside at the wind-whipped trees and lashing rain was enough to send me burrowing back under the covers. I made a half-hearted pledge to run at lunch, but with the weather still uninviting at best I made the call to bag it. The last thing I need right now is to slip on a slick patch of sidewalk or get broadsided by a hydroplaning Masshole. Besides, I'm tapering. Lay off me.

Considering I routinely fail to blog about runs that actually do happen, you might be wondering why I'm taking the time to mention one that never even got off the ground (or, rather, off the bed). Normally I wouldn't. But when perusing the archives to identify the last time I took a day off--the last week of June, in case you were wondering--I thought it was neato to see my frame of mind then and my outlook on the upcoming summer of training. At the time, I'd just dropped out of the US Half Champs and then fallen deathly ill at the Fleet Feet Conference in DC. Yet I was optimistic that I'd be able to embark on a summer of quality training and lay the foundation for a solid fall marathon. Little did I know then that the "80-90 miles" I hoped to amass for "8-10 weeks" would turn into almost 15 straight weeks of 100+ completely healthy miles. Without a doubt, I'm a stronger runner now than I was when I wrote that post or, for that matter, at any other point in my life. It's an exciting feeling, one that I can't wait to capitalize on a mere 10 days from now.

But today, I rest. And get a massage. And go to bed ridiculously early. I'm tapering. Lay off me. 

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Where I've Been and Where I'm Going

Yes, friends, I know what it's come to. You've been sitting captive at your computer screen, impatiently hitting "refresh" day after day, hour after hour, wanting nothing more than an update from yours truly. Great news! Despair no more, because today is your lucky day. Not only am I here to present a real, for real, legitimate update on my training and racing (or woeful lack thereof), but I am also offering my humble pledge to return to the prolific posting and witty musings that have so endeared you to Green Lightning Running.

First, to acknowledge and ever so kindly address the elephant in the room, I did not triumphantly return to form in the US Half-Marathon Championships a few weeks ago. On the contrary, I dropped out. It seems as though barely training for a month and running on a semi-injury that isn't 100% does not facilitate race-day success. I started the race with Caitlin, Alana, Allison and a substantial pack of women, but our 5:40 uphill split for the first mile delivered a shock to my system. It was a pace I'd barely touched over the past month, and it was one I was well aware would be unable to maintain for another 70 minutes. I slipped helplessly off the back of the group a few minutes later, and despite splitting a very respectable, still-on-goal-pace 18:00 for 5k I knew things were about to get real. The harder I tried, the slower I ran and the worse my leg felt. After limping through 10k in over 37 minutes, I knew that to push further would yield nothing but further disappointment at best, further injury at worst.

But wasn't dropping out disappointing in itself? Of course. It wasn't entirely unexpected, but it still stung. And pulling out of a rinky dink local race is one thing, but to do so at a national championship is an unspoken taboo. (Interestingly, this same sentiment did not seem to prevail at the Olympic Trials marathon, when something like 1/4 of the field did not finish.) To be sure, I spent a good portion of the morning wallowing in my own feelings of discouragement, of failure, of not being good enough to belong at a race like this so why did I even come. But it's hard to wallow, at least visibly, when you're sitting at breakfast with one of your best friends in the world watching her order six eggs as a side dish and planning how early in the afternoon you could start drinking in order to be sober and in bed by 9pm. And, honestly, it's hard to wallow at an event as special as Grandma's. As I said in my previous post, the city of Duluth and everyone involved with the half-marathon championships did an astounding job of making every single athlete feel like a rock star. This only continued at the post-race dinner and awards ceremony, which took place in an old train depot museum that had been completely reserved for our party. I had a blast hanging out with Caitlin and Allison and other Charlotte friends Pezz, Alana and Mark. (Shout out to Pezz and Karhu-supported athlete Joe Moore for their podium finishes!) It was a wonderfully buzzed night capping off what truly was a fun and memorable weekend, disastrous race itself notwithstanding. If they'll have me, I'm already making plans to return to Duluth next year to experience this unparalleled race hospitality again. 

Immediately afterward, despite an ailing right leg and bruised pride--or, truth be told, likely because of it--I made the totally nonsensical decision to enter the following weekend's BAA 10k back home in Boston. In his dual roles both as coach and boyfriend, Jordan emphatically denounced this as a terrible idea. I wasn't totally healthy, and I would "get my doors blown off by practically everyone." (Here's to seeing that ringing endorsement on a Hallmark "good luck" card sometime in the near future.) In the end, I guess my body decided that if common sense wouldn't prevail, it would have to resort to desperate measures. And so that's how I found myself, a mere 48 hours after my half-marathon debacle, stricken with what I can honestly describe as the worst sickness I've had the good fortune of enduring in the last five years. While this would be less than ideal under any conditions, it was particularly unfortunate given that I was preparing to board yet another jet plane, this time bound for Washington DC and the Fleet Feet Summer Conference, at which I would be required to run early, socialize late and stand on my feet presenting our lines for two full days. Normally I love these class reunions of sorts, as they present an opportunity to reconnect with far-flung friends and colleagues within the running industry. This time, I spent the entire trip exhausted and drugged and struggling to find my voice. (I'm being literal about that last part--at one point I had to ask Jordan to stand in for one of my presentations because I kept opening my mouth but was unable to force out any words. It must've been a dream come true for him on many levels.) I still dragged myself through a handful of runs throughout the trip, equally because I absolutely love training in DC but also because running was the only brief period of the day during which I could actually breathe. Outside, the mercury spiked to nearly 100 degrees, but I welcomed the heat. It warmed my cold, achy body from the inside out. Needless to say, the BAA 10k didn't happen.

At this point, still recovering from illness and injury, you'd probably think I'd be planning to take a nice, long summer break from training. Maybe take up a more civilized sport like badminton or spend my free time decorating our new condo. On the contrary, since Monday I've taken a surprising turn for the better on all physical fronts. I've regained air flow through both nostrils and my legs feel springy and light. And, though I will admit to not enjoying every minute of every run, for the most part I genuinely enjoy lacing 'em up and getting out the door every day for a few miles. On days when I don't run, even when these days are planned, I find myself feeling sluggish, grumpy and out-of-sorts. Mentally, having basically hovered in the 50-60 mile per week range for over a month, I don't feel burnt out or overtrained in the least. So, while there will almost certainly come a time in my life when I can no longer run for one reason or another, today is not that day. Neither, hopefully, is tomorrow. Which brings me to...

 ...summer training! Simply put, I plan on running. A lot. I've heard it called a "Kenyan Summer" and referenced on the LetsRun message boards countless times as the "Summer of Malmo." I plan to run in the morning and, most days, run in the evening. Strides 2-4 times per week. An occasional tempo. An occasional fartlek. But, mostly, just running. If I need a down week, I'll take one. If I need a day off, I'll rest. But if I'm just tired...well, then I'll put on my big girl pants and run some more. I'm not sure what this will mean in weekly numerical terms. 100 has a nice ring to it, but I've never been able to maintain that level consistently. 80-90 seems to be my sweet spot and where I'll most likely settle. Regardless of the math, the goal is to spend the next 8-10 weeks between now and the end of August getting ridiculously strong. Not fit, necessarily, though that will come. Just strong and healthy and ready to begin fall marathon training. By that point I'll have Caitlin to keep me accountable from afar and my partner in crime Emily to keep me trucking along day to day. In the end, it just might be crazy enough to work.

Awards dinner in the old train depot

Caitlin and me along the water behind our hotel

Duluth sits right on Lake Superior--who knew?!

Caitlin, me, Allison. First the Trials, now here, next up...Philly!

Kara Goucher's baby meets the mayor of Duluth's baby at the train depot. Kara and the mayor were teammates in high school...bet you can guess who ran faster.

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(Another (Down)) Week in Review

60 miles
2 doubles
1 day off
3 days of sales meeting
2 days of moving

Generally, the purpose of my "week in review" post is to summarize all the great training that took place throughout the previous week and look ahead to the even greater training that lies on the horizon for the week ahead. Unfortunately, I can say that this won't be one of those posts. It is with a heavy heart that I report this to have been a "two small limping steps forward, one uncomfortable step back" sort of week. My foot, though no worse, is not entirely better; and, worse, the inevitable compensation process induced by such a condition has made my right shin and calf throb to an almost unbearable level. While I'm the first to acknowledge that running and training isn't always midgets and sunshine, I can honestly say that I usually enjoy and look forward to lacing 'em up and heading out the door once or twice per day. Not so as of late. The discomfort-bordering-on-pain wracking both sides of my body has caused me to dwell on every single stride, analyzing my progress (or lack thereof) on literally a step-by-step basis. Needless to say, running at a woefully pedestrian pace is requiring far more mental and physical energy than should ever be necessary, leaving me exhausted and drained to a depressing degree at the end of what should have been a banal 60-minute run.

At this point, you might be thinking that I should just give it a rest. Take a break. Stop the insanity and let my body truly recover. As Caitlin said, I won't lose any fitness in a week's time. In theory, I have no problem with that. In truth, I've already taken two weeks more or less off, logging only 2/3 of the quantity and 0/3 of the quality that is expected, required, at this juncture when building up for a big race. I'm still trying to (irrationally?) salvage the hope of a respectable performance at the US Half Champs in two weeks, and whether right or wrong I'm clinging to the belief that shuffling around for even a few miles every day is better than doing nothing. It's almost cruel, this ambiguous state of half-injury in which I find myself. I'm not at the point where running is physically impossible, which would force my hand (foot?). But I'm also not feeling up to doing a stride, much less a workout, and in fact probably haven't dipped below 7-minute pace since the attempted NB Boston 10k over two weeks ago.

As for the upcoming race, setting aside everything outlined above I continue to remain optimistic, even borderline cheerful, despite all physical indications to the contrary. Maybe it's my deep-seeded confidence in the work I've done over the past weeks and months, an entire spring's worth of work that has so far yielded no worthwhile results. Maybe it's the prospect of reuniting with my best friend and training partner, along with several other familiar faces, with the hope of replicating our magical teamwork from the Trials. Maybe it's the rare prospect of approaching a race like a real, actual race participant, not someone who has spent hours and days on my feet selling shoes and then hastily throwing on my racing flats moments before the start, quads already quivering. Likely it's some combination of these. However, the next few days will be telling. If, by midweek, I still find myself lethargic and limpy, it might be prudent to acknowledge that the half-marathon PR of my dreams isn't meant to be right now. 

But, just yet, I refuse to give up.

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Week in Review

~60 miles
2 days off
14 laps on the Lowell track
1 unicorn pinata

After dropping out of the 10k, I was understandably frustrated. Fortunately there was plenty of activity to divert my mind, namely the baby shower that I was helping Emily host for Carly the following day. You would think that by 12 hours before a party you're throwing for 19 people, preparations would be largely under control. Instead, Jordan and I headed straight back to Emily's after the track meet and stayed up into the wee hours drinking wine (me), baking yummy treats (her) and singing along to our favorite song from "Rent" (both of us). 

The following morning, despite the promise of gorgeous sunny weather and good company, I opted out of the two-hour Lincoln Woods trail run in favor of resting my increasingly tender foot. I spent those hours pouting, assisting the baby shower sous chefs (aka Emily's husband and brother) and finishing up last-minute party prep. I was bummed to miss the run but quickly distracted by the afternoon's revelry and merriment, including but not limited to eating tasty food, puff painting ambiguous animal shapes onto onesies and teeing off on a BAA-themed pinata. If there's more to be desired from a baby shower I can't imagine what it might be.

Lovely running ladies in non-running clothes for a change.

Yup, that happened.

Looking ahead, much of next week is a big foot-shaped question mark. I've got a month until the US Half Championships and, despite repeated performances to the contrary, I'm confident in my fitness right now. That said, I could still use a few more solid workouts and longer tempos to really wrap everything up nicely--but only if I'm 100% healthy. Sigh. I'm definitely going to play the next few days by ear and cross my fingers that my foot will cooperate.

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(Recovery) Week(s) in Review

1/23 through 1/29:
55 miles
0 days off
0 doubles
0 workouts

1/16 through 1/22:
0 miles
7 days off
2 hours elliptical
5 days in SLC
4 airports (BOS, DEN, SLC, JFK)

As promised, I took an entire week off from running. Eight days, actually. My first run after the Trials didn't occur until Monday afternoon, shortly after arriving on a red-eye flight from Salt Lake City after an exhausting week/weekend of working the Outdoor Retailer show. I don't know what I was expecting from that first run back, but what I got was one of the most humbling experiences of my entire life. Simply put, it was awful. Every stride felt slow, awkward and incredibly unnatural, almost as if I'd never run before in my life. Really? I asked Running. I've given you so much of myself, day in and day out for the past however many days, and this is how you choose to repay me? By making me feel as though I couldn't run one single mile at my marathon pace right now if my life depended on it? How rude.

Fortunately, my runs got better, albeit only marginally, as the week progressed. By Saturday I felt ambitious enough to embark on my first double digit run, bolstered by excellent company. Emily and Carly drove up from the city and I took them on a few loops of the Neck before returning to the fort for a gourmet breakfast whipped up by Jordan. (While I truly hate that he's not running right now, I always appreciate a well-crafted flapjack.) On Sunday I reciprocated the drive by meeting Emily, Carly, Teresa, Terry and some new (to me) BAA faces for a "long" run on part of the Boston Marathon course. They planned to do an 11-mile loop twice, but once was more than enough for me at this stage in my recovery. Though it was ridiculously windy and my legs felt pretty terrible climbing the Newton hills, I was definitely glad I made the trip. I look forward to many more runs and workouts with these guys as I return to serious training.


What I've been doing in the evening instead of doubling

For now, however, I definitely plan to take it easy for another week. I may throw in a baby workout on Thursday or Friday if I'm feeling frisky, but I plan to keep the mileage where it's at and really listen to my body. It's silly to jeopardize some potentially great spring performances by rushing back into things now. I've got big goals for 2012, and it's important to keep the big picture in mind. So instead of training my heart out, I'll just live vicariously through my friends and training partners as they knock out some great workouts and races. Life could be worse!

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(Trials) Week in Review

55ish miles
26.2 mile long run
2 days off
4 days in Houston
6 AFDs


The CRC Musketeers after the pre-race dinner

I'm not sure if the 'ol "Week in Review" post is necessary this week, but I guess I'm a creature of habit. It's worth noting that I took a day off on Thursday (unforeseen, due to a hellacious day of travel which even now pains me to recall) and of course Sunday after the race. While my legs were surprisingly not destroyed--surprising both due to the fact that I, you know, ran 26 miles for the second time ever, but also because almost the entire race course was made of concrete--my feet were a totally different story. Thanks to all the turns and the aforementioned concrete, Allison and Caitlin and I and I'm sure a hundred other people suffered from some pretty debilitating blisters. To make this even more graphic for you, I'll share that around mile 25 I felt one underneath the first metatarsal head on my right foot swelling and ballooning up with fluid. This, as you can imagine, made each pounding footfall increasingly more uncomfortable than the one that preceeded it. With less than half a mile to go until the finish, I suddenly stopped feeling it. Instead of being relieved, I realized with a sense of dread that this could only mean my blister had popped. It did, and it had, and I'm pretty sure a week from now I'll still wince at the memory every time I step down on it too hard. Ah, the glamorous life of a marathoner.

One other point of note, which may or may not be of interest to anyone except myself, is that it turns out I didn't slow down nearly as much as I thought during those final miles. On the contrary, the splits show that I stayed more or less on pace even though every sensory cue from my body indicated otherwise. The slowest mile of the race was actually mile 14, when Caitlin and I took a break from leading our pack to let someone else take on a bit of the work. While we greatly appreciated her willingness to help, in hindsight this mile and the one immediately following it cost me almost 30 precious seconds. I'll never know whether this was the exact moment where my hopes of sub-2:40 were lost, but it definitely didn't help. See below for the play-by-play (and note that the first mile numbers don't match up due to the difference between chip time and gun time). Regardless, I read somewhere that only 34 women PR'ed at the Trials, and I'm proud to be included among them.

Meagan Overall	Mile Splits
6:23	0:06:20
12:21	5:58:00
18:29	6:08:00
24:29:00	6:00:00
30:32:00	6:03:00
36:43:00	6:11:00
42:54:00	6:11:00
48:54:00	6:00:00
55:03:00	6:09:00
1:01:10	0:06:07
1:07:18	0:06:08
1:13:24	0:06:06
1:19:33	0:06:09
1:25:56	0:06:23
1:32:09	0:06:13
1:38:12	0:06:03
1:44:27	0:06:15
1:50:35	0:06:08
1:56:45	0:06:10
2:02:53	0:06:08
2:09:01	0:06:08
2:15:17	0:06:16
2:21:29	0:06:12
2:27:32	0:06:03
2:33:44	0:06:12
2:39:51	0:06:07
2:41:06	0:01:15

So, moving on: what's next? Such a simple question with no readily available answer. Much of this spring's training and racing depends on how quickly my body recovers from this weekend's little jaunt. Though highly out of character, I plan on taking a full week off with no running whatsoever, no matter what, effective immediately. It's rare for me to take more than one or two days off even over an extended period of time unless I'm injured, but this is a conscious decision that I think will benefit me tremendously in the coming months. Last year after Mercedes, I felt decent enough after the marathon that I ran 60 miles the following week and never really allowed myself any down time. In hindsight, I'm sure this is what led me to feel sluggish for months afterward any time I tried to run fast and probably also contributed to the fierce case of IT band syndrome that flared up in mid-March. So, in an effort to actually learn from my mistakes, I plan to be extremely cautious when coming back this time around. Forced rest won't be easy, especially considering how ingrained I've become in my daily routine, but I'm confident it's the right decision.


Enjoying some time with the parentals on Sunday morning

And so, at long last, the "2012 Olympic Trials" chapter of my training and racing has drawn to a close. It's hard to comprehend, after investing so much of my physical and emotional energy into this pursuit over the past year, that it can be brushed aside so easily. But although the race itself is now behind me, the entire experience has definitely renewed my will to train, to compete, to become a better and more experienced runner. I'm so excited to see what the coming year brings!

But first, I rest.

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(Taper) Week in Review

60 miles
1 double
1 day off
3 runs in Palm Springs
5 AFDs

Well, friends, I challenged myself to keep this week's mileage at 75 or below, and suffice it to say I knocked that goal out of the park. Looking back in the archives, this is my lowest weekly mileage total since the week of August 23rd. I hadn't intended to go quite this low, but taking Friday off (and omitting a planned Thursday evening double) was the smart decision for several reasons. I can only hope I will reap the rewards of my infinite wisdom come Saturday.

If nothing else, this sharp reduction in mileage has allowed me to focus on the ancillary factors that had all but fallen by the wayside during my 100+ weeks. Excluding the day of our red-eye flight I've averaged 9+ hours of sleep each night, and I've been able to fit in 20-30 minutes of core, drills and strength almost every day. And trust me, I know how crazy this sounds, but Jordan and I actually had time to watch a movie one night. Although I would be lying to say it doesn't feel a little bit strange to not spend literally every waking hour of my free time in running clothes, I suppose it's not half bad.

Looking ahead to next week, it appears as though--holy shit!--I'll actually be racing the Olympic Trials marathon. Pardon me for sounding surprised, but although intellectually I've known this day was coming, some part of me never comprehended that the race would actually happen in a real, tangible way. But as it turns out, Jordan and I will be getting on a plane Thursday morning bound for my home state for the express purpose of running this race. Of course the weekend will encompass a flurry of other activities--reunions with far-flung running friends from literally all across the country, lots of free food from the hospitality suite, technical meetings and pre-race massages and event dinners and a promised evening of post-race revelry and merriment--but I'd be kidding myself if I didn't acknowledge that the race itself doesn't loom larger in my mind than the broader "experience" of the Olympic Trials, at least as I sit here typing this less than a week out. I'm full of excitement and nervous energy at the culmination of a year's--some would argue, a lifetime's--preparation, all for one single moment. If you can consider an event spanning almost three hours to comprise a single moment, that is.

Time permitting, I plan to check back in with some real time snippets of next weekend's activities. Of course I always hope that people enjoy reading this blog, but I originally penned "greenlightningrunning" over three years ago as a record for myself, a time capsule of a a journey of miles and trials that, at the time, I had no idea would lead me to the present moment. I want to document as much of the Trials experience as I can, knowing full well it could be a once in a lifetime opportunity despite my hopes to the contrary. I want to preserve the details of the weekend for my readers, but more for myself, and of course for my hypothetical (and I mean extremely hypothetical, Suzanne) grandchildren who will one day stare in disbelief as their wrinkly old grandma waves her cane this way and that while animatedly describing the glory days when, believe it or not, she ran pretty darn fast.

More to come from Houston in just a few short days. See you there!

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Week in Review, Don'tcha Know

27 miles
3 days running
4ish hours elliptical (I lost track)
3.5 days in Boston
4.5 days in Minneapolis
6 AFDs

It's currently Monday evening and I'm typing this on the plane home from Minneapolis. Actually, to be completely factual, on the plane to Atlanta from Minneapolis. I still have a layover and another hour in the air before touching down just past midnight. From there I'll enjoy a restful 36 hours at home before embarking on my next adventure, a quick sojourn to San Antonio and Houston. But before we get ahead of ourselves, let's take a look back at another glamorous week in the life.

From a fitness perspective, I'm getting slower and fatter by the day. Running was nonexistent save for an awesome trail adventure with a few friends on Monday morning and two lackadaisical jaunts around picturesque Marblehead, Massachusetts (fun fact: hometown of Shalane Flanagan) with the Karhu CEO on Wednesday and Thursday. I'd planned to cross-train every day once I departed Charlotte, but when your CEO is a 6-foot tall Dutchman named Huub Valkenburg and he fixes his steely blue eyes on you like the Russian from Rocky IV and firmly requests that you accompany him on a jog, you don't say no. (Actually, once you get past the initial terror of meeting Huub he's actually quite congenial and charming. The real force to be reckoned with is his 14-year-old Rhodesian Ridgeback, Dutch, who deviously snuck into the guest bedroom while his master and I were out on our morning run and proceeded to extract and devour my Honey Stinger chews and several packets of dry oatmeal from the depths of my backpack. This landed him squarely on my shit list, but I respect the effort and the healthy food choices.) Once I arrived in Minneapolis, I played it smart and slogged away on the elliptical in the hotel fitness center while my coworker Jeff and later Caitlin enjoyed the beautiful weather on their outdoor runs. Several months ago I'd planned to actually run the race with Caitlin, but for both injury and logistical reasons another finish line hand-holding scenario would not materialize. Instead Caitlin powered ahead on her own and earned a sweet medal and PR despite running solo for almost the entire race. Having her around for a weekend that would otherwise have consisted of 24/7 work was a real treat even if we didn't enjoy any Minnesota miles together.

While we're on the topic and in case you're not aware, Minneapolis is quite lovely. They call Minnesota "the land of 10,000 lakes," and I had the pleasure of seeing at least a few dozen of them during my time in the Twin Cities. Add to that the beautiful blue skies and mild summer weather (temperatures ranged from the low 60s to low 80s all weekend), and I could almost picture living here. Of course, then I remind myself that nine months out of the year this part of the country is straight out of a scene from the movie "Fargo"--hopefully minus dismembered body parts in the neighborhood wood chipper--and I'm jolted back to reality. The other noteworthy aspect of the Twin Cities is the abundance of bicycle lanes and other pedestrian-friendly infrastructures. Never in my life have I seen more people riding their bikes from place to place at all hours of the day and night. Bicycling magazine recently named Minneapolis the #1 bike city in the nation, and it's not difficult to see why. There's something about watching people young and old traversing a city by the power of their own two legs that's sure to warm the heart of any runner, cyclist or all-around fitness enthusiast, and I am no exception. It also serves as a glaring reminder of how far Charlotte has to go before it can truly be considered hospitable to pedestrians, but that is another topic for another rambling post.

Also, a few words about Minnesotans: they are genuinely, unfailingly nice. Everywhere you turn you're met with a blinding smile and a sincere inquiry into how you're doing or how your current condition can be improved upon. It's quite disconcerting, to be honest. Just this afternoon when I was driving to the airport I spotted an orange road construction sign that said the following: "Left lane closed ahead. Please take turns merging." And, I swear to you, everyone did. When I inadvertently rebelled against the system by becoming "that guy" who waited until the last possible second to change lanes, neatly cutting off the person directly behind me, I winced and braced myself for the blaring horn or shouted expletive to follow. When neither did, I looked into my rearview mirror and, I kid you not, the other driving was waving at me. With all his fingers. This, friends, is Minnesota. To be frank I find myself utterly at a loss for how to respond to it. I'm not entirely sure if I could handle this unwavering friendliness year-round, but for one weekend I found it quite refreshing. Heck, I might even pay it forward and actually talk to the person sitting next to me on my connecting flight instead of averting my eyes and/or feigning sleep as soon as they sidle in beside me.

Okay, probably not, but it's the thought that counts. Don'tcha know?

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Injury Update/Week in Review

50 miles
3 hours elliptical
2 days off
4 days in ATL
40 hours at home before my next trip

Well, as you can probably surmise from the above stats, my injury did not fade away into oblivion this week as I so fervently hoped. I was deliriously optimistic after an almost pain-free run with Jordan on Monday, but then on Tuesday morning my leg had reverted back almost completely to where it was before I'd taken last weekend off. This resulted in me cross-training on Wednesday and Thursday, which led to a great trail run in Atlanta on Friday, which produced a so-so run on Saturday...and you get the idea. Suffice it to say that significant progress is not being made.

All of this leads naturally and logically to the bright idea of taking some definitive extended time off. By that I mean a week or maybe even two. Earth-shattering, I know. Truth be told, as much as I abhor the idea, this is probably the best two-week period of the entire year to do so. I've got a crazy busy work schedule coming up, the Trials are a full five months away and all I'll be missing in the meantime (other than next weekend's planned 13.1 Minneapolis with Caitlin) is more hot and humid weather. Such a simple decision, right?

Except, of course, it isn't so simple for a stubborn, high-achieving runner like myself. As I was telling my massage therapist Byran while he firmly kneaded somewhere between two and 20 fingers into my calf muscle earlier this afternoon, it's so difficult to discern when a small, seemingly insignificant pain or tightness is going to recede within a few days and when it will slowly and almost imperceptibly metastasize into a full-blown injury. If I took days off every time some part of my body felt sore or tight I'd have most likely picked up a different sport by now. Clearly, however, I managed to let this little niggle turn into the latter scenario, and it's obvious that until I'm able to completely shake this ailment there's no point in half-assing my training just to have numbers on the board.

With that in mind, it's fortunate that I'll be far too busy within the coming days to dwell on my current situation. As I mentioned above, my work and travel schedule for the next few weeks is going to be intense--and this coming from the girl who considers waking up with little idea of what day it is or what city she's in to be a fairly normal occurrence. After returning home from Atlanta on Saturday night I've got just over a day and a half at home before embarking on an eight-day trip to Boston (for meetings at our corporate office) and Minneapolis (for 13.1). I'll then be home for one full day before taking the world's quickest trip to Texas on Wednesday and Thursday of next week. From an injury perspective, this is actually good news because the frequency of hotel stays means I'll likely have access to an elliptical machine should I make the (smart) decision to take some time off from running. Many years of training have convinced me that there's little fitness gain achieved by cross-training during injury, but for me the benefits are just as much mental and emotional as they are physical.

Unfortunately for my tens of adoring fans, a break from running will most likely also mean a break from gracing you with my trademark wit and charm. I know, I know, the idea is almost unthinkable. If you don't hear from me for a few days, please do try to soldier on. And if you do hear from me, it will be to share the joyous news that my leg has taken a turn for the better. Let's hope that comes sooner than later. Until then, run a few miles on my behalf!

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Week in Review

42 miles
4 days off (2 days no exercise)
3 doubles
2 hours elliptical
5 AFDs

As you can see, in light of Tuesday morning's debacle and my admittedly increasing shin pain, I went against everything ingrained in my body (and mind) and made the smart decision to take most of the rest of the week off. Aside from a few mandatory run clubs with Pacers in DC and one self-imposed mandatory fun run with my good friend and District hostess Jilane, I was pretty much a slug for the remainder of the week. I called off a morning run with Jilane on Wednesday after less than a minute of uncomfortable steps, and in the evening we were easily persuaded to scrap a half-hearted cross-training plan in favor of enjoying a relaxed dinner and a bottle of wine. (Antioxidants, anyone?) Friday, Saturday and Sunday I invoked all sorts of self-restraint and didn't allow myself to run a single step, instead slogging through a few elliptical sessions more for sanity's sake than anything else. I even passed on a long run at Davidson and group breakfast at Toast--where the special was peanut butter banana french toast--because I was adamant about being "good" on my final day off. Ugh.

As much as I hate to admit it, there's probably a reason that my mental and physical unraveling coincided in this particularly insidious manner. In order to find the last time when I only ran three days in one week, you'd have to go all the way back to the end of August last year when I hurt my foot at the Greek Fest 5k. On the one hand (foot?), I think it's a tremendous accomplishment that I've been able to train (relatively) happy and (relatively) healthy for almost an entire year. At the same time, perhaps this was my body's not-so-subtle way of demanding me to take a break and recharge the 'ol batteries before the real training begins this autumn. Because let's face it, we runners are stubborn. I definitely wasn't going to take the initiative to do so myself.

Looking ahead, I'll play next week by ear depending on how my leg feels. I plan to head out for a "tester" run tomorrow and, if all goes well, I'll probably ease back into fairly normal mileage and low to moderate intensity. I also hope to seek some treatment from Dr. Greenapple this week and maybe even a massage on Sunday. Taking one week off may prove to be quite beneficial, but if a week turns into a month then we have a problem. I plan on being extra vigilant next week to ensure that doesn't happen.

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Publix Georgia Marathon Weekend

Before I get into the details of the weekend, allow me to present a brief outline of my work schedule:

Wednesday
10am to 4pm: Drive to Birmingham, AL
5pm to 8pm: First Annual Karhu Madness Extravaganza @Trak Shak
8pm to 12am: Drive to Atlanta

Thursday
8am to 6pm: Expo setup @Georgia Dome

Friday
8am to 12pm: Expo setup/prep
12pm to 7pm: Expo

Saturday
6am to 9am: Karhu 5k and "Beat the Bear" promo
10am to 6pm: Expo
6pm to 9pm: Booth teardown
9pm to 10pm: Delivery of booth to finish area in Centennial Park

Sunday
6am to 2pm: Finish line festival

So, given the above, you shouldn't be too surprised to learn that my weekend didn't involve a whole lot of running. This was largely due to the all-encompassing work schedule, but in truth my low mileage (I think I topped out around 35, but it's too pathetic a number to seriously add up) can also be attributed to a sore left knee/IT band. I think last weekend's double race effort may have been too much too soon after the marathon, and unfortunately I'm paying the price this week. The worst part is, had my knee been a non-issue, I had every intention of racing the half-marathon on Sunday and contending for the $1000 prize purse. Part of me hoped the winner would run a ridiculously fast time, something so absurdly out of reach that I wouldn't have been able to compete on my best day, but unfortunately the first place time of 1:21:55 was not particularly remarkable. (That said, my buddy Leo deserves a shout-out for winning the men's race by a full seven minutes in 66:53 on an extremely hilly course. He may not have that Trials qualifier yet, but I have no doubt he'll achieve it within the coming months.) Instead of racing, I played things uncharacteristically safe and took both Saturday and Sunday off from running. On Sunday afternoon I hit the hotel gym for core and elliptical, but Saturday was completely free of exercise (minus, you know, 14 hours of working on my feet and what not).


My badass electric acupuncture treatment on Tuesday night,
courtesy of the one and only Dr. Greenapple

Fortunately, the overall craziness of the weekend kept me so busy that I hardly had a free moment to think about my running (or lack thereof). The 20,000+ participant Publix Georgia Marathon is the largest event that Craft and Karhu has sponsored to date, and I am thrilled to report that it was a huge success. More importantly than the copious amount of footwear and apparel we sold is the brand awareness and publicity that we delivered to the Atlanta market and to the Southeast in general. Our booth was jam packed from open to close both days and I lost count of the positive comments we received from customers and other exhibitors. The "Beat the Bear" promotion also went swimmingly, as our bear ran just over 20 minutes and beat nine competitors in the 5k. He also spent several hours roaming the expo and posing for photos with children--or, as was the case on more than one occasion, causing them to scream and/or cry and/or run in the opposite direction--and by the end of the weekend the Karhu Bear had endeared himself as the most popular mammal of the entire event!


The bear meets a few of his biggest littlest fans


Bearing down the home stretch of the 5k


The bear was on Comcast Sports South!

So, after such a busy and exhausting weekend, I'll indulge in a full 48 hours at home before embarking on another adventure. Next up: NYC City Sports run club in Central Park on Wednesday night, then a few days in Boston/Beverly with the corporate gang before returning home for this weekend's CRC 100x5k world record attempt. Aaaaand go.

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