10 Running-Related Questions. These are my answers, what are yours?

My friend Kristin came across this list of questions on another blog (Colene, in Training) and suggested I respond....I'm hoping she, and my other fellow running bloggers will do the same!

1. Best run ever: "Best" is quite nebulous. If I have to pick one stand-out, I'd say the 15-mile long run I did in San Diego last October. I thought my coach was crazy for scheduling a long run when I was traveling (and at a conference) because I get kind of nervous in unfamiliar cities and I have a terrible sense of direction. But I got it done and enjoyed not only the freedom that comes from running, but freedom from my own fears. My stride -- and my world -- opened up that day.

 

2. Three words that describe my running: Focused. Flowing. Free. 

3. My go-to running outfit is: Mizuno Inspire short tights, tank top (no short sleeves ever), Balega socks, Saucony Kinvara 2s with Xtenex laces, SweatVac cap, Garmin 405 watch (old school!), heart rate strap, foot pod, and iPod nano loaded with music and podcasts (This American Life, the Moth, Whadya Know, Competitor Radio...)

4. Quirky habit while running: Groaning out loud, mainly on speedwork/threshold runs, or up hills.

5. Morning, midday, evening: Absolutely, unequivocally - morning. Even if it means running by headlamp!

6. I won’t run outside when it’s: Icy. I haven't been on a treadmill or missed an outdoor run due to weather in years, but the risk of injury from ice is not worth it. There is no such thing as too hot/cold/rainy/snowy/windy to run for me.

7. Worst injury—and how I got over it: The second broken fibula, definitely. It set off a chain of events that plagued me for most of 2011 including a case of drop-foot in the other leg, followed by a long bout of posterior tibial tendonitis

8. I felt most like a badass mother runner when: I showed up for my second Pittsburgh Turkey Trot 5K, dressed as usual, as a turkey. Another female racer came up to me pre-race and said they remembered me and their goal since last year was to "beat the turkey". I don't know if they did. I came in 8th out of 1232 women and earned the top master's spot despite being less than aerodynamic!

9. Next race is: Giant Acorn International Triathlon on October 6. Next running race will probably be the Blacksburg Classic 10-miler in February.

10. Potential running goal for 2013: Run a healthy and happy Boston marathon, then hit some new 5K and 10K PRs at my triathlons. A sub-20 minute 5K would be nice! 20:31 is my best to date -- done at the USAT Sprint National triathlon.

OK, YOUR turn! Let me know if you respond to these!

A week of 'firsts'...including a biggie!

Summer is wrapping up and we are surely being flung head-first into fall around here! With the change of seasons, the week has brought many post-summer "firsts" --

First indoor swim. I'm back at the Blacksburg Aquatic Center with the early morning gang, and I enjoyed a first swim in my new swim cap!!  The caps were organized by my Endurance Films teammate, Bill.

 

First ride on the bike trainer. This took place the morning prior to our 340 mile drive to the beach. I'd forgotten what a puddle-making mess I am on that thing. I soaked completely through my towel and onto the mat. Yuck. 

 

First early morning run with gloves. It was in the upper 40's which is perfect for a tank top and shorts...annnnd gloves. My hands are the one thing that get cold. These are my original beloved running gloves that I have had for four years.

First announcement of my NEW JOB!!!!! YES!!!  New job!!  I am the new Director of Client Marketing for the fortyninegroup, an endurance sports strategy and marketing firm. I work with event, athlete, equipment, accessory, coaching, media, and registration clients primarily in triathlon! I could not have dreamed up a better opportunity. The CEO, John Jones, is an accomplished endurance athlete in his own right, and I have been delighted to work for him and with the athletes, coaches, and innovators in endurance sports. In my marketing role, I have the opportunity to write, think creatively, organize, wrangle, help, strategize, and communicate. I'm also learning a lot.

I could go on and on about my excitement and how I love to get up every day and get to it, but I will wrap up simply by saying, follow your passions, you never know where they may lead.

:-)

Blog Post #600....Thoughts from the Tri-Journey

I've been anticipating blog post #600 for a little while, wondering what I might do with this monumental multiple of 100.

My weekend sort of set the stage for this post. Yesterday I returned from a quick trip to Myrtle Beach (pics here and here). The kids and I drove 360 miles each direction for 40 precious hours at the beach. Throughout the weekend, we talked about things that we don't normally discuss a whole lot - dating (no hurry), how to hold a wine glass (stem), drugs (spend that time and money making life genuinely and not artificially happy), why the shower curtain should go IN the tub (avoid flooding), what makes a life happy (little to do with money). It wasn't preachy or dictatorial, just conversational -- suggesting things for them to consider as they formulate their own ideas along their life journey.

So when I woke up at 4:11 am today, I knew what I would do with this post - 60 thoughts gleaned from my tri journey and reflected in the 600 blog entries written since May 4, 2008.

In absolutely no order and typed in one sitting:

1. At least once, run under a full moon 
2. Dream bigger than you think you should
3. Smile for the race photographers, it won't slow you down
4. It's OK to invest in a decent bike, but focus on your engine
5. Train consistently - NO excuses (or at least very few)
6. Train in solitude enough to develop your own positive thought patterns
7. Give up soda
8. Don't look at race results right after you finish. Wait and linger in your personal feelings before breaking the spell.
9. For most people, it only takes six weeks to train for a 5K (not six months) and maybe 12 weeks for a sprint triathlon...not six months. Don't make it too big a deal.
10. Run and race an assortment of distances. Know how to go long AND fast.
11. Find goggles that work and buy multiple pairs
12. Have a good massage therapist/rolfer/ART etc person
13. Wake up early every day and go to bed early as often as you can
14. Hang up your workout clothes to dry, they will last much longer
15. Don't go out of your way to add carbs in your diet, we get more than we need
16. Keep "emergency" clothing in your car just-in-case: arm warmers, hat, gloves, rain jacket, etc.
17. If you want to race your best, work with a coach if at all possible
18. Learn to change a flat...really...it's time.
19. Have the equipment you need, but not to excess. Take care of it and it can last a long time.
20. Support your local running and bike shops even if it means spending a little more to shop there
21. Be systematic about race packing - have a list and keep all your race things together
22. Live a healthy lifestyle, but don't be an annoying martyr
23. Talk less about your sports, people aren't really that interested
24. You should be hungry a few times a day (except pre-race day)
25. Pump your tires and be sure your bike wheels spin freely before every ride
26. Track your workouts (online is best)
27. Get race nerves under control or they will wreck your enjoyment of the sport
28. Eat green veggies, at least once but preferably twice per day
29. Strength train 2-3x a week
30. Keep emergency food in your car so you won't eat junk. It should be healthy, but not too tasty (so you won't eat it unless you need it).
31. Accept that injuries are part of the journey and they have much to teach us. You'll bounce back.
32. Plan your training and fit it into your schedule. It WILL fit...somewhere (even if at 5 am)
33. Take a moment to be grateful every time you swim/bike/run
34. Race in costume once in a while
35. Encourage newcomers and others in the sport, be inviting and not exclusionary
36. Don't take yourself too seriously (we are not professional athletes)
37. Doctors are mainly helpful if something is broken or torn; for all other cases see a GOOD sports physical therapist or soft-tissue expert.
38. Double-check the forecast, but train regardless of the weather
39. Eat fast food nearly never; eat ice cream regularly
40. Get off the road and hit the trails. Your soul and legs will thank you.
41. Learn to suffer in workouts (where appropriate) so it's no big surprise on race day
42. Don't overthink how you feel during a race week taper. Just ride it out.
43. Keep your phone in a ziplock bag or waterproof case no matter what the forecast.
44. Don't expect miracles on race day and be disappointed when they don't materialize
45. Establish good pre-race routines - eating, packing, setup, warmup - and stick to them
46. If you get the chance to race at a national level race, do it
47. Eat out as a special occasion, not as a matter of habit (or laziness)
48. Listen to your coach 98% of the time; reserve 2% to be a bit of a rebel when needed
49. Don't waste time thinking about limits, you can't possibly know what yours are
50. Have a little in reserve for that finishing kick, then burn up everything you have left in the tank even if there's no one chasing you.
51. Invest in many identical pairs of high quality running socks; it makes laundry easier
52. Have a professional critique your swim stroke periodically
53. Be open minded (often requires shutting mouth and opening ears)
54. Inspect and replace swim suits and bike shorts as needed, we really don't need to see your butt crack through the paper thin fabric
55. Stretch and roll
56. When injuries hit, don't waste time. Get help pronto (PT or massage) -- the root causes can extend beyond the area of pain. 
57. Don't complain out loud; it's probably petty anyway
58. Have a trusted adviser outside of the sport
59. Be silly on a regular basis
60. Love and be loved

 :-)


To think I was the kid in school who would write big and use huge margins to "stretch" my papers out because I hated to write....LOL!

Thanks to all who read and comment and share a piece of their own journey with me!!

Tracking and Interpreting Race Progress

It's been a heck of a race season in terms of podiums and placings but that's not a very objective gauge since it depends on who shows up to race. I knew my bike and run paces had improved this year but I was less sure of my swim. It was time to stop guessing and time to finally collect ALL of my race splits and rankings in a spreadsheet for every race I have ever done. Spreadsheet! Yay!! Very fun!

It wasn't too hard considering my first ever race of any kind was just four years ago - a local 10K. I ran it in 53:26, but my mouth ran even faster. I talked a LOT in that race - to other runners, cops directing traffic, spectators. That sure isn't the case any more, I don't say a word (other than "on your left" on the bike course ;-)  It's amazing what I can remember from this and every race I've ever done.

After painstakingly gathering the data, it became apparent that it can only really be viewed at arm's length. There are so many modifiers - wetsuit or not; pool vs open water swim; bike courses that run long or short; hilly vs flat terrain; weather/time of year; stand-alone run vs tri run; state of health and injuries, and whether I was wearing a turkey costume (!).

Then there are the "outliers," like the run at the Patriot's Half, which was not so much a run as it was a mix of 'shuffling' and doubling over from full body muscle cramps.

So you see with all the caveats, it wouldn't make any sense to do something like graph all my 5K finishes over time. Of course I did! But I stopped short of running a linear regression model because that would just be nerdy! Suffice it to say the trend is heading in the desired direction.

The spreadsheet did provide some evidence of speed gains in all three sports...including swimming!
I discovered that my Nationals swims showed marked improvement. Coach Jim made some swim training changes back in June and it seems to be paying off - more frequent swimming, regular open water swimming, and tougher interval work. There's also been a shift in my mentality -- more determination and aggression.

If you are like me and fascinated by and motivated by numbers, I'd definitely recommend keeping some sort of race data history; Athlinks.com is a great source for mining your data.

In the end, remember -- it's just data, just numbers -- we give it meaning. Collect it up, hold it at arm's length, and draw some general conclusions to motivate and guide your training.

Then look at the numbers AGAIN and recognize that EVERY number on there is a victory unto itself because it shows you got out there and did it!

All Triathletes are Solar Powered

My long bike ride on Saturday (50 miles, zero traffic lights, 2 stop signs each direction) took me out past the Catawba Farm Fest where the Solar Connexion Solar Trailer was set up and supplying clean (and quiet) energy. Solar Connexion, a local long-time solar contractor, has been a generous sponsor throughout this race season and while some might find the pairing of solar and triathlon odd, it's rather a perfect match.

After I stopped off at the Solar Trailer for a photo, I spent much of the rest of the ride thinking about the connection between solar energy and triathlon.

We are all solar powered!

Solar energy is at the core of everything that sustains us:

1. Food - Solar energy is at the root of the food chain, starting with the plants and animals that convert solar energy to starches that are in turn consumed by animals. All that fuels our bodies to swim/bike/run are solar derivatives.
2. Water - Solar energy runs the water cycle which is basically a big storage and filtration system. Hydration is essential to life...and to training and racing!
3. Fuel sources 
1. Solar energy created our non-renewable sources of energy like gas, oil, and coal. They are from ancient living things (made possible by food and water, above), compressed and heated for a lonnnng time.
2. Solar energy is responsible for all of our renewable sources include solar, wind, and water. Wind is a direct result of heating effects from the sun.

Triathletes seem to have a greater than average understanding of and appreciation for the environment, probably because we spend so much time out in it swimming, biking, and running.

Races are "going green" with reduced paper use and other measures. Recently I got a flyer from TriSports.com and discovered that much of their store roof is covered in solar panels enabling them to create about 90% of their energy!! They share information on their blog about the water, gasoline, methane, and carbon dioxide that is "saved" from their 128 kW system. It's impressive. Their use of solar will definitely factor into my future online triathlon purchasing decisions!!

The price of solar continues to drop while electric utility rates continue to climb. Solar energy just makes sense. It requires an initial investment and the problem is, most people can't see past that $$ to the payback, but again, I think triathletes who understand "investments" in training are used to taking a longer view of things. (There's a 30% Federal Tax credit too...)

My interest in renewable energy sources dates back to my involvement as the course coordinator for Virginia Tech's Earth Sustainability Series and teaching a Sustainable Energy class in the College of Engineering. I served as the co-PI for the Blacksburg Wind and Solar Power project at our local Y where I first met Bryan Walsh, owner of Solar Connexion. He donated considerable time, expertise, and materials that made the project possible when I was way in over my head.

I'll wrap this up by reiterating that triathletes ARE solar powered, so now it's time to bring it home.

If you can swing it, call up your local solar contractor and at least look into solar for your home.  For less than the price of a Prius, you can be well on your way to energy independence. Yeah, it's about the small changes, but frankly, we need to be making some BIG changes to turn our environmental problems around. I believe triathletes can help lead this charge.

Please comment and share other examples of solar power in the triathlon world,
or let me know if you utilize solar at your home or workplace.

If you are interested in solar energy, please "Like" Solar Connexion on Facebook!!