Meet of Miles

            2013 is a very different year for me. At this point in my season I typically would have already traveled to California a few times to race and would be gearing up for the end of my season and USA’s. I have yet to do a single track meet and I do not plan on traveling to any big meets to race. My plan this year is all about staying healthy and doing some fun runs and then next year try to get back to my previous form. This may seem strange to some who do not know me as last year was my most successful year in my running career culminating with my making the Olympic Trials. But this year I am gearing up for a completely new challenge, becoming a mother.

            I am enjoying the process but I would be lying if I told you I do not miss racing. I love competing and watching my friends and family race is keeping me fired up and eager to jump into a race where I can get my “fix,” the runners high if you will. I love road racing, don’t get me wrong, but there is something about the track that makes me feel fast, something magical that happens when I step on it.

            Some of you may be reading this thinking, “Yeah right.” Round and round and round with only left turns and not much change in scenery may not sound very appealing but believe me it is! The problem is there are not many opportunities for runners to lace up their fast shoes and test themselves on the track.

            This is where the Meet of Miles (M.O.M.) comes in. July14th at the West Seattle Stadium in Seattle, you have the unique opportunity to experience the thrill of track racing by testing yourself in the mile. You can even see how you stack up against the elite athletes who will be putting on a show later in the evening by pitting themselves against each other to see just how fast they can go.

(Roger Bannister breaking the 4 minute mile)

The mile is the premier event in track and field, not too short and not too long. Just enough suspense to leave the audience captivated as the story unfolds in just over four laps. The perfect combination of speed and stamina, the mile is exciting. At tracks earliest beginnings the mile was the race that brought the crowds, testing whether or not athletes could break the once deemed impossible 4 minute mile. Since the era of Roger Bannister and John Landy who were some of the first to break the barrier, the current mile record is an astonishing 3:43 held by Hicham El Guerrouj. But the event is not contested as much in track and field. Now athletes will typically run the 1500m but for fans that can be hard to relate which is why Club Northwest’s elite athletes are working to bring back the mile and get fans excited about track and field again.

Club Northwest is putting on the M.O.M. and like the name says, it is a meet full of mile races on the track. People of all ages and abilities are encouraged to come out cheer, have some fun and see just how fast they can race this distance. The event will have a barbecue, goodies, t-shirts, fun events for the kids, and of course racing, lots and lots of racing.

I plan on being a part of this fun event whether that is in me trying to waddle my way to a “pregnant mile PR,” or volunteering. I am eager to being a part of the excitement and world of track and field again and I encourage all of you to give the mile a shot. It is a fun race and I bet you will come away from the event full of new memories and smiles.

It has taken me many years to develop into the runner that I am today and I could never have reached my goals alone. I have had lots of support from friends, family, and various sponsors including Club Northwest and I know next year and the years leading up to the 2016 Olympic Trials I, along with my teammates, will need all the support we can get to reach our goals.

The Meet of Miles is being put on to help support your local Olympic hopeful athletes. The event is nonprofit and the funds will go to help these athletes with travel and competing costs throughout the year.  Many of Club Northwest’s elite athletes balance their time between work, training, coaching and volunteering and the M.O.M. is a way for you to be a part of their Olympic pursuit.

So come join us this summer for an event you are not soon to forget!

Growing, Growing, And Growing!

(Enjoying a beautiful Easter Sunday with Levi)

            You may notice a change in topic in my blog this year. You will see less writings about my races or times as the only “racing” I may do will come in the form of a fun run but as a female athlete I want to give you a glimpse into the next stage of my life as I try to figure out how to adapt to all the changes. I hope you enjoy coming on this journey with me and I look forward to the future and the different athlete I will be next year! I can’t say exactly what the future has in store but right now I do plan on continuing to train post pregnancy. When will I come back to my previous form? I have no clue, but I am going to enjoy figuring that out as well.

            Now onto the present. I have hit the half way mark in my pregnancy and things have been going well for me thus far. I am learning a lot about my body and feel more in tune than ever when it comes to training while being pregnant. Well, I am not sure if I would classify my running as “training.” When I think of training I envision a goal race or time or something “big” I am trying to accomplish athletically. But I do not have this in my future. Instead I am trying to keep my body as healthy and strong as I can so I will be able to endure what is likely to be the “biggest” event of my life thus far: having a baby. So in that sense, I guess I am still in training. It is a very different type of training but mental and physical preparation none-the-less.

            Even when I am sitting at home or doing tasks that prior to this year would be very easy my body is working harder than ever. Without my doing anything my body is changing and adapting to grow this new being inside me and that is wild! No wonder I need so many naps!

            For the first few months I did not notice a change in my easy run paces. Things still felt easy. Now almost 5 months in I am beginning to slow down. I can tell if I start to push my body too hard as I will start to notice my face feeling “hot” (in the Seattle 50 degree weather) or I may feel very slight abdominal cramps. My midwife tells me this is completely normal and not to be concerned about the light cramps that go away after I am done but she did tell me to make sure I slow down! My body is under a lot more stress as ligaments loosen and things stretch out. Plus my runs now are with me carrying around 15 pounds more unevenly distributed weight.

            I have yet to try any pregnancy running belts but I may invest in one as I get heavier and things get a lot more uncomfortable. I have talked to my other running friends who have had kids and some never needed the belt while others couldn’t run without it. I guess it all depends on how you are carrying your weight. I feel most of my pressure down low in my pelvis so I bet the belt will help.

            Not to be too graphic but I have a new understanding as to why longer shorts can be a blessing while running on a treadmill. Two parts to this equation, bigger thighs and sweating more equals a need to use Aquaphor so I don’t chafe! I have since invested in what I call “mom shorts” for my runs. Ones that offer a little more coverage and protection from my own skin! Luckily the weather is getting nicer outside where I do not have this problem. There’s just not enough air flow indoors.

            I am still doing two strength sessions a week and I really enjoy them. The one thing that took some getting used to is my decline in pull-up reps. Before pregnancy, my max was 13. I would often do 2 sets of 10 or so depending on the day. Well since being pregnant I have watched this number go down drastically and it is exponentially getting lower with each passing week. Two weeks ago I did 5. Last week I stopped at 3. I will keep trying each week but I have accepted this and now, after swallowing my pride, use the assisted pull up machine after I “max” out.

            But all joking aside I am learning a lot about my body and really err on the side of caution when it comes to my working out. Some elite female runners are able to continue a fairly high workout volume but that wouldn’t work for me. I have had a complete mental shift in how I view my training. In the past if things felt achy or stiff or I felt a little tired that was never reason enough to take a day off or change my workout (to a point) but now I am the first to throw in the towel. It is easy for me to not feel guilty or lazy as I am not thinking about myself and my own goals but my little baby GIRL I have developing inside me! I think this mental shift will help me when I come back to competing. As Ryan Hall once said, “It is better to be 20% under-trained than 1% over-trained,” and my little girl is keeping me in check.

(A little spring softball with family)

*Let me know in the comments if there is anything specific you would like me to answer when it comes to training and pregnancy. Or if there is a blog topic you would like me to touch on. I am still very new to all this but I would love to offer my experience thus far! If you are newly pregnant and a runner a friend gave me a book I really enjoyed reading called, “Exercising through Your Pregnancy,” by James F. Clapp III.

First Comes Love then Comes…BABY!

(Soon to be Momma and Proud Poppa)

            It has been awhile since my last entry. But things are definitely changing in my life and body for that matter! For those of you who do not know, my husband Levi and I are currently expecting our first child! So far things have been going great. I was lucky enough not to have any morning sickness during the first trimester and I hope things continue as smoothly. I am approximately 18 weeks along now and finally starting to show.

            The biggest change for my life thus far (not counting the bigger numbers on the scale) is my approach to my running and training. Exercising during pregnancy has been proven to be beneficial to both mother and baby and in many cases can make your labor and delivery “easier.” Studies have found that a woman can safely continue exercising while pregnant if she was used to the activity beforehand. For instance, I have been a runner for many years, so running longer distances for me is not something that is going to harm my body. However, I definitely listen to my body and notice I am getting slower and wanting to run less distances.

            I do not necessarily think this is all due to the growing human inside of me (though that does take a lot of energy!). I feel it is my changing state of mind and my focus being on a baby and not my athletic endeavors. For the first time in my life I do not have hard track workouts to look forward to (yes I actually love doing workouts!) or races on the horizon or PR time goals for this year. I now am simply exercising just for health! What a strange concept.

            I know a lot of women who continue exercising at their previous volume (maybe just cutting out competitive racing or workouts) when pregnant but I noticed I have definitely been slacking in this. I think some of it was different for me since I did not start out at my peak level of fitness. I was just recovering from an MCL tear so still hadn’t started doing workouts yet and was just starting to build my mileage back up past the 40s and into the 50s. Right now I am lucky to hit 30 and some weeks 20! But I am o.k. with that. I am adding in other types of workouts, flexibility and strength in the weight room, spinning, and when the weather gets nice probably more swimming and hiking.

            I have a completely different focus this year and I am confident that I will be able to slowly get back to my previous level once the baby is born. I am not giving myself a deadline for this but know to just take it a day at a time. I have zero experience in this department. I have come back from injuries and major surgeries but having a baby is going to be different and I do not want to put added stress on myself to keep some nearly impossible fitness goal while pregnant or worry if it takes me months or even a year to feel normal again!

            I do have several elite running friends who have had babies and are still amazing athletes and moms so I know it can be done and luckily, I have plenty of people to look to for advice. If you had asked me months ago what I envisioned my training volume to be like in the first and second trimesters, believe me, my little naïve brain would have envisioned myself doing a lot more! But every woman and every body is different and the key is to find your balance that keeps you sane, healthy and happy. And right now for me that entails running with friends, going for walks, and taking naps, lots and lots of naps. 

(At my brother John and dear friend Jane's wedding. Being silly. But my belly is starting to show!)

 

Just Fine

(Running around the Arch Loop in Gardiner, MT where I first started running)

            I haven’t written for awhile because I haven’t really had any ideas what to write about so let’s just see what unfolds.

            For an update on my MCL injury that occurred last October I am back to building up my miles, no workouts or racing, just running and I am completely pain free. I saw my PT at the Sports ReactionCenter a couple weeks ago and he tested my knee to see how well it was healed. He gave me a high five and said it looked great! This was very good to hear. My patience and dedication to my rehab paid off and I now have a healthy and strong knee once again. It didn’t even take “that” long.

            When I did start running I built up very slowly, slowly increasing my miles while continuing to cross train. The first week I got about two miles of running…then 4…6…9…45…today I ran 10 miles with a friend which is the longest run since my accident. I have built my “long” run from 6 to 7, to 8, to 9 and now 10 and it felt great!

            It was on this run today that my friend asked me what my racing plans were and if I am o.k. sitting out a season. The indoor track season is now in full swing and I have been watching the University of Washington meets, cheering on my friends and watching people fly! Yes, there is a part of me that wants to throw on my spikes and jump into a race and start competing again because I love it.

            But I love it for a different reason than some might think and this is why I am fine missing a race or even a season or two as I already missed the cross country season. I do not run to see my name at the top of a list. I do not do it for praise. Not for attention, nor glory or fame, contracts or money.

            I run because I truly enjoy the feeling of pushing myself and testing my limits. I love the process of setting goals and striving to achieve them. I could do this day in and day out without anyone knowing or watching. I do not need a crowd to let me know that what I am doing has meaning. I am not looking for approval.

            Perhaps this comes from my growing up in a small town where aside from my siblings I was the only “runner.” We didn’t even have a cross country team. I trained alone. I wasn’t the fastest runner in high school. I never went to Footlocker Nationals. I attended college on mostly an academic scholarship, not an athletic one. I never made it to the NCAA Championships. But this never stopped me from continuing to work hard, knowing I had done my best. You see if I had put my self-worth or valued my running by how others saw me, by how many championships I won, or how I ranked in the Nation, or my athletic “fame,” or how much praise I received I would have quit a long time ago. These things are very subjective and dependent on other people. There is only one person you can control, only one person who at the end of the day knows your heart and that person is you.

            Competing in sports is not a privilege or a right. It can be taken away from you. If your entire identity is wrapped up in this one piece, what happens the day when you are no longer the best? Who will you be then?

            I realize that I have had success in my running. I have made it to the USATF National Championships four times and this past June the Olympic Trials. I have won several races and seen my name listed at the top. But this is not why I do it. I still view myself as the little girl from Gardiner, MT running laps around the Arch Loop for no reason except the challenge, the joy in pushing my body to new limits.

            With all the drug scandal in sports today it is nice to be able to take a step back and reflect on what it truly is about. Why are we doing it? I may never understand how athletes can choose to cheat. My mind could never grasp the concept as to how I could turn my back on a sport I love so much by cheating, after it has already given me so much. But maybe this is because I compete for different reasons, not medals, money or fame.

            So I may be unsure of what my future holds but I know this: I will always strive to do the best that I can in my passions but not for worldly reasons. I may not always have a number on the front of my jersey, or run fast times, or win races but I will still love what I am doing just the same. Nothing can change that.

            So my answer to my friend is, “Yes. Yes I know I will be just fine.”

(The joy of running)