Finding Your Inner Strength

(Out enjoying some trails)

          The weather here in the Pacific Northwest seems to be getting nicer and nicer, which means the Meet of Miles is fast approaching.  I don’t know about you but it is so much easier for me to get outside and exercise during these warmer months. The sun is shining, your body feels good, and you can’t help but smile. Right now is the perfect time to start prepping for the Meet of Miles. I’m not talking about putting in an elite level of training (but if that’s your goal then great) I’m simply saying, sign up for one of the races, or two if you are feeling ambitious, and you will have even more motivation to get outside and seize these beautiful days.
          I was at one of the Club Northwest All Comer track meets recently and a lady approached me and began talking to me about the Meet of Miles. Her biggest fear? She said she would never run a mile in front of all those people. This got me thinking why that is a concern for many people. In a road race you feel as if you can blend in and hide amongst the masses but on a track it may appear that all eyes are on you. There is no hiding or blending in. To this I would have to disagree.
          Yes, on a track, there really isn’t anywhere to “hide.” But I can reassure you that the eyes that might be on you (friends, family, maybe even a stranger) will not be that of judgment but more respect for what it is you are doing. Embracing your fears and doing something outside your comfort zone is brave and commendable. You may even inspire someone watching without realizing it. “But I am not fast.”  To this I say it is not just the fast “elite” runners who can serve as inspiration. In fact, I believe to the non-professional runner the times these athletes run can seem impossible. It is fun to watch but a harder sell to the non runner who thinks, “I can never be that fast.” Or, “I will never look like Shalane Flanagan.”

(Running is fun with friends on the track)

           These runners are inspiring but their times can be intimidating. And this is where you can serve as inspiration, not by being “average” as you might think and to which I can assure you, you are not, but for embracing your fears and not letting what other people think stop you. Someone may be sitting in the stands watching and see you out there having a blast. They will see you as strong, independent, and brave and may think, “If she can do that then maybe I can too!”
          You will find the running community to be a very open and encouraging group and you may even make some new friends who will serve to see your potential and offer you encouragement and reassurance when you begin to doubt.
          I will close with this. At the same CNW All Comer’s track meet I saw an elderly man racing in the 200m, 400m and several other events. No he did not win. But watching him race and push himself was very inspiring to me. He didn’t have impeccable form, his breathing was louder than those around him but he was challenging himself. One of my fellow teammates looked at him and said, “I hope I can still be racing when I am his age!” He was very inspiring and I was amazed by his ability.
          Strength is not always found on the winner’s podium but it can be found in the everyday achievements of everyday people setting goals for themselves, conquering their fears, and celebrating their victories. Don’t be afraid to embrace your inner awesomeness. 

(Monkeying around)

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!)