This Saturday, I participated in the Music City Ultra Trail 25(7)K. I wasn’t originally going to do this race, I had planned on venturing out on some new trails somewhere close to Nashville while my running group participated. I had heard rumors about the insane course this race offered and was trying to avoid running it. Not very courageous of me!! I LOVE exploring new running routes and I needed some time on quality hills to prepare for Gnaw Bone 50K in may. This race offers three things; 1) awesome climbs 2) great practice for technical skills 3) it helps SAVE THE EARTH!
Track Thursday - Healthy Running is FUN!
Many people do their speed sessions on Tuesdays, and while I really love being a part of a big group of friends who encourage each other through grueling sets of 800ms, it works best for me to do my speed workouts on Thursdays. I do my longer midweek runs on Tuesdays. I was super proud of my Track Thursday this week. I felt great and recovered beautifully. Healthy running is exhilarating. I forgot how fun it is!
2016 Chicago Marathon Race Recap
I completed my second marathon last Sunday as part of the Bank of America Chicago Marathon. I finished in 3:56! Even though I PR-ed by 17 minutes and had my first sub 4 hour marathon, I haven't had many positive thoughts since I crossed the starting line.
Someone once told me that finishing a race is how an athlete expresses themselves. That a strong finish is an expression and reflection of the time and effort you put in to your training. This race did not reflect how hard I worked all summer. My quadriceps were in charlie horse level pain from about mile 10 to mile 26.2. I knew it was a physiological problem, and planned to get a blood work up as soon as I got back home. What the heck happened????
Thought Progressions on an 18 mile run...
My thought progression during my run today; feeling tight➡️ you can't take five miles to warm up during the marathon ➡️ panic - can't hit my paces ➡️ text P to come pick me up.....
Marathon Meltdown / Peak Training Week
Closed out this week with 75 miles, including the last 21 miler before Chicago!! But the best part of it is that P still loves me, despite the fact that I threw a three hour fit of epic proportions on Friday. After a long week, it was just a special mix of insomnia, hormones, and peak training tiredness. I realized I was in the wrong corral for the Chicago Marathon and the deadline to change has already passed. I've been checking weekly and hadn't been able to see my corral until Friday. I think psychologically speaking, it was just the last banana and I was so mad at myself for missing the deadline. After working so hard this season, how could I have overlooked that??
Snakes on a Trail/on my leg . . .
After climbing rocks, descending on gravel, running through sand, and climbing under and over trees, the only painful part of my body after running 20 miles at the Cumberland Plateau Stage Race was where I got stung. The pain of the sting/bite completely stopped me in my tracks out there on the trails. I screamed and yelled bad words. After the race packet suggested learning to identify poisonous and non-poisonous snakes and their bites, I looked around for snakes and checked to see if I had been stabbed by a stick or something, that is how painful it was. When the swelling and pain got worse 72+ hours after the race, I thought I better get things checked out by a doctor!
Cumberland Plateau Stage Race
This weekend I ran in the Cumberland Plateau Stage Race! My very first long trail race! I participated in Stage 2, which was 20 miles. I had a 20 mile run on my training schedule, so I thought this was a more enjoyable alternative to road running! I was excited about the shade while running in the woods, soft trails, and a brand new course!
US Olympic Track Team Trials and Tour de France: Inspiration for #TrackTuesday
My inspiration and motivation came from watching the US Olympic Team Trials and the Tour de France. It is so inspiring to watch them during their big events, but even more so to think of the path they took to get there.
IT BAND/BANNED FROM RUNNING (get it?)
There are 29 more days until I am supposed to be running the Rock n Roll Nashville marathon. Except for this IT band is not healing - and by that I mean, I have not allowed it to heal. My chances of running the marathon are not looking good. I refuse to throw in the towel at this point.
A Bad Run: 20 Miles was Great, 13... not so much
Last week, we ran twenty miles, I sprinted the last bit, felt super strong. I wore my old shoes. It was fantastic. I felt great! I wasn't sore the next day, and I completed all of my miles this past week with no problems, including speed sessions.
Today, during mile three, I started having some pain in my knee. At mile four, I was hoping it would go away.
Miles five through seven involved some controlled breathing....