Coming Up: Hells Hills!

Saturday is my first trail race...ever. I'm going into this with only two trail runs under my belt, so I'm a bit nervous. The race is Hells Hills - a 25K (15.5 miles) trail run in the tiny town of Smithville, Texas...so tiny that there is not even a hotel in town. Tomorrow after work, I'll load up the car and head to Bastrop, where I'll be spending the night in a hotel. Saturday morning will be a fun 5:00 am wake-up call, then I'll head to the race site (hopefully I can find it) for a 7:00 am start.

My nerves going into this race stem from a few things - One, never having done a trail race, I'm not sure what to expect. Two, I have a marathon next weekend. I don't want to get hurt doing this race (doesn't help that I'm super clumsy), so I need to be extra careful. And, three - the course. Unfortunately, I think the name 'Hells Hills' is pretty indicative of the course. The email we received from the race director described the terrain as 'A fair bit of rocks, a collection of rolling creek bed drop-ins and roll-outs, a twisty-turny riot of single-track trails, with the Wall & the Grind at the end of each loop.' I don't know what the 'Wall' and 'Grind' are, but they don't sound fun!

My plan:
First and always, have fun. And everyone says how friendly and helpful trail running folk are. Suits me fine.

Second, I plan on starting kinda slow, getting used to the course, and finding my own race pace.

I plan on shortening my stride up the hills, power walking on the steeper ones, and not taking the downhills too fast so as to avoid quad injuries.

If folks want to pass, I'll let 'em. If I need to pass someone, I'll be patient and wait for a wider spot in the trail.

And again, I plan on just plain having fun. If you have any other suggestions on how I can better enjoy my first trail race, I'm very open!

Hells Hills, here I come!

Quote of the Day

Every morning I receive a quote of the day delivered to my inbox, courtesy of Runner's World. Today's was one of my favorites, and so true.

I don't think you can become an outstanding runner unless you get a certain amount of enjoyment out of the suffering. You have to enjoy absorbing it, controlling it and—ultimately—overcoming it.

Derek Clayton in The Masters of the Marathon

Speaking of pain - this morning's workout at run group was 10x400m repeats. There's something about those short, fast workouts that kick my butt every time. Thankfully I had Mick there to keep my legs moving - and talk me into running two extra. It was a great workout. I could really use a nap though!

Capitol 10k Race Report

Cap 10k results: 40:52. A new PR by about a minute.

A few things I’ve learned over the past 2 weeks. One, rest does a body good. And, two, sometimes less is more. I went into this race pretty nervous. My running hasn’t been great the past two weeks. I’ve been tired, achy and struggling on some training runs that should be easy; this, in turn has made me somewhat grumpy and lacking in running mojo.

I will also state for the record that I do not accredit the PR to my “new and improved” diet. On Friday after work we met up with some friends where I had a few beers and split nachos with Dan. Then Saturday night I had a bowl of ice cream for dessert. Yep, I broke. I was growing pretty weary of being so concerned with what I eat and the way I look at it, life’s too short to be depriving myself of the stuff I love. I’m just your average Joe. If someone was paying me big money to run, then maybe I’d take it more seriously but until then…Anyway, on to the race.

I normally run only a handful of 10K races each year, because I prefer the longer races that allow me to warm up and ease into a comfortable pace.

My previous 10K record, a 41:51 from a Fall 10k in San Marcos, taunted me and, so when a friend asked me if I was interested in running the race with him and shooting for a sub-41:45, I was in. Another friend decided to join us, and now I was committed.

I wasn’t sure that I had the shorter speed fitness necessary for a sub-41:45 10K time. Just the same, I woke up on the morning of this 10K with my game face on and I was ready to run and determined not to let my running partners down.

We wanted to run 6:42-6:45 pace for the first couple of miles and pick it up on the 2^nd half. I’ve done this on more than one training run, so I know it works. But when the race actually comes and I’m looking up at all of the runners ahead of me, the competitive side of me just stops thinking and just tries to go with or pass them. That’s one of the things that make me a dumb/ignorant runner, although I am trying to get better at holding back. This was where running with friends helped. I think we did a great job at pacing each other. After mile one (6:44), I didn’t feel very fatigued, if at all. I’m very surprised at the splits for miles 4-6, but shouldn’t be since we held back the first three. I knew if we could get through the hills on the first half of the course smoothly, we were in good shape.

Despite my preference for the relaxed pacing opportunities of marathons, I was thoroughly enjoying the novelty of moving along at just over a 6:30 pace. The long hills that had intimidated me in the past appeared before me and disappeared behind me in a way that I have not experienced before and this new feeling was a good one. I soon decided that the 10K distance did not need to be a nemesis.

Our splits ended up being 6:44, 6:35, 6:43, 6:30, 6:25, 6:26 and 1:34 for the last .2. I could not be more proud of all three of us. We ran well together, encouraged each other and blew our goal out of the water. I am confident that I would not have run near as well on my own.

This race was really important to me. After feeling off the past two weeks, I was wondering how I would bounce-back from it for my marathon in two weeks. This race was the confidence booster that I needed at this point in my training.

I will continue to take step back weeks in my training with reduced mileage like I’ve done the past 2 weeks. I will continue to take a mandatory one day off a week to rest, more if I need it. I will remember that more isn’t always better and there is truth to the theory of quality over quantity.

Another Weekend, Another Race

First – I’m a bit grumpy this morning. I usually eat breakfast at my desk in the morning, and I forgot my breakfast today. And, when I’m hungry, I get grumpy. Very grumpy. Like no one wants to be around me grumpy. And to make matters worse, someone in the office brought donuts today. On the day I forgot my breakfast. Of course. But, no, I didn’t have one. Instead, I ate a Clif Bar that I have stashed in my desk drawer for emergencies…but after running almost 10 miles of hills this morning, that didn’t really do the trick and now I’m hungry again (and grumpy again).

This weekend is another race (I’m sure that surprises no one) – the Cap 10K. It’s the largest 10K in Texas and it ranks pretty high nationally as far as size probably only behind the Peachtree 10K in Atlanta and a few others? I don’t know, but every year I say I’m not going to run it because there are so many people, and yet every year I sign up. Guess that makes me the sucker.

A lot of people might think 10K’s are easy for me because I run marathons. Only 6 miles? No problem. Wrong. 5 & 10Ks are actually harder for me than marathons. I’m just not a short distance runner. I can run a half marathon at under 7 min mile pace, but my 10K pace won’t be much faster than that. For the shorter races there is no time to ease into the run; the gun sounds and you have to GO. No time to settle in your groove; the race is too short or that.

My PR on that course is 42:04. I’m aiming for around a 41:30ish. That may be optimistic; we will see. My plan is to hang around a 6:42 pace for the first 3 miles (hills) and then try to drop pace to around 6:35 for the last 3.

I ran some hills this morning in preparation for Sunday, as I was a bit disappointed in how I ran the hills in last Sunday’s race (felt like my pace dropped too much going up the hills). I went out early this morning and hit all the big hills in town a few times for a total of 9.64 miles in 1:15:45 (7:52 average pace). It took me about 4 miles to warm-up and find my groove (another reason why I struggle with short races; by the time I’m warmed up, the race is over). However, once I got going I felt strong and fluid up the hills. My last 5 miles were right around a 7:30 pace and that felt very comfortable. We’ll see what Sunday brings…

On another note, I am not convinced my nutrition cleanse is making a difference in my running. I have had much lower levels of energy since I started it…however, this could be due to general fatigue from previous weeks of high mileage training. I reduced training last week and will the next couple weeks leading into the marathon, so we’ll see if that makes a difference. Truth be told, it would probably be worth the money to go see a nutritionist.

And, just for the record, Dan has been tempting me with Mexican food. Like every night “How about we go eat Mexican food?” And, I’m like “no, how about Jason’s Deli?” Stalemate.

Sunday

10 hours of sleep last night + Nice 8 mile run in San Gabriel Park + coffee and an omelet at Monument Cafe + snuggling on the couch with my bassets = great start to my Sunday :)

Bearathon

Drove to Waco this morning for the Bearathon Half Marathon at Baylor. They advertise this marathon as the "Toughest Half-Marathon in Texas" and that's the damn truth. I didn't think there was any way this race would be harder than Decker, but it has just as many long, steep rollers, if not more, and with the heat and humidity, it takes the cake. Plus, I measured the course looong (.3 long) so it just gives me something else to bitch about.

My Garmin had me at 1:35:03/13.38 miles/7:05 pace. Not my best time, but on that course, I'm pretty pleased. Sadly, I did not win money today. As Dan says, still no return on investment in this sport. I came close though...I was 5th woman with money going to the top 3 overall women and the top 3 masters. One of the ladies who finished in front of me was a masters runner, so that bumped me up to 4th...not good enough for some moola, but I did come home with this:I was really impressed with how organized this race was. It's put on my students - the Student Foundation at Baylor - and all the money goes towards scholarships. The entry fee is very reasonable, everyone receives a nice finishers medal and a tech shirt, they have bands, chip timing and a nice catered spread afterwards. My only suggestion would be to move the start time up to 7:00 am due to the heat. 8:00 am is a little late and it got pretty hot/humid out there.

I'll be back. And, next time I'm bringing home some money, darnit!

Unplanned Rest Week

For once I did something smart in my training: listened to my body. After a lower mileage week last week, I had planned to bring the mileage back up this week. But after my long run last Saturday, I was spent. Literally exhausted. I skipped Sunday's trail run and rested completely. Monday and Tuesdays runs were okay, but my legs still felt kind of heavy and my energy level was very low. So, I rested again on Wednesday. I headed into Thursdays workout expecting to feel like a million bucks - that wasn't the case. I was still tired and struggling to maintain a pace that should have been easy.

So this morning's workout? Scrapped it. I'll be taking another complete rest day today. While this may seem like the logical and obvious choice to others, it was hard for me to do. I can't remember the last time I've taken this many rest days in a week. But, obviously I need them. So, I'll take them.

I'm still planning to run tomorrow's race in Waco. I'm just not sure how fast. We'll see how the legs/body feels tomorrow.

Maybe what I really need is a big, fat burrito smothered in queso and guac. I mean, is it a coincidence that I've started to feel like crap after giving up Mexican food? HMMMMMM.....

Spring Racing Season is Here!

First things first:

• It's Spring Break around these parts, and I'm always jealous this time of year of those who get Spring Break off. Especially when it falls this week with both St. Patty's Day AND the beginning of March madness. I am in full belief that everyone, no matter age or where they work, should get a Spring Break [without having to take vacation days].
  
  
• I really wanted some breakfast tacos yesterday morning. Like, badly. And, then I really wanted to go get some frozen yogurt last night. But, I didn't. Instead I had egg beaters, instead of tacos, and kashi cereal instead of ice cream. Bleh.

This was my last weekend without a race for several weeks. Spring is in the air, and so are Spring races! This makes me excited. I've got an interesting mix of races coming up:

• Saturday, March 19: Bearathon Half-Marathon in Waco. I ran this race 2 years ago. It's a bitch. I equate it to the Decker Half-Marathon as far as course difficulty. It runs through Cameron Park in Waco which is full of steep rollers. I'm aiming for around a 1:32. I don't know how that will place me among women; this race offers a prize purse ($300, $200, $100 for 1st, 2nd, 3rd) so that means all of the super speedy people will probably come out. I'm hoping for top 5? Who knows.
  
  
• Sunday, March 27: Capitol 10K in Austin. This course is also challenging, although the bad hills all fall within the first three miles, which is better than the last three miles...I also always remember this race as being the first noticeably humid run of the year. Lots and lots and lots of people run this race. It gets very crowded; every year I say I'm not doing it again because of all the people, and every year I sign up. Guess I'm a sucker like that, but the money does go to a good cause. Originally, my goal was to run right at a 41:00; I don't think that is going to happen. I've been doing too much long/slow miles and not enough short/fast. I think I can break 42, it just remains to be seen by how much. I'm gunning for a 41:30-41:45. Also, I'm be racing and pacing off of a friend, which is what I did last year for this race, and that always helps a lot.
  
  
• Saturday, April 2: Hells Hills 25K Trail Run in Smithville. This will be my first trail "race." I use the term "race" loosely as I will not be racing it, only trying not to fall on my face or break a leg during this 15.5 mile jaunt. Had I used my brain, I would have done some research before signing up...only to read after wards that this course is extremely technical and hilly...hence the name, and hence my goal simply to survive and enjoy my first trail race.
  
  
• Saturday, April 9: Big D Marathon in Dallas. I am still on the fence whether or not I will be racing this or using it as a training run. But, if I'm honest with myself, I've never not raced a race, so I will probably give it all I've got. This is a fairly small marathon. I should be able to finish top-3 women without much of a problem. So, I will use that as a goal as opposed to a time goal. Scope out my competition when I get there and try to pace off them. {of course now that I say that all of the super fast people will show up}. Hopefully it will not a 110 degrees.
  
  
• Sunday, April 17: Red Poppy 5K in Georgetown. Small, local, city-sponsored race less than a mile from my house. In it to win it! (first female)

Send me some good vibes! :)

Friday Night Fun

I bought one of these today during my lunch break (the stability ball, not the ripped man).I'm looking forward to going home and busting out a new core workout with it after work. See, this is what Friday nights now amount to for me since I can't have Mexican food, beer, candy or ice cream. Instead of looking forward to our Friday ritual of El Patron, I'm looking forward to a torture session with an over sized ball.

Sad day, my friends. Sad day.

TGIF.

Nutrition Cleanse

Nutrition. It’s been something I’ve been wanting to improve on for awhile, and now it’s time for me to put up or shut up. My nutrition is not horrible, but it’s not great either. I blame Dan since it’s gotten worse since I’ve been married (just kidding, I don’t blame you Dan. Well, not completely anyway).

I’ve always boasted that I have a stomach of steel, meaning I can eat pretty much anything without it affecting my next run/race. But, lately, I had been wondering if cleaning up my diet could actually improve my running? I’ve heard from a lot of people that it will, so I’m intrigued. I have a marathon coming up in a little over a month, and so I’ve decided to go on a cleanse until then and try to access how it affects my running.

Folks, I wanted to clarify that I'm not on that crazy "Master Cleanse" where you can only drink lemonade or salt water shit for 2 weeks.

I am eating on my cleanse!

Basically, the cleanse will involve giving up a few items that do not really provide me with any nutritional benefits:

• Mexican Food. We eat a lot of Mexican food. I mean a lot. Like at least twice per week, sometimes more. Okay, most of the time more than 2x per week. And, I’ve gotten into the bad habit of eating nachos like every.single.time.

• Ice Cream. I am the type of person who likes to eat dessert every single night. Lately, this dessert has been in the form of ice cream. Specifically Happy Tracks ice cream made by Bluebell. No bueno. I will attempt to substitute the ice cream for fruit. Yeah, doesn’t sound near as good to me either.

• Beer. Tastes good, but empty calories. Bye, bye.

• Candy. I am not a chocolate person, but I do love me some candy. Swedish fish, Starburst, Skittles, Sour Patch Kids, Twizzlers are regular staples in my diet. Empty calories and way too much sugar.

In addition, I am going to try my damnedest to eat more natural, non-processed foods. I am also going to try not to eat out (we eat out a TON). This presents a challenge for two reasons: 1) I hate to cook and 2) I can’t cook. We’ll see how it goes.

So there you have it my friends. That is my cleanse.

And I'm sticking to it. Even if it causes me to be super grumpy and I start seeing Sour Patch Kids, Queso and Blue Bell Ice Cream in my dreams.