Frozen Buns 10k, Clermont, FL, and the Beach

Nice and cold at home...

Frozen Buns 10k – 33:18, 1^st OA, Course record

I was not sure about Frozen Buns going into the race. I started to feel sick a week before the race, and I was contemplating not running. As the winner of the 2013 FB 10k, I had free entry into the 2014 race, so I figured I had nothing to lose. After a little extra sleep and a day or two of easier workouts, I was feeling okay. I drove down to St Louis on Friday for packet pick up, $5 Chinese food, and I got to see some of my Greenville teammates.

Saturday morning rolled around, and it was a wonderful 20 degrees at 8am. I wasn’t feeling great, but I was feeling much better than I had been earlier in the week. There was no pressure to run fast, so I could just go out and have fun. I did a 3 mile warm up with Josh and Ross, then I went to the start line.

Standing on the start line I knew what was ahead...10,000m of fun with a little over 200 feet of elevation gain, mostly coming in the first 3 miles. Earlier in the week Coach told me not to go out too quickly…sure, I may go out too quickly in the 5k or 8k, but I have been pretty consistent with keeping 10k starts under control.

I wish I had some fun, epic story to tell you about this race, but I don’t. It was the exact same course as last year, and I found myself alone less than a mile into the race. I never looked back to see if anyone was coming, and I knew I would lower the course record about 5000m into the race—the only question was “how low?” There is definitely a lot that can happen over the last 3k-5k of a 10k, but I was running within myself and felt very in control of the race. I ended up running 33:18 compared to 33:57 last year. After the race I did a 3 mile cool down to get my “long run” in for the week.

This is one of my favorite winter races. The course is anything but flat, and it is a good test of strength. It may not be a “PR Course” but it is definitely a fun race. It is also pretty neat to race down the St Louis Delmar Loop. It is a very fun area and the St Louis Triathlon Club puts on a quality event.

Finally a downhill section!

Clermont, FL – Staying in Groveland

I feel like I had not made any crazy life choices for a while…until two days before the Frozen Buns run. I decided I was going to pack up some stuff and head south or west after the race. I visited the Clermont area last year and really enjoyed it. I was in Colorado in September and loved it as well. In the end, Clermont was better suited for my disliking of snow. I left home for St Louis on Friday. Raced on Saturday. Left St Louis and went to Nashville on Sunday. Monday morning I took off heading south. Somehow 10 hours later I found myself in Groveland at the AAA Tri Camp with a room made up for me. To be honest, I wasn’t exactly sure where I was going to be sleeping on Monday night, but things worked out just fine.

Van Fleet Trail

I have now been in Groveland for a week, and I love it. I get to swim at the NTC (National Training Center) and it is definitely the largest pool I have ever been in. It is pretty crazy to see Olympians swimming a lane or two over, or see Olympic sprinters as you’re walking through the fitness center. I am fully aware that they are regular people, but it is not something you’d see in Ottawa or Greenville.

27 short course lanes!!

There are also some pretty fun places to ride and run here. The Van Fleet Trail is just a bit down the road from camp, and it is nice for flat, fast rides and runs. There is also the clay trail just south of Clermont, and I hear it is great for a hilly 10 miler. I did a short run there, and the sun just about cooked me alive!

I'm going to get friendly with this red clay road!

Also, I am taking online classes while I am down here. I am finishing my last nursing school pre-requisite (for B.SN.., or M.S.N.) and I have been looking into a few other options.

The beach – Daytona, Ponce Inlet

 

Water!!!

Saturday, after my ride and run, we took a trip to Daytona Beach and Ponce Inlet. I love looking at big bodies of water, so it was great to see the ocean. I was very happy to be there for sunset on the beach! I have been to Daytona Beach before, but this was awesome. I look forward to visiting a few other places in Florida that I have not been.

So yeah, that has been my last couple week. Hope your training is going well. To all my northern friends—stay warm! Thanks for reading!

I love palm trees!

January 13-19

Swim: 14150 yards (8 miles) / 4:02

Bike: 211 minutes / 3:31

Run: 27.29 miles / 3:03

Total: 10:36

I felt like I had a cold coming on, so I had an off day and some down time this week.

Sunset at Ponce Inlet.

January 20-26

Swim: 16900 yards (9.6 miles) / 5:04

Bike: 458 minutes / 7:38

Run: 34.40 miles / 3:57

Total: 16:39

Had an extra ride and run this week upon arrival in Clermont. I learned the places to run and the best route to the pool.

Home squeezed grapefruit/orange juice in my Frozen Buns glass.

Dark Horse 2014

The holiday season is always a busy time, but things are finally back to normal. How many cookies did you eat? I know I had plenty. It seemed like we were not going to get many cookies this year (not a bad thing), but we seemed to get a lot right after Christmas...hmm.

Christmas morning run :)

The biggest news I have is that I was selected as the 2014 Dark Horse Triathlon Project Emerge athlete. I was very thrilled to receive an email saying I had been selected. I am very excited to keep working with Coach Steve for 2014. As stated in the write up, we have set some ambitious goals for 2014—make Team USA Chicago 2015 (through Age Group Nationals 2014) and qualify for/race Ironman 70.3 Worlds in Mont Tremblant. We believe both goals are possible, but it is going to take a lot of hard work. I have a feeling we will be doing a lot more swimming and biking this year.

See you in August!

2014 will be the first year that I do not have indoor track, outdoor track, or cross country. I am so used to being on the track almost every weekend Jan-early March and late March-mid May. Summer was always “base building.” Then cross country races were every other weekend Sept-Nov. I’m sure I will hop in a track race sometime (late may), but now I have the opportunity to race some different triathlons that I couldn’t before.What is your favorite early or late season race?

How about this crazy cold weather we’re having? I think the coldest I had run in was -5F before this winter. I have now run in -15F. -15 was not as bad as I thought it might be. It was single digits for most of the week and -15 didn’t feel much different. I also got to do a run in 14” of snow…I have decided I would rather have cold temps than snow.

Probably the longest goatee I'll ever grow!

Lastly, training has been going well. The swimming “ah-ha” moments are few and far between, but things are coming along nicely. I have to think about what I’m doing pretty much every second in the pool, but it seems to be paying off. I was taught to swim with the “S” pull, but Mary Bradbury was able to help me work through that issue. I sometimes find myself reverting back to it, but I am quick to fix it. Running is still running…one foot in front of the other. Biking has also been going well. I have been working on “spinning.” I have always been a “masher.” I like to ride at 75-80 RPM. We have been working on getting it closer to 85-90, by doing a lot of 90+ RPM stuff. I thought it was awful the first couple weeks, but now I am getting more comfortable with it.

Thanks for reading! Let me know if you have any questions. Stay safe out there.

Dec 23-29

Swim: 10,100 yards (5.7 miles) / 3:10

Bike: 273 minutes / 4:33

Run: 39.21 miles /4:35

Total: 12:18

Dec 30-Jan 5

Swim: 13,650 (7.8 miles) / 4:02

Bike: 324 minutes / 5:24

Run: 35.32 miles / 4:02

Total: 13:28

Jan 6-12

Swim: 13,500 yards (7.7 miles) / 4:16

Bike: 137 minutes / 2:17

Run: 38.11 miles / 4:31

Total: 11:04

The Week of December 16-22

Swim: 18,100 yards (10.3 miles)/ 5:20

Bike: 226 minutes/ 3:36

Run: 33.87 miles / 3:49

Total: 12:45

Training was rough last week. Well, running and swimming were great, but I struggled on the bike. Of the 4 rides, 2 were good and 2 were not so good. The first “not good” ride was after a long day of shopping with my grandparents—I was definitely under fueled, and really not in it. I ended up stopping the workout early. The next ride my Powertap batteries died almost an hour into the ride and I was fed up at this point. I know you cannot make up missed workouts, and it really isn’t good to miss a workout, but I just let it go. For the longest time, it would stress me out if I missed a workout and I would think of this big scenario of how my whole next 2 weeks were ruined. Now, (I very rarely miss/quit a workout) I can just let it go. I cannot change the past, but I can focus on having a good next workout.

The rest of this post is going to mostly track and field related.

I got a message from somebody this week telling me he is “burnt out.”  I tried telling my college coach that I was burnt out an a few different occasions. He used to tell me that, “being burnt out just means you need to change the color of your lenses.” My “burn outs” never came in the off season—I loved training—rather they came mid-season. The next step was usually to put me in an open 400m or a 4x400m relay and then I was magically fine.

To address this off season burnout, I have put together my thoughts.

*First, think about what has caused you to feel burnt out? Running cross country, indoor track and outdoor track makes for a long year, but a lot of college athletes do it. Was cross country stressful? Do you feel there is a lot of pressure on you for track?

*Don’t stress over a missed run. Most of us have been running for a LONG time. A missed run will not make or break the season. As a track athlete, there are a few key times you have to be ready during the year—usually late February/early March and the month of May. A missed easy run here or there in December will not hurt you, IF it does not become a regular thing. I can honestly say that in all of my years of running track, I do not remember one training run that “made” my season, or a missed run that messed up my season.

*Run without a watch. So many times we get caught up in running a certain pace, or finishing a loop in a certain time. If your body feels like running fast, then run fast. If you feel like running slow, then do it. Your body knows what it wants, listen to it.

*Run with music…or maybe don’t run with music. I do most of my running with music and I absolutely love it. If I ever feel the need to change it up, I go to the local park and run on the trails without music. Sometimes all you need is a good, distraction-free run to get back on track. Other times, you may need the music to distract you from the fact you’re running.

*Run with somebody you don’t normally run with. When running for a team, you usually run with the same people every day, every week. Now that you’re home on break, switch it up. Call up an old teammate (or even somebody new) and ask them to run. It doesn’t matter if they are faster or slower, just run. I enjoy training alone, but I will never tell somebody no, if they want to join me on a workout.

*Just do something. Running may not sound super fun, but if you can convince yourself to get out the door for a couple miles, you may do more. Or, ride a bike…or swim…or do yoga. Something.

*Sit down with a good cup of coffee and remind yourself why you run. Most of us are not getting paid to do this, so ask yourself, “Why do I run?” It is okay to question that at times. I think you’ll remember that you are doing it, because it is something you love.

It was fun "back in the day" and it should still be fun now :)

*Lastly, you’re home on break right now. Sit back, relax, and enjoy time with your family. There is so much hustle and bustle all year long…now is the time to just enjoy whatever happens.

What would your advice be to somebody feeling burnt out before the track season started?

Have a great holiday everybody, and stay safe while training! Thanks for reading.

5 Things I learned in 2013

December 2-8

Swim: 16,100 yards (9.1 miles) / 4:25

Bike: 362 minutes / 6:02

Run: 32.45 miles / 3:40

Total: 14:07

 

Dec 9-15

Swim: 18,000 yards (10.2 miles) 4:59

Bike: 3:23 minutes / 5:23

Run: 32.71miles / 3:40

Total: 14:02

 

Recently people have been asking me to post a weekly update, so I will try my best to do so. December started the build for the 2014 season. I don’t really have any super exciting things to report from the last 2 weeks of training—lots of time staring at the black line on the bottom of the pool, riding the indoor trainer, and cold/snow filled runs—so I made a list of the top 5 things I learned in 2013. I’m a list man. A lot of emails and texts usually start out with, “Hey I have something to ask you,” followed by, “A) B) C) or 1) 2) 3).” If I list things, I can usually get to the point quickly. If I do not list things, I will probably tell you my whole life story just to ask, “A) What time is dinner and where are we eating?”

 

Let’s begin!

 

5) "Swim and bike for show, run for dough"…but you must be able to swim first! The race is not won on the swim, but it can definitely be lost on the swim. Example? Age Group Nationals - swam 26:40 1500m but was well out of my AG race. With that said, it was still an overall great day. The swim was/is my weakness, but it is getting better. I have been swimming with a squad the past couple months, and it amazes me how some of these young kids can just keep going in the pool.

See ya again in 2014, Milwaukee!

 

4) There isn’t a magic formula for running (or swimming/biking) fast. I feel that I spent a lot of time in college searching for the best way to get faster. I tried low mileage, but everything quick. I tried high mileage (my highest week ever was 82 miles, and I will NEVER run that again). I tried a mix of everything really. In the end it comes down to consistent work (and sleep!). We didn't really do anything different this year besides run less, swim more, bike more, sleep more, and stay healthy. I may not have trained like a runner, but I was still able to tie or PR every run distance 1500m and above.

1500m. BAM!

 

3) Love your body—it is the only one you get! I guess this kind of goes with #4. This year I was able to start seeing what I am capable of doing, but I never tried to lose weight. I was able to just accept my body for what it is and let the training dictate my weight. Not only was I a lot happier this year, but I was healthy and strong.

Dad and me in Vegas (Henderson to be exact, ha).

 

2) I have a coach--it is his job to make workouts and analyze the data. Steve has done a great job of figuring out how to make me a better athlete. He doesn't ask me what workouts I want to do, he tells me what I get to do. I used to think it was fun when a coach would ask me what workout I wanted to do...now I enjoy knowing that coach has it planned. For the first time in a long time, I fully trust a coach to have full control of my training. It has made it much easier as an athlete to just focus on the workouts.

 

1) Lastly, one of my favorite quotes from The Perks of Being a Wallflower, “This moment will just be another story someday.”  It took me a while to figure out what went wrong in Vegas—I had a great swim (for me), but a sub-par bike and run. I didn’t give myself much time to reflect on it, as dad and I were visiting the Hoover Dam, Grand Canyon, Arches, and Colorado on our way back home. The following two weekends I had great races—it almost made me more upset about Vegas. Looking back on it, I had an awesome time on my trip to and from Vegas.  I finally made it west of Iowa by visiting CO, UT, NV, and AZ...I had to go through Kansas and Nebraska too, but I didn't stay any longer than I had to. The race was just another moment on this crazy 2013 journey :)

 

Some rocks I got to see after the race.

Well, thank you for reading and be safe out there while training. Let me know if you have any questions!

Turkey Trot 2013 Race Report

The Turkey Trot is never really an "A" race for anybody, but it is always fun to run fast. Last year was my first year running the Oglesby Turkey Trot and I finished 4th in 16:04. I wasn't sure of my fitness going into the race, but I knew I wanted to A) run faster B) finish higher than 4th. About 6 weeks before the Turkey Trot I ran a race on the same course, so I was hoping to run even quicker than that. The course basically has 20ish 90 degree turns, and a nice hill in mile 3.

The course.

Race morning was a wonderful 25 degrees...not cold, but not warm. Okay, it was a little cold. There were 1500+ registered, and 1410 finishers. It is actually pretty awesome that a town of a couple thousand people has so many people show up to race!

My goal was just to get out quick and figure out who was in the race. I did not see some of the names I was expecting to on the participant list. Last year I made the mistake choice to lead the race early and try to out run the other guys. This year I decided to see what the others were going to do and race off that.

 There were a couple single man breakaways in the first 1200m, but nobody wanted to keep on the gas pedal. At 1200m we were in a group of 3, and I decided it was time to take control of the race. I struggled with the hill the last 2 times I ran the course, so I wanted to give myself a cushion going into mile 3. I crossed mile 1 at 5:02 with a couple second gap on the chase pack.

The second mile is flat with quite a few turns. I decided to keep pushing. About 1.5 miles in, there were people out on the side sidewalks watching and I heard somebody say, "He looks strong right now." I needed to carry that into the upcoming hill!

I crossed the 2 miles in 10:10, and the uphill began. I was feeling good, but it was starting to hurt. At the top of the hill, Julie (and a crowd of other people) were there cheering us on. The thing that sucks about this hill is that it seems never ending--it goes up, flattens out, then goes up again! It is also by a sewage plant, so it smells "wonderful." Once you make it to the top of the hill, you have a lap around the block, then a loop around the park to the finish. At this time I had opened up 20second gap, so I was pretty excited. All that stood between me and victory was a loop around the park.

Boom!

I crossed the line in 15:47--17 seconds faster than last year, and 7 seconds faster than Oct 5! Winning the Turkey Trot is nice, but I was more happy to see another course/race PR on less run training than before. November really was the "off season" for me, and I was still able to run well. After the race there is stuffing, cookies, pumpkin pie, and beer...fun times!

My face was too frozen to smile.

As always, it was great to see so many friends and "regular runners." I have seen some of the same people at races since my first road race in 2004. It has been a lot of fun getting to know people over the years, and watch people grow as runners. There are also a lot of young athletes with a lot of talent, and it has been super fun to see their high school/college careers take off.

She has run all 35 Turkey Trots!

Thanks for reading! If you have any questions, let me know!

 

Race splits

Litchfield Route 66 Half Marathon Race Report

Well, I am honestly not sure where to start. I added this race to the schedule (without coach knowing it) a few weeks ago. I figured there is nothing wrong with a half…even if it is 6 days after the 10k. Ideal? Probably not…but since when do we do things the easy way?

I drove down to Litchfield on Friday night and stayed with the parents of a Greenville teammate. It was a quick, easy, and uneventful drive. I stopped in Bloomington for dinner—all pre-race meals should include something (Pad Thai w/chicken breast ) from Noodles, and a sugar cookie from Potbelly’s. (It’s a Greenville track thing.)

 

Yum!!

I woke up at 5:30 on race morning. I always like to be up at 3 hours before a race to give my body time to go through the normal morning routine. Coffee, oatmeal, shower, and head to the race. I was lucky and stayed about a mile from the start line, so this morning was very easy. I realized around 7:45 that I had never run a half before, and I wasn’t quite sure how to warm up for it. Do you warm up for a half? How? I figured a progression mile should do the trick—start easy, end a little quicker than race pace & then some strides. I felt good and was ready to go!

The air temperature was low 40, but it was very windy. On this two loop course, first 3 miles would be into the wind, followed by a bit over 3 miles back with the find. Repeat. The course is on a section of the old Route 66, and is pancake flat. It is definitely a fast/PR course, but the wind could definitely make it a tough day.

Somehow I got a low # again! No pressure!

The gun went off and I took off running. I wasn’t sure who was in the race, but I wanted to find out if anybody was going to try and work with me. In the first 400m I found myself out front. At this point I had to make the decision of keep going, or fall back and try to find a group to work with. I decided that if they wanted to catch up to me, we’d work together, but I had no plans of slowing down. The first stretch is out into the wind, so my goal was just to keep it under control for the first 3ish mile section, before making it to the first turnaround.

The first 3 miles flew by and I was feeling good. It was at this point that I would not be able to see the rest of the runners and decided if I needed to push it a little harder, or if I could back off. Coach and I had decided to aim for high 5:40s for my first loop, low 5:40s for the out section on loop 2, then whatever was left for the return trip. I came through the first 3 miles in 17:03, so I was already ahead of pace, but feeling great. I knew the wind was at my back for a little over 3 miles now, so I felt like I could left off the effort a little but still run a quick pace. I used this section to go through my checklist: knees up, hips high, head steady. All systems a go!

On my way back, I felt like I was flying and had to tell myself to dial it back a little bit. Part of my problem in the 70.3 run is I can get overly excited during the early miles and start to fade the last 5k. I wanted to make sure I ran strong the whole time today! I came back through my first 6 miles in 33:42 and thought, “this could get interesting.” At the second turnaround I noticed the wind had picked up.  At this point I knew the next 3 miles would make or break the run. Could I hold on? Could I take on the wind alone? The good news is those thoughts left my brain as quickly as they came. All I could control was my form and breathing, so I figured focus on that and the rest will happen—I can’t control the wind.

 

Racing down memory lane--Old Route 66!

The next few miles seemed to take forever. The course had plenty of spectators and people to cheer you on, but that wind was brutal. I didn’t look down at my watch too much, because I figured it was better to just run strong and see what happens…turns out I was dropping high 5:30s to low 5:40s into the wind! I finally made it to the turnaround and was a bit over 3 miles from finishing AND the last few miles were with the wind. Sweet! It was at this point that I really did want to open it up and see how I was feeling, but, to be honest… I wasn’t feeling “great.” I Felt good, but not as good as before. I managed to run low 5:30s the rest of the way and crossed the line in 1:13:05! I was shocked. My debut open half marathon, ran 1:13:05, and won by 8 minutes...I couldn’t have been happier.

 

Finished :)

I would like to say a huge thank you to all of the volunteers out on the course. I have done some big WTC/Rev3/USAT races, and I would say the volunteers here were just as good as any of those races! The energy from the crowd/volunteers?RD was electric! The other racers were also VERY supportive and encouraging as I was running by. I may have been out front, but I never felt like I was alone. There were also businesses along the way that had music playing, which was another huge plus! So, for course layout, support, and atmosphere, I would definitely give this race an A+! Racemaker Productions always puts on a great race, and this did not disappoint! I would definitely recommend putting this race on your schedule for next year. You also get an awesome hoodie.

 

The Greenville crew...these twins are FAST!!

I am still kind of shocked to have run 1:13 and honestly was not expecting that. I think the past 2 weekends have taught me quite a bit in terms of racing. First, to run the 32:44 10k last weekend essentially solo after the first mile, I had to focus on running my race and the things I could control. Coming off a great race, I decided to apply that to the half marathon. Run within myself and focus on a few key things; the rest would take care of itself. I was also able to quiet the voices in my head the past 2 races—and for me that is huge! I am not a patient person. I like to try and blow the doors off the race from the start. The past couple weekends I was able to quiet that side of myself and just run. I believe there is a time for both styles of racing, and the past couple races definitely worked out well.

 

Elvis was even at the race!

Thanks for reading!