Grandma's Marathon: 2 Weeks Down, 14 To Go!

My 16 weeks of official preparation for my debut in the marathon has begun! I have two solid weeks of training under my belt and 14 weeks to go to be as fit as I can be when I toe the line at Grandma's Marathon in Duluth, Minnesota on June 21st!

I am really excited to be training hard again. It has been 8 months since I have had a set training plan. Coincidentally that was right after I raced the US Half Marathon Championships in Duluth, Minnesota. Having raced in Duluth before was one of the main reasons I chose Grandma's Marathon. I loved my experience in Duluth and I like that I have run on half of the marathon course before. The timing is also perfect since Conference and the Preliminary NCAA Rounds are both in May so I will have a week or two of "down time" before my big race.

I had fun this fall adjusting to my new coaching schedule and enduring lots of pain as I raced hard without any solid training. I'm hoping enduring racing two 30ks off of 30-40 miles of easy running a week some how prepared me for how much the last 6-8 miles of the marathon will hurt. I at least think some mental toughness was gained from those endeavors. That mental toughness combined with getting back to the higher mileage I've known for the majority of my running career will hopefully have my body and mind prepared.

I have a few races planned this spring that fit with the training plan that one of my experienced, professional marathon friends has be wonderful enough to lay out for me. She has raced some great marathons in her career and I trust her guidance as I prepare for my big day.

Also, the best news since my last blog came the day before my birthday this past month when I found out I would be representing Saucony again this year as a member of their 2014 Saucony Hurricane Team. I am so excited to be able to race for Saucony in my first marathon!

Mean Green Distance News:
We wrapped up our Indoor season two weeks ago at the C-USA Indoor Track & Field Championships and it was a great conclusion to a strong Indoor campaign that saw many athletes set big personal bests.

A few of the highlights from Indoor:

Jo Adams ran an 11 second personal best to set the school record in the Mile with a time of 4:38.83. She also was Runner-Up in the Mile and 3k at Conference.

Excited for what she can accomplish in the Outdoor Season!

The Men set three distance school records this indoor season: 800, 5k, and DMR.
The DMR set the record at the Conference meet while also taking a Runner-Up finish.

Proud of them! Conner Bey, Bryce McAndrew, Alex Hita, & Austin Yaeger

The Outdoor season gets under way this next week with some of my group opening at TCU on Friday and the rest will open up at Texas Relays in two weeks!

Texas 10 Series: College Station

Sunday morning in College Station was the first of seven 10 mile road races to be contested across the state in 2014 as part of the Texas 10 Series. I was excited for the series as soon as I discovered it on the Run On! Race Calendar. Actually experiencing the first race this weekend I have gained even more excitement for this series. The event was extremely well organized, had amazing volunteers & police officers, an excellent course, fantastic announcing, and was great fun for every runner. I personally appreciated that the race organizers had decided to give the lead woman in the race a lead bicycle as well as the overall leader. This proved to be invaluable as we closed the final mile and he cleared a nice path for me to the finish line amongst the 5 Miler finishers. The water stations were awesome and proved to be fantastic cheering sections out on the lonely windier back stretch of the loop. Those young ladies pumped me up to push even harder!



The Start!

As many posted on the Texas 10 Series Facebook page it was really just the weather that got in the way of the event reaching perfection. All the runners met the strong wind from miles 2.5 to 4.5 on the 5 Mile loop that we repeated twice. I decided not to look at my Garmin splits once I hit the wind because I was feeling great and had moved into second place overall (1st woman). This was a smart idea since I might have discouraged myself if I saw the 6:21 mile I split for mile 5. I felt the best I have in quite a while on the second loop after I took my GU at Mile 6. I pressed hard into the wind to finish in 1:01:15 as the 1st Woman and 2nd Overall. My Halfway split was 30:29 so I was happy to have maintained pace pretty well the second loop. I was most pleased with my last 2 miles into the wind being faster than the first loops windy miles.

Splits:

1^st Loop: 5:54, 5:49, 5:59, 6:13, 6:21

2^nd Loop: 6:04, 5:53, 6:06, 6:10, 6:16

Putting up the North Texas "Eagle Claw" as they announced me as the University of North Texas Cross Country Coach

One of the biggest accomplishments I feel I had this weekend was being mentally tough on Saturday evening. With my athletes we talk about mental preparation for every race and how you cannot allow how you feel on your pre-meet or even warm-up the day of the race deter you from the goals you have outlined for yourself. Saturday afternoon I had gotten a pretty bad headache that manifested into a stomach ache by the time I was able to sit down to dinner at 8:30pm. I didn’t eat too much and felt pretty gross. Instead of letting this deter me I got chocolate milk and went straight to bed. I woke up feeling much better and for me there’s nothing oatmeal and a Starbucks coffee can’t overcome on race morning. How great I felt during the race made the night before seem like a distant memory. I was glad I had not panicked just because I wasn’t feeling how I wish I felt less than 12 hours before my race. The body is often tougher than we think especially if we’ve trained our mind to help us push the body to do what we want it to do. #FindYourStrong

Next Race in the Texas 10 Series: Boerne, TX 3-30-14 http://www.texas10series.com/interior.cfm?pg=7

Rogue 30k: Wind, Exciting Miles 7-11, and Owwwww....A Painful Finish

The chilly temperatures and strong wind (25-30mph) didn't deter me this morning as I started the Rogue Distance Festival 30k in Cedar Park/Austin. {Mainly because I had already paid $85 to enter and Ryan & I had made the trip to Austin the day before} But seriously I lined up ready to still fight for my goal of running 6:20-6:30 pace with an ideal goal of breaking 2:00:00 (6:26 pace).
I made friends on the starting line with a woman hoping to run the half marathon at 6:20-6:30 pace. The gun went off and we settled into our rhythm.

We're hard to see here as we're about to pass the stroller that got off to a speedy start

We chatted a bit the first few miles which offered a bit of a distraction as the first 4 miles went relentlessly into a head wind. We picked up another runner at about mile 4 and he worked with me through mile 6.5 and then I was on my own. This was okay since there finally wasn't a head wind! It seemed to take me a little bit to feel the rhythm since my legs felt like jello after running into the wind for so long. But then the miles just started clicking off and I ran the inclines and declines with a solid pace. I kept my focus on a man I could see in the distance ahead of me but he turned off just before mile 12 for the half-marathon. About a half mile later the course turned and I was facing my dear friend the head wind again. I struggled for a mile hitting 6:45, but then the course had some turns and I got back to 6:30. My hopes were up I thought 2:00:00 was still within reach. Then straight on head wind greeted me again. I felt beat. I was struggling to run 6:50-7:00min pace as I battled the last 4 miles of the course. I managed to finish with a 6:36 pace effort for the last .6miles (.7 on my Garmin) and averaged 6:33 pace for the race setting a new PR of 2:02:18 besting my old PR from my November debut of 2:02:33.

Finishing what I started

Splits:

Mile 1	6:22
2	6:33
3	6:38
4	6:28
5	6:32
6	6:30
7	6:12
8	6:20
9	6:14
10	6:18
11	6:15
12	6:23
13	6:47
14	6:32
15	6:59
16	6:51
17	6:44
18	6:57
.6	6:36

I'm happy to have won my 2nd 30k and to be 5th Overall in the race, but I definitely finished feeling beat. Beat down by the wind. The part that hurts is that I really feel I could have broken 2:00:00 in a 30k today, but the fact that I didn't fuels my fire to get back to regular training and have myself fit and ready to reach more challenging goals even if I face adverse weather conditions again.

Shivering a bit receiving my award

Overall, it was a great event and I think it was the perfect way to end my month of racing. While enjoying competing again the past month I also wanted to teach myself how to endure through pain & discomfort and learn to persevere when a race is not going to plan. This 30k provided the perfect lesson plan.
Also, the next time I head to Austin to race I hope Ryan and I have more time to go out and explore the city.
Up Next: Mean Green Distance starts official practice and we head to College Station to compete at our 1st Indoor Meet January 17th!

Month of Racing: 3rd Weekend Update!

After racing last weekend in Virginia I spent the week in New York with my parents, sister, and Ryan. I had some great runs on Staten Island while we were there and of course enjoyed all of the Holiday festivities that the City had to offer.

Inside Radio City Music Hall seeing the Rockette's Christmas Spectacular with Ryan & My Family

Then we flew back to Denton on Friday and drove to a race Saturday morning in Arlington, Texas. The Don Zetnick Winter Run 10k was my first 10k since July. My goal was to break 36:30 after running 17:37 in the 5k in Virginia last weekend. I felt great running splits of 5:37, 5:39, 5:45, 6:01, 6:07, 5:56 (closed 5:26 pace) and finishing in 36:18. The 2nd mile of the race reminded me of the Jingle Bell 5k I did in Dallas 2 weeks ago. The whole mile we kept going down a slight decline and although I felt great I knew in the back of my mind that I would be climbing back up this for mile 5. So I was actually pleased with my mile 5 split since so much of it was up hill.

The 10k & 2 Mile Start

(The woman with the stroller is in the 2Mile/ had to clarify after some Facebook teasing on this photo)

Same with the young man in this photo (The 10k & 2 Mile shared a start & finish) My athletes teased me about this photo on Twitter

Running hard the last half mile

Side View

The finish

After enjoying meeting so many individuals at the Carrollton Runners Club Prediction 5k two weeks ago I went Sunday morning to their Monthly 5k & Mile runs for a workout. I got in a solid effort running 5:41, 5:48, 5:45 on my Garmin for an official 18:18 5k. More importantly I had fun visiting with the other runners there. I met another individual who loves Saucony (just like one of the sponsors I met at Saturday's race) and it turns out she was at the Arlington race as well and raced the 2 Mile there. I always enjoy hearing more about other's goals and it was fun chatting with several individuals who like myself are getting back into shape and have some fun goals set for this spring.

So far this month of racing has gone really well especially in regards to what I was hoping to gain from it besides just fitness. It has given me confidence of what I can accomplish next year as I lay out an actual training plan. If I can run these times off just running 30-40 miles a week I know that I am still capable of accomplishing so much more when I add in specific workouts and higher mileage. 

This month has also reminded me that at my core I LOVE competing.

I already knew without a doubt that I love competition. After all that is a key part of coaching and I have never been happier than I was this fall training and coaching my athletes through a whole season of competition especially the championship portion of the season. This month of my own racing just reminded me that I still enjoy competing myself and competing will be that much more fun when I have been training hard for it. This spring will still be a test of balancing. As my own training and racing will continue to be a side note of my coaching, but I know that it invigorates me and makes me a better coach when I am still pushing myself physically to be the best athlete I can be. I still think I can learn more from training and racing myself that I can then use to help make my athletes better. So well my body is still able and my mind is still willing I am going to devise a smart schedule and get in some morning training sessions and some Sunday races this spring. 

Next stop for the 4th weekend of my month of racing is Austin, Texas: Sunday January 5th. 

Jingle Bell 5k Part Deux

Post race at Piccadilly's with my mom, Polly

I raced my 2nd Jingle Bell run of 2013 yesterday morning at the Apple Capital Jingle Bell 5k in Winchester, Virginia. My main goal was to try and run close to 17:30. This seemed reasonable after my 17:56 hilly Saturday 5k last weekend that I followed up with an 18:13 5k less than 24 hours later at The Carrollton Runners Club Prediction Run 5k.
{Quick story about that race} Silly me lined up for a "Prediction Run" with my Garmin on. Not because I cared about actually hitting my predicted time to win a gift card, but because I wanted to get a good workout in and push myself to not settle into too slow of a pace. Needless to say I ran without the watch as soon as someone called attention to it and I realized that clearly I wasn't thinking clearly at 7:30am. I actually was only 13 seconds of my predicted time and received a gift card!




Although I finished as the 2nd woman yesterday morning I am pleased with my effort and I am excited to really get back to training. I decided to lay out a month of racing every weekend to have some fun while getting back into the hang of doing workouts and this was a successful race #3. I have also started to slowly increase my mileage after staying in the 30s and 40s all cross country season (which is extremely low mileage for me).
I always enjoy racing back in my home state of Virginia and having both my parents come was a nice treat. Plus we had surprisingly warm weather! I was pleased that I maintained a decent pace through miles 2 and 3 even though I wasn't able to gain any places those miles. My splits were 5:30, 5:42, 5:43.

Start of the Race!

Leading for the women around the 1st loop

Coming back into the square for the finish

My Dad and I also wore some fun matching Tasmanian Devil Christmas socks!

My dad always called me "Taz" growing up some what because I was speedy, but mostly because I left a mess in every room in the house that I had been in.

Next weekend the plan is to race a 10k! I haven't raced a specific 10k distance race (although I've raced some longer distances) since July. So I am excited to see what I can do as I continue to build fitness. 

Graduation & Getting into the Holiday Spirit

Yesterday definitely got me into the holiday spirit as I received a thoughtful Christmas gift from one of my returning athletes. It was also bitter sweet because I also received the nicest card from my two athletes graduating this semester. 

So thoughtful!

I had the pleasure of coaching two great international athletes in their final semester at The University of North Texas. Matt was an exceptional leader on our Men's team and finished his collegiate eligibility with his best individual and team season of cross country at North Texas.  He earned 2nd Team All-Conference USA Honors (11th) and had his highest finish at the NCAA South Central Regional Championships with a 36th place finish (31:32, 10k). 

Carly also closed out her collegiate eligibility with her best individual and team cross country season at North Texas. She was a positive force on our young Women's team and was a member of the 3rd place Team at Conference USA and scored (top 5 runner on the team) for the first time at a championship event in her collegiate career as our 5th runner at the NCAA South Central Regional Championships where she helped the Women's Team to their highest team finish in the past 10 years. 

Track & Field Graduates: Matt, Kendria, Carly (& myself)

Matt & Carly with other student-athlete graduates and AD Rick Villarreal

Carly & Matt's Commemorative Plaques

It was such an honor to have Matt & Carly not only accept me as their new coach in their final semester, but also to have their support as leaders on our teams. I will forever be grateful for their hard work and dedication they gave this season and for contributing to the foundation of the distance program we are building at North Texas. So thank you Matt & Carly and I can't wait to hear about your future success. 

As I continue to "get into the holiday spirit" I thought it would be fun to do my first Jingle Bell/Holiday race. I had a great time this morning at the Shamrock Jingle Bell Run hosted to benefit The St. Patrick's School in Dallas. 

My festive socks! (I also wore some jingle bells on my race bib!)

There were so many young athletes at the race all dressed up for the holiday season and many enjoyed their turn to scream...I mean "sing".. Christmas carols into the microphone that blasted out of the speakers. It was such a fun race environment. I was hoping to run under 17:30 and had a good start to my goal with a 5:21 1st mile (that mile went downhill, uphill and then flat the 2nd half) when the 2nd Mile started creeping downhill and then had some big down hills I knew the 3^rd mile might be a bit tough. I clocked a 5:24 on my Garmin for mile 2, but 10:57 through the 2 mile race mark and by then we had started to climb. Then we climbed and climbed. The whole last mile was uphill. I felt great and caught the last runner that was within reach (the other 3 young men had taken off from the gun and stayed as a pack but not within reach to catch). Since I felt great and thought I was progressing through I didn't check my Garmin until it beeped for the 3rd mile. I saw 6:23 and my brain was so confused. By then I heard the announcer and sprinted hard up the last hill to the finish for a 17:56 finishing time (1st Woman and 4th Overall). Although I wanted to run faster I am quite please with my effort. I'm just now getting started on my own training and building my mileage from the ridiculously low weeks I maintained during the cross country season. I'm excited for the month of racing I planned for myself and a gift card to Luke's Locker as well as my fasted 5k since I moved to Denton is definitely an okay way to start!

Yay!

A Return From Too Long of a Hiatus

Wow has this fall flown by! I took a break from blogging once the NCAA cross country season got under way to be able to put all of my time and attention towards my first season as a full-time coach.
Coaching the Mean Green Men and Women in cross country this fall was amazing! The program made some huge improvements and I am very excited for the upcoming Track & Field seasons.

A few of the highlights:
I had the pleasure of working with our great Conference USA staff organizing the first Championships of the newly re-aligned Conference USA for the 2013-14 Academic Year. The University of North Texas hosted 15 Women's teams and 13 Men's teams on our home cross country course on November 2, 2013. 

The Men took 2nd in The First Conference USA Championship of the 2013-14 Academic Year

Six Men earned All Conference Honors (Four 2nd Team & Two 3rd Team)

The Women finished 3rd at The Conference USA Championship

Jo Adams and Charlotte Wilson both earned 1st Team All-Conference Honors 

 

Both the Men & Women program's posted their highest team finish in 10 years at The NCAA South Central Regional Championship

The Men were 6th

The Women finished 9th with Jo Adams earning All-Region Honors

As far as my own running is concerned this fall saw my own running take a bit of a hiatus as well. After having to take a month off this summer for my heel to recover I spent this fall doing regular runs with my ladies as well as long runs. I also hopped in a few make-up workout sessions with a few of the ladies; which I always enjoy motivating them while running beside them (I usually ride my bike along for big team workout sessions).
Even though I took a break from training full-time I still had the pleasure of toeing the line at some great events in the greater Dallas/Ft. Worth area.

I ran in August with my friend and North Texas Assistant Swim Coach Brittany at The Around The Mound 5k

Both of us with our "winner's cups" (Brittany won her age group!)

Had a great time with my now fiancé Ryan running the Santa Fe 5k on a Thursday evening in Dallas along with some friends. Felt great this day and was happy to run 18:04 without any specific workouts in my training.

Always fun when Ryan & I race together (& both win!)

Enjoyed my first Overall Race victory at the Depot Day 10 Miler in Gainesville, TX located north of DFW area; this race was just 2 days after the Santa Fe 5k. Lead from the gun and loved that the course was two 5 mile loops and I felt great this day!

Felt awesome this day running my Half Marathon PR pace for a solo 10 Miler

I also ran the DRC Half (The day after the C-USA XC Championships). This was my most painful half yet as I went out way too aggressively for the lack of shape I was in and paid the price the 2nd half of the race (especially the last 4 miles that I crawled). But as always it was great to see some of my new DFW Running friends there and meet a fellow Saucony Hurricane.

One of my new Dallas running friends Roxana

Most recently I took on my longest race (and longest run EVER!) at The Big D 30k. I felt like I did at the 10 Miler and really started to click away the 2nd half as we worked our way back around White Rock Lake in Dallas (I also was smart and patient the first half unlike my dumb racing at the DRC Half. I even chatted with Ryan a bit on our way out in the 30k). I was able to claim the Overall Victory in 2:02.33. I was very happy with my sub 19:00min last 5k as the wind was cold and blowing at points with the temperature staying under 35 degrees!

My first run over 16miles and it was an 18.6 Mile race!

Now that I have settled into my position the plan is to have a bit of time to blog as well as get back to a bit more regular training.

I'm excited for my athletes to get fit over winter break and while they're at home training I will be racing each of the next four weekends. So stay tuned for updates! First up is the Shamrock Jingle Bell 5k in Dallas! http://www.shamrockjinglebellrun.com/