Week in Review 1/19/15 to 1/25/15

First things first, I have no idea what version of this blog you are looking for so if it looks the same, my apologies. If it looks shiny and new, fantastic! The two months after my initial WordPress migration snafu are up and you should be seeing a brand new version of this blog. However, the snafu seems to have continued a bit, so my big unveil is a bit anticlimactic.

Monday: Tempo with 5 by 5 minutes at T pace on the treadmill. 8 total. Legs after.

Tuesday: Recovery ski, 1 hour.

Wednesday: 9.2 mile run/skate in running shoes with LT.

Thursday: Workout! Warmed up then 5 by 3 minutes at I pace up and down Riverside. Down sections felt great, up sections were incredibly humbling. Legs after.

Friday: 3.5 mile recovery run.

Saturday: 5.5 mile run with 4 striders and arms afterward.

Sunday: 11 mile hilly long run on Spear Street. Felt great but got really chilled by the end.

Total: 45.2 miles

2 legs, 1 arms.

I wish this week featured a little more mileage but I’m happy to have gotten in a tempo run, speed work and a long(ish) run. With another incoming storm, it looks like I’ll spend much of the next week inside so I’ll adjust my workout plans accordingly.

Week in Review: 1/5/15 to 1/11/15

Despite an arctic blast that had us at -11 F (and -35 F “feels like”) and a cold that made me (and everyone around me) miserable, it was a great week of running!

Monday am: Super early 5.1 miler plus striders before case discussion at 7:30. Arms afterward.

Monday pm: Had a lot of reading in a review book to do, so did an hour on the bike to change it up.

Tuesday: Warmed up for my workout and realized I was much sicker than realized. Called it after 3 miles total.

Wednesday: 8 miles easy plus legs.

Thursday: Skied with the team for a bit then 5 miles indoors plus striders. Arms afterward.

Friday: One of the best workouts I’ve had in a long time! 8 miles total with warmup, then 2 by 10 at T pace and 5 minutes of cutdown plus cooldown. Legs afterward.

Saturday: 12.8 mile long run in the wind and cold on Spear Street. So grateful to have Amy, Ryan and Laurel with me!

Sunday: 6.1 mile eassssssy pace run around St. Mikes. Striders after.

Total Miles: 48

Arms: 2 times

Legs: 2 times

Striders: 3 times

I’m really thrilled with the way this week panned out, especially given my cold. I’m still totally stuffed up but feeling a lot better than I was midweek. I got my miles up another click, had a very solid workout on Friday and most importantly, did a good job of getting the extras in. I’m finding that if I go directly downstairs after my run or finish my run at the gym, I’m much better about getting lifting in. For this coming week, I’ll keep inching mileage up, hope to get two workouts in and add drills before those workouts.

How was your week?

Week in Review 12/29 to 1/4/2015

As weeks in running go, this one was pretty exciting. I looked back over 2014, kicked off the new year with a race win and finally put another race on the calendar. In so doing, I’m feeling a lot more motivated to get out there which coincides perfectly with the arctic blast headed our way. No temps above 20 for the foreseeable future = potential for quite a bit of indoor running.

Monday: Super icy early morning. Cars all over the road but I avoided disaster. 7.7 miles with a mile of 200 ins and outs plus glutes, balance and a foam roll session.

Tuesday: Ski race at Mount Hor so skied the course, then ran to the top and back while coaching. 2 miles of running, god knows how many of skiing.

Wednesday: Hour of classic skiing plus 5.8 mile run with striders. Arms afterward.

Thursday: First Run! 2.5 mile warm up, 5K in 19:11, 1.5 mile cooldown for 7.2 miles. Happy to find out I can still run a 5:49 mile…Glutes and legs afterward.

Friday: 4.2 mile recovery run around campus then skied to the Cabin at Trapps. Hairy conditions, so happy not to fall.

Saturday: 11.3 mile long run. Absolutely frigid out. Definitely did not eat enough Friday night to fuel a long run!

Sunday: Rest day before kicking off the spring cycle.

Total Miles: 38.15

Two leg sessions and 1 arm session.

Happy with the way this week went and even happier to feel ready to train again. I’ll spend the next 6 weeks rebuilding a strong foundation (fartleks, hill runs, basic tempo) as I look forward to the 10 miler on February 22nd.

Well, at least I have something on the calendar?

Evidently 2015 is the year where I’ll fly by the seat of my pants racing wise. In some ways, this makes sense. At least from now until March 2nd, my priority is the USMLE Step 1 exam and everything else has to come second. This doesn’t leave a ton of time for focused training or high miles. After a decent performance on Thursday, I feel like I have enough fitness to start doing mini-cycles until I’m ready to commit to my “big” 2015 race. As such, I signed up for the 5 Colleges Realtors 10 Miler in Amherst on February 22nd. It’s the first of the USATF NE Grand Prix series, so I’m hopeful that I can get some early points on the board. I haven’t run that race before but in reading some blogs on the course, it sounds hilly and challenging. Perfect!

Over the next 6 weeks, I’ll be working on getting some longer runs back in, keep trucking on tempo work and adding in some hills both to restart speed development and prep for the 10 miler.

Anyone else joining me in Amherst? What’s your next race?

Race Report: RunVermont First Run 5K

It has been a LONG time since I’ve raced a 5K and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little anxious about what this morning would bring. I’m in good general shape but have done very little in the way of workouts since Vegas and have almost no memory of how to race a 5K. I’ve run the course before and my plan was to go out moderately for mile 1, survive the hill and headwind of mile 2 then kick it in for mile 3, which features a great downhill finish.

It was cold and windy this morning with a “feels like” of 11 at race start. I hate to be hot when I race so I gambled and wore capris and a long sleeve. Although I froze at the start, I was generally happy with this choice during the race. The start went out FAST and I was in about 10th place for women at half a mile but worked to just run my race. This turned out to be a good approach; I was in second by the mile. As we turned into the wind, I caught the woman who was in first and when she threw in a little surge, I decided to just tuck in on her as we battled the wind for mile 2. At about the 3K, however, she was starting to slow way down so I gave it my 10 quick steps and pushed past her to the next group of people.

WHERE is the top of this hill? And why does this have to be the headwind?

Once we crested the hill at 2, I ground down and worked on just keeping form solid through the final mile. The Beech Street downhill was FREEZING but once we turned again, it wasn’t too bad for the last stretch. Somewhere along here a woman told me I was first woman, so I just kept pressing to the line. I finished feeling strong and got to break the finishing tape! I reflexively threw my arms up, so stay tuned for that picture…

Coach was not on his photo game today…grinding towards the finish.

I’m most thrilled with my race splits as they reflect that I respected the course and pushed when it was appropriate. I have a bad tendency to fight the wind so I’m thrilled that I trusted myself enough to just settle in through the windy mile and get it back together when we turned.

Mile 1: 6:10

Mile 2: 6:30

Mile 3: 5:49

.1: 5:31 pace

19:11, First Overall Female, 17th overall.

All in all, an excellent day that bodes well for 2015!

USATF NE Grand Prix 2015

The USATF NE Grand Prix was announced on Monday, which may not seem like headline news to most. For me, it will help finalize my calendar for 2015. The biggest item is that the marathon was moved to be Vermont City. I didn’t plan to do a spring marathon this year (because I am focusing on a fall OTQ attempt) but VCM being the USATF marathon changes a lot for me.

Have you done the USATF Grand Prix races before? Anyone racing as soon as February 22nd?

Week in Review: 12.8.14 to 12.14.14

Whelp. It was almost a great week of running! The week started with some good runs and we even managed to run outside throughout the entire three day storm that socked Burlington and I was looking forward to a weekend of great runs. And ran exactly 0 miles on Saturday and Sunday. Goodbye Streak. On Saturday, I coached our first nordic race of the season at Craftsbury and my ankle BLEW up on the first lap. I think it’s fine but just wasn’t used to the amount of pushing off I was asking of it. When I got home, I decided it was silly to run a mile for a Streak and risk an injury and figured I’d just make it up with a slightly longer long run on Sunday. On Saturday night, a friend had a medical emergency and I spent the night with him in the Emergency Room. Everyone was wiped by 6 am and I slept for a few hours, losing the precious time I cut out of studying for running.

Life goes on. Ultimately, I’m still in my relative rest period until the new year and there are things far more important than hitting arbitrary mileage. I’m starting to get used to my new studying routine and hopeful that the new running routine that I’ve built around it will continue to help me get a solid run in each day. I’m also excited for the New England Grand Prix to get announced this week so that I can solidify my race schedule!

Monday: Freezing cold 5 mile extended campus loop with Will.

Tuesday: Snuck in 7.2 slippery miles before the storm really set in.

Wednesday: 5.3 miles in the midst of the snowstorm. Lifted arms in the basement.

Having a gym in our basement is a game changer. Still looking for a treadmill and our collection will be complete.

Thursday: 3.5 miles in the slush/ice/snow. Ankle starting to bug me from so much stabilization. Core in the basement.

Friday: 6 mile loop through Winooski. Finally starting to get cleared, but still rocking Icebugs.

Saturday: Skiing at Craftsbury for 6 hours.

Sun trying to come out on Saturday. Awesome early snow made for great skiing.

Sunday: Lots of hours in my desk chair.

Total Miles: 27

How To Run Through a Snowstorm

Our most recent storm has been more like March than December, featuring heavy wet snow and periodic showers of “ice pellets.” In short, it’s nasty out. The right gear makes all the difference, though, and we had a mostly enjoyable run through the snow and ice. The only thing I was missing was a pair of clear shade; the ice pellets were painful when they hit eyes!

Accurate facial expression for the weather.

My must-haves for snowstorm runs:

Skida Headband: Absolutely the best active headbands on the market. Vermont-made and worth checking out.

Brooks Nightlife II: Make sure plows see you!

Nathan Poptop Gloves with fully reflective top: Warm, water resistant and more visibility.

Saucony Omni Tight: The best winter tight I’ve ever owned; perfect for a single layer to 10 degrees.

Icebugs: If you live in snow country, invest in these. I ran outdoors throughout all of Ice-pocalyse last year without a single issue.

Week in Review: 12.1.14 to 12.7.14

I’m struggling to believe we’ve made it to the last month of 2014 when I feel like it just began. To help me get oriented, Mother Nature is in full winter effect. Precipitation yesterday plus plummeting temperatures turned Burlington into the set of Frozen and I spent much of my long run today tiptoeing across sheets of ice. On Tuesday into Wednesday, we’re looking at a bomber of a storm, with 2 inches of snow an hour.

Iced over driveway this morning. Didn’t get much better throughout the day.

I ended November with 154 miles, including a full week of off days, some of my lowest miles since surgery. It’s been fun going out for 2 to 3 mile runs.

Monday: 4 mile run with nordic team, 5 minutes of tuck drills, 200 crunches and 100 pushups.

Tuesday: 6.4 mile run. Stomach felt horrible.

Wednesday: Easy 4 mile run with the team.

Thursday: 2.5 mile run. Stomach bug in full effect.

Friday: 5 mile run followed by 2 mile run with hill bounding in between at practice. 200 crunches/100 pushups.

Saturday: 3.5 mile run in the slush and ice. Scary.

Sunday: 10 mile long run in feels like 4 temps and ice with Laurel. Did an hour outside then went indoors to finish up because we were freezing. Lifted arms afterward.

Total Miles: 37.4

Slowly getting back into it. I’d hoped for 40 miles this week but didn’t quite get there. I’m struggling to balance boards studying with school, running and coaching but starting to figure out a schedule. Aiming for 42 miles this coming week (10%), but will have to be flexible with the forecast. Looks like I have to get out Tuesday morning if I’m running that day!

Who’s still streaking? How’s the weather where you are?

Week in Review: 11.24.14 to 11.30.14

Happy Thanksgiving Week! I hope everyone had a great week with family, food and some rest from work. We hosted at our house, which included roasting a 23 pound bird (!!!!), mashing 10 pounds of potatoes and a lot of laughter.

Dad holding court at the head of the table.

Monday: 4 miles at MMU with some uptempo sections with the girls. Weirdest, warmest weather ever.

Tuesday: 4.5 miles with a mile of 200 ins/outs on the track with Will. Feeling super clunky.

Wednesday: 3.5 miles at Mills Riverside Park plus striders. Snow rolling in over Mansfield and the first really cold day.

Thursday: First snow run! 5.5 miles through Burlington before dinner to kick off the #RWRunStreak that I’m taking part in this year. Cold enough that I had to break out my winter running jacket!

Friday: 1 mile shakeout run in Norwalk, Connecticut on our way down to Footlocker.

Saturday: 5 miles in Van Cortlandt Park coaching Footlocker. SO fun to be back there and to feel the Footlocker energy.

Tortoise and the Hare Statue at Van Cortlandt after an awesome day of racing.

Sunday: 3 mile campus loop. Wiped from New York trip.

Total Miles: 26.5 miles.

I’m still enjoying my off-season but ready to get back to a more normal schedule for this coming week. I’ll aim for about 35 miles with a longer run and a fartlek workout just to remind my legs that they can turnover plus some visits to the gym to rebuild the chassis before we start spring training. Nordic also starts this week, which means that I’ll be crippled from dry land.

Who else is streaking with me? Any great runs over the past week?