Yoga in the Woods

At the last minute, we decided to pack up the kids and head to my parents' cabin at Innsbrook to enjoy this fabulous fall day in the woods. What an excellent decision! We've spent a lovely day of carefree playing, the highlight of which was the dinosaur dig carefully organized by Mr. D.

While the paleontologists-in-training worked at their dig site, I enjoyed a peaceful yoga break on the back deck. Outdoor barefoot yoga in October?! Yes, please!

Life is good :)

Race Recap: Innsbrook Independence Day 10k

On Saturday, I tackled the Innsbrook Independence Day 10k. Innsbrook sponsors a 2-mile, 5k, and 10k on each of their three big summer holiday weekends. I've wanted to do the 10k for years, but scheduling, heat, and apprehension have kept me from showing up at the starting line. With unseasonably cool temperatures on deck and legs that felt fresh and strong, I knew this was the weekend to make it happen.

Elevation profile for the course.  An easy start with a crazy hilly finish.

Race day weather was picture perfect, as predicted: mid-60s at the start with a slightly overcast sky - my favorite running weather. The 10k field was quite small with just 40 of us tackling the distance. Small but mighty, we took off to explore 6 miles of wooded scenery on foot. 

More than half the field passed me in the first mile, but I reminded myself that I wanted to start slow. I had no idea what the first half of the course held, but I knew the back half was hilly; better to conserve energy for those late inclines. Much I my surprise, the entire first half was flat as a pancake. I enjoyed the views along the path and spent most of those early miles chatting with a gentleman from Nevada.

As the climb started at mile 3, I saw that my conservative strategy was starting to pay off.  I passed six runners on that first massive hill and felt happy and strong.  My pal, Jack, hung with me for half the hill and then wished me well; he didn't have it in him to maintain pace through the back half of the course.  After saying farewell to Jack, I could see just one runner ahead of me: a woman in a striped tank top who was consistently about a third of a mile in front of me.  I chased her up and down many hills, and nearing mile 5, I started to narrow the gap between us.  I passed her just after the 5 mile mark, but I could tell that we were both running out of steam.

Mile 5 through 5.5 was the toughest part of the course for me.  I was feeling tired and hungry, and with her now at my back, I had no other runners in my view.  And of course, I was climbing yet another incline.  I slowed to a walk to take a drink from my water bottle and do battle with the part of my brain that wanted to quit.  "Suck it up, buttercup," I told myself.  "You've come too far to stop now."

I forced myself to resume my running stride and even found enough energy to finish strong, running my last (mostly downhill) mile in 8:50.  I crossed the finish line in 55:09, conquering even the loftiest goal I had set for myself that day.  I downed a banana, chugged some water, and cheered in other runners as they finished their race.

Overall, the race was a wonderful community event.  Though there were no crowds of spectators to speak of, the camaraderie among the runners was spectacular, and I enjoyed the gorgeous views along the course.  I definitely plan to run it again and try to improve upon my time.

July Goals

In the heat of the summer with vacation plans on deck, it seems wise to put a few goals into writing.  I need to keep running this month to stay sane, and posting my goals into the blogosphere will help me feel more accountable.  So here they are, my goals for the month of July:

1.  Run the Innsbrook Independence Day 10k.

I've wanted to run the Innsbrook 10k for a couple of years, but I've been very good at psyching myself out and avoiding the starting line.  This year, I'm going to push myself to make it happen.  I'm a little nervous about 6 miles of relentless hills, but the weather should be perfect this weekend, and I'm ready to push my comfort zone to give it a try.  No set time goal for the race.  I just want to finish it feeling strong and happy.

2.  Log at least 2 (but preferably 3) runs while on family vacation.

We leave for our usual beach vacation in a little over a week, and I've never successfully run on vacation.  I usually have the best intentions but then decide that my running gear hogs up too much precious cargo space.  I'd like to change that pattern this year.  I've checked out our rental location on Strava and planned a few possible running routes.  If I can get out the door 2 or 3 times during our 8-day trip, I will be satisfied.

Can't wait to take my own shoe selfie on the beach soon :)

3.  Take advantage of the long summer days by running at both sunrise and sunset one day.

The idea of a two-in-one running day is very exciting to me.  I've never logged multiple runs in a day, but for some reason, the idea is rather alluring.  During these super long summer days, I should be able to run my usual sunrise loop before the kids wake up and head back out for a sunset victory lap after I tuck them into bed for the night.  My husband will undoubtedly think I'm nuts.  He might be right...

4.  Start training for my fall half on July 28th.

I'll end the month by kicking off the training for the Rock 'n Roll St. Louis half marathon.  I'm still pondering options for our training plan, but I'm looking forward to the challenges and rewards of the training lifestyle.  In the meantime, however, I'll soak up the freedom of my current unstructured running days.

What about you: any specific running plans for the month of July?

Why I Run: To Enjoy Nature

Yet another reason I love running: it gives me a chance to be outside and experience nature.  I love the smell of fresh air, the sound of birds, and the sight of trees, grass, and my neighbors' landscaping.  Running gives me a chance to appreciate all that nature has to offer - or at least as much nature as this urban gal has at her disposal.  I feel more alive when I am outside, and running is my excuse to get out and be part of the world.

Sure, I spend plenty of time playing out in the backyard with my kids or going on neighborhood walks with them, both of which I enjoy immensely.  But running provides a perfect marriage of my love of nature and my need for a small window of personal time.

Innsbrook: beautiful views, killer hills, and a happy mama.

I incorporate parks and shady neighborhoods as much as possible into my daily runs, but my heart is happiest when I run out at Innsbrook.  The heavily wooded area provides home to wildlife well outside of my usual squirrel and bunny variety.  I often find wild turkeys, deer, and turtles, not to mention beetles, dragonflies, and many other flying insects.  When I'm not marveling at the wildlife, I enjoy the deep peacefulness of the woods and the coolness of the deeply shaded paths.  Innsbrook runs make my heart and head happy, and they challenge my quads and glutes with their relentless hills.  Happy heart and strong quads?  Life is good :)

Buns of Steel

In mid-May, a mother runner friend mentioned that she was embarking on a 30-day squat challenge.  Intrigued, I asked for more details.  She sent me the plan along with the sage advice: "Don't look ahead."  Wise words that I surely couldn't heed as I immediately scanned down to day 30.  175 squats?!  Even broken into sets, that number sounded impossibly huge.

The mother runners and I plunged headlong into the challenge, keeping each other accountable via Twitter.  One of my favorite parts of the challenge was giggling over the funny-only-to-us hashtags we came up with over the course of the month.  Beginning with #bunsofsteel and ranging into #squatarama and #squatamnesia, I would sometimes squat just so I could chat with them about it.  Who knew that witty friends and clever Twitter banter could make even squats seem tolerable?

My sister also joined in the fun, squatting with me at Innsbrook and on the banks of the Black River during our family's annual trip to the lodge.  We were squatting in the boonies, or as she quipped, saSQUATching.  Between my sister and my squatting mother runner friends, the month passed quickly, and I stayed surprisingly well on track.  I missed a day or two, but I was able to make up the missed squats and ultimately finished the challenge.  

As I ran the hills at Innsbrook this past weekend, I noticed the benefits of my regular squatting.  Thanks to my stronger quads, glutes, and low abs, the monstrous hills didn't seem quite so daunting.  I felt powerful as I charged each hill, and I still had energy left in the tank at the end of my 3-mile run.  The new challenge, of course, is to maintain this strength now that the 30 days have expired.  I plan to do 50 squats on my non-running days; let's see if I can stick to this plan as well as I stuck to the challenge...  Any volunteers to keep me accountable?

Seen on the Run: Innsbrook

We are spending the holiday weekend at our favorite getaway: my parents' cabin at Innsbrook, MO. Nestled deep in the woods, the cabin is a peaceful oasis for all of us, and runs out here are rather zen-like for me. The stillness of the woods and beauty of nature surround me, helping me to reflect on all of the good things in my life.

I love our neighborhood and wouldn't trade it for the world, but urban runs rarely leave me with the overwhelming gratitude that I feel after a run at Innsbrook. Post run endorphins coupled with deep-seated gratitude equals one happy mama. 

A beautiful view of Lake Lucern early in the morning.

All this bliss doesn't come without a price: did I mention the killer hills? Few flat stretches exist in this little corner of the world, so every run is a hill workout. The inclines used to overwhelm me, but today, I embraced them and dare I say, even enjoyed them. I was sucking wind while my quads burned, but I felt joyful, triumphant, and strong. I will run hills all day long to capture just a glimmer of that feeling.

Lake Running

I've read about pool running but have never had occasion to give it a try.  While spending the weekend at my parents' lake house, however, my mom and I tried running in the lake.  And boy was it a great workout!!

Sandy beaches and peaceful water at the lakes of Innsbrook.

We ran laps in waist-deep water.  Between the wind, the wake we created, and the sandy bottom that kept sucking our shoes, it was an intense 30 minutes.  I definitely got my heart rate elevated very quickly; it felt like a good hill workout.  After running our laps, we tread water for still more cardio work.  My mom is far superior at treading and did an interval of hands-free treading.  I, on the other hand, had to use my hands in order to stay above water.

All in all, it was a great workout and a nice deviation from my regular routine.  I hope to do more lake running throughout the summer!