12 Miles to Nowhere

Yesterday found me with 12 miles to run and no good way in which to complete them.  Due to family commitments, I had to fit in my long run in the morning, and Mother Nature was not smiling upon me.  The temperatures barely reached 15* with windchills hovering around 5*.  Knowing that my 12 miles would take about 2 hours, I reasoned that it would be unwise to spend such a long time out in the bitterly cold air.  I'm as badass as the next mother runner, but losing a toe to frostbite isn't high on my to-do list.

With the outdoors off the table, I was left with one other choice: 12 miles on the treadmill.  In my dark, uninviting basement.  With baskets of laundry and bins of outgrown clothes to keep me company.  By Thursday, I was 93% certain that this would be my fate, so I had a good 36 hours to prepare mentally.  I knew I just had to embrace the suck and do everything I could to make it as painless as possible.  I downloaded several episodes of the Serial podcast, cued up a few episodes of Friends on Netflix, and lined up my water, dates, and headphones on the treadmill console.  Time to quit moping and make it happen.

My Strava post after the run.  I stand by my assertion that
monotony is better than frostbite, though I'm not sure by how much...

The run began worse than I expected.  The first mile dragged on forever, and I couldn't wrap my brain around the possibility of logging another 11.  But by mile 3, my mind had accepted my fate and stopped complaining about the unchanging view.  I found my zone for miles 3-6, but then my brain re-engaged and started rioting.  6 miles was my previous treadmill distance record, and both my brain and my legs knew it; neither of them wanted to continue past the 6-mile mark.  It took all the mental strength I had to stay on the treadmill because every fiber of my being wanted to hop off and call it a day.

After fueling at mile 8, I found my stride again.  "Just 4 miles to go," I told myself.  "You can do this!"  I knocked the speed down a little, switched from podcasts to Netflix, and solidered on.  Mile 11 was another low point, but I forced myself to kick up the pace for the final mile.  I upped the speed every .2 of mile 12 and finished feeling strong but exhausted, both mentally and physically.  It was undoubtedly the hardest run I've had in quite some time.

I climbed the basement stairs and rejoined the family, barely mustering the words, "that.was.hard." in response to my husband's inquiry about the run.  I was totally spent, yet at the same time, I felt like a rockstar!  As I laid in our dining room with my legs up the wall, I thought about what I had done: powered through when I wanted to quit, tackled an insane number of miles while staying in one place, and lived to tell about it.  I have no doubt that I will face mental difficulties such as this on race day.  This run was an opportunity to practice my response when negative thoughts try to defeat me.  Though I didn't break any land speed records (why is it so much harder to run on a treadmill?!), I am so proud of my effort.  I will carry this victory with me for many future runs and remember that the harder the battle, the sweeter the reward.

What's your treadmill distance PR?  Given the scenario, would you have braved the cold or faced the treadmill?

My Favorite Yoga Poses

I have come to LOVE yoga!  With the hubbub of December, I struggled to keep yoga in my weekly rotation, and I could definitely feel a difference.  When I practice yoga regularly, my muscles feel relaxed, my brain is balanced, and I recover more quickly from hard runs.  When I don't, both my legs and my brain feel tight, tense, and edgy.

If you're interested in adding some yoga to your regimen, I've compiled my favorite yoga poses and videos.  Full disclaimer: I am in no way qualified to give out advice on yoga.  I'm self-taught via the interwebz, so I have no formal training on the subject.  However, I've learned a few things that work very well for my body, and I'd love to share what I've learned to see if they might work for you, too.  A quick rundown of my favorite poses for yoga novices:

1.  Triangle:  stretches the hips, thighs, and low back

2.  Pyramid:  hits the calves and hamstrings

3.  Happy Baby:  relaxes the hamstrings, groin, and back

4.  Lying Cow Face Pose (I don't name them; I just do them!):  incredible stretch for the glutes and IT band

5.  Toes Pose:  works out the ball of the foot and the top of the foot through the shin

6.  Standing Side Bend:  stretches the entire side body from the legs up through the torso

7.  Legs up the Wall:  eases tension in legs and back

Yoga has taught me how to listen - and respond - to my body.

I like to do Triangle Pose and Pyramid after every run.  They give a nice, gentle stretch to the hamstrings, calves, and low back.  If I only have a few minutes, hitting just those two poses is enough to help ease my tired muscles.  If I can squeeze in a few more minutes, I add in Happy Baby, Lying Cow Face Pose, and the Toes Pose.  Not pretty to look at, but they work wonders.

The Standing Side Bend may seem like an odd one to include here, but you'd be surprised by how tight your upper body can become during a long run or a speedwork session.  Stretching out these muscles is the ultimate refresher.  Ahhhmazing!  The final pose on the list, Legs up the Wall, is pure magic.  I have no idea how this pose works, but it makes a huge difference for me, particularly after a long run.  When I can lay in this pose for 5-10 minutes after a hard workout, I feel like a million bucks for the rest of the day, and I usually have limited soreness the following day, too.  I cannot recommend this pose highly enough.  If you are unable to do anything else in this post, give this pose a try after your next long run!  You'll love it, I promise.

I've found that I don't have to do yoga all in one session to reap its benefits.  Undoubtedly, the mental benefits are much greater when you can dedicated an uninterrupted block of time to its practice.  But, in the busy mother runner life, sprinkling poses throughout the day can still help your achy body.  I'll do a standing side bend while waiting for the microwave.  Put my legs up the wall while reading a book to my toddler.  Do toes pose in the shower (especially in the winter, when I don't want to leave its warmth).  Stand in triangle and pyramid while chatting with my 1st grader after school.

If you're looking for an easy-to-follow online yoga class for beginners, I highly recommend the hips, hamstrings, and low back classes on DoYogaWithMe.com.  Check out my review of the classes for links and more details.  If you're looking for something slightly faster-paced, Ekhart Yoga also has a great yoga for runners class.  View this post for full details and a link.

Give one of these poses a try after your next run and report back.  And let me know of your favorite poses, too!

The Road to 26.2: Week 4

And just like that, I've knocked four weeks off my training plan.  I feel hesitant to say this, for fear of jinxing myself, but training is off to a very strong start.  New Year's Eve notwithstanding, I improved my food choices tremendously this week (seriously, they couldn't have gotten worse! The bar for improvement was very low), which certainly made for easier workouts.  Overall, my training week looked like this:

Monday (12/29):  3 mile run.
Easy Christmas light route with Emily.  Perhaps our last chance to see them this season...
Tuesday (12/30):  6 mile run and strength work.
I felt apprehensive about this run after Saturday's disastrous six miler, but I rocked this one, managing negative splits and a tempo pace for the second half.  Post-run, I did strength work focusing on core and arms; a very tough workout after the run.
Wednesday (12/31):  yoga.
I combined some of my favorite poses to work out the tension in my hips, calves, hamstrings, and low back.  I walked away feeling amazingly relaxed and refreshed!
Thursday (1/1):  3 mile run.
Emily and I kicked off the new year with an easy three miler through the neighborhood.  Though I was short on sleep and fueled primarily by chicken wings, I felt surprisingly good.
Friday (1/2):  11 mile run.
With a weekend forecast for freezing rain, sleet, and high winds, I took advantage of the dry, low-30s weather on Friday to complete my long run.  I explored a new running route, which included lots of hills and an unfortunate lack of sidewalks in several places.  All part of the adventure, I suppose.  Though I was tired and ready to be done at mile 10, I held on for a strong finish.

My "I just rocked 11 miles" face.
So.darn.proud. of that run.

Saturday (1/3):  yoga and strength.
On a busy, busy day, I squeezed in some time for yoga and strength work.  Short but sweet.
Sunday (1/4):  REST!
And by rest I mean from working out.  The day was far from restful, but my legs were grateful for the break from exercise.  With my long run on Friday, taking both weekend days off from running felt very odd.  I'm itching to get back out there tomorrow!

After Friday's 11-miler, I relaxed that night mother-runner style:
with compression socks, recreational reading, and a vodka cranberry :)

I couldn't be more pleased with this week of training: I nailed my long run, conquered my old foe six, and managed to complete two yoga and strength workouts, too.  A very solid week of training, and one that I hope sets the tone for 2015.  4 weeks down, 14 to go!

The tree, week 4.
I promise, the sun does shine occasionally in St. Louis!

Goals for 2015

The gals of Another Mother Runner encouraged their tribe to put their goals for 2015 into the universe.  By taking the time to create clear, measurable goals, one has a much greater chance for achieving them.  I make internal goals quite regularly, but I rarely write them down.  The commitment - and risk of failure - that comes with putting dreams into written words feels like too much pressure for this recovering perfectionist.

I'm taking the leap, however, and writing down concrete goals for the coming year.  And I'm leaping even further by posting them here.  I focused on goals that would help me as a runner but also as a wife/mother/friend/human being.  I limited my list to three.  Many more would feel overwhelming; fewer would not pose enough of a challenge.  So here they are, my goals for 2015:

1.  Train wisely for the GO! St. Louis marathon: Arrive at the starting line healthy and happy; cross the finish line upright and smiling.
2.  Remove both mental and physical clutter: Discover what matters and truly focus on it; let go of the rest.
3.  Embrace the journey - and the suck: It won't always be pretty or easy or fun; sometimes it will suck.  Do it anyway!!

I'm looking forward to the challenge of these goals and to discovering new things about myself as I work to tackle them.  What are your goals for 2015?

2014 in Review

In a year that was pockmarked by family illnesses, major life changes, new realities, and civic unrest, running remained a bright spot and a source of happiness and fulfillment.  Focused on running alone, I couldn't be more pleased with 2014.  The one goal I set for myself for the year was to run a half marathon. I tackled that in April then went one better by adding another in October.  During the training process, I learned how to fuel, recover, and cross train in order to find race day success.

2014 also brought me oodles of support from running friends near and far.  Emily and I logged TONS of miles together, racing side by side for both 13.1 adventures and all the training miles that brought us to those starting lines.  I'm soooo lucky to have such an amazing BRF who lives a mere 22 houses away :)  I also met loads of BAMRs through Strava, and I cannot even begin to express their huge role in my running success.  They keep me motivated, inspired, and entertained.  If I could live anywhere in the world, it would be in Strava-ville.  So many positive people working to better themselves and encourage others to do the same.  Love, love, love!!

My BRF, Emily, who provides miles of laughter, companionship, and motivation.

Besides tackling new distances and solidifying friendships, 2014 also brought several big PRs at a variety of distances.  In July, I set a 10k PR on a hilly course.  I surprised myself in September with a smoking 5k PR, which gave me an age group award, too.  To round out the fall, Emily and I set a half marathon PR in October, blowing our April time out of the water.  Lots of hard work and many miles went into those PRs, and I couldn't be prouder of them.

5k age group award.  I'm ridiculously proud of this little medal.

When I wasn't setting PRs, I worked to expand my running comfort zone.  Formerly a sufferer of new route phobia, I broke free of that in June during my memorable run commute.  I ran 7 miles home from work just ahead of a massive thunderstorm; badass doesn't even begin to cover how I felt at the end of that run.  I continued to enjoy running in new places by running during our family beach vacation in July.  Sunrise run with a beach view?  Yes, please!  But the most memorable runs of the year were in August during our Alaskan cruise.  Running on the cruise ship was an experience unto itself with round-and-round monotony broken up by breathtaking views and crisp fresh air - and quizzical looks from the few passengers up in the wee hours to witness my endless laps.

A beach shoe selfie - a lovely end to my week of running in paradise.

Looking ahead, I'm excited to see what 2015 will bring.  I'm training for my first marathon in April - a guaranteed PR!  I'm looking forward to the marathon journey both in training and on race day.  I have no idea what those miles will hold, but I can't wait to find out!  In the fall, Emily and I want to try for a new half marathon PR.  Solo, I'm not sure that I could do it, but I think we can work together to make it happen. 

What were your 2014 highlights? Any big goals on the horizon for 2015?

The Road to 26.2: Week 3

Whew, what a whirlwind week!  Parties, church, and Santa, then endless reading of directions, finding missing Barbie shoes, and assembling Legos.  All good things to be sure (well, except the Barbie shoes), but just a bit hectic.  Fortunately, this was a cutback week on my training plan, so my overall mileage was on the low side.  Full disclosure: one reason I picked this training plan was because of the less demanding mileage during this busy week of the year.  My week's workouts in review:

Monday (12/22):  3 mile run.
Another rainy Monday!  We changed up our favorite Christmas light route to add a few more streets.  I'm going to miss the lights when this season is over.

Running selfie with Emily along Candy Cane Lane.

Tuesday (12/23):  walk and strength work.
A rare dry and sunny day found the kids and me itching to get out of the house.  We strolled around the neighborhood, checking out our favorite Christmas decorations, taking notes (literally!) of interesting sights, and meeting friendly dogs.  I did some legs and core strength work when we got back, which amused the Little Lady to no end.
Wednesday (12/24):  5 mile run.
Continuing the Wednesday tradition, I ran the early miles with Emily and then tacked on a few solo miles.
Thursday (12/25):  walk and mini yoga.
While the kids and hubby napped, I snuck out to enjoy a peaceful, sunny walk through the neighborhood while testing out my new gadget: a TomTom Runner GPS watch.  Reluctant to leave the unseasonably warm sunshine, I did a mini yoga session on my back porch.  My neighbors probably think I'm nuts...
Friday (12/26):  3 mile run and strength work.
Heavy post-Christmas legs made for a slow run, but it felt so good to get moving after the holiday madness.  I added some legs, core, and arm work after the run.
Saturday (12/27):  6 mile run.
Ugly but over.  As a relatively short distance for a long run, I expected this to be a piece of cake.  Boy, was I wrong.  But I finished it, complained about it, and am now moving on.
Sunday (12/28):  REST!
A supremely lazy day.  I appreciated using this day to recover mentally from the frustrating run on Saturday and to make a dent in laundry mountain, which had stacked up a bit during the holiday week.

The tree, week 3, still hanging onto its leaves.
The gloomy sky matched my mood.

Considering the holiday and other unusual activities in the week, I'm satisfied with this week of training.  Still not as much yoga as I'd like and my holiday food choices were certainly not the best, but frankly, I expected things to be much worse.  As before, I would like to tackle yoga twice in the coming week and get my food intake back on track.  Must step away from the cookies ;)

Not So Sweet Six

For some reason, six mile runs are not my friend.  They feel short enough that I don't spend much time preparing for them mentally, but they are long enough that I can't really fake them.  My fueling strategies are challenged.  Miles three and four just drag on forever.  Why do they taunt me so?

Six miles has really always been my nemesis.  When I first started ramping up my mileage in 2012, I plateaued around six mile long runs for several weeks.  I just couldn't get over the hump - mentally more so than physically.  I finally broke through, but it took a concerted effort.  And six continues to taunt me today.  This very day, in fact, I found myself facing my old foe six.

It was a dreary morning, and no part of me wanted to leave my warm bed at 5:45 to get ready for my run.  I nearly convinced myself to postpone the run until tomorrow, but dreary as it was, today's weather looked more promising than tomorrow's, so I forced myself out the door.

My new AMR gear: the one bright spot in today's run.

The run started off fine enough.  I was happy to be outside and to have a few moments to myself.  I quickly discovered, however, that I was not such a fun person to be around.  I was inexplicably crabby, feeling annoyed with the weather (not quite rain but not quite not rain) and tired of dodging ankle-deep puddles.  I was listening to a fabulously upbeat and positive podcast featuring the incredible Olympian and mother runner Deena Kastor, yet I couldn't stop myself from spiraling further into a funk.

Around mile four, I challenged myself to finish with negative splits, an attempt to salvage something useful from the gloomy morning.  That idea changed my mental focus enough that I could (finally!) settle into the run.  And I did it!  I managed to finish with a strong effort and completed the run with picture-perfect negative splits.

All's well that ends well, but I hope I can improve my relationship with that number which is afraid of seven (you know the joke, right?).  I have many midweek six's on deck in this training cycle, and I certainly don't want to suffer through each of them the way I suffered through today's run.  Is there any particular distance that taunts you?  How do you power through those tough runs?