For Boston

It is hard to put into words my feelings on today's events.

Runners are strong and determined people. A marathon takes perseverance and dedication. Months of training. Our friends and family who come to support and cheer us at the finish line are also amazingly dedicated and may stand out in wind, rain, and cold to see us cross that line.

The Boston Marathon is one that so many runners dream of. To work so hard and qualify for this race can take years of work. I am overwhelmed by the thought that someone would do something like this to try to hurt others and take away these dreams. 

I truly believe as runners we will continue to be strong and that a tragedy like this will only cause us to band together even more.

This article in the Washington Post is well written, and really hit home to me, particularly this last paragraph:

"If you are losing faith in human nature today, watch what happens in the aftermath of an attack on the Boston Marathon. The flood of donations crashed the Red Cross’s Web site. The organization tweeted that its blood supplies are already full. People are lining up outside of Tufts Medical Center to try and help. Runners are already vowing to be at marathons in the coming weeks and months. This won’t be the last time the squeakers run Boston. This won’t be the last time we gather at the finish line to marvel how much more we can take than anyone ever thought possible."

If you are losing faith in human nature, go out and watch a marathon. -- Katherine Switzer

All my thoughts and prayers in Boston.

Running Happy

I know races and training have been going well for me lately, and no one is exempt from having a bad training run or a race. In fact, on of my worst runs ever was the Davis Moo-nlight half marathon last July, just a few months before I started blogging. That race was ROUGH -- it was hot, the race was in the evening (I wasn't used to doing long runs at 7pm), and I experienced the worst chafing of my life by mile 8 -- yep, a recipe for disaster. That race, was hard for me to enjoy.

In general though, I would say I am a very happy runner (ok, I'm pretty happy most of the time -- not just while running). I love getting out and pounding the pavement even when I know it is going to be a hard run. I always look forward to the feeling afterward. One thing that I think makes this easier / better is a positive attitude.

In the most recent Runner's World magazine issue, there was a short article called Find Zen Through Running. This article really spoke to me because this is exactly how I feel about my running mental attitude and frame of mind. It mentions four points to keep your thoughts calm, which can in turn improve your running.

1) Tune In: Be aware of your body and how you are doing today. Notice how you feel, whether it is good or bad. Maybe your hamstrings or IT Band are tight from yesterday's run or strength session, or maybe you feel great and relaxed today. While you are running think about staying relaxed -- shoulders and hands should not be tense. This is also something I try to think about while cycling. If your body and mind are relaxed, running will be easier. You can also try focusing on your breath -- now many steps each inhale and exhale takes -- or the movement of your chest and abdomen as you breathe.

2) Think Happy: An optimistic outlook has been linked to increased athletic performance. We all know that the time spent out on the road for a long run can take the mind to a lot of different places. If negative self talk comes, try to just see the thoughts come and go rather than dwelling on them. When a run starts to get tough, I often tell myself that I look beautiful or I'm doing great rather than thinking about how hard it feels or about my muscles burning. As mentioned in the article "I can see the thoughts coming up while I run—I want to stop right now; I wish this was over—and I see them for what they are," Davis says. "They are just thoughts; they don't have to be my reality."

3) Accept the Challenge: I think runners love a challenge. We enjoy pushing ourselves to new limits. When things don't go as planned (like my hot weather, chafe inducing race last July) rather than spend our energy fretting about what it is going to be like, use a calm and positive mental state to relax and be in the moment. This saves energy to put into racing instead of fidgeting or tiring the mind. Focus on your breath and what is happening at this very moment -- not what is happening 5 minutes from now, or what happened 5 minutes ago.

4) Love the Run: Value the runner you are today. Try not to be dissatisfied with your ability -- maybe you think you should be able to run faster or farther or longer. But no matter where you want to be, this is where you are now.


I have learned a lot about this kind of meditative thought process through yoga. Practicing this method of focusing in yoga has also improved how I think during running or other workouts. Sometimes it takes me a mile or two at the beginning of my run to quiet my mind and feel more in the zone. Usually I don't actually think about meditation, but more about relaxing, focusing, and being aware of my body. I truly believe we can go further and be so much stronger with a positive mindset.


Sure, bad and upsetting things happen, and its okay (actually good!) to talk about them. I'm sure I will tell you all about it when my next terrible race or run comes up. But right now I'm focusing on keeping my mind zen, and I think it is bringing my running to the next level.

So today, don't be afraid to be proud of yourself for what you have accomplished. Try not to dwell on the days that don't work out as you planned whether on a run or in life.

Be present. Breathe. Enjoy the run.

Running of the Elk Half Marathon Relay: Race Recap

If you follow me on Twitter or Instagram, you know that Ryan and I had a great race on Sunday morning in the Running of the Elk Half Marathon Relay. In fact, we won the coed division!

Our team is the Fat Penguins! 

Still working on perfecting a penguin drawing.

Since everyone likes to hear all the details, let's start at the beginning. Race start was 8am, but we had about a 20 minute drive and still needed to get our packets, so we got up around 5am. Our friends Matt & Raechel were also running the relay, so we all drove to the race start together. We swung by the race start for the guys to pick up our race packets and once they brought back our bibs Raechel and I headed to the exchange point.

Ryan was running the first leg (7.5 miles) and I ran the second leg (5.6 miles) for our team. I don't know much about the race start since I headed over to the exchange right away. But the exchange point was set up well with a few portopotties and a radio station and drumline for entertainment.

The actual exchange seemed a little confusing for the first few teams. I think the race organizers originally wanted relay runners to leave the main road to exchange and the second runner to return to the road. But it didn't really happen that way. Instead, after the first runner crossed the timing mat, they just high fived the second runner and #2 continued running. I think it worked out ok since the race wasn't very big, once a couple teams had gone through. With more runners, this may have gotten in the way of the half marathoners.

Anyway -- Ryan was hoping to maintain at least a 7 min/mi pace for his leg, putting him arriving at the exchange around 53 minutes. He was actually able to cross a minute or so early, and his average pace was about 6:53. (Of course, I didn't know exactly what his pace was until we finished). But what I did know was that he was only the third relay person across the timing mat, and the first in the coed relay! It was then my turn to keep us moving ahead!

Relay exchange is so exciting and it really pumps you up to get tagged in to run! I started the first 0.25 miles of my leg going way too fast! I guess I was just excited!!! I realized pretty quickly though and started to slow down.

Since the race was on the smaller side (around 800 half marathoners), and Ryan kept a good pace, runners in our area were very spread out. It was so strange to be running nearly alone in a race. The runners near me were also keeping a faster pace, so I was passed by a couple right away. But then it was mostly just me trying to keep up my pace and chase down the faster guys. I was only passed by one woman (first woman in the half marathon)! I also only recognized one guy who passed me as being part of the relay. So, generally I knew we were doing pretty well.

My goal was finish with an average pace of less than 8 min/mi. My estimated 10k time from McMillanRunning based on my most recent half marathon pace was a 7:52/mi, but I wasn't sure that I'd be able to maintain that. I ended up being able to run my leg of the relay in 7:44/mi! Much better than I thought I could do! Ryan said he thought he ran about 0.05 miles too short, and I ran my leg a little long. Our overall distance according to our watches was 13.15 miles.

My splits were:
Mile 1 - 7:40 (oops, too fast!)
Mile 2 - 7:53 (that's better -- feeling more maintainable)
Mile 3 - 7:45 (finally in a rhythm -- no longer thinking about pace too much)
Mile 4 - 7:47
Mile 5 - 7:52
Mile 0.7 - 7:25 min/mi

I crossed the finish line for our relay team in 1:35:20!! I was so freaking excited! I just knew we had won it! I saw Ryan right after I crossed the finish line and gave him the BIGGEST hug!


After I finished, we wandered around the finish line area for a while, and cheered on Raechel to the finish. Then we scrounged up some pancakes (best post race food!) and picked up our award once our time was official! I also found my friend Ana who raced the half. She's currently training for her first full marathon!

Our award was this awesome Running of the Elk tile -- actually we each got one, so we have two. Now we are trying to decide where to put them! Maybe on the mantle?! Gotta celebrate our victories and improved performance, right?

 

Half medal was a little larger than the relay medal. 

They also even gave super tiny medals for the 5k -- seemed like a fun idea for families and kids!

Now we are both on a runner's high, and thinking of the next running race! (You can probably already tell based on all exclamation points.) We might do a 10k or 10 miler in a few weeks, and our next half marathon is in Cleveland in the middle of May. Already looking forward to it.

Running a Half Marathon Relay

Tomorrow Ryan and I will be racing in the Elk Grove Half Marathon Relay.





I've never run a half or full marathon relay, but it seems like there are some good benefits of it. Some reasons I see to run a 2 or 4 person relay are:

1) If you are working up in distance, a relay would allow you to enjoy a longer race without having to run the whole event.
2) A relay could give you a chance to run faster -- of course you could do a shorter race on your own like a 5k or 10k  -- but it's another option
3) To race with other people! Even though you aren't racing next to the person the during the race, you get to have teammates who are counting on you. Plus, running with friends is awesome.

At the Running of the Elk race tomorrow, Ryan will be running first for 7.5 miles, and I will be finishing up the second part of the race (5.6 miles). We are looking forward to racing a little faster than our recent half marathons, especially since we feel like we have been improving on our paces recently.

The last few days have been busy because we had a friend in town. Thursday we went out to the opening night of the River Cats (local minor league baseball team), and Friday we checked out a bar called the Pour House.

{turned out to be a nice night to watch some baseball after the rain cleared out}

{yeah, this bar was awesome -- the booths had taps right at the table!}

Tonight we are looking forward to getting to bed earlier in preparation for the race. I'll keep you guys posted on how it all goes down tomorrow! My goal: hold around an 8 min pace.

I know a few of you have run the longer large team relays based on my last post, but have you ever done a half or full marathon relay? What did you think of it?