Week Review And Looking Ahead

Week of Aug 8-Aug 14

Sunday: No run. (Hike)

Monday: No run.

Tuesday: 12 miles

Wednesday: 3.3 miles

Thursday: 6.5 miles

Friday: 8.7 miles

Saturday: 4.9 miles

Weekly Total: 35 miles

I've been feeling really good the past few weeks. I've been feeling strong, which is exactly what I want to feel going into preseason. I've got a lot of good things going on! The past four weeks I've put in between 34-35 miles/week, even with taking 2 days off a few of the weeks. 35 miles a week may not seem like anything too impressive, but I'm happy with where I'm at because it feels comfortable and easy. I've gradually been increasing my mileage and making my long runs longer, and I'm not getting caught up in thinking about pace or total mileage. I'm just running by feel and adjusting my schedule as I go. I'd like to keep increasing my weekly mileage into the season (slowly of course) and try to work up to averaging 40-45 mi/wk. I'll see how it goes and how my body adjusts and handles more miles per week, but I think if I do it gradually like I've been doing it'll be no problem.

I've also noticed that I feel better doing longer runs. In the past, my normal training runs have mostly been between 3-5 miles, but that just isn't doing it for me anymore. I feel better doing between 6-8 miles instead. My high school coach told me she thought I was a marathoner at heart. At that point in high school the longest run I'd done was probably 7 (tough, grueling) miles, and I was like "Psshhht absolutely no way. Marathoner? I don't even like 5Ks!" But now I can definitely see it happening. I'm in no way ready to run a marathon right now, but I can see myself really loving the longer distances in the future... since it's already happening!

My PR last week was a huge confidence booster for me, and I'm so excited to get back to school for preseason. It's only one week away! Preseason is quite possibly my favorite two weeks of the year. I get to move back to beautiful Newton, live and hang out with all my friends/teammates, run and workout everyday, NOT have any classes to go to... it is so fantastic. Not to mention all the team bonding activities when we aren't practicing... tie dye, movie nights, frisbee, Boston trips, etc. I can't wait! This week leading up to preseason I'm taking extremely easy, probably only running 20-25 miles total and helping out with Noelle's camp.

“It takes patience to become the best runner you can be. Top athletes realize that running is a long-term sport. It is set up for people who value delayed gratification and who like hard-earned success.”

-Anthony Famiglietti

Good Times 5k Series Bikini Run and a PR!

New 5k PR - 21:20

Photo courtesy of Ted Tyler

Yesterday I ran the Bikini 5k, which is part of the Good Times series in Lowell. Steph came up for the night so we could run the race and then do the first loop of the Baystate Half Marathon course today. Unfortunately, I chickened out and didn't run in my bikini last night, but I DID run a PR!

It was a pretty hot night, but there is always a nice breeze along the river. I was very relaxed going into the race, and I think that played a part in helping me to a PR. Also, the miles weren't marked as well as I thought they would be, so I missed my first mile split completely and it was probably good that I wasn't so concerned with pace. I felt great for most of the race. I felt really strong. Once I could see the finish I saw the clock read just about 21 minutes, so I knew it'd be close to my best time and I was beastin' til the end. I crossed the line at 21:20, a 6 second PR for me!

Photo courtesy of Ted Tyler

I'm really thrilled with my time. The past two weeks I've kind of stepped up my training a little bit, and I think just having that faith and trust in my fitness was important for my mentality going into the race. My past two weeks of training have been important not in that I am running a lot more or faster, but that I am feeling strong. I feel like my body can handle a lot more than previous summers, and I am hoping it's because I am going to have a "break out" season. I have steadily improved since my senior year of high school, but not by any huge margins. My senior year of high school and freshman year of college I averaged low 22-minute 5ks, and this past sophomore year of college I averaged high 21's. I feel like I've been stuck in that range for quite a while... 3 years to be exact. There's no doubt I have improved - in more ways than just lowering my times - but now I feel I have the base and the strength to go much farther and faster.

I am really excited for the upcoming cross country season! This PR is a big confidence booster, and something I think I really needed. It's awesome to feel like hard work pays off, even if it comes slowly!

Camp Week Two

Here are the kids stretching. Balancing can be hard.

This is my favorite kid, Finn. He is a bit of a free spirit.

Please note Finn on the ground.

Group shot!

Camp was great last week! We had 13 great kids, and it was tons of fun, although a tad crazy at times. These kids are FAST. All 13 kids did the 1.2 mile course in under 14 minutes, with the first boy coming in at 10:04. Pretty impressive considering none were older than 7th grade, and the majority of the kids were 3rd-5th grade. There is one more session of camp in August, the week before I go back for preseason (Aug 16-20). It's probably going to be our biggest week, and I'm looking forward to it!

“There are a lot of guys out there now who know they are not working as hard as other people. I can’t fathom how they think.”

–Alberto Salazar

Running Camp

This past week I helped out at a youth running camp. It was a lot of fun, and I'll be volunteering the two remaining weeks of the program as well. The camp was started by my friend Noelle, who was a very good runner for my high school and went on to run a year at UNC Charlotte and a year at UConn. She is a couple years older than me and this is her fourth summer doing the camp. It is for middle school aged kids, and they can sign up for one week, two weeks, or all three!

Week One crew!

This past week was the first session, and we only had four kids. The turnout was a little disappointing, but Noelle says that the last weeks always get the most kids, with an estimate of about 20 kids. I'm really excited to be helping out this year, because it combines two of my favorite things: running and working with children!

Playing Drip Drip Drop, a wetter version of Duck Duck Goose.

The camp is only two hours each day for five days. We're working with middle schoolers, so it is not too strenuous for them. A typical day starts with a warmup lap and stretching/drills, then the main run, then we stretch again and do some type of strength training (pushups, crunches, etc). After that we play a game or two, or have a relay. Lots of water breaks in between to break it up as well. Each day of the week has a different focus. Monday we do some things to figure out each kids' fitness and ability, Tuesday is a distance run, Wednesday is a track day (hurdles/sprints), Thursday is an easy pre-meet day, and Friday is race day. I think the camp is great. It's not too much or too little, and it encourages kids to start running young! I wish there was a program like this when I was younger.

Wheelbarrow Relay!

As for an update of my summer training.... yeah. Honestly I haven't been getting in all that much running the past two or three weeks. But I'm staying active with the kids, and I'm itching to run. The heat can't hold me back that long! Now if I could just wake up early...

"Our sport becomes not just what we do but an integral symbol-on all levels-of who we are."

-Gloria Averbuch

Run Like A Kenyan

I recently stumbled upon a great article on Runningwarehouse.com entitled Trade Secrets of the Kenyans. Written by Scott Douglas, the article details some of the training strategies he observed and used when training in Kenya in 2004. There is a lot of insightful information in the article and I am looking to put a few of them into practice. In particular, here are three points found interesting and I liked a lot:

1. "Start Slow, Finish Fast" Douglas basically says that every run he did with his Kenyan training partners started at a crawl, progressively picked up as the run went on, and would end at a much faster pace. This helps the body warmup and ease into the run, and it can help train your body what it feels like to run negative splits. I think for most people it is really hard to start a run at sloth pace. I know for me location-wise I can't avoid starting my runs on busy streets, and the combination of fast-moving cars and not wanting my neighbors to think I'm slow makes me start my runs faster than I probably should.

2. "Run Diagonally" Apparently in Kenya most runners do sessions called "Diagonals." Diagonals are workouts run from the different corners of a field and they alternate easy running and quick, controlled strides. Runners do anywhere from 30-60 minutes, and the purpose of the workout is to improve form when running at top speeds and to enhance your finishing kick. I like the concept of this workout because I used to do similar drills when I played lacrosse (although for a much shorter period of time). I also have an extremely weak finishing kick, so I definitely want to try some diagonals this summer
3. "Do Drills" Drills, drills, drills. Douglas states that nearly every Kenyan's run is followed by 10+ minutes of drills focusing on flexibility, range-of-motion, and form which is key to the seemingly effortless Kenyan stride. My high school coach used to make me do drills after almost every practice, and I think it me helped a lot. Since college I've been out of practice, but I'd like to start making them a regular part of my routine again.

Douglas's article is very insightful and I definitely recommend reading through it for the other points and more detailed descriptions of the points above. Article found here.

"I hated every minute of training, but I said, 'Don't quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a Champion.' "

-Muhammad Ali

Louise Rossetti 5k 2010

This past Wednesday I competed in the Louise Rossetti 5k, an all women's event in Beverly, MA. I ran this race last year and I improved my time by about 20 seconds, finishing with 21:46. Here's a breakdown of the miles:

1: 6:45

2: 14:10 (7:25 mile)

3.1: 21:46 (7:36 last 1.1 miles)

I felt really good running. I hadn't raced since the winter and it felt great to go fast! I placed 15th overall and 5th in my age group, which earned me a nice little trophy. Last year I was 22nd overall and 3rd in my age group (although a different age group, 14-19). My friends Steph, Christina, and Lauren all raced as well.

Lauren is a Lasell cross country alum, and she did amazing at the race. She came in 14th with a time of 21:30. I think that her post-Lasell efforts are very inspiring. She was a decent runner for the team when I was a freshman and she was a senior, but nowhere near as fast as she's gotten. I remember her running in the 23's for 5Ks, but now she is running solid mid-21's.

Above is Christina, me, Lauren, and Steph. The top photo is courtesy of Ted Tyler.

Overall I am very pleased with how I raced, and I am optimistic about summer training and future races. I am really excited to race again. The Lowell Good Times Series starts in a week, so I'll probably do a few of those this summer.