Turkey Trot Adventures

Thanksgiving was something special this year. I have made it a tradition to run the Turkey Trot 5K every year-even last year-even in -12 degree windchill I might add. I had the privilege to run the Turkey Trot 5K this year with my mom! Not only was it her first time running the Turkey Trot 5K, but it was her first 5K race experience EVER!!! I have been begging her to run a race for years. She runs regularly, but had never done a race. I promised her that I would run every step of the way with her, if she committed to it. And sure enough, she signed up!

Prior to the start of the race, my running buddy, Aileen and I ran 9 miles around Minneapolis. We made it back to my apartment in time to change into dry running clothes, meet up with Austin, Meghan, and Jeremy, and run to the start line to meet my mom (another mile). Note that, 10 miles prior Turkey Trot 5k. It was a near perfect day on Thanksgiving, unusually warm, and not windy. I met up with my mom and we found our way into the start corral. There were more people running the race than I had ever seen in the past! It took us a couple minutes to even cross the start line once the race began. We crossed the start line, and started making our way towards the river. There were so many people, dogs, strollers, walkers, we had to zig zag in and out of clusters of people. But we stuck together. We made it to the river, passed the Guthrie Theatre, passed the Stone Arch Bridge, enjoyed the panoramic view, and made our way up the only hill in the race. I prepped my mom saying, "Okay, there's a hill coming up, and people will stop and walk it. But don't stop. Let's just get up the hill and it will be over." She agreed, and we made it up the hill. After the hill we made it back into downtown again. When we were about a quarter mile from the finish line, I called my Dad to tell him we were close, and to have his camera ready. We crossed the finish line, holding hands, celebrating our victory together! My mom's first 5k, and I got to run it with her! It was such a fun experience and I was so proud of her. After the race, I heard my mom talking about other races: 10Ks, 10 milers, half marathons. I knew it would only take one race and she'd be hooked!

I had another really good friend, Kristi, who ran the Turkey Trot, and it was her first 5K too! I was so thankful to be able to be a part of both Kristi and my mom's first 5k experiences. It is fun to celebrate with people, as they accomplish their goals! Both of them ran the whole way-NO WALKING!

I should also note that Jeremy decided to take this opportunity to beat me in this race. In his words, "this might be my only chance." I wouldn't trade my Turkey Trot 5K experience for the world! Next year we're hoping to rope my dad into it. Who knows, maybe we'll even get my brother, and make it a family tradition :)

Reflections from TCM 2011

With weeks leading up to TCM, I had a plan in place. I had studied the map as if it was my job. I knew the inclines, I knew the turns, I knew I wanted to PR, and re-qualify for Boston. I had done months of training, post-stress fracture, and logged 60-65 mile weeks for two months straight! I was ready for my hard work to pay off. As I studied the map, I developed my strategy. I didn’t think it was possible to negative split TCM. The hills are at the end. Pair that with the fatigue that comes with running a marathon, and increasing temperatures, and it’s a recipe for disaster-for me, at least. I determined I could run between 7:30-7:45 for the first 16-18 miles. If I held that pace, I knew it would create a buffer of time, to struggle at the end. That is exactly what I did, and that is exactly what happened. I ran faster at the beginning, and I struggled at the end. A co-worker, training buddy, and truly, a friend, Jon Webster, decided the Thursday before the marathon to run and pace me! Jon is not your average runner. An average runner doesn’t jump into a marathon the Thursday before. He is an incredibly talented athlete, and I am truly honored that he chose to help me reach my goal. A longtime friend, Dan Bare, decided that since he was not in BQ-shape himself (due to an earlier injury), he would help me reach my goal. In the words of Dan, “I could run faster, miss Boston by a decent gap, and be by myself the whole race. Or, I could help you reach your goal, and run the race with a friend. The second option is more appealing.” And that is what he did. With the help of Jon and Dan, I reached my goal of another BQ, under the more stringent qualifying standards. For that, I am so grateful and still humbled by how they helped me. This document is a work in progress, and I will probably add to it as I continue to process. For those willing to read the entire thing, thank you. Here is my story.

Miles 1-3: Dan and I were waiting patiently in corral 1, ready to begin our race. It was a beautiful day. Cool temps, and not much wind. It truly couldn’t have gotten much better. Jon was in corral 2, as he ran in place of Jeremy, who bowed out due to injury. We hoped to find each other between miles 3-4. Where did these miles go? I felt my taper, and am so thankful I listened to the recipe for success. First mile was slow, due to so many people. Second and third miles were 7:15s-I was feeling good, but knew I needed to slow down so I didn’t burn out later. Seeing my XC runners after mile 2 definitely added a pep in my step! Maybe too much pep! I couldn’t help but move when I saw and heard them cheering! I started wondering where Jon was after we passed mile 3. I knew we had started faster than expected, but thought the first mile had slowed us down enough to compensate. I was concerned Jon was going to pass us without even realizing it!

Miles 4-7: Jon caught up with us and I was relieved to have Dan, Jon, and myself all together. Jon and Dan hit it off really well, discussing races, ability, and PRs. We found my new friend, Gary, from Lifetime Fitness during this time, but he passed us, and stayed ahead the entire course to eventually pull off an amazing PR of 3:25:19! Minus the little incline in between Lake Calhoun and Lake Harriet, this portion of the race was flat. I had been concerned about the incline after mile 6 (between the lakes) because I remember what a beast it was climbing it multiple times during COL25K. The incline really didn’t even affect me at all. I didn’t feel psyched out, and I didn’t feel my heart rate elevate much. I used this stretch of miles to really pray for my fellow friends running TCM-many of them for the first time.

Miles 8-13: These miles also seemed to breeze by. I remember the incline on the Parkway around mile 8. The parkway is hillier than the running trail that runs by the creek. Even with that incline, I wasn’t concerned, and charged up the hill, to be greeted with flat terrain the next few miles. At some point during this stretch, I saw some of my XC team, and felt another surge of energy as we passed them. I knew my parents were going to be somewhere around Lake Nokomis and Cedar Ave, however, I wasn’t sure what mile I would actually see them at. The bridge at Lake Nokomis ended up being surprisingly windy! Nothing too scary but definitely noticeable. They ended up being at the end of the Cedar Ave bridge around Lake Nokomis. Up to this point, I was still feeling strong, and care-free. I was so excited to see my Dad, Mom, Grandma, and Mike! It gave me a burst of energy! The three of us yelled happy birthday at my Mom, and I was pleased we all had the energy/ambition to do so! My dad lifted up his shirt, to show me the St. John’s shirt that Jeff Winkleman won and gave to him while he was in the hospital. Soon enough we had passed the half marathon mark, and were closer to the finish line than the start line!

Miles 14-19: At this point, I was still feeling good, and was reminded to pray for my friends that were running. These miles felt relatively easy as well. I trained along this road all winter and summer. I knew the slight ups and downs of this curvy road. We tried to keep the tangents as best we could. There were some sunny patches along the road, but nothing that concerned me too much. The incline up to the Franklin Bridge was short, but I felt it. We got up the hill, and my heart didn’t feel too overwhelmed. After the bridge, I knew we were approaching the hills of the river parkway. At mile 18, my stellar personal training client Kent and his beautiful new bride, Sue, were waiting and cheering me on! I had trained for so long on these hills, and I knew they were coming. I was still feeling decent, and so I was trying to prepare mentally. And by decent, I mean, I felt like I had run 19 miles, but knew I could keep going. I know I saw more of my team, and more friends along the course, however, I can’t remember who all I saw, and at what point.

Miles 20-21: These miles were extremely challenging. My parents appeared around mile 20, and I was so encouraged to see their faces! Shortly after mile 20, I saw my co-worker, and girlfriend, Kara. She was on one of the hills along the river parkway, just as we had planned. Ready with a sign, loud cheering, and an encouraging smile. I made eye contact for only a moment, and I hope she saw how much she had encouraged me in my eyes, because I’m not sure I gave her much more. A spectator will never fully understand the importance of that brief moment, and how much encouragement it brings a runner. The effect of the moment outlives the moment itself. This is where the wheels started to fall off for me. We came to the first hill, under the Lake Street Bridge. I tried to stay calm and take on the hill. At this point, it felt like work, it felt hard, but I knew I had it in me. My quads were feeling the pain, but I knew this was only a baby hill compared to what was to come. The second hill is the hill right before the dreaded St. Thomas hill. I steadied myself, and kept trucking. I was hurting, but I wasn’t going to stop. Jon kept reminding me to think about my form, to stay light, and to stay loose. I remember at one point saying, “I’m so tired,” and Dan said, “We’re all tired at this point, we gotta keep going.” That was so encouraging! To hear that I wasn’t the only tired person at this pace helped me continue to put one foot in front of the other. And then we got to the St. Thomas hill….I had run this hill so many times, I knew it so well. I had climbed it so many times. Prior to the St. Thomas hill, I had not stopped to walk-not even at water/Powerade stations. I knew the pain of starting and stopping, and didn’t want to go there. Also, once you walk, it gets stuck in your head that “I’ve walked already, so….” But at mile 21.5, I cracked-and I walked. Looking back, I am disappointed that I stopped to walk at a place that was not a water/Powerade station. I wish I could have held out until the next station at mile 22. My quads felt as if they were going to bust out of my legs-right through my skin! Obviously this was not going to happen, but that was the pain I was experiencing. On this hill, the 3:30 pace group passed us. Up to this point, my understanding had been that we were on pace for 3:25, so seeing the 3:30 pacer caught me off guard-they were clearly ahead of their target, and Jon confirmed that! The pacer tried to encourage me to stick with him, get up the hill, and tough it out. But my legs needed reprieve! So I walked for a few seconds, and started back up again. Jon reminded me to start up slowly, and not jump back into the same pace. At the top of the hill, I saw my buddy Trey-he put his coaching hat on and encouraged me and reminded me of the work I had already done. Both Jon and Dan reminded me how little we had left. We turned onto Cretin Ave, and then onto Summit Ave. The first person I saw on Summit Ave was Meghan Smith, my girl, running and yelling “Go Bree! That’s my coach! That’s my coach!” That’s all I heard and all I remember. But I remember that it meant something, and I was filled with emotion. Then I saw my client, Pam, jumping up and down, cheering for me. I’ve cheered her on in her running journey, and her weight loss journey, and now she was cheering for me. I had to keep going. I had made it to St. Thomas! Another one of my clients, Brittany, was at St. Thomas with a sign, rooting for me, and so I kept going. This was also the first place I saw my best friend, biggest fan, and the love of my life, my husband. Jeremy is the person who puts up with the months of training leading up to the marathon. He is the one who reminds me what I’m capable of when I forget. At this point, I knew I had to keep going. But it the struggle wasn’t over…..

Miles 22-23: Summit Ave climbs. I knew I only had about another mile of climbing, and it would get better. I kept breaking the mile down in my head-Summit Ave to Prior Ave, and Prior Ave to Snelling Ave, and then I’m done with hills (for the most part). Jon kept saying, “Just take it one mile at a time, we’ll walk through the water stops, and then start back up again.” I needed that. Dan kept saying, “Just one foot in front of the other. Each step is putting you closer to the finish.” I needed to break the last few miles into small, incremental, yet attainable steps. So we climbed the hill, and made it to mile 23, walked, got some water/powerade, and we were off again. At this point, my body didn’t NEED the water and the Powerade, but I kept saying that I did because I needed the walking break-and truthfully, the mental break.

Miles 24-26: And so we continued. One water/Powerade station at a time. We’d run until we got to the station, we got fluids, and started back up again. At this point, the worst was over! We were truly on our way to the capital, and I was on my way to a PR. With all the stops, I knew I had lost my opportunity to run a 3:30 or better; however, I knew I was going to run a big fatty PR that I could be proud of! I was breathing heaving, I think I was groaning, and I was most certainly hurting. Most people forget there is a hill during mile 25, because they’re so close to being done, but I didn’t forget. I saw it, and I felt it, but I kept going. As we got to the top of the hill, I could see the down hill, and I could see the finish. And that was all I needed.

Mile 26-26.2: I was at the end, and I was going to finish strong. I wasn’t sure I had any kick left, as my quads felt shot, but according to my trusty Garmin, I pumped out a 6:45 sprint to the end! With the support and encouragement of my friends Jon and Dan, and all my friends and family along the course, I had done it! 3:31:30!!! (Prior to TCM, my PR was 3:39:07, held at the Chicago Marathon-which is a completely FLAT course-not one hill). I had shaved almost 8 minutes off my marathon time-ON A MORE DIFFICULT COURSE! That was something I could be proud of.

I am still reflecting on what this marathon meant to me. I don’t know that I have had enough time to process everything I learned through this race, but know that it’s coming. There are a few things I have processed: Running a marathon is not pretty, or easy-for anyone! People care deeply about me, and demonstrated that by supporting me in this process. I feel God’s presence as I run. I want my running to change me, and change others, and if I ever get to a point where it’s not doing that, I will retire. Until then, I want my running to reflect the beauty of Christ, and what He has done in my life, and I want others to realize that there is always more to life-and to pursue that lifestyle. “I RUN in the path of your commands, for you have set my heart FREE “ (Psalm 119:32)

City of the Lakes 25K

This past Sunday was the 30th anniversary and my third run of the City of the Lakes 25K. I love doing this race because it is a part of the Twin Cities Marathon, it's put on by MDRA, and a great opportunity to test your fitness prior to TCM. Our MN weather has been interesting....the week leading up to the race was nice and cool; however, the temps warmed up just in time for the race. It wasn't horrible, but it was warmer than I'd prefer. The race started at about 66 degrees and was about 76 by the time I finished-again, not horrible, but warm enough to remind you of the work being done. Regardless, it was a great day for a race. It has been since January, that I have raced a longer distance, so I was excited for this race!

Paul Hurkman, Josh Iniguez, and Kevin Miles, all from Venture Expeditions (RunFree is a part of Venture Expeditions) came to cheer us on at the beginning of the race. I love that this organization encourages you to take a sport you already love, and positively impact the world through it. I still need to write a blog on Venture Expeditions and RunFree. It's coming soon-promise.

Trey and I toed the line, ready to see what we could leave out on the course. He had a great start. He looked strong and focused on the road ahead. For a good portion of the race, he was always a few yards in front of me. I kept trying to close the gap, but he was holding strong.
Trey running and representing Team World Vision

I ran in my new Brooks Launch, they were so much lighter! My legs still feel fatigued from all the mileage. I'm looking forward to this taper, and bringing some strength back to my legs. William Berry Parkway is the hill we had to run 3 times during this race. Normally, my parents are there, cheering me up the hill. They couldn't be here this year, but Jeremy was there on his bike, helping me climb.

My goal for this race was to beat my time from last year. I have made progress each year. In 2009, I ran 2:07:50. In 2010, I ran 2:00:22.
This year, 2011, I ran 1:57:45 (my half marathon split was 1:39:15). As long as I continue to improve, I will be pleased! I placed 5/61 in my age group.

It was also fun to know my friend Suzie was running this race. Although I didn't get to see her before the race started, I knew she was there, and I knew I'd see her at the finish. She is one of the strongest female athletes I know. She has such an incredibly hard working attitude, and knows how to bring her game face!
Suzie looking good, as always!

Post-race happiness:


And of course, my biggest fan/pacer/photographer, and love of my life:
Thanks for believing in me, Jeremy. I love you!

New Beginnings

I'm less than a month out from the Twin Cities Marathon. It has been so long since I have actually raced a long race. My last race was a 4K in July (yep, 2.5 miles). My last half marathon was in January. My last marathon (due to bowing out of Boston), was Chicago, last October. I feel out of the swing of racing. I have a 25K (15.5 miles) next weekend, and I'm full of nervous energy, yet excitement. Too be honest, I'm not certain how much ZOOM I will have. I have been training hard-very hard, and my body feels pretty fatigued. I've been logging about 60 miles a week, for the past two months, my legs feel dead tired, but I know the work I've put in will pay off after my taper, as I toe the line for TCM. I'm treating next weekend's race as a part of my training. This will be my third time racing the City of the Lakes 25K, and I'm hoping to break my course PR (which is 2:00:06).

Few new updates to my training. I am going to run the marathon in a lighter (weight) pair of shoes, than my beloved blue/black/silver Brooks--they are just too heavy for the long runs. They are still the most beautiful pair I've ever owned, and they are not ready to be retired. Here are the new kicks--beware, not nearly as pretty or exciting as the Glycerins, but much lighter:

Brooks Defyance

New shoes always make runs a little more exciting, especially when you feel faster.

This weekend I lost my first toenail! It had been purple for quite some time. I felt it lifting from the nail bed. I noticed that it had completely lifted from nail bed, except for on the sides and bottom. I was concerned that bacteria would grow underneath, so I carefully clipped the nail off. Here's the new skin:



So with less than a month until Twin Cities Marathon, here's to new beginnings. New shoes. New toenail. So excited for TCM!

Cheers!

Let the Madness Begin!

I guess I have fallen off the blogging bandwagon. I realized I haven’t written anything since my trip to PA, which was well over a month and a half ago. Summer has somehow escaped me. I can’t believe it’s the end of August! We’ve had such odd weather. June was cool and perfect for running (but not for boating I might add). July was hot and humid, less than ideal for running. August has been a combination of the two, we’ve had some cooler days, but we’ve had a handful of hot and humid too. Nonetheless, I have been logging the miles, and getting my workouts in. I have been averaging about 55-60 miles a week, every week. I am blessed to report that I have been running pain free since I started running again. I am so thankful that I have not rebounded into any pain in my tibia. I have been running in the Brooks Glycerin, which is by far their heaviest shoe. I wanted a shoe that had a lot of cushion as I eased back into running again, to ensure my tibia didn’t have any problems adjusting to the pavement again. Now that I know I am not having any problems, I am looking forward to transitioning into a much lighter shoe! Hopefully it will give me some kick.

I had a big weekend, this past weekend. I ran my third 20 miler, and I kicked off pre-season for XC! I am so excited to have my runners back on campus again! Summer is nice, but when campus is full of life, it’s much better! We had our Athletic Retreat last weekend, and two-a-day practices all this week. I've had to be increasingly more disciplined with going to bed early in order to maintain my training. As if I wasn’t already disciplined before, this required some 3:45AM days of running, prior to XC practice at 5:15AM. It becomes increasingly difficult to balance coaching XC, my day job, personal training clients, my own marathon training, and marriage! But I wouldn’t trade any of them for anything. Each if these things breathe life into me. It’s just learning how to balance them all. I am incredibly thankful that my husband is so supportive of all of these activities. I couldn’t do it without him. Thanks Jeremy!

I have much to blog about in the latest community I’ve joined (Venture Expeditions Run:Free). But honestly, that deserves its own blog. So you’ll have to check back shortly for that one!

Running in PA

My training has been going exceedingly well in preparation for the Twin Cities Marathon. I started running/training on June 1st, after two months off after my stress fracture. I spent the past 8 days in State College, PA-visiting my in-laws, the Williamsons. It was a fabulous trip, filled with fun, laughter, adventures, meeting my first niece, new experiences, my birthday, and running-lots of hard running! I could write a long blog on all the fun things we did, but since I have kept this blog as a training blog, I will stick to the running.

We left on Saturday, July 2nd. I ended up doing my 15 mile run before leaving for PA. I was extremely discouraged by this run. It was so hard. I felt like I had to stop so many times. It was so hot, and so humid, and I felt like I couldn't keep enough water in my system. But I finished it, and was glad it was in the books. I took Sunday off because we got in late, and it was raining in the morning when we got up.

The running in PA is tough! I couldn't seem to get away from the hills, anywhere. There is always an up, a down, and an up again. Monday, the 4th of July was a fun day! Jason (Jeremy's brother), Jeremy, and I ran the Firecracker 4k, in State College. Lindsay and Saoirse were our fabulous cheerleaders! I knew I needed to get more mileage in, so I went for a 3.5 mile run before the race. I ran sub-17 (I'm guessing 16:55)-which would equate to a 6:48/mile average. It was chip timed, however, there wasn't a start mat, just a finish mat, so I had to guess when I crossed the start line. I had my splits on my garmin. The first mile was fast, I ran a 6:30. The second mile had some larger climbs, and I ran a 7:10, and finished the last half mile at a pace of 6:35-this also had some climbs. It was a nice challenging run. I placed 2nd in my age group! I'll take it. I found out later I missed out on getting an award, but that's okay. I had the satisfaction of a nice hard run, and that was enough! 6 miles in total for the day.

On Tuesday I got up and ran a 7 miler downtown State College. This was a tough run. It was hilly both ways. Here's a snapshot of the 3.5 out and back course:

After the 7 miler, Jeremy was about to go on his 3 mile run. So why not? I joined him. Finished it off as a nice 10 mile day.

To celebrate, that night, we got frozen yogurt, with our own toppings. I got heath and chocolate pareils on top of no sugar added vanilla yogurt. Here are the others:

Wednesday was a quality running day. I did 2 miles quickly (7:25/average per mile). Then went to the track with Jason to do some speed work. Those of you who know me, know that I would rather do hills any day, rather than intervals. So this was a nice kick in the pants. Jason and I did an 800 as a warm up. I followed that with 5x800 on the track. This is my first speed workout of the season, and post injury. My splits were:
3:15, 3:12, 3:12, 3:15, 3:11-There's work to be done, for sure.
Here's some documentation of the work that went down:

I think that last picture was to get me to the finish line faster! Again, when I got back from the track workout, Jeremy was about to venture on his 6 mile run-so why not spend more time with my favorite person. An 11 miler day in the books, with some serious speed thrown in there.

On Thursday, my birthday, I mostly wanted to get it over with, so I hammered out a slow 5 mile run. Nothing special.

On Friday, I ran a quick 4 mile run. It was hot and humid (100% humidity to be exact-but who's keeping track?!)

Saturday was my "long run day"; however, it was a recovery day. I only "needed" to do 10 miles. Jason went with my by bike, and showed me part of State College I had never seen before. There were many hills. My garmin tracked elavation between 800 feet and 1,250 ft. Talk about some work! The route he took me on was beautiful! I ran past a creek that was gorgeous. I couldn't escape God's presence in this run. I saw fields and flowers, trees and shrubs. Hardly any cars on this road. This was a part of the Nittany Half Marathon course. I enjoyed the scenery, minus the hills ;) Ended up with a solid 14 miles. It was extremely challenging, and I had to walk a few times, but I don't feel guilty about it, it was a tough run. And no, I did not go back out with Jeremy on his long run (he had left by the time I got home).

I ran Monday-Saturday, and took Sunday (today), as my rest day. I'm hoping this gives my legs some good recovery. I'm ready to hit the pavement tomorrow in my new Brooks for the first time :) Hoping the running feels easy after a week of mountainous running!

I feel stronger, mentally and physically, and my heart is full after a week with family.

On the Road Again

I am blessed to be able to say I am back on the road again. After two months of biking, swimming, lifting, and learning, I have been given two thumbs up to start running again. After severely fracturing my left tibia bone, I went back to Tria Orthopedics for my follow up appointment. I was relieved to learn that I didn't need to have another MRI, and that x-rays would suffice. Apparently after an injury has been present for an extended period of time, it will show up in an x-ray. X-rays are much faster, and NOT noisy, like the MRI, and I got my results right away. I was able to review my MRI images from my first appointment, and saw the fracture spanning across the bone. I was then able to see my x-rays, and see the scar tissue that had built up like a cocoon (or band-aid) around my tibia bone. My doctor said that is exactly what was supposed to happen. My shin had started bruising a bit, and when I inquired what was going on, I learned that the scar tissue had forced the muscle in my leg to press against my skin, thus bruising my leg from the inside out. However, I was told not to be concerned, and that it would go away. Turns out, my doctor was right. I have been running without pain! Last weekend I was able to run a 13 miler, and a 12 miler the week before. I am not as fast as I would like to be. It still feels like a challenge; however, I am enjoying simply being able to run. The speed will come. But that is not my concern right now. It's so easy to take running for granted, and then when it's taken away from you, you realize what you've lost. Now to have it back, performing doesn't seem nearly as important. Would I like to be faster? Of course. But more than anything, I am thankful to be out on the road again.

Due to the healing process, and travel, I am doing very few races this season, which makes me a little disappointed. I normally like to do 5 or so half marathons a year, and a marathon or two. This year is looking to be only 2 half marathons, and 1 marathon, 1 25k, and a 4k (really, a 4k?!) Looking forward to making the most out of this season. I am more than blessed.