to the victor go the spoils

One of the toughest weeks is now over! The week before spring break always tumbles by in a monotonous but hectic tornado with test cramming speckled in between dull periods of sheer waiting. I had what my teacher referred to as the "devil's granddaddy" of tests, four workouts in five days, an insanely small amount of time at home, and an even smaller number of hours spent asleep. Though six or even hours a night doesn't sound too bad, my body is used to about eight. Compoundeded with the raw exhaustion of junior year, it's a victory that I'm even still alive. And as the old adage reminds us, to the victor go the spoils... Thus today, in stead of recounting my rather boring and very sore hour long run, I'm going to switch focuses to my plans for self-reward this week! I have no big spring break trip so I plan to make Minnesota my escape despite the dreary weather. It's actually rather warm out and I'm hoping for some sun to tan my outrageously pale stomach. Who cares about a six pack if it's white as a sheet? I also hate tan lines, especially the awful series of track tans that crop up by summer time: sock tans, shorts tans, t-shirt tans, muscle shirt tans, and sports bra tans. Basically I end up looking like a color gradient. For this reason, I need to consciously even out my skin tone from the get-go, which includes a two-hour sunning time every day it gets about 75. Cross your fingers and do a sun dance! In addition, this break provides a glorious opportunity to get my inner chef on! I'm planning on making a snickers cake this afternoon, and will include a recipe and picture post either today or tomorrow. Baking is another one of those things that really relaxes me. Calculated measurements and techniques combining to create a crazy science experiment that ultimately becomes a delectable treat? Count me in! That will come later, so stay tuned for a cake that is worth every bit of work I've done this week! Finally, I am going to take this week to really let my body and mind rest. Yes, I will be running and working out, but apart from that I'm very excited to watch some Shark Tank, Biggest Loser, and Gossip Girl! Rest is integral in the training process! With that, I'm signing off until my amazing cake post! Au revoir, mon ami!

The extra mile

Alas, today was not the easy day I had expected! I came home from school early today, walked the mile to my house, and subsequently went to walk my dog with my mom. This may not seem like much, but with my first two mile of the season in spikes still fresh on my calves, I felt even that small amount of activity. Nonetheless, upon walking into the locker room I heard that despite expectations of a thirty minute easy run topped off with a relaxed soccer game, we actually ot to run the expected thirty minutes... Plus track intervals. Yes, you heard it correct, intervals the day after our first outdoor meet. I was overjoyed. That was sarcastic. The workout consisted of a 900, a 600, a 300, another 600, and a final 900 at varying versions of our goal mile race pace. Ultimately the last 900 was cut out of pity, thank goodness. My sore calves felt like heck during the shorter intervals, but the 900 actually felt amazing. That feeling is one of the biggest pull factors that keeps me coming back to the track. Running is hard. Obviously, but truly, it is a tremendous mental and physical challenge. The satisfaction then comes from owning your body and mind and pushing it to be it's best. I've said this before but it is such an integral part of my training process, to feel this pride and contentment, so I always feel the need to reiterate. But what people often overlook is the fact that running can be fun. Shocked? Think again. Post workout today I felt the typical rush of giddy energy. Carly Rae Jeosen was rocking it out in the locker room and, as usual, began to dance. I was joined by four of my teammates and we spent 15 minutes rocking out. No description necessary. When it comes down to it though, the girls I run with get close to me in a unique way. They've seen me at my lowest and highest and kept me going when I wanted to give up, and we'll always have a deep understanding of eachother that can't be replicated. And since it's a Friday night, I'm going to leave it at that! Cheers to friendship and teammates!

SUCCESS!!!  I am finally happy with a meet; today was a good day to be a runner.  The initial butterflies were much more intense, starting early last night, owing to my 400 meter debut.  My running style is much more geared to longer races, and my sprinter friends literally laugh when I try to do anything shorter than an 800-- I just don't have the form or the strength.  Which is why, when told I was in an open 400 today, my stomach dropped past my pinky toenail.  All throughout this morning I dreaded the inevitable last place I'd finish in.  As I walked up to the starting line the fear coursing through me was palpable.  I don't thin I'd ever been that nervous in m life.  My coach noticed this and pulled me aside.

"It's just for practice.  This isn't your race, just run it like an interval," was her advice.  This, however, did nothing to ease my anxiety.

It may seem irrational to be literally afraid of running a race.  Even more outlandish is my fear of running a 400, a single lap.  But this was the single biggest blow to my pride I've ever experienced when running.  I'm at least competitive in the longer races, but this event would but my lack of speed on public display, not to mention that boys were present, and, most mortifying of all, it is a highly popular race to watch.  All things considered, I knew that I'd be luck to come out with any ego at all.  Nonetheless, this was probably exactly what I needed to take some pressure off myself.

The race passed in a blur that I honestly can't remember.  I came in second to last, but managed to scrape by a decent enough time for what was, essentially, a workout.  This experience was actually exactly the mental hammer I needed to smash the walls I'd been building.  I tend to talk myself into needing to be at least good at everything I do.  Aside from being unrealistic, this is just plain unhealthy.  I really needed something I was horrible at to show me that the world keeps turning even if you fail.  Running is such a mental game for me and I love the feeling of being challenged.  In a world obsessed with stroking our egos and maintaining our self esteem, this experience brought me down a couple notches and reminded me that the sun doesn't rise for me, and the world will not shatter in the absence of my excellence.  All in all, I am content with the results of the 400.

Then came the 3200.

I had been psyched to run this race since December.  When the weather refused to adopt any semblance of winter, my drive to run came back as bad as ever.  I put in plenty of miles but failed to keep up my speed, but even so, I've started this season out on a good note.  I won't go into the actual two mile race... Eight laps on the track is boring enough in real life, not to mention being described over the internet.  My only comment is that I did, indeed, set a personal record in the first outdoor meet of the season and felt very strong during the race.  I will, however, stress the importance of keeping focus in a distance and endurance competition.

In past years my weakness lie in my inability to keep a pace for the middle 4 laps of the 3200.  This wasn't necessarily fatigue; I merely got bored and distracted.  The cures for mid-race mental blocks are actually very simple.  I have compiled a succinct list of the tips I've heard:

1)Take 10 quick steps.  This breaks up the monotony of the run and gives the body a jolt to keep it from settling into a comfortable pace
2)Develop a mantra.  this is a very simple series of words that inspires you and can help you push towards a goal.  Mine is, "bigger, stronger, faster."
3)Run with someone. This seems obvious and slightly difficult, but if you have someone running at your goal pace, their head bobbing in front of you is a good goal to dial in on.
4)Throw out the watch.  This may sound crazy, but when I stop focusing on splits I feel less confined and more able to run how I feel, compete with other runners, and ultimately stay mentally engaged.

Whatever floats your boat is ultimately the best bet in staying motivated to run and race.

Another great motivation: baked goods.  We are going to change gears for my first official recipe roundup.  Here are my favorite post-race rewards!

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/beattys-chocolate-cake-recipe/index.html
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/lemon-bars-recipe/index.html
http://www.beantownbaker.com/2012/02/cherry-m-chocolate-chip-oatmeal-cookies.html
http://www.beantownbaker.com/2012/02/salted-caramel-pecan-brownies.html

I'm a fan of chocolate.  So try these recipes out!  Hopefully soon I'll have an actual recipe post for you, but at this point in time life is just a little too crazy for that.

That's all I have for today.  I'm signing off, one very contented runner.

For anyone out there counting on a post yesterday (kind of a joke since I've had about 3 blog views thus far...) I'm very sorry to disappoint.  It was a very busy day with yet another workout-- the second one in a row-- and a crushing amount of subjects to cram for.  I can proudly say I completed the workout to the best of my ability, but the studying wasn't quite so successful.  Nevertheless, the tests went fine as far as I can tell, and a nice day of easy running was very welcome.  I was slightly tired from the two consecutive workouts we'd run: the track intervals on Monday and a fartlek (literally translated to "speed play") workout on Tuesday.  In preparation for our first outdoor meet tomorrow, we had a gratifying 30 minute easy run complete with a set of abs.  So, with nothing much new to report, I would like to share a couple of training-related tidbits that aren't strictly running-related.

The first topic is fuel!  My cross country coach had a mantra of "fuel, sleep, hydrate" that will forever be embedded into my brain.  However simple it may sound, it does indeed encompass the most basic non-training aspects of life that can impact performance the most.  A standard nutritious, fueling meal can take a workout to the next level, while eating junk food or not eating enough can drag the body down.  I am by no means a nutritionist, but I do know many of the basic running necessities.  These small suggestions will crop up continuously throughout my blog, but today I will focus on pre-race performance food.  I have a dependable routine I stick with before races:

The few days before a race, I make sure to have protein within an hour of my workouts.  This is a basic rule for every day, but specifically before meets it's important for muscles to have the raw materials they need to rebuild themselves.  When you work out, your muscles take a beating and need to be repaired.  The impetus for this rebuilding is protein, especially immediately after working out.  Chocolate milk is great because it has both protein and carbs, which also help to replenish glycogen stores in muscles, which provide basic energy for movement.

The day before the race comes the stereotypical carboload.  This is basically just a carbohydrate-rich meal for fuel during the actual race.  It can take many forms, preferably complex carbohydrates for long-term energy.  I will include some of my favorite night-before dinners at the end of this post!

The day of the race, my tried and true ritual is pretty simple.  For breakfast I have a bowl of cereal (I love Special K Red Berries and Malt-O-Meal's Marshmallow Mateys) and I try to stay relatively hydrated throughout the day.  I say relatively because on a regular day I tend not to drink very much.  Literally, two cups of straight fluid is probably my max, which is terrible.  I should start bringing a water bottle to school.  But back to the point, in addition to drinking water at school, I have a lunch of consisting of a PB&J, an apple, and a granola bar.  Somewhat sparse but I like to race on a light stomach.  Finally, about two hours before I race I munch on more Mateys or Special K, mainly for my nerves.  These race day foods all keep my stomach light and don't cause side cramps.

On the sleep side of things, I am about as good as can be.  I sleep at least 8 hours a night, usually 9.  This stems from an obsession I had a few years back about the correlation between sleep and welfare needs, which is a very long story for another day.  The number one tip I have, however, is not to save a good rest for the night before a race.  Sleep deprivation affects you more two days later, so make sure you're getting adequate sleep a couple days before you race.  In general, keeping up on sleep is necessary to push workouts, which in turn improve races.  It's one of the easiest ways to improve training, but sleep is often overlooked.

Finally, hydration.  This is obviously one of my weakest ares but is also one of the most important. I read on RunnersWorld.com that a 2% dehydration (not sure what this actually means) can have a large impact on performance.  however, don't just chug a liter of water when you realize you're thirsty; try to sip constantly throughout the day so you don't feel heavy and are able to really get the benefits.  The bottom line: never get to the point of being "thirsty."

The final thing I'd like to include is just a list of recipes for my favorite fueling pasta dishes.  They're great for the night before, but I might hesitate before implementing them on the actual race day.  But, for your benefit, here they are!

Stove Top Mac and Cheese
1 box (8 oz) pasta, any shape
3/4 cup milk
1 tbsp flour
1/4 cup sour cream
1/2 cup combination of your favorite cheeses (I like cheddar and mozzarella, or Dubliner!)
salt and pepper to taste

Cook pasta according to box instruction.  Drain but leave on low heat.  Pour in milk and let sit on heat for 2 minutes.  Stir and sprinkle in the flour, stirring to combine.  Add sour cream and cheeses, stirring over low heat until melted.  Remove from heat and add salt and pepper to taste.

Peas and Cream Pasta
1 box (8 oz) pasta
3/4 cups milk or cream
3 tbsp flour
2 tbsp sour cream
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup Dubliner cheese (or swiss)
2 tsp garlic powder
1 cup (or more) frozen peas
salt and pepper to taste

Cook pasta according to box instructions.  As the pasta is cooking, in a separate pan, combine flour and 1/4 cup milk or cream, whisking to combine with no lumps.  Whisk in the sour cream, then transfer the pan to medium heat.  Gradually add the rest of the milk or cream, whisking to combine.  Cook until the mixture thickens, about 4 minutes.  Add in cheeses, garlic powder, and salt and pepper, whisking constantly.  Remove the pan from heat and continue whisking until the cheese have melted.  Add the peas to the sauce (still frozen).  Drain the cooked pasta and pour the sauce over it, stirring to coat.  Eat as is or top with bread crumbs and bake at 350 in an ovenproof pan until the crumbs are crisp.

Italian Pasta Salad
1 box (8 oz) pasta, cooked
1/2 cup Italian dressing
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup black olives, sliced
1 1/2 cups broccoli florets, sliced

Toss all ingredients together to coat evenly.  For best results, let sit for 30 minutes.

I hope these recipes prove helpful and give you the extra boost to reach your PR.  One of the greatest realizations I've made is that what happens outside of practice is just as important as hitting splits in workouts.  How I treat my body dictates how I feel while running, and feeling good and healthy overall helps me love the sport.

They say running is a mental sport and we're all crazy.  I may just agree.  Day two of blogging and I can't lie-- it was a rough one.  We had our first track workout today, and to be honest, I have done no speed work since the cross country season... which ended back in November. I walked into the locker room today expecting a nice hour long romp around a park, maybe a pickup here and there, but mostly just the relaxing feel of my legs pushing me forward.  To my chagrin, the rumor started up that the dreaded track workout had arrived.  Before I go on, let me just say that we on the track team love snow.  Not because of its beauty, the feeling of catching a flake on your tongue, or even the potential for a snow day.  No, the reason we love snow is that it prevents us from having to run on the track.

Imagine a fast-paced run. Imagine one of your tougher workouts.  Now imagine running that workout in a confined space on a short loop, revolving around and around.  Not only is this boring, but as I mentioned in my last post, it can cause uneven soreness.  Then imagine about 200 other athletes sitting on the infield, casually watching as you suck in breath like a thoroughbred.  That, my friends, is why we celebrate the smattering of snow patches that prevent us from running track workouts.

With the Floridian winter we've experienced here in MN there was no snow to be found today.  Thus, in the midst of a whipping wind, the small group of distance runners I train with set out on our warm-up.  I actually felt pretty good on the warm-up despite my less than restful weekend.  Upon return to the dreaded track, however, my legs were starting to feel precarious.   I wasn't sure if they were shaky, tired, or just not ready for speed, but i began to mentally prepare for a tough workout.

We began with a 1200.  Tempo pace, so I was thinking about a 7 minute mile.  Right off the blocks, however, my group was doing about a 6:30-40, urged on by our coach's comment that "You all don't have the same tempo pace!  Push it!"  In our world, that's code for, "I'm disappointed and know you're faster than this so get moving!" I finished strong albeit my legs already felt fried.  I blame it on the plyos, but in the words of Kelly Clarkson, "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger..."  An 800 and two 400s later, I didn't know what was wrong with me.  As I battered down the hatches to push through the wind in the last stretch, I'll admit to giving up for a moment.  The excuses flashed through my head: I'm not built for speed, it's early in the season, blah blah blah.  But then I realized that my legs will always be tired.  Or I'll have gotten a shot that morning.  Or my shoelace won't be tied right or my math test will have gone poorly or my peanut butter to jelly ratio will have been imperfect in my sandwich.  Whatever it is, I am going to have to buckle down and deal with it, or better yet forget about it.

As I geared up for my last 1200 I decided to finish strong, no other option.  It hurt, especially on the quavering legs, but the contentment of hanging in there overrode the fatigue.  I'm not going to say that this small feat inspired an overall change in my life output, but it did give me a bit of insight as to why I do the sport.  It's not about owning every workout; there will be the inevitable days where the joy of running just isn't there.  It's not even about overcoming obstacles, because there are enough of those in life without running.  For me, it's about a satisfaction and peace that comes with conditioning my mind and body and becoming the strongest version of myself.

Welcome to my new blog!  From today on, I'm keeping a daily account of my personal training and will hopefully share other training tips I've found.  My goal is to create a running, training community where competitors can come to get some of their athletic jitters out, without watching 3 hours of video on flotrack.  I guess to start out I'll share a little about myself:

I'm a competitive athlete in cross country running, Nordic skiing, and track.  In all three, my forte is distance and endurance, however I will also be working on improving my speed and skill.  In addition to sports, I love to bake, read, and spend time outside.  Hopefully I'll include a bit of each just to switch things up!  

As of now, my training consists mainly of track preparation.  I'm taking Sundays off, but today walked over 6 miles including some plyometrics.  Recently I've had a very tight right calf, which I'm assuming is from the meet I had on Thursday.  Though I only ran the mile, it was a 200 meter track, meaning the 1600 (the mile) required 8 laps on a tight loop, making my right leg work much harder than my left.  A coach of mine once told me to go "opposite ways opposite days" so I've looked into the matter.  There's not much at all on the impact of running repeatedly in the same direction on a track, but there is a lot about the impact and benefit of adding plyometrics into a training routine-- here's a quick recap of what I found!

http://www.slideshare.net/tracknfieldgear/track-and-field-injury-prevention-measures  This has to do specifically with plyometrics and their ability to prevent injury.  In general, stronger, more powerful muscles can support more activity without injury.  If the whole body is strong, it can effectively complete motions without undue stress on a certain area, helping prevent injury.  

http://comrades.runnersworld.co.za/plyometric-workout/  This provides a quick intro into what a plyo routine entails.  There are plenty of other ideas out there, these are just some from Runner's World!

http://www.runnersworld.com/article/1,7120,s6-238-263-266-7173-0,00.html   I thought this was interesting because of the Olympic aspect of the introduction.  I used to think the Olympic runners were so unattainable, but I've gotten to know a couple of true Olympic hopefuls who are just in it for the love of the sport and willing to selflessly coach us mere mortals.  They're dedicated and if plyometrics work for someone hoping to compete with the fastest runners in the world, they're good enough for me.  

Even if leaping like a ballerina isn't your thing, I think its worth it to try it out and see what happens.  Here's to jumping around in the hopes of staying injury free!