Monthly Archives: August 2011
The Power of a Relay
| August 30, 2011 | Posted by Lauren under Running |
I am not sure if there is any event in this world that can bring together 20 different bloggers from all across North America and one awesome Seattle-based company for such an amazing adventure as well as Hood to Coast did.
Even now, 2 days and one very long flight back to New England later, I still haven’t completely processed the weekend…or stopped trying to re-live the glory. If you’ve never done a relay before, you might not understand the obsession – or what is so amazing about spending 28 hours in a van with strangers and running tough runs on little to no sleep. But although the running is a part of it, relays are about so much more than that.
They are about the scenery.
The people.
The team unity.
The van decorations.
The competition.
Both of our expressions are priceless – clearly he’s not a fan of being passed by a Sparkle Skirt
Fact: skirting >> chicking.
The exhaustion that comes from pushing yourself to your limits.
The food.
Lots and lots of food.
You’d think that running for over 24 hours would mean that you’d have to deprive yourself of normal food along the way. Not us. We found time to carbo-load to the max. …and take lots of weird pictures of ourselves doing it.
Nuun that flowed like water.
I have seriously never been more well-hydrated during a race. I have Nuun to thank for that (…and the craziness that apparently comes from drinking it)
The sleep-deprived crazies.
And the finish line parties.
Although I have done many relays before, nothing will ever compare to my first Hood to Coast relay with Team Nuun. Yes, there were snafus, frustrations, and difficult times along the way, but I loved every single sweaty minute.
Only complaint? That we didn’t win Best Team Outfit, Name, or Van Decor. Ladies – we were robbed!
Full recap to come! But in the meantime, I owe you a giveaway winner!
According to Random.org, the winner of the Hood to Coast movie is….
#29 – Michelle
Congratulations! I hope you love the movie as much as I do (I may or may not have spent the night after finishing the relay reliving it by watching Hood to Coast. Yes, I am certifiably obsessed). Just email me your address and I’ll get that shipped to you ASAP!
And now I need a nap.
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How NOT to Prepare for a Relay
| August 23, 2011 | Posted by Lauren under Running |
Want to win a copy of Hood to Coast, the movie? I never really announced the end of my giveaway, or did anything about it. So keep those entries coming! I’d say you have a pretty good shot at the moment. I’ll close the giveaway on Wednesday night.
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So that was sort of a dramatic way to disappear, no? Not intentional, I swear. To all of you who responded to my last post – thank you so much for your comments and emails. I haven’t gotten the chance to respond to you all personally yet, but I want to tell you that I appreciated every single word you wrote. I know sometimes it can be hard to know what to say when a blogger (aka perfect stranger) writes posts of that sort, but you all said the most encouraging things. And I want to assure you that I’m alive and well, back this week with a much better attitude. It really was nothing that a weekend, a wedding, some perspective, and a little {ontherun} time couldn’t fix. Oh, and a trip to the doctor…just in case.
And now it’s time to take all that energy I was using to focus on those should’s and should not’s and use to get ready for Hood to Coast. The problem is, I haven’t really been making the most of my time this week.
5 Ways to NOT Prepare for a Relay
Particularly the “Mother” of all relays…
1.) Freak out.
Good thing I got that one out of the way last week. I’m determined not to freak out again about this weird soreness in my legs. At this point, it is what it is.
2.) Stop running.
Or at least, cut back drastically. I had never planned to taper for this relay, but because I’ve been experiencing a lot of weird achey pain in my quads for the past week and a half now on top of a general feeling of tiredness, I decided the smart thing to do would be to stop pushing through it. I don’t want to be injured for this relay. So marathon training has taken a temporary back seat. The goal for the time being is to be ready for HTC (and worry about the rest later).
Problem is, this is a little bit more than a taper. I haven’t been running much at all for a week now. So I’m either going to be the most rested person out there…or the most out of shape.
3.) Use the weekend to {not} pack.
While I did go out and get myself two pairs of these lovely numbers (let the record show that these are the first pairs of booty shorts I have ever purchased), I haven’t actually started packing anything yet. (This is the packing list I’ll use, with a few minor changes)
Yes, they are short. And even more comfortable than I expected (who knew?)
At least I did laundry last night so my running gear would be clean. Now I just have to find it all.
4.) Schedule your flight immediately after work, during a week that you are trapped in long all-day trainings.
My schedule this week is jam-packed. Because I’m in a training for these next few days, I don’t even have my lunch break to use to run errands and get things together. And I have to leave immediately after work on Wednesday if I want to make my flight on time.
Oh and did I mention that I’ll be spending the night at a Pawtucket Red Sox game tonight? And that at some point I really want to run out and get myself a new camera? Now if only those clothes would pack themselves…
5.) Use what little free time there is to blog.
In case that’s not apparent at this point, I really hate packing. I’m not sure where this hatred comes from, but because of it, packing is something that I always avoid until the last possible minute. You’d think the excitement of my upcoming adventure would make me eager to get everything together. But no. I’m the same old procrastinator I’ve always been.
So on that note, I need to get off this computer. I’ll “see” you all from Seattle!
Quick vote: say you want to bring a sleeping bag on a plane, but don’t want to check anything. Do you think the airline will accept a carry-on suitcase plus the bag as my personal item? Or is that not gonna fly? (ha ha ha).
The Weight of “Should” & “Should Not”
| August 19, 2011 | Posted by Lauren under LifeontheRun, Running |
Should
Such a simple little word, but lately it’s one I’ve been struggling with (along with it’s close cousin should not). I know I’ve probably gone through phases in life like this before. When “should” and “should not” consume the majority of my thoughts. But at the moment it just feels particularly bad.
I should be running more miles.
I should be running faster.
I should be more consistent with my morning runs.
I should be doing more tempo/speed workouts.
I should not be feeling so tired.
My body should not already be this run-down.
This run should not feel so hard.
My legs should not feel so terrible.
I should be in better shape than this.
All of those thoughts have been swirling around my head on every run/workout since Sunday’s seventeen. Who knows where they come from. Or why I feel as though I should be doing any of them. Logically, I know it’s all so silly. But I’m not always the most logical person when it comes to my running.
The problem is that despite taking a day of complete rest on Monday followed by a day of cross training on Tuesday, my runs have not really improved. My legs feel like lead; my body feels tired. So incredibly tired. While walking the dog this evening, I seriously could have just sat right down on the littered sidewalk and not gotten up for the rest of the night. Unfortunately the more I feel like this, the more I just try to fight it, because I’m convinced that there’s no reason why I should be feeling this way.
To make matters worse, the should’s and should not’s have started to spread from my running into other areas of my life as well.
I should be saving more money.
I should call my family/friends more often.
I shouldn’t complain about my job when I’m lucky enough to even have one.
I should have my life figured out by now.
Pointless thoughts that only serve to add to my stress. I know that it’s dumb and not productive to think this way. That running is running and I’m making it more complicated than it has to be. That everyone has things in life that they could be, that they should be doing better, and that I’m doing the best I can with where I am right now. The problem is, as I’m sure you’ve all experienced, knowing something in your head doesn’t always mean believing it in your heart.
I have a relay coming up. And it should be fun. The adventure of a lifetime. But as this week goes on, my excitement has been clouded by a series of really bad runs. Runs that don’t make sense. My mileage is not that high. My pace is not that fast. My training not that intense. I’ve run for enough years to know that I should not be freaking out about this. That one bad week does not a training cycle make. That sometimes, for whatever reason, running sucks. I’m just afraid that it seems to suck more often than usual these days.
If I were talking to anyone else in this position, I would tell them to stop stressing. I would tell them to listen to their body, rest up so that they could attack their training next week, and do well in their upcoming races. But I don’t always listen to my own advice. Even though I should.
Instead I just reason with my body. I try to tell it how to feel and how to behave. How’s that working so far, you ask? Well, truth be told…it’s not. Because sometimes things just don’t work the way we think they should.
Normally with a post like this, I’d try to share some sort of positive message. Some sort of awesome lesson I’ve learned or new outlook I’ve gained. But real life isn’t as clean and tidy as I would like blog posts to be. And so I don’t have anything great to share. I know I’ll get past this. I know that running ruts don’t last forever, and next week when I’m running along the Oregon Coast (hopefully) all this will be forgotten.
I also know that when things are stressful in other areas of my life, I often feel the effects of that on my runs. And there are lots of life-things happening right now that are outside of my control. A control-freak like myself’s worst nightmare. Finally, I suppose there’s a chance I could be a tad bit burned out. Because even though my mileage isn’t all that high (comparatively speaking), I have been doing a lot of races recently. In fact, in this last year, I’ve done more races than I have in any year since graduating from college. And although I love racing, and I do many of them for “fun” (sort of), maybe this is just my body’s way of saying that it’s time to take a step back.
But whatever the reason, right now I’m just weighed down by all the “should’s” and the “should not’s.” Which, in case you were wondering, doesn’t actually make running any better. Funny how we runners can be our own worst enemies sometimes.
Ultimately, I know something needs to change with my training – I’m just not exactly sure what. So if you’ve made it this far, thank you. I apologize for a negative post on this Friday morning. And if you’ve read it and feel like rolling your eyes and shrugging this off as big, fat #firstworldproblems, that’s okay too. I’ll be the first to admit this entire thing is a little whiny, and I debated whether or not to even post it. But in the end, I figured it’s better to be real. I love running. But that doesn’t mean it isn’t really hard for me sometimes.
Plus, writing it down can be a good reality check and a way to get over yourself, right?
One Week {and a giveaway!}
| August 17, 2011 | Posted by Lauren under Running |
One week from today, I will be boarding a plane to Seattle to join the nuun team for 24 hours of running, peanut butter eating, coffee chugging, van sleeping fun on Mount Hood and along the Oregon coast. As cheesy as it sounds, this is the opportunity of a lifetime!
When I first applied to be on the team, most of my excitement was just about the relay itself. For whatever reason, I didn’t think much about the other bloggers who would be on the team, and the fact that this experience would connect me with women I never would have even heard of otherwise (which is dumb, since I always babble on and on about how much I love the team aspect of relays).
Since being selected, however, it’s been all about the other ladies running. This group is easily the most excited team I’ve ever run a relay with. We’ve come up with a team logo, team uniforms and warm-ups, amazing van decoration ideas, and more. This has taken the team camaraderie that I love so much to a whole new level. Now I’m just as excited to fly out west to meet my teammates as I am to actually run.
Anyway, since we’re so close to the event that has consumed {almost} every waking thought for the past couple of months, I thought I’d take some time to answer all those questions people didn’t actually ask me (I’m sure you all were thinking them though, right?)
Frequently Never Asked Questions
How in the world did you get chosen for this thing?
In case you’ve started reading Health on the Run recently, here’s a link to the application that started it all – I Wanna Run Hood to Coast!
I head HTC is hilly. How exactly have you been preparing to run through mountains at elevation?
Umm….well Providence is sort of hilly too. And I run up those hills on every run. So that counts, right? (Let’s forget about the whole “sea level” thing for now)
Have you done double/triple runs to prepare for the fact that you’ll be running 3 legs in 24 hours?
Sometimes I do a workout in the evening and then get up in the morning to run. But I’ll admit that’s more because of the way my schedule works out than because I’m trying to be intentional about practicing. Plus, in those situations I have about 12 hours between workouts – which is double the amount of time I’d have on the relay.
So…no.
Okay, it sounds like you haven’t really trained for this at all? Is this true??
Yes and no. Honestly the only thing I’ve done is just continue to marathon train. I’ve been trying keep up with lifting regularly and I’ve mixed in some tempo runs/speed work/races, but those are things I’d be doing anyway. I don’t mean to make light of this whole race, but I ran 17 miles last week – which is about the total distance I’ll be running through the course of the weekend. Yes, I’ll be doing those runs on much hillier roads, but I’m hoping my marathon training will have given me enough strength to make it through this relay.
What are these team uniforms you speak of?
Sorry, but that’s top secret, classified information. Okay, so not really but I’m still going to make you wait until the relay to find out. Just think lots of color – people are definitely going to see us coming!
What is your favorite relay snack?
Nuun will be providing most of the food for our vans, which works out great because I’m flying across the country. But I might try to sneak in a few of my favorite things. Like Justin’s nut butter packets (so much easier than bringing an entire jar!) and my new favorite relay treat, peanut-butter filled pretzels. Seriously – I couldn’t get enough of the saltiness after running.
Becky modeling the crack snack she brought for us on the Cape Relay
Will your awesome Bondi Bands be making an appearance?
Why yes, of course – because I swear this thing makes me run faster. As does my I <3 26.2 shirt, of course.
“In my dreams I am a Kenyan” and “Will run for ice cream” – both so true
This sounds like so much fun! How can I track your every move next weekend?
I’m so glad you asked! I won’t be blogging through the relay, but we have created plenty of opportunities for you all to follow along on the adventure. Ready to be overloaded by social media?
- Follow me on Twitter (if you don’t already). I promise my sleep-deprived tweets will be mildly entertaining
- Follow our team AfterNUUN Delight on Twitter (@afternuundelite) – seriously, we need more followers
- Follow the other {almost as cool} team Nuun Platuun on Twitter (@NuunPlatuun) – I know it’s not a competition, but Nuun Platuun already has twice as many followers as we do. I know they’re all cool and intense and everything, but we’re all about the love, so follow @afternuundelite, okay??
- For you non-Twitter users, we have created a Facebook page! “Like” Bloggers Spreading the Nuun Love” on Facebook to see updates from both teams in one place. Plus, I heard all the cool kids are doing it.
- And finally, I will also try to post occasional updates, photos, etc to the Health{ontherun} Facebook page, in case the other options aren’t enough for you.
Phew, I know that’s a lot! But I just want you all to be involved in the fun.
And now, because I want everyone who reads this blog to be just as excited by the Hood to Coast relay as I am, I have a fun surprise for you all!
Hood to Coast DVD Giveaway
As you may {not} know, the Hood to Coast movie recently came out on DVD. Not just any DVD, either. A 2-Disc special that includes over 95 minutes of extras. Hours of Hood to Coast fun in one little package?? Try not to get too excited.
In the small chance you haven’t ordered it already (because I know most of you pre-ordered the movie months ago, you were so excited, right?), I have decided to give away one copy of the DVD to one lucky HOTR reader. I might also throw in a few tubes of Nuun…if you’re lucky.
To enter -
Simply comment on this post and tell me your best relay experience OR one reason why you don’t think you’d ever run one (because I know we’re not all so crazy – though if you hate relays, I’m going to sort of wonder why the heck you want the movie…). Or you could ask me a question that you might actually have about the relay/nuun team/etc, give me some last minute tip or even leave some nice encouraging words (is the elevation really going to kill me??). Basically, if you comment on this post and say anything related to relays, I will consider you entered (unless, of course, you don’t want to be. Which is fine!!).
I’m not going to ask you to do a bunch of other things, but I will give you ONE bonus entry for following the Nuun Teams on Twitter, liking our Facebook page, or liking the Health{ontherun} page (all listed above). Sorry, but following me on Twitter doesn’t count. Just leave a separate comment telling me what you did so I can count it as an entry.
And even if you don’t want the bonus entry, you should follow all our team pages anyway!
Edited to add: I guess I should specify when this thing ends. I want to order the movie before I head out west, so the giveaway will run through midnight on Monday, August 22nd. I’ll choose a winner that Tuesday – so enter before then!
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*This giveaway is sponsored and funded purely by me. The only connection I have with the relay is the fact that I’m running it next week. I just want to spread the Hood to Coast love to all my readers!
Stubborn or Determined? Pushing through tough runs
| August 15, 2011 | Posted by Lauren under Marathon Training, Running |
Quick Announcement: Health{ontherun} now has a Facebook page! I finally decided to create one this weekend so I could connect with people there – without annoying those who don’t care about this little blog of mine. So if you want to keep up with my online rambles, you can “like” the page here (or by clicking on that Facebook icon in the sidebar).
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Yesterday I ran 17 miles. And it was tough.
I didn’t feel super tired, or have a bad attitude about the run. It wasn’t super hot and I didn’t run a particularly challenging course. But from the very first step I took, my legs just didn’t feel great. They were tired and sore – as if I had already completed my long run. But despite how it felt, my legs should have been rested, and that run still needed to get done. So I ignored the discomfort, figuring maybe they’d loosen themselves up after a few miles. I planned a route that was basically two separate out and backs to keep me near home, and I kept my pace easy.
While my legs did loosen up a little bit after a few miles, the soreness never really went away. I felt as though I had been running all day, and even though I still had gas in the tank, my legs were just done. The pain didn’t feel like it was related to any sort of injury and it didn’t seem to get worse as I ran. It just was.
No, this is not how I looked yesterday. Here I look strong and determined. Yesterday I did not. But it was raining…again.
Around 12 miles, when I was approaching my second turnaround point for the day, I realized I was near EC’s house. Instead of heading back toward home, I pointed my aching legs in his direction for a quick pit-stop. Fortunately he was home, but I’m pretty sure he was a bit taken aback by the very emotional Lauren who greeted him at his door. I couldn’t say what was wrong, just that I was having an incredibly frustrating run.
I asked him nicely begged for him to join me for the last 4. At that point, not only did 2 miles out and back seem so much more manageable than 4 miles home, but running with someone else seemed like they only way I could get it done. To EC’s credit, he agreed, even though I’m sure he thought I was insane.
While we were running, we got into a bit of a debate. EC couldn’t understand why I was being so stubborn about this. Why I didn’t just stick to running 13 miles – I had already stopped at his house anyway. Why tack on the last 4 if my legs were that dead? If I was so miserable that I didn’t even know if I could run the last 4 by myself.
I, on the other hand, was convinced that I needed to do this. I hadn’t added on distance to my last two races like I should have, and so it had been awhile since I’d built up to a new distance on a long run. And with a wedding to go to next weekend and a couple of relays coming up, time was running out. Plus, I wasn’t injured, just sore. And marathons are going to hurt – so pushing through this run mentally would help me be better prepared than giving up.
I’m not sure if he completely understood my reasoning, but at least he was supportive. And ultimately, I suppose he could have been right. I didn’t exactly ease into the distance. I raced a half marathon last weekend, lifted and did speed work this week, and then expected to just jump on up to 17 miles? Maybe that was a little stupid. But for whatever reason, I had gotten it in my head that I needed to run 17 miles that day, and so I was bound and determined to run each of those miles – wise decision or not.
I finally finished the run in 2:19 (average pace of 8:10), which includes two very slow last miles…and does not include the 5 minutes I spent at EC’s at mile 13.
Fortunately, the day started brightening after my rainy 17. After an ice bath, compression socks and an afternoon spent with my favorite little buddy,
I was treated to two very wonderful things:
Cupcakes
And a man to cook me dinner.
Even if he thinks I’m ridiculously stubborn, at least he know how to take care of me.
At the end of the day, I’m still not sure I made the smartest choice, but I’m glad I pushed through the run. It feels good to have it out of the way, and hopefully that 17 miles will make the next long run easier.
But I’d like to open the debate up to you. If you’re struggling on a run, do you decide to stop and try again another time? Or do you keep pushing through to get your mileage in? Where do you draw the line?
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