2014 Running Accomplishments

It's easy to get caught up in the minutiae of day to day runs, to lose track of the bigger picture. Taking time to evaluate the accomplishments of 2014 reveals a banner year of running for Joe and me - especially for Joe, as this was his comeback year after 6 months off in 2013 with his shoulder surgeries. Take a look...

Joe's 2014 Running Accomplishments

1.    Half Marathon

a.   First year running 5 half marathons

b.   Set new half marathon PR (1:36:06)

2.    15K Distance

a.   First 15K

b.   First sub-7 minute mile pace in a race (1:04:04)

3.    10K Distance

a.   First time taking 1^st place in age group division for The North Face Endurance Challenge Trail Run and set a PR for this event (48:14)

b.   Took 2^nd place in age group division for Trail Assail Memorial Day Run at Minooka Park

4.    Overall Distance: 1,152

a.   Annual - First time logging over 900 miles

b.   Monthly - Averaged 96 miles per month

c.    Weekly - Averaged over 22 miles per week

Joy's 2014 Running Accomplishments

1.    Half Marathon

a.   Hit 20th Half Marathon

b.   Set new half marathon PR (2:08:05)

2.    15K Distance

a.   Set a new 15k PR (1:30:27)

3.    10K Distance

a.   Set a new PR in The North Face Endurance Challenge Trail Run (1:02:24)

4.    5K Distance

a.   Took 2nd place in age group division for Trail Assail Independence Run at Fox River Park

5.    Overall Distance: 1,350

a.   Annual - First time logging over 1,170 miles 

b.   Monthly - Averaged 112.5 miles per month

c.    Weekly – Averaged 26 miles per week

80/20

Selfie taken before the
last long run of 2014!

This post is a follow up from December 3rd  blog about my decreased performance and the science behind it (a rather technical blog that may have been a great literary lullaby before bed for most of you☺). So what happened after I realized I was on the verge of Stage 2 Overtraining? I turned my attention to rest and research. I took 2 complete days off of any and all exercise, 7 full days off running and did a lot of cross training (elliptical, stair climber, biking, yoga, walking) in an easy zone. While taking it easy physically, I logged 8 hours of restorative sleep or more each night, resumed my Maca/Chia/Cacao Nib/Protein recovery drinks and formulated a new training approach.

Taking a page out of Joe's book, I exhaustively researched a running theory that purports running slow makes you a faster runner. This idea feels counter-intuitive, so I needed a lot of convincing. I read no less than 50 articles, research outcomes and personal testimonials to assure myself that this approach to running was based in some science. My exploration led me to two similar yet different training methods: 80/20 Running, also known as Polarized running, & the Maffetone Method (named after Phil Maffetone).

The Maffetone Method prescribes doing ALL running in the Zone 2 Heart Rate (HR) scale. Zone 2 parameters reflect your individualized numbers for accessing your Maximum Aerobic Threshold. This threshold is where your body learns how to use fat, instead of glycogen (carbs/sugar) for fuel. When you use fat for fuel, you boost your endurance, becoming able to run longer and faster with less effort (i.e., a lower HR). For me, this means keeping my HR below 141 beats per minute (There's a formula for finding your number. The number is your maximum aerobic heart rate - not your maximum HR overall, which for me, is around 180). These slow runs are done for 3-6 months before you can add in a little bit of speedplay. This method also advises against weight training during the initial 3-6 month period, as that can detract from building the aerobic system. No weight lifting? Sorry, that's a deal breaker for me. For this reason, I crossed this stringent form of training off the list of possibilities.

The 80/20 running plan prescribes 80% of weekly mileage being done at or below that aerobic HR threshold, while allowing for 20% speedwork in different doses throughout the week. It also doesn't frown upon weight lifting or cross training, as long as it's all done within the 80/20 paradigm. This seemed doable, so I purchased a newly released book on the subject, ripe with the latest research, read it in 2 days and have been following the detailed training plan for the past 2 weeks.

How is it going? Physically it feels great and easy. I don't get tired, I don't get sore. Mentally, it's painful. It requires me to constantly check my ego, it stirs up obsessive compulsive ruminations and lots of negative self-talk. In order to keep me HR under 141, I am essentially shuffling. My pace, once honed to a 9:30 pace, is now between an 11:30-12:00 pace. After one run, I nearly threw in the towel after holding the thought, "OMG. I've never run this slow. Not even when I started running. Not even when injured." It took my friends Bobbi, Jenny and Rosanna to talk me off the ledge and to stick with this training. Running slow to get fast can take 6 months to a year to yield satisfying results, yet here I am wanting to see improvements after 2 weeks. it takes fortitude, strength and faith to take on this challenge. I've rebelled a couple time, taking the last stretch of a run to go fast, sending my HR into the 150's in defiance. I have to continuously remind myself to see the bigger picture - take the time now to build a solid aerobic base and reap the benefits for years to come. I also think it would help me to have a partner to commiserate with. While Joe is out there cranking with his 7-minute miles, I feel demoralized and begin to convince myself to return to my old training patterns (which, actually, my body is still too wrecked to do). I need someone to be my 80/20 sponsor (ala AA) or to do this with me, and Bobbi may be just the one ... ☺

Building an aerobic base is something most people do not take the time to do. You can be super fit, yet not have a solid aerobic base. One example from my readings regards an elite level Ironman. He hit the wall with overtraining, and had no other choice but to take on the Maffetone Method. He was humbled when his 5:20 pace was reduced to an 8:15 pace. He stuck with the plan, and eventually regained his 5:20 pace, BUT he could now sustain that pace in competition with his HR 25 beats lower than it used to be. Like this triathlete, I find myself backed into a corner. Trying the 80/20 Running is actually my only option at present, as it allows my body to continue recovering from being pushed to the edge, while building my (elusive) aerobic base. 

I've committed myself to doing this for at least 3 months. Each month the plan calls for a 3-mile test to measure progress. The test is done on a track, measuring your pace for each mile. Each month, the testing should reflect improvement with pace, while your HR remains the same. I conducted my first test on Christmas Day at the colorful new Catholic Memorial High School Track:

Mile 1 = 11:21

Mile 2 = 12:12 (this number seems off - I ran in the opposite direction on the track this lap and wonder if that skewed things)

Mile 3 = 12:13

There's only one way to go from here, right? 

2014 Book Review

It's book review time! As tradition dictates, I will share my 5-star rated reads of 2014. 

1. We Are Water - Wally Lamb

After 27 years of marriage and three children, Anna Oh—wife, mother, outsider artist—has fallen in love with Viveca, the wealthy Manhattan art dealer who orchestrated her success. They plan to wed in the Oh family’s hometown of Three Rivers in Connecticut. But the wedding provokes some very mixed reactions and opens a Pandora’s Box of toxic secrets—dark and painful truths that have festered below the surface of the Ohs’ lives.

We Are Water is a layered portrait of marriage, family, and the inexorable need for understanding and connection, told in the alternating voices of the Ohs—nonconformist, Anna; her ex-husband, Orion, a psychologist; Ariane, the do-gooder daughter, and her twin, Andrew, the rebellious only son; and free-spirited Marissa, the youngest. It is also a portrait of modern America, exploring issues of class, changing social mores, the legacy of racial violence, and the nature of creativity and art.

With humor and compassion, Wally Lamb brilliantly captures the essence of human experience and the ways in which we search for love and meaning in our lives.

2. Running With The Kenyans - Adharanand Finn

Whether running is your recreation or your religion, Adharanand Finn’s incredible journey to the elite training camps of Kenya will captivate and inspire you, as he ventures to uncover the secrets of the fastest people on earth. Finn’s mesmerizing quest combines a fresh look at barefoot running, practical advice on the sport, and the fulfillment of a lifelong dream: to run with his heroes. Uprooting his family of five, Finn traveled to a small, chaotic town in the Rift Valley province of Kenya—a mecca for long-distance runners, thanks to its high altitude, endless paths, and some of the top training schools in the world. There Finn would run side by side with Olympic champions, young hopefuls, and barefoot schoolchildren, and meet a cast of unforgettable characters. Amid the daily challenges of training and of raising a family abroad, Finn would learn invaluable lessons about running—and about life.

3. The Interestings - Meg Wolitzer

Whether running is your recreation or your religion, Adharanand Finn’s incredible journey to the elite training camps of Kenya will captivate and inspire you, as he ventures to uncover the secrets of the fastest people on earth. Finn’s mesmerizing quest combines a fresh look at barefoot running, practical advice on the sport, and the fulfillment of a lifelong dream: to run with his heroes. Uprooting his family of five, Finn traveled to a small, chaotic town in the Rift Valley province of Kenya—a mecca for long-distance runners, thanks to its high altitude, endless paths, and some of the top training schools in the world. There Finn would run side by side with Olympic champions, young hopefuls, and barefoot schoolchildren, and meet a cast of unforgettable characters. Amid the daily challenges of training and of raising a family abroad, Finn would learn invaluable lessons about running—and about life.

4. The Silent Wife - A.S.A. Harrison

Jodi and Todd are at a bad place in their marriage. Much is at stake, including the affluent life they lead in their beautiful waterfront condo in Chicago, as she, the killer, and he, the victim, rush haplessly toward the main event. He is a committed cheater. She lives and breathes denial. He exists in dual worlds. She likes to settle scores. He decides to play for keeps. She has nothing left to lose. Told in alternating voices, The Silent Wife is about a marriage in the throes of dissolution, a couple headed for catastrophe, concessions that can’t be made, and promises that won’t be kept. Expertly plotted and reminiscent of Gone Girl and These Things Hidden, The Silent Wife ensnares the reader from page one and does not let go.

5. Benediction - Kent Haruf

When Dad Lewis is diagnosed with terminal cancer, he and his wife, Mary, must work together to make his final days as comfortable as possible. Their daughter, Lorraine, hastens back from Denver to help look after him; her devotion softens the bitter absence of their estranged son, Frank, but this cannot be willed away and remains a palpable presence for all three of them. Next door, a young girl named Alice moves in with her grandmother and contends with the painful memories that Dad's condition stirs up of her own mother's death. Meanwhile, the town’s newly arrived preacher attempts to mend his strained relationships with his wife and teenaged son, a task that proves all the more challenging when he faces the disdain of his congregation after offering more than they are accustomed to getting on a Sunday morning. And throughout, an elderly widow and her middle-aged daughter do everything they can to ease the pain of their friends and neighbors.

Despite the travails that each of these families faces, together they form bonds strong enough to carry them through the most difficult of times.  Bracing, sad and deeply illuminating, Benediction captures the fullness of life by representing every stage of it, including its extinction, as well as the hopes and dreams that sustain us along the way. Here Kent Haruf gives us his most indelible portrait yet of this small town and reveals, with grace and insight, the compassion, the suffering and, above all, the humanity of its inhabitants.

6. And The Mountains Echoed - Khaled Hosseini

This is a novel about how we love, how we take care of one another, and how the choices we make resonate through generations. In this tale revolving around not just parents and children but brothers and sisters, cousins and caretakers, Hosseini explores the many ways in which families nurture, wound, betray, honor, and sacrifice for one another; and how often we are surprised by the actions of those closest to us, at the times that matter most. Following its characters and the ramifications of their lives and choices and loves around the globe—from Kabul to Paris to San Francisco to the Greek island of Tinos—the story expands gradually outward, becoming more emotionally complex and powerful with each turning page.

7. Ranger Confidential - Andrea Lankford

For twelve years, Andrea Lankford lived in the biggest, most impressive national parks in the world, working a job she loved. She chaperoned baby sea turtles on their journey to sea. She pursued bad guys on her galloping patrol horse. She jumped into rescue helicopters bound for the heart of the Grand Canyon. She won arguments with bears. She slept with a few too many rattlesnakes.

Hell yeah, it was the best job in the world! Fortunately, Andrea survived it.

In this graphic and yet surprisingly funny account of her and others’ extraordinary careers, Lankford unveils a world in which park rangers struggle to maintain their idealism in the face of death, disillusionment, and the loss of a comrade killed while holding that thin green line between protecting the park from the people, the people from the park, and the people from each other. Ranger Confidential is the story behind the scenery of the nation’s crown jewels—Yosemite, Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, Great Smokies, Denali. In these iconic landscapes, where nature and humanity constantly collide, scenery can be as cruel as it is redemptive.

Sneak Peak - 2015

Fun time! I realize the past few few blogs have been heavily laden with scientific physiological details only interesting and absorbable to a minute amount of readers. Now it's time to lighten up and share a preview of what we're working on for 2015. Let's go month-by-month... 

JANUARY - Training season begins for half marathon number 1 of 5 in late March.
Race: Trail Assail Snowshoe Running 5k - Minooka Park, Waukesha

FEBRUARY - Train, train and train!

MARCH - Ready for hillacious half marathon #1?
Race: Run The Bluegrass Half Marathon - Lexington, KY
This race begins at the well-known Keeneland Horse Park & Race Track and travels through the beautiful, but hilly horse country of north central KY.

APRIL - Recover, then train for half marathon #2.

MAY - Revisiting an oldie, but goodie - one of our favorite events to run.
Race: Wisconsin "Cheesy" Half Marathon - Kenosha, WI
A flat, scenic course along Lake Michigan, replete with lighthouses.

JUNE - ...And now for something completely different!
Race: Ragnar Relay - Madison, WI - Chicago, IL
This is a unique race experience that entails a team of 12 runners, each one running 3 different legs of varying lengths, covering 200 miles in 2 days, from Madison to Chicago. Below is a link to a video that does a great job explaining how the race works, while showing how fun it is. Joe and I were hesitant to join, but after seeing this video, we were stoked. The video is about 10 minutes long, but worth it for the scenery alone (the video was filmed in beautiful UT – I’m happy we don’t have mountains in WI/IL to scale!). I’m driven to get lots of road kill! (watch the video to know what I’m talkin’ about). Check it out http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cb3pbZcaedg

JULY - This isn't a confirmed plan yet, but we're toying with doing something crazy ...
Race: Dances With Dirt Devil's Lake Half Marathon - Baraboo, WI
A wild, steep, possibly muddy & buggy, trail run that includes the bluffs at Devil's Lake State Park. This is one badass mofo race! If it doesn't kill you, it'll make you stronger☺

AUGUST - Backpack Glacier National Park, MT, then pop in and see my sister, Barb.

SEPTEMBER - Keeping the trail theme alive ...

Race: The North Face Endurance Challenge Trail Half Marathon - Ottawa Lake, WI

This is one race series that we do every year. Most often, we do the 10k, but this year we plan to take on the half marathon for a second time. Doing the Dances With Dirt half in July, could strategically help us set a PR in this purty Southern kettle Moraine race.

OCTOBER - Gearing up for the the 5th and final half marathon of the year.

Race: Lakefront Discovery Run 15k - Milwaukee

Tradition! This fun, fast and scenic lake shore run is becoming a standard part of our October training schedule.

NOVEMBER - The last hoorah!

Race: Milwaukee Running Festival Half Marathon - Milwaukee

There's a new running series in town! The Milwaukee Running Festival begins in 2015 with 1 mile, 5k, half and full marathon distances to choose from. We look forward to being a part of this inaugural race that will cover Milwaukee streets above and beyond the lakefront.

DECEMBER - Off Season Recovery

Seeing The Bigger Picture

My last post talked about my dwindling running performance and my plan to run slower and within a certain heart rate zone. For one week, I logged my resting heart rate every morning before getting out of bed and plugged that into a special formula. My average resting heart rate is 51, which converted into an optimal training heart rate zone for me of 127-145. To keep my HR in this range, even while running slow, has been a challenge over the past 2 weeks, with disappointing results. Back to the drawing board I went … Review & Research.

Careful examination of my training journal shows a girl on fire. In 2014 my training plan changed to 6 day/wk runs from 5/wk, a second speed work session per week was added and my overall weekly volume increased. I made steady gains with my pace and aerobic system from January through September. Every run was exciting as I was constantly besting previous training runs. I raced every month, secured several PR’s and even an age group second place finish. It was around early October that my pace began to slow and that I had trouble executing certain work-outs, such as speed work sessions, requiring more breaks and rest to complete. This slight downward progression led into a 5-week period that would include 2 half marathons and a 15k. So, I started slowing down around 10/1. From 10/18-11/8, I was in constant race/recovery mode (and had a bad head cold). Since then I’ve been trying to run slower, but have kept the volume up in pursuit of the biggest mileage year ever. I had a goal to run 1200 miles this year. I have already achieved that (I’m currently at 1,271), but felt driven to continue running as much as possible to see how many more miles I could rack up before year’s end. I’m having to rein in my obsessive number-crunching, goal-driven ways and drop the pursuit of extra miles as part of seeing the bigger picture - I have big race plans for 2015. In my depleted state, I will not be able to perform well (or possibly at all – see the “stages” listed below), if I don’t take some time off right now.

I think for the past few weeks I’ve been in denial. I hoped that scaling back my pace to keep my HR low would allow recovery to occur, and fix the problem, but I’m only getting slower. I think the breaking point was a taxing run at Lapham in the snow last weekend. Though the scenery was beautiful (see picture), the run was utterly fatiguing, and since then I haven’t felt like running (though I have). For the past couple weeks a little voice in my head kept saying “you need a break from running altogether”. Listening to that voice, I began to research just how much time off might be adequate, and that’s when I came across lots of material pointing to the 3 Stages of Overtraining.

Stage 1: Functional Over Reaching gone awry. You push the envelope with a heavy training load. It either pays off with the right balance of rest & recovery, with you seeing incredible boosts in performance OR it flops, you don’t get enough recovery time and you enter the beginnings of “Overtraining Syndrome”. The beginning kicks off with mild adrenal gland malfunction, which correlates to reduced aerobic capacity. Translated, this means running at a slower pace with a higher heart rate (For example, last week I ran a 5 mile route at a 10:04 pace with an average HR of 153 – 4 months ago I ran the same route at a 9:11 pace with the exact same HR). In addition to the loss of athletic performance, symptoms include:

·         An increased appetite with a craving for sweets

·         Sleepiness after eating

·         Cravings for caffeine

·         Trouble losing fat

·         Sleep irregularities

·         Increased resting heart rate

·         Mood changes

·         Fatigue

·         Prolonged muscle soreness

I only have the decreased performance aspect, which is why I think I’m not to Stage 2 quite yet.  If a body is in stage 1, it can usually recover with a couple weeks of rest. Mindful nutrition is key for recovery as well, but luckily, my nutrition needs little improvement … maybe just a slight reduction in sugar intake.

Stage 2: Overtraining of the Sympathetic Nervous System. This is more serious. Now the adrenal gland malfunction in conjunction with the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis begins to pass a point of no return. You know you’re in this stage if you try taking time off from training, but don’t improve in your performance (I’ll know better which stage I’m in after my time away from running – if I don’t get better after my time off, I am likely in this stage). Symptoms include:

·         Sleep disturbance – insomnia,waking in the middle of the night and not falling back to sleep

·         Restlessness

·         Increased propensity for upper respiratory infections

·         Change in appetite – increase or decrease

·         Depression and/or Anxiety

·         Irritability

·         Chronic achy joints and/or Sore Muscles

·         Loss of motivation

·         Injury/Mechanical imbalances

·         Loss of concentration

·         For women, changes in menstrual cycle.

Fortunately, I don’t have any of these symptoms. This stage can take months of rest to recover from.

Stage 3: Overtraining of the Parasympathetic Nervous System. Now you’re in deep doo-doo. You’ve been ignoring the signs of overtraining for a long time and have destroyed your adrenal/hormonal system. It’s so depleted that you may have more serious physical problems, such as frequent urination and utter fatigue with deep down feelings of physical un-wellness. At this point, the body cannot even be forced to do activity. There’s a famous ultrarunner, Geoff Roes, who got to this level. After years of hitting it hard with 200+ mile weeks, he found himself unable to even run 1 lone mile. Recovery at this stage is not a guarantee. Some athletes will rebound, but not necessarily to their previous level of excellence. In Geoff Roes’s case, after taking nearly a year off of running and training, he has recovered and won many illustrious titles this year in the ultra-world. This level of overtraining seems dedicated to the elite level athlete, though I reckon’ it could happen to anyone. SCARY!

I gutted out 3 super slippery miles with Rosanna this morning and now plan to not run for 7-10 days. After that, I’ll run at 50-75% of the volume I was training at and I will take those runs slow. Hopefully, this plan works and will validate my assessment of being in Stage 1. This doesn’t mean I become a couch potato. Walking is an excellent and effective activity to promote recovery (we’re not talking strolling or ambling, but a good paced walk). I’ll incorporate more cross training in the next few weeks – biking, elliptical, yoga – and will continue my weight training with Aaron. I am hopeful that this plan will restore me, but your added finger crossings or prayers or whatever are welcome too!

Off Season (what does that even mean?)

Recovery Week numero uno is done and as I move on to Recovery Week numero dos, I'm prepared to begin my "Off Season" plan. The off season does not equal little to no running. It means scaling back the intensity of running while incorporating more cross training and/or rest. This is done to alleviate the physical and mental strain of 9 months of heavy training. The off season is an opportunity to reflect on the training year - reviewing what went well and what needs work. For me, this means scouring my training journal for clues as to why I kicked ass from May - September and why my performance began to regress from October to the present. Once potential causes are identified, a plan for change can be made. 

My journal revealed many factors that may have given me swift feet in spring & summer - twice per day runs two times per week, hill repeats, trail running, and of course, I was relatively fresh as I was in the first half of the training year. The most glaring contributor to my slowing pace of the past 6-8 weeks is the melting of all runs into moderate effort runs. My speed work was no longer fast enough, my recovery and long runs not slow enough, and eventually this led to my body getting stuck in middle gear. This is a common trap many runners fall into. When pushing too hard in easy runs (which, as you will read below, should be the majority of runs), over time the moderate level effort (just below the lactate threshold) becomes exponentially more taxing on the sympathetic nervous system, creating a burden of fatigue in which running faster, attaining PR's or performance goals, becomes more difficult. 

To remedy this situation (I hope!), I'm turning to the 80/10/10 training principle. This means 80% of my runs should be easy or within Zone 2 of the Heart Rate (HR) chart (see below). This allows my body to recover quickly, while still expanding my aerobic base. It also teaches my body to use fat for fuel for the long haul, rather than banking on glycogen (sugar), which can lead to bonking. Doing most runs slow, contrary to what one might expect, does not make you a slow runner. It allows your body to adapt and grow at a healthy rate that can support your fast runs. Fast running, such as tempo runs, should comprise 10% of my running volume in the HR Zone 3 and the final 10%, to include high intensity interval training can dip into the anaerobic thresholds of Zones 4 & 5. Research notes, "One study involving Spanish runners found that those who did 80 percent of their training below the lactate threshold (LT), 10 percent at LT and 10 percent above LT improved their race times significantly more in five months than runners who did the same amount ofrunning but performed only 70 percent of it below LT, 20 percent at LT and 10 percent above LT."

Following HR Zone guidelines is a good way to insure you're running your easy runs easy and hard runs hard. Do the HR numbers need to be adhered to religiously? No, but keeping an awareness of them, as well as running by feel (i.e., can I easily conversate?), will greatly help me stick with my off season plan. The easiest, most common way to figure out HR Zones relates to a basic formula of subtracting your age from 220 and then multiplying that number by.60 to know your Zone1/2 range, by .70 to know your Zone 2/3 range, etc., but this method fails to accommodate the highly fit athlete. To get a more accurate suggestion of HR ranges I will use the Karvonen system, which begins by my checking my HR immediately upon waking (while still lying in bed - count your heart beats for 20 seconds and multiply by 3, or count your heart beats for 1 minute) for three consecutive mornings. I then plug the average of those numbers into a formula that will give me HR guidelines.

Zone 1
– 50-60% of max heart rate. This zone corresponds to an athlete’s aerobic base and is typically reserved for a warmup and cooldown.

Zone 2
– 60-70% of max heart rate. This is an aerobic zone where an athlete can run comfortably and utilize fat as a primary fuel source. Conversation should be relatively easy.

Zone 3
– 70-80% of max heart rate. This is the last aerobic zone before crossing the anaerobic threshold. Training in this zone is challenging but sustainable for most athletes.

Zone 4
– 80-90% of max heart rate. This is an anaerobic zone which by definition implies the absence of O2 resulting in a negligible amount of fat metabolism. Therefore, our bodies are primarily using carbohydrates as a fuel source. Athletes in Zone 4 may mutter only a few words at a time.

Zone 5
– 90-100% of max heart rate. This is the top of the heart rate chain and leaves you gasping for air after only 10 to 20 seconds of work.

My two post race recovery weeks are the perfect time to start slowing down my runs. This will aid my physical recovery, while mentally letting me accept the slower pace as beneficial (this means combating my fears that running slow will make me lose my gains of the past year). When this second week of recovery ends, I will reintroduce some light speed work once a week (as opposed to twice per week) and spend more time cross training til the end of the year.

If this blog was too technical and dull for your liking, I promise to spice up the next one with the scoop on our 2015 adventures!

P.S. This week Joe crossed over the 1,000 mile mark and I crossed over the 1,200 mile mark!

Tyranena Beer Run

I am relieved to report that Joe is not doping with EPO (see previous blog post)☺ While he performed extremely well, finishing in 1:37 (a sluggish 7:28 pace - HA!), this was not a PR. My 2:18 (10:35 pace) finish was the slowest time I've logged in a race in 2 years, BUT this was the hardest course (aside from trails) I've possibly ever run (Door County may be a close second or a tie). There were hills. Long gradual nearly imperceptible hills. Short steep hills. Moderate hills that never seemed to top out. After a time, even level ground appeared to have a slight uphill grade, though Joe says this isn't true and that my perception was warping the path, creating an optical illusion. Rosanna, with whom I ran the entire race (Note: this was the first time I ever ran an entire half marathon with someone, and this was the first time Rosanna ever ran a full race without listening to music), agrees with me. The 3.5 miles logged on the Glacial Drumlin Trail in theory was flat, but yet steadily climbed ... shared delusion? shared hysteria? 

Freezing while waiting for the race to start

Conspiring with the hills, was the wind. Sustained winds of 15-20mph, gusting up to 40mph, served as an invisble blockade, hampering forward movement while sucking your breath away. It also stripped warmth from a body in motion, facilitating a deep down bone weary chill that would stick with me long after a hot shower and multiple layers of fleece. There came a point in time where each gust of wind would illicit the involuntary groan, "Fuck me!"  

This course may have been one of the most challenging one's I've run (but then again, you must remember that in the past 3 weeks, we've also run a half marathon and a 15k, so maybe that added to the perceived difficulty of this event), but it was also one of the prettiest. The first 2 miles led us along city streets past old, quaint houses. Miles 2.5 - 6.5 skimmed the shore and bluffs of Rock Lake. We ran past wooded lots with beautiful homes overlooking the lake from a perch - Rosanna and I shopped a bit, choosing homes that would be suitable for a girls weekend getaway. The hills were especially steep and rolling in this section, but the scenery dulled the senses, and perhpas encouraged us to run too fast. By the time we left the lake behind, logging a mile on country roads (with cows sticking their noses between fencing) connecting us to the Glacial Drumlin Trail, we were beginning to tire.

SIDE NOTE: The late 11:30a.m. race start was a mixed bag. It was nice to sleep in and to let the day warm up (38° to 44° - "Woohoo", said sarcastically), but the down side of a late start is fueling correctly (by mile 9 my stomach was turning inside out with hunger) and losing the day (by the time the race ends, you drive home, etc., it's dinner time).

The Glacial Drumlin Trail covered Miles 6.5-9.5 on a mainly crushed limestone path that required extra efforts to push off the ground. This gorgeous stretch of the race, with the white bark of Birch trees juxtaposed against blue patches of sky (the sun tried to make an appearance for a while, but was ultimately denied), with areas of dense woods, occasional spots with isolated homes, and an exceptional stretch with bodies of water on both sides of the elevated trail, should have been a time for us to press the turbo button and zoom, but alas and alack, legs were turning to stone and our pace dramatically fell. 

Exiting the Glacial Drumlin Trail, the final three miles would feel like a constant wind tunnel through the abandoned spacious open streets of Industrial Parks. There were several cruel uphills in the final miles. It was in the last 3-4 miles, that a few short walk breaks were needed to stave off muscle cramps. Later I would learn that Joe walked a couple times too. Finally, we cruised to the finish line - crossing the timing mat at the exact same moment. Despite the time on my Garmin, I had no regrets. Just like Purdue, I gave all that I could to the race. The few times we walked, it was necessary and smart, rather than mental weakness. 

Collecting our medals, food and space blankets, the search for Joe and my friends Bobbi & Dan (they ran the 7k race option) began - Joe, bringing winter coats for Rosanna and me. Finding them, we braved a few more minutes of biting wind, posed for pictures, then entered the large white tent, slightly warmer with human body heat, filled with runners and their beer (remember, this race is held at a brewery). I will always be at a loss for how a beer could be desirable after a race, but then again, I don't like beer under any conditions. Not a fan of root beer either, I instinctively used my freebie ticket for a Tyranena soda, and let me tell you, that root beer was awesome! My body musta needed sugar ASAP☺ A festive air permeated the tent, music could be heard thumping beneath the din of 1300 racers swapping race stories while eating their lasagna dinners (included in the race fees), heads bowed as pictures were posted to Facebook, as texts were sent to family and friends.   

It didn't take long for full body convulsions to set in, hands exhibiting Parkinsonian tremors. We made the final venture into the cold to get to the car, to drive 45 minutes home, to shower, to roll out, to make pizza and to settle in with movies (Maleficent - much better than I expected, Deliver Us From Evil - also very good). Ahhhhh, to be done....with this race and with the training season.

The Tyranena Beer Run Half Marathon was my 20th half, Joe's 17th. It concludes our 2014 racing season. Joe had an exceptional comeback year - picking up speed, increasing his volume, PR'ing often and avoiding injury. I had a banner season as well - reducing my pace, increasing my volume (averaging about 26.5 miles per week), PR'ing 4 times and staying injury free. Now it's time to rest. To let the demands of the past 9 months, particularly the past 4 weeks, wash away. The remainder of the year will be dedicated to an active recovery. Exactly what that means will be the subject of my next post ... The Off Season, and beyond that, will come news of our 2015 plans!  

Last Call

Nine months of hitting it hard, racing every month and training with fine precision, will come to an end in two days. Saturday marks our 5^th and final half marathon of 2014. The Tyranena Beer Run Half Marathon is held at the Lake Mills, WI Tyranena Brewery. This race is notorious for many reasons – its late 11:30a.m. start, its hilly course & its free beer and lasagna post-race dinner. Because this will be our third race in 4 weeks (taxing to the body), because the race is hillacious and because 20mph winds are predicted, we (or least I) do not expect to PR. I just want to do my very best. If Joe PR’s, I will accuse him of using the infamously banned EPO!☺(EPO, Erythropoietin, is a is a naturally-occurring hormone produced by the kidneys, that stimulates the production of red blood cells. The more red blood cells you have, the more oxygen can be circulated throughout your body, fueling muscles to be able to run longer and harder. This hormone can also be manufactured and injected into the skin or directly into the blood stream to boost athletic performance). Stay tuned for a full race report, plans for the “off-season” and our grand plans for 2015!

Promotion

Good things come to those who wait. Do what you love and the rest will follow. Follow your heart. Believe. I believe in these statements.

After 12 years of wanting the Clinical Therapist job title, I have it. What's in a title? Status? More money? Yes and yes, but that was never my purpose for wanting it. Initially, I wanted the title for more mobility within the County system. I was hired as a Senior Mental Health Counselor. Only 6 positions with this title exist in the county - 4 of them in my unit. This limiting factor bothered me. Over time, I became bothered by the fact that I did the same work as a Clinical Therapist but did not receive the same recognition, while also having no leverage to leave my unit. I should clarify that I was always satisfied with my unit, but I anticipated future desires to expand my horizons in other Health & Human Services units. The Clinical Therapist position is above that of a Senior Mental Health Counselor. When positions open in any job title, the people who have dibs on the job first are those with the same title. There are close to 30 Clinical Therapist positions scattered amongst different units offering more opportunity to move about. It's hard for other job titles to break through the title barrier. 

Over the years, I've applied for or considered applying for Clinical Therapist positions when openings were announced. Obviously, I did not get any of those jobs, but more significantly, I did not see myself being happy in those other roles. Earlier this year I nearly applied for a Clinical Therapist position, but after careful thought, I knew I'd be miserable in that job for a plethora of reasons, so I didn't apply. I decided it was better to continue doing what I love, in a unit where there is room for professional learning and growth with a supervisor who is an awesome leader and peer. I truly had a feeling deep down inside that eventually, someday, I'd be able to keep doing the work I do, but with the new title of Clinical Therapist. Today was that day. 

With new, exciting changes coming down the pike, my supervisor and other powers that be were able to make a reasonable argument to the County Board as to why myself and 1 other co-worker needed to be Clinical Therapists. The Board approved our salary and title changes for the 2015 budget. As of 1/1/15, I can kiss my Senior Mental Health Counselor (and my red circled salary, meaning I don't get a raise because I'm maxed out) title goodbye. My actual job duties will not change, but that said, I will be able to play a lead role in developing a brand new youth treatment program in the ensuing years. My unit currently works with ADULTS with chronic mental illness. We will now be expanding to include teens with mental illness. I've made it known across the division in recent years that working with transitional age youth (teens aging out into adult services) is my passion. I've been included in many new "work groups" to address the issues and needs the County has to address to better serve this population, so it will be a thrill to be on the cutting edge of these future changes. 

Signing off, 
Joy Malloy, LCSW
Clinical Therapist 

The Perfect Race

If Joe's shirt looks remarkably dry in this post-race picture it's because he had plenty of time to wait for Rosanna & me, AND/OR he never broke a sweat to begin with. More about how well he did in a moment.

Following last weekend's half marathon, I dutifully listened to my body. Giving my body time to recover from the race and more importantly, to beat back a nasty little upper respiratory infection, resulted in me logging a paltry 15 miles this week (my weekly mileage hasn't been that low in years). The down time from running, weight lifting, and 45-minute walking lunch breaks led to mental distress, a slide from being the top ranked FitBit-er, and .... refreshed legs that carried me to a course PR!

Ideal running conditions found me revising the race outfit image I'd held all week long (orange long sleeve tech shirt, cute orange/yellow/black/white headband, black shorts, possibly a white running vest). With sunny skies, 55-65° temps and virtually no wind, I was dressed for a summer run at the end of October - replete with wrist sweat bands to drag across my sweaty, salty brow.

The Lakefront Discovery Run 15k (9.3 miles), has become a tradition for Rosanna and me. Joe, always injured, or recovering from a flare or surgery, was finally free to join this year's 35th annual run. The scenic course begins in the Third Ward at the Italian Community Center (ICC), runs north along Lake Michigan, up Kenwood hill, into and through Lake Park, down the Oak Leaf trail, across the Brady Street bridge, beside the lagoon into Veterans Park, on the backside of the Art Museum, past Discovery World, onto the Summerfest Island, then Harbor Dr. and back to the ICC.

Rosanna and I ran the first 5 miles together, banking off of each other to pass many competitors, even up the long slog of Kenwood hill☺ The first three miles held the nice distractions of vying for prime positions on a cramped sidewalk while searching for my mom, who planned to watch us from the Bradford Beach area. Just when I thought my mom hadn't made it, there she stood, bundled in a coat and hat, as we charged past, sweat soaked in shorts and t-shirts. Thanks for coming out Lady Juanita! 

Unlike last week's troubled race, I felt strong the entire time today. I was never tempted to walk, and I would even go as far to say I was enjoying myself. This is a shocking admission, because "enjoy" is not a word I usually ascribe to the act of long distance running. I "enjoy" the first mile of most runs, and I really "enjoy" being done with a run, but rare is the day that I "enjoy" an entire long run. The sparkling lake, the leaf  covered ravines of Lake Park, pooches being walked and the array of race costumes held my interest and added to the overall perfection of this race experience. I crossed the finish line 3 minutes faster than last year, and last year I'd crossed the finish line 5 minutes faster than the previous year. Official result: 1:30:27, a 9:44 pace.

Per usual, Joe was there at the finish line snapping sequenced pictures of my approach. As we waited for Rosanna to finish, Joe casually mentions he sustained a 6:53 pace for a 1:04:44 finish. This is such a huge leap from his 7:17-7:20 race pace, that my jaw dropped and I asked, "WTF???" --- Joe: "Well, you know how you get running in a certain pack and don't want to slow down...?" Me: "No. No, I have no idea what you're talking about." And the truth is, I do not know what he is talking about! ☺

The PURDUE Weekend

Our race weekend to West Lafayette, IN began with our arrival to the 1970's era Four Points Sheraton. Prior to arriving, we knew there'd be no kitchenette, so we made plans to bring a cooler of food, our toaster for race day peanut butter toast and a list of nearby restaurants serving vegan fare. The block of rooms reserved for racers (at a discounted price) faced an atrium (pictured to the left - the view from our door) that contained a swimming pool, air hockey table (noisy!) and dining facilities. This meant we had no view of the outdoors, nor could we keep our curtains open for natural light if we wanted to have privacy - think fishbowl.

Fortunately, we'd be out of Room 117 for the better part of each day. While our room was dark and unscenic, across the street from the hotel was the picturesque Celery Bog. This haven for birds and aquatic life provided a peaceful place to run, walk and gaze upon. 

Celery Bog

A pedestrian path led us from the hotel to Thai Essence, a spectacular restaurant where we had something new - Basil Rolls (to die for) with a chili-peanut dipping sauce - and a main course that was seasoned as spicy as we requested (this rarely happens). With lips and mouths burning, we took a crepuscular after dinner walk to help the fire in our bellies settle. It's a good thing we didn't order this meal before the race!

Friday morning dawned clear and crisp, the fall colors surrounding Celery Bog were peaking, and ... I had a raw, postnasal drip throat. No!!!!!! No getting sick the day before a race! Not acceptable. We laced up for a quick 2-mile run (pre-race tradition - it loosens the legs and works off pre-race jitters), everything felt good (except my throat) and we were ready to start the next phase of the day.

The original plan was to spend Friday with Joe’s family (parents, sister and her kids) and Saturday with his best friend, Andy, but a change in Andy’s schedule meant he’d be joining the Liello’s for an afternoon at Wolf Park. After a family-only lunch at a so-so Indian restaurant on campus, we forged on to Wolf Park, a “not-for-profit organization dedicated to behavioral research, education and conservation, with the objective of improving the public's understanding of wolves and the value they provide to our environment.” An hour-long tour of the park – seeing the wolves, as well as bison and black foxes (not black in color) - led by a cheeky Irish gal (recently landed in the U.S. last month) was informative, but contributed to a general sense of chaos.

The chaos emanated from having too many people, too many demands for attention and too many conversations going on at once. We hadn’t seen Leonna (11) or John (9), Joe’s sister Janie or his parents in approximately 2 years. It’d been about that long since we’d seen Andy as well, and we knew Andy drove 2.5 hours one way just to see us. How can you effectively listen to everyone and catch up on the latest news, while trying to listen to the wolf tour? Answer? You can’t. As the tour went on, dark clouds rolled in, winds picked up, temperatures dropped, my throat grew more raw and all I wanted to do was crawl into a warm bed in a quiet space. I was spent by the time we returned to our hotel, vowing to never ever spend the day before a race with people again. It’s discombobulating and stressful. I didn’t feel I had enough down time to rest and visualize the race (yes, visualize, it's a powerful sports psychology tactic for success).

Race day. After a pathetic night’s sleep, we find ourselves sitting inside the car, heater blasting, in Purdue’s Ross Ade stadium parking lot, in the dark, waiting for the 8a.m. start of the race.  The sky was newly lightened as the race began it's uphill climb out of the stadium to the infectious pounding of Lil Jon's "Turn Down For What". While I resisted running hard and fast to the constant refrain of "Turn Down For What", I chuckled as the guy behind me asked, "Does this count as our first hill?" I found this funny, because I knew this was a mainly flat course with only one significant hill to climb.

With this knowledge in mind, my throat feeling better (forgot to mention that) and a resolve to PR, I felt comfortable with the 9:25-ish pace I set. The course was instantly beautiful with golf courses, country roads, fall foliage, bridges over marshes, stately residential areas, the sun emerging over the horizon. So beautiful in fact, that I pretended to not notice the frequent long and gradual inclines in the road. I told myself it was essentially flat and kept my pace up - I had a PR to snag. Being a strong downhill runner, I welcomed the mile plus long section that led us down to the mighty Wabash River. Adrenaline and endorphins were flying high along that stretch. I laughed out loud over a homemade sign reading, "It's no time for Walken" with a picture of Christopher Walken, and I let out an audible, "AWWWWWW!!!!" over the Golden Retriever lying in a driveway on it's belly, limbs splayed out, calmly watching us go by. I reached Mile 6.5 (the halfway point) in 1 hour, 1 minute - a 9:23 pace ... more than enough wiggle room for setting a PR. 

Readers, are any of you waiting for the bottom to fall out? If you've been reading carefully, you may have an idea where this story is going. The joy I felt in the first 5-6 miles began to wane. Dark clouds stole the sun and 15-20mph winds kicked in. Annoyingly, the wind was coming from every direction, which I found necessary to comment on to no one in particular (note: people in races randomly say things to strangers). My comment was heard by an angel named Tom, who chatted with me for a couple minutes (another normal race experience is brief conversations with runners paralleling you), and asked what my goal was. I was on pace with his goal; he suggested we run together. At about this time, my legs began to feel like cement. The insidious hills that I refused to acknowledge (because the course elevation chart looked pretty level), coupled with a too fast pace (for the hills that did not exist!), were catching up with me.

Tom was using this race as a training run for his upcoming marathon 2 weeks later. He seemed to be running easy and comfortable, and I felt that hitching my train to his wagon would help me achieve my PR. I had a sense that he was sent to me, and since my race motto was "Why not today?" (to mean, why not push through the pain, why not push to a higher level, etc.), I decided, "Why not?!". The second half of the race becomes a blur of biting winds, frozen skin, forever hills, the stately red brick elaborate fountained Purdue campus, my mind and body wanting to walk and Tom beside me talking, asking me questions and encouraging me onward. Aware of my slowing pace, my vanishing PR, I urged Tom to go on without me, but he'd have none of it. In the last .1mile, we torpedoed down the ramp into the stadium to the finish line, just .03 seconds separating our time. 

I finished in 2:11, which was a 10:00 pace. Not only did I not PR, but I didn't even come close to my 2:08 PR, and yet, that was okay because I never gave up (thanks to Tom). I put everything I had into this race, so there were no regrets to be had. I also took solace in placing 23rd out of 61 in my age group... still in the top 1/3 despite my disastrous second half. My greatest error lied in underestimating the route and not familiarizing myself with the topography. The race course didn't have a lot of steep ups and downs, but it was full of long gradual slogs uphill that zap your energy. 

Joe was right there at the finish line with news of his own PR. He finished in 1:35, which was a 7:17 pace! One friend joked that he had home field advantage☺ Despite running like the speed of light, Joe placed 8th out of 72 in his age group. While 8th is nothing to sneeze at, this just shows the level of talent in this event. Overall, Joe was 67th out of 1,299 - top 5%. After getting our medals, a quick bottle of water and a race picture snapped, we made a beeline for the car and the warmth of the hotel.  

Warmed, rolled out and needing to stay on our feet to avoid stiff legs, we ended our day, in the rain, with some easy short hiking (really, more like walking) at Prophetstown State Park (named after a Native American named Prophet), followed by a Mongolian dinner at HuHot and hours of bad TV and lazing around the hotel.

Sunday, we headed home with no soreness or evidence of having just raced. The cold that began with a sore throat on Friday, then disappeared for the race on Saturday, returned, bringing with it sneezing, runny noses and coughs. Monday, another rest day from exercise and work, led us to the movies (Gone Girl). 

With two more races in the next three weeks, including this weekend's Lakefront Discovery Run 15k, we will be diligent to listen to our body's needs for rest and not push ourselves into bad health or injury.