2012: Week 4

Monday: Hill Repeats. Planned to run the "Runner Stone Hill" in our neighborhood six times. Ran a two mile warm up, then the six hill repeats and then a short cool down. 4 miles.
Tuesday: Ran a 3.5 mile tempo from the house. Met some girls at the Y where I did another 2 on the treadmill and took a Cross Training class. 5.5 for the day.
Wednesday: Wild Wednesday trail run. Started down Lake Trail which is kind of like 'my' trail as I ran it and only it when running trails the last five months of my pregnancy. 9.5 miles.
Thursday: Rest
Friday: Rest (though it was an Easy 3 day I never made it out for the easy 3...must get better about this!)
Saturday: 1.5 warm-up. Ran Arctic 5k race. Went back out at 8p.m. and ran our usual 6 mile course with a few girls. ~10.5 for the day
Sunday: Another trail run! Ran with a group for 8 on Candler's including a hike up Lone Jack Mountain.

Miles for the week ~ 37.5

Much better week which included four trail runs. I would rather run trails than ANYWHERE else. Took an extra rest day that I wasn't planning on so I clearly still have commitment issues with my training log. Ran the Arctic 5k. Whether or not it was a job well done is still being mulled over in my brain...race report to follow...soon, I think.

Alexis

2012: Week 3

Monday: Rest
Tuesday: Cross-training class at Y
Wednesday: Ran our Wild Wednesday run but made a 'rookie' mistake of eating dinner right before heading out, so we called it quits after 6.7 miles though we'd planned to run a solid ten.
Thursday: Rest
Friday: Rest
Saturday: Long run, 15.5 miles. Was downright dreading this long run in the rain even though we were going running with a group. However, it was a great run. Ended up running a sub-8 pace from miles 11-14 which made it an even more fulfilling run.
Sunday: Planned to preview a new 5k course for which I have a race on this upcoming Saturday. Ended up only getting in 3 miles.

Miles for the week: ~25.2

This was a rough week. I'd planned to bring my mileage back in, but then I got lazy and took several extra, unplanned rest days. Sunday's course (which for those of you familiar with the Terrapin Half, imagine if you may, it being a 5k) was brutal and it left me wondering where I was headed, because I felt ultimately aimless. After some reflection I realize I need to schedule my training better, making it more about areas of improvement than just mileage and work on getting my but out of the door when I am running alone.

Alexis

The Return of the Soggy Bottoms, Boy

So, every Wednesday evening I go running with a group hardcore trail-runners on some of the toughest trails in town.  We've been meeting and running like this for over a year now.  You may think by Hardcore that I mean we are really fast or something.  But that's not what hardcore means.  Hardcore means that we run every Wednesday night.  In the hot sun, in the cold wind, in the freezing rain, in the pitch black darkness, through the impenetrable fog,  and even in the occasional freezing-cold-bitter-dark-windy-torrential-downpour!

And by occasional, of course, I mean that it seems to rain on us every other week.  Now you may be thinking that I'm prone to exaggeration, and that may well be the truth, but that doesn't change the fact that we have run through a disproportionate amount of inclement weather on Wednesday nights this winter.  On no less than three occasions in the past two months, we have run through bone-chilling-saturating-monsoons.

But being the Hardcore runners that we are, we trudge on.  Saying things like: "At least it's not terribly windy," and "It could be worse, at least it's not icy," to try to keep up morale as we slog up hill after hill looking like a gang of wet cats.

"Why do we do it?"  I figured you would ask me that.  I guess we have different reasons.  The camaraderie of running with a group that is as crazy as you.  The need for the training.  The love of running.  The knowledge that most people, even runners, aren't out there doing it.

"At least we're not being chased by a pack of wolves."

-Todd

Close Encounters of the Running Kind

Part of the post-run pampering dream team.

Last year I ran the Holiday Lake 'loop' four times before race day. I ran it the first time late December where I had some stomach issues probably from nerves, in 3:17. Not particularly fast but I signed up for the race anyways. A week later I ran it again, getting lost even, in 3:17. Two weeks later I went out for one of Dr. Horton's training runs on the loop and ran somewhat hard for the entire 16 miles running my fastest loop to date in 2:34. I ran the loop once more before race day in 2:40. 

This year, I am not, despite what you may have heard, running Holiday Lake. I want to. Badly. But I know, just having a baby some months ago and just returning to what I term real training, that my body is just not up for the mileage, not the way I would want to run. I would like to return to Holiday Lake with the confidence in myself to improve on my time and this year I would not likely improve my time and quite probably come away injured. So I'm trying to be smart and sit this one out. 

However, I still like to run the 'loop' whenever I can. Honestly I just want to run with others whenever I can and most of my friends and my spouse are in training mode for Holiday Lake so it just happens that a good long run spot is currently the 'loop' in Appomattox. This past Saturday Todd and I both got in good mid-length runs in the morning. He ran trails with some guys really early and then I met him in a parking lot where we swapped cars and kids and went for an only somewhat early run with another group. I got in a good steady 9.5 miles. I felt strong when I was done. I finally felt as though the old me were returning to its pre-partum ways. I got a text to run with some girls that night that I only occasionally get to run with these days. Knowing that we were already committed to running the loop on Sunday I said 'heck, yes' to girls night out as long as we could run conservatively. My weary legs didn't really want to meet them by the time 8 p.m. rolled around but I was so glad that we did when the run commenced. I felt even better. Confidence growing further. 

Sunday I had planned to run with my husband at Holiday Lake keeping up as best I could. However, as soon as Dr. Horton basically unleashed us I had a series of malfunctions that resulted in my falling way behind the pack and losing all sight of my husband.  Once I was all together and ready to really run I found myself alone on the trails. I just turned my iPod on and set to work on catching up. I ran a really good pace, feeling strong and steady when at 10.5 miles a certain runner who had arrived late flew past me. I can't quite explain it, I mean I know the guy and he's an awfully strong runner but seeing him fly past me sort of took the wind out of my sails. In a moment of weakness I let the negativity settle in and I took to walking on what is a most runnable section of trail on the loop. 

I am not a terribly weak runner, either in terms of physical or mental strength, but if I had to say what is my greatest weakness it would be negativity. I can run through pain. I can run long distances. I can face cold weather. Rainy weather. Hot, humid weather. But if I allow myself for just a second to think I can't do something, that I'm not strong enough, those thoughts will spread like an infectious plague so quickly that I don't even realize it. Having finally identified this threat I am learning to fight these battles, but sometimes, like this past Sunday, it can come on so quickly I don't even realize what's happening. Fortunately, two runners came up behind me and I was able to muster up the will to continue on though not at the same pace. 

I ran contentedly the rest of the loop. I was not particularly pleased with my performance, mainly because of the negative episode along the power lines between miles 10 and 11, but I did finish out the loop in about 2:38. Not my fastest, but not all that bad for ten weeks postpartum. Feeling possibly over-confident at this point, I agreed to go out for another 6 miles with Todd and another fellow runner. OK, honestly I didn't want to do these six miles but I knew the guys did and I have a hard time telling people I'm not up for something. 

So after 16 miles, of which I didn't fuel but only drank about 6 oz. of Fierce Grape Gatorade, I agreed to go back out for a partial loop. Not my smartest move. As my husband likes to point out, if I'm not over-training and injured, what am I?  I did eat a handful of gummy bears those last six miles but by the time we made it back to our cars we'd been running for four hours, my stomach was completely empty and my calves were awfully tight. Then we had the almost hour long car ride home. 

By the time we got home and I took my still wet shoes off (you run through two creek crossings in the loop) my left calf was tight and painful and the pads of my feet were swollen and aching. A few minutes on the couch snuggling the children I had missed all day and I was a complete stiff mess. As I attempted to maneuver the stairs I began to worry that my big mileage weekend would haunt me, as it could possibly do. Would I be able to run our weekly Wednesday trail run? Is this an injury or just the pain of improvement, I wondered. After putting the older kids to bed I instantly set to work on pampering my weary legs. I iced my calf while I nursed the baby. Then I took a warm, Epsom bath accompanied by a gargantuan glass of water and two ibuprofen. Then pj's and some Ironman muscle cream for the calf. Bed by 9:45 p.m. 

The baby, Brodie, woke at 2:30 a.m. After nursing him I took another Epsom bath, followed by more cream on the tight left calf. Monday morning I was still a bit stiff but already feeling much better. A few sessions with the foam roller and I felt almost completely back to normal. Other than the foam roller I took a day of complete rest. 

Today I am feeling good. The plan is a few miles, very easy and a Cross Training class at the Y tonight.  I am so thankful for the advice of my running friends and that my high mileage weekend didn't result in injury. I am taking the mileage a step down this week in hopes of keeping any injury at bay. I am hoping that the only lasting effect of this weekends string of runs is a growing self-confidence in my growing strength. There is no room on my training schedule for injury though, so I must play it safer and smarter. 

Chances that I'll turn down a group run whenever asked, however, are still low. 

Alexis

2012: Week 2

Monday: Finally ended my many-months-long YMCA hiatus and did a good 40-45 minutes of strength training.
Tuesday: Took a Cross-training class at the Y with some friends. Was supposed to run 4 but I got lazy, decided to add it to Wednesday's run.
Wednesday: Ran our usual 6 in cold, rainy weather at Candler's Mountain. Continued on with a few of the guys for another 4.5 where it poured rain on us. Definitely a good mental workout. Days total: 10.5
Thursday: Rest
Friday: Rest
Saturday: Ran at 8:30 a.m. with a group at Candler's Mountain. Got in 9.5 on hilly roads, fire roads and some trails. Decided to meet some girls at 8 p.m. for another 6 miles. All of these miles felt great. Days total: 15.5
Sunday: Joined a group to run the 'loop' at Holiday lake. Felt really good and averaged a 9:30 pace until the last part which is hilly single track. Went back out with Todd and another guy for another almost 6 miles for a total for the day of 21.6.

Weekly total: ~46.7

I did get in some cross training at the beginning of the week but still need to work on a more well-rounded training regimen. Must be careful not to overtrain!

First Race of 2012: Mountain Junkies Frozen Toe 10k

In an attempt to adequately measure and adjust my training I plan to, as soon as time allows, write a post race or event recap. I think it's best to write down all the events and emotions as quickly as possible before the mind begins to transform them into something else.

When compiling my 2012 race calendar Mountain Junkies RNUTs (Roanoke Non Ultra Trail series) was top of the list. Last year I was most looking forward to this series, and had already run the first race of the series, when I got pregnant. I did end up running the series in its entirety but I didn't do as well as I had originally hoped, obviously running slower and more cautiously with a baby on board. This year I plan on using the series to help me return to my pre-pregnancy level of fitness and to help me build a solid base on which to eventually train for longer endurance races and series such as the LUS which I hope to tackle all or part of in 2013.

So early December I registered for what I considered my first real race since having baby Brodie in November. As soon as I hit confirm I felt the nervousness start to set in. It's amazing how tormenting a race on the calendar can be for me, it surprising that I race at all. However, it's also amazing how motivating a race on the calendar can be for me, so I continue to do it. I didn't change my training any but I did practically beg my husband to let me come back out with him and 'the boys' to run Wild Wednesday trail runs on Candler's Mountain. I stopped running trails at 34 weeks pregnant and knew I needed to get back out there to find my trail legs before I ran a race on trails. He hesitatingly agreed for me to come one cold and rainy Wednesday in December. I hoped they would take it a little easy due to the temps and rain, I knew I would have to run at or near race pace to keep up. It was a great run. I loved the rain and being back out there with the guys running on my favorite training grounds. I haven't had to run quite race pace to keep up every Wednesday since but it has been great quality training to go out there each week and run with strong trail runners. Seeing as these are headlamp runs due to Winter's short days I always pick my legs up a little easier as I fear being left out there in the dark. So for four weeks I got in Wild Wednesday trail runs of about six miles each week. Definitely not as much time on the trails as I would have hoped but enough to make me feel a little more equipped for the distance and terrain of my first race of the season.

I ran an easy hill workout the day before the race. I say hill workout because our neighborhood is a four mile run of constant ups and downs. I ran it as easy as I could, knowing a run the day before wouldn't hurt me unless I hurt myself. Friday evening I made a list of all the things I thought I would need and checked the weather for the following morning. I laid out my clothes like an excited pupil before their inaugural day of school and forced myself to hit the sack at 10 p.m. promptly.

Brodie did have me up at 2 and 5 a.m. but I felt like I got decent sleep when I woke up the next morning. We were a little late getting out of the house with the four kids in tow and we did stop for coffee and donuts on the way but we still made it to New Hope Christian Church with about a half hour before the start time. I quickly checked in and pinned my race number on my shirt and hit the trail for a slow but steady warm-up mile before the race briefing.

I usually have a set of goals for any given event. There is the goal I set out for myself that I make public, this is the more attainable goal that I am confident I can reach if I do well. Then I usually have a second goal that is usually kept private that I believe if I give it my all I may be able to reach. Last year I was in pretty decent shape when I ran the Frozen Toe 10k. I started out fast but feeling good when I completely fell apart shortly after the halfway point. I mean I quit, started walking, gave up. It was not a high point for me and I regret how quickly I shut down. Fortunately after a few minutes walk break I picked up my weary legs and finished in 53:03. This year my goals were simple, to not shut down at all. I vowed to take walk breaks if need be, or slow my pace down, but to not give in to negativity or quit. Tell yourself you can do this and do it, was my mantra. My goal was to run it in an overall average pace of between 8:45-9:45. I wanted to definitely do it in less than an hour. My more private goal was to hit 54 minutes.

I was reminded during the race briefing that I needed to go out fast while all of the racers would be on open road so as not to get stuck behind people running slower than my anticipated pace when the crowd bottle-necked onto single track trail. I hate going out fast, it's just not me, I need to warm-up even if I've already warmed-up, but I just followed the crowd. The first couple of miles I felt good. I didn't really remember this part of the course from last year, probably because last year it was covered in snow with snow still falling. This year there was no snow in sight. I was keeping my pace just under 9 at this point and thought I would just pick it up the further I went as I warmed up even more. I was happy when I reached the aid station almost halfway in and I was still under a 9 minute pace. I stopped, gulped some Gatorade at the aid station and was back on trail before I lost any positioning. This I remembered was where I fell apart last year. I'm happy to say that this year this section of trail didn't overwhelm me as it did last year. I am not necessarily any tougher this year, in fact, I'd probably say the opposite but I was prepared enough having run the loop last year to know that a quick hike or a slower pace might just be unavoidable at my current level of fitness. I was able to run all but one steep switchback where I followed the majority and hiked. At this point my pace had dropped to over 9 minutes which the day before had been just fine in my head but in race mode I was becoming disappointed. I gave it everything I had but still had to hike once or twice for a count of 30 but was able to bring my overall pace back down. The last mile was the toughest and I was thankful to have my ipod with me, I skipped over a few songs to find an upbeat one to help bring me in to the finish. Then it wasn't long until I heard the cheering and sounds of the approaching finish. I pushed even harder with the finish clock in sight and finished in 54:26.

Overall, I loved the course, it was a beautiful rolling trail which is my favorite and in better shape I think I could easily run the course in its entirety. I am content with my finishing time but not as pleased as I thought I would be, perhaps because there were several times on the course when I wanted to speed up and my body just couldn't keep up with the demand. It's only the first race in the series and I knew going into the series that I would be using this series of races to return to and then hopefully surpass where I was comfortably a year ago. I just have to keep reminding myself this fact. I know, as others have pointed out, that I had a baby two months ago. I guess I'm just not sure what to expect from myself, which is why racing is so vital to me. I need it to analyze where I'm at, how far I've come and where I might be headed.

As always, the event as a whole was terrific. A thorough race briefing had me fully prepared and remembering things from last year that I'd forgotten. There was also wonderful post-race food, especially the coveted pumpkin bread and fellowship with other Mountain Junkies. The whole family came along to support me and I loved hearing their cheering voices as I crossed the finish line and later watching them 'race' back and forth in the grass while we waited for race results.

Next up, the Arctic 5k a brand new trail race debuting at the end of the month on the trails of Candler's Mountain.

alexis

Two-A-Day's

With four kids at home, a small business to run, a list of upcoming Ultras to run, and a wife who wants to run just as much as me, it is an understatement to say that finding the time to train properly is difficult.  Sure, we own a treadmill, but when was the last time you tried to run 10 miles or more on a treadmill?  At 10 O'clock at night?  At 5 O'Clock in the morning?

So I end up doing most of my running on the Weekends, the only point during the week I can really get any quality time on the trails, sacrificing quality time with the family unfortunately.  And even then, with the company of some willing but begrudging companions, I hit the trails at 5 or 6 am and run as long as my schedule and my tired body will allow me.

Trying to maintain 40+ miles per week primarily on the weekends is exhausting, to say the least.  During a typical week I'm lucky if I can get in 20 miles during the work week, and all of that is either short road runs or tedious treadmill workouts after the kids have gone to bed.  Never more than 6 miles during a run.  So I'm left with a sizable training deficit at the start of every weekend.

A couple of weeks ago I managed to get in a total of 37 miles in two days, split between 5 weekend runs.  This Sunday I ran twice, 12 miles the first time and 10 on the second run, all of which were on the technical up and down trails of Candler's Mountain.  I'm hoping that these multiple run days are making me stronger, as they are definitely making me tired, but there are also a few other lessons I'm learning along the way.

The most important thing that I have figured out is that the longer I run the more fuel I need, and that the need increases at a seemingly exponential rate.  I can run the first two or three hours on the energy provided by a pre-run cup of coffee and a doughnut, but after that if I don't start eating and drinking it going to be ugly.  Crash and burn!

The second lesson I have learned is that once I start to crash it's hard, and I mean damn near impossible, to eat or drink enough to recover on the run.  Which means stopping.  Which I can't do on race day.  Which means I have got to start learning to eat preemptively during my running.  I'm much better about Hydrating than fueling, and it's easier (for me at least) to notice when my hydration level is falling into dangerous territory.  Unfortunately, my body likes to pretend that everything is fine until it completely runs out of gas.  At which point I am usually struck with a sudden of wave of extreme exhaustion and lightheadedness.  And unfortunately, the workout is all but over.

So I am trying to work on my fueling during a run.  Training myself how to eat, if you will, on the run.  One of the biggest problems I am faced with is how to carry all of my needed nourishment into the woods with me, and still remain unencumbered enough to run efficiently.  One of my running friends fuels exclusively with Gels, and she carries them (up to 15 at a time she says) stuffed into her sports bra.  As that is not an option for me, I will be experimenting with different packs, pouches, and pockets over my next few long runs to see what works best for me.  I'll let you know how things work out.

-Todd

2012: Week 1

Monday: Ran from home with Max (our Golden Retriever) following along, 4 miles.
Tuesday: Planned on 3 but took a rest day because Seaner was sick.
Wednesday: Ran 6.25 with our usual group on Candler's Mountain then another 6 with my sister.
Thursday: Rest
Friday: Ran our neighborhood with Todd, 4 hilly, easy miles.
Saturday: Warm-up mile and then first race of the year, Frozen Toe 10k.
Sunday: Planned a 2 1/2 hour run on Candler's but only got in 10.25 miles due to Todd having some hydration needs.

Total miles: ~37

Goals for the upcoming week: Cross-train! Get in some strength training with a somewhat focus on core.

alexis

Race crew

Perhaps my smallest fan?

2012 Goals and Resolutions

Updated Januray 2013.

With a race calendar a mile long and a strong will to return to my pre-pregnancy fitness level I have compiled a list of goals for the new year. These are all hopefully within reach, as all goals should be, and I may alter them as the year goes by depending on how I'm coming along.

1. Run a sub 23 minute 5k (road). My current 5k PR is 22:23. I was hoping to break 22 minutes last year when I got pregnant so at this point I just want to get back to where I was Fall 2010. Ran 21:32 at the Turkey Trot, Thanksgiving Day 2012.

2. Run a marathon. Planning on running a trail marathon in early June. Then another in September (also on trails) and then, if all is going well, to run the Suntrust Richmond Marathon in November. Ran 4:05, a course record, at the Carvins Cove Trail marathon in June.

3. Run an average of 25 miles a week. Sounds easy enough but I have a problem with consistency. I would rather be consistent than all over the place. Ran an average of 36 miles a week, not sure they were all that consistent though.

4. Cross-train. If I'm realistic this will be the first of these goals to fall by the wayside. I need to cross-train, I'm just not as motivated. I'm hoping fear of injury will help me with this goal. FAIL!

5. Keep a training log. I think this one will be pretty easy because it's like journaling and I love to journal. I am going to keep track of miles, where I trained, how I fueled and how I felt pre-, during and post-run. I also plan on logging my runs here weekly in the form of a post. Kept several different logs throughout the year but didn't keep up with the weekly blog log.

There are several more smaller goals, some having to do with particular races, but this is a good start. Every two or three months I hope to reevaluate where I'm at and make any adjustments at that point. There is still so much I want to do, so many goals big and small. This year I want to work on a return to speed. Not that I was all that fast before, I was just getting to a place where I thought I might get fast when I got pregnant. I'm going to start introducing track nights at least every two weeks and try and add more speed-play in some of my other runs. Other than that I would like to build a good base over the course of 2012 so that I can run the LUS (Lynchburg Ultra Series) in 2013.

-Alexis

2012 Race Calendar

I just finished compiling my race calendar for the new year. As I am going to take this year and work on speed and building up my endurance I have a pretty full list mostly consisting of 5 and 10k races. As the year progresses I plan on working up to half marathon, then marathon distance. If I'm feeling well after the summer I may do a 40 mile race mid-September. This list also includes all of the Lynchburg Road Runners club series that I may or may not do all of, but I included it in case I decide to do the whole series which I've said I would like to do at least one year.  At the end of last year Todd and I discussed having a fourth child and what that would mean to our training and racing for the upcoming year, with that in mind we decided that I would get the Mountain Junkies RNUTS and he would run the LUS (which I am nowhere near trained for) so that we wouldn't need worry about babysitters or help with the kids. Unfortunately, there were still several of our races that overlapped but hopefully we will still both be able to do our races. If a race is listed it is assumed I will be racing it unless it specifies Todd.

January

1/7/  Frozen Toe 10k
1/28  Arctic 5k

February

2/11  Holiday Lake 50k (Todd)
2/25  Liberty Mountain 5k

March

3/3 Explore Your Limits 5/10k
3/24 Terrapin 50k (Todd)
3/24 Montvale 5/10 Miler
3/31 Monument Ave 10k

April

4/7  Point of Honor 5k
4/14 Mill Mountain Mayhem 10k
4/21 Godparent Home 5k
4/28 Promiseland 50k (Todd)

May

5/5 Trail Nut 10k/Half Marathon
5/26 CVKA 10k

*Wild Wednesdays every Wednesday in May

June

6/3  Carvin's Cove Marathon (Todd and Alexis)
6/16 Presbyterian Home 5k

*LRR Track Series every Tuesday in June

July

7/4 Academy Mile
7/21 Percival's 5 Miler

August

8/11 Lynchburg Half Marathon
8/18 Annual Fab 5k
8/25 Downtown YMCA 5k

September

9/8 Trail Running Rampage (Todd: 40 Miler, Alexis: Marathon)
9/29 Virginia 10 Miler

October

TBD Deep Hollow Half (Todd & Will I finally get to run this race this year?)
10/20 Into the Darkness
10/27 I am Woman 5k


November

11/3 Masochist 50 Miler (Todd)
11/3 Apple Valley 5k
11/10 Valley View 5 Miler (a maybe for Todd)
11/22 Turkey Trot 5k

December

12/1 Peaks of Otter 5k


This is a very optimistic, all encompassing list. I don't necessarily think I will do every race on this list but included all of the races I would like to do if possible.

-Alexis

Where I Stand

Almost an entire year has gone by without a post and so much has happened that I don't even know where to begin. I guess I could start big and go from there.

I started out the year with fifty-plus mile weeks in preparation for my upcoming ultra race, my first, Holiday Lake 50k. It was quite an experience, I learned a lot just in training about myself and about my bodies strengths and limitations. The race itself was also a huge learning experience. I finished, exceeding my goals for the race, in 5:29:41. I started dreaming up other ultra races and how to better my training when ten days later I found out I was pregnant. I was, to be completely forthcoming, a wee bit devastated by the news. For some reason I was convinced that running with three was possible but that running with four was just inconceivable. I figured my running would fall by the wayside as the pregnancy progressed and be another thing I failed.

And then at six weeks nausea and worse set in. I took days and days off and felt sorrier for myself than I can ever remember feeling. A remark made by my husband, certainly with no intention to offend, forced me at seven weeks to wake up, stop feeling sorry for myself, and move on. I returned to my running with less vigor but I was pleased to find that I could still run despite a few days off. I had for the past year stuck to a strict running schedule always hesitant and a tad bitter when in need of a rest day not on the calendar. So forward I ran throwing out schedules and not even bothering to record mileage. And so I continued to run (with my doctor's blessing and enthusiasm) and the baby continued to grow, and together we became a wonderful running couple. I fervently listened to my body and responded to it's requests for hydration, rest, walk breaks, whatever it seemed to ask. I continued to race enjoying the social aspect and the self evaluation that came with my attempts.

I kept thinking I would stop running at some point, but I only felt better the further along I got and so I kept on moving, usually feeling better the days I ran than those I took for complete rest. I started to think about my postpartum plans. I wondered how quickly I would return to running after the baby arrived, should I follow a Couch to 5k program, I wondered? I worked out a tentative race schedule for 2012 and impatiently awaited for baby, I was convinced he would come early.

But despite my various attempts at labor induction he came late, six hours after his due date had come and gone, he finally made his debut.  I fell. In love. Immediately. He was not our first child, he is not even our first baby boy (he has two older brothers and a sister). But you see I had planned those babies, had their names picked out months before they were born, anticipated their eye color and was just overwhelmed with the amazing thing my body was doing. This time around baby had no name, I assumed his eyes would be brown and I felt a tad bit deceived by my body in getting pregnant for the first time without any help or warning (our first three are the result of infertility drugs). So I didn't expect to be so overcome with love for this child, it hit me hard, but I love being in love and I feel blessed. And I of course, took a few more days off.

But at six days old (and of course cleared by my doctor) I went for a run with my husband, a short 1.5 mile run. Slow and a tad uncomfortable, but I was able to run the whole thing. But seeing no need to rush I took another week off and went back out for three miles. Not quite so slow or uncomfortable. And since then I've been somewhat on the run. No need to do any programs, my running has returned far faster than I'd spent most of my pregnancy fearing. I've not seen all of my speed return but I'm already up to eight mile long runs. I've even run a few 5k's. I've completed a new and adjusted 2012 race schedule and I know I still have a ways to return to and surpass where I was headed when I found myself with child this past February but I'm ready and willing to go the distance.

First up, Mountain Junkies Frozen Toe 10k, January 7th. To get there I need more time on the trails, a little bit of hill work, and a slightly further long run but I'm pumped.

Alexis

2011 Holiday Lake

 *I wrote this on Tuesday, February 14, 2011 to submit post-race. However, before editing the file for submission it was somehow lost in my computer. I just found it in a recovery file in my recycle bend on my computer. At this point I think it's probably too late to submit it to Dr. Horton.

Tuesday, February 14, 2011 

Holiday Lake 50k

            When I began running eighteen months ago, all I wanted was to be able to run a 5k without walking.  When I met Chelsie Viar in March of last year I had managed to run several local 5k races and had just signed up for my first 10k.  When she told me how she had just run a 50k in Appomattox, Virginia a few weeks before two thoughts immediately went through my head; this girl must be crazy how does anyone run 32 miles consecutively and secondly, I want to be able to do that.

                As the year progressed and I ran longer races and shorter races faster and trained harder I began to seriously consider registering for Holiday Lake.   In late December, I joined a group of runners to run the ‘loop’ at Hoilday Lake. I had stomach issues and unparelled anxiety (that were most likely related) on my longest run to date but I finished the training run in 3:17.  Convinced that I could make the overall cutoff of 8 hours I officially submitted my application for what would be my first 50k.

                When I finally committed to running Holiday Lake I had a little over seven weeks to train. I began to increase my mileage and training commitment.  I began waking at 5 a.m. to run and keeping a log on the fridge to encourage me to reach my weekly goals of 45, 48, 50 miles. I had the good fortune of training with seasoned ultra marathoners: Debbie Grishaw, Alicia Roberts, Todd Thomas and of course, Chelsie Viar.  They were all priceless sources of advice.  Fueling, training, mileage, injuries: they’d seen it all and kept my nerves in tack for the most part over the training period.

                The week after my first 50 plus mile week I ran the loop with my husband Todd in 2:44.  The following week I ran it counter clockwise in 2:30.  With less than two weeks to go I felt ready.  Two days later, shin splints.

                I asked myself weren’t shin splints for newbies?  For runners who weren’t meticulous as I about mileage increases? I backed off of training and began to worry.  I bought new shoes.  But with a week to go until the race it got so bad I couldn’t run without a great deal of pain for the first several miles. I started chewing Tums for extra calcium and biting my nails.  Ok, I was a nail biter before the shin splints but the condition definitely didn’t improve this bad habit.

                The week of Holiday Lake I ran 3 miles and two of those my shins hurt. I tried to ignore the pain and bought tubes of Icy Hot from Sam’s.  At the pre-race dinner the night before the big day I was quiet and more anxious than ever.  I was as unsure of myself as an adolescent when I set my clothes out that night.  Instead of hitting the sack like I ought to, I stayed up late into the night eating a box of Honey Nut Cheerios and reading up about ultra marathons in Tom Noakes book “The Lore of Running”.  Tired and antsy one thing stood out to me, he suggested running comfortably and relaxed for the first ¾, let loose the last quarter of the race.  The last 8 miles I told myself and fell into a deep sleep.

                The alarm went off at 4:30 a.m. and we were in the car by 4:40.  We stopped for coffee and doughnuts for the one hour trek to Appomattox, VA. We went from check-in to the restrooms that morning and before I knew it it was 6:30. At the start line there was singing, photo ops and good cheer.  I stood there freezing in shorts just waiting for the starting gun.

                My husband and I started in the far back.  We’d made a plan. (OK, I'd made a plan that he'd agreed to follow.) We would run the first three miles at about an 11:15 pace, a warm-up.  Then over the course of the rest of the first loop we’d work up to an overall 10:30 pace, rounding out the first loop in about 2:45.  We hoped to negative split the second loop.

                The first few miles were tolerable. No pain, a nice and easy pace. If it weren’t for frozen toes it would have been great.  My toes ached from the cold until, at 3 miles, they began to warm-up.  Then they began to throb.  It was the worse mile of the entire race and yet I remain thankful for the pain. 

                That’s because at mile 9, when I was running well and ahead of schedule, my IT band in my left knee starting bothering me. By 11 miles it was bad.  I began letting it affect me mentally. ‘Why am I doing this’? ‘I’m not an ultra runner why don’t I just stick to 5ks?’ ‘How am I going to finish?’ But still I trudged on.

                At aide station 3, approximately 12 or so miles into the race, my husband started to pull away from me.  Angry that he’d abandoned me and our well thought out plan I started to fall even further behind.  Then I spotted the first person coming towards me, into their second loop. “Good job” I said.  I said it to the next person and then the next.  They all looked so strong.  I started to wonder what they had that I didn’t.  Were they in pain?  I started to pick up the pace and think about how strong I was rather than my weakness.  I continued to serenade the runners who blew past me with “Good job” and “Great job” and finished my first loop in 2:44.

                Still on target for my goal time I headed back out for my second loop barely stopping to refill my Nathan bottle my mental strength gaining with each step in unchartered waters.  I treaded along until just past mile 18 when this finally went from a ‘long run’ to a ‘race’.  I passed Liane Axe who said “Good job, you’re 23^rd female.” You can be top 20 I told myself and picked up the pace, but just slightly.  In the next two miles I passed 3 girls.  And my husband.

                Finally in race mode, which suits me and my personality, I started to feel even stronger.  At aid station 5 I grabbed two PB&J quarters and some pretzels and allowed myself a brisk walking pace up a steep hill to enjoy them.  I’d made it past the last point in the race to be pulled in under 3:45. 

                From A.S. 5 to A.S. 6 I was starving.  I had given up on the Chomps I’d brought for fuel and was ready for more real food.  At A.S. 6 I grabbed more PB&J quarters, crackers, Pringles and m&m’s.  I knew I needed to answer my body’s call for real food or suffer the consequences.  Besides I was headed into the last quarter of the race, the last 8 miles.  It was time to unleash my goal plan.

                Several things worked well for me at this point. I had never run over 23 miles before that day so with every step I was running further than ever before and running well. Secondly, the further I went the more people I passed.  I know that sounds bad but it was after all a race.  The pain in my knee was also dulled or I’d become immune to it.

                The creek crossings were invigorating, similar to pouring ice water over your head during a run on a hot day.  At 26 miles I started to think I could pull off a finishing time of under 5:30.  From A.S. 7 to the one mile marker I began to slow despite my best efforts to run strong and steady.  At the mile marker I was relieved; I knew I had a mile left in me.  You always have a mile in you. But it wasn’t until I made it out of the woods and onto the road that I was overcome with emotion. 

                Bless Dr. Horton for that downhill finish.  When I came out of those woods I ran that .6 like I’d not run for over  5 hours.  I ran that .6 like my knee never hurt.  I ran that .6 like I was running a 5k, not a 50k. And then I saw the crowd and the finishing line. And then I saw the clock.  I was going to make my goal time by seconds.  And so I gave it all that I had and crossed over the finish line and into the open arms of Dr. Horton.

                For the next 24 hours I could barely walk, but I didn’t care.  I took the ice bath which was worse than running over 30 miles.  I couldn’t stop thinking about what I’d done.  And I loved recounting my adventure to anyone who’d ask or listen. 

                My knee is still sore and achy.  But I registered for Terrapin anyways.

-Alexis

On Becoming A Junkie

In the year since I began running, I have run more than twenty races.  From running on the hilly streets of downtown Lynchburg to the boardwalk at Virginia Beach, among the apple trees of Gross’ Orchard, and the flat streets of our state’s great capital, no race is exactly the same.  I have learned a bit about racing, and even more about myself.  I have, for example, discovered that I am, and have possibly deep down always been, a trail junkie.

For my first few months of running I stuck solely to pavement, and not yet having a Garmin, mostly to those places where the quarter miles were marked for me.  It was after all, in those first few months anyways, all about the miles.  I hadn’t yet truly developed an appetite for running, though I had definitely enjoyed my first few tastes enough to keep pursuing it.  So it wasn’t until my first winter of running when the race calendar was still empty, that I came across a trail race in our town that looked appealing.  Without much thought or second guessing, I signed myself and my husband up for the 5k on the trails of Candler’s Mountain. 

I barely ‘trained’ for the next few weeks; it was cold and wet outside so I barely hit the track or the Black Water Creek path system where I usually trained at so often and instead forced a few runs on the treadmill and watched as the race grew closer, realizing I was about to run my first race on trails having never run on a trail before.   Race week came and with it snow and ice.  Race day came as well as reservations and regret for having registered.  The race began, on a downhill no less and I fell in behind barefoot runners and trail enthusiasts. 

What happened next surprised me.  I ran my worst ever 5k, as far as the clock was concerned, and yet had one of the most exhilarating experiences of my entire life. 

And just like that, I was hooked.

I immediately came home and signed up for the next trail race I could find.  It happened to be Mountain Junkies Explore Your Limits 5k.  Taking place just two weeks after the Candler’s Mountain 5k, we had little time to train.  However, we did talk several others into this crazy thing called trail running and went with a full car load the next Saturday morning in search of Explore Park on the outskirts of Roanoke, Virginia. 

This race was well organized. It was apparent from emails received from the race director the week leading up to the event, as well as the condition of the trails, that these self proclaimed Mountain Junkies take their races serious and are as committed to what they’re doing as are the runners who come out to run.

There were two races that morning, a 5k and a 10k.  I ran the 5k, a beautifully scenic course with winding trails, muddy slopes and what felt like at the time, torturous hills, but was probably more like moderate hills when looking back.  Everything you could want from a trail race.  But then to top it all off, there was wonderful post-race food (I understood immediately why the website calls the Pumpkin Bread 'famous'), numerous door prizes and camaraderie.  And then there was my first ever placement in my age division at a race, and that most coveted medal that accompanied it.

If I was enchanted by trail running before, now I was addicted.

I went on to run every Mountain Junkies and Liberty Mountain Trail Race I could.  When schedules conflicted, I secretly wept.   I joined other runners from the area to run weekly organized trail runs and grew more enthusiastic with each run, with each new trail discovered. 

Trail running has made me a better runner and has given me even more appreciation for the sport of running.  The trails never get tiresome and the scenery is always changing.  There isn’t the hustle and bustle found on most roads, there is true peace, though seldom is it quiet.  My husband has said it best when he compares trail running to a religious experience.  Where else could you feel closer to God, more in awe of his creation?

I’ve decided that next year in addition to a few other races and goals, I want to run several local trail series including the entire Mountain Junkies series, R NUTS (Ronoke-Non Ultra Trail Series).I was really distressed that I couldn’t run their whole series this year so I’ve moved it to one of my top priorities for next year.  Their obvious commitment to what they love and their desire to put on exceptional, challenging events that are fun and rewarding have me devoted to the 2011 series. 

The first race of the 2011 series is a 10k at the beginning of January, the second annual Frozen Toe 10k.  You’d better believe I’ll be there with bells on, and two layers of socks.


Alexis

I Want to Run.

I turned 36 years old a couple of weeks ago and wrapped up my first full year as a runner.  And what do I have to show for it?   A knee injury that is healing slower than I run, twenty-two race bibs on my wall, two fewer toenails, and a desire that rivals most crack-addicts to get back out on the trails and run.  But I'm not.  Not yet.  I want to run next year, stronger and faster than I did this year, and before I can do that I've got to get healthy.  And believe me, getting healthy feels like it is killing me.  Every morning when my wife gets up at 5:30 and goes out and runs in the rain and the cold and comes home to tell me how great she feels and how fast and how far her and her running buddies ran I want to kill her.  I want to be cold and wet and sweaty and out-of-breath and sore and stinky.  I WANT TO RUN.
My wife and I took up running last fall for our own very different reasons.  Her to lose weight, she had just given birth to our third child.  And me, well because I've always wanted to run.  I tried a few times in the past, and it just never seemed to click for me.  I always knew that I could run, I just didn't.  As a matter of fact I was always telling my wife that anyone could run, even her, to which she always replied something along the lines of, but nothing quite as civil as, "Go jump in a creek."  I'm confident that the fact that we started running together this time is one of the main reasons we're both still running (or at least trying to run), even if we are becoming totally different runners.
She is a speed demon.  I mean fast, especially for a girl.  I don't mean to sound sexist, but lets face it, the running community in general is to blame for this.  It was not my idea to seperate race results into genders and age groups.  But in the last year she has morphed from the girl who couldn't run one lap around the track without complaining, into one of the top women runners in our little town.  Next year she'll probably run a sub 20 minute 5K and a 3:40 marathon.
Me, on the other hand, I just like to run, and run, and run.  I am a distance oriented runner, the longer the distance, the greater the challenge, the bigger the appeal.  I want to run farther every time I run.  Of course I want to run fast too.  Enter my knee injury. Midsummer, after I'd been running for about six months, I read an article about Scott Jurak in Runner's World, and decided in that instant that it was my Destiny to be an Ultra runner.  So, I signed up for a forty-miler in September.  A forty-miler that ran three loops around a mountain with 2500 ft. of elevation gain every lap.  So I upped my milage from about 25 (comfortable) miles per week to about 45 miles per week over the span of about a month.  I trained like that for about two months, I ran (and finished) my first Ultra, and limped away with this knee injury.
So, I'm taking a month and a half off from running, and planning on starting my new training year on New Years Day.  I'll spend the holidays on the stationary bike, watching old movies and trying not to go crazy.  I've spent this first year as a runner just running, so perhaps a little cross-training will do me good.  My running friends and every article I've ever read about training all say that cross-training is important, but so far it's been hard for me to get on a bike when I could be running.  It somehow feels like cheating.
      Who knows, maybe this injury will help me build some better training habits.  Maybe I'll end up a more rounded athlete.  Maybe I'll try a triathlon next year.  Maybe even an IronMan.  Or maybe I'll go crazy sitting on a couch listening to my wife's running stories and attack the next person who mentions running with this spoonful of cookie dough.

Todd