Overcoming obstacles... making strides toward success!

Today I toed the line at my alma mater, UC Davis, running the 1500 meters at Aggie Open. The 1500 is not my specialty, but Coach/Dad and I felt that it would be a good tune-up before my 10K at Stanford Invite in 2 weeks. It's been a year since I've run a 1500 (I ran 4:35.50 at Aggie Open in 2010) so today we were hoping for a PR and a solid opener to my outdoor season. 

However, I wasn't feeling 100% going into this race, so I was a little nervous about how things would shake out. Also, racing at my home track -- in front of family, friends, and former teammates, back in my hometown -- brought on a fair bit of anxiety. My last race was far from stellar and I've been battling confidence issues, so I was nervous about having another bad race and failing right before everyone's eyes.

I also felt like I had something to prove with this race -- I had to prove to people that I do have what it takes to be a professional runner and that this path that I've chosen is the right one. In order to prove that I belonged, I had to have a GREAT day on the track today. Thankfully, I was able to put my doubts behind me, overcome nerves and step up to the line with a clear mind.

Start of the 1500

The first 400 felt effortless and easy, a feeling I haven't had in a race in a long time. The rabbit pulled us through the first lap slightly under pace, in 71. I was lucky to have my New Balance teammate Stephanie helping with pacing duties, and after 400 meters she took control of the race and brought me through 800 meters in great position. When she stepped off the track I took the lead, dropping the pace yet still running in control. At the bell lap I still held the lead and continued pressing the pace, but with 200 to go two USF girls stepped on the gas and I couldn't go with them. With 100 to go I thought that maybe I had a chance to catch one of them, but in the final 50 meters I was pretty much out of gas. Still, I closed in 71 for a final time of 4:31.41, a 4-second PR and good for 3rd place (http://home.surewest.net/zenrider/2011/Aggie_Open/). Not bad for a 10K girl! I was very happy with the effort -- I overcame a number of obstacles to have a solid start to the outdoor season.

Leading on lap 3

After changing out of my spikes, Steph and I headed out to the roads, a cooldown for Steph and 3 x mile at tempo for me. When the day's work was finally all done, we went to lunch at Pluto's with Sara Hall, celebrating her win and Steph's 2nd place in the 2K steeple and my 3rd place in the 1500. After lunch I went back to the track to cheer on former Aggie teammates and visit with Davis friends. Now, I'm at home getting some much-needed rest and recovery after today's big day.

Today was a stepping stone for me in many ways. One, I wasn't feeling 100% leading up to this race, but I was able to put that distraction, as well as my nerves, out of my mind. Two, I competed today. I raced, ran aggressively, and went for the win. It's been a long time since I've raced this way and it felt great to get the competitive juices flowing again. Three, I had fun! It was an all-around great day at the track -- joyful and fun, just as running should be. It's wonderful to be back in that place.

Many thanks to my teammate Steph for providing not only pacing but also many positive words of encouragement :) Also a big thank you to my ever-supportive parents and to my lovely former roommate Britt who came to cheer. Lastly, a big shout-out to my NBSV teammates who raced across the country today -- Annie at Gate River in Florida and everyone else at the Juana Run in Palo Alto -- go team!

Next up -- 10K at Stanford Invite on March 25 :)

Finding the mileage sweet spot

Since USA XC Nationals about a month ago, I've put in some very solid training and had some of the highest mileage weeks of my life. I'm hitting over 70 miles a week on a consistent basis and am injury-free -- so for me, this is a big deal. Last time I went this high in the mileage, in the fall of 2009, I got a stress reaction in my shin and couldn't run for 5 weeks. However, the other time I ran 70+ miles/week, in the summer of 2008, I had the best season of my life, which culminated in my qualifying as an individual for the NCAA XC Championships. For me, 70-75 miles a week is make it or break it. I either turn the corner and make a big leap in my fitness, or I break down and am sidelined with injury. 

Thankfully, this time around I've been handling the mileage well. No severe aches, no nagging shin pain, just a tired and sore body. I'm spending lots of time stretching, sleeping, and watching TV -- I've gone through 3 seasons of Brothers & Sisters and am now onto season 4. I've been too tired from all the mileage to be super social -- a typical Friday night has been a glass of wine, some chocolate, and Netflix. Thankfully, I've had my roommate and my cousin to join me on lazy weekend evenings curled up on the couch instead of out on the town :)

I think the reason why I'm handling the mileage so well is twofold: 

1) I've been focused on post-run recovery. 

Right after my run, I'm sure to get in much-needed calories -- I usually have a Luna Bar within 30 minutes of finishing my run, to get in both carbs and protein. Later, I refuel with nonfat chocolate milk (awesome recovery food!) and wheat toast or an egg-white scramble with cheese and salsa. Also, I've been good about stretching and working on my flexibility. I really like Coach Jay Johnson's Myrtl routine post-run (check out a video demo of it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2GLrKr54yA0). 

2) I've been careful to not be greedy.

With things going well the past few weeks, I've wanted to keep upping the mileage and continue tackling hard workouts. But there's a time and a place to be tough, and a time and a place to be smart. Last week, after a 73-mile week, my longest long run in a year, and a rockin' Tuesday workout, I finally started to hit the wall. My legs felt heavy on every run, I was on the verge of falling asleep at my desk at work, and I was EXHAUSTED... if there was ever a sign that my body needed to recover, that was it. Dad aka Coach and I talked and we decided to back off a little bit, penciling in a day off and scratching one of my doubles. I sacrificed my mileage goals, but after a day of rest, I felt much better. It's easy to get caught up in the mileage, to want to tack on one more repeat in the middle of an awesome workout, to add on just one more mile to your long run... but you have to be careful to not get greedy. Being smart now will pay dividends down the road, when I'm hopefully healthy all the way through track season.

Finding your mileage sweet spot is a tricky business -- it's hard to decide whether to push through the exhaustion or take a step back. I know many female runners who regularly put in 80-90 mile weeks, and I'd love to be there with them! I wonder how much better I could be with higher mileage. But I also know that I need to listen to my body. In college I usually ran 60-65 miles a week and that worked out pretty well for me. Amy Yoder-Begley (2008 Olympian in the 10K) and Angela Bizzarri (2009 NCAA XC Champion) have both had tremendous success running less than 70 miles/week. High mileage doesn't necessarily mean faster. The key is finding the mileage sweet spot for you.

 I think 70-75 miles/week is right where I need to be... let's see how it plays out during track season!