Pre-Race - Gate River Run 15k

I'm sitting here in my hotel room in Jacksonville, Florida, preparing for tomorrow's 15k at the Gate River Run. This will be my first attempt at this distance, and I'm not gonna lie, I'm pretty excited about it! :-) In between a 10k and a half marathon, I think the 9.3 mile race distance just might be my ideal race length. I've been told that my funky-looking stride lends itself well to longer races, so here's to hoping that 15k is a great distance for me!

Opportunities to test myself at this race distance are few and far between, so I'm planning to put it all out on the line tomorrow and get after it. My NBSV teammates Catha and Kate will also on racing, and together we'll be competing for the team title. The race coordinators have put together a fantastic field, so competition will be stiff, but the three of us have been training really well and I'm excited to see what we can do.

We took a course tour today and the 9.3 mile route looks fantastic! The first 5k winds through downtown Jacksonville, while the middle 5k takes you through the surrounding neighborhoods, winding through tree-lined streets and big beautiful Southern mansions. The final 5k is where things get interesting - the course takes you up a steep overpass onto a bridge that crosses the river, challenging runners with its steep incline in the final miles of the race. From the top of the bridge it's 1500 meters downhill to the finish. A lot can happen in the last mile - should make things exciting to watch from a spectator's perspective :-)

Speaking of which, if you'd like to watch the race, tune in to Runnerspace tomorrow morning at 5:15 AM Pacific - the gun goes off back here in Florida at 8:24 AM Eastern.

Best of luck to all those racing this weekend at NCAA Indoor Nationals (go little bro Brendan in the 5k!), World Indoors in Turkey, and early season track meets all over. And as always, thanks to all for your love and support!

Strength in Numbers

At my job we talk a lot about metrics. As a nonprofit organization receiving funding from both public and private sources, we're frequently asked to report on the number of youth we serve each day, the number of community members who attend our events, etc. We look at Facebook Insights, email open rates, website hits. Dollars spent per child, % increase in services provided... Numbers, numbers, galore!

So I decided to take a look at my running numbers - the miles I put in, splits I run in workouts, my pace on tempo runs. Numbers don't lie. Miles are miles, paces are paces - you either run them or you don't. Our sport is very simple - if you put in the work, you're bound to see results. And God knows I've put in the work. Double days, high mileage weeks, early mornings and late night 400 repeats solo on the track by the light of the moon. 

Checking lap splits while pacing my little brother to a mile PR

I'd like to say that I draw confidence from my running numbers. The quantitative data is all there in front of me, downloaded from my trusty Garmin. 

Garmin data from a long run in Cleveland

And the numbers don't lie - I'm fit. I should look at my running metrics and be self-assured and excited, gaining mental strength from all the work I've done. But truth be told, I still base a lot of my self-confidence on

things that are impossible to quantify

.

Instead of looking at the facts - the miles run per week, the paces of mile repeats, etc - I sometimes find myself basing self-confidence on arbitrary measures, like how skinny my arms look in a photo of me running, or how flabby I think my stomach looks when I run without a shirt. These baseless self-assessments that only serve to bring me down. I know it's bad for me, but like all vices and addictions, I keep going back to them.

I shouldn't. I know it's self-destructive. And I'm a smart girl - I should look at the numbers, the facts. 

So arbitrary measures be damned! I'm choosing to find strength in numbers - my numbers. Miles, paces, splits - all evidence to support the fact that I'm fit. No matter what that little devil on my shoulder might be whispering, I can't and won't ignore the numbers that tell me I'm in the best shape of my life.

To all the young women who similarly let self-doubt creep in and who base self-confidence on things you can't quantify - take a look at your running logs, and find your own strength in numbers! And let that knowledge carry you to fast times and many joyful runs!

See ya, self-doubt! I am CONFIDENT! Ready to take on the world!