Tuesday, April 15, 2014

Boston Strong - One Year Later

A year ago today, I got a text from Sam that told me two bombs had gone off at the Boston Marathon.  I jumped online and spent the rest of my work day (and several days after) in a state of worry and anger.  How dare someone hurt my tribe?  And the bigger question, why?

The answer was simple - to hurt and to cause fear to the biggest group possible.

It made me think about the crowd that marathons, Boston in particular, draw.  I couldn't think of anything else that has this kind of support.  It made me remember that I loved running, and runners, and the countless people that support us.  So, in an effort at positivity, I wrote a blog entry called "For the Love of Running." 

One year later, I made a new list because I do love running and because the people that hurt us don't deserve one more second of our fear.

For the Love of Running, Part Two

1. The spirit.

I went on my first run a few days after Boston and I'd never seen so many people on the trail.  A man approached me in the brightest running tights I'd ever seen.  He nodded just slightly and stuck his hand out for a high five as we passed each other.  I smiled, high fived him, and kept going.

2. Boston Strong - Missoula.

On just a few days notice, Run Wild Missoula and The Runner's Edge coordinated a two and four mile run to benefit One Fund Boston.  I can only speak for myself, but at that time, I wanted to do something and felt helpless.  This run was our chance to do something good and stand united.  Seeing the crowd of supporters from this little town was one of my proudest moments as a runner.

Boston Strong - Missoula

3. The motivation.

I've always thought of the Boston Marathon as something like the Super Bowl.  I'll admit, I'm not the fastest runner.  After last year I thought that I may not ever have the privilege of running Boston, but I can run a marathon.  I'll be running the Missoula Marathon, my first, this summer.

4. The gear.

I need, not want, compression calf sleeves, a watch, a foam roller, new running bras, a couple more shirts, shorts, and tights, Unbreakable: The Western States 100, and as always, more gels.

5. The crazy.

Runners tend to get the same responses from people when we say that we run.  "What about your knees?," and "I hate running, it's so boring," and my favorite, "you're crazy."  Yeah, I wake up before dawn on my day off for a long run and I plan race day meals like I'm going to storm the beach at Normandy.  My toes have bled, I've pulled muscles, I've gotten side stitches that take my breath away, I've cried, and I've pushed until my tank was way past empty. 

In the beginning, runners have to motivate themselves.  In the end, we motivate each other.  We pick each other up when we fall.  And we don't let anything stop us. 

So, one year later, we've lifted each other up.  We're stronger.  And yes, we're still that kind of crazy.

Friday, February 14, 2014

For My Valentine

When you do a lot of races, it's sometimes easy to forget the people around you that are always at the finish line.  They put up with our pre-race anxiety, they listen to us talk about injuries and nutrition, they wake up early with us, and they always cheer us on.  So, this is for Sam who has always been at the start and finish line for me.

It was 4 a.m. the morning of the Big Sur Half Marathon and I was having a small panic attack because I couldn't find Band-Aids anywhere.  Instead of saying something like "that sucks," Sam went out in the pre-dawn coldness and found a place that was open and sold them because they didn't have the right kind at the hotel front desk.

Big Sur Half Marathon

A few minutes before the Pengelly Single Dip, I realized I'd forgotten to put my timing chip on my shoe.  Sam knelt down and fixed it for me, and then again when I didn't think it was right, and then again when I was still afraid it would fall off.



Pengelly Single Dip

After the Run for the Luck of It last year, I was bummed over a disappointing finish time.  Sam took me on a hike and got my mind off it.  He's driven back to race finish areas when I've forgotten to print off my results, and peanut buttered countless bagels.  He's gone to all the expos, events, and film festivals.  He's pinned on my bib, fixed my timing chip, and taken a metric you-know-what-ton of pictures.  And he's always there cheering at the finish, race after race. 

Thanks to Sam, my Valentine and biggest supporter.  Love you to the moon.



Wednesday, January 29, 2014

Forward Movement

When I started running, I had no base times and no idea what I was doing.  I ran because it was free and I already had the shoes.  I ran for the freedom of it and after disappointing race times in 2013, it may be time to get back to that idea.  So, my running shoes and I are forging ahead into new races and my first full marathon.

First up is Run for the Luck of It, a St. Patrick's Day themed 5K that I've done for the last three years.  You can read about my experience with that here.  It's my primer race for a long few months of spring training.  Also, costumes and free beer.

Run for the Luck of It 2013

Next is a race that's completely new to me, 11 Miles to Paradise.  It runs through Lolo National Forest near Paradise, MT.  It will be my first technical trail run, so I'll be facing that old fear of getting lost head on here.  In a national forest.

In June, assuming I make it out of the woods, I'll be doing the Pengelly Single Dip which I ran for the first time in 2013.  You can read more about that here.  It's my current favorite and the reason why I wanted to give trail racing a try.

Pengelly Single Dip 2013, done!

Last is the Missoula Marathon in July.  What I like best about this race is that I've never done it before.  I have no base time and my only goal is to finish.  The time doesn't matter because whatever it is, it'll be the fastest I've ever run a marathon.

The goal for all these races is to run them with heart.  It's what I learned before I ever completed a race and it's the only lesson that really matters.

....................

To learn more about these and other Missoula races, you can visit my links page up top.

Wednesday, November 27, 2013

I Run Monterey Bay

Sam told me that the Big Sur Half Marathon might have to be an annual thing I do to give us an excuse to come back to Monterey.  I agree.

All the pretty.
We arrived the Friday prior to the race and went straight to In N' Out.  Carb loading, ya know?  Saturday, we walked around the expo and I picked up my bib and shirt.  We took a drive and learned a little secret about the Central Coast of California: it's most beautiful weather is during the fall.  Shh.

We were there in late July and while it was nice, it was definitely foggier and colder.  That Saturday was the kind of weather that makes you want to quit whatever thankless job you have and move there.


Anyway, that evening we stopped at the market for bagels, peanut butter, and juice.  I went to bed early and slept as well as I ever do before race day.

By 4 a.m. I was up and trying to figure out how to cut open my bagel with no knife.  Sam improvised with a stirring straw and our room key.  We would kick ass on Survivor.  Is that still on?

I got ready and we went down the street to the shuttle stop.  I met a nice woman named Maria and we chatted until it was time to get into our corrals.  I made one more pit stop at the porta-potties and then looked around.

"TWO MINUTES!"  The announcer said.

How do I get into my corral?  I thought.  I'd looked at the map of the starting area, but anyone that knows me knows I have the directional sense of a goldfish.  I couldn't see an entrance on my side so I raced to the end of the corrals and around to the other side.  Still no way in.  I got to my fenced off corral and asked a girl who said she didn't know.  Some helpful guy told me to jump the fence.  Because with my luck, I definitely would not fall and I most certainly would not hurt myself.

At this point, I was fully prepared to run along the outside of the fence and hop in at the last minute.  I jogged up to the front of my corral and asked a married couple how to get in.  The man told me to jump the fence.  I was debating the mechanics of that when the woman told me that the fences snap together.  "Here," she said, and unsnapped the fence.  Success!

My adrenaline was going and I was finally in my corral.  The announcer started our countdown and everyone started clapping.  My nerves evaporated.  Oh, that's right, I do this because I enjoy it!

Cannery Row, pre-race
Sam was at Cannery Row when I got there.  He took pictures and ran alongside me for a few yards.  A woman said we were cute.


For the first five miles, I felt great.  I saw the elites coming BACK when I wasn't even quite halfway.  We cheered for them and everyone around me was having a good time.

Somewhere around mile five, the sun came out.  Unfortunately, when I get hot, I wither.  I made it to the turn around, but enough time had passed that the sun was still in my face going the other way.  I ran by sheer will.

Look at the pretty ocean, don't be a baby, be grateful.  Look at all the people cheering!

I'm hot.  I'm hot.  I'm hot.

I had a blister on my left foot and a side stitch which I was able to mostly ignore.  Keep running, I thought, and you'll finish faster!  That was enough to keep me going.  After that, I didn't think of anything else except being done.  But I was supposed to enjoy the scenery, that was what everyone said.

I'll enjoy it later.  In a car.

I crossed the finish line and a little girl gave me a medal.  I couldn't remember what I'd been complaining about because it didn't matter anymore.

Sam was smiling and taking pictures at the finish line.  A photographer took our picture.  Since we were still separated by a fence, we agreed to meet on one of the piers after I went through the food tent and grabbed my things.

While I was waiting on the pier, a couple with their dog came up to me.  She asked me about the race and said that she was a marathoner.  She was funny and friendly and helped me to remember to enjoy the day. She asked me if I'd ever run that race before and I said no, but that it might become an annual destination race.


I learned a lot from this race for next time.  And there will be a next time!  One, there are uphills.  They were rolling, but I hadn't been prepared for that.  Second, bring sunglasses.  Third, enjoy it.  Monterey is one of the most beautiful places I've ever seen.  Fourth, figure out how to enter a corral.

Last, I want to give a special thank you to all the organizers and volunteers.  This was one of the most well organized races I've ever done.  Thank you to everyone that made it happen!

Here are a few more pictures from the race:

Runners be crazy

The elites rounding the corner at Cannery Row.  The winner, Jacob Chemtai, is at the front in red.

Crossing the finish line.  Actual finish time: 2:34:21.
Me in a nutshell

Thursday, November 14, 2013

Nerves and Cookies

I sent my boyfriend, Sam, a text that read, "I'm kind of sick to my stomach."  And then I thought, I should probably write about this.

On Sunday, I'll be running the Big Sur Half Marathon with a few thousand kindly strangers.  I hope they're kindly (note: please be nice to me, I'm really nervous).  Also, it's my first destination race.

Monterey, CA.


Luckily, the destination is my home state of California.  The out and back course begins in Monterey, near the wharf, and winds its way through Cannery Row, into Pacific Grove and Asilomar Beach.  It's oceanfront nearly the entire way.

Cannery Row in Monterey, CA.

Sam asked me why I felt sick.  I told him that I was nervous about the race and also two chocolate chip cookies I ate that may have been a bit suspect.  Pre-race jitters are familiar to me and many other runners, but I also don't like flying, crowds (especially of strangers), or most members of airport security.  Sorry about that last one, but it's true.  Anxiety, thy name is Ashley.

I'm in shape for it after running a half marathon in July and then maintaining that level of fitness.  It will be a beautiful course in a beautiful city.  It is forecast to be perfect running weather.  The flight, hotel, and rental car are booked.  But I still feel a vague, jittery sick feeling in the pit of my stomach.

The excitement won't come, I know from some experience, until I toe that line on Sunday morning.  The nerves change to adrenaline and excitement and we're off.  The race will be the payoff.

Until then, I'll be making list after list of everything I don't want to forget because it's my process.

Also, no more cookies.



Wednesday, October 2, 2013

Mercury and Mercury

For the first time ever, I have officially run through a pair of shoes.  My first blog post ever was about retiring some old Nikes for these, my highlighter pink running shoes that I called The New Girls.

Saucony ProGrid Guide 6, brand-spankin-new.

And a couple after shots:

Crossing a teeny bridge in Big Sur, CA this summer.

Big Sur, CA. Shoes are much dirtier, but no less spankin.
I went back to The Runner's Edge, since they were pretty awesome the first time I bought shoes there and decided to stick with the Saucony Guide 6.  I named the new ones Mercury, though I was informed each shoe should have its own name.  I can't think of anything that goes with Mercury though.

Three generations.
I trained for and ran five races, including a half marathon, in my pink shoes.  I can't get rid of them.  I've already made peace with the fact that my running shoes will one day take over my house.  It's cool, everyone knows runners be crazy.

Thursday, August 15, 2013

Running on the Fly

Do you have one of those runner friends that can talk about running all day?  Is that person possibly me?  I promise when I'm talking about knee anatomy and injury prevention, I'm not trying to be a smarty pants.  But if you ask a question, I can and will ramble on forever.

When I was a newbie to the sport, I had a lot of questions and I Googled a lot of things.  I asked the kind people at The Runner's Edge here in Missoula and the very limited number of people I knew that also ran.

And now I know some stuff and I want to share a bit of the running dictionary I've pulled together along the way.

Running on the Fly Part Two: Terms that make you go, huh?

5K - Any race that equals 3.1 miles.  K stands for kilometer, which is 1,000 meters.

10K - Any race that equals 6.2 miles.

Bonk - Basically, it's when you feel like you're gonna die if you go any further.  It happens when your body has run out of glycogen to burn.  Instead, it looks to fat and protein, but converting that to energy takes longer and gives you that I'm-going-to-fall-down feeling.  Carbs are a runner's friend!

Chip time vs gun time - Your chip is a little timing device set with your specific info.  You attach it to your shoe and it records the time you cross the starting and finishing line.  The gun time is the time the race starts.  If you've ever done a race with a lot of people, you know that you don't necessarily cross the starting line in the same second the gun goes off.  Chip time can be a few seconds to a few minutes faster than your gun time.

Fartlek - A form of training where you mix slow running with fast bursts of speed for any distance you'd like.  And yes, it's pronounced the way it looks.

Half marathon - Any race that equals 13.1 miles.

Lactic acid - You know how sometimes the day after hard exercise, you don't want to move because it hurts so bad?  It's because of lactic acid.  It builds up in your muscles when there is an incomplete breakdown of glucose during exercise.

LSD - Not the drug.  It means long, slow distance.  It's where you do a long run/race at a slower pace, can be helpful for endurance.

Marathon - Any race that equals 26.2 miles.

PR - Personal record.

Shin splints - Pain in the length of your shin, can be caused by running on hard surfaces.  Rest and/or cross training for a few days is usually a good idea if you have shin splints.  If the pain is severe or doesn't go away, see a doctor!

Split time - How long it takes you to run a certain distance over the course of a longer run.  For example, my last split at mile three of a five mile run was 25 minutes.

Ultra - Any race that is longer than a marathon.

VO2 max - The maximum amount of oxygen your body can take in and use.

I feel like I should be wearing my glasses.  Anyway, I hope that was helpful and I swear I didn't make anything up!