Posts in the Races Category at , Page 13

Mary Decker Slaney’s Birthday and Bringing ‘it’ to the Track

Posted on August 5, 2011 by Cait — 5 Comments ↓

So today I think I need to start with a little tribute to one of the most amazing female runners…it’s Mary Decker Slaney’s birthday today and I was reminded of this by a FB friend who posted this AMAZINGLY inspiring 3000 meter race from the 1983 World Championships.

Toonicized 1984 US Olympic Trials 1500m

Now, I’m a bit too young to have been lucky enough to really watch her races when she was the she-fire on the track, but growing up my mom made it clear that Mary was one of ‘those’ people. The people that to us distance runners, are true idols. Who, to the common mainstream public, may be their Kim K’s, Justin B’s, Harrison Fords…you get the picture. I’m also lame because I’m grappling for the ‘right’ kind of celeb to parallel to our distance running idols but am coming up short.

I’d like to think of Mary as more than a few notches above a Kardashian, so maybe a Jennifer Anniston or Reese Witherspoon, you know, more like an American Sweetheart type of thing.

I did this cartoon version of a picture that was taken by my photographer friend, Bill Leung, when he was there to witness the duel between Mary and Ruth Wysoki at the 1984 1500 meter US Olympic Trials. (A duel where Ruth actually made quite the upset for the win!) So in the real picture the photographer on the side wasn’t in it, that’s my little Bill tribute…hehe.

Anyways, Mary was one of those child phenoms that never burned out before hitting the pro circuit. She raced with guts, of course people are always quick to say ‘this and that’ about people, there are no shortage of negative commenters around, but there are no shortage of fans either. Regardless, I don’t think anyone, after watching races like these can argue with the fact that she is an inspiring and amazing athlete.

I did have the very fine pleasure of meeting and dining with Mary and her husband, and it’s so funny how runners have that duel persona. You can be gritty and fierce as heck on the track, but then cross the finish line and in ‘real life’ be the nicest person around. I’d say it’s more of a stark contrast with girls especially…though, don’t get me wrong because girls can be plenty catty if you catch the wrong set of ‘mean girls.’ Haha.

It's GO time...

My point was, even if it’s your best friend in a race, fire the gun and in competitive situations it’s every man for himself. Some people can argue with me there, “You shouldn’t try to beat your friends,” “Be nice,” and things like that. And if you are going into a race planning on just doing it for fun, then that’s fine, and in that instance it’s not necessarily a ‘race’ between you two.

But when you’re putting it all on the line, and in cases where you really are fighting for the win, the place, I don’t think it’s mean or rude to separate life on the track from that off the track. In fact I think you’re only doing a disservice to the sport and your competitors if you don’t give it you all. (There are always exceptions, if you’re there to pace a training partner to their PR or something like that, I’m not a total heartless jerk…lol.)

I’ve been perfectly happy warming up with my friend (it eases my nerves to have them there actually…I know some people are the opposite and don’t like to talk), knowing full well they too want the very same place as I do in the race, and really I’d have been really pi**ed if they played the ‘nice’ card and ‘gave’ me a win. It works both ways, if you beat someone you want to beat them at their best, not some charity case. So when the gun is fired, it’s ‘go’ time.

However, once the line is crossed, that is when the true signs of sportsmanship should be shown. That’s when the ‘nice’ runner emerges and you congratulate people if you did wind up the winner, and you put on a brave face if you weren’t. You hold it together if you had a horrible race and if you’re going to cry or throw a fit try to put a lid on the worst of it until you get somewhere by yourself. Because we all have those days, those disappointments, and in fact that’s where it can be a real blessing to have a friend/training partner that was in the race who you can cool-down with and talk to about it…because they’ll get it.

And here wraps up another long tangent filled post…I started out by wanting to wish a Happy Birthday to one of my running idols. I’d take that meeting with Mary and her husband (Actually that guy is hilarious!! He’s a stellar field event athlete in his own right and can actually rip a phone book in half too…so funny to see them next to each other with Mary being so slight!) over any ‘normal people’ celeb any day.

1) Who is one of your running idols?

2) Who is one of your any kind of idol?

I admire and respect a few people but not necessarily famous ones.

3) Race day, I know people race for many different reasons and so depending on the reason I think the ‘rules’ or protocols are different. When you toe the line do you take your friendships with you, or is it understood that it’s every man/woman for themselves but once you cross the line you’ll happily cool-down with a competitor?

A Horse Doesn’t Need Internet, But I Do!!

Posted on July 28, 2011 by Cait — 7 Comments ↓

Holy sweet baby Moses!! Okay, first off, I need to come up with a new better phrase to express extreme frustration or on the flip side over the top excitement. I’ve gone through phases of ‘holy cow,’ ‘holy moley,’ and I even did the ‘holy moley cow’ bit, all equally as granny panties. So I’m up for suggestions here, what do you people catch yourself saying?

Okay, she's on a yak not a horse, but close enough...

Before my wild tangent ride there, the reason for this exclamation is because of extreme and utter frustration. The place that I am renting at is in Loomis, CA and is about as ‘in the sticks’ as I’ve ever lived. *Hold for people who live in true rural areas and farm houses to laugh and sneer.* But for a girl who has been a suburbanite all her life I had no idea that you just can’t get a ‘real’ internet connection when you have neighbors that are horses…this is KILLING ME!!!

I’ve talked to the humatoid neighbors and they just seem to deal with it…ummm, that’s not an option. Is it insane to say that I’d never move to a place permanently like this because of internet access alone? I’m about to go AWOL after two weeks! Well, I don’t feel too bad because when I was talking with one of my really good friends (He’s into Halo big time) he said there was, “No freaking way I’d be there.”

So I’m camped out at a Barnes and Noble mooching off of their free Wi-Fi. Thank you. 🙂 Do I feel sorta bad that at the table I’m sitting at there is a sign that reads: “For the courtesy and convenience of all our guests; This seating is intended for customers who have purchased food and beverages in our cafe.” I would feel bad, but there is a grammatical error there that makes me feel sort of less guilty. Mwahaha.

So Happy Hump Day to all. I need to express also my ongoing apologies for being lame-o in my commenting and blog reading action…it’s because I’m living sicks style and can’t get a flipping page to load on my computer so I’m firing on about .000000001 cylinders and will try to cram in as much as I can at B&N’s while I can.

In non-internet related news I am giving you my promise that the final chapter in the Yogurtopia Fairy Tale will go up soon. A forewarning it’ll be a long post but I want to get the full story up and ‘read’ for you. Last night I inked out all the final illustrations and will colorize ASAP.

We haven’t had any running talk yet, that’s crazy, so I’ll correct that now. Yesterday I did another moderate style run and today was yet another tour of duty on the treaddy. 9 miles put in, am I getting a little predictable? Now, I was alerted to this race first by Margs, but it came up again on Sunday: this January is the inaugural Tinkerbell Half Marathon at D-Land and for anyone who has seen the insane amount of Tink things I posses would tell you I love me my Tink! Well, I found out that the Nappy Mamma and Pappa (PS-these are my adopted family…I liked them so much I smuggled my way into their crew, I double dip like that.) are both heading down and will take part (there is the Lost Boys 5k the Fri before the Tink race for the fellas), and Mamma Nappy is urging me to take part.

Brace yourself here folks, she told me the cost of entry for just the Tink race alone is something like $120 and maybe more!!! Hold the pintos and beans, say what?!?! I haven’t raced in an eternity, but where in the heck do race directors get off charging so much?! It gets worse, there are ‘deal’ packages to race both the 5k and half which will grant you access for half a day to the park, and that is over $200.

"Hot dawg that's way too much for a race fee!" It's a stretch, but bear with me...

So, wow, I would love to find any reason to head to D-Land but maybe I should promise them my first born…the joke is on them because I’m not gonna be popping out any kids. But my resolve is waning, I do love Tink and all things Disney, my birthday is in Jan…so who the heck knows. Maybe I’ll find a Lost Boy to smuggle me into the race.

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Two quick shouts! If you’ve downloaded, used, or are using any kind of running/workout apps, techie devices, iPod workout syncing thingy, please share you’re thoughts…you’d be helping me out with an article. 🙂

AND…I still want those ugly running shots…I’ve only gotten a few brave souls, so c’mon peeps! 😉

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1) Would you, could you live without internet?
I’ve talked about this before, and it turns out I brought it on myself by tempting fate. I can’t live without internet, what am I to do?!

2) Can you catch the grammo-wacko mistake from the Barnes and Noble sign?

3) What in the world is up with race fees, is that the norm, or is more because it’s Disney and all that jazz?

Evil To-do Lists That Pick Boogers and Racing Garb

Posted on July 2, 2011 by Cait — 7 Comments ↓

Wowza…how are all of your Saturfarts shaping up so far? Hopefully not too stinky. 😉 Lame, I am, I have admitted that before so I have no shame in letting my full freak flag fly.

Today’s been a pretty productive morning if I do say so myself. Nothing to actually show for it, more like in the errands sense. The ones you put off that you really don’t want to do, that to-do list starts to grow, glaring evilly at you from the corner. Like that kid who picks his nose in class but still doesn’t understand why you aren’t nicer to him…ummm, because you’re gross? But I was able to kick that bugger picking list in the butt, or at least make some decent headway.

The morning started off quite nice, got in a nice 8.5 and a wee more miles on the treadmill. Felt pretty good, just went easy but it felt better than it’s been in the past. Did some arm weights, couple sets of lunges and squats, and then it was time to hit that evil list.

So I’ll have to do the cop-out and talk about other people…’tis the weekend and I know that means some races have to be on the agenda for some folks! If you ran, do feel free to brag on your fine self. 🙂 Or are you waiting until Monday to rep the US of A?! Well, as it seems I can no longer find friends here in the States and have turned to outsourcing, my growing number of Canadian besties probably don’t give too Oy’s about the 4th. Well, unless a stray sparkler or firecracker crosses onto their side.

There was a really fun 4th of July 5 miler race that I used to run when I was in high school. The best part about it? It was FREE!! Ya, that is unheard of now adays for any kind of race, it seems like road races are going the route of the movie theaters. The costs seem to leave my wallet violated in the worst possible way. But races are fun so sometimes you just have to bite the bullet. Well, at least there is the possibility of a really cool shirt…

(I made this in fun up for my good friend, she always wanted to sponsor her own race, so at least now when she gets it up and running she’ll have a t-shirt design…lol)

a bag of schwag usually consisting of a kiddie sized bar, maybe some drink powder. If you’re really lucky maybe some BodyGlide…praise the chaffing gods!!

That 5 miler was also fun because people would dress up and every year there were a few guys who always wore the same get-up. No, they weren’t really crazy cool or inventive ones…one guys wore a pair of ratty racing shorts that were red, white, and blue ala the flag. Each year we prayed that the threadbare fibers wouldn’t finally give out midway through the race.

The other guy was even weirder as he’d wear a pair of just regular boxer shorts with Odie on it. You know, the yellow dog with a really long tongue hanging out. I don’t think I have to tell you where the tongue was placed. Gross.

One year my younger sis and I dressed in matching get-ups. My mom special ordered these tops and if I may say so I thought they were the bomb dot come. Oh yes, I said that. Full freak flag remember? The racing tops had flames on them, but not gonna lie I think the thing that made it awesome was that my little sis was about five at the time and ran in the little kiddie 1/2 mile. SHE was the one that looked crazy cute in the garb, so I was cool by association.

Here’s a pic of my top in full flaming glory…I’m bummed I don’t have a pic of my little sis in the top on me.

(Had to blow off the dust on this one…must be 2002ish??)

Well, I’m off to get some grubbage. I’m super boring and pretty much eat lots of the same things, but I figure I like what I like and my tummy agrees! So on the menu for lunch will be chicken and black bean tacos (I actually like burritos more but right now I need to use up those smaller tortillas…this I know you really care about) with a side of carrots and an apple. 🙂

1) Have you dressed up for a race before?

I know my flame top really isn’t all that dressy, but that’s the most I’ve done.

2) If you hosted your own race, what would it be called?

I actually would REALLY love to set one up, but make it a charity event, it’s on the to-do list but I have yet to come up with a really kickbutt name…

3) The best thing you’ve ever scored in a race give-away bag?

4) Best thing you’ve eaten today yet OR that you plan on devouring here at some point?

Races, "Really?" Moments, Da Biebs and Capris

Posted on June 25, 2011 by Cait — 7 Comments ↓

Just a short one tonight, and before it’s officially over, Happy Friday. 🙂 Running for me was just an easy run, worked out to be a little over 8.5 miles, followed by core and abs.

Update for anyone interested in more from the USA National Champs, (and who isn’t right?) today was Day 2 and I’d be lying if I didn’t just come out and say that it’s the distance events that interest me the most. So that was the 5k men’s and women’s finals that were the highlights. On the women’s side Molly Huddle took it in 15:10.01, Amy Hastings placed second in 15:14.31, and recent college grad Angela Bizzarri took third in 15:16.04. Watching the race on TV was nice as they had Vin Lananna announcing, he’s the coach at U of O now and has made quite a name for himself as one of the most renown coaches around. Before U of O he was there for Standford’s real juggernaut days. Anyways, it’s nice to see and hear an announcer who actually knows a lot about distance races, which isn’t always the case. No offense, because I know that they are GREAT athletes at their respective events, but hearing pole vaulters and 100 meter greats talking about 5k and 10k tactics doesn’t always ring so true. There’s been some flubs or things said that just make a distance chick laugh.

Back on topic, Huddle looked really strong and she should represent us well at World’s, last year she broke Shalane Falangan’s American Record in the 5k and that was a pretty big break-through for her and got her the recognition she deserved. On the men’s side the race was a tactical one, went out slow and came down to a kick. Bernard Lagat took the cake in 13:23.06, followed by Chris Solinsky in 13:23.65, and Galen Rupp taking third in 13:25.52. You know Lagat is getting down to business when you can see all the whites in his eyes. 😉

Like I said the 12.5 lappers were the biggest draw for me in Day 2 but I will say that I was more than a little happy to see Allyson Felix win her heat of the 400 meter semi-finals; she went to high school in California and I believe was a senior when I was a frosh. I was always in awe of not only her insane fastness (yes, that’s a word!) but poise and humble demeanor. So I’ve always loved seeing her kick some major booty. 🙂

You can find all the results here as well as more as they come in the following days. Thank you USATF. Also, Paul Merca has an awesome blog and does a WAY better job than I could ever try to (or many others for that matter…hehe) on full recaps and results, as well as some more inside scoop. He’s actually down in Eugene and trackside, so do check out his blog! 🙂

Totally veering onto another tangent, I think I’ve already professed by morbid fascination with celeb rag mags but every now and again even I have my limit and have to just say, “Really? Really?” This happened today in the check-out line at Winco when I saw the headline announcing that Selena Gomez is now pregnant with a Bieber love child. “Really?” Okay, hate me if you must but I adore that little Selena girl, how cute is she? And while I’m not about to pass out due to hypoxia screaming and yelling to J Biebs how much I love him like a tweenie, I’m pro-Bieber all the way. Plus, what, aren’t they like just now legal? I mean it’s not like she’s Jamie Lynn Spears. So leave this adorable little couple alone rag mags, there’s plenty other shenanigans to cover. In fact, lest you missed it, I made a fool of myself doing a poor rendition of one in particular. Please, if you must throw a tomato try and aim for my butt.

So that’s it for me tonight, I now see my ramblings have bled over into Saturday so I find it fitting that I opened the post with a Happy Friday and now I get to sign off with a Happy Saturday!

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I also wanna send a shout out to one particularly peckish runner, The Hungry Runner Girl is giving away some pretty sweet looking running capri tights from a company named Anonya. I hadn’t heard of them before but they are San Fran based and gotta support my CA roots. So if you’d like to score some free tights, and who doesn’t like some SWAG, head on over and check her blog out. 🙂

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1) Have you ever raced a 5k? Track or roads? Do you have one coming up and have a goal that you’d like to share? Also feel free to brag on yourself about your awesome 5k showings! 🙂

2) Do you have a “Really?” moment you’d like to share? Something that you saw or happened to you that was just too good not to mention?

3) Do you prefer running in full running tights or capris?

Doubts Are Undoings and the Margin of the Unknown

Posted on June 24, 2011 by Cait — 9 Comments ↓

Well are we ready for a running fueled posted? I’ll start out with the big guns. For anyone who doesn’t know, this weekend are the USA National Champs going on at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon. The town has fittingly been named Track Town USA and does everything it can to live up to the name. Not gonna lie it does well, the facilities are insanely awesome and the warm-up track alone is cool in and of itself.

I’m lame and haven’t made it there myself much but have fun the times that I do. There is also Track Town Pizza that’s been there for decades and because it’s just off the campus it has naturally been supplying coeds their late night munches fix for just as long. It boasts that it also serves up plenty of the track greats before and after some pretty fantastic showings (maybe even during…jk on that one) and has pictures of all of the U of O heavy hitters. It’s definitely worth a visit if you’re around and their pizza isn’t too shabby either from what I recall.

Back on track, tonight kicked off the first day of events and was mostly prelims. There were some finals for field events but I’m not gonna lie I’m more of a track geek so the BIG draw for me were the 10k finals. Women’s first and there were plenty of big names on the starting line. All three of the fine ladies who represented the USA in the last Olympics, and the ones who went 1-2-3 in the Trials last time were there, along with plenty of other previous Team USA members and Olympic participants.

Though everyone comes to the tarting line as ‘equals’ in the sense that on any given day you never know what the body is going to give. I think anyone who’s raced or run long enough knows that there is always that little question mark going in, will it be one of ‘those’ days. The ones where it seems everything goes right, all is clicking, the stars align, and you feel ‘on.’ Or one where you have an off night and it seems like you’re lugging bricks from the gun. Then there’s everything in between those two extremes. The truth is that you put in all the work, do the whole tapper thing, training guide, race plan, rest, refuel, hydrate, etc before and prepare in the best way that you can. You do that because that swings the odds in your favor, it sets you up for the best possible outcome and hopefully success, but in our sport there is always the little margin of the unknown.

It’s the unexpected injuries. It’s the workouts that seem to feel much harder than they should. BUT it’s also the workouts where you blow it out of the park, the ones where you reach another level. The races where you run out of your mind and the whole way you keep thinking, ‘This can’t be ME running out here, MY body hitting those splits!’ The unknown is sweet, it’s cruel, and it’s everything in between. I think that’s one of the things that makes our sport the best. Ya, I’m partial I admit that. 🙂

The unknown is also scary, it can mess with our minds. It can implant those doubts, ‘Am I ready for this? Do I belong here? I didn’t do my warm-up right, will that mess me up? My prerace pizza had too much cheese on it. Should I have run one last hard workout? One last long run? Did I do enough?’ All of that. But we all think that to some degree. And not only during races, it’s in everything. In training, in just regular fitness working out. In life. Doubts are everywhere.

It’s also the times when you don’t really feel like going out and putting in those runs. Skipping a workout because you feel tired, stressed, or just plain would rather do something else. You wonder why in the world you keep doing this whole song and dance anyways. But we all have those times. Sometimes we don’t like to admit it because it makes us fear that we’re weak, wussies, complainers, excuse-makers, and at least for me I’m afraid it means that the day will come when I do just cave, throw in the towel, toss up my arms and delve into the world of slothdom.

But the reality is I won’t. I love this thing too much. Ya, maybe a day or two goes by and I don’t bust my sweat (and I mean these are FAR and few between…lol), but I get back into it. So eff that doubt because I know myself and I know this is what makes me happy. Running in circles is fun to me. Ya, I’m not fast or racing, but I like it too much to let it pass me up completely.

Wow, sorry for my long@$$ ramble there, where did that come from?!?! So the results are in, are you ready for the envelope to be read? Hehe. Shalane Flanagan won the 10k in 30:59.97. Kara Goucher took second in 31:16.65 and Jen Rhines placed third in 31:30.37. On the guys’ side Galen Rupp won in 28:38.17, Matt Tegenkamp got second in 28:39.97, and Scott Bauhs rounded out third in 28:40.51.

I think my point was that I keep reading about people who are nervous about their first race, or the longest race they’ve yet to do. They worry that they’re not doing things ‘right’ and have all these doubts. I think they are afraid they’re the only ones who have all these worries, like it means they aren’t ready for the challenge. But EVERYONE has doubts, so my best advice is to put in the work, do all the planning you can, and recognized that yes, there is always the little margin of the unknown. It CAN be scary, but it’s a good kind of scary. It doesn’t only mean you might have a bad race because it also means you could have an awesome race, the one of your life. It can also be a mediocre race, a funny race, a race with memories. Everyone races for different reasons but don’t psyche yourself out from starting and giving it your all because of the unknown.

Wrapping up my epicness, I think I’m trying to talk myself up too. Not just in running but in life too. I’ve got some stuff I’ve got to figure out there and have plenty of doubts. With the running though, I’m trying to do some more harder workouts and I do still get stuck in the comparing old times and how I felt then to today’s efforts. But that’s not doing me any favors, it only robs me of enjoying the present. So I did have fun out there today in my workout; I ran outside again and managed to stay vertical the whole way…haha! 3 miles warm-up to the track, 6 mile uptempo, 2.5 mile cool-down. That cool-down was butt slow, but I was pleased I averaged 5 secs/mile faster this week than last week on the tempo part. I even had some company out there, these blasted squirrels kept scurrying around on the track!

Alright, enough from me, hope all’s well for you guys! 🙂

1) Favorite pizza topping?

Cheese and lots of veggies.

2) Last challenge you did that scared you?

Lame as it sounds, today running outside because I thought for certain I’d fall bad again. haha.

3) What are you looking forward to tomorrow?

Check Out My Trash Bag and Altitude Running

Posted on June 18, 2011 by Cait — 9 Comments ↓

So it turns out a nice little form of cross-training is to fall on the pavement like a dork…who knew?! Just kidding, it’s just that my stupid arms are sore and it feels like I was hefting around some dumbbells. Funny how a millisecond of impact can put a weight workout to shame.

Speaking of, today I did my usual recovery/easy run of 8 miles and change followed by my core and abs routine. I on was on the treadmill today, okay Oregon is worst than a menopausal woman when it comes to it’s weather. Yesterday was beautiful out there, dare I even say warm, and today it’s rainy and gross.

Never fear, the gym in my apartment complex, with it’s fabulous single fan for the whole place was nice and humid. I think I sweat out half my bodyweight. I don’t understand how people can stand working out in full on sweats or those trash-bag sauna suits, I’d probably just melt into a puddle of goo like the wicked witch of the west.

Well, people usually use those things for one of two reasons: 1) they think that if they workout in them they’ll lose weight faster. (these people really make me laugh) or 2) they are actually training for an event that is going to be done under extremely hot conditions and are acclimating themselves to these conditions.

The second group of people are SMART and are sweating like mad for a good reason. I know lots of athletes prepping for those Beijing Oly’s were donning some mad sauna suits. If you’re going to be racing in conditions that you aren’t living in, it’s smart to take other measure to mimic race day. Otherwise the shock of the conditions can lead to some pretty ugly results. Another example? Altitude.

When I was first starting out as a runner, I remember I had a race up in Reno, CA. I’d never run at any kind of altitude and Reno was definitely higher than sweaty old Sacto. I remember my mom and dad saying how it will probably feel harder than running at home, but being young I gave them the ‘ya, ya, ya’ thing and sort of brushed it off. Flash-forward a few miles and I was sucking major wind. The thing with altitude is that the longer your race/run the more it effects you. Actually sprinters love the whole race high thing because in the sprints the higher up you go the less wind resistance you have to work against. So they get faster times. Not so with anything more than a couple laps.

So if you’re going to be doing a race in a place much different from where you train it’s probably smart to do the best you can to simulate race day. For the heat thing those trash-baggy suits might come in handy. For altitude it’s a little trickier but here’s some tips:

* At least try to take a visit to a place at altitude before the big day so you can see how it affects you.

* Get there either weeks before or the day before. Anytime in the middle is the ‘you’ll feel extra crappy’ phase. The body has time to sort of acclimate if you get there a few weeks in advance, on the flip side your body hasn’t had time to fully absorb the shock of the less air if you get there the day of your race or the day before. Anytime in between and your body is in the adjustment phase and it’s not going to feel so hot.

* Be conservative. Going out too fast in a race is never the best way to go about it but at altitude the effects are infinitely worse…trust me on this one.

* Adjust your target time. The same perceived effort run at sea level will show up as a slower clock time at altitude. Plain and simple, they have conversion charts proving it. The longer the race, the slower the clock time will ‘feel.’ So don’t try to beat your sea level PR if your race is at altitude. Even if the clock time is slower and you know you’re in awesome shape, take a gander at some of those charts and it will make you feel better.

There are also folks that do the altitude training camps, but that’s not all too realistic for us regular folks. Of course to those peeps already living at altitude, they get the benefit of sucking down less wind on a regular basis and are used to it. The nice perk for them is when they go down and race at sea level they usually are pleasantly surprised that their same perceived effort shows up as, ta-da, faster ‘clock times’ and they can unexpectedly get a new PR. 🙂

That all said, backing up a bit in my post and addressing the first group of people running in those trash-bag suits (I know Kendra Wilkinson was one) you’re wasting your time. You’re only ‘losing’ water weight and as soon as you start drinking again you’ll magically ‘gain’ it back. Work on busting your butt in the gym sans suit and you’ll get there, I promise.

Saturday at the races, anyone who did one let’s hear it and brag on yourself!! Ummm, and anyone who is a track nerd like me will know that next week USA champs are upon us…some smoking track races to be sure..exiting stuff, peeps. 🙂

1) If you were so cool as to rock out a sauna suit, what color would you choose?

Lime green.g

2) Ever had the joy of running at altitude?

Such a pleasure…lol. Side note, altitude also makes some people has even worse stomach issues, of course I’m one of those people…fun stuff! 🙂

3) Workout today? Race today?

Negative Splits Rule or it Might Get Ug-LY

Posted on June 12, 2011 by Cait — 13 Comments ↓

Up and at ’em early today. Got up and put in my easy 8 and change on the tread this morning. Sundays kind of stink TV wise so it was Nick at Nite (bleeding over into Nick Early Morn would be more correct) and Family Matters was on. I’ve never been a huge Urkel fan myself, and when he was on TGIF I put up with the half hour block but looked forward to the Full Houses and Step-by-Steps on later.

Finished up with abs and core work and on with the day! Yesterday I noted how there are tons of races going on now that summer’s here; for some these are their first races and for others it’s their bizzillionth. Newer runners often ask for tips before their first races, or perhaps they’ve raced shorter distances but are now signing up for the longer ones. I think one of the biggest lessons that most of us have learned the hard way is this: DO NOT GO OUT TOO FAST!!

Sorry, didn’t mean to yell that one, but trust me on this because it’s a very easy trap to fall into but paying for that fast start later in the race gets ug-LY!! I used to think that if I went out faster and under pace in the beginning of a race (or even workouts) then I’d be setting myself a nice little ‘cushion’ so that if I happened to slow down later I’d still be able to hit my target time. That sounds pretty logical, doesn’t it? Well, the body isn’t always logical as any PMS’ing woman can tell you.

When you’re running, or working out in general, the body burns glycogen as it’s prime fuel source. Physiologically the body burns glycogen more efficiently if you gradually work into a faster, more intense effort and not the other way around. And it doesn’t make just a little bit of difference, but a lot. The amount of time you go out too fast in the beginning could leave you slowing down 2-3 times that amount in the later miles. That means that should you go out even just 10 seconds too fast in the first mile, you could be paying for that with 20-30 seconds/mile by the end. And trust me, those seconds will feel WAY longer than the time on your watch indicates…lol.

That’s why negative splits rule. Negative splitting just means that you get faster as the race/workout progresses. Not a complicated theory but it’s tough to hold yourself back and not get swept up in the excitement of race day. But you want to go into a race with a goal pace and race plan in mind and then stick to it.

Finding your goal pace is pretty easy to do based off of your workouts for most races. But it’s trickier come marathons only because you don’t typically run the full 26.2 miles in regular training like you would a 5k or 10k. For a marathon you can of course get a good idea based off of your long runs but there’s also a track workout you can do to give you a fair approximation.

Marathon goal prediction workout as Perfected by the Running Coach Legend Mr. Bart Yasso:

Do a warm-up and then head to the track for 10×800 meter repeats. Do a recovery jog lap between each repeat and make sure to take your recovery easy before starting the next one. Once you’re done with all 10, take your average time and whatever it is in minutes:seconds will translate into your marathon prediction time in hours:minutes. So if Bob ran his repeats in 3 minutes and 30 seconds, his predicted marathon time will be 3 hours and 30 minutes. From there you can figure out his mile pace should be 8:01. (PS-don’t forget your cool-down! hehe) This workout is fittingly dubbed Yasso 800’s.

Going out too fast for your capabilities in the beginning of ANY race can suck, it’s just that it’s a lot ‘easier’ to gut out the rest of a 5k than some of the longer races. In the case of a marathon you might not even be able to finish. So that’s my spiel on negative splitting. 🙂 Oh, one more thing real fast, other factors that can make you slow down more and feel even worse should you go out too fast are heat and elevation. So keep that in mind too, if you aren’t used to running at elevation you might want to go out even more conservative at the start.

All this marathon talk reminds me that if you happened to read about the drunk driving accident I happened to see and wrote about, I’m sure you’ll agree that it’s tragic that these accidents are so common. My friend, Kara Goucher, lost her father because of a drunk driver and is an avid supporter of MADD. (For anyone who doesn’t know who she is, you should because she’s a kick@$$ distance star, she’s one of the leading US distance gals. She rules the track and the marathon…so that was my line of thinking to get here…lol) Well, she created a design that is featured on both a card and shirt and if you order one 100% of the proceeds benefit MADD. So I wanted to share those links!

Okay, so I think that’s it for now! I’m off to the store to restock and then we’ll see. 🙂

1) Worst story of going out too fast in a race or workout?

Too many times to count, but I think the most embarrassing was at a really big cross-country meet that I hoped to do really well in. My whole family was there, coaches, and let’s face it plenty of other people who I hoped to ‘look good’ in front of, and I totally bombed. That was one painful and humiliating last mile!

2) Favorite track/running type workout?

I already said tempo’s and long runs, but for intervals I like mile and 800 repeats.

3) What are you up to this fine Sunday?

Powdered Donuts, Pre Meet And Our Third Super Hero Runner

Posted on June 3, 2011 by Cait — 13 Comments ↓

Couple things to cover for today. First on the list is a question I have for anyone who is actually reading this: when you run in hot conditions do you get lots of that satly white stuff all over you afterwards? I get it, and I know it’s just the dried up salt from my sweat (and I’m convinced I’ve got overactive sweat glands…I’m a drippy mess) but I seem to be the only person I know besides my mom who comes out looking like a pretzel after running when it’s hot.

No, it’s not suddenly 90 degrees here in Portland (though it is warming up and looks like it’ll be spiking in a few days) but the gym in my apartment complex was disgustingly hot today. Their measly single fan does NOT get the job done come summertime, so my tready run left me a powdered donut. Did another 3 miles warm-up, 5 miles hard, and a cool-down followed by some arm weights. The first 2-3 miles of the harder part felt pretty good, but not gonna lie that last mile I was certainly counting down the minutes left. 😉

Second on the agenda….big weekend on tap for track and field: The Prefontaine Classic! Can I get a whoot-whoot? Okay, it’s established I’m a dork so I don’t feel bad writing that. Also not gonna lie, I’m really mostly following the distance events that are going on Friday night, namely the women’s 5k and the men’s 10k. Both fields are stacked and there should be some fast times. For the women I’m a little partial and will be rooting for Kara and Eloise…so if you’re reading this you should be too! 🙂

So in honor of the upcoming races (and there will obviously be PLENTY of action on Saturday) I’d like to unveil our third member of the Supa’ Runnas; joining The Kankled Avenger and The Cranky Hamstring we have…wait for it, wait for it: PreMONTaine. See what we did there?

The scoop on the second person brave enough to throw themselves into the rigorous application process is this: By day this standout photographer (really, do check out Derek’s site) is using his keen eye to scope out the perfect shot, be it at a sporting event or catching the lovey-dovey moments shared between man and wife as they say their ‘I Do’s’. Don’t let my sarcasm fool you, those special days should be cherished and remembered forever, that raw emotion expressed from candids are always my favorite.

Though, there is much more to the man behind the lens. He’s obviously a runner but doing so in sub-zero weather during a Duluth (Gooooodmorning Duluth! had to add that, sorry) winter takes some…well, balls. Trails are his game but all that running sure makes a fella hungry, thus enter his love affair with hot dogs, steaks (he ate his way through the Prime Quarter 48 oz’er and sides challenge in Madison, WI), and enough skittles that should send him into a diabetic coma. Sadly, he is wrong in his stance on Qdoba being better than Chipotle, but The Kankled Avenger was willing to look past that.

What our mighty runner CANNOT stand for is this: those cantankerous gym teachers that don’t understand that as members of the cross-country or track teams, when hard intervals are planned for that afternoon’s workout it’s not smart to force these runners into doing laps during PE. Now, PE is insanely important in forcing the growing number of slothy youth masses who don’t move on a regular basis, but my stance is that cross and track runners HARDLY fall into this category. (along with lots of other rigorous sport’s team members) So, sorry Mrs. Nelson, you’re wrong on tooting that whistle and you just cheesed off the wronger harrier. Using his wits and of course trusty camera, PreMONTaine is out to fight for all us runners who regulatory bust our own butts hard enough and don’t need to run extra laps in PE. Check out his pilot episode at the bottom folks!

Lastly, I really hope I’m not the only powdered donut looking runner out there and remember to root for my girls! 🙂

1) Have you turned into a salty pretzel after runs in hot weather?

2) What’s your stance on PE for kids who are already participate in highly active sports?

I think that if you’re already doing sports and getting plenty of activity, it should be optional. Shocking coming from me, but my reasoning is this: I LOVE being active and trying new things but I’ve also gotten injured doing stupid things in PE. Not only that but I was also tripped by some doof guy who didn’t want a girl to beat him in the little mile and a half run, I fell pretty hard and got banged up…not fun.