Friday, February 22, 2013

Down but not out

When I first started reading running-related blogs last summer, I couldn't believe there existed a whole community of women out there who were as obsessed with running as I was.  I found women who were running 70, 80 or 100 mile weeks...women who were balancing motherhood and marathon training...women who held demanding jobs while racing every month...women who were married, single, childless or had twelve kids and a goal of qualifying for the Olympic Trials...women who supported one another, shared advice and sympathized when another one was injured...women who ran long or short or fast or slow...  Despite their differences, all these women shared a common love for lacing up their shoes and hitting the roads or trails for mile after mile in rain, sun and snow.

These women inspired me.

I celebrated my big 40th birthday last fall and always assumed my fastest days were behind me (not that I ever considered myself "fast").  However, connecting with these women gave me the drive and desire to really push myself.  Reading about their training and their dedication and all their various workouts lit a fire in my belly.  I decided to follow the lead of many of the women and hired a coach who would give me a weekly training plan and offer advice and feedback on my workouts.  A coach who would help me realize whatever potential was still untapped within me.

At first it seemed strange to even think about hiring a coach.  That was only for collegiate or professional or at least very fast runners, right?  Why would a 40 year-old, stay-at-home mother of three need a coach?  And how, exactly, could a coach who lived in Boston help me with my running?!  Well, basically, he provides me with an online training log that lists what workouts I need to do each day -- how many miles to run and at what pace(s), when to do cross-training along with various tips and advice about my form or what to focus on for each specific run.  Additionally, he provides feedback after I log each run and he tailors the next week's workout based on how my running is progressing.  He congratulates me and recognizes my effort when I complete a great run and encourages me when I have a difficult run.  And he answers any questions I have that are related to running.  (He also holds a PR of 2:33 and has completed 31 marathons, among other running accomplishments!)

my online training log

So here I am at almost the end of February with a few months of training behind me and the Boston marathon looming ahead of me.  I spent some time earlier today looking through the last few months of training logs -- at my runs, my paces, my 800m repeats -- and tried to determine what I have gained from all of this.  Have I gained endurance?  Yes.  Have I gotten faster?  Yes.  Have I learned how to run a proper track workout?  Yes.  Have I improved my running form?  Yes.  But the most important thing I have gained in the last few months is confidence.



I was hoping to put it all to the test a couple of weeks ago with my first race of this training cycle -- a local half marathon here in Portland.  I had a few friends who would also be running the race and was so excited to see them and to run this race.  Despite the difficult course, I fully expected to run a PR and to use it to help determine a realistic goal for Boston.

But then all my plans changed.  I woke up the day before a race with a sore throat.  I was almost convinced it was all in my head -- sort of like the taper madness and race jitters that are so familiar to marathoners in the week or two before they toe the line.  As I was tossing and turning the night before the race, still awake way past 1am and barely able to swallow, I resigned myself to the fact that I wouldn't be running the race.

Turns out I had strep throat.   After what was already a cutback week in my training, I was forced to take even more time off the next few days as I did everything I could to recover.


just some of the things that helped get me healthy

I was disappointed about having to miss the race and I began to doubt that I really was improving at all.  As I laced up my shoes and headed to the track for my 8 x 800m workout later that week, I was convinced it would be a disaster.  Surprisingly, I couldn't have been more wrong.  Not only did I run my fastest average 800m times of the training cycle but they were so consistent and were all within a couple seconds of one another.  And they didn't even feel that hard.  I followed up that workout with several more good ones the rest of last week and this week, too.

With just over seven weeks until the marathon, I am really starting to get excited.  There is something very special about the anticipation of race day.  So much can go wrong in all the days and weeks leading up to the race and, even on race day, so much is out of our control.  But the unknown only seems to contribute to the beauty of it all.  And it makes that perfect race, when you do experience it, even sweeter than you thought possible.  I have high hopes that Boston is going to be very sweet.

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In the meantime (i.e. in my life outside running), I have been keeping busy and enjoying some warm-for-Portland-in-the-wintertime weather.

yes, "warm weather" is all relative...we still have to wear jackets
I also got to babysit my littlest niece, Kennedy, overnight last weekend.  My little girls loved having their 4 month-old cousin for a sleepover and I loved having a sweet, little baby who went back to her parents the next day.  :)


helping with "tummy time"
sleeping beauty

Hope everyone has a great weekend!!

Do you think it is possible to get faster in your 40's?!

Have you ever worked with a running coach? If so, did it help you accomplish your goals?

Have you ever run a "perfect" race???

- Kristen

18 comments:

  1. I always love your posts! They never disappoint.

    I would love to have a running coach. I think the confidence it would give me would make it worth every penny. I also feel pretty lost sometimes and it would be nice to have someone to turn to that would steer me in the right direction.

    What beautiful children -- all of them! I just want to squeeze them! I love the matching jammies. Too cute to handle.

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    1. I always love your posts, too, even if you are a crazy cat woman! Ha!

      Yes, the confidence that I've gotten from my coach is totally unexpected. He definitely believes in me more than I believe in myself. And he also challenges me much more than I would challenge myself.

      You will get to squeeze them for yourself when you come to Portland in June!!!

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  2. Wow- what a great attitude you have even after struggling with strep throat. I bet you felt like a million bucks when you nailed those 800s ;)

    And, how can I comment without mentioning the cute kids??!! The matching pj's are adorable! What a great picture and memory.

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    1. I won't lie -- I was pretty proud of myself for nailing those 800's! Then again, with almost two weeks of easy running, I guess I shouldn't have been so surprised, right?!

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  3. Ah, love your pictures. and that bracelet is perfect for you! Believe my friend. You are capable of so much faster than I think you might thing. I believe for you. Ha! And Yes, I think it certainly is possible. Especially if you haven't been PRing for too many years. You're still a young runner right? Hasn't it been so so nice in Portland? Ah, such a perfect winter. Today was the first day in awhile that it has been normal. ha! Love that we've connected Kristen. Glad you're better! xo

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    1. It's great to know I have two people that believe in me. :) It's weird but I feel somewhat like a young runner even though my first marathon was 16 years ago. I guess mostly because I wasn't logging lots of miles during all those years and have never done much speedwork.

      Love that we've connected, too, and hope you move back here after your adventure in Asheville!!

      So, so, excited for your race next weekend!

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  4. I'll be 50 next year and I am running the fastest I ever have. Hoping to qualify for Boston this May -- fingers crossed. Never worked personally with a coach, but would like to. Have a great race in Boston.

    Your kids are gorgeous :)

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    1. Mari! Just the response I was looking for!! Congrats on running your fastest miles at 49 and hopefully well into your 50's, too. And I'll keep my fingers crossed for your Boston qualification as that would be a great 50th birthday present to yourself.

      And thanks for the sweet words about my kids. :)

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  5. Your posts are so wonderful and I always look forward to reading them! It's so inspiring to hear that you continue to see improvements in your running. I started running so late in my life that I've often wondered if I'll ever get to where I want to be, then I read posts like this, ones by my coach (mom of 12!) and other mother- runner-bloggers and I'm reminded that we can do whatever we set our hearts and minds to. I'm so excited for you and can't wait to read about the rest of your training cycle and BOSTON!!!

    P.S. What happened when you ate the poison oak?! :D

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    1. You will definitely get to where you want to be -- I am so inspired by all the races you run! And I know you are being challenged with all the workouts that Erin is giving to you. Yes, we can do whatever we set our hearts and minds to! Love that!

      Ha! You are so funny to ask about that. I should go back and reply to your post in case you don't come back and read this. But basically, I got poison oak all over my mouth and throat. It was awful, as you can imagine. The things we do as teenagers... ;)

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  6. I read this earlier but has issues commenting from my phone so I wanted to come back again. I can relate SO MUCH with this post. A few years ago I had no idea there was this whole world of running blogging mothers. I know being connected to this world has definitely helped me as a mother runner and played a big role in my improvement over the past 2 years. I would say YES you most definitely can improve even in your 40's. Never sell yourself short. Most of the time when I am beat by another female in a race she is in her upper 30's or low 40's. Seriously. It's never a young 20 yr old.

    Keep up the awesome training!! And by the way- you are gorgeous!! What a great picture of you and your girls!

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    1. Ahh, Tia, I love hearing that you can relate to this because you are a huge inspiration to me. I admire all the hard work and dedication you put into your training as well as what a fabulous mom/wife/friend you are. Thank you so much for your encouragement and confidence in me -- it means a lot when it comes from people like you and Amanda! Here's to being a masters runner!!

      And thanks for the sweet words! My girls are really the beauties in our family -- I don't think anyone ever actually looks at me in the pictures. Ha! ;)

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  7. I'm so sorry you got strep throat!! I've had it twice and it seems like it was a very inconvenient time for me too, with my training schedule. I have thought about getting a coach, mostly because I have a hard time doing track workouts or pushing myself for any kind of speed. I am very comfortable running long and slow... :) Glad to hear you had a good experience, if I try to qualify for Boston, I may look into getting a coach! ~Leigh

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    1. I suppose there is never a convenient time to get strep but I couldn't believe it was that day, of all days! I am the same way, Leigh, as far as being comfortable running long and slow. So this training cycle has been a whole new world for me. As hard as it has been to push myself at times, I think it is really going to pay off. Or at least I hope so!

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  8. I could tell you were really disappointed to not be running the race, but you did the right thing and I'm glad you are seeing that. Love this post and I'm so glad that you have gained confidence. Wish us women weren't so hard on ourselves! There are people out there that admire you for you and the things you do. I believe in you!!!

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    1. Aww, thanks, Tayarra! It is nice to have others believe in me even when I don't always believe in myself. I know we have talked about it before but you are so right about us being hard on ourselves. It's just hard to be easy on myself!

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  9. Such a wise decision not to run that race - you will be FINE! Love this post and like you having a coach has really helped me - great to read. At 41 I am hoping it IS possible to get faster in your 40s - I'm working on it - and have I ever run a perfect race? I don't think so - but I've run races that have made me feel amazing (as in strong, confident, happy) for the whole duration - that's pretty perfect no?

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    1. From one "masters" runner to another, yes, let's prove that we can run our fastest times over the age of 40!

      When I ran Chicago marathon in 2004, I thought it was a perfect race. I finished with a huge smile on my face and ran a PR that is still standing to this day. However, I ran the second half more than 5 minutes faster than the first and my fastest 10k of the entire race was my last 10k...so I clearly left too much in the tank. If I had run a faster pace from the beginning, I think I had a much faster race in me. So I guess it wasn't really perfect. It is such a balancing act to know you didn't go out too fast or too slow and have everything fall into place.

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