Base

Dude... ever since Eugene, I have just been OVER running. I mean, I guess that's bound to happen when you spend like 34 weeks or some shit training for a goal race (that just ends up getting sabotaged by GI distress/troubles). I figured that after a couple weeks of easy running that I'd be ready to get back on the training horse.

Hahahahahahahah WRONG.

Here's the deal.... you train all winter/spring for a goal race. You bitch and moan about the cold weather, about having to wear tights in April, etc... and then you go run your goal race and you come back and rest and lay around and eat Puffins and Pixie Stix for 3 days and then go outside for a run and it's a goddamn inferno outside. And just like that... you went from bitching about the cold wind to bitching about the hella awful humidity.

Everyday I'm like... okay... tomorrow will be better. Tomorrow I'll be excited to run! and then tomorrow comes and I'm all... fuck this running stuff. Normally, it wouldn't be a big deal*, but I am deathly afraid of losing my base. So, yesterday, in an attempt to make this week ANOTHER easy week with multiple days off, I emailed my Sensei**.

Dear Sensei,

How long does it take to lose your base after a race+recovery time+general lethargy time?

My Sensei assured me that if I take another easy week or two that it likely will have "an extremely small impact on your fall races."

Holla!

* It wouldn't be a big deal except at some point soon, I gotta start training for my September Marathon.

** Yup, I have a Sensei and a Coach. Two different people to answer my dumb ass questions and guide me through my training. BOOM, Bitches!

More Recovery

When I got back from Eugene, Coach suggested a brilliant recovery plan:
Week 1: 10 miles
Week 2: 20 miles
Week 3: 30 miles

How easy is that, right? And things were going well, I was enjoying the low mileage, the sleeping in, the poptarts for dinner... until about Thursday of last week... then I looked at my log, all sad and empty and started thinking about WHAT'S NEXT? (My favorite recovery activity).

I sent coach an email with my thoughts on the subject.

So, here it is folks... I'm going to run a goal race in September and then another goal race in December. The races have been picked out, the goals have been set and I'm going into these goals with a determined mindset. I KNOW I can do the training and be where I need to be at the start line of those races, the unknown OF COURSE is my stomach. I'm sure you are all sick and tired of hearing me talk about my fucking stomach, but... ya know... it's a problem. I've got a few ideas of things to try that I will be testing out during training and I just have to be hopeful that something will either work or I'll just have some sort of miracle race. Either will work for me.

While my GI is the unknown... the wildcard is uhhh.. training in the summer. WTF? I haven't trained for speed in the summer... umm... ever? So, this should get really interesting. I am going to have to somehow buck up and get over the heat and try to complete workouts in the hell that is Nashville in the summer. It will not be pretty, y'all. Expect lots of posts about me whining and using the heat as an excuse for missing my targeted paces.

One thing I am considering, is trying to do my workouts in the evenings instead of in the mornings. I realize that the temperature is lower in the morning, but the humidity is usually at it's highest then. I'm thinking that maybe hitting the track in the afternoon, might be hotter... but less disgusting. TBD.

So, this is my last week of recovery. And while I don't expect to be hitting high mileage again for a few more weeks, it feels good to have some races and goals picked out.

 Apropos of nothing.

But, it's A CAT AND A SLOTH!

Race Report: Run Bitches 5K

Bitches are Back

I can't believe it took the Bitches 5 months to plan another race... but what can I say? Bitches are busy. 

This race was scheduled for a week night, so we weren't sure what kind of turnout we would get. Surprisingly, we had a good turnout! And a lot of the people who came, run in a different circle... so we got to meet a bunch of new people. SO COOL.

Per usual, we had glitterfied signs and Red Stag in a paper bag as an energy drink (The Red Stag was emptied!). We also had Reese Peanut Butter Cups, Pixie Stix, and Fun Dip. YES WE ARE A CLICHE. You could have called it the PMS 5K and no one would have batted an eye. 

I had the intention of racing it. But, after running for what seemed like an eternity and looking down at my watch and realizing that I had only been running for 4 minutes... I knew that a PR was not likely. Nonetheless I still ran hard and finished just under 8:00 pace. Not a bad tempo run 10 days after a marathon, I guess.

All-in-all it was a fun night. I am so grateful to have my bitches to run/travel/hang out with... and I love the fact that we are trying to spread that "no drama, no frills, just running" mentality and that people continue to support it and are pretty damn enthusiastic about it! There will be more Bitch Races to come, and it looks like there is enough interest in the shirts, so we might be making up some of those... I'll keep you posted!

Thanks to all the Bitches and Sonsabitches who came out and congrats to the winners! 

Leopold Bloom: The official dog of the Run Bitches.

Gear Review

You see this blue top?

I've had this thing since 2008. I bought it on the clearance rack at Target for like $12. It has a built in shelf-bra which isn't ideal for me... but, the top is soft, thin, and stretchy enough that it doesn't bother me. I find it baffling that the tops I pick up on clearance from Target, turn out to be some of my favorite and longest lasting running tops.

I blogged about a month ago about how I was trying to find some new, summer running tops. I ended up not buying any of the ones I blogged about (yet!), but I did recently order this top from Title Nine:

Bliss Tank: $49 Title Nine

So cute! Stripes! Asymmetrical ruching! The fit was pretty good and there was a good size pocket in the back/side. All good things, right?

The Back. You can see the pocket there on the left.

I liked the deep V-neck in the back, until I tried it on with my sports bra. My sports bras are all racerbacks, which, dummy me, didn't think about when I ordered the top. So, instead of a cute back, it turned into an ugly.. LOOK AT MY WHITE SPORTSBRA. It just looked weird. And to spend $49 bucks on a running top, it has to be perfect. Also, after I tried it on, the top was a little too high up in the front for my taste.

I considered keeping it to wear around in the summer with a regular bra when I'm going to be outside and sweating a lot (uh. basically everyday in the summer). And then I realized that $49 is too much to spend on a striped sleeveless tank when I already have about 14 other striped sleeveless tops in my closet. So, I sent it back. SADZ.

I also ordered a pair of shorts:

 

Mad Dash Runner Shorts $49 from Title Nine

Again, super cute! I even sprung for a color other than black. (I'm always nervous that colors are going to show a sweaty crotch and ass and make it look like I've peed my pants, when really, it's just sweat. Although, in the grand scheme of things.. which is grosser... sweat or pee? A discussion for another day*). I loved the fabric of these and the wide waist band. 

BUT, shorts are kind of hard for me. I carry my extra cheeseburger weight all in my stomach. More specifically: my lower stomach. So, finding shorts that fit well and look right (sometimes low-rise shorts with a tight inner brief make me look like I'm trying to smuggle a loaf of bread in my shorts) is pretty hard. Also, to get the shorts big enough to fit through the lower belly, the waist band is usually too big and when I run fast, my shorts try to fall off. And tying the drawstring tighter doesn't really help, it seems like it would, but with the motion of running fast, things (my belly) flop around and the drawstringed waistband moves to where it's not tight anymore. ARE YOU FOLLOWING ME?

TL;DR: I have a floppy lower belly that makes it hard for me to find running shorts that fit and look 

 decent.

Sadly, these shorts, while so cute... did not fit the bill. They were a little low-waisted for my liking and the side slits were a little shorter than I'd like (really, I don't give a shit, but I'd rather not randomly blind the good people of Nashville when I'm out running and the side of my shorts fly up). So, I sent them back, too.

For now, I'm sticking with my present running wardrobe. Tops circa 2008 and bottoms that are boring and black.

*True Story: My friend Steph and I once had a detailed conversation on a hike about ranking body secretions (anything that your body makes and gets rid of... e.g. pee, snot, vomit, eye boogers, ear wax, poop, sweat, etc..) in order of grossness. You're welcome.

Recovery

I said it in my last post and I'll say it again.. FOR REALZ this time. I am taking a break. Wanna know how many miles I ran last week? 9!!!!!!! As in.. NOT EVEN DOUBLE DIGITS. And you know what's even crazier? I loved every minute of it.

Also, of course, I love my dog: I love how scruffy he is, how he struts when he walks, and how he picks up the biggest stick he can find and tries to walk with it in his mouth. But, one of the unexpected things I love about him is our walks. We walk 2-4 miles every day and damn, it's so enjoyable.

Well, it's enjoyable when he isn't yanking my arm out of 

socket when he sees a squirrel.

I think all that walking has helped with my recovery, too. Both physically and mentally. It's nice to have to get out of bed at 6am and take a nice stroll with the dog rather than wake up 7:30 and be foggy headed at work for the first hour or so. (Also, it's nice to not feel like a total sloth the week after a marathon).

The photos from the race came out... and per usual, I look like a fucking ghost.

Despite appearances, this is NOT 

the first time I've ever seen the sun.

Sadly, all the photos of me are from the end of the race... post shit/puke/side stitch. So, instead of looking awesome and excited about a PR possibility, I look like a cranky bitch.

Actually, I don't even know what this face is.

Am I even awake?

I like how it looks like I just totally busted through

that cone there. Bitches can't be reined in by a fucking cone.

 

The best part is that this time I got to finish on Hayward Field.

 

And for comparison, here is what running a 2:47 looks like

A goddamn cakewalk, for chrissakes!

Could you at least make it look like it's HARD????

 

All of my pictures I look like death on a stick, but of course The KoB's look like a fucking Nike ad.

Ugh. Where are my pictures in front of that sign?

Oh right. I was probably behind a tree somewhere.

In other news, a reminder for the 6 local people who read this blog (which includes 3 bitches, The KoB, and my mom): 

RUN BITCHES 5K 

this Thursday 6:15

@ Edwin Warner Park

Details on the race are here.

But really, all you need to know is that the course is flat, there are prizes for first overall Bitch and Sonsabitch and there will be booze, pixie sticks, and reese's peanut butter cups for the rest of us. Come on out!

Catching Up- The Eugene Marathon

Back in January, The KoB told me that he'd decided that he was going to run the Eugene Marathon for his goal spring race. PERFECT! I said. I'd already done that race, so I could focus on PRing the Half and extra bonuses: My best friend lives in Oregon and Oregon is Beautiful (see this post).

The week before the Birmingham Marathon, I went to Eugene's website to sign up for the half and I couldn't pull the trigger. I decided to wait till after the race. And... as you can probably put two and two together... Yeah, after the Pukefest Birmingham Race, I signed up to run the full in Eugene.

I kept this as covert as possible, only because I thought that part of the reason Birmingham turned out the way it did, was because I was so fucking nervous. And I thought by not telling people about Eugene, that I could run without pressure and see what happens.

I'm telling you what, folks, it was HARD. Coming up short in your goal race and then rolling that into training for ANOTHER goal race 9 weeks away was mentally the hardest training I've ever done. The miles and workouts came pretty easily, but damn... getting out the door most days was REALLY hard. I am so thankful that I had The KoB, Steve, My Bitches, and Nashville Striders Training Runs to keep me honest.

My personal expectations for Eugene were to run what I had hoped to run in Birmingham, and even though my training was suggesting that I was capable of running faster, I had my eye on the 3:42-3:45 range. I wanted to make up for Birmingham and finally put that bad taste out of my mouth and be able to move on.

Guess what? IT DIDN'T HAPPEN. Yeah, I ran the race and while I never really felt good, the goal felt totally attainable until around mile 18.5 and I started getting those familiar tingles in my stomach. After mile 20, I had to jump off the bike path and squat behind a tree. After that, it was all downhill. I started getting side stitches, I puked and dry heaved, I made a porta john stop, I felt sorry for myself, and then I essentially quit. I walked/ran a couple of the last miles, all the while beating myself up for not being able to push through like I did in Birmingham. It was a pretty epic FAIL on my part. To put it into perspective for you:

Through Mile 20: 2:49:31 (8:29 pace)
My finish time: 4:07:04 (9:26 pace)

That's right folks, it took me an hour and 17 minutes to go the last 6.2.

Eugene: 2
Amy: 0

I crossed the finish line and immediately saw The KoB who was waiting just past the finish chute. We spent about 3 minutes asking each other... "How'd YOU do?" and trying to sneak looks at each other's watches. Finally, I was like... "Dude, I just finished. So, not too well." and then I found out that he had PRed!!! He ran a 2:47:48!!!!!!!!!! Like. Whoa. 

We left the race and headed back to my friends place in Portland. And I have to say... as soon as I crossed the finish line and found out The KoB's time, I kinda shrugged off my bad race. I was a little bummed, naturally. But, I wasn't really all that pissed or frustrated. Sure, I was in the best shape I've ever been in for this race and sure, my asshole stomach robbed me of another PR... but, you know what? Hopefully, I'll be in even better shape next time and each marathon, it's taking longer and longer for my stomach to mess up, so maybe next time I'll make it the whole 26.2.

You can only do what you can do at any given time. And one day... my time will come.

The whole weekend was fantastic. It was great to get to spend time with my friend Stephanie, I hadn't laughed that hard in a LONG time.

 This pretty much sums up the whole weekend.

And damn... the Eugene Marathon may be a total bitch to me... but, The KoB left with a shiny, new PR.

And this pretty much sums up our relationship:

Me trying to convince him to do something (smile)

and him thinking that I'm a crazy, bossy bitch (I am).

And now... I rest. FOR REALZ this time, people.

Race Report: Purity Moosic City 10K

I signed up for this race almost immediately after the Birmingham Marathon. It was like... okay, well, I've got all this fitness saved up... why not race a 10K and see what happens? And then the 2 months between the two races happened and I got busy at work, fell in love with a dog, and ran one 5K that hurt like hell and resulted in a PR and another 5K that felt better, but wasn't a PR. The week before this 10K I was totally regretting signing up for this race.

The thing is... a 10K is HARD. It's like almost as hard as a 5K, but you have to go twice the distance. (Impressive math, no)? Then the friday before the race I started to get a little excited. I mean, there was a good chance for a PR. My 10K PR was a little soft and I texted The KoB on Friday night and told him that my goal was to run under a 48:00. (My PR being 49:33). I came up with a plan. To start out around 8:00 pace for a few miles and then whittle my way down. If I raced smart, that would give me an automatic PR and didn't sound too frighteningly hard.

Saturday morning was beautiful. I parked and started my warm up and ran into fellow bitches, Tanya and Cheryl. We warmed up together and I was honestly not feeling all that good about my goal. My legs didn't feel as fresh as I would have liked, but I figured I could still PR.

Last year I started the race wayyyyy too fast and it came back to bite me in the ass. This year, I started off faster than I originally wanted to, but not like a bat straight out of hell.

My first mile was 7:34 and as soon as I saw that split, I adjusted my goal: No mile splits that start with an 8. I had used this similar goal in Tucson for the half, and it had worked then. For me, it's hard to grasp the ups and downs of a race, no matter how small. If my goal is to hit a specific pace and I don't hit it, it's mentally frustrating. But, if I give myself a range. Like... don't go over 7:59, then it's a lot more relaxing for my brain. And honestly, I think it makes me race harder. Spoiler alert: IT WORKED THIS TIME, TOO!

A Tale of Two Races:

Bwhahahaha. Crash and burn Amy was alive and well in 2012.

The thing is, I never really HURT until the last mile or so. I mean sure it was challenging and I was pushing hard, but I felt like I was in control until the last mile. It was a great feeling. And yeah, I came in under 48:00. How about 46:21? BOOM. Third place in my age group, too.

This was the race that I had been wanting. I finally got my race day. I felt great, my fitness was there and now I have a shiny new 10K PR.