Big Race Weekend in the ATX!

Posted on March 23, 2013 by

First, a disclaimer. I am trying to post this using the WordPress App on my phone. With a toddler, I can never find the time to sit down at the computer, so I thought I would give this a try.

We’ve got some exciting and highly anticipated events taking place this weekend here in Austin, Texas! First, we’ve got the Texas Independence Relay, or TIR, kicking off this morning in Gonzales, Texas. The TIR is 200 mile relay race that follows the path of the Texas Revolution, starting in Gonzales – location of the “come and take it” skirmish, and finishing at the San Jacinto Monument, near Houston. The race director is a local Austin runner and a friend, which is why I claim this as an “Austin race”. I’ve run this race a handful of times and it always proves to be a very fun and memorable experience. This year, though we aren’t running, we still wanted to be part of the excitement. We decided to open our house to some runners from Dallas. They drove down to Austin on Friday night in preparation to meet their team early Saturday, and spent the night with us. I am so excited for them and hope they have an awesome time!

The other event on the calendar this weekend is The Maze, the first race of the Rogue Trail Series. The trail series consists of either three 30K or 10K trail races held at different venues in the Texas Hill Country. I’ve done a few of them in previous years and have always had such a good time that I decided to sign up for the full 30K series. These races always have a huge turnout, yet a laid back atmosphere with grilled burgers and locally brewed beer at the finish line. It should make for a fun morning tomorrow! Well, I’m off now. Got to go pick up my packet!

Posted in Races, Sarah's Running | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Goals

Posted on February 6, 2013 by

No matter what type of runner you classify yourself as, odds are, you have some goal or goals that motivate you as you pursue this endeavor. This past weekend, I strapped on my trusty Timex, laced up my light weight trainers, and participated in the 2013 Cupid’s Chase 5k in my hometown of Georgetown, Texas. I used to love racing when I was in my running prime. I lived for it. I always felt strong and fit and invincible when I stepped up to the starting line. I was usually gunning for a PR or a first place finish and had a clear-cut goal of what I hoped to accomplish in any race. These days, I am several minutes (and pounds) from my prime 5k racing shape and I am not going to win any race with more than a handful of people in it, so what’s the point?

As I lined up for my 5k this past weekend, I realized that running without goals is like studying to take a test that won’t be graded. Goals keep us working. Goals keep us honest. Goals keep us from hitting snooze 5 times on our alarm clock.

In running, we can most easily measure our performance in two main areas; distance, and time. As such, goals can be distance related, such as achieving a certain weekly or monthly mileage; or completing a race of a certain distance such as a marathon or ultra-marathon. Or, for the competitive bunch, goals can be time related. Now, as I am discovering, having your only goal be to set a personal record can sometimes be a recipe for burn-out and disappointment. The thing about goals is that they need to be tough, but reasonable. I ran 21:35 in my 5k this past weekend. This is approximately 4 minutes from a PR. Saying my goal is to PR in a 5k at this point is ridiculous. Yes, it might be a feasible long-term goal, but more immediate and attainable goals are what get me going in the morning. So, as an intermediate goal, I would like to break 20 minutes in the 5k again.

I have a history of making goals that are a little overly ambitious. What inevitably happens when I realize that I am going to fall short of these goals early on is a complete flame-out. This is why, for me, short-term, attainable goals combined with long-term ambitious goals are key. I need that pie-in-sky goal because we all like to dream, but it’s the race I am running in 6-weeks that gets me up and out the door in the dark and lonesome morning. Every runner is wired differently which is why goals are such a personal thing. As such, make your own goals. Don’t let anyone else tell you what your goals should be. For me, I finally see, goals are the most important part of my training plan.

I leave you with a very poor quality picture of me plodding along in my race this past weekend. Seriously, this is the best one I could find. For some reason every other runner has several crisp, clear, up close pictures, and for me, this is it. Hmmm. Do ya’ like my carefully selected pink theme in honor of Valentine’s Day? Seems like that should have warranted a few additional photos.
111070-047-005f

Posted in Races, Sarah's Running, Training | Leave a comment

My New Dog!

Misty, on her way to a better life!

Misty, on her way to a better life!

This is my new dog, Misty.  She was rescued from a local animal shelter after being abandoned by her previous owners.  She was heartworm positive and things weren’t exactly looking good for this girl. Dogs with heartworms aren’t usually at the top of the adoptable dogs list. She was rescued by Austin Dog Rescue though, has completed her heartworm treatment and is ready to get out and play.   After being treated for heartworms, it is crucial that dogs rest for several weeks before resuming any activities that will increase their heart rate.  After 6-weeks of doggy “bed rest”, Misty is anxious to get outside. So, I have started taking her for long 2+ mile walks once a day, and one thing is very evident – this girl wants to run! I have never had a dog who enjoyed running, so this is super exciting for me. I am just not sure exactly how to get started. She needs to start slow, so I took her for our normal walk today and let her jog about a half mile of it. She was so happy to run! I swear she had a doggy smile on the entire way. I am happy to report that she is super well behaved and runs right at my side with a loose leash. I plan to increase our run distance every few days until she is running the full two-mile loop. Then, I guess we’ll see. How far do most people run with their dogs? I guess it depends on the dog, but I am worried about her getting hurt and don’t want to overdo it. Also, is a collar the best thing for a running dog, or is a harness better? Seriously, any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Poor girl has had a rough life and is very timid and untrusting of people, but after a run or walk, she is much more relaxed and confident. It appears that dogs get a “runner’s high: too! I feel like she may be the dog version of me. I am a little anti-social unless I get my daily run in too ;-)

Misty, watching her new little boy play at the playground.

Misty, watching her new little boy play at the playground.

Image | Posted on January 31, 2013 by | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

RunningAhead.com Training Plan

Posted on January 27, 2013 by

As a follow-up to my last post about the online running log RunningAhead.com, I decided to try out the training plan function. I am coming off of a long break from running that started in mid-December with a pretty rough bought of the flu and ended with strained intercostal muscles (the muscles between your ribs). It is kind of a freak injury, but let me say, it was one of the more painful experiences that I have had. Imagine a horrible muscle cramp that radiates through your entire torso and WILL. NOT. GO AWAY. It gave pitocin-induced labor contractions a run for their money – if you are a woman, that will mean something to you. I won’t go into the details, but it happened on Christmas Eve and pretty much took me out of commission from running, walking, picking up my son, doing laundry, or even laying down flat in my bed for about 3 weeks. Now that I am finally able to run – and sleep – pain free, it is time to start building back some base. So, I set up a little 4-week training plan to get back up to 40+ miles/week. I think that the training plan feature of RunningAhead.com is my favorite thing about the website. It is nice to be able to have your log and plan all in one place.

RunningAhead.com Training Plan

RunningAhead.com Training Plan

The plan generator is extremely intuitive and easy to use. Users can copy and paste workouts, or even copy full weeks of training if your plan follows a 3-week cycle, for example. You can mix workout types including running, swimming, biking, weights, and “other” and everything is shown nicely color coded in your calendar. Once scheduled, workouts can be dragged to alternate dates with the click of a mouse. You can even set your options to email you a daily reminder of your scheduled workout. Not sure why I would need this, but it is a neat little feature. I am looking forward to seeing if I can stick to my plan! We’ll start next week!

Posted in Reviews, Sarah's Running, Training, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

RunningAhead.com

Posted on January 24, 2013 by

I have kept a running log in some shape or form for the past 15 or so years.  At first, in high school, I wrote workouts down in a simple spiral notebook.  Then, I started buying bound running logs each year from the local bookstore which had a set format for entering runs.  When I graduated from college and got a job sitting at a computer 8-10 hours each day, I migrated my log keeping to an excel spreadsheet.   Finally, with the development of online running log websites and smart phones capable of entering runs remotely, I’ve moved my logging to the interweb. 

For the past several years, I have used DailyMile.com, which is just as much a social networking site as it is a running log.  I love DailyMile, but I decided to branch out and see what else is out there in an effort to start fresh this new year.  My search ended at RunningAhead.com. 

RunningAhead.com is a running log with a social networking component, just like DailyMile.  What sets it apart are the extra logging options and capabilities it has.  Users can create a custom home page with personalized widgets. 

RunningAhead.com customized home page.

RunningAhead.com customized home page.

Another cool feature is the ability to create training plans.  You can set up a training plan including multiple types of workouts such as weights, swimming, and biking in addition to running, and RunningAhead can tell you your assigned workout each day.  

Another RunningAhead perk that I like is the ability to enter interval workouts as a single workout and include warm-up, recovery, and cool-down as separate workout components from the quality run portion. The workout entry screen has options to enter just about every tidbit of information you can think of to describe your workout.  

RunningAhead.com workout entry screen

RunningAhead.com workout entry screen

And if you are a smart phone user (who isn’t these days) there is a handy application appropriately named “HandyRunner” from which you can enter and upload runs directly to your RunningAhead.com page. You can even use HandyRunner as a GPS tracker and track your runs directly from the app if you are in the habit of running with your phone.

There are probably a lot of other capabilities I have yet to discover.  For instance, there are various reports that can be run and data can be exported to and from excel if that’s your thing.  There is also a Garmin capability component that allows users to upload runs directly from their Garmin.  I linked my RunningAhead.com page to “Sarah’s Running” if you are interested. 

Posted in Reviews, Sarah's Running, Training, Uncategorized | Tagged , | 1 Comment

New Year, New Me

Posted on January 21, 2013 by

I haven’t been blogging lately. You see, I’ve got a good excuse though. I quit my job as an engineer to become a teacher and have been in survival mode since starting my new career last August. Now that I have survived my first semester (I love it) and have a little room to breath again, I thought I would try to get back to some non-teacher things that I have missed. I have been running, but many of my goals and race plans were pushed to the back burner. My New Year’s resolution is to get some balance back in my life. All work and no play makes Sarah a bitch (sorry for the language Mom and Dad). It’s a little embarrassing to write again after such a hiatus. I feel like a major flake and considered scrapping this blog all-together, but I like to write. It is nice to just sit down and put thoughts on (virtual) paper, whether anyone ever reads them or not. I think I’ll par my blog down a bit though. I was perhaps a little over a ambitious when I first began. Simple is better, right? In addition to writing, I am really looking forward to catching up on all the blogs that I follow. I have quite a bit of reading to do!

Posted in Training, Uncategorized | Tagged , | 4 Comments

Book Review: Relentless Forward Progress

Posted on April 18, 2012 by

If you read my last post, then you know that my latest obsession is trail running.  More specifically, ultra trail running.  I am intrigued with ultrarunners and ultrarunning and would really like to try my hand at an ultramarathon.  I’ll be the first to admit that I don’t know the first thing about training for or running an ultramarathon.  That’s where Bryon Powell’s book Relentless Forward Progress comes in.  I purchased it hoping that it would have a few useful tidbits, and I was pleasantly surprised to find the entire book chock full of valuable information and motivating stories.

This book covers all the topics including nutrition, hydration, racing tactics, selecting your first ultramarathon, etc.  Heck, it even covers trail etiquette when, err, answering nature’s call during a run.  Face the direction that runner’s are coming from, folks.  Much better to see your embarrassed face than the alternative.  My point is, Powell attempts to leave no stone unturned, even the less commonly discussed stones.  While a lot of it is common sense, it still helps to have it all down in writing.

My favorite section is the training schedules.  Powell provides training schedules for 50k through 100 mile events. I am going to try to stick to one of the 50k schedules while I train from The Palo Duro Trail Run 50k in October (or maybe the Wild Hare Trail Run 50k in November, not sure yet).  If that goes well (i.e. I survive) I might even try my hand at a 50 miler.  OK, I’ll say it.  My ultimate dream is to someday complete a 100 miler.  There, it’s out.  Don’t worry Mom and Dad, I’ll probably be on to my next obsession before I make it to the starting line of a 100 mile race.

Posted in Training, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment