A Series of Unfortunate Bodily Events

Summer 2021's first weekend was quite eventful in both running and in unfortunate events. 

To start, I decided to try out my new Puma Deviate Nitro (a carbon-plated shoe) for the first time for my long run on Friday. I knew I was going to be throwing in some moderate-paced miles and wanted an extra super shoe boost. The shoes have a great ride--more cushion than a regular racing flat but light enough so that you can really lean into some speed. The run was going really well up until almost the halfway point where I discovered I had a dreaded heel blister that was progressively getting worse with each step. This was the first unfortunate bodily event. 

I've experienced heel blisters before but don't remember the last time it happened on a pair of new running shoes. I used to get them quite often when I was younger with non-running shoes. The Pumas felt good right out of the box and I didn't even register that this could possibly come up at some point otherwise I would have taped up my heels preventatively. With still 6.5 miles to go, I tried to think about what I could use for a temporary solution to stop the rubbing of the shoe onto my skin. I used a leaf at first, but that wasn't sturdy enough. Then I stumbled upon a piece of trash that turned into my treasured temporary fix--a partial Clif Bar wrapper. While it provided some relief, I was looking forward to getting back to my car and taking my shoes off. 

The beautiful dirt roads north of Ann Arbor

I ended up still maintaining a pretty fast pace for the whole 12-mile run, a 7:24 per mile average with a 7:08 average on the middle miles on rolling dirt. Another positive takeaway from the run was that the temperature and humidity, at high 60s and around 80% humidity, didn't feel terrible. Acclimatization is a beautiful process. 

Now the second mishap of the weekend happened while I was refueling from the long run. While I was eating a wonderful toast with eggs at a friend's house, half of my front left tooth broke off. It had already been chipped several months earlier and I delayed seeing my dentist out of generalized dentist anxiety. I couldn't put it off any longer. Unfortunately my dentist office is closed on Fridays, only open on weekends by appointment only, and could not get me scheduled until Monday morning. I got the tooth filled in Monday and no longer look like I just won a bar fight. 

Saturday's easy recovery run was a little more difficult with higher humidity and a later start time due to staying up late for work. I wanted to let my body dictate the pace and settled on a comfortable 8:25 average for 10 miles with the last three closer to 9 minute pace after really overheating. While last year I probably would have ran with a handheld water bottle under those conditions, this year the city water fountains are back on and I stopped at the Argo Canoe Livery fountain to take a 90-second sip. 

The last ailment to hit my system this past weekend was a creaky voice and some sinus issues. These started popping up later in the day on Saturday. I'm not sure if it was from the fluctuating weather patterns, a stress response, or my broken tooth somehow impacting the tonsil and throat system, but I just had to laugh about how quickly my body fell apart, from head to toe. 

Now it's Monday and I seem to be doing much better. My tooth is back, my voice is almost back, and I'm looking forward to closing out this month of training strong. 

Watermelon Sugar Runner's High

Yesterday's run and today's run were very different experiences. Yesterday felt sluggish, hard, and slow. Today felt peppy, easy, and comfortable. With six years of running underneath me, this is natural and to be expected. 

While there were notable differences in the weather between yesterday and today-- the return of sunshine and warmth after the overcast and mid-50 degree temps yesterday-- my mental outlook was also much better today. I was ready to have a good run with mini hill sprints on the docket. Hills are one of my favorite training tools to teach my legs power and stamina. Yesterday I incorporated some trails, which I always enjoy, but the rapid change in weather patterns and lack of sunshine and Vitamin D had me struggling. My legs also didn't feel fully recovered from Tuesday's track workout but they were definitely recovered this morning. 

One part of my training that separates me from my peers is my desire to loop a different route every day. I also can't stand out and backs. If I'm going out to train I want to make it fun for me by experiencing different neighborhoods, trails, and elevation gain and loss by constantly switching it up. My Strava has 300+ route ideas I've created (and counting) so I never get bored. I do have a few favorites I like to run every few weeks but don't force any sort of routine with that. I also love starting from different locations on the outskirts of town to get in mileage on 100% soft surface. Ann Arbor is fortunate to be surrounded by miles of beautiful and peaceful rolling dirt roads and I love getting out for calm and a break from the city pavement. 

Into the Barton Hills

Today I took it to the Barton Hills, one of my favorite neighborhoods just north of Ann Arbor, with a return through the Border to Border Trail by Bandemer and Argo parks. Considered to be one of the most popular running paths in Ann Arbor, I was glad to only have to pass by a few people on my way back into town. My 20-second hill sprints came up in the last 1.5 miles of my 8-mile run on a short but punchy section of W. Summit St. from N. Main to the railroad tracks. The first rep started out a little slow as I was trying to find my groove in a short time. Eventually I got down to low 7 min. pace, which translates to a Grade-Adjusted-Pace (GAP) in the mid 5s. I try not to get too hung up on pace for hill reps since the main focus is pouring power into the legs. After a jog back down to recover, I went up four more times before running more uphill on the way home. 

I was pretty satisfied with these easy, flowy miles and some very short hill work. This week my mileage will be back in the 50s as I get ready to incorporate longer workouts in the coming weeks. Tomorrow is long run day and I'm excited to drop some moderate-paced miles at the end of it for a fast finish. 

Happy Thursday and happy running! 

Track Tuesday Strikes Again

Today I got to do a small fartlek session to get some turnover in my legs after a comfy recovery week last week that had no workouts. Since I had a three-mile warm up I decided to warm up to legendary Ferry Field. 

At Ferry Field for a workout the week of the Owens Corning Half Marathon in April 2021.

This is the same track where Ohio State track star Jesse Owens set four world records in a matter of 35 minutes or so back in the 1930s. As a UM alumna, I have also learned that the plaque dedicated to his accomplishments that sits next to the track is the only one on campus anywhere to feature an Ohio State athlete or person. UM and OSU are one of the biggest rivals in college sports! Coming to work out here feels like a testament to the way in which running can bring people, and even rivals, together. A few years ago the University of Michigan Athletic Department had tentative plans to turn the storied track surface into a parking lot so that employees could have more available parking. Thankfully, that plan was scrapped and we still have the beautiful track with views of Michigan Stadium to the north and other great athletic fields and buildings, including the first ever Intramural Sports Building built in 1928, surrounding it. 

This is also the same track where Michigan legends such as Mason Ferlic, Nick Willis, and Hobbs Kessler train at the highest level under legendary UM coach Ron Warhurst. The Strava leaderboards for the 400m lap segment have some serious heat. 

The workout started out slowly as I was trying to manage the sun in my eyes running east as well as a slight cross breeze. I was lucky to get out the door before 8 a.m. to take advantage of the super cool morning with temperatures in the low 40s. For summertime in Michigan, that almost never happens, and my T-shirt came off after the second rep after I was fully warm. 

I was able to rep between 5:25 (per mile) pace and 5:47 pace to average 5:38 for the fast segments. That is roughly equivalent to a 6x300m workout with a two minute jog to recover in between sets. I also did this workout in trainers. I used to do all of my workouts in flats for a while until my coach said that it's better to run workouts out of flats so when the flats come back on it feels faster and easier. I can definitely vouch for this effect, as the workout I did during 5K race week earlier this month in flats felt super fast with my 150m strides coming in at under a 5 minute per mile pace. 

After the workout I ran back home, which is mostly uphill through downtown and the aptly named Water Hill neighborhood. I quickly showered and made myself an egg scramble to start the recovery process right away. 

I'm looking forward to getting out on some local trails tomorrow for eight recovery miles before tackling some mini hill sprints on Thursday. 

Summer Solstice Scaries

In the last mile of my most recent half marathon PR (1:27:55) from November 2020.

It's June 2021. 

I've ran over 13,000 miles since I started tracking March 9, 2015---through temperatures as low as 4 F (with a real feel well below that) to as high as 90 F. I've ran over 150 races and yet I haven't even begun to tap into my potential as an aspiring elite athlete. 

Now is the time to talk about my story as a runner. I'm ready to do so, even though I don't know if anyone will care or read this. 

Almost all of the women I'm competing against- in training and in racing- ran at the collegiate level. I didn't. That makes me unique. I ran one senior season of cross country in fall 2010 where my 5K PR stood at a relatively unimpressive 25:11, which I ran twice that season. Now I've ran a 5K under 19 minutes a few times and understand that soon I will run under 18 minutes and eventually maybe even under 17 minutes. Without years of training and racing for a team, I'm doing this on my own with the backing of my very supportive coach, a few training partners, and other runner friends who see more potential in me than I do right now. 

Any runner can tell you that running is hard, even on the easy days. It's something I've chosen to calm my mind, to give my days purpose, to find out what happens when I put in a certain input to reach a high level output. Even after a bout of plantar fasciitis and a demoralizing metatarsal stress fracture, I still continue to show up every morning and train. I still care a lot about my workouts, my races, my sleep quality, and my nutrition. I owe it to myself to show up and work hard even though it feels like I'm starting the race farther away than where I should be. 

This week's training will begin a slow build up to high mileage weeks in August and September with the A goal crushing a fall half marathon. I have mostly easy miles with a short fartlek on Tuesday and 5x20 second hill sprints on Thursday. There's gonna be a short break in the hot and humid weather for Track Tuesday, and I can't wait to breathe in that cool, crisp air to run some fast intervals (my ideal running temperature is 30-45 degrees). 

If you've made it this far, thank you for reading. I'll try to update a few times a week.