Running in the Wind

It might be that I am only going on 4 hours of sleep (MG was up and ready for the day at 5:00 am and I finished packing at 1). But as I sit here watching the twitter event happening at DisneyWorld for the Princess Half Marathon, I am starting to second guess my choice to stay close to home and run in Cape Cod this weekend for the Hyannis Half Marathon. Not because of the race but because this is what the weather man is reporting:
"Sunny, with a high near 38. North wind between 11 and 17 mph, with gusts as high as 32 mph" 

The Running Weather Man is reporting:
"Winds will be gusty in the morning but should diminish some for the end of the race by the afternoon as they come out of the northwest around 10 to 20 mph. This will make it feel like the teens and 20s at times."

TEENS!?! I know hundreds of thousands of people run in colder weather. But if this weather holds up it will be my coldest run to date. Thank goodness I have checked the weather a few times. It really does look like I need to put in our Thermal underwear.

Besides packing some extra warm gear I will also be putting in a prayer to the weather gods asking for NO ice. I know I can handle the wind but pair it with ice and I might be a disaster on the course.

In a last minute ditch effort to make sure I am prepared for this race I have been doing research in how to run in windy conditions. An article by Coach Jenny @ Runners World suggests the following:

Repeat after me, "it can always be worse." Mind over matter.  If you use your energy to fight the wind, you burn through mental and physical energy at a rate so fast you can end up in the bite-me zone by mile 12.  When inclement weather strikes (like Mr. Wind), use a mindful mantra to keep things in perspective and avoid getting sucked into a negativity loop. Play the game and think about ways it could be worse...perhaps a thunderstorm, or hail. Once you get into it, the day's challenges will seem like gifts.

Think energy management. Break the race into three equal parts and run by your effort (feel) rather than your watch.  If you run by the numbers (pace) and into a headwind, you will expend a lot more energy at your normal pace and risk a crash and burn performance.  The idea is to keep your energy consumption  below the red line (hard effort or threshold) until the last act.  For the first part of the race, run in the green zone or at an easy effort where you can't hear your breathing and it feels effortless.  Run at an orange effort for the second act where you can hear your breathing but you are well under control.  And save the red zone (harder breathing and effort) for the final miles when you need to dial in your mental zone and push to the finish.  Running by feel also allows you to run by the wind and terrain.  If you come to less windy sections, you will naturally increase your speed. 

Make like a cyclist and draft.  Find a taller, larger runner going at your pace and draft behind them.  If it is a headwind, run behind.  If it is cross wind, run to the side and if it is in between, sit in the corner pocket.  You'll know when you're there because it will feel effortless and magical.  Better yet, form a pace line with a small group of runners and trade off taking the lead.  After your turn leading the group into the wind, rotate to the back and relax and enjoy.

Here's to hoping that a warm front comes through and the winds calm down.

P.S. I am thinking about wearing a Bomber Ear Flap hat in in honor of my roots (Yooper!) What do you think?

City Girl and a Country Weekend

This weekend I really needed to escape the city and the stress that comes along with it. I needed to go somewhere not expensive and relaxing. So I decided to take a trip to visit my Aunt and Uncle in Pennsylvania. It had been over 20 years since I have seen them last and I felt it was time to pay them a visit. And that was the perfect choice.

So our trip started off pretty interesting. Friday morning while I was getting ready to leave I turned to go grab something out of my packed suitcase. After less than a minute I came back into the bathroom to find this. MG telling me that he is giving himself a bath. Already so independent.

So we drove for 3 hours and arrived at my Aunt and Uncles, ate some homemade chicken noodle soup for dinner, and spent the rest of the evening watching MG feed the dogs all of his snacks.

The next morning my aunt and I decided to go for a run. They have an amazing trail right by their house. So I packed up MG in the jogging stroller and we headed out. The run was so relaxing. We passed by farms full of cows, horses, and fields. The trail had some snow from the previous storm a few days prior. When we finished our run and got back to the street MG and I walked through the corn field next to the highway. 

He was so happy to get out of the stroller and run. His little legs walked a little over half a mile. And he wanted to keep going. These are MG's shoes after our walk.

After we got back, showered, and MG woke-up from his nap, we headed out to feed the local duck population. MG was thrilled, he had never been around so many ducks and geese.

Once we started our trip back home, I convinced my brother to stop at the outlets. We didn't have a lot of time so I picked the Nike store and bought a few cute items and walked out a winner.

Overall an amazing weekend! The run was one of the best I have had in a long time. And it was great having my Aunt as a running buddy and chatting about the last 20 years.

The Alpha and Omega Run

Sad about my sparkly soul headband!

My last run of 2011 was probably one of the best runs I have had in a while. It didn't start off on the best note though. While getting ready to head out to the gym, I noticed something missing from my gym bag. When I was at the gym the day before I had placed my favorite (and only) sparkly soul headband on top of my makeup case in my gym bag. The locker room had been full, and in my hurry I turned my back to grab my jacket out of my locker. When I turned back around I zipped up my bag, took a look around to make sure I didn't leave anything, and headed home. I realized that my headband was missing the next day when I searched high and low for it. Not in my gym clothes, makeup bag, pockets, etc. My headband was gone. I know I didn't drop it, and because it was at the top of my bag in visible site for everyone that was in the locker room, I am almost 100% sure that someone swiped it. This was beyond disappointing, borderline devastating. I love having sparkle when I run, and this headband stayed in place. Not to mention, now I don't have the time to order a new one to wear at Disney. DISAPPOINTED!

Running my favorite route

So, as I was saying, the day didn't start off on a high note. After I finally got myself and my son ready, we headed out the door. My intention was to go to the gym, but the weather was amazing (sunny, no wind, and high 50's). During the walk to my in-laws, I internally debated on if I should go to the gym. As I arrived at the house, I had decided that I would skip the strength training and enjoy my last run of the year. That was the best decision. My run was strong and my pace was one of the better ones this year. I felt great. The best part was the light showers throughout. I love running in drizzle that is on and off.

Swift <3 Feet

After my run, I decided to treat myself to a spa pedicure with a hot stone foot massage. When it came to putting the polish on my nails, I asked the lady to do a design. She asked me what I wanted, so I wrote it down for her (the language barrier was too much to explain it). The nail tech looked at me like I was crazy, did her religious cross, and went to work. Before long most of the nail ladies were surrounding my chair and watching her. 15 minutes later I had my final product. My feet are officially ready for the Disney races!

Running the quite airports

The first run of the new year was more like a paced walk. Since I had pushed myself hard during my run yesterday I wanted to take it a little easier today and decided to practice walking the correct pace to keep the required time for the races next weekend. After spotting a few totaled cars from early morning celebrations, I decided to head down to the airport and get my miles where it is a little more quite. I would rather run with the cabs then a bunch of drunk people still trying to get home. The run was fair and my body is worthy of a stick rub down tonight. After getting out there for a short two miler I met up with a good friend for some amazing grilled cheese and workout clothes shopping. For the first time, a new year felt different. It actually felt new. My count of miles refreshed and I woke up thinking, "this year I am going to rock!"

Happy New Year!
Be Inspired, Stay Motivated, Run Strong!

What's Your Must Run Race in 2012?

Like many runners, I am looking at making my race list for 2012. I really want to do some amazing races! So here is my question to you: What is your must run race in 2012? And why do you love it so much?

Michigan running = treadmill torture!

As some of you may know, I have taken a little time off to recover from plantar fasciitis. The worst part of my pain... knowing that this happened because a pair of  everyday flats. Needless to say, those shoes have been put where they belong (the trash). My recovery has consisted of Ibuprofen, a night brace, morning tennis ball rolling, foot soaking with Epson salts, and nightly frozen water bottle rolling. I am not sure if one helped more than another, but the pain has subsided and I finally laced up my beautiful neon blue mizuno shoes and went for a run.

Unfortunately, the run was on a treadmill :( Since I arrived in Michigan for the Thanksgiving holiday, my son has been on me like glue (super duper glue). I can't even take a shower. My husband is still back home in NYC, so everyone in my mom's house is relatively new to my son (my mom and grandmother and aunt have met Michael numerous times, but he is too young to really remember people that he doesn't see somewhat regularly). This clingy phase has put a major damper on my running. But fortunately, my mother had invested in a treadmill that sits (dusty) in the corner of her living room. This has been my ONLY option to get a run in. But using a treadmill is actually much harder than I remember; I stopped running on treadmills around May and that transition was hard. At first I hated running outside, but now going back to the treadmill has made me realize how much I love being in charge of my own pace without pushing a button and how great it feels to run a neighborhood. I am thankful though for that dusty thing sitting in the corner, because I have a very strong feeling that this is my only way of getting my miles in. I do have to admit that after such a beautiful snowfall last night, my mind and body were aching (deeply) to go for a crisp run in the snow. Oh, well maybe in a few days I might be able to sneak away for a much needed date with some pavement.

Hunter Orange

Sexy Right?

It's that time of year when I head back to my old stomping grounds to visit my family (Friday I am taking flight). I am always excited to travel to the UP to see my mom and grandma. Most of the time spent there is quality family time since the UP is notorious for not having anything exciting to do. This time around I have added running to my list of activities (as well as puzzle construction and scrabble with my grandma). The funny thing is , for those that might not know, it's hunting season. Yep, deer hunting... one of the most important days of the year for Yoopers (not joking). The tradition is so deeply engrained in the culture that kids get opening day off of school. I never realized how crazy of a concept it was until I moved away and realized the rest of the world didn't understand spending time in da woods in da cold to bag da buck (Yooper talk). Anyways. the crazy part isn't that it's hunting season, what's crazy is that if I want to get my long runs in outdoors (in the snow and cold...got the gear!) I will need to wear this very fashionable piece of clothing. Why might you ask.... well it helps ensure that all hunters will know that I am not a deer running down the street and will (hopefully!) not shoot me. And I can guarantee that my mother (even though I am almost 30 years old) will not let me out of the house without it, unless I am going somewhere in the car. Don't fret blogging community, my embarrassment is your amusement. So for your viewing pleasure I will undoubtedly make sure that there is a wonderful picture of me decked out in my "DON'T SHOOT! I'm running!" gear.

The northern part of MI.... way up North!

Long Run Fail

So this weekend was suppose to be filled with amazing running! Well, it seemed that way for those running ING marathon but not for me. Saturday I decided to take my long run in the mid afternoon since the weather was beautiful. I knew when I was getting ready something felt off. I told my husband that maybe I should skip today and go tomorrow. He pointed out that I would miss watching the marathon and that would be silly. So I hesitated but went out the door. It was only a mile and a half, when I realized that I didn't have water or money to buy water (seriously what was I thinking). I have no idea how I left the house so ill prepared. It was at mile two that it hit. My head started pounding horribly. I hadn't properly hydrated the day before and I haven't been feeling well. I wanted to turn around and go back so bad, but I couldn't I needed to finish this long run and get my distance in. I have two half marathons coming up in 50 days. So I gave myself a walking break. But the walk break turned into a 6 mile walk. I was so disappointed. By the time I got home my head hurt so bad that I called my mother in-law to watch my son for the night. I took a shower and went straight to bed (7:00 pm - a new record). I slept through the night and woke up the next morning at 7am. Not only was I dehydrated but extremely tired. I need to start listening to my body. The runners world quote of the day relates to my troubles I felt this weekend; "They say that the most important thing about a marathon is showing up at the starting line healthy. I'll agree, but the second most important thing is showing up confident, and I'm feeling that's well within my reach." Peter Sagal
This bad run took a huge toll on me, and it was my fault for not being ready and healthy. I learned my lesson because I still feel the backlash from it.