RBNC Maple Syrup 5k/10k race

As I mentioned, Sunday J-bomb and I went to Faribault to run a trail race.  This was part of a long run that I had that day (11 miles total), so when we got there, we did a quick 2 mile warm up. 

My race started at 8:30 and Jakes started at 8:45, so he got to cheer me on at the beginning and I got to watch him cruise to the finish.  Let me also say that this was an extremely casual, no frills, low key race.  There were no timing chips, big time clock, or fancy official start/finish.  There was a guy with a clip-board and stop watch, and the start/finish lines were spraypainted in the grass.  I kind of knew right away that this might not be the most accurate race, but it would be fun, and it was!  I told myself to just run, not blazing fast (because I still would have some miles to get done after), but not super slow either.  The gun went off and I held myself back - big improvement from the Irish Run.  I let people pass me at first and just ran my own pace, and wouldnt you know it, those people that flew past me, I ended up catching them about a 1/2 mile down :).  The trails were great, a little tricky in some spots, but it was so nice to run in nature, with the birds and streams and trees.

fast forward to 3:30 - couldnt get it out of my head the whole time!

I felt really good and stayed pretty positive for the whole race - another huge improvement from last time.  My times stayed consistant for the first 2 miles ( Garmin time of 7:02 for both), but then I got bogged down with 2 hills that took my final mile time down to a 7:47 (yikes!).  I really need to work on either A. keeping my pace the same up hills, or B. learning how to recover faster at the top and picking it back up again.  I will say that road hills and trail hills are so different.  The footing is much more difficult on trails, and one of the climbs was all gravel and rock so my feet couldnt grip very well.  I  felt like I was cruising along and just kind of "slammed" into the hills and couldnt recover.  Oh well, always something to learn!  Another thing that I learned - small casual races arent really the most official.  I knew something was up when my watched beeped 3 miles, then saw it go past the 3.1 mark and I still had a little bit to go.  When I finished, the distance was 3.33 miles.  So I have my 3 mile splits but am unsure what the little nubbin .1 would be (I estimate about 20 seconds).  So going by Garmin time, which I tend to think is pretty accurate, I ran that 5k in about 22:10.  About 40 seconds slower than my Irish Race PR, but since I wasnt planning on really "racing" this one, I would say that is pretty good.  However, when I looked up the results, they had my time at about 24:00....ummm, that doesnt seem right, havent ran that slow of a race since last summer, but I wont lose sleep over it :)  Because official time or not, I still came in 5th over all and 1st for women.  Like I said, small race, my time wouldnt even get me in the top at a bigger race.  But who cares, a win's a win, it was a great confidence booster and I got some sweet prizes!

hooray for Maple Syrup!

When I finished, I took off and ran another 1.5 miles then came back to watch Jake finish.  He had a pretty good race too, I think he came in 6th overall.  He (and everyone else I talked too), mentioned the hills.  Glad I wasnt the only one that had problems! 

After we were both done, I took off to finish the last few miles of my run.  I have to say, this wasnt a bad place to have to add in some extra miles.  I went around all the different trails that were there and just took time to enjoy it.  I told Jake that trail running is good for your brain :) 



done!

 So if any of you are ever in the Faribault area, I highly suggest checking out the River Bend Nature Center.  I will definetely go back!

Next on deck is another 5k in Hastings for the Nick Clare Memorial Race on Saturday.  This race is going to be a last fast effort.  I would love to PR at this one, and as Nichole likes to tell me, to practice "the hurt" in an all out effort.  I want to be smart in this race and if I keep it under control I think my chances of a PR are good, so stay tuned for that one!



Thats all for me folks, talk to ya later!

weekend updates!

Hey friends!  Happy Monday.  It is SO nice here, actually the weather has been pretty darn great all weekend.  We are supposed to get rain for the next 5 or so days, but I'll take the warm weather and sun while it lasts.  I had a extra good weekend so I have lots to talk about.  As you know I had a race on Sunday, but I will get to that in my next post :) 

I preface this by stating that after my track workout and an easy run on Thursday, I noticed that my left hamstring was really tight/sore.  I may have pulled it a little bit and on Friday morning it was hurting pretty bad.  I didn't want to mess it up so asked Nichole what to do.  I ended up taking Friday and Saturday completely off.  Let me tell you, it took all I had not to throw on my Mizunos and run a few miles. I had a lot of "running energy" that made it super hard to just do nothing.  There is a big difference between a planned rest day and ones that are forced.  Needless to say I was pretty antsy for my race on Sunday.  One good thing about not being able to run, was that I had more time to bake cupcakes!

A co-worker of mine asked me to make 10 dozen cupcakes for her parents 50th wedding anniversary.  I baked from the time I got home from work Friday until about 7:30pm, the woke up bright an early Saturday to finish them up.



we've got lemon meringue, chocolate fudge, vanilla strawberry, and gluten free banana!


 Let me tell you, staring at 10 doz. tasty cupcakes for 24 hours is tough!  I do not recommend this when you are training for a race.  You better believe I'll be enjoying a cupcake when I cross that Fargo finish line!

After the cupcakes were picked up, Jake and I headed up to Eden Prairie for my running gait assessment.  It was held at TC Running Co.  I had never been there before, and thank goodness it's far away, because I could seriously spend my entire paycheck there!  So much awesome stuff, anything you would need they have.  A physical therapist from OSR Physical Therapy was there for the assessments.  Before getting started I had to fill out an intake form, and let him know of any issues I might be having.  I explained my recent hamstring issue and my past issues with my left knee.  I hopped on the treadmill there and he had me run at a very slow pace, for about 15 minutes.  One thing that made me laugh, was as I was running, he asked if it would be ok if I ran in just a sports bra, he said he is able to get a better look at the way my hips move.  It makes perfect sense but I have never run in just a sports bra - that takes more confidence then I thought I had, let alone run in one in the middle of a busy running store!  But I was there for a reason and wanted to get as much out of this as I could, so I took off the tank I was wearing and tried not to pay attention to if my stomach was jiggling all over the place (note to self - do more ab work).  It actually wasn't that bad and nobody gave me a dirty look and told me to put my shirt back on.  Also, it was extremely hot in the store, so it was actually pretty comfortable.  I think I have officially gotten over my fear and wont be afraid to strip down on those hot humid summer runs. It's all about comfort baby!

He videotaped me running from the front, side, and back and using a software called Dartish, is able to load everything into the program.  He said the whole video will be ready in about a week and he will email everything to me along with his notes. He did want to go over a few things while I was there though, so he uploaded some video and we took a look at a few angles.  The biggest realization was my foot strike - holy smokes do I land on my heels!  Watching me actually do it and the force its putting on my knees made me cringe.  He also noticed I lean back as I run, which results in my hips pushing forward and putting more torque on my knees.  He pointed out too, that I move my upper body a lot.  He mentioned it should only move about 8 centimeters, and I was moving at about 15-20cm.  He told me that if there is one thing to start working on and make a habit now, is to shorten my stride to increase my cadence.  He said that will help me land on more of my mid-foot, and he also said that it will also help with my upper body not "bounce" as much.

He also mentioned that my hips and glutes looked a little weak so I will want to work on strengthening those.  He said getting those stronger will help take the pressure off my knees having to absorb so much force.  He gave a few examples of things to start doing (ex. single leg balance exercises, single leg dead lifts, ect..).  I'm really excited to get the full video and notes though and be able to really go over it slowly and look really carefully at it.

This assessment was so awesome.  I always thought I looked ok when I am running, but this really put in perspective what I need to work on to be as efficient as I can, and hopefully injury free.  He was pretty impressed with the amount of weekly miles that I do and said because of that, these changes should become a habit pretty fast.  If anyone gets the chance to do something like this, DO IT!  It's incredibly beneficial and it's always nice to learn something new.

So that was the start to my weekend.  Saturday night we had our usual pasta with chicken and got things ready for the race in the morning!  Back with that recap later...

i'm an idiot....

So in school, math was never one of my strongest subjects.  I hate numbers, they confuse me.  I would have much rather written a paper or given a speech.  Well I found out yesterday, in an almost barf-inducing, kneel on the track, kick my trash, track workout, that not only do I hate numbers, I clearly have lost the ability to read......maybe I'm the one that needs to go back to school instead of Jake



I really wanted to jump those hurdles, probably would have pulled a hammie though.... 


Ok, here's the story.  I was all jazzed up about my workout yesterday.  It was finally a nice day, I was able to run in shorts and not freeze, the sun was shining, and I was excited to run fast.  Jake and I got to the track after work and did our warm up.  I had 5x800m and 2x600m for my main workout.  I read my email from Nichole and had my times;  800m in 3:03-3:00 and 600m in 1:27.  I had to figure out what that would equate to for my pace, and found for the 600's it would be a 4min/mile pace.  What?!  I only questioned it a little because I thought since I had never done 600's before, how would I know what pace was right.

Jake and I got through our 800's.  Those were not easy.  I think after each one I had to bend over and catch my breath before jogging the recovery.  How was I ever going to do my 600's?!  There was no sense standing around so Jake and I took off and I gave it everything I had.  We clocked the first one on 2:10.  To say I was mad was an understatement.  I was pissed!  How was I ever supposed to hit a 1:27 - impossible I told myself, why was I given that time to try for, there was just NO WAY.  There's that positive self talk for ya.  Jake mentioned that this couldn't be right, there had to be a mistake.  I was so fed up that I just said lets go and get it over with, so we took off.  Again, I tried as hard as I could, my legs literally could not move any faster.  We clocked the last one at 2:13, and I immediately fell to my knees, hands and head on the track - I was toasted.  Clearly upset, there was just no way this was even humanly possible for me to do.  I had to recheck.  I looked at my phone and re-read the email........600m in 2:17.........ummmm, could I be a bigger bonehead!  I went from being incredibly angry and frustrated to happy in a split-second, I crushed those 600's!

the face of relief - I laid here for about 5 minutes I think

 How I even thought I could run a 4 min. pace for 50 yards, let alone a 600m is beyond me, I just thought maybe Nichole knew something that I didn't so I went along with it.  The good thing about being this delusional was that it pushed me to try.  I ran as hard as my legs would let me, I had to at least give it a shot.











Who can even run that fast anyway?! oh that's right, PROFESSIONALS!

a long-winded post and 3 weeks to go!

Hi friends!  How was everyone's weekend?  Hope you all got to do something fun!  Ours was pretty good.  Friday after work I went out to celebrate a co-workers 15 year company anniversary.  We went to  a local brewery that just opened in town for some drink and pizza.  I just stuck with one glass of wine since I knew I still had to run.  As good as their pizza looked, I knew it would mean bad news for my workout so I had to pass.  That night was the typical pasta dinner and early bedtime for Jake and myself. 

Saturday we met up with the YMCA running group.  Jake had gotten in 5 miles already, and was going to run my 12 with me.  I was nervous about this run.  I had 4 up-tempo miles in the middle with a pace of 7:30-7:25.  I wasn't sure how it was going to go.  I ran the first 5 miles easy with the group, then Jake and I set off to get the 4 faster miles done.  Here's how they clocked: 1. 7:27, 2. 7:22, 3. 7:25, 4. 7:21.  We ran the last 3 miles easy to cool down.  I was pleasantly surprised by how I felt during this.  I told Jake that the miles felt "comfortably-hard", but that I was never pushing myself to go all out.  It really gave me the confidence for my potential paces for Fargo.  After the run we met up with a good friend for brunch.  She's back in the area for a few months for work so it was so good to see her and catch up!



Emily and I at my wedding :)

Later that night we met back up with her and some other friends we hadn't seen in a long time.  It was a good night :)

Sunday, the weather was pretty crappy (per usual) so we hung around, I had an easy run, Jake went for a bike ride, and we did a few things around the house.  Of course the weekend went by WAY to fast, but it was a good one.

______________________________________________

Alright, let's get going on this week.  As I mentioned in my last post, I have a race coming up.  Jake and I will be racing the River Bend Nature Center Maple Syrup Run on Sunday.  I will be doing the 5k and Jake will do the 10k.  This race will be part of my long run on Sunday.  So as much as I'm going to try and "race" it, it's more or less for the race experience than anything.  It sounds fun though so I'm looking forward to it.  Here's what's going on this week:

Monday - 2x1 mile T (6:45) with 2 min. jog, 3x800m (3:00-3:03) with 2 min. jog, 3x400m (no pace given, just as fast as I can go). 1.5 WU&CD.
                8.5 miles total

Tuesday - REST

Wednesday - 2-3 striders after WU.  5x800m(3:00-3:03) with 2:30 recovery, 3x600m (2:17) with 2:30 recovery.
                     1.5 WU & CD

Thursday -  5.5 miles easy, 6 striders, strength

Friday -  5.5 miles easy with 4x30-45 sec. pickups in the middle

Saturday - 3 miles easy, striders

Sunday - 2 mile WU, RACE (5k), long cool down to hit total miles
               10/11 miles total

To be honest, I haven't thought much about this race.  I think the fact that I know its more for the experience than anything is taking the pressure off.  We'll see, I'm sure I'll be nervous anyway :)


OH!  also, on Saturday I'll be going up to TC Running Co for a gait analysis.  Nichole sent me a newsletter that she gets from them and they had a 40% off deal going for assessments through OSR Physical Therapy so I jumped on it and signed up for a spot.  I'm really excited to see what they have to say.  I have no idea what I look like when I run and what my form is like so it will be nice to have a professional help me out.  I'll let you know how it goes!



Alright, well that was officially way to long, and if you made it to the end, I don't know whether to applaud you or say sorry......well sorry, I'm not sorry :)  Have a great start to the week everyone!

workouts, a new purchase and injuries

don't worry, I'm not injured (knock on wood!), but Nichole sent me an email the other day for a webinar all about sports injuries and how to treat them.  If anything I hope to get some advice that may come in handy.  Since I've struggled with knee issues and the occasional shin splint/problems, I hope to learn some tips and tricks on how to stay healthy and prevent anything from coming up.  Luckily I've been able to get a handle on my knee issues with the help of my chiropractor Jim (who I'm seeing today, yippee!), and I also think the added strength work I've been doing has helped too.  But its always nice to learn more.  If anyone is interested you can sign up (for free) HERE.  Its a little short notice as it is tonight, but it might be helpful for some of you :)

* also, a shout out to Nichole.  She ran the Whidbey Island marathon in WA on Sunday and WON!  She ran it as a "long run" - who does that?!  Shes awesome :)

I'm just going to give a quick run-down of my weeks plan.  4 weeks out and I've officially started wearing the shoes I will use for the half ( I was purposely putting off breaking them in - I was in denial that it was coming up so fast!).  But they are purple and awesome and make me feel fast :)



I think I may be addicted to these



Monday - 15min. Tempo (sub7) 4 min. rest, 10min. Tempo (6:45-6:55) 3 min. rest, 5min. Tempo.
                1.5 mile WU&CD

Tuesday - REST

Wednesday - 5 miles easy, strength

Thursday - 6x1000m (3:53-3:57), 80% of time jog recovery
                  1.5 mile WU&CD

Friday - 6 miles easy, strength

Saturday - 12 miles, middle 4 miles @ 7:25-7:30 pace

Sunday - 6 miles easy


Monday's tempo run was good.  My legs felt good right away during the warm up.  Lower left leg/shin was a little tight as I did the 1st segment, but eventually got better.  I'll keep this short, but I nailed my times.  1st segment was @ 6:58, 2nd @ 6:51, 3rd @ 6:46.  I felt really good about this.  It was a nice mental boost, and all I could think about during those tempos was running into the finish at Fargo :)

Wednesdays run was great.  Those 5 miles flew by.  I kept my pace conservative and just ran easy.  I don't know if I'm just getting used to running further/longer or what but I swear by the time I was done it didn't really feel like I ran.  Got in a good strength session too, except I forgot how much squats can hurt!

Like I mentioned in a previous post, this is my final week in the 40's (45 miles total this week), and then I start to taper down.  I still have some races coming up though, but I cant believe how fast this has all gone.  To think that on this date next month I will be running is crazy!

Finally, I am proud to introduce the newest member to the Huot family!


Beep Beep!  Our new 2013 Chevy Cruze!

I hope the car dealership didn't care that I came in really smelly from the gym....

________________________________________

*There are a lot of Boston tribute runs going on all across the county.  Be on the lookout for any in your area to participate in.  I haven't heard of one in my town, but there is a group of us that regularly runs on Saturday mornings, so maybe we can turn it into a Run to Remember Boston

*I read this today ( I'm sure many of you have seen the same/or similar articles), but I liked it.
3 ways to honor Boston

* I also want to say, that this tragedy isn't just for runners.  It is for everyone.  So do what you can, walk, jump, bike or hula-hoop if you want.


Did anyone tune in to listen to the Interfaith Prayer Service this morning?

thoughts

Hi guys.  Alright, this just feel awkward.  I know a lot of people probably don't even read this, and really I shouldn't care if anyone does or not, but I just don't feel right, talking about my usual, totally boring weekend recaps and workout set up.

I'm new to the this whole runner/athlete/try-to-be-competitive game, however, I don't think that matters.  Casual jogger, elite runner, supportive family, basically any compassionate member of society - we are all sad and touched by what happened on Monday.  I just didn't feel right, getting on with the normal garbage I churn out , unless I said something, anything. 

So many people have written heartfelt, inspiring, touching articles, and believe me, I had read a lot of them.  I personally didn't know anyone participating in Marathon Monday, but that doesn't discredit the fact that I still feel a sense of hurt, I kind of feel like someone attacked my friends.  I have never run a marathon, or really been a part of an event that huge and that prestigious.  However, I am a runner, I am a spectator, and for me to wrap my head around it all is pretty impossible.  The fact that it is difficult for me, all the way here in MN, safe and untouched by it all, I cannot begin to imagine what it is like for those in Bean Town, their friends and families who are still very much in the beginning of this nightmare.

I feel sad and sorry.  It also makes me scared.  I know people say, if we give in to that fear we let whoever did this win.  But is it ok to be scared?  I think so.  As long as it doesn't stop us, it can only make you stronger.

I will continue to watch the news, in hopes that as each day passes more clues are uncovered about who/what did this.  I do know this, next year's Boston Marathon will be one for the record books.  It will be an epic celebration of life and rising above tragedy.  I cant begin to imagine the celebration that it will be.



Maybe one day I'll get there....



if you feel like you can help in any way, here are some places to go
Boston Marathon Help
How you can help
Donate to the Red Cross

24 hour hot line: 617-635-4500
Investigator tip line: 1-800-494-TIPS

how to have the best Saturday morning ever

1.  Eat pasta with chicken and make sure you are in bed no later than 9:30pm on Friday night
2.  Wake up on Saturday before its even light out to go spend some quality time in your running shoes.
3.  Run 14 miles in the wind and up a few stupid hills (seriously, those "gradual" hills are not nice at all)
4.  Eat some Sport Beans that make your teeth hurt because of the sugar ( officially ruling those OUT)
5. End run, proceed to hobble home, scoop 4 buckets of snow (not yellow snow), dump into bathtub with cold water, change into swim suit, grab some chocolate milk and sit in the tub until your toes turn blue. *wearing a sweatshirt and having a hot cup of coffee make is slightly better, but not really
6.  Hop out of tub (except don't hop, you cant feel your legs so you will probably fall over), throw on your tightest compression socks (thanks Smartwool!) and eat some oatmeal :)


This is how I spend the majority of my Saturday mornings.  Except this was the first time I did the whole ice/snow bath thing.  I was skeptical, but gosh darn I think it actually does some good!  Sunday I went for my run and my legs felt really good.  Like surprisingly good.  After a long run I always wear compression socks basically all day/night, but am usually still pretty sore the next day (and a day or two after), but my 6.5 miles on Sunday felt down right springy and happy.....hmmmm, maybe sitting in freezing water until my butt is numb is good for something.  In any case, I'm going to keep doing it after my long runs to really see if this was a one time fluke or not.


The rest of the weekend was just dandy.  We did some Trader Joes shopping, movie watching, homemade pizza eating, and dog walking with friends at a park.  OH!  also, something VERY exciting was that we got our Spring wine club wine from Alexis Bailly Vineyard !  You may remember it last year when I talked about the vineyard here.  We weren't able to go out there, but my mom and Paul grabbed our goodies and brought it back - cant wait to crack them open!

j-bomb took this artsy-fartsy photo, he's so fancy

 Ok, enough chit chat, we've got 5 week till Fargo and here's my set up for this week:

Monday -  1.5 WU.  2x1 mile T (6:50!) with 2 min. jog, 3x800m (3:05!) with 2 min. jog, 3x400m (1:23!) with 400m jog.  1.5 CD * note the exclamation marks, these are FAST! (for me)
Tuesday - REST
Wednesday - 4.5 miles easy, strength
Thursday - 20 min. T (7:05-7:00), 3x400m (1:23) with 400m jog, 1 mile T (6:50)
                  1.5 WU&CD
Friday -  4.5 miles easy, strength
Saturday - 12 miles easy
Sunday -  5 miles easy


As you can see mileage is starting to go down.  Last week was my highest week at 53 and was the last 50+ miles I'll have this cycle.  This week I'm at 42 total miles.

So that's all I've got for now folks, if anyone reading is interested, our high school track is cleared off so I'm having a sweet, totally awesome party up there on Thursday, tell your friends :)

my body hates me and set up

My body is revolting against all the junk I fed it yesterday.  I seriously woke up at about 2am thinking I was going to have to make a mad dash to the bathroom and toss my peeps!  Even this morning I couldn't make myself coffee because the thought of putting creamer in it was too much to handle ( and I refuse to drink it black).  I feel better now, but my appetite has been pretty non-existent today.  Good thing Holidays don't come around very often.  On that lovely note, I did have a pretty good Easter.  Got in a good, albeit slow, run, went to my Aunts for some tasty food, and took Stella for a walk.  It was really nice to see family and hang out :)  Hope you all had a lovely Easter weekend too!

Here's what's in store for me this week.  This will be my highest mileage week at 53 miles, then it starts to go down until Fargo.  Being that this is my last 50+ mile week I really want to make it count, so lets get to it!

Monday - 2.5 WU
               5x1000m @ 5k pace (6:45), 80% of time jog recovery
               2 CD

Tuesday - REST

Wednesday - 7 miles easy
                      Strength

Thursday - 2 WU
                  4x10min. T (7:15-6:57) with 2:30 rest.
                  CD to reach 10 miles

Friday - 6.5 miles easy
             Strength

Saturday - 14 miles easy

Sunday - 6.5 miles easy



I am hoping today goes well.  My legs were pretty tired during yesterday's run, so hopefully they've come around a little bit.  I guess we'll see!  I also cant wait until our track is cleared off so I can get my repeats done on that instead of on the street, or if its a crummy day, inside on the tmill.  Maybe once our high school starts track I can go up and practice with them :)  I'm sure that wouldn't make me feel old at all.

Hope everyone has a happy Monday!  Catch ya later.