Never Again: 2019 Race to Robie Creek

“Never say Never”

…the saying goes, but I am going to be bold here. I’m never again going to run the “Race to Robie Creek.” Most people would probably ask, “What the heck is that and why?” And anyone from the Treasure Valley or maybe most of Idaho would say, “It’s the toughest half in the Northwest!”

The Race to Robie Creek is 13.1 miles starting in Boise with a 2000 feet elevation gain over approximately 8 miles to a summit, then descends roughly 1690 feet to the finish at Robie Creek Park in under 5 miles. It begins on paved roads in Boise but most of it is on an unimproved dirt/gravel road that winds through the foothills. It kills your calves and pride and then destroys your knees and quads. Click here to look at the course map. I was told by many it is some sort of rite of passage for newcomers and an annual torturous test of will for the veterans.

This may sound melodramatic, especially to those annual folks, but as someone who had previously run one trail race in her life this was out of my element. I probably wouldn’t have registered if I had just come across an ad on Facebook or a flyer in a running store. Peer pressure and sheer curiosity, and a little bit of desire to challenge myself to do something different got the best of me.

Are you Going to do Robie?

As soon as I moved here and mentioned running, people asked me, ” Are you going to do Robie next year?” or said, “Oh you have to do Robie Creek, its a rite of passage here.” Or the best, “You have to do Robie Creek…it is so much fun.” Those last ones, gotta be masochistic or mountain goats. Although they may have been referring to the superhero theme and runners in costumes and capes.  So this little voice in my head was saying, ‘You have to do it, you are a Boisean now. You have to fulfill your rite of passage. You can’t back down from something unfamiliar and challenging.’

So next thing I know there I am purchasing WiFi on an airplane to be able to register at noon on President’s Day because the race sells out in minutes. Now maybe because I am originally from the Midwest and grew up running on rolling hills at a laughable elevation this seemed absurd to me. But here, mountain and trail running are part of life. Needless to say, I got in and I had to figure out how to train for it.

Meanwhile…

I’m dealing with some sudden and weird fatigue issues that started manifesting about a week before I registered for the race. After about three weeks of shitty runs with my muscles feeling like they weighed 1000 pounds and struggling to regulate my breathing, I went to my doctor. The last straw had been feeling like I was going to collapse on an 8 mile run around flattest part of Boise. My doc did some blood work and it showed elevated levels of hemoglobin and levels of something called TSH that could indicate a hyperactive thyroid. I thought, ‘ok weird, but maybe we have an explanation.’

My doctor had my blood further tested and my actual thyroid hormone levels were normal. The hematologist told her my hemoglobin wasn’t elevated enough to cause symptoms and without further advice they left me feeling like a hypochondriac.

A few days later…

I ran a 5k and almost ran out of gas going into the third mile running well above my typical 5k pace. Something was. not. right. I told my doctor and she offered that I wait a month and retest. So I did my training runs up Shaw Mountain Road as planned, just hoping things would improve as suddenly as they declined.

My next blood test was a few days before Robie. I was still feeling off…but everything on my tests was normal. My doctor then told me it could be “overtraining syndrome.” Considering how hard I trained and how great I felt training for the NYC Marathon, with a surgery in the middle of it, and considering that when I started feeling like crap I hadn’t run more than six miles at once SINCE NYC, I couldn’t process how it could possibly be over training. With no explanation and feeling a little defiant about my doc’s previous lack of help and now absurd suggestion, I decided to suck it up and run Robie with a reasonable goal of coming in under 2 hours.

Race Day

April 20th I woke up, had some Picky Oats, and had to figure out what to do with myself while waiting for a race to start at midday. The race begins at “high noon” and on that day it was about 75 degrees with the sun shining. I warmed up with some women from my team and our coach. After a weird little skit where the race mascot, the Wonder Toad, defeated the super villain Dr. Fatigue, we were off being smacked by capes and wizard robes in a swarm of people embracing the superhero theme.

Somewhere Around Mile 4-5

The first mile was mostly flat, then we wound up through a foothills neighborhood where there were people cheering and partying. The road abruptly veered to the left and all evidence of civilization disappeared. Next thing we know we’re running over a cattle guard. The lead up to the cattle guard was the last downhill until the summit. Shortly thereafter, I think around mile 3, the road turns to dirt and the death march officially begins. The sun was really beating down for the first hour, so it was a brutal slog.

Spectators on the dirt road were few and far between, but the aid stations were enthusiastic. But they didn’t have Gatorade or any drink with electrolytes. Just straight water. I honestly thought it might be another way to make the race a little more torturous. I sucked on a few oranges, poured a several cups of water over myself, and took my gel a mile early just because I was hungry.

Where the F**k is the Water?

I remember there being a gap between aid stations right before the uphill gets crazy steep in the last 3/4 of a mile to the summit. I ran past a Gu station and asked, “Water? Where is the water?” The woman says, “Just around the corner,” and in a normal state of mind maybe it was just around the corner, but to me it felt like another half mile and I was cursing her for lying to me!

When I think of the highlights of the race, two moments come to mind. First, shortly before the summit, after I got my damned water, we passed the “Kryptonite Station.” Remember Superhero theme. There were also comic book onomatopoeia like ‘Boom!’ and ‘Kapow!’ along the course. At said station, there were people offering donuts, soda, and beer trying to lure participants off the course telling us we would never make it anyway and that we would have more fun staying there with them. I laughed through my misery, and also really wanted a donut.

But there Probably aren’t Donuts in Hell

Executing the Granny Shuffle

And that final ascent was hellish. My calves were burning, my shoulders ached, and photographers were capturing everyone’s worst moments. Thank goodness cloud cover had moved in and to our advantage a tailwind was coming through. During my last training run it rained with a headwind uphill, but it was 42 degrees and somehow more bearable.

My coach told me if I needed to walk I should—she walked  on the final ascent when she ran Robie in 1 hour 35 minutes. But, she said it was better to try to keep my feet moving in some semblance of running which she dubbed a “granny shuffle.” And granny shuffle my butt up that ascent I did. I think the one time I checked my watch I was at a 16 minute pace. When I was in the Army I probably would have rucked up the hill at that pace.

I felt quite demoralized being passed left and right. At first, I was telling myself, “It’s ok, you aren’t 100% right now, don’t be hard on yourself.” That progressed to, “These people live for this stuff, they probably grew up on these hills. You don’t belong here.” And eventually landed on, “Stop making excuses, why the hell didn’t you train on more hills or run the course a few more times?!” Eventually I saw a guy in a Philadelphia Eagles shirt and that distracted me from my negative self-talk. I got laughably excited when I mustered a “Go Eagles!” and he responded with “Yeah! Go Birds!”…it’s the little things.

The Apex, the Apogee, the Peak

I finally made it to that damn summit and picked my head up a little bit. I tried to go from granny shuffling to something that looked more like running, mentally preparing for the thunderous downhill ahead of me. The second highlight came just as I began the descent when a paramedic told me I had the best socks he had seen all day. I didn’t believe him, but I appreciated it.

Several people told me the downhill is the worst, that it is painful and kills your quads and knees. That is 100% accurate, but to me it was not worse than the uphill. It was liberating and fun and I would take that pain over the miserable sulky uphill slog. I don’t know that I would say that any given day, but for Robie it was true. The weird thing is seeing your watch go from a 16 minute pace to a 6:45 pace in the span of a minute.

All Downhill from There

Finish Line

The downhill portion, a little less than 4 miles, is windy, full of twists and turns and until the last mile or so, offers very few signs of life. My friend once described the backside of the mountain as a scene out of Deliverance. I found it rather beautiful. I chugged along downhill averaging somewhere around a 6:45-7:00 pace, passing people and getting passed by others. Eventually, log cabins and houses appeared with people having barbecues and offering beer and hot dogs. I knew that (well and of course my watch) meant the end was near, which was good because the balls of my feet felt like hamburger meat.

Suddenly a finish chute appeared with a pretty huge crowd of people lined up to the left side. Jeremy was in there somewhere, bless his heart, he drove like 40 minutes and rode a school bus to the finish line to be there for me. I told him before the race, “This is really going to suck and I will probably need someone who loves me to be there at the finish.” And I was right. I crossed the finish line in 1:52:53, 171st place, somewhere around 25th female and 6th in my age group, and basically collapsed on Jeremy. And I looked at him and said, “Never Again.”

Aftermath

It wasn’t like after finishing a marathon, but my legs had just taken a different kind of beating. My stomach felt funky and I was in dire need of some electrolytes. I won’t draw this out too much, but the race had kicked my ass so hard that I couldn’t even drink the free beer after, and on the drive home I fell asleep only to wake up and puke orange Gatorade into an old coffee cup. I wasn’t able to eat anything until about 4 hours after the race.

Physically exhausted, I slept like 10 hours that night, did nothing on Easter except eat, and then got on a plane to Atlanta for work on Monday. When I tried to run again on Tuesday I could only muster a 9 minute pace even though I was like 1500 feet lower in elevation. I ended up getting sick with a head cold right after I got back from Atlanta, probably the combo of post-race immune deficiency and airport/plane germs.

And I probably sound so sensationalized and whiny, but I am just telling you like it was for me. Thankfully, I got over my cold the first week of May and my body started to really feel better. Not just from the cold and Robie, but back to normal from the fatigue that had been plaguing me since February. I guess my doc’s initial “wait it out” approach worked. It was like a complete 180 over the next few weeks leading up to the 5k I ran this past weekend. I was hitting splits I hadn’t hit in months on the track and ran the 5k feeling strong and energized at around a 6:25 pace. So the lesson learned is….the human body is f**king weird?

Reflection

I postponed writing about the Race to Robie Creek because I didn’t really have a good time and it isn’t fun to write about something that sucked. Not until it is far enough behind you that you can laugh and make sarcastic jokes about it, or find the little silver linings and highlights like Kryptonite, Eagles fans, and sock compliments. I also didn’t want to seem like I was complaining when there are all these people who love the race and do it every year. I think running that solid 5k—knowing I didn’t break myself after the pre-race fatigue and the post-race sickness—was the push I needed to write about the experience. Time and space since the race have not been, however, the push I need to convince me to ever run it again.

I love running the hills here, I’ll keep doing it for fitness and fun, but I don’t ever want to feel so much anger and aversion toward a mountain ever again. Mountains are food for my soul! Next time I try to move quickly up a mountain I plan to be wearing a backpack, carrying hiking poles, and chewing on beef jerky.

 

My Bucket List Races

After a marathon training cycle I tend to go one of two directions; I either change it up and dive into training for 5Ks and faster races, or I take a long break from racing or training for a specific race and just enjoy running without a schedule dictating my runs.

After NYC I did the latter. However, the new year and our Boise Betties team goal setting meeting got me thinking about what races I want to run this Spring, this year, and even over the next ten years. I’ve always had my mental bucket list of races (and an actual bucket list) but I decided to write them down and share them!

See, with the goal setting exercise our coach made us identify our ten year running goals. In addition to being healthy, one of my goals is to run the World Marathon Majors races outside the United States. Jeremy and I had always talked about it as a “one day” thing on our bucket list, but writing it down made it feel more concrete and within my grasp. I suppose writing down the rest of my bucket list races is a way to concretize what otherwise felt like a distant dream. After all, Neil Peart wrote “a spirit with a vision is a dream with a mission.“

So here are the races I want to run and, God willing, will run in my lifetime.

The World Marathon Majors

Jeremy and I ran Boston and Chicago together, and New York individually. We love to travel and decided a few years ago that we would run each of the races in the Abbott World Marathon Majors Series. The remaining three are those outside the United States: London, Berlin, and Tokyo.

Setting a ten-year goal is a little tricky since each of the three below have a lottery entry system. Hopefully (fingers crossed) we can get into each race at least once in the next ten years!

California International Marathon  

CIM has only been on my list for a few years. It came on my radar when I started following more elite runners and realized it was known for being a blazing fast course. Now that I live so much closer to Sacramento, I hope I can run this race in the next few years. I’m not looking for that illustrious OTQ many seek at CIM, I would settle for getting my sub-3:15 🙂

Big Sur International Marathon

Two words: bridge and beauty. Photos of that bridge alone were enough to make me want to run this race. The tagline is pretty enchanting too “Running on the ragged edge of the Western World.” Swoon.

Hood to Coast (or a another big team relay)

Heyyyy, anyone looking for a team member? I’ve read so many Runner’s World articles about these relays and they look SO FUN. I want to live in a van for two days. I’ve almost been on two Ragnar teams, but it hasn’t panned out yet. And if Kevin Hart did one, so can I! Hood to Coast is top on my list and I know some runners from the Portland area, so keep me in mind guys 😉

Honolulu Marathon

For a reason some who know me well will understand, Oahu has a special place in my heart. I would love to return to run a race there and the Honolulu Marathon is my top choice. I would run this one slow, just taking it all in and cherishing the memories I have in this beautiful place. Considering it’s in December and I live in a place that is 50 degrees colder that time of year, slow will probably happen whether I choose to or not!

Amberger Halbmarathon (or any race in Amberg, Germany)

I lived in Amberg, Germany for three years and ran the country roads and bike paths through the Bavarian countryside for three years, but I didn’t run any road races! I ran one awesome cross country relay race called the “landkreislauf” and a few races on the Army base, but no races in Amberg. Jeremy and I got engaged there so I know we will be back and I can redeem myself. I’ll just need my dad to translate the registration form, because yes his German is WAY better than mine even though I lived there for three years.

Bay to Breakers

Naked runners + hilarious costumes + San Francisco. I would even be content just to spectate this one.

And More to Come!

The list will probably grow, but I’ve checked others off over the years including the big 10 milers in Washington, DC and the stateside World Marathon Majors. There are lots of races I’ve kicked around the idea of like the Athens, Inca Trail, or Great Wall of China marathons. There are plenty of races I want to run, and many more I will run before I get to these, but these are the one I must run. Whether I get to it when I’m 35 or 75, these are the ones I’ve gotta run before I kick the bucket.

What are you your bucket list races?

2018 New York City Marathon

I put off writing a blog post about my New York City Marathon experience for a few days wanting to enjoy the post-race bliss instead of instantly trying to put it into words. It was as if somehow writing about it meant it was truly over. Admitting that those 16 weeks and everything that led up to those 3+ hours of running had abruptly ended—this huge climax after months of preparation that comes crashing back to reality.

Then I thought about a line that I think I read from Lauren Fleshman, or maybe a quote she posted, to embrace and enjoy the journey because that is where we spend most of our time. That is so true, and recovery and reflection are part of that journey, a very important part. So here the journey continues with my attempt at verbalizing and summarizing my experience.

My New York City Marathon Goals

In my last post I stated my goals for the NYC marathon. In summary:

1) Run a 3:15. Not necessarily a 3:15 flat but be able to say I am a 3:15 marathoner, a 3:15:XX would suffice. But the icing on the cake would be something very close to a 3:15, or a 7:26 average pace.

2) NOT be disappointed in myself if I didn’t reach that goal.

3) Enjoy New York City and embrace the experience.

4) Eat all the food and enjoy spending time with my husband and one of our closest friends.

Well, let’s see how that went! I could go on about my carb loading, spending too much money at the expo, enjoying the view from James’ Hudson River-side apartment, a lovely shakeout run, bomb Italian food in Hell’s Kitchen, and a tiny hotel room with paper thin walls, but let’s get to race day!

Race Morning

I was surprisingly calm and confident from the moment I woke up. I am not one to get super nervous before races, but usually a little anxious. This morning, I was tranquil. It helped that the forecast was perfect and marathon Sunday was sandwiched between two days of wind and rain. It also helped that on the 70 minute bus ride I expected to be lonely and boring I made a new friend who helped pass the time (Thanks Frank!!).

I arrived at the start village around 7:30 a.m. with 1 hour and 20 minutes until my corral opened. I sat on the open zone grass, absorbed the sunshine and watched the buzz around me. At one point I walked to the Green area to get water and saw the wheelchair racers and amputees going by heading to the start line. We lined up along the road and cheered for them—that got my heart beating a little faster.

By the time I meandered back to where I left my bag it was about time to enter my corral. I opted for the post-race poncho so I didn’t have to worry about bag check and was cozy in my Fruit of the Loom throw-away sweats. We had access to plenty of port-o-johns (finally!!). I was able to stay warm right up until our walk to the bridge and everyone was friendly. Positive atmosphere all around!

A Minor Point of Contention

My husband and friend James insisted I carry my phone so we could easily get in contact after the race. I have never carried my iPhone during a race. My SPIbelt wasn’t happening because I didn’t want to deal with it riding up and just defiantly refused to alter my wardrobe to have my phone. I was wearing my Oiselle Toolbelt Roga shorts so that was all I needed to hold my gels, but the shorts got droopy with phone. That left me with carrying it in my bra (which proved to fail during the first few steps) or my hand (the final solution as you can see in photos). So I switched from left to right every few miles depending on the water stations and only spilled Gatorade on it once.

The Start

My plan going in was to focus on effort on the bridges and otherwise stick to a consistent 7:26 pace with dreams of a negative second half split if it worked out. I would alternate water and Gatorade starting at mile 6 but water with gels, and take my gels at approximately miles 7, 13, 18, and 22. And then finally enjoy the hell out of the crowd!

The National Anthem was beautiful and everyone cheered as we heard the elite men’s names called. Peter Ciaccia gave us the signal in his final NYC marathon as race director. When the gun went off at 9:50 a.m. the sun was shining, the sky was blue, the wind was light, and I was in such a serene place. That was immediately erased by rather intense wind on the Verrazano bridge and my GPS watch telling me I was running a 15:30 pace because I was on the lower level of the bridge and the signal was blocked. With the wind and crowd I didn’t have a great sense of pace so I followed the 3:10 pace group for the first two miles. I was quite happy to get the heck off that bridge and clocked my first 5k in 22:51, a smidge faster than I should have.

My GPS gave me some trouble the entire race as it would tell me my pace was dead on my goal range but then the elapsed time would show I was going a little too fast. I chose to focus on the elapsed time because GPS watches can notoriously struggle in big cities with tall buildings, but damn if trying to do mental math with a 7:26 pace isn’t extremely difficult when you’re running a marathon.

Rolling through miles 3-12

It is also difficult exercise restraint when the crowd is so amazing and your adrenaline is pumping. Brooklyn had so much energy! I remember miles 7-9 being insane, I think there were a few live bands and one was playing “Vem dançar Kuduro.” I sang along and soaked it all up.

Then suddenly, it dissipated. I knew this was coming from reading A Race Like no Other by Liz Robbins. She explains the Hasidic Jewish neighborhood of Bedford doesn’t exactly embrace the marathon—and Sunday is a weekday so the race is disruptive. It makes for a lonelier two miles with a few patches of people and the support from the water stop, but also very interesting to see curious but silent children walking along with their parents who managed to appear aloof despite this massive event.

Then, suddenly I entered Williamsburg and things got crazy again! I think that extreme transition made Williamsburg one of my favorite areas of the course—I also knew Jeremy and James would be waiting for me on the left side of the road right before mile 12 so as I got closer I got more and more excited.  I was feeling great when I saw them and we were close enough for smiles and high fives!

The Half Marathon

Between my bad math and GPS watch I came through the half marathon at 1:36:41, about 50 seconds faster than where I should have been. I realized I probably screwed up my goal for a negative split but at least I didn’t need one. The half marathon mark also came while we were on the bridge from Brooklyn to Queens, where I first started to notice some discomfort in my quads. But wow the view from the bridge was beautiful. I’m glad I took the time to look around while slurping down my second gel.

The Bridge from Hell (aka Queensboro)

We entered the bridge around mile 15, and expected because of what I’d read, it was quiet. There are no crowds so all you hear is the sound of feet hitting pavement and labored breathing. Again, we were on the lower level so my GPS watch went awry and I was left to guess how fast I going up the bridge. Once I noticed a crest in the bridge I got excited, but that was short lived.

Going down the bridge was harder than going up. Concrete is less forgiving than asphalt and I could feel my quads just screaming to get back to flat ground. We hit 16 miles coming off the bridge and for the first time, I understood what people mean when they say their quads are “wrecked.” Then I thought ‘shit I have 10 miles to go, I am going to have to work hard for this.’

I read someone romantically describe that bridge as “quiet and peaceful” then leading into “the growing roar of the crowd.” I found it shitty and agonizing and didn’t even notice the crowd until I was back among it. However, turning onto First Avenue in Manhattan does bring a monstrous, loud, supportive mass of people and it was pretty bad ass. It was that crowd that propelled me the next few miles.

Miles 16 – 21

During miles 16-18 I realized Manhattan had more rolling hilliness than I expected and it was just waves of my quads screaming followed by moments of relief. From the half to the 25K and 30K I was still dead on my pace, hitting the 7:26 or so I had been aiming for in the first half. I saw Jeremy and James again—as planned left side of the course at mile 18—and this time my smile was a little less bright as I told Jeremy “My quads are destroyed, pray for me!”

At the same time I took stock of how I was feeling and realized my quads were the ONLY thing bothering me. Otherwise I physically felt great and that realization helped me continue to push without fear. I slowed down a tad over the next 5k heading through the Bronx, but maintained my level of effort.

A really odd thing happened after I took my gel at mile 18. I developed a scratch in my throat that was driving me crazy! Coughing, swallowing, drinking water, nothing helped! It was really weird and distracted me and may have contributed to a little bit of the slow down. My distraction was interrupted by another favorite moment on the course—a man standing on the bridge going from the Bronx to Harlem with a sign that read “This is the LAST DAMN BRIDGE!” and I had to give him a high five for that one!

Miles 21-23

I loved the energy in Harlem! Between my quads, the scratching in my throat, and knowing the Central Park Hills were coming I needed the crowd support. Miles 21-23 felt pretty good and I had only slowed down to 7:30-7:35 according to my GPS watch. I figured I had “banked” enough time during the first half so that was OK for a few miles. Interestingly, looking back at the splits the marathon tracker shows it says I averaged 7:28-7:30 during that time . ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I saw Jeremy and James one last time at mile 23 and whimpered a little about my quads—not that they could actually hear me. Later, Jeremy told me I looked a little distraught and lazy in my form when I was coming toward him but perked up when I saw them. I was running uphill at mile 23 so I’ll cut myself some slack.

Because at the same time, I was still loving every minute of the experience. My water and fuel plan was working and overall I felt the best I ever have this late in a marathon!

The final 5K

Somewhere along the way, during those hills alongside and in Central Park, from miles 23-25, I started to realize that I had screwed up my math and trusted my GPS watch too much. I went from confident I was going to still hit my goal time, to nervous I was cutting it close. But again—the NYC results still show no less than a 7:30 pace. While the app tracker shows 7:38 and 7:39, and my GPS watch shows a 7:44 mile 24.

When I hit mile 25, I had an “oh shit” moment and realized I would have to BOOK IT to get below 3:16. I didn’t know where I went wrong but I didn’t have time to figure it out, I just had a mile to fix it. So I picked it up and got back to a 7:15-7:20 pace. I also kept telling myself to enjoy the moment! There were so many people, flags from every nation, voices screaming and cheering. I felt like a rock star! When I saw the sign saying 800 meters to go, I calculated I would have to run about a 3 minute 800 to hit my goal. Regular day on the track? Yeah, I could pull that off. At the tail end of a marathon? Well, I sure tried.

The Finish

With 400 meters to go, then 200 meters to go I saw it slipping away. Approaching the grand stands and the finish chute I had a moment where I realized I was about to cross the finish line of the New York City Marathon and PR by over 6 minutes, but I had been fixating on getting below 3:16. I charged forward, raised my arms, and triumphantly crossed the finish line. My watch said 3:16:10. My official finish time was 3:16:04.

When I crossed that finish line I cried. Not because I had missed my time goal, but because I still ran 26.2 miles 6 minutes and 21 seconds faster than I ever had in my life! Because after 3 marathons hovering around 3:22:30 I worked my ass off and broke through. And on the New York City Marathon course, one considered tough and demanding! Because I finally believed in myself and instantly felt hungry for more! The marathon app said I was running a 6:20 pace at the finish—if I dug deep enough for that, I can dig deep enough for those 5 seconds, or 1 minute and 5 seconds!

I had also just run my first solo marathon in 7 years and to be honest, I loved it! I thought about the journey that had included a surprise surgery and recovery that hindered my training, the severe head cold that hit me right after a breakthrough half marathon, how optimistic I had remained and how much I BELIEVED in myself. All of that went through my mind while waddling over to get my medal and my bag of post-race snacks 😉

After the Race

I got my poncho, texted Jeremy (OK having the phone was helpful) and waddled my way to him off 73rd street. When I fell into his arms I cried again. I let the tears of joy flow and thanked them for their support on the course. Family and friends started sending me texts commending me on my pacing and splits. I thought I had done a terrible job but when I looked at the graph I realized I had been pretty consistent overall. I think if I had printed and relied on a pace band and not my math, I would have hit my goal instead of it slipping away over the course of the second half, a few seconds here and a few seconds there. Lesson learned for next time though!

I missed Goal #1 but accomplished Goals 2-3 and now all that remained was to enjoy NYC and eat all the food! We did just that wandering through the less crowded parts of Manhattan and sampling Cafe Habana (elotes and the best Cuban sandwich in New York!), Morgenstern’s, and what I had been waiting to try for years—a Salty Pimp from Big Gay Ice Cream. With a full stomach and a full heart, and an extra 5 miles on my legs from walking, we headed back to the hotel.

That night I lay down and smiled. For the overall incredible experience, the fun night spent with people I love, the effort my legs and my body have given me matching pretty closely to what my mind demanded, and for ultimately being able to say “Screw the five seconds, it was all about the 6 minutes. I’ll get those 5 seconds another time.”

Tracking, Splits, and Results

Link to Results with splits here.





And the Taper Begins!

We are a little less than three weeks away from the NYC marathon and I am officially in taper mode. Final long run complete, mileage decreasing, and workouts scaling back. It’s somewhat hard to believe! Even though this training cycle began in July, it feels like it was broken down into three stages instead of the ideal continuous build it should have been.

The first stage was July through the end of August as I continually got stronger and faster, feeling more and more confident in my interval workouts and tempo runs. The second stage was the recovery from my surprise surgery on August 31st which culminated with the FitOne half marathon on September 22nd. The third stage was my subsequent break and recovery from a head cold which essentially brought me to now. It has not been a perfect training cycle to say the least!

I’ve dealt with injuries and physical ailments during a training cycle before, like IT band tendinitis leading into Boston 2015, but this time it was non-running issues that set me back. I had to make some alternations to the training plan to accommodate and kept reminding myself it is the entire body of work—not individual workouts—that make a training cycle. I also stuck with my “listen to your body” mantra.

That meant deviating and not being able to follow the plan perfectly. I completed my longest run at 19 miles when the plan said 20-22. I am a few seconds slow on my interval splits from 800-1600. A few more hill repeats would have been nice. But, I made it to the taper physically healthy! At the beginning of September I was doubtful. After the surgery scare I am ultimately grateful!

The final three weeks look a little like this:

MondayTuesdayWednesdayThursdayFridaySaturdaySunday
Current Week5 miles easyMile Breakdown Workout, 9-10 miles3 miles easy5 miles easyRest3 mile WU, Boise to Barber 5k @6:30-6:35 pace, 3 mile CD3 miles easy
Two Weeks Out4 miles easyYasso 800's @3:15, 10 miles total0-3 miles easy4 miles easyRest8 miles LSD0-3 miles easy
Week of Race4 miles easy6x400, 6-7 miles 0-3 miles easy3 miles easy Travel Day - Rest3 mile shakeout RACE DAY!

I’m pretty excited about being able to run a 5k on Saturday, it keeps things interesting! I prefer that to one more LSD 16-miler. Then, I’ll be attending a wedding in Phoenix for my final 8 miler. If anyone has recommendations for running in Phoenix, please share!

Sometimes the low volume and slow pace in the week leading up to the marathon make me antsy (thankful for those 400s) but I embrace the focused hydration and carb loading that come with it! I am so excited for all the food NYC has to offer. Jeremy and I will be flying to the East Coast on Friday and staying with our friend James in New Jersey that night. Then we’ll head into the city on Saturday for packet pick-up and to check into our hotel. James knows the city inside and out and has promised me some great pre-race Italian and post-race food including his favorite hole-in-the-wall Cuban and Big Gay Ice Cream! But more of that on the race recap, I’m getting ahead of myself (and drooling).

My Goal for November 4th

Back to the task at hand. My goal for the race—set back in January—is 3:15. I am not wavering from that goal. I’m not wavering because while I respect the difficulty of the NYC course and acknowledge my interrupted training cycle, I also believe in the power of the human spirit. When I was 21, I ran my second Cincinnati Flying Pig Marathon, two weeks before college graduation. I was under-trained, by any standard, with a long run of 13 miles and weekly volume of approximately 20-25 miles. I ran a 3:22 and a 7 minute PR driven by a powerful will to honor a fallen loved one. This time, I absolutely feel adequately trained and know that mental focus and will—and a little marathon magic—can lead to incredible outcomes. This time, I am also seeking a 7 minute PR.

I will also NOT be disappointed in myself if I don’t reach that goal. I want to enjoy New York City and embrace the experience—I want to take in the history and the crowd, finish in one piece, eat all the food, and spend time with my support duo after. If the 3:15 comes with it, that is icing on the cake. For now, I’ll keep that goal in mind and enjoy the taper over the next few weeks!

Boise FitOne Half Marathon

Our First Race in Boise

And our first race since moving to Idaho. I haven’t crossed a start line since the National Women’s 8k back in April.  We moved in June, I took about a month to get back into the groove and adjust to the elevation and terrain here, then I immediately started marathon training. I actually signed up for this half marathon because it fit nicely into the training plan—on the same day as a 12 mile tempo run.

When I signed us up I planned to race it as a fitness check, partially because it had been so long since racing and partially to see what I could do a little over halfway through my NYC training plan. When the surgery happened a little over three weeks ago, I decided to back off and forgo racing it. Instead I would do the tempo run as prescribed, plus an extra warm up mile. That was my plan even as I stepped to the start line. I had a mantra “Runner, not a racer, today.”

Runner, not a Racer

They always capture the BEST faces. But look, foothills!

The race began with a motivating speech from Olympian and former world record holder Anne Audain. Maybe it was her pep talk or the 54 degree temps with low humidity and no wind…but we started and I realized I was settling into a 7:20-7:25 pace comfortably and able to speak in sentences to those around me. I was supposed to be running 8:00-8:15 but…well…how freaking easily I caved! This, by the way, is why I don’t typically use races as training runs haha.

Thing were smooth the first two miles until an utter cluster f**k where the route had suddenly been changed and what should have been a jaunt past the Old Penitentiary and Botanical Gardens became an out and back where people were running down the wrong side of the road and criss-crossing. Suddenly the route was .3 miles short as mile marker 3 was placed too early. (Aside from that mishap, and later a death-defying shuttle bus ride, I have nothing negative to say about this race!)

We continued to run down Warm Springs Avenue with the foothills to our left and the Boise River to our right. A beautiful sight always, but especially in the early morning light. As we approached 4 miles and the tempo pace was coming, I was a little nervous I had been stupid to run 7:20ish, but it was too late for that.

Tempo Miles

Finally! A happy mid-race photo.

I continued to enjoy the scenery until mile 6 as we turned back onto the Greenbelt. The tempo miles were flying by and I was hitting my goal pace, feeling stronger as I went. Around mile 7, I passed one woman ahead of me and a volunteer told me I was in second place. As I passed, she said “great job”, and I said “you too!” thinking ‘people here are mighty nice’. I also reminded myself that I was running not racing, second place means nothing, and to just stay steady at my tempo pace. Even made sure to finally get the smiley waving photo that has forever eluded me.

I hit mile 10, completing my final tempo mile, and slowed down a smidge to a 7:00 or so pace. I should have slowed back down to a cool down pace, but I was feeling really good! I thought I was kind of by myself out there running past Boise State when suddenly a woman passed me, flying by. I could tell she was going to catch the leading lady a short distance ahead. We turned off the Greenbelt close to mile 11, heading toward the Boise Depot and the one true hill on the course and, indeed, she smoothly and effortlessly took the lead.

A Strong Finish

While maintaining my pace, I approached the woman now in second, who had been leading for 11 miles.  I ended up being a little stronger up the hill and passed her while maintaining my pace. The hill was pretty motivating with plenty of spectators, music playing, and even a local cheer leading team.

Jeremy and I got our celebratory free Chobani (did you guys know they are based in Idaho?!) and took some post-race photos.

After the depot the next mile was along Crescent Rim Drive with a gorgeous view from the bench. The same spot we went to see the Spirit of Boise hot air balloon launch. It was also where we met up with the bulk of the 10k walkers so there was much zigzagging. We came downhill from the bench into Anne Morrison Park and I quickly realized the course markers weren’t just placed wrong, the course was going to be well short. About .4 miles to be exact. I crossed the line in 1:29:09 and my pace says I would have finished in 1:32:08. I crossed as the second overall woman. Suddenly Dorothy was IN Kansas as I doubt I could have earned second place in any half marathon in DC at a 7:02 pace.

As my friend Samia told me “Good race for tempo runs, bad if you want a PR” — if you are person of integrity of course! To their credit, the website made it clear the course was NOT USATF certified!

Splits

“Warm Up” – 7:22, 7:26, 7:12 (that mess with the course change), 7:22

Tempo Miles – 6:53, 6:50, 6:52, 6:48, 6:55, 6:52

“Cool Down” – 7:01, 7:01, 4:31 (.7 miles)

Reflecting

The remarkable thing about this race was how good I felt aerobically after struggling a bit through my surgery recovery (well it was probably a normal recovery time but it made running a struggle) and how good I felt physically! The entire run was pain free aside from some stomach issues from my Gu gel. I’m hoping I’ve got a solution for that after soliciting advice from a bunch of friends—Gen UCAN and Honey Stinger Organic gels. I have never run a race that distance and felt so good during and after, including the next day. I attribute much of that to some bad ass sports massage from Jasmine at Epic Sports Massage—finally getting built up scar tissue and other gunk off of my ankles and doing some serious work on my peroneal tendon and glutes.

I am in very high spirits to finish out my training plan healthy. Just under six weeks until NYC!

A Surprise Surgery and Unexpected Training Setback

Two years in a row toward the end of August I have had training derailed by a freak non-running issue. Last year it was the softball collision at home plate that sent me to a running retreat unable to run, and this year it was a surprise laparoscopic surgery.

I share this blog post not to lament by bad luck/timing but to actually raise awareness about a condition I didn’t know could occur and remind everyone to err on the side of caution when it comes to abnormal pain, and get it checked out! I know many of us runners are very stubborn and we are used to minor aches and pains—sometimes more serious pains that we try to waive off as minor—and self-remedy or just push through them. Well I learned a valuable lesson about that last week.

The Worst Pain I’ve Ever Experienced

So there I was at Boston Logan airport on Thursday, August 30th getting ready to board a flight to Denver. I was standing in line and suddenly started to feel an intense burning pain growing in my lower abdomen. I made my way onto the flight and by the time I got to my seat the pain had become excruciating. Breathing exercises didn’t help—the pain was so bad I kept unintentionally holding my breath and getting lightheaded. I expected it to pass and I was on an airplane, so what could I do?  Shortly after take-off that pain was accompanied by nausea, several trips to the airplane bathroom, and a failed attempt to drink some ginger ale. The level of pain decreased a little during the flight but the misery and nausea essentially lasted the entire time, and there were some silent tears.

When I got off the plane I honestly contemplated taking a voucher to fly to Boise the next day, just wanting to lay down and not suffer in public anymore. I decided to power through in case this was something serious—I didn’t want to end up in a hospital in Denver. I survived the next flight and by the time I landed in Boise and got my bags, around 1 a.m., the nausea was gone and the pain had become manageable. Jeremy took me home to try to sleep.

Around 3 a.m. I woke up to more excruciating pain but it had become focused on my lower right side. At that point it hit me “Oh my gosh it could be my appendix.” There in the dark I googled symptoms of appendicitis and what I had experienced was text book. Still, I tried to convince myself Web M.D. can’t be trusted and that I was overreacting and it would pass.

Time to Go to the Hospital

I slept restlessly until later that morning when I tried to eat for the first time since the pain began. The pain had ebbed so I was hopeful but as soon as I finished breakfast the pain came back and I felt nauseated again. At that point I decided to ask my mom what she thought. After describing the symptoms, she basically yelled at me through the phone to get my ass to the ER. Jeremy looked up appendicitis and also thought that’s what we were dealing with.

We went to the ER at Saint Luke’s in Boise. Even the ER doctor thought my symptoms were textbook appendicitis and after ruling out ectopic pregnancy or a UTI, expected the CT scan to confirm his thoughts. One nurse flippantly suggested it could be painful ovulation, and although I had my doubts I could only hope that was the case. We had a 16 mile run the next day and plans to go backpacking in the Sawtooths!

Fast forward to post-CT scan. The ER doc came in and said, “Well we know what it is now, and it is not appendicitis. It surprised me, and is not that common, but makes complete sense with the symptoms you experienced. You have an ovarian torsion.”

Before I could say “whaaa?” he explained that I had a softball-sized cyst on my right ovary (later during surgery would find out it was on my fallopian tube) that had caused my ovary to twist on itself and cut off the blood supply to my ovary.  The sudden intense pain I had felt was the torsion actually occurring.  The lack of blood flow begins to cause necrosis (death) of the ovary and if the blood supply is not returned in time, ultimately the ovary may need to be removed.  He told me the gynecologist was on her way and would confirm the requirement for surgery and explain further.

Operation Save the Ovary

Pre-op and feeling rather relaxed!

After the ER doc left, Jeremy and I quickly Googled “ovarian torsion” and by the time the Gynecologist arrived, we realized we were definitely in for surgery and would be canceling all of our weekend plans.  Sure enough, Dr. Shrum came down and confirmed that ovarian torsion is considered an emergency and requires a same day operation. I would have a laparoscopic surgery, three tiny incisions in my abdomen, to untwist the ovary and remove or drain the cyst. She was confident my ovary could be saved.

When the doctor asked if I had any questions, I asked her what the timeline was for the day. She said “this is an emergency surgery, so as soon I leave here I’m changing into scrubs and you’re going to be prepped for the OR.” They didn’t waste any time. Operation Save the Ovary! Next, I asked “how long is the recovery?” and “how long do I have to abstain from physical activity?” Jeremy laughed and goes, “What she really wants to know is when can she run again?” Bingo.

She told me one week, no physical activity. Just walking. That wasn’t so bad! It would suck, but one week is nothing. Down to the Operating Room we went! I had very little anxiety thanks to some Dilaudid in my IV and extremely kind and informative nurses. Dr. Shrum made a few marks on my abdomen, they put a motion sickness patch behind my ear to control nausea, gave Jeremy some instructions, and wheeled me into surgery.

Recovery

My recovery companion

The first three days were the toughest. My throat was sore and my voice was scratchy from the breathing tube, and my shoulders hurt because they had pumped me full of air and some of it got trapped in my diaphragm. I was very adamant about wanting to limit use of any opioids, so I took three 325mg hydrocodone from Friday to Saturday then quit cold turkey and moved on to Ibuprofen. The incisions were sore and I was bloated.

I went back to work on Wednesday and each day the bloating and swelling would increase throughout the day leaving my abdomen sore. I went in for my post-op follow-up this past Friday and the doc said I was healing right on schedule. She also showed me photos from the surgery, fascinating and a little disgusting at the same time. I’ll spare you those, anyone can use Google. I asked again if I was cleared to run, and she said I was. She said the bloating and swelling, and therefore discomfort, could last another week or two but that is just part of healing. I’ll go back in a few months for an ultrasound to make sure the cyst hasn’t returned.

Cleared to Run

I left feeling triumphant and ready to get back into training! I had that 16 mile run I didn’t get to do the week before. To be honest, 16 miles felt daunting after doing nothing for a week and I didn’t want to demand anything of my body. I had to adjust my expectations and be smart about getting back into training. I decided I would set out on my run and pay close attention to my body, stopping if necessary. Jeremy was right next to me slogging along at my 8:30-9:00 pace.

Around 9 miles things started to break down a bit. That pace is typically conversational but my breathing was labored and I had a hard time drawing deep breaths. Possibly a side effect of the air pumped into my abdomen during the surgery. I also just felt exhausted, I could tell my form was breaking down and I felt the muscles around my hips tightening up. At 11 miles I stopped for a stretch and walk break. I felt a little better after and ran on the Greenbelt to the next major crossroad where I told Jeremy that was it. My body had said enough, and I listened like I promised I would. 12.4 miles at 8:20 pace.

I thought back to a couple of things I learned during the RRCA coaching course that reinforced my decision. One being that I had run for over 90 minutes, so I had at least reached the time amount of time to experience some of the benefits of a true long run, and the second being that one workout does not define a marathon training cycle, it is the entire body of work.

Listening to my Body

I took a Lyft home while Jeremy ran the rest of the way with Bailey. After much stretching and foam rolling I was left with a ton of tightness in my TFL and glute med. Otherwise I felt okay. I had planned to finish up the last 3.6 miles the next day but when I woke up on Sunday I realized I needed to give myself another day. The run had taken a lot out of me, and as Jeremy bluntly reminded me “You had surgery one week ago, what did you expect?” So Sunday I rested, and scheduled a massage for later in the week 🙂

On Monday I ran 5 of my prescribed 4-6 at an effort level that felt like a 7:30 but ended up being an 8:20.

On Tuesday I ran last week’s missed 4×800 workout and ran on effort. The goal pace of 1:35 turned into a 1:38-1:40 and I was pretty ecstatic about that.

I had a few very smart and experienced running friends remind me that easing back in will not kill me, the fitness will come back quickly, and to continue to stay in tune with my body. I had a scary encounter that if not addressed early enough, could have resulted in losing an ovary and a recovery that may have stopped me from making it to the NYC Marathon starting line. The last thing I need to do now is rush back in and not make it to the starting line for a different reason. So onward I go training for NYC—easing back in, and still shooting for that 3:15 goal!

Final Note

I urge anyone who experiences sudden or prolonged abdominal pain to get it checked out! Whether it is an ovary, appendix, intestines or anything else the consequences can be dire. Even when we are hardwired to deal with and overcome pain, our body is telling us something. We need to give it credit and listen!

-Shaina

A Return to 26.2—Training for the NYC Marathon

Well, it has been 16 months since I ran my last marathon.  That was Boston in 2017. A while back I decided I was going to ease up on what had turned into an annual marathon and reserve 26.2 for World Majors and bucket list races. Having completed Chicago and Boston, that left the NYC marathon for World Majors in the U.S.

I set a goal as soon as Boston was over to try to qualify for NYC by running the required sub-1:32 half. I trained last Fall and did that in the Rehoboth Beach half marathon. After that training went so well, and I watched Shalane Flanagan kick a** and bring me to tears with her performance last year, I decided my goal for NYC would be a 7-minute personal best of 3:15. I put it out to the world in January so I had to hold myself to it, or at least hold myself to the necessary training to do it.

The Training Plan

A Runner’s World plan served me well for the half marathon—I used a 1:30 plan and ran a 1:29:58—so I decided to do the same for this one and use the Runner’s World 3:15 marathon plan. If you read my last post, you know that I moved to Boise, ID in June. I was looking forward to the opportunity to prepare for the killer NYC bridges by running in the Boise foothills and train at a much higher elevation. Once I adjusted to said higher elevation I was ready to get rolling with my plan.

It is a 16-week plan that officially kicked off on July 14. I have easy 5 mile runs on Mondays, increasingly intense track workouts that currently range from 6-8 miles now and will build to 10-12 at the peak, easy runs on Wednesdays, hills on Thursdays, and long runs on Saturdays that alternate between an increasing long slow distance (LSD) and dropping back to a shorter run with tempo miles (for example 12 miles this past weekend, then 10 with 2 at tempo this weekend, then 14 the following weekend, then 12 with 2 at tempo, etc.) with 1-2 rest days per week. Due to my injury proneness I am taking those two rest days, at least from running. There will still be a fair share of hiking on the weekends 🙂

In Addition

I am doing three strength training days per week. Normally I do four but I’ve scaled it back and am now combining a few muscle groups so it’s shoulders/triceps/core on Mondays, legs/core on Wednesdays, and back/biceps/core on Fridays. I am really focused on maintaining strength while building endurance to keep those nagging injuries at bay. That and I found an incredible chiropractor and will tell you all about the chiropractic and healing journey I’ve been on since coming to Boise in my next post!

Finally, I’ve joined the Boise Betties running team! I have options to work out with the team on Tuesdays and Thursdays. This team is a little different from the =PR= team I was on back in the DMV in that anyone can join—it is not selective based on past performance—and the team doesn’t necessarily compete in races as a team because there isn’t much of that out here like there was with Army Ten Miler or Cherry Blossom. BUT, we have team singlets which members wear to represent the team when they race, we have the group workouts and coaching from the talented runner who started the team, and have some team sponsorship and discounts 🙂

I currently have one race planned for the training cycle. That is the FitOne half marathon in Boise on September 22nd. I typically do a few more but to be honest there were just more races at the 10k through half marathon distance to choose from back in D.C.  There are a few other races here but they don’t quite fit into the schedule. Looks like that half will be a check-in and I’ll have to otherwise trust the plan and all the hill running.

I’m pretty excited

Jeremy will be going with me and spectating the race! He has run NYC and can both give great pointers and be my support system for the race, zipping around NYC to cheer me on and happily drinking beer knowing he doesn’t have to run. Shockingly, this will be my first marathon without him since 2015! We’ve run four of my last five together. I love love love being able to run with my best friend every day, but I’m ready to run my own race and have him cheer me on 🙂

I also just received a book from my friend Samia (my everything Boise…and now NYC…resource) about the NYC marathon called “A Race Like No Other” by New York Times writer Liz Robbins. With a review that says “This book could take on talismanic power, like the medal or the Mylar cape that every finisher receives,” I am fairly confident it will get me even more pumped!

I hope that come November I will be writing a post about my 3:15 performance at NYC but in reality as long as I get to the start line healthy and execute my training plan I will be happy.

Is anyone else running or spectating the NYC marathon this year?

Why Boise? The Full Answer to the Inevitable Question

Before I get started let’s get this out of the way—most of us pronounce Boise wrong. If you just read that Boy-zee, you pronounced it incorrectly. We learned that the hard way by making it clear we aren’t from around here, and now put a lot of effort into consciously saying it the right way—pronounced Boy-see with more emphasis on the first syllable. It is a French word that means wooded (the more you know).

So back to business. We’ve lived in Boise for two weeks now and through the process of leaving D.C. and arriving here we’ve had people on both ends display their excitement for our move but follow it with “So why Boise?” On one hand I can count those who do not live in Boise but have visited and exclaimed “Boise is an amazing city! It’s really up and coming, great choice!” So I understand the question as most people on the East Coast have never visited Idaho and immediately just think of potatoes, while many who live here know what a gem (pun intended) the state is and are curious as to how two people decided to move across the country and settle here of all places.

So I thought what better platform than my blog to simply tell the story that I never have time to tell in conversation for the sake of brevity. Myresponse usually goes something like “we wanted to get out of the sprawling metropolis and have easier access to the outdoors.” That satisfies people but I feel like I’m only giving an eighth of the answer. So let’s go back a few years…

It started a few years ago

From the time I moved to Washington, D.C. in December 2014 Jeremy and I knew we didn’t plan to live there for the rest of our lives. We didn’t have a place in mind but knew that we would be willing to move abroad again or we wanted to go somewhere with mountains. After living a few hours from the Bavarian and Austrian Alps we couldn’t imagine the rest of our lives on mostly flat land. Not to mention I grew up in Wisconsin and Ohio running around and playing in the woods and fields around my home. I’ve always felt most at peace, most at home, when I could easily escape into nature. I couldn’t get that in D.C. and being surrounded by concrete after living on my quiet Ammerthaler Weg on the outskirts of Amberg, I quickly started to feel suffocated.  I had my bachelorette party in Asheville, NC in July 2015 and promptly decided it could be our home one day.

Once I got into grad school and that solidified the next few years of our life Jeremy and I developed a plan that we would stay in D.C. for about three years after I finished grad school. Our logic was that his retirement savings would be vested at that point and it would give me a few years to get settled in my career switch before seeking a job outside of the mecca for public health that is the National Capitol Region.

During my terminal leave for the Army during the summer of 2016 I spent about two weeks in the Pacific Northwest and went on a road trip with my aunt and mom all over Oregon from the coast to Crater Lake to Bend and the high desert. I visited Mount Rainier and Vancouver, BC as well. I was entirely smitten and returned from my trip and told Jeremy that I could live there and he had to go back with me and see it. He reminded me to slow down because I hadn’t even started grad school yet but that we can always keep these places in the back of our mind and consider our options. That sounded fair.

A series of coincidences?

Once I started school I didn’t spend much time thinking about where we would head next. I was busy with classes and papers and I had found a job I absolutely loved with coworkers I adored at Marketing for Change. In May 2017 that job turned into an offer for a full time position when I graduated the following year. That settled my restless heart as I looked forward to becoming a permanent part of an amazing company.

At the same time, I caught Jeremy looking at lists of promising cities, the Best Cities in the U.S. for Young Adults by USA Today, and things of that nature. He was just “exploring future options” and checking out potential job markets. Guess what city was in the top 10 on most of those lists?….Boise, Idaho. Boise, huh? Curiosity got the best of these East Coasters and we started researching Boise out of sheer lack of knowledge about the city and the region. We discovered it was gorgeous and booming. It had all the amenities of a city but within 15 minutes you could be in the middle of the National Forest. The humidity is low and the elevation is high  (compared to D.C.) at 2,700 feet. Hmmm something to consider in a few years.

Then in August 2017 and I attended a running and writing retreat called Wilder in Sisters, OR. The retreat was hosted by a running legend, Lauren Fleshman, and brought together writers who run and runners who write from all over the country. At the end of the retreat I was looking to burn a few hours before my late flight and needed to catch a ride into Bend because I wanted to visit my all time favorite brewery—Crux Fermentation Project—which I discovered during my Oregon road trip the year prior. As fate would have it my kind and generous friend Samia offered me a ride because it was on her way home—to Boise, ID.

It seemed like fate that Jeremy and I discovered Boise on those lists and took an interest in it, then I meet someone who had moved from Washington, D.C. to Boise! Because yes, Samia was from the DMV and could speak to making the exact same transition. She was honest and unfiltered with me and told me the (mostly) good, the few bad, and the rare ugly. I appreciated her candidness and when I got home I told Jeremy all about it, which only further piqued our interest and moved Boise and Asheville to the top of our “potential future home” list. Something important to note, I don’t think we told a single person we were considering any of this. Mostly because we truly believed this would happen in another 4 years so why bring it up?

So in the meantime, let’s buy a house

Around the same time Jeremy and I started discussing the desire to buy a home in D.C. as rent is high and we wanted to invest in something instead of throwing our money at rent. That seemed contradictory to some people who associate buying a home with putting down roots. With the expectation we would be in D.C. for at least four more years, we thought we could buy a place and then sell or rent it out once we were ready to leave. We decided we would start looking heavily in the late Fall when fewer people are looking to buy, because who wants to move in the dead of winter?

Fast forward to late November. After spending Thanksgiving in Asheville we decided we loved the city but the job market didn’t look great for us there. It was time to start focusing on our house hunting phase of the plan anyway. And focus we did! I don’t want to spend too much on that nightmare but we basically went from being priced out of townhouses, to being priced out of remodeling a gut job, to settling on purchasing a condo. The market in D.C. is insane and we could barely find anything within the VA loan limit in areas that wouldn’t make our commute hell.

We found a condo we thought we loved in a neighborhood we knew we loved (Shaw) and made the mistake of going under contract on a new construction when the certificate of occupancy hadn’t been issued yet. We believed the claims from the seller that it would be coming within a few weeks and after several loan rate extensions and some investigation with the city housing department we discovered we were being duped and the condo had some major issues that wouldn’t be repaired or allow it to pass inspection anytime soon. In the end, we were forced to back out in late February and tried to resume our search with very little luck. It was an emotionally taxing experience riding the roller coaster from the high of being a new homeowner and making all the little plans for your new space to the low of choosing to walk away from it.

After being a day late on making an offer and a few frustrating dead end visits, Jeremy and I sat at a Starbucks before going to mid-March Saturday evening mass at our church in Shaw. As we discussed the frustration I told him maybe we would have to rent for another year. We just couldn’t afford anything and I didn’t have the time to focus on house hunting as I was nearing the end of grad school and needed to focus on my thesis project. It turns out our failure was a complete blessing in disguise…

Listen to your heart

I went into mass and spent some time praying about the whole situation, considering whether I was really listening to God and to my instincts or if we were throwing ourselves into buying this home because it was what we thought we were supposed to do. Something just hit me while I was praying. I had this overwhelming sense that we were supposed to stop looking for a house and leave Washington, D.C.  That we were supposed to follow our hearts and that there was a reason we kept finding ourselves discussing where we would move next and adding cities to a list of potentials.  I’m not saying I believe there was divine intervention telling me to leave D.C. and go to Boise specifically, but I do believe I took the time to open my heart and listen, to be quiet and reflect, and trust God—and my instincts—instead of convincing myself we had to stick to this practical plan.

Jeremy was 100% on board. When we had the discussion he agreed that there was no reason we HAD to stay in D.C. for the next three years other than an arbitrary plan we had created based on retirement savings (which we found out was already vested) and gaining practical work experience. We thought we would just renew our rental lease and consider moving in the late fall or spring. I was comfortable with that as I focused on finishing grad school and looked toward starting my full time job.

Like really, listen and follow through

Jeremy is a more confident and decisive person that me. It is something I admire about him and try to draw from him. While my reflective nature and desire to be prepared can be a great thing, sometimes I don’t actually listen to myself and Jeremy is more willing to trust his instincts. Examples: Jeremy decided he was going to get out of the Army and dropped his paperwork in a matter of a month…I contemplated, soul-searched, researched graduate schools, waited until I got accepted to GW, and turned the decision into a nearly two-year process. While I met with the admissions counselor, read great american classics to expand my vocabulary, studied extensively, took the GRE twice, and wrote and re-wrote essays in preparation to even apply for grad school, Jeremy was inspired by me and applied, was accepted, and started classes all in about two months.

So while I thought a potential move was a safe distance away and hadn’t committed to anything yet, Jeremy immediately started looking at and applying for jobs. I was terrified and although he convinced me to sign up for alerts on LinkedIn and the Idaho HR website I was passively looking and focusing on my thesis. I did come across a position with the Idaho Office of Drug Policy that massively piqued my interest and would be a position focused on issues I care deeply about, including substance abuse and the opioid crisis, where I could really use my MPH. But I merely flagged it and told myself I couldn’t worry about that right now.

The kick in the butt I needed

The following week I met a man named Rey Ramsey during my 1-credit leadership seminar. Rey is a serial entrepreneur and one of the most charismatic people I’ve ever met. It just so happened that Rey finished law school on the East Coast and moved to Portland, OR on a whim after he graduated. He then worked for the state of Oregon in business development and landed where else but Bend, OR.

Rey also talked about listening to our hearts and trusting out instincts. He said “if you find yourself making a list of pros and cons about a decision you’re facing, it means you are going against your natural instinct. You’re trying to convince yourself. And we have enough to fight about and fight for in this world, why would we fight with ourselves?” DAMN, Rey’s words made an impact on me. I talked to him after and told him how we were considering a move, that Jeremy was decisive and applying for jobs, and I was honestly scared to take the next step and disrupt what I had waiting for me in D.C. after I graduated even though I knew I felt like I needed to leave the city. Rey told me that he respects Jeremy, that Jeremy has the right approach. We have one life to live so it is best to live it decisively. And he said “Apply for the damn job. You might not even get a call back so what harm is there?” Both a reality check and great advice.

I went home and applied for the job. And I got a call back for a phone interview. Around that time Jeremy and I discussed the fact that we were considering moving to a city we had never visited. A city we loved via pictures and word of mouth! So I suppose it was more infatuation than love. And we decided we needed to visit ASAP. On a whim we booked flights for the following weekend, the second in April 2018. That was serendipitous as my phone interview turned into a request for an in-person interview.

And our future in Boise was sealed

When we visited we fell head over heels for the city of Boise, ID. We approached the visit from the perspective of potentially living here; we got a list of things to do from Samia and we drove the neighborhoods, looked at homes, ran in the foothills, went to three breweries, ate tacos, bought kombucha and buffalo jerky at the Saturday market, and had dinner with Samia and her husband. One quick trip to the foothills and the Boise National Forest and I felt at home, I felt the serenity I naturally long for and the inspiration and awe that comes with it. We left Boise and decided it had to be our future home. We would have an entire part of the country we hadn’t explored at our fingertips. And on the trip we had found a home we wanted to purchase, half a mile from the foothills, two miles from downtown, and we could AFFORD it. Within a few weeks everything fell into place as I was offered the job, we made an offer on the house and it was accepted, and Jeremy had lined up several interviews.

Between late April and May 22 we informed our companies we would be leaving (tearfully in some cases–bittersweet is a good word), informed our friends, started packing, I presented my thesis, closed on our house, and I graduated. Many of our friends were surprised by our decision, which is fair because we surprised ourselves. They were all incredibly supportive, helped us pack and load up, and promised to come visit (anyone reading this I’m holding you to it). We took a pre-planned two week trip to Thailand, returned June 6th and left for Boise on June 9th on a 4-day cross-country trip in a U-Haul with Bailey. We’re happy, getting settled in our house, and excited about the trials and tribulations of being homeowners. I can’t wait to join a local running team and share more stories and posts from our adventures here in Boy-see 🙂

So there you have it! The story of why and how goes a little deeper than simply a desire to move west. But at the same time…it boils down to following our hearts to move west!

In the possibly misinterpreted words of Led Zeppelin maybe it comes down to this:

“There’s a feeling I get
When I look to the west
And my spirit is crying for leaving.”

Just Stay in Front of the Cow: 2018 Cherry Blossom Ten Miler

Cherry Blossom Recap

There are races that make me want to forget I ran them, some that make me think ‘meh, that was okay,’ and others that make me want to write a blog post. Two years in a row Cherry Blossom has been the last one. I love this race! The course is flat, the cherry blossoms are in full bloom, there are plenty of familiar (and famous) faces, and the weather is usually decent. I’ll take 35 and sunny without complaints!

My goal going into the race this year was to beat my time from last year — 67:45.  I just ran 67:47 with yoyo’ing splits on a hilly course for the Reston 10 Miler so I was feeling good about this super flat course and the opportunity to be more consistent.

The Warm-up

Hubs and I ran from home to starting area, about 1.5 miles of a warm-up. After dropping our clothes at the MUCH improved bag check we ran a few sprints on the grass in front of the Washington Monument. During the warm-up run I noticed my stomach was feeling pretty funky, kind of like I was trying to be overactive right after eating. I had eaten my usual pre-ten miler breakfast at my usual time prior to the race: half piece of toast with peanut butter, 24 ounces of Nuun, and a shot of espresso at 5am, and half a pack of sport beans 45 minutes prior to the start. Shouldn’t have been a problem.

Then, when it didn’t subside by the time we started our sprints I got a little worried. I started to feel more like someone had punched me in the stomach. Have no fear I thought, my stomach was a mess before the Rehoboth Beach Half (because I woke up late and shoveled down a bagel an hour before the race), and the pain disappeared as soon as the race started. We jogged to the starting corral and I just tried to stay optimistic.

The Start

The gun went off at 7:30am and off we went after the 30-second shuffle to the start line. I needed to consistently hit a 6:45 mile so I decided to focus on my watch and the spectators, instead of my stomach. Thankfully, starting at mile 1.5 we hit the Kennedy Center turnaround point and I was happily distracted by seeing the Elite men and everyone who followed on the right hand side of the road.

Maybe the coolest moment of the race was seeing a =PR= team member, Jeff Stein, directly behind the lead pack of men, then followed by Olympic 1500m Gold Medalist Matt Centrowitz who was trying his hand at 10 miles. Shortly after, I am fairly certain I saw Meb Keflezighi!  I also caught a local superwoman, Sara Bishop, leading the women from the Gold Corral. Fairly certain she should have been in the elite start, but whatever the reason she was in my corral, seeing her killing it at the turnaround points was awesome! (Basically I was fan girling during the race).

Halfway There

I hit the five mile mark just below my goal pace, about 6:43 per mile, still dealing with the pain in my stomach. I saw my friend Eric taking photos (where all of these came from – thanks Eric!) and while that lifted my spirits, it didn’t help my belly. I was not looking forward to the somewhat long lonely stretch of Hains Point with stomach pain. Drinking water and Gatorade didn’t help, I knew it wasn’t dehydration. Where that might be debilitating I was still hitting my splits, I was just in pain. At least there were miles of Cherry Blossoms and entertainment stations ahead.

I somehow ended up neck and neck with a man running in an inflatable cow suit. He passed me earlier in the race, I passed him back, and then we settled into a very similar pace. Hearing people yell “Go Cow! Great job Cow!” definitely made me chuckle between wincing. At one point, around mile 8, a tall man came up behind me and was talking to himself, positive affirmations and a personal pep talk kinda thing. I heard him say a  few things but the one that stuck out most was “Just stay in front of the cow. You can beat the cow.”

Just Stay in Front of the Cow

The stomach pain had reached an all time high, the wind was in our faces, and the backside of Hains Point seemed like it would never end. I thought ‘what the heck — you love weird internal pep talks and mantras’ and went ahead and said to myself “Yeah just beat the cow, you can beat the cow.” I fought hard for those last two miles and found a =PR= teammate just ahead of me. We silently pushed each other up the hill to the finish line, after which I dry heaved, and crossed the finish line together. We also beat the cow! (The cow who accomplished something far more impressive than we did). I don’t know about the tall guy, but I was cheering for him.

Who was waiting at the finish line other than my husband Jeremy and our good friend Courtney, who was working as a medic. They handed me a bottle of water that I subsequently dropped next to someone else’s puke and asked me how I did. I looked down at my paused watch and….my time was THE EXACT SAME AS LAST YEAR.  67:45.  Same down to the second. That is both frustrating and amusing at the same time!

 Splits

My watch recorded an additional eighth of a mile so its splits and final pace of 6:43 were just a bit off from the official time and pace of 6:46 per mile. But damn, was I consistent!

 

Mile 1- 6:46

Mile 2- 6:46

Mile 3- 6:43

Mile 4- 6:43

Mile 5- 6:40

Mile 6- 6:47

Mile 7- 6:43

Mile 8- 6:39

Mile 9- 6:46

Mile 10- 6:42

Cherry Blossom also offers a cool graphic overview of each runner’s race through RunPix. It offers finishing position relative to gender, opposite gender, and age, how many runners you passed and how many passed you, and a lot more. I was 545th overall, 97th woman, and 39th 25-29 age group. I finished ahead of 93% of male runners, passed 250 runners, and 77 passed me. It tells a neat little story of the race. You can check mine out here.

Reflection

I didn’t achieve my goal of running faster than last year, which would be a new Personal Record, but I am happy as heck that I ran through that stomach pain and pushed harder as it got worse. I do need to figure out why that happened though. I’ve had stomach issues intermittently before a few races the last six months. I haven’t changed anything about pre-race routines, from 5K to half-marathon, but had issues before the Philly 8K, Rehoboth Beach Half, and now Cherry Blossom. I don’t really get nervous before races, and I do the same thing because I am a creature of habit. If anyone has any thoughts I would love to hear them! I am considering trying oatmeal before my next race 10 miles or longer.

On another note, it is interesting that I ran the same time as last year but thought I was safely on track to run faster. I watched my splits and they indicated I was good, but I forgot my watch was slowly recording additional distance and said I ran 10.08. I 100% trust that the RRCA 10 Mile National Championship course was expertly measured, GPS’s are notorious for measuring extra distance, and I probably didn’t run the tangents. Had I not had the watch, doubt I would have run faster due to the stomach pain. The watch was a blessing to help push me to stay on pace, and a curse for the false comfort.

-Shaina

Running with my Dog

Guest post by my husband, Jeremy Gilbert.

As far back as I can remember, I’ve had a dog in my life.  And as I became a runner, there was a part of me that wanted to have a dog that I could take with me on runs.  This is why Shaina and I decided to get a German Shorthaired Pointer (GSP).  GSPs are known for their high energy and tend to be great running buddies — or so I’ve read.

The day that I met Bailey I could tell she was going to be a good runner.  My first interaction with her was as she attempted to sprint across a yard to chase her mom.  I think she made it about 15 feet before she tripped and stumbled, but give her a break, she was only eight weeks old.

While my desire was to start jogging with her immediately, my Veterinarian had different advice. Bailey’s body needed to develop more before she could start running with me.  For a few months I’d get up extra early so we could walk before my run.  As often as I could I’d take her to the park and let her run around on her own off leash. From the beginning, she had SO MUCH ENERGY!!!  As time past I started to jog around the park as she chased me.  She seemed to enjoy running with me, but we’d only do short stints before she would tire out.

When she was about six months old, her Vet gave me the green light to start running with her on leash.  However, she cautioned me to let Bailey dictate the pace and distance since she was still really young.  Teaching a puppy to run with you can be an exhausting experience. I can’t tell you how many times I began a run with Bailey just to have her get distracted by something and not want to continue. It’s important to remember that your puppy doesn’t have aspirations of taking long runs with you, they really just want to explore and enjoy the outside — be patient.

Our first distance together was ¼ mile and I think we stopped a half a dozen times.  After that short out and back I dropped Bailey at home and continued with my scheduled run for the day.  This routine went on for weeks.  Each day or so we added a little bit more distance to her run, and she’d want to stop less.  By week four she was running two miles with only one or two stops per run (bathroom breaks).  During those weeks we concentrated on staying close to me.  I kept her leash short but still let her control the pace.  This was important since we were running in Arlington, VA where there are a lot of people and cars.

I kept Bailey at two miles until she was about eight months old.  Before we pushed past that distance I wanted to get the okay from her Vet.  After a quick visit we were cleared to run as far as she wanted to.  The miles started to add up quickly.  By 10 months she was up to five miles, again by adding a little each day.  The more we ran together the more she seemed to enjoy it.  Whenever we ran together I’d let Bailey set the pace, not that it was an issue for my training since she always wanted to go fast (sometimes we’d keep a 5:40 pace for a mile at a time).  Also, if she got tired and couldn’t finish a run — which barely ever happened — I’d let her stop for a breather.  Usually she was ready to go again a few minutes later.

Bailey and I had a short break in running together when I went to Germany to visit Shaina for a few months.  But once I returned to the states, she picked it back up as if we’d never stopped.  By age two Bailey had run up to 14 miles with me.  No distance seemed to be too much as long as the conditions were good.  She’s not really fond of heat and humidity, so we try to get our runs in early during the summertime and carry water for her if its over five miles. She likes to go fast — she’s won top dog in a two-mile race in 11:30 and ran a sub-19:00 5k. She also enjoys hill workouts on Capitol Hill, but mostly so she can pull squirrel patrol.

I know Bailey may not be the norm when it comes to running dogs.  She and I run together between 4-6 days a week, and she just follows my run plan at this point. The only running Bailey doesn’t do with me are track workouts — simply because dogs aren’t allowed!  As for distance, Bailey’s longest run was 16.5 miles.  Even though I’m sure she can go farther than that, Shaina and I decided that 16.5 miles would be her cutoff point. We don’t run further than that very often, anyway.

Not all dogs can run this much and I encourage you to talk to your Vet if you want to start running with your dog. Bailey gets regular check-ups where her Vet and I discuss her running habits.  Additionally, it’s important to make sure that if you’re going to run with your dog they’re getting the proper nutrition to sustain their activity level.  Just like human runners, dogs need protein to recover.  Based on her activity level my Vet recommend Blue Buffalo dog food.  It’s high in protein which is great for active dogs like Bailey.

If you’ve been thinking about getting a four-legged running buddy, remember that it will take a lot of work before you two are running side-by-side on your favorite route. Dogs, like people, need time to build up their endurance for long runs.  Be patient and don’t give up.  Soon enough your dog will develop into the most reliable running buddy you could ask for.

-Jeremy Gilbert