Beating the Post-Race Blues: On to the Next One

After DJ Research killed it at the Harper's Ferry Half Marathon, he gave himself a few days to rest and then went out for a short run, only to return complaining that "it sucked."  For the next week or so, he moped around the house like the mopiest-moping mopester.  He managed a few runs during this time, but they were unfulfilling and his legs felt dead.  He didn't know what was wrong

I wanted to lend a sympathetic ear, but I was preparing for my own race, and was on top of the world excited for it.  I really couldn't relate to what he was going through.  But then I ran my race, and the hullabaloo died down, and I suddenly found myself moping right along with him.

I went for a few runs myself--nothing more than three miles--but I didn't feel invigorated when I was done.  In fact, I kinda felt like I was wasting my time.  I felt empty and listless.  Was I burned out with running already?!?

Turns out, we were both suffering from post-race blues.  We had spent the past few months training for these races, and now that the races were doneanddone, we felt like we were running for nothing.

I know, so dramatic and pathetic, right?

So we decided to get off our mope-ed (get it?!), and do something about it.  According to this Runner's World article, its important to have post-race running goals to keep you moving and motivated.  That said, rest is also a very key component of recovering from a race.  Always on the lookout for ways to multi-task, I decided to rest AND plan my running goals for summer and fall (I realize thats super lame and not really multi-tasking, but frankly, fake multi-tasking is a skill of mine.  I can watch TV and fold laundry likes its my job.)

Here's what I have planned for the summer:

1) #RWRUNSTREAK.  As I mentioned, the DJ and I are doing the Runner's World Summer Running Streak and running (at least) 1 mile a day from Memorial Day to July 4th.  This is the perfect challenge for me right now because there is zero pressure, but it still gets me out there for at least one mile.  We're 4 days into the challenge and so far I've run 11.6 miles.  I actually injured myself just a tad today--nothing serious--and the DJ asked, "Are you going to run tomorrow?"  "I have to," I said.  "I'm freaking streaking!"

Not the kind of streaking I had in mind,
but hey, whatever rocks your boat. (src)

2) Go on a family run (almost) every weekend.  I love running with my fam.  Its great bonding time for all of us, and since logistically its easiest if we run first thing in the morning, its a great way to start the day.  I say almost every weekend because I imagine there will be days when its too hot to run with Nugget, even at 8 in the morning, and there will be days when none of us want to get out of bed.  Almost gives us some wiggle room, and reminds me not to be militant about my arbitrary goals.

3) Find fun races.  Racing is fun, but the fees can really add up.  I've been looking for races this summer that are free (i.e. put on by our local running club) or super fun, and therefore worth the entry fee.  On the list right now is Friends of the W&OD 10K (which is a paved trail race that has a jogging stroller division!) and the Virginia Happy Trails Running Club Women's Half-Marathon.

W&OD Railroad Regional Park

4) On to the next one: But these goals are really secondary to my BIG goal for 2012: the Anthem Richmond Marathon.  Yup, after a good race at the Marine Corps Half-Marathon, I've decided its time for me to run the whole thing.  All 26.2 miles.  Holy smokes, I can't believe I just typed that.

Richmond Marathon.  Look at those colors!!

These goals make me excited to run, to really run, again.

Running this spring was awesome.  Running this summer is going to rock.  Running this fall is going to kick some major tush.  I'm so excited.


Have you ever had the post-race blues?  How did you beat it?


What is your BIG running goal for this summer or fall?



RAR!

Memorial Day Family Fun Streak!

Earlier this week, the DJ and I decided it was high time our family unit went for a family run.  We have not run together as a family yet this year, and its already the end of May.  A Memorial Day family fun run would be the perfect way to kick off the summer.

Well, a fun run would be fun, but why fun run when you could do something more fun than a fun run?  (say that 10 times fast).  Whats more fun than a fun run?  A FUN STREAK!!

Streaking!

Yup, we decided to streak it.  Which does not mean we ran naked (my college days are over, my friend.  Not that I ran naked in college.  Hi mom!).  DJ Research and I are joining the Runner's World Summer Running Streak where we will be running (at least) one mile a day from Memorial Day to July 4th.  Thats 38 consecutive days of running.  This challenge is exactly what I need to get me out of my post-race blues (more on that later).

The night before our fun run streak, we laid out our running clothes and set the coffee maker.  Then we packed snacks for Nugget, got his sippy cups ready, chose his clothes, packed an extra change of clothes/diapers, and put the stroller in the car.  (Its amazing that someone more than half our size requires twice as much stuff!!)

We knew it was going to be a hot one, so we wanted to hit the trail early.  We were hoping to leave our house by 7:00am, but didn't actually get out the door until 7:30am.  We were on the trail by 8:00am.

Lake near the trail

And by trail I mean a paved trail under lots of tree cover.  The day was not yet uncomfortably hot, and it was particularly cool under the tree canopy.  The plan was to run 4 miles total: 2 miles out, 2 miles back.  DJ Research took stroller duty first, which I prefer because it gives my body a chance to loosen up before I have to push.

I felt we started strong, but the DJ informed me that we were actually quite slow (I'm so bad at assessing my pace!)  Regardless, it was great to be running with the Hubs again!!  We picked up our pace at the end of mile one, and suddenly we were at the turn-around and it was my turn for stroller duty!  I really wanted a negative split, so I tried to push hard on the return.  Mile 4 we averaged a 9:03 pace, and that was with hills!  I'm happy with that speed, and it gives us a bar to set future stroller runs against.

After our run, we freed Nugget from the confines of his stroller to roam around, rock-throw and bubble-blow.  Because a fun streak really isn't fun unless you are streaking with bubbles.

RAR! 

This is belated, but I hope you had a wonderful Memorial Day weekend.  Thank you to all the men and women out there who have served and are serving our country!  Our family unit salutes you!



RAR!

Harper's Ferry Half-Marathon: Race Recap

Two weeks ago, our family unit was in Harper's Ferry, West Virginia to cheer DJ Research on as he ran the Harper's Ferry Half-Marathon.  He ran a great race, and as soon as he crossed the finish line, I congratulated him with a big juicy smooch and asked, "Can you write a race recap for my blog?!?"  Because being a guest blogger on Run 'Ama, Run! was exactly what he was thinking about as he poured his blood, sweat and tears into that crazy hilly course.

Well, the DJ is awesome, so write it he did (and because I'm Yoda, talk like that I do).  And here it is:

Two Fridays past, Ama, Nugget, and I braved Beltway traffic on our way to Harpers Ferry, WV. I had been wavering for some time about whether or not I wanted to run a half marathon this season, but a few weeks ago, Ama gave me a little nudge and there we were, crammed into our little Toyota heading west with a handful of Gu and a new pair of race socks.

Harpers Ferry was host to the second annual Harpers Ferry Half Marathon. Here’s the race description:

“The half marathon course is almost completely enclosed in Harpers Ferry National Historical Park and the preserved Civil War era towns of Bolivar and Harpers Ferry. The route includes close to 1000 feet of total elevation gain and 2000 feet of total elevation change. You will experience a mix of trail, road, and crushed gravel paths. You will view the confluence of the Two Rivers- the Shenandoah and the Potomac. The steep uphill portions will test each runner’s strength and will. The fun and challenging downhills will be a wild ride you’ve rarely experienced in a run. Breathtaking views of the rivers, historic buildings, mountains, scenery will stimulate the senses and inspire you to reach the finish line.”

Sounds nice, right? If they had TV commercials, I imagine someone would say, “it’s not just a race, it’s an adventure.” And it was.

The race started on a grassy Civil War battlefield, followed by a gravel path and a short distance on forest trail. This gave way to road, which in turn, gave way to sandy riverside paths. About five miles in, we hit the cobblestones of Harpers Ferry’s historic streets and meandered through town a bit before turning around for the return trip. We ran grass, gravel, packed dirt, road, sand, and cobbles (?!). And every bit of it was beautiful. 

I loved it. There are so many reasons why the Harpers Ferry was a great race – the participants were few and all very supportive of one another, the volunteers and spectators were enthusiastic and numerous, the panoramas were beautiful, and the course itself was challenging without being tooo challenging.

The best thing was that it didn’t take itself too seriously. The starting line was a piece of duct tape. I think the winners got a DVD. We were just 200 people out for a leisurely 13.1 mile run.

But there was also this:

It’s kind of amazing how easy it is to skip over this line from the race description: The steep uphill portions will test each runner’s strength and will.

As I passed one runner about halfway up the first major incline he said, “This hill’s a booger.” Yeah. To say the least. And I should point out, the above chart is from my Garmin. The elevation chart on the race website – the chart I vigorously studied pre-race – portends something still difficult but distinctly less angular. Pre-race, I had the romantic notion that I might be able to finish the course without walking. That idea was shattered by the end of mile six. And again at the end of mile eleven.  And maybe one or two other times in between (that idea was well and thoroughly, little tiny bits).

Actually though, while it was bad, it wasn’t soooo bad. Like I said, I studied up ahead of time, so I had some idea what I was in for even if I didn’t know exactly what I was in for. There aren’t too many hills where we live, but Ama and I don’t shy away from those we have. I could have been better prepared, but I was probably better off than quite a few of my fellow runners. Frankly, the hills were my favorite sections of the course; I loved the challenge. And suffering is less terrible when it’s done with other people.

Coming into the race, I would have been stoked to break two hours. At my first half marathon last fall, the Hershey Half, I finished in 2:01 but with the exception of a few rolling hills, the course was relatively flat. And while on the one hand, I was really happy simply to have finished, on the other I was secretly a little disappointed that I hadn’t run just two minutes faster. For the Harpers Ferry Half, I was in much better shape.  But those hills…

Somehow, I PR’d. And pretty comfortably I might add. I remember finishing mile 12 at around 1:37, and thinking with a huge smile, I could walk to the finish and still make it in under two hours. Of course, I had completely forgotten about the last remaining short-but-still-horribly-painful hill, so that last mile was a bit of a slog, but I crossed the finish line with a time of 1:48:49.

I’d preceded this race with some pretty long training runs, so I wasn’t worried about making it to the finish line. The one big question was how much the hills would slow me down. Before the race, I’d made a pact with myself that I would powerwalk the inclines if my heart rate got up too high, and use that reserved energy to fly down the declines. If there was one thing I could say I owed the success of this race to, it was that – allowing myself that it was okay to walk if I needed to and having prepared enough beforehand to know I could be aggressive on the downhills.

But if I’m really being honest, everything went right that day. My race strategy worked right. I fueled right. I paced right. Given my current athletic ability, I honestly don’t think I could have run this one any better.

Far and away, this was the best race I’d ever run (it was only my fourth), but given how well I did, how much fun I had, and how beautiful a day it was, this was probably my best run of any kind, ever.

RAR!

Tossing Ideas Around

DJ Research has been considering initiating a health challenge among his social sphere.  He's tentatively calling it "Health Week Challenge" (which I actually coined and I realize is not very creative).  Basically he wants to challenge himself and his friends to actively engage in one healthy activity--be it physical, educational, dietary, emotional/psychological (i.e. stress)--for one week.

This is not completely uncommon for the DJ and I.  We will sometimes impose little challenges on ourselves; for instance, we challenged ourselves to become "voracious readers" and last year we both read over 30 books (a big jump from a few years ago when I just read 6 books).

So the DJ is tossing ideas my way as to what his "Healthy Week Challenge" challenge might be:

DJ: I was thinking I could try to run 100 miles in one week.
Me: You realize many would argue that puts too much stress on the body, and thus would be the opposite of healthy.
DJ: Yes, but I really want to do it.
Me: Well, I think its a great goal, and I think you could totally do it!  Maybe not next week, but with smart training, I know you could totally run 100 miles in one week.  Thats an awesome goal!!
DJ: Thanks! I was also thinking I would try to get 8 hours of sleep a day for one whole week.
Me:  WHAT?!?  Are you crazy?  Thats insane!  You mean 8 consecutive hours?  For 7 consecutive days?  Thats impossible!  Are humans even capable of such a feat?!

Clearly priorities are a little messed up around here.  And clearly I need more sleep.

Getting enough sleep is exceptionally vital to good health, but it is oh-so-difficult to do.  I would love to blame it on the fact that I have young son, but honestly, Nugget is a champion sleeper.  10-12 hours a night is the norm for him  I'm just such a night owl, I can't go to bed before midnight.

Despite my night-owl tendencies, getting adequate sleep would not be the biggest challenge for me.  My challenge would be in the kitchen.  Because I H.A.T.E. cooking.  To be completely frank, "cook one meal every day for a whole week" would be really difficult for me.  I hate cooking that much.

So we'll see whats in store for both of us once the "Health Week Challenge" rolls around.  Hopefully I'm on vacation that week.


RAR!

(Almost) Wordless Wednesday

Hump day can always use some humor.

All images via heyrunnergirl.tumblr.com

Marine Corps Historic Half-Marathon Race Recap

Rockstar weekend is over (which means I'm back to doing the dishes, grrr...), but I'm still happy about my performance at the Marine Corps Historic Half-Marathon this past Sunday in Fredericksburg, VA.  I managed a 1:59:02 finish, which is a 12:58 faster PR than my previous HM finish at the Hershey Half last year (2:12:00).  I think I can run faster, though, and I look forward to training harder and trying for another HM PR in the fall.

As evidenced by previous race recaps, its really easy to blog about every. single. detail. of your race, even though it may be oh-so-tedious for your readers to read (or not read, which is probably the case).  Its also really easy to not want to blog about every. single. detail. of your race, because it is oh-so-tedious to type (or not type, as I was sorely tempted to skip this post).  For the sake of brevity, I'm going to adopt a race recap template (which I stole from Banana BuzzBomb, who stole it from RocTheRun) to highlight certain aspects of the race, so that we can all get on with our lives a good night's sleep.  (Not that detailed race reports aren't awesome.  To be honest, if I had the time and energy, I would probably write a novella about each race.  But me wants to sleep!)

Terrain/Route:

This course was all road.  I thought it would be a mostly flat course, with a whopper of a hill at mile 10.  Turns out, its a fairly hilly course, with a whopper junior of a hill at mile 10.

The Weather:

The day started a bit chilly but comfortable with bright blue skies.  It obviously got hotter as the day went on, but I didn't think it was ever too hot.

Low Points:

I started WAY TOO FAST.  I passed the 5K point in 25:58, an 8:21m/m.  Thats awesome, but way too fast for me.  I knew I needed to dial it back, particularly with all the upcoming hills.  Also, I ran the early downhills strong, but a little too strong.  I was pretty winded between miles 4-6.  By the 15K point, I was running 8:50m/m, which is more my speed.  And then I hit Hospital Hill.  It wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be, but I did walk a portion of it because I knew there was another hill in mile 11.  I also walked a portion of that hill until I realized this was the last hill and I might as well give it all I got at this point!

High Points:

The spectators.  Fredericksburg really knows how to motivate its runners!  People were lined along almost all 13.1 miles, clapping, cheering, waving, handing out tequila jello shots (at mile 4.  I kid you not).  There were church choirs, school bands, real bands, and even a few quartets, plus a few groups dressed in Civil War-era garb.  But I think my favorite spectators were the kids, who eagerly held out their hands to high-five us as we ran by.  I'm a big advocate of thanking those who came out to cheer us, so I waved and clapped and high-fived back.  So fun!

But I think my greatest motivator (besides DJ Research and Nugget, of course) was the announcer at the finish line.  As I'm nearing the end, I hear the announcer yell over the (ridiculously loud) PA system: "RUNNERS!  IF YOU CAN HEAR ME, YOU HAVE THREE MINUTES TO MAKE IT UNDER 2:00 HOURS!  THREE MINUTES!!  YOU CAN DO IT!"  I had no idea I was so close.  Due to my fuzzy math skills, I thought I had an extra mile to go.  When I realized I was going to make it under 2 hours, tears sprang into my eyes and I started kicking hard.  I wanted to make sure I ABSOLUTELY finished under 2:00.  With 0:58 seconds to spare, I crossed the finish line.  I was so happy, I peed my pants.

PR happy!

The Marine Corps Historic Half-Marathon was fun and festive!  I recommend it as a first time half-marathon (just train for hills) because all the support really pumps you up.  Thank you to all the marines who helped as course marshals and who cheered us on.  And thank you to all the men and women in all branches of the armed forces for your service to our country!

Rockstar Weekend

It was another big, fun weekend for our family unit.  We drove down to Fredericksburg, VA, where I ran the Marine Corps Half-Marathon, and where we all achieved rockstar-status.

• I got my sub-2 hour half-marathon, by 0:58 seconds.  My goal was sub-2:05, but when I realized I was on-course for a sub-2 hour time, I pushed.  I am super happy with my time, and am allowing myself rockstar-status for the rest of the day.  Which basically means I'm not doing the dishes.
• Nugget was a rockstar the whole trip.  He ate well, drank well and slept well, although apparently he did need a little pick-me up this morning.  He also showed me proper stretching technique.

Pouding a cup'o'joe (don't worry, its empty).

'Ama, let me show you proper stretching technique.

• DJ Research was a rockstar trip coordinator, coach, cheerleader and hubby (he's doing laundry as I type!).  As we drove the course the day before the race, he not only advised how to run each uphill and downhill, but also reminded me to run on the flattest portion of the roads (something I would not have thought about).  We also talked about how I would fuel during the race, which was key.  He met me at three different points during the race, and made sure I stretched and hydrated enough post-race.  He was probably the biggest rockstar of the weekend.

It was a great weekend, but I'm exhausted now and want to curl up on the couch with the DJ, have a beer, and watch Unbreakable for the 8th time.  Race recap coming soon.  I just wanted to say: I did it!!