a meeting with the new recruits

Like many of the YMCA's in Richmond and the surrounding areas, my local Y was offering to host group training runs for the upcoming Monument Avenue 10K. Based on my previous observations of the crowd that typically frequents the gym here though and the fact that we weren't listed as an official partner on the race's website, I probably shouldn't have expected too much. Nevertheless, I was longing for other people to run with and I already had an in with the Y as a spin instructor, so I volunteered to help out with the training. I was looking for the opportunity to connect with other runners, but upon meeting the ragtag group of first-time runners this morning, my thoughts on the scarcity of other runners in the area were all but confirmed.

While offering my assistance in hopes of meeting a running buddy or two didn't exactly pan out, things weren't all bad. The five individuals who signed up for the training sessions were enthusiastic and seemed more than willing to put in the work necessary to meet their goals. We did a little bit of treadmill work to see what kind of paces and fitness bases we were working with, followed up with some lounges, and then ended with the usual stretches. All in all it was a good first day, and it looks like we'll have a fun time motivating each other and getting ready for the big the race.

It's an amazing thing to take up something as transformative as running, and I'm happy to be part of that journey for them. It's been a long time since my first runs, but I remember the excitement and the mistakes I made along the way, and if I can use my experiences and knowledge to get others as excited about running as I am, then volunteering will be totally worth it. Maybe by the end of this I'll end up with someone to run with after all.

a new year begins

After sleeping in way too late and then driving three hours to get back home, I completed my last official run of the Runner's World Holiday Streak, and my first run with the lumberjack, my new Lego running companion. For me at least, this seemingly unrelated transition signifies the end of one year, and the beginning of a new one. In the past few months, my running has undergone significant growth. I overcame injuries that had plagued me for years by switching to minimalist running, I broke a long-standing streak of increasingly dismal finishing times at my annual turkey trot, and I got myself involved in the online running community by starting a blog. Now as I look ahead, it seems only right that I continue to build off of last year's accomplishments and set new goals for the new year.

I'd like to start keeping a paper log again. I've flip-flopped between computer logs and paper logs many times over the course of my running career, but the switch to digital has almost always been out of laziness more than preference. I'd like to run at least 500 miles this year. I know for some that's a very meager mileage goal over the course of a whole year, but dozens of past setbacks have given me a great deal of respect for patience and incremental progression. Finally, since things went so well with the holiday streak, I'd like to continue it and see how much further I can take it. The official streak was 35 days long and took place between Thanksgiving and New Year's, but I'd like to get to 50 days and then reassess whether or not I want to keep going.

The start of a new year always holds so much potential. Why not make this a year of aiming high and working hard to reach your goals? I know that that's going to be my plan for 2014.

a year in review

Around this time each year, many runners begin reflecting on their efforts and accomplishments. Some will share their thoughts online, while others will simply contemplate their past year on a solitary long run. For those who blog though, Miss Zippy has worked to standardize this annual reflection, offering six questions that serve as a template for gathering one's thoughts. Once answered, posts can be linked on Miss Zippy's blog and shared online using the #yearofrunning13 hashtag. Following the lead of Miss Zippy and a number of others, here is my year in review:

1) Best race experience?

This is an easy one, and not just because I only ran three races this past year. Every year I run the same turkey trot with my best friend on Thanksgiving morning, and each time we have finished the race just a little bit slower than the last one. This year though, we made a pact at the starting line to put an end to this, and by the time we had crossed the finish line, we had taken three minutes off of our time from last year. The streak was broken, and now we're looking to run an even faster race next November.

2) Best run?

Where I live isn't really the best place for running. You can either brave the dangers of twisting country roads or deal with the monotony of running circles around small neighborhoods; neither option is ideal. This is made even more depressing by the fact that prior to moving here I had always lived in places with a great selection of route options.

However, while talking to someone at the gym this summer about the lack of good outdoor spaces in the area, I was informed about the existence of Hickory Hollow, a nearby nature preserve with a few trails that loop around and intersect each other. I checked it out, and on my first run I immediately fell in love with the place. The terrain offered new challenges, and the wildlife and scenery quickly dispelled boredom. Ever since that first run, I've made it a point to get there at least once or twice a week, as much as daylight and scheduling will allow. Had it not been for that first run there, I'm sure I wouldn't have ended up running nearly as much as I have this year.

3) Best new piece of gear?

Tough call here. There are two items I purchased this year that have greatly impacted my running, and each as done so in a completely different way, one improving my physical well-being and the other doing wonders for my mental health. The first transformative piece of gear was a pair of Xero Shoes; these flimsy running sandals helped me transition into barefoot/minimalist running this past summer, and now that I've kicked the shoes and improved my form, this is the longest I've ever gone without some type of injury. The second item that makes the cut was a Garmin Forerunner 110. Since getting it, I'm no longer tied down to the same old routes; I'm free to wonder and explore, and I never worry about planning my runs when I visit a new place. 

4) Best piece of running advice you received?

I had struggled with iliotibial band syndrome for years, and I had just about tried everything to remedy the problem. It got to the point where the only thing I had left to try was barefoot running, but before I would take on something I was already extremely skeptical about, I made sure to read up on the subject. Pretty much all of the information out there echoes the same few points: take the transition slowly, increase your cadence, and shorten the length of your stride. It was incorporating these three things into my running that really enabled me to get back to running the distances I had when I first started running, before the nagging injuries appeared.

5) Most inspirational runner?

There's a huge pool of talented, accomplished runners to draw from, but in light of this year's events, I'm going to have to refrain from selecting a single individual, and instead choose the heroes of the Boston Marathon who ran towards danger to help those that had been injured in the bombings. From first responders to spectators and participants, when everyone else was running away, these individuals ignored their own safety and ran right into chaos and tragedy; it's hard not to find inspiration in that.

6) If you could sum up your year in a couple of words, what would they be?

It's been a year of returning to the basics and rekindling my love for running.

a blustery morning run

I know that it takes about two weeks for the benefits of any given workout to have a physiological impact, but that doesn't mean a run can't have an immediate psychological effect. With the temperature just below freezing and the wind blowing fiercely this morning, I opted against an easy run and traded it for a confidence boosting long run. With only four days until my 5 mile turkey trot I knew I should be tapering, but with the forecast calling for temperatures in the low twenties Thanksgiving morning, I wanted to make sure that I could handle both the distance and the cold.

I drove out to Hickory Hollow, a small natural preserve area that has a few different trails that loop around and intersect each other, and I set out for a four mile run, my longest run in almost a year. The ground was hard and unyielding from the cold and the wind had left many tree limbs strewn across the trails. It was pretty tough going, and at one point, due to concealment caused by fallen leaves, I lost sight of the trail and ended up running down a steep embankment, only able to arrest my rapid, uncontrolled decent at the bottom by grabbing onto a small tree. Despite the unforeseen adventure, I continued on my way, all the while hoping that it would warm up, but the cold winds were unrelenting. Far from my fastest run, I was just content to have completed the run without any other incident.

I know the cautious thing to do would have been to take it easy today and to ensure that my legs were as fresh as they could be for the race on Thursday, but I'm glad I put in the extra miles. Between IT twinges from a couple of weeks ago to my longest run being only 3.5 miles, I was a little worried about how things were going to go at the turkey trot. Would I have to walk? Would I end up injured? But after today's run, I know that I'm good to go. I don't have a lot of confidence in breaking my time from last year, but at least I know that I'm ready.

a chilly three mile triumph

My best friend and I have been running the same 5 mile turkey trot every Thanksgiving morning since 2008, and each year my time has gotten just a little bit slower than the previous year. This somewhat depressing trend can easily be attributed to persistent issues with iliotibial band syndrome caused only by my own past foolishness, but despite the ever increasing times being posted on the finishing clock, I've gotten a little bit smarter about my training as the years have passed.

I've worked hard to incorporate different techniques and routines to help keep injury at bay, and since making a smooth transition into minimalist running this past summer I was really starting to feel confident about breaking my predictable Thanksgiving day slowdown. I mapped out an eight week plan to steadily increase the length of my runs, and things were going extremely well up until last week when the scheduling began calling for distances of 3 miles and beyond.

On each run where I attempted to reach the elusive distance, I started to feel twinges in my IT bands, some days the left and on others the right. Not wanting to risk all of the gains I had made since the summer, I'd inevitably back off and end the run early, usually about a half mile short of an even three. But today, on the coldest day since I began running in just a flimsy piece of rubber held to my foot by a cord, I succeeded in competing a 3 mile run, and I hadn't even set out to do it.

In preparation of the cold I ended up deviating from my usual routine in several ways, and it's hard to tell which aspect or what combination of factors lead to my momentous run this morning; all I know is that something clicked and it worked. I did a quick foam rolling session before leaving the house, and I walked for about five minutes prior to starting. Then, when I finally got to running, I ran extremely slowly, nearly 90 seconds slower than my usual pace. The run was feeling easy, and all I kept telling myself was that I shouldn't look at my watch, that I should just stop when it started to get difficult. Eventually I started thinking that I had been running for what felt like awhile, and when I looked at my watch I saw "2.88 miles" on the screen. A celebration was clearly in order; obviously at that point I had no problem finishing out the 3 miles for the day.

So as of right now it's tough to say if I'll end up breaking my streak and clocking a faster time than I had at last year's race, but I'm content just knowing that it seems I've broken a plateau in my training. We'll just have to see how the next two weeks go, and maybe things will come together on Thanksgiving morning as perfectly as they had today.