Find Your Running Program

Looking back on this year, it truly has been a wonderful running season. As this year comes to a close I am thinking about all the great lessons I learned this year about the sport and customizing my running program. First, to be successful as an athlete, you need to love it and be passionate about it, and to train well you need to be fully recovered.

As an older athlete I use to push myself constantly to never miss a workout, sleep in the altitude tent, religiously visit my massage therapist, etc. It was chaotic to say the least.

I tried a different approach this year and found that when I cleared my schedule, tweaked my running program, reduced my miles and number of workouts, I actually ran better.

Last Year’s Running Program: 90 miles a week or more, ran 2x day, slept in altitude tent, and did three hard workouts a week.

This Year’s Running Program: 80 miles a week, ran 1x day, slept outside the altitude tent. This year, I set an American master record, set a PR in the half marathon, qualified for trials and was top us master in my age group.

I’d say it worked! The moral of the story is to analyze your running program and make sure it is the most optimal training solution for you. Everyone’s body is different, requiring unique and tailored training methods. Has anyone else seen an increase in performance by tweaking your running program?

My Healthy Food Tip!

For an all-natural healthy snack, I love to eat a mix of salt-free nuts and raisins. Its very high in fat and calories, but as long as you can manage the calories its a great food to keep around and snack on.

Another one of my favorite quick healthy snacks is Hummus- I choose the all-natural humus from Whole Foods (or probably any grocery store will have something similar) along with blue corn chips, the Food Should Taste Good blue corn chips don’t have any trans fats or bad stuff in it- site note… if you can’t pronounce the ingredients in the foods you eat, its probably not worth having! If your’e trying to reduce fat in your diet, switch the blue corn chips with fresh carrots, celery or even bell peppers.

With Philadelphia Half-Marathon and Minnesota 10-Miler behind me, it’s time to refocus my efforts on setting a strategy for the Olympic Trials in Houston next January. I’ll be running a few track races and adjusting my running workouts this spring to get ready for the 10k qualifier, but my ultimate goal is to achieve a double-qualification, both on the track and on the road.

But for now, I’m just thankful to have some mental down time! I’m able to focus back on the other important areas of my life that I haven’t been put enough time towards. I’m so happy to be spending more time with my family again, and don’t take a single second for granted. Training intensely while juggling three kids and a family about put me over the edge, but somehow you just do it.

So its back to base training for a few weeks: running 12 miles a day Monday-Fridays, Saturdays are just a few easy miles to stay fit and have a little fun. I’m starting to take off Sundays so I can give myself more recovery time and more time with my family.

I love traveling home, especially for a race in my old stomping grounds- there’s nothing like that hometown feeling!  I ran in the Medtronic TC 10-miler on October 3rd in Minnesota, although the race didn’t go as well as I had hoped.  I finished 8th overall, 1st Master and still got the American Record, but my time wasn’t what I had hoped for. I managed to win 1st master, but still not pleased with my overall performance. Many great takeaways from the race, I know what I need to continue working on….but now, its time to go home and visit with my family!

And if you hate running in cold weather, try arm warmers- they are a life saver!!

The 2010 Philadelphia half marathon was perhaps the most nerve-racking race of the year. There was a ton of pressure to do well, because I had a shot at qualifying for the Olympic Trials- and against some incredibly tough competition (and much younger competition!).  Twenty-five elite runners from 10 countries were there to race, including the current world record holder and gold medalist (the 9th place female was the 1992 Olympic Gold Medalist).
I ran the race in 72:15, qualified for Olympic trials, 8th overall, 3rd American, 1st master.

I’m a happy girl

Below are the top results for female finishers:
1. Meseret Defar, 26, Ethiopia              1:07:44
2. Lineth Chepkirui, 22, Kenya              1:07:46
3. Werknesh Kidane, Ethiopia                1:08:30
4. Shalane Flanagan, 29, Portland, OR       1:08:36
5. Kim Smith, 28, New Zealand               1:08:39
6. Caroline Rotich, 26, Kenya               1:10:24
7. Katie McGregor, 33, Minneapolis, MN      1:12:04
8. Stephanie Herbst Lucke, 44, Atlanta, GA  1:12:15
9. Chaofeng Jia, 21, China                  1:12:46
10. Deratu Tulu, 38, Ethiopia                1:13:01

elite runners at the starting line

Mid-race!

Staying motivated can be tough, especially for us moms who juggle it all. I’ve noticed though, over the years, the more organized I am in my day-to-day life, the more motivated I am to achieve bigger and better things in other areas of my life.  Organization and motivation go hand in hand.

I keep a small notebook with that I use to write my daily lists in- I list my tasks in order of importance. I do everything in my power to make sure my list is completed for the day- I literally sleep better knowing I’ve completed my list! It may sound silly, but its a great sense of accomplishment.

We used to have this saying at IBM ‘think’- you are supposed to spend the first five minutes of each work day in your office thinking and planning what you needed to accomplish for the day, and to a certain extent, I still practice that. I begin each day and I know what needs to get done, and how I’m going to approach and accomplish it.

I’m sure you can relate, but as a mom, goals now are much different than they were before motherhood. What matters is having a balanced life with my family, ensuring my kids are happy and healthy, and living an overall well-balanced life.  That motivates me to stay healthy and active.

What motivates you?  How do you set your goals?

The 2010 Atlanta’s Finest 5k was certainly a memorable one! I always love local races because many of my friends participate and my family is on the sidelines cheering me on. This year was a particular exciting one- I felt surprisingly great during the race, and set a new 5k record at 16:47! I finished First Master in the race (see overall results), which is an encouraging sign (especially because I’m not getting any younger!).   Here are some of my pictures from the race, which may look a little blurry…my kids are my photographers

Last Saturday I ran in the Father’s Day 4 Miler, hosted by the Atlanta Braves and Atlanta Track Club- which was so fun because the finish line ended literally inside Turner Field and a ticket to that night’s game! I finished the race with first womens, first Masters, and 11th place overall, and the the awards ceremony took place on the field prior to Saturday’s game.. my son loved that part! Despite the insane Atlanta summer heat and humidity, it was a blast. If you missed it this year, be sure to sign up for next year’s race! Here are some fun pictures and videos from the event:

Awards Ceremony on the field before the Braves Game

My son Daniel and I after the Atlanta Braves 4 Miler

[View with PicLens]

What kind of running shoes to you exercise in? I’m curious to know your favorites, and more importantly, why. Here are my top Running Shoes for Women:

Finding time to workout can be tough- sometimes even the pros can’t get it in. And as a mom with three kids, squeezing in a workout sometimes seems impossible!

That’s OK! Frankly, your body needs a break. If you must skip a workout or can’t find the time to get one in, use that day as one of your days off and don’t punish yourself.

If you train on a more casual basis, try an exercise workout schedule of 2 days on, 1 day off. This gives your body a break and a chance to heal itself (because any amount of training causes a small amount of muscle tissue damage).  Your body needs a break so it can repair the damage and help you  grow stronger and move to the next level.  So unless you have a solid base, start with a program of two days on one day off.

We all screw up 10% of the time it’s what we do with the 90% that counts!