Pilgrim Pacer 10k - Race Re-cap and Life Update

It feels like for the longest time Thanksgiving would never get here, then somehow it snuck up on us and before we knew what happened, our faces were stuffed, our stretchy pants were on, and the USABMX Grand Nationals were being streamed alongside the New York Macy's Day Parade. Here's the part where I'm going to be very honest; I was excited about Thanksgiving, I really was. I thought I had figured out my life up until the end of 2020 and nothing could derail it. Then I got the call no one wants to get, that call from your mom telling you that your cat passed away. It was both expected and unexpected; McLovin had been sick for the last 2 1/2 years with issues made manageable through very expensive medication. Anyone close to me knew this, so this wasn't anything surprising. He had bad days and good days, and most days you had no idea anything was wrong, as long as he took his medicine and ate his vet-recommended food. It had been getting worse the last few weeks, and without getting into what still makes me want to curl up in a ball and cry for days, he just got too sick last week. My parents are saddened and miss him more than anything too. I am grateful for the medication that made him feel better and everything that extended his life 2 1/2 years longer than what nature would have allowed, and having him in my life for the past 12 years was the greatest privilege I could have had. I'll forever miss my McLovin-ator. My little McMuffin. My family member. There will never be another cat like him. In a message, my college roommate said that now he and Princess are playing together again. Princess was his college kitty bestie when we lived together during junior year, and they wrestled and played non-stop. Somehow knowing that makes me smile.

McLovin a few weeks ago. He carries his Honey Bear around with his everywhere, so that day he sat him how next to the food bowl so he could eat breakfast. Rest In Peace my little McLovin Bear. I'll never forget you. I want you back so much. 

Naturally, trying to hold my shit together and work things through in my head had been pretty much a full-time job, leaving room for not much else. I always meant to write a race re-cap for this run, but life happened, so here goes:

Trail Nerds Home Page

On November 17th, I ran a 10k called the Pilgrim Pacer. This was put on by the Trail Nerds, a group of dedicated trail-loving runners who know just about all there is to know on the trails in the KC area. This particular race was on a paved trail in Shawnee Mission Park. It started outside of the outdoor theatre at 9 in the morning (8:30 for the half and the full). When I got there, parking was filling up but I was still easily able to find a place to park. It was in the 40's on race day, so between port-o-potty runs I decided to stay in my car until a few minutes before the race horn. I should mention that there was a sea of cars with runners doing this too, maybe because, like me, they learned their lesson in dressing too warmly during a run. Staying in the car worked wonders, and since there weren't a ton of runners in this race there was absolutely no problem getting off the start line; in fact, I was pretty much standing on it with some other runners when the horn went off. Right before the horn we were getting some last minute race instructions, a deer walked out to the path, and a giant, collective "AWWWW" came from our whole crowd, followed by laughing!

Since this race offered all distances up to the marathon, I'm glad I just did the 10k. Four out and backs over the same paths seems like it would get a bit old. 

Source

We took off at the sound of the horn, and luckily on this trail the only thing to avoid was the giant yellow wooden post in the middle of the path leading from the road. The race director told us that during the last race, someone wasn't watching out and ran right into it! Ouch! Once we all avoided that we were good to go. The path was made of (no surprise here) hills, but gently rolling ones, so that made it more challenging and fun. The photographers from Mile 90 Photography are GOOD. So good in fact you don't realize they're there until much later, but somehow they still manage to make us all look like the super trail running badasses we are- or at least make us look like we're moving. Seriously, Mile 90 is amazing. This particular course, while it is (as far as I know) the ONLY Trail Nerds race on paved path, was made even better by the 40-ish degree temperatures. I have a tendency to overdress for many of my runs, and this time I made the wise decision to wear a short sleeve shirt with arm sleeves. This proved fruitful around mile 2 1/2-3, when it got hot and I was able to pull both sleeves down to my wrists while still running. There was a good combination of ages out on this race, and quite a bit of kids. Many ran the 5k, but there were some sticking it out for the 10k too.

I like to call this one "The Dying Face", haha!

Since this race was an out and back (and I like those  a lot in terms of being able to put the distance in perspective), I felt that the second half went by fairly fast. The last part was uphill, so that was a push, but once we got to the finish line and collected our medals and picked up a piece of pumpkin pie, it felt great!

Getting sweaty and gross, THEN taking photos seems to be my new normal these days. I'm actually OK with it, lol! At least my nails match the medal. 😀

I would definitely run this one again, even though a portion of this race is our regular running trail over in Shawnee Mission Park during the warmer months. Trail Nerds puts on fun, well thought out races for all skill levels, and while most of them are challenging they always remain fun, not to mention (for all you medal heads) they have really good, heavy, high quality medals and other miscellaneous race swag. This race was a win in my book. If you're ever looking for a good race in the Kansas City area, be sure to check out the Trail Nerds website here, or their Facebook page here.

Source

Longview Half Marathon: Race Re-Cap

I feel like I hadn't run a race in a while, and I must have also felt like punishing myself for my not-so-tip-top shape by running gently rolling hills on a cold morning. My dreams came true and I ran a half-marathon two weekends ago (and ended up loving it). That said, on Sunday, November 10th, I peeled myself out of bed, strapped my running chip to my shoe, got ready with my two layers of running gear, pinned my bib on and hightailed it on down to the lake - Longview Lake, to be exact, in Longview, MO.

Part of Longview Lake. It's SO pretty. 

I was a bit nervous since I hadn't run 13 + miles in a while, but I stuck to the race routine I knew and it served me well. That is, eat, drink some water, get everything ready, wait in the port-o-potty lines a few times, and find my corral.

Your typical port-o-potty line. There were plenty, so that was awesome.

Runners getting ready to line up in the corrals.

I used to take the time to do some dynamic stretching, but that morning it was freezing out and my entire body felt like it had been plunged into ice cold water. I decided to huddle in my corral for warmth and use the first few miles for warming up. This never works quite as well as I hope, but it's something.

Aaaand we're off! My black jacket and earmuffs actually got a bit hot.

The Longview half and full are put on by the KC Running Company. I've run a few of their races to date, and with the excellent (yet challenging) courses, food after and gorgeous medals I hope to continue running their races. This one was no different. The starting line began in a parking lot with a beautiful view of the lake. Since there weren't too many people running this one compared to, say, the Houston or the Kansas City Marathon, you could get pretty close to the starting line without having to be an elite runner, or just generally super fast.

Taking off. Also, check out the KC Running camper back there!

After the horn went off, we all took off down the length of the lot and turned onto the road. For a good amount of time we were on the roads, with park views over that of the lake. The park views were gorgeous though, and the roads were comprised of continually gently rolling hills. This was a tough race, and about 3 miles in my legs were trashed. I took that as a sign that I A.) need to run a lot more and B.) need to be less hard on myself since I am in a new place.

The flatter part of one of the trails. I didn't pull my phone out during the race for photos, so this is all I got. 

Around mile 9 we veered into the park trails for some good old fashioned trail running. These were cleared, flat pea-gravel trails so they weren't difficult. The only part I had trouble with was the pea gravel finding its way into my socks, stopping me a few times to empty out my shoes. I also found myself settling into a bad attitude during this run. The sun came out and made the day feel crisp, cool and fun. All around me were trees, underbrush and a few other runners. The trails were amazing! 

I could kick myself for my own bad attitude, but I want to be honest with you guys. I can't stand people who act like everything's okay 100 percent of the time. Normally I'm a positive, happy person, but I can get down as well and I'd prefer to show all the sides of myself, even the ones I'm not too find of. I'm a perfectionist and harder on myself than I need to be, especially with the life changes that have happened not only this year, but over the last few. I'm making strides to overcome that - I've worked incredibly hard to get to where I am now, career and personal-wise, and I finally made the effort to distance a few friends who weren't really friends; it's harder said than done, especially when you don't want to cause drama. I used the last 6 or so miles to be more introspective about things, to really think about what was causing my negativity. This is when I realized that I need to not compare myself to my old times, and to start fresh instead. This is also easier said than done, but the beauty of Longview Lake and being around so many nice people in the running community helped.

The pea gravel tails lasted until almost the end of the race. We got off the trails and had maybe .2 miles to go until the finish line back in the parking lot area. I was SO happy! My only regret gear wise was that I should have left my jacket and running bottle in the car. Part of me always worries that I won't have enough water or that I won't warm up, but it never comes true. There were plenty of aid stations and by mile 2-3 I was already peeling off my jacket. Next time for sure! (I think) lesson learned.

Happy to be done!

Yep. This pretty much says it all lol!

After I got across the finish line and got my medal, I picked up a water bottle and walked back to the car to go home. It was a bit of a walk back to the car, and there was a runner who couldn't make it. I'm not sure what was wrong but it didn't seem too bad. There were some people with her, along with two police who were already there directing traffic, so they allowed a car to rive down the trail to pick her up and everything was okay after that. I also met an amazing runner who just ran the Longview Half as her first half, so congrats to her! The day was already turning out to be an amazing day and it was only 11 am.

Already planning out the next race in my head....buahahaha! 

I would definitely run this race again. A friend told me that she raced it last year and it began snowing at mile 8, so for me this race is a bit of a wild card. Course wise I love it, and it's put on by a well run group, so this race will go onto my -to-do-next-year list! It isn't a huge race, and there aren't cheer sections everywhere like the Houston marathon; it's also not completely empty, as you have runners around you for the entire time. I definitely recommend this one.

Maintaining Positivity and Perspective

Let's talk about positivity...does it matter when it comes to your daily routine? What about to your training?

I saw the photo and post below on LinkedIn recently and I completely agree that perspective is key. Have you ever had a conversation with a "negative Nancy" type? There could be a million things to be positive about, but they will immediately focus on the negative and thrive on it, and to be honest, it's draining.

Mmmkay? I know I know...wrong character.
Source

A positive perspective is something that comes more easily to me some days than others, and some days it requires a little extra effort, but its importance is paramount to the day. I find that when I'm a little more tired than normal during my daily training, or in competition, perspective makes the biggest difference. Sure, I still may not be "feeling it" that day, or I may be way off the mark in my predicted finish time, but maintaining or working on a positive perspective throughout the event makes you not only feel better after, it also makes you more eager to try again and not give up.

For example, my last half-marathon (race re-cap soon) was a challenging one. I felt good about it going in since I have several months worth of training in the area (hills). Right from the start I know that this race wasn't going to be a PR. I found myself becoming frustrated, and because of my own negative thoughts, I began to slow down, essentially throwing my finish time in the trash while I was at it. I used my time during those miles to think long and hard about why my mood crashed, and I decided to stop putting pressure on myself to perform the way I was performing in a completely different environment. Once I realized that, I began trying to think of all the good around me, and all the positive things that got me to this race in the first place. Instead of being upset, I felt lucky to be able to do what I was doing. I run for myself and no one else. I began enjoying the day, and the rest of the race. I'm thankful now to have gone through that, even the negative, because without the soul-searching that ensued I might not have realized how great of a day it was and ended things on a positive note, with a lesson learned thrown in for good measure.

Who agrees? The original post is in quotes below...

"Business and life are all about how you “see it”! I just challenged myself for the last 4 minutes before writing this post to think about things in a negative way, I have 9713 things going on right now and if I choose to look at them from an entirely different angle I can easily get sad and anxious, in fact it’s wild to me how easily and quickly I was able to get to a feeling I don’t enjoy!

My friends, perspective is the key to life and business! Let me promise you, if you choose to see “bad” “dark” “ugly”

It’s very easy, if you choose to see “light” “love” “good” it’s very easy! So much of this has to do with DNA, parenting and who you spend time with, this is where I come in, I’m willing to push and push until the end to help so many people see the > instead of the < ."

So true!
Source

Post Half-Marathon Sunday Funday

It’s Sunday Runday/Funday, the day after another tough KC race. My legs are recovering faster than I thought they would, although I’m giving them today to fully feel back to normal. Yuan couldn’t make it to this race because he had to work overnight with his team, and didn’t get off until I was already there and running. This happens very rarely, so he’s catching up on sleep today. I honestly don’t know how he did it (in a good mood) with only 1 1/2 hours of sleep in these last 24. He’s a rock star! Race re-cap coming soon, but today is a recovery day. I’m hoping the weather stays above freezing a little longer so I (and the BMX fam) can get a little more riding done this year. It’s beautiful outside today, although deceptively cold. The sun is shining, leaves are all over the ground and the neighbor’s plants are a beautiful dark crimson- and I’m going to enjoy it (mostly) from the comforts of the house. Here’s to a good Sunday! Whatever you guys are doing, make it count. 

Number 4 it is, then!

Back to the Regularly Scheduled Program

Well, this has been a looong two weeks. I was in New York for work last week, then segued straight into having a house-guest all the way through, well, yesterday. I'm tired! Tired of  days of cleaning up after people, seeing them zone out when the conversation isn't about them, the lack of a good conversation, sweeping out a kitchen and den full of crumbs, chicken and sweet potatoes, picking someone else's baby food out of my car after they don't ask if they can have food IN my car in the first place (oh wait - something horrible might happen to the baby if it doesn't eat for 15 minutes), throwing away old food left out and full cups of coffee (into a trash can 3 feet away- the food, not the coffee), scrubbing stains out of the kitchen island, an apparent aversion to coasters (because wood and drinks mix SO well together), steam cleaning a weird poopy smell out of the upstairs carpet, (I could go on, but I won't, I don't want to get myself all worked up again- and I'm plenty worked up), and ready to get back to life as I've known it for the past 5 months. That is, work, hanging out with my awesome bf, friends, training, and races (both the BMX and the running kind).

I wasn't able to get a long run or much of anything in for the past two weekends, so I'm a little worried about my upcoming half-marathon. I also see it as not being a full marathon, so I'm at least going to be okay when I cross the finish line. Runner problems.  I'm hoping to get in a few miles this week before the race, just to shake out my legs and get things moving again, if nothing else.

With a little preview of some snow last week which both amazed and freaked me out, I signed up for four months of unlimited treadmill time through MindBody. I'm excited to have a Woodway to train on for the winter, and it'll get me out of the house on those super cold midwestern days. I also decided to write my first article on LinkedIn about non-linear career paths and their upward prevalence in the job world; you can read it here if you like. I'm looking forward to getting back on track, as well as reading more and continuing to blog. I've found that it's rather calming. So with that, I will leave you with the most anti-Monday picture I can find. My boyfriend sent it to me and it makes me smile, so hopefully it will make you smile as well. I'm not sure where it's from or I would cite the source, so if anyone knows I'm all ears. Here it is! My two favorite animals ever. Traveling.

So cute!

RUN(derful) & RIDE(rful) Wednesday

HAPPY WEDNESDAY GUYS! Ahhhh! We made it! It's all downhill from here (and that's GREAT news when it comes to running and biking). 😄

No matter what goes on in our lives, it's important to live in the moment and to focus on what's important to us. It's important to appreciate the time we spend doing what we do, whether that's work (or an aspect of work), learning new skills at the track with friends, picking up a new hobby or attending a class. Lately, I've been thinking about several aspects regarding friendship, relationships and personal accountability in a general setting. The more we grow and experience the world, the more we begin to realize that our willingness to bend over backwards for friendships and relationships of any kind begins to quickly dwindle, and for different reasons.  

This week's thoughts include:

Setting yourself on fire may be a bit intense, but sometimes we feel expected to cater to someone else in order to keep them happy. My first experience with this was in 5th grade; we had just finished a graduation party celebrating our grade's ascent into middle school, and my friend Shelly handed me a note - this was back when friends wrote each other letters during class and passed them out either before or after the next class. Shelly's note told me in no uncertain terms that if I wanted to hang out with her and be cool next year, I needed to drop all my other friends. Wait, what?! First of all, I was slightly confused and wasn't sure weather to laugh or be offended. Shelly was going into band, and all due respect to band, but in what universe is that cool? I was taken aback by her audacity and heavy abuse at the slightest perception of personal power, and rightly so. I realized who she was at that moment, and I didn't feel that a letter like that from a so-called close friend justified a response. Long story short, the next year in 6th grade I had a TON of fun with my friends, and Shelly became a tiny blip on the radar throughout middle and high school. I made the choice not to sacrifice what (and who) made me the happiest in order to make someone else happy. 

It hasn't all been that easy though, especially if you're a pleaser. Growing up, I hated it when someone was upset with me, even if I had done nothing to cause their negative feelings. It took me a while before I realized the futility and sacrifice of living a life by trying to make everyone happy. There are instances, especially as we get older, where the decisions we know we have to make aren't so cut and dry. Making the decision to destroy something about yourself, your happiness, or your trajectory in life may not be wrapped up in one large request. It's sneakier to recognize when it consists of lots of smaller actions over the course of time, for example, consistently doing small things to appease someone else. All of a sudden, you may look back and not know how you got to the place you did. 

Feeling obligated to go above and beyond, or even damage things about yourself to make someone else happy is a slippery slope. When does the line become crossed? Doing anything and everything for sports coaches despite what you feel is right is another aspect of that as well. In the end, all you can do is be honest with yourself, and always be giving. By "be giving", I mean give love, kindness and respect, but don't give everything you have to make someone else happy or content. You are not responsible for anyone else's "warm" happy feelings. 

Running Group Challenge: 4 Weeks of Research

Recently, and perhaps brought on by a big life change including a move halfway across the country, I’ve been more willing to step out of my comfort zone these days. I’ve been feeling empowered lately, mostly because I realized that I AM capable of so much more than I thought I was (and YOU are too!). I always thought my worldly “bubble” was pretty large – I’ve traveled, I went to school in Europe, raced BMX all over the country, stepped WAY out of my comfort zone after BMX and joined a sorority in college (💓 my fellow Delta Gammas 😎), taken on grad school (and the corresponding student-debt), but until this move and an introduction to all the changes that came with it, I realized that my bubble could definitely be bigger, and that it would certainly benefit me to try more in this world.

source

One of the tweaks I’ve made recently to my training program have been the addition of group runs on Sunday mornings. Instead of slogging through a long run alone on the same park trail each week (and usually not until around noon), I drive into Westport to a local running shop early in the morning to meet up with 50 other fun and interesting people who are just as crazy as me when it comes to their love of all things running.

Always a good sign to see when you pull up to a running shop!

Running has typically been my solitude. Being an introvert, I use my time during a run to think things through and decompress from a stressful week. It leaves me happy and ready to take on the day (and sometimes a good nap). Large, energy driven, talkative groups are always fun but as any introvert knows, they are draining after a while. Thus, the need for a long, solo, calming run. With everything that had been going on lately and everything I continue to learn from, I began to realize that a group run was at least worth a try- and maybe more than one try. A solid opinion should include some in depth research, meaning multiple group runs, am I right?? SO, after years of running solo, I decided to take a deep breath and give this new thing a good try. Fast forward a month and I have now completed my 4^th group run. Keep reading for my experiences/opinion.

Week 1: August 4th

My 1st ever group run! I just want to know where everyone else parked...

On the morning of my 1^st group run I got up, got dressed, and headed out to Run 816. Run 816 is a local running store that not only hosts these group runs, but also gives back to the community as well. I got there early for some good parking and went inside (they open the shop early Saturday for the runners) to get in line for the bathroom. After their announcement of the course and reminder that water is every two miles, we took off. Some friendly runners had approached me prior to the run, so that was really cool, and I began my run with them. This course was a preview for the Kansas City Marathon, so this was a net course to run, complete with many hills. After a while and due to my being quite the hill novice, I fell back in the run. I found the first water stop quite easily but ended up getting glost after that since I couldn’t find any signs. Another runner came by who was also lost, so we got our phones out and figured out a way back to the shop. Frustrated and feeling quite defeated I headed back to Run 816 with a “measly” 6 miles under my belt (I had been hoping for more). My opinion of group runs after this wasn’t too good. A few days later, I found out that a disgruntled homeowner had removed one of the signs and sent a strange (and grammatically incorrect) email to the store, so to be honest, it took me a few days, but in the end I decided to give it one more go the next week.

Week 2: August 11th

I made a new friend. Excuse the awkward photo, we just got done with 12 miles.

Week 2 was petty similar to week one, minus the huge crowd. There were about half the people there this time; I’m assuming it was partly due to a non-Kansas City Marathon partial route, and partly due to some pretty crazy impending rain. Luckily my boyfriend keeps track of the weather, because when I let him know my Sunday morning plans and he told me it would rain, I took that to mean, “put your valuables in a sandwich bag”, so that’s what I did. I got there, got some good parking, bought a Honey Stinger waffle for some pre run fuel, waited for my Garmin to locate a signal, and was on my way with the rest of the crowd. Since this run wasn’t on the same route as the previous week, all the signs were left where they were supposed to be. This helped tremendously! A New Balance rep was also set up at the shop to loan anyone who wanted to run in them a new pair of Fresh Foams. I had been wanting to try these out SO badly- so I swapped my Glycerines for a pair, stretched, hydrated, an got ready to take off. A few miles into my route I met several runners at a water stop and ran with them for several more miles. By now the rain had started, but with people there it made the miles more fun. My biggest fear was the pressure of matching other’s paces, but it became very clear that it just wasn’t the case. If someone wanted to speed up, they said goodbye and took off, and vice versa. Also, people who were turning around (not everyone does the same amount of mileage) always said waved and said encouraging words to those still running the opposite way. Throughout the miles I found myself doing the same thing. To be honest here, I wasn’t planning on running 12 miles, it just…sort of…happened. In the rain. Strange, I know. When I made it back to Run 816 and traded in the New Balance Fresh Foams for my Brooks Glycerines, I realized that my feet had so many hot spots and blisters. I attribute this less to the shoes (they were SO comfy!) and more to the rain and the fact that I needed to start putting Vaseline or something comparable on my toes before runs. That run also called for some pancakes afterward, and my feelings toward group runs had begun to change a bit.

Week 3: August 18th

Post long run chat with an amazing, fast and super nice trail/road runner before heading home.

Going into the 3^rd week of group running, I was starting to look forward to it, and to meeting new people and trying out a new course. Since you’re not really forced to meet people during these runs, the pressure is off and occasionally I found myself making small talk with someone. Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE getting to know and chatting with people; everyone has such an amazing story to tell. However, I never thought I would at 7 in the morning. That part surprised me. What also surprised me is how quickly my 12-mile run went by. I can’t say enough about how cool it is to have a fun route through the city, as well as water stops every two miles. Luckily it didn’t rain, and I even stuck around at the end to chat with an amazing runner, as well as a group. They gave me some great tips on recovery as well (Epsom salt baths are the bomb for muscle aches!)! I left this morning feeling hungry and like a million bucks. I got home, had a bagel, some eggs, and an Epsom salt bath after. After a nap, my day was ready to begin!

Week 4: August 25th

Everyone getting ready to get in those miles, and my boyfriend and I chatting lol. He's the tall one in front of the white column.

Source

Everyone taking off! We're in the middle in the white and black tops...

Source

Running in a thunderstorm makes 8 miles feel like 10...at least they did on Sunday!

How I feel after a training session! Woohoo!

By week 4 of my running group challenge, the habit of waking up at 6 am was already becoming ingrained in what I considered my usual Sunday morning routine. I found myself looking forward to it, but after 2 back to back weeks of longer runs (I am NOT marathon training at the moment, so I’m trying to keep my mileage down some and work on other things- I don’t want to burn out come January), not to mention lots of running and BMX during the week, my legs needed a bit of a rest. I was also able to finally talk my boyfriend into waking up early as well and joining me on this run, so we settled on 8 miles for this one. We got ready and I put my phone, key and ID in a Ziplock bag, then we were out the door. It was very overcast with the threat of rain, but during this run the rain managed to hold off until our very last mile, in which case it began thundering, lightening and pouring like no other. It felt great to run in the rain for a bit, but I’m glad it was our last mile, because between the Vaseline on my toes wearing off and my feet getting soaked, the lightening was no joke either. We ran for a few miles with another runner, a student who had just moved back to town for the start of the school year, and before we knew it we were back at the store, getting water from the cooler and standing under the awning for a few minutes (thank goodness for keeping extra old towels in the trunk of my car). Everyone who continued their run that morning was caught in the thunderstorm, as well as the participants in the Go Girl Half Marathon, which was going on through part of our route. I will be missing my next group run doe to some traveling next weekend, but I will definitely be continuing with this awesome group!

Right?!?! 😃😄😎

Source

Final Thoughts:

I feel like joining this running group gave me the best of both worlds- solitude, the freedom to run your own pace (while getting faster) and still having support (and water stops) throughout your entire run, as well as being surrounded with amazing, supportive people. This group is diverse and minute mile times range from 7 to 13-minute miles. This group makes it a point to include everyone, and it shows. I can’t speak for every running group out there, since I don’t want to generalize, but I’m glad I tried this. If there’s a takeaway (or two) from trying this, I learned that it’s important to step out of your comfort zone to try something new. Running groups are not just for extroverted people, and it’s beneficial in so many ways, especially being far from family and friends. I also feel that it’s important to try something like this more than once to get a real feel for what it’s like. I’m already looking forward to my next long run. The routes are clearly mapped out and uploaded to Map My Run. I don’t have any cons to my experience so far except the sign being removed on the first day, but that wasn’t the group’s fault. My advice after 4 very intense weeks of “research”, is that if you have never tried a running group, go try one. I don’t mean to encourage anyone to pay to be a member of a running group if it’s not in your budget; there are many free running groups out there, including this one at Run 816 (if you’re in the Kansas City area come check them out!). In fact, check out a few groups to find out which one you ultimately like. Even if you try it and realize later that it’s not your thing, you haven’t lost anything by checking out something new. I’m certainly glad I did.

Source

Developing & Maintaining Mental Strength in Sports Performance

Today I want to talk about something that I haven't seen pop up much during my online and social media scrolling, but something that's just as important, if not more important, as our gym workouts, track time, daily activities and mileage. This includes:

Mental Strength

source

How many of you know someone who is so amazing at what they do, but during a race they give in to the pressure and stress? In sports and in sports training, what we do physically to become ready for competition appears central in its importance to our preparation. A subject that can be easily overlooked in our endeavors is addressing mental strength. This fortitude is what keeps us in the game, especially when things aren't going our way; it's what makes us get up and try again every time we're knocked down (literally and figuratively). Mental strength is important long before game day; it helps to be be present in all of our training leading up to the big event. This strength is what helps us get out of bed at 4 in the morning in the train to train for that ultra, or get in those squats and put in the miles after work when we would rather lay on the couch and watch TV. I'm not saying run yourself into the ground- that's different. Rest days are important, and being able to differentiate pure exhaustion vs. a preference to continue sleeping is listening to our bodies and being in tune with our needs; this is something that also plays a central role in our ultimate success long term.

As important as mental strength is during a race, what we do and how we handle everything up to that point is priceless. We are all different, so it might go without saying that we all work on our mental game in different ways. Regardless of our differences, if you want to build mental toughness for competition, here are 10 things to work on that might help set you in the right direction.

What I Like to Work On

1. Learn how to move on and let go: 

source

I've had plenty of days where there was a bad race, horrible training run, or a bad BMX national result, but there's no point in dwelling on them. We all have bad days, but those bad days don't define who we are, so the sooner we can learn to let go of a bad day, failed workout or set of results, the easier it becomes to focus on the positives in our lives, including not allowing a low point or standing to define us. Learning to let go frees us up and helps up continue moving forward with our goals in mind.

2. Own your beliefs: 

source

Stand firm in what you believe, including your values and principles. Don't be afraid to say no to something that goes against those beliefs, and don't change your values just because someone else questions them. I'm not saying that you need to scream anything from the rooftops, but know your limits, know what's deep down in your core and don't sacrifice your values and principles the second anyone comes along to challenge them.

3. Embrace the "new": 

source

Change is good. I've been trying a lot of this lately, and change IS good. I've discovered so much more about myself and my limits, as well as met some amazing and new people because of it. Trying new things is harder for some people than others, but it is just as important. If you take a minute to think about how far you've come, you might be surprised. I used to be a 2nd  grader who would eat nothing but pb&j sandwiches (with grape jelly) and now I race, travel, try SO many new foods (& love them), lived abroad and am following a career path that I love. It didn't just happen overnight, and if we continue to try new things, our love of change and our "bubble" gets bigger and bigger!

4. Be KIND (but take NO crap): 

source

This is important. In every sport there is always someone who thinks that being rude, catty, disrespectful or a bully goes hand in hand with their performance during competition. Here's a secret: it doesn't. It is entirely possible to be a kind person in life while still going hard and giving it all you can during race day. Being kind still won't stop people from disliking you, there are always competitors who will see your being a kind person as a pre-race trick, a doormat, a reason to talk, etc., but since when are we supposed to change based on what those few people think? There are ways to be kind while taking no crap, and that talent becomes a valuable strength all on its own.

5. Happy thoughts = happy life: 

source

Have you ever noticed that when you're upset and thinking negatively, those thoughts seem to multiply and it becomes harder and harder to pull yourself out of a funk? Do you have that one friend on Facebook who seems to post nothing but negative or frustrated comments, and in turn takes your once happy morning down a rocky path of annoyance filled with eye rolling and negative thoughts? Similar to the spread of negativity, positivity can grow as well. Begin and end your day by thinking about a handful of things you're grateful for. I've spent time running in the rain when I couldn't wait for it to be over. I focused on how miserable to was, how wet my feet were, how I could be at home, dry and comfortable on the couch, and wouldn't you know? My run was HORRIBLE. After making a concerted effort to change that way of thinking, I spent a day early this week running in the rain (I got caught in a thunderstorm on my last mile) thinking about how grateful I was that my socks were still dry, that I was getting in a great workout, and that my braid was the perfect hairstyle for this unexpected downpour, and I came out of the run in a much better mood.

6. Be happy for someone else: 

source

I can't stress this one enough - you are not the only person in this world who works hard and who deserves to win and be successful. It's a messed up point of view and it will never correlate with your success in competition. Be a good winner as well as a good loser. Once we can appreciate and be happy for someone else, we can also fully own and celebrate the times when we experience our own successes.

7. Embrace your mistakes and learn from them:

source

Nobody's perfect. We all make mistakes, we're human. However, those mistakes we make on the playing field don't define us unless we make the choice to let them. I've never been a big fan of ignoring my mistakes, because I feel that there is SO much I can take away from them. I've made quite a few mistakes throughout my life, and as much as I wish I hadn't made them at the time, I find that those mistakes help me get better if I can embrace and learn from them. Adopting this type of mental outlook helps us get through them more smoothly, as well as grants us a greater acceptance and understanding of other's mistakes.

8. Get in tune with your intuition:

source

We hear it all the time (and if you don't, you should); always listen to your intuition. This goes for choosing whom to date (or continue dating), deciding weather or not to walk down that dark alleyway or clicking on the link in that seemingly innocuous email. While the concept seems simple, getting in touch with you intuition can be one of the hardest things to learn. So many times we tend to silence that inner feeling or voice inside in favor of a much louder calling. Our intuition only becomes louder and recognized for its importance after we make choices, and subsequent mistakes, that go against it. And that's okay, because again, we all make mistakes but we can learn from them. Practice getting in touch with your intuition by taking the time to be silent. Listen to your gut feeling, pay attention to what's going on around you and don't be afraid to make decisions based on what you feel. Learning to listen to ourselves may not happen overnight, but each day we practice this we get stronger and better at trusting ourselves.

9. Take responsibility for your own performance: 

source

Don't blame others or make excuses for what you feel is poor performance. Ultimately, we are the ones out there competing, not coaches, significant others or parents. If another competitor is faster, gets in your way or blocks you, that is just competition (I'm not talking about being a dirty competitor) and it's up to you to take that training and do your best. Once we take responsibility for ALL of our performances, we become more accepting and confident in all aspects of who we are, leading to a stronger mental game. As a side story, I used to know someone in BMX who would loudly make excuses to her competition if she got anything less than 1st place (which was quite often). Her strong belief that something must be wrong for anyone else to beat her was not only completely mistaken, it showed me her lack of ability in understanding her own performance. In every race, the minute she would begin to seek out her competition and complain about what ails her, I knew that she wasn't feeling so confident. If we were playing poker, she just showed me all of her cards.

10. Every once in a while, take stock in your beliefs and reevaluate them

source

When I was in elementary school there was an important presidential election. I remember the kids in my class and the rest of the school showing up with pins on their shirts or coloring pictures supporting their favorite candidate. They were 100% for certain candidates, and their insistence, and almost anger at times, left me confused. I didn't know anything about politics at 8 or 9 years old, so how did they? It turned out they didn't either. They were mimicking their parent's belief system. They had no idea WHY they supported a certain candidate, but they were more than willing to get into loud, heated arguments on their behalf. I remember going home that afternoon and asking my parents in earnest who they wanted me to support, and they responded that they wanted me to read about each person (i.e. my own research), and make a decision for myself. Looking back, I don't think that was a common response among many parents at my school. What I'm getting at is this:

Don't blindly follow your beliefs just because they have been with you for a long time. It's fine to keep them, but spend time actively thinking about them and reevaluating your reasons for holding them. As human beings, we're constantly in a state of growth, learning and change, and just as much as we have a right to believe what we do, we also have a right to alter, tweak, or throw them out the window and start over. We take stock of our gear on race day, why not take stock of what we carry around the other 99% of the time?

source

Hopefully applying some of these techniques to your training and daily lives can help you on your way to a stronger mental game. One thing I like to do on top of practicing these is to actively engage- that is, live in the moment. If I am having a tough day or a race I'm not the happiest about, I try hard to remain in the moment, work on what I can and set aside the aspects I can't control. Can I work on a more positive mindset or choose how to re-fuel myself at the next aid station? Absolutely! Can I control feeling poorly or having a race in the rain? Absolutely NOT. Try not to let yourself feel frustrated over what you can't control, and remember to be grateful for the things you can control. You got this!!!!

What do you do to work on and maintain your mental toughness?

Embracing That Post-Weekend "Tired"

Recently, rest days have become essential in my weekly schedule. Even though I'm not training for anything at the moment, there are so many places I want to run, so many classes I want to take, and so many tracks I want to race on. If there was no rest day thrown in, I would be unintentionally overtraining, making mistakes and constantly dreaming of a nap. Due to the usually hectic pace of my recent weekend workouts, Monday has become the rest day of choice. This weekend, Saturday included a 7:30 a.m. spinning class, followed by a 4:00 p.m. BMX practice with a race after, then on Sunday I woke up at 6:00 for a 7:00 a.m. group 12 mile (for me) long run with a local running shop in Westport. 

Rollin' that table like...

Sunday morning 12 miles done! By the time I left my mind was on some pancakes. Yum. Pancakes. 

The time we have to train is valuable, and I pushed myself 100% all weekend, including a much stronger and faster long run, so by the time I was done on Sunday I was DONE. DUNZO. FINITO. I picked up some well earned hotcakes and an egg McMuffin, took a long Epsom salt bath, tried unsuccessfully to take a nap, and ran around town a bit with my boyfriend, all the while feeling happy but tired. Have you ever experienced the kind of tired where you're SO pumped up and excited you can't sleep, but your eyes feel like they've been through the ringer? That was the kind of tired I felt on Sunday, and for the most part, I actually like it. 

source

I learned a long time ago to embrace the tired, I look at it as the sign of a successful few days of training. To me, tired is similar to that slight ache you feel after a long run. Not a "you hurt yourself and something's wrong" ache, but the type of muscle ache that tells you that you will be stronger in the days after it goes away. I don't mean to say that constantly running yourself to the point of complete and utter exhaustion is close to being the best plan or an overall indicator of a successful workout, but when it's there after all my hard work, I don't actually mind it. It's not good to be tired all the time, and that's where those much needed rest days come in. 

Yessss! 

(source)

After my group run, I stayed around to chat with some of the more experienced runners, and when the topic of recovery came up I was surprised to hear that Epsom salt baths were taken an preferred over ice baths for achy muscles. I have yet to try an ice bath, but I think I'm getting close to it if there are any more long hilly miles next weekend (which is pretty much a given). I also heard that you sleep REALLY well after one, so there's that. So here we all are on Monday, we made it through the weekend, so let's take a moment to appreciate that, embrace our "tired", recover, and do it all again soon! 

source