2017 race schedule + goals

Crossing the CIM Finish Line

I've been enjoying my break from training as I recover from CIM and look forward to a better 2017. Next week I start training for the Los Angeles Marathon and also start working with Becki Spellman. I've hired Coach Bekki to help me become a stronger runner and racer in 2017. I'm very excited to see what's in store for me. 

2017 Race Schedule

• January 7 - Riverside Citrus Heritage 5k
• January 29 - Phoenix Women's 1/2 Marathon
• March 19 - Los Angeles Marathon (third time's a charm)
• April 2 - Carlsbad 5000
• April 7-8 - Ragnar SoCal
• April 22 - The Tenacious Ten presented by Oiselle 10-mile race
• June 4 - Rock n' Roll San Diego 1/2 Marathon
• October 8 - Chicago Marathon

Other races planned but not yet officially registered:

• March 5 - Run through Redlands 5k
• September 9 - Great North Run 5k (Newcastle, England-will run if don't get in half-marathon and may also run if I do get in)
• September 10 - Great North Run 1/2 Marathon (ballot entry opens Feb 2017)

My race schedule for the first half the year is set. I may add some smaller races in February or May for fun. The second half of 2017 needs some work.

The Great North Run is the world's largest 1/2 marathon and it's a lottery entry. If I don't get in, I will need to plan another 1/2 marathon as a tune-up race for the Chicago Marathon. If that's the case, I may race the Santa Rosa 1/2 marathon (August 27) again but it all depends on our England travel schedule. I would like to race a total of four 1/2 marathons in 2017 and need to find one for November or December. Any suggestions? 

There has been some chatter about me possibly running my first 50k trail race in August. I haven't made up my mind one way or the other, but I did say I won't make a decision until after I run the LA Marathon in March. Because, really, what's 5 more miles??

My 2016 goals. 50% accomplished.

As Shalane Flanagan says, if you accomplish all 

your goals you're not reaching high enough

2017 Goals

• Run the Chicago Marathon in 3:48. My big "A" goal for 2017. This will take a lot of work on my end (mentally, physically, emotionally). I will have to get ugly, messy and give 100% on the race course. I've never done that. Especially not for a marathon. All my other races during the year are to help me practice and fine-tune my racing skills.
• Run a 1:45 half-marathon. A carry over from 2015 and 2016. I only truly raced one 1/2 marathon in 2016 and I want 4 opportunities to try this year. A "B" goal is to PR in the half (sub 1:47:38). 
• Continue to build strength through weight-lifting and core work. This is what has helped me become a stronger runner in 2016. This is what helps my body handle increasing mileage. 
• Continue to prehab regularly with rolling, stretching and Jasyoga. Add-in frequent massage and ART. This, in addition to glute work and activation, got me to the CIM start line ready to race. Since CIM, I've been rolling and stretching every day--even on days I don't run. I can't believe how good my legs feel.
• Sleep more. Once I'm back to marathon training, I'm setting a sleep alarm to make sure I'm in bed and asleep by 9:30 pm every night. If left to my own devices, I stay up way too late for the time I need to wake up in the morning.

That's all for now. I do have some smaller general goals, like fine-tune my race day nutrition strategy, but those will progress along with my main goals. 

UPDATE (12/28/17): My word for 2017 just came to me this morning: GRIT
Digging in and embracing adversity as a motivator in pursuit of my goals. 

2016: Getting Ugly for the Burritos

Idaho Bird Camp: June 2016

You've got to love running. It's ugly, messy, hard as f*ck sometimes....and at the same time one of the most empowering, connecting and worthwhile pursuits I have undertaken. I started 2016 barely able to run, coming back from injury and having to rebuild my base. 2016 ended up becoming the best year of my running life (started running seriously in 2010, occasional runner before then).

Courtney of Eat Pray Run DC is hosting a Year of Running link up and I thought, well why not? So 

• Best race experience: I raced 13 times this year (lucky 13!). I liked them all for different reasons. Every race is a learning experience, which is why I like to race. Anyway, my best race experience was the St. George Marathon. It is an awesome race. The course is beautiful and breathtaking. The support and logistics are great. And it's a Saturday marathon which means I didn't have to travel back home right after the race. Of course, though, the reason it tops my list is because it is my marathon PR, I finally ran a sub-4 hour marathon AND I qualified for the 2018 Boston Marathon. Crossing that finish line in that time was the hardest thing I have ever done in my running career and therefore my best race experience of 2016. 
• Best run: My best run of 2016 was also one of my first runs of 2016. It was my longest run (6.4 miles) after two months of barely running and coming back from injury. We were in Manchester, England and it was my last run in England before flying home the next day. I ran round-trip from our hotel in City Centre to Old Trafford (home of Manchester United), where we were going later that day to watch United beat Swansea City. Watching Premier League soccer in England is an awesome experience and if you have the opportunity, you should definitely do it. It was fun running through the streets of Manchester before the city woke up, getting to the stadium as my goal and then running back to the hotel.
• Best new piece of running gear: I do love my Garmin 235 with a wrist based heart rate monitor.  Not new...but I'm going to have to pick my GLUTES. Since late 2015, I've worked on activating, using and powering my push off with my glutes. With the help of regular physical therapy and my own determination, I've become a stronger runner.
• Best running advice you've received this year: The night before a marathon eat a big dessert. Trisha Drobeck, Oiselle Haute Volée, told us this piece of advice at Idaho Bird Camp. She says it guarantees a great race. It worked for St. George!
• Most inspirational runner: I will have to agree with Courtney, Kate Grace. She came back from injury and rocked the Olympic Trials coming in 1st place at the 800m finals (never podiuming before this). She is down to earth and she's superfan!
• Favorite picture from a run or race this year: This one was easy. Crossing the finish line at St. George knowing I not only earned a huge PR, but also qualified for the 2018 Boston Marathon. I don't think I every smiled so big or full crossing a marathon finish line.

• 
• Race experience you would repeat in a heartbeat: Although the race didn't go as planned, I would repeat CIM in a heartbeat because I want to do better. The race logistics, organization and crowd support were amazing. It was the first race I've run with a large Oiselle Cowbell Corner and running in Sacramento is fun. I love running there. 
• If you could sum up your year in a couple of words: Boston QUALIFIER!

"Holy crap marathon, I hate and love you so much" CIM Recap

Thanks Sheena for these pictures!

Marathons suck. They hurt. I hate marathons. I don't know why I keep registering for them. I love marathons. I love them for the challenge, I love them for the sense of accomplishment and for the community and spectacle.  And I DO know why I keep registering for them: I want to get better. I want to learn from my mistakes.

And, boy, did I make mistakes with CIM. My first mistake was not sticking with my plan to make CIM my one-and-only fall marathon. It has been my goal race for 2016 when I had to defer last year and build up my strength this year. I got distracted by another marathon. I joined others from one of my local running groups to form a team to register for the St. George Marathon. I interrupted my training for CIM to taper for St. George, run it and then recover from it. This left maybe 4 weeks to get marathon ready for CIM. 

At 23.6 miles, Oiselle Cowbell Corner was amazing!!

My second mistake happened in the 2nd mile of CIM. My plan for the race was to stick with the 3:53 pace group until 20 mile or so. When the race started, it was crowded around the pace leaders and at times almost dangerous as people were running into each other. Around 2 miles, I decided to go slightly in front of the pace group to get some space. In retrospect, I should have slowed down and gone behind the pace group. Lesson learned. 

The first half of CIM is all rolling hills and rolling hills are my strength because it is all I train on. I spent the whole first half telling myself to slow down. It felt super easy and actually, it was the easiest 13.1 miles I have ever run. My splits for the first half are pretty even. The next few miles I slowed down, but not too much. It wasn't until mile 18 (that seems to be my nemesis mile mark!) that my wheels fell off and the marathon became a sufferfest. Oiselle Cowbell Corner was at 23.6 miles and knowing that kept me moving forward. Finish time-- 3:57:03

After beating myself up over my mistakes, I came to the realization that prior to this year I was unable or capable of running a sub-4 hour marathon and I did that twice! One of which was a 2018 Boston Marathon qualifying time!

Now it's time to rest and recover; to start prepping for the 2017 Los Angeles Marathon training cycle which starts December 26...


My title quote comes from a tweet by Stephanie Rothstein Bruce, pro runner for Oiselle, making her return to 26.2 after 3 years and 2 babies. She ran a strong race, coming in second and only a couple minutes off her PR!

CIM Race Week

My overall goal for CIM is to run a strong and consistent race. In order to do that, I need to reign in my speed in the early part of the race so I can avoid the marathon death march at the end of the race. Pacing is not my strong point (and why I've hired a coach for 2017). My plan is to tuck in with the 3:53 (~8:53/mi) pace group leaders and let them do the thinking for at least the first half, if not more. I don't want to run faster than 8:35 (unless it is the last couple miles-- and if that's the case, at the end of the marathon, it will be an early Christmas miracle). I want to stay in the 8:45-9:00/mi pace range for 90% of the race. 

• 'A' Goal -->Finish 3:50 or faster
• 'B' Goal -->PR (sub 3:52:14)
• 'C' Goal -->Finish strong and have fun

I feel as if I will still be chasing my 'A' goal next year--never felt fully recovered from St. George 26.2--and that's okay. Part of me is hoping for race magic to kick in and for miracles to happen. The realist in me knows I already drank from that well for St. George, but as the great Kara Goucher says, Always believe.

In addition to the race, I'm super excited that Oiselle Volée will have large presence. Twenty-seven of us are racing and a bunch more will be at mile 22 for cowbell corner. There will be other team activities, such as shakeout runs, Friday night dinner and post-race brunch. 

If I'm going to walk on thin ice...

As the November 13th deadline for deferring CIM came and went I wondered if I have what it takes to run race another marathon. Week after week, I've been grinding out double digit runs before work and increasingly longer runs on the weekends. I'm tired. I know that's the point of marathon training. Although CIM will be my 5th marathon, it's my first time following a marathon-specific plan to completion (although, not exactly because I had a taper and recovery for St. George).

Since St. George, my legs don't have speed, but they certainly have stamina and I have no doubt that I will be able to cross the finish line in Sacramento.

I'm 17 days out from the marathon I've worked all year for. The marathon that I have spent hours in physical therapy, strength training, yoga/pilates not to mention hours and hours running. I have one 20 mile run this weekend and then my taper starts. I'm looking forward to the 3 weeks of rest/recovery post-CIM.

CIM Training Week 14 & 15 Recap: Lots and lots of miles with some trail racing thrown in. Week 14 included my second 20 mile run of this training cycle (not counting St. George 26.2) and Week 15 included 22+ miles on trails as part of the Oiselle Trail Birds Ragnar Los Coyotes team. Week 15 was also my second 50 mile week. I never quite reached the 55 mile week as designed with the plan but I think for my current state of fitness and my goal to not get injured, 50 miles is good. 

Ragnar Trail Los Coyotes was an insanely difficult course and we came in 2nd for our division (female/open) and 4th female team overall, making it in the top 50 teams. If you are not familiar with Ragnar Trail, the race consists of 3 loops (green, yellow, red) and each runner on an 8-person team runs each loop once. This was Ragnar's first year at this location and I don't think the organizers realized how long it would take participants to finish the course. A lot of teams either had to double up runs or didn't complete by the 6pm cut off time. We were down a runner (some of us ran a 4th loop) and we finished the race in 27h:41m:03s. 

Week 16:

Monday, November 14: Rest/XT
Tuesday, November 15: 9 miles, general aerobic
Wednesday, November 16: 5 miles, recovery
Thursday, November 17: 11 miles, medium-long
Friday, November 18: Rest/XT
Saturday, November 19: 5 miles, recovery
Sunday, November 20: 20 miles, long

Goal Mileage: 50 miles 

Congrats to the @oiselle @voleecalifornia #Ragnartrail Los Coyotes team, Trail Birds for rocking 2nd place in their division (female/open) and 4th place overall female. Completing a difficult course in 27h:41m:03s which earned a spot in the top 50 teams overall. 🏃🏽‍♀️🍻🌯#innerwild #trailbirds #trailrunning #womanpower #flystyle

A photo posted by Wendy H (@spookyzen) on Nov 16, 2016 at 11:24am PST

Seriously?! I'm running another marathon next month?!

I'm currently in the throes of my peak mileage weeks of CIM training, which means I alternate between feeling overwhelmed/exhausted and exhilarated/strong. It means one day I'm checking when the deferral period ends (November 13) and the next day, feeling super strong, I'm registering for future marathons (2017 LA Marathon-3rd time's a charm!). It means counting down the days until Monday, December 5th which marks the start of my planned 3-week running break/recovery (very excited). 

CIM Training Week 13 Recap:

• Monday, 10/24 - Rest or XT day. 30 minutes cycle class + weight-lifting (upper body)
• Tuesday, 10/25 - 12.6 miles, general aerobic run. There's something empowering about busting out a 12 mile run before work. Felt good throughout the run. A little tired towards the end, but no bonking. 9:13/mile avg pace
• Wednesday, 10/26 - 5.1 miles, recovery run. Legs felt a lot better than last week's recovery run. I've also been working on getting more sleep. I'm now consistently getting 6 1/2 hours of sleep (sometimes more!). As someone who was generally getting only 5 hours, this is a big improvement. 9:25/mile avg pace.
• Thursday, 10/27 - 9.5 miles with 5 miles tempo run. This run was horrible, horribly hard. It wore me out for the whole day and wore out my hips and glutes. This run motivated me to finally hire a running coach to help me with pacing. My avg pace for the 5 miles at tempo was 7:57/mile (target pace 7:55-8:11/mile). Although I hit my goal pace, it sucked. 8:41/mile avg pace.

  

  my watch now thinks I can run
  a fast marathon; new BHAG-->
  run what my watch thinks I can
  (all other times spot on)

• Friday, 10/28 - 3.2 miles, recovery run. Left hip/side pain from the tempo run the day before. 9:50/mile avg pace
• Saturday, 10/29 - 8 miles with speed (10 x 100 meters) My left hip/hip flexor was still bothering me from Thursday's run so I {smartly} opted out of Saturday's scheduled run. It was a hard decision. I kept changing my mind. I even got dressed, laced up my shoes and started running. Before I reached the end of the block, I knew it would be best not to run that day. Instead I went back to my basic PT prescribed glute exercises, Oiselle's Dozen, and walked the dog to coffee. 
• Sunday, 10/30 - 17.0 miles, long run. It was a great decision to not run the day before, because I woke up feeling great. So much so, that I ran hills. Lots of hills! My run was point to point and pretty much all up hill. Felt strong throughout and pretty happy with my pace. 10:01/mile avg pace.

Goal Mileage: 55 miles

Total Mileage: 47.5 miles

Week 14 (or the week it peaks!):

• Monday, 10/31 - Rest or XT
• Tuesday, 11/1 - 14 miles, general aerobic run
• Wednesday, 11/2 - 5 miles, recovery run
• Thursday, 11/3 - 11 miles with 4 x1200 intervals, VO2 max
• Friday, 11/4 - Rest or XT
• Saturday, 11/5 - 20 miles, long run
• Sunday, 11/6 - 5 miles, recovery run

Goal Mileage: 55 miles

Five (5!) Weeks until CIM

Should I recap my previous week or lay out my plans for this week? Both? Okay, let's do it. Last week was {on paper} the 12th week of training for CIM. Although with one taper week and two recovery weeks for St. George, my training has not been continuous. 

After two lower mileage weeks, I was ready to jump right back into marathon training. I'm following Pfitzinger's Advanced Marathoning plan for running two marathons 8 or 10 weeks apart (St. George and CIM are 9 weeks apart). 

CIM Training Week 12 Recap:

• Monday, 10/17 - Rest or XT day. I ran a easy 1 mile warm-up before a cycle class and weight-lifting.
• Tuesday, 10/18 - 9.0 miles, general aerobic run . Back to mid-week longish runs. I love these runs. These runs make me a stronger runner. Consistency and increasing mileage are key. They almost make waking up at 4:20 am worth it. I kept the pace slow & steady and I felt strong all the way to the end (or coffee, which really is the end). 9:48/mile average pace.
• Wednesday, 10/19 - 5.0 miles, recovery run. This run felt super hard and both my legs and mind were very tired. How will I ever be able to run a marathon in a few weeks? was a constant thought during my run. In th evening, I saw my sports physical therapist for my monthly run-specific power, balance and strength conditioning. 10:01/mile average
• Thursday, 10/20 - 9.6 miles with speed (8 x 100 meters). My legs were not feeling this run. I was able to run my sprints at a good pace, but the rest of the miles nope. My legs were not cooperating-which is the norm when I have PT the night before. 9:29/mile average
• Friday, 10/21 - Rest or XT day. Fridays always start with a 30 minute tabata style class and since I had the day off from work I also took a pilates class and a TRX class. I also had an appointment with my sports chiropractor for ART. 
• Saturday, 10/22 - 13.1 miles, long run. I was nervous about this run because it was my longest run since St. George and I was running it in a new location with out a specific route. Also, with the way my legs had been feeling earlier in the week, I wasn't sure my legs could handle the distance. It turns out, I had nothing to be worried about. The run went great and I felt strong throughout. Also, I ran it in 1:59:39. When I run 13.1 miles I always challenge myself to run it in less than 2 hours. 9:08/mile average. 
  
• Sunday, 10/23 - 4.3 miles, recovery run. Super fun Oiselle Volée gtg at Green Flash Brewery for Hoppy Yoga (yoga + beer). A group of us met early to get a short run in before getting bendy. My legs felt great and I was able to get some speed. 9:01/mile average.

Total Mileage: 42. 1 miles

Week 13 (or the week it gets serious again):

• Monday, 10/24 - Rest or XT
• Tuesday, 10/25 - 12 miles, general aerobic run
• Wednesday, 10/26 - 5 miles, recovery run
• Thursday, 10/27 - 9 miles with 5 miles tempo run
• Friday, 10/28 - 4 miles, recovery run
• Saturday, 10/29 - 8 miles with speed (10 x 100 meters)
• Sunday, 10/30 - 17 miles, long run

Goal Mileage: 55 miles