Training Week 3: I have derriere antlers

Week 3 was, in a word, inconsistent.

I started the week strong with a 7-mile run on Monday morning. I love that I'm getting back to weekday runs long enough that I can call them MDMLRs--Mid-weed-medium-long-runs. Sure, 7 miles is on the short side for this, but I think I'm in the ballpark.

Tuesday I biked to yoga for my second class. The instructor's voice sounds like it belongs on NPR. So smooth, beautiful pronunciation. I wasn't sure if classes would be very different from week to week, and was glad to find that my second class was quite different from the first, even with the same instructor. I left feeling strong.

Wednesday: speed work. Did not happen. My alarm was set for o'dark thirty. It went off. I got up. I started the morning routine and just felt...off. Like I've said many times, it's normal for my stomach to be a little angry when I first wake up, but this was more than that. I deliberated for about 5 minutes and finally called it and went back to bed for another hour and a half. As the day started again, then wore on, I was really glad I'd made that call. It was the 1/10 of the time you skip a run and it was the right decision.

Thursday morning I ran with my neighbor, which I really love doing. She's fast and I love going fast. It was downright cold until I got moving, but by the end, a glorious morning like always. She got a kick out of my Top of Utah race shirt.

Awkward over-the-shoulder mirror selfie FTW!

 Friday morning I was back out for an easy 5 miles. Nothing spectacular. Just shakin' things out.

Saturday: long run, with my running buddy Jeannette, who I hadn't seen in almost a year. It was great to catch up with her over 10 miles and then brunch. I've missed running with her so much!! Before this long run, I also got to experiment with one of this week's goals.

Goal: Eat real food before my long run
Status: Accomplished

I ate a cinnamon raisin bagel with blackberry jam on my way to meet Jeannette. I think it did help. It did not help that I then did not take any Gu before or during the run. Net effect=not much different from before. So clearly I need to keep working on this, but I think I am headed in the right direction.

My second goal for last week is also an on-going goal for this week:

Goal: Get back to journaling my nutrition
Status: Partially accomplished

My second goal for the week was a return to journaling my nutrition. I partially met this goal, by keeping track of food some days last week, and not on others. I initially saw a tick down on the scale, but by week's end it had found its way back to where it had been a week prior. I'm back on the wagon this week.

Goals for this week:
1. Keep journaling the nutrition
2. Work on the long run fueling situation some more
Same as before, with some progress made on both, and some progress left to go.

This coming week should see me tip the odometer over 100 for the month, and will also hopefully see a very triumphant return to speed work. Wish me luck!

Training Week 2: School for the Gifted

Goal: Return to Yoga
Status: Accomplished!

Do you remember the old Far Side cartoon of the kid at the door of the School for the Gifted, pushing on the door with all his might, and the sign on the door says Pull? (if not, you can see it here) That summarizes me and yoga pretty well. For all of my not picking a studio, not making time, not whatevering, it turns out you just do it. You just sign up, go, open the door and do it! Feeling like there was some barrier between me and cross-training was really silly. I was pushing on a door that's really easy to pull open.

Last weekend, as soon as I wrote my Week 1 post, I started reading reviews of different studios near my house, and the search quickly narrowed to one. I bought a 10-class pass, made a reservation for Tuesday morning's Power Hour, and when Tuesday came, hopped on my bike and went to class. I have no idea now why this seemed complicated.

The class, as yoga classes go, was fairly easy, which is perfect for a runner looking to get stretched and strong between runs. And the setting is great. The classroom is on the second floor of a building, facing north. Toward the end of class, you can look out the front window and see the horizon starting to lighten toward dawn. Pretty great way to start the day.

Pre-dawn, as I headed home from class

Speed work Wednesday was a second victory this week. In Week 1, the speed session nearly killed me (ok, maybe that's a slight exaggeration). But this past week, I came much closer to hitting the target paces, and I didn't have a searing headache for the rest of the day. Woohoo! Here are the target and actual paces for my intervals (rests not shown), goal in purple, actual in green:
400: 1:46/1:44
400 1:46/1:41
800: 3:32/3:35
1200: 5:18/5:29
800: 3:32/3:41
400: 1:46/1:48
400: 1:46/1:48

I also figured out why that second 800 is my tough spot. The park I run in is nearly perfectly flat, but not flat, and that second 800 captures the corner of the park with a slight elevation gain. It probably accounts for a few seconds of my over-run there.

On Saturday I headed out for my long run on the Jordan River Parkway with two of the girls from last year's group. They had to be somewhere by 10, so they did the first 2.5 miles out with me before turning around. I ran another 2.75 before turning around, for a total of 10.5 miles for the day. My schedule asked me to do 14, but I thought that was too big a jump up on long run miles at one time, and I think that was the right call. It was a bit brisk when we started out, but once I got warmed up, the day felt great. Lots of sunshine.

The sweaty afterglow of a successful long run

When I got back to the trailhead at the end of my run, I saw this. I love all the Olympics references here. That legacy is such a cool part of this place, and always inspires me when I'm training and come across a memento like this unexpectedly.

I'm feeling good heading into Week 3. Goals for this week: 

• Eat some real food before my long run. My history of not doing this was problematic at last year's Top of Utah marathon, and does not serve me well ever, really. So I'm going to fix it. 
• Get back to journaling my nutrition. I've held steady at 7lb. weight loss, and want to start seeing some progress again. 

Thanks to the few of you who stopped by last week and left me a comment wishing me luck as I get back to training mode! I love hearing from you!! 

Week 1 Training:I'm starving, and other headlines

Week 1 of the 2015 training season is in the books. Here's a run-down:

Monday was a gentle re-introduction to training, 5.5 EZ miles. No biggie.

Tuesday: you've heard me say this so many times it's ridiculous, but...this is the day for XT and...I didn't do it. The issue is that I don't have a routine. I'm not signed up for a class at work, and I haven't been to any of the many yoga studios near my house. Goal for the upcoming week: find a Groupon or intro special for one of them, sign up, and get going!

Wednesday: Speed work, for the first time in something like 6 months (six months?!?). It....was...brutal. I don't think the rest of the world calls these runs progression-regression runs, but that's what we called them in high school and the name has stuck with me. What do you call them? Where you do intervals that increase in distance up to a point, then you do the whole thing in reverse? Anyway, to prevent myself from panicking over distances and paces, I wrote it down and put it in my pocket to peek at during recoveries. (yes, I realize the interval pace is constant)

I knew it was unlikely that I'd hold 7min/mile pace all the way through, since it had been so long. Here's what I turned in (not including the recoveries):
2 miles EZ
400 @ 1:49
400 @ 1:45
800 @ 3:35
1200 @ 5:31
800 @ 3:48
400 @ 1:53
400 @ 1:51

Other than that second 800 I wasn't crazy far off. The whole time I was doing it I kept telling myself that I shouldn't expect to hit my paces in Week 1 after so long. Yet, I pushed too hard, and ended up with a pounding heading for most of the day. Like, bad enough that I couldn't eat. I always tell other people not to jump in too fast, why didn't I take my own advice?? Lesson (re)learned. Plus, as I get stronger week to week, these paces won't seem so insane.

Thursday: rest

Friday: 5 miles EZ. Talk about a gorgeous run. The moon was setting to the west just as the sun was rising to the east. All those colors. Caught between the sleeping and waking worlds. It was one of those moments where you feel sorry for people who don't run, and/or people who aren't morning people.

Saturday: Long run! And, a chance to try out a new pair of tights I bought last weekend at Salt Lake Running Company, which is my go-to store around here for all things running. I'd been in the market for a while for a pair of non-thermal, full-length tights, to span that temperature range between about 25 and 38. I'd had a hard time deciding. Several pairs at Athleta looked attractive, but were super expensive. The sales person at the running store was really helpful. She showed me several options, some in winter clearance and some not, and helped me pick a pair made by Swoob. I'd never heard of the company. Turns out it's a Utah-based company. After reading their site a bit, I love their mission:

"The idea for the company came while climbing in Utah's Wasatch Mountains. We noticed most women would stow things in their bra while climbing. After talking to other active gals we found many use their sports bras as a pocket to store anything from energy pouches to keys and phones.  Realizing an opportunity Swoob was born around a mission to support the active lifestyle of females."

The sales girl said she loved their products, and at $34 on sale, I was intrigued. Plus, the fabric felt nice, and I immediately loved the very wide waist band, which I've found drastically improves comfort. I couldn't resist. (Product can be found here on a much thinner model who is either very blessed or has had a boob job)

Pre-run: Yep--they look like black tights. Amid a sea of toys.

Admittedly, today was a touch too warm for this get-up, but not ridiculously so. Even in slightly-too-warm-weather, these tights performed very well. Things I love about them:

• That wide waistband. LOVE that.
• They are long enough! This is often an issue for me. I'm 5'8" and all leg. I may or may not have actually cheered a little when I put them on the first time and they were easily long enough. 
• The pocket in the waistband is pretty generous. 
• I think they'd make a great base layer for skiing. 

I could ding them for not having a zippered pocket, although to be honest, I usually run with my Nathan hand held water bottle, which has a zippered pocket, so this isn't a huge deal. I might care more if I were doing a 5k in them and had to carry anything valuable. Also, they do not have reflective qualities, and as I run a lot in the dark, this is the only real con I have for these tights. 

Today's run itself was 8 miles of lovely. It's no secret that I live for long runs. The second half was better than the first--it just took me a little extra time to settle in today. I took it slower than I have in a while, which was nice. 

Wrapping up the week, I'm struck by how immediately starving I am when re-entering training. Since early December, I've been working to very slowly lose some weight. I've lost about 7 pounds--go me! So I've been watching what I eat. I think the trick will be in telling my nutrition journal (which is an online tool) that I've increased my exercise time/distance, and that will signal it to increase my daily calorie allotment while keeping me on track. Stay tuned for updates on this. I've historically had a hard time losing weight while training, so we'll see how it goes. 

Weekly summary:

XT: none

Workouts: 4

Miles: 25.5

And We're Back! Training Season 2015 is a GO.

So, it's been a while. A long while, this off season. I enjoyed running during this time, but I also enjoyed more mornings spent curled up in bed, and more evenings spent awake past 10 pm. But alas, we are back at the trail head. Back to training season. And I'm ready to be here.

Why the word "ready", and not something more enthusiastic? I've spent a lot of time thinking about this race season, and what I want it to be. After going all out last year, setting a new mileage PR, sub-4'ing my marathon, and setting a new PR in the half, I'm ready for a more mellow race year. So I slowly admitted to myself that this was OK (this was a hard thing for this Type A runner to admit!). I've set some still-aggressive goals, just fewer of them. I'm signed up for races, just not a full marathon. And this I'm delighted about. I'm ready to get into a training season that still pushes me, but also gives me some wiggle room to see what happens. To decide on fall when fall gets here. To revel in it all.

I've been up to some pretty great stuff in the off-season, too. In January, I started meeting up with some of the girls from last year's training group. I've loved reconnecting with them and exploring some new routes. In this first picture, we're heading out for a 6 mile loop, running parallel to the mountain. Our trail was a very generous shoulder (meant for runners and cyclists), with a view over the entire Salt Lake Valley. You couldn't help but just stare out over the valley while you ran. Gorgeous!

And, winter in Utah is meant for skiing. Glorious, powdery skiing. I went once in January for work to Deer Valley (love!! It's a 4-star food resort with a skiing problem. And, winning big points with me, the ski trails are all well marked--no getting lost or accidentally heading down a black diamond!). Then on President's Day I took my older son to Brighton for his very first ever ski lesson. That kid was crazy in love with skiing, and has been asking to go back ever since. This is the view as I turned on to a slope, while he was with his group. 

This is the view to the west one evening. It's basically the same thing I get to see every single morning when I'm coming in from my run, just on the other side of the valley. This never, never, never gets old. Every morning when I see the opposite of this, I'm thankful for having laced up my shoes. 

With that, the 2015 Training Season is upon me! The first race on my 2015 dance card (run card?) is the Salt Lake Half, which I ran last year, too. It's not my favorite course, and not one I'll try to PR on, but its timing is impeccable for jump starting training for summer races. My A-Game race for the year is the Utah Valley Half, which I also ran last year and had an absolute blast completing with my STL running bestie.

What are my goals? For Salt Lake, really just to get my weekly mileage back up to some respectable level (I've barely cracked 100 miles yet this year....) and have fun on race day. For Utah Valley, I want to break 1:45. That's the goal. If you'd have asked me in 2007 whether I thought I'd ever set that as a realistic race goal, I would have laughed. But, let's do this.

2014: Year in Review

This year has been unlike any other in my life as a runner. So many firsts. So many miles! New friends. Welcome to the year in review. 

Shiny New PRs

I think I'll remember this year best as both the year that Utah felt like home, and the year that I sub-4'ed a marathon. Running had a lot to do with the former, and everything to do with the latter. Here's how it all went down.  

PR #1: Salt Lake Half-Marathon, April 19, 1:53:03. 

This PR was hard-won. The race itself is more memorable as the race I joined a training group for, and the race through which I made some great friends here in Utah. I smiled the entire day after this race. 

PR #2: Utah Valley Half, June 14, 1:48:04

This PR was everything you could ever ask for in a race. I got to spend time with a friend from STL, it was a gorgeous day and a gorgeous course, I felt great, and I PR'ed. It was fun to come barreling down the canyon, turn, then apply a full helping of bad assery heading into town and toward the finish line, where my running partner in crime was waiting for me, having just handed in a PR of her own.

Part of the course

PR #3: Top of Utah Marathon, September 20, 3:56:13. 

Somehow, unimaginably, I sub-4'ed a marathon. Don't get me wrong, I trained more than I'd ever trained before. It's all in the math. But even now, I can hardly believe it. I did it! I also got to spend time with a friend, and see my boys a few times during the last few, crazy tired miles. 

At Mile 19

PR #4: Mileage

Here it is: I ran 1200 miles in 2014. This is a PR for me by 370 miles. And I loved it.  

Rave Runs

Don't get me wrong. I love running in Utah. I feel so lucky to get to watch the sun back light the mountains so many mornings, then begin to rise in every color God created. But this was a year of travel, and that travel gave me some new running spots worth a shout-out. I was all over the place this year, so if I leave one out, please tell me in the comments!

Rave Run #1: The Monon Trail in Indy

While in Indy for a wedding reception, I hit a local trail for a 13-miler. It was one of the best running paths I've ever been on. So well maintained, with excellent signage, shade, water, attractions. Plus it was a gorgeous day. 

Rave Run #2: The River Walk Trail in San Antonio

Sadly I lack pictures. I hopped on the trail downtown at my hotel (work travel), and followed it several miles south and back. 

Rave Run #3: St. Augustine

Yeah, it was July in Florida and I was sweating my ass off, but who in the world cares when you're running here? Gorgeous. 

Rave Run #4: Provo Canyon

I really cannot convey just how beautiful the Utah Valley course is.

Products Discovered

1. The Garmin Forerunner 220. It's just as good as the reviews say. I've loved it every step of the way since April. 
2. SmartWool Pattern Reversible Headband (available here). I was skeptical, and I was wrong to be. My other ear warmer is a much thinner material, and when the temps really dropped, wasn't warm enough. But hats often don't satisfy either. This is a great in-between, as a warmer yet breathable material. 
3. Salted Caramel Gu. You're welcome. 

Other Highlights

• It's not running related, but the biggest part of our home renovation is over. It was a difficult process to live with and through, and we're still working on smaller projects. Watch for another post on this. 
• Also not running related, my parents will be living in Utah for half the year (warm months). 
• My husband and kids are healthy and everyone is doing well. 
• I love my job, and had some important accomplishments there this year. 

Goals for 2015:

At this point, I have two:

1. Lose about 10 lbs. My doctor says I'm a healthy weight, and my clothes all fit just fine, but I'd like to see a lower number on the scale. 
2. PR the Utah Valley half in June. Last year I bought the 1:45 training plan and adjusted the paces to be a bit slower, and I got a 1:48. I think after that year, I'm ready to really take on the 1:45 plan. 

Beyond those, I'm not sure. I'm still considering whether to do a full marathon in 2015, and while I'm sure I'll do another half (at least), I haven't decided on one yet. 

There you have it--my year in review. It's been quite a year! Happy New Year, runners!!

December Recap

Well this is awkward! I haven't said one hot word on here about running since my Top of Utah Marathon recap back in September. Truthfully, I took some time off from running for a few weeks after the race, then I took longer off from the blog. It was a great time of recovery and giving increased focus to some other parts of life for a while. I didn't run a heck of a lot in October or November. But I'm back, with some miles and some pics.

Miles Ran: 68.9. I'm really good with that.

# Runs: 12. No speed work, but some variation in distance.

Favorite Run: It's always hard to choose, but running with my friend Tessa in the snow at the Jordan River Parkway was really, really nice. It was a sunny, bright day, with mostly clear paths, but with the sound of our shoes crunching on the snow here and there. We ran 7 pretty quick miles that day.

Other Notable Runs: Just before heading out for the run pictured above, I realized that I was 20 miles shy of hitting a pretty big number (stay tuned for the year end!), and decided that was my goal. After Tessa and I ran, I had 13 to go. I planned to split them up Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday of this week (December 29-31). Monday, 5 miles, check. Tuesday, 3 miles planned....wind gusts up to 50mph, felt like it was -10. Our pipes froze (seriously). We heard on the news that there were hundreds of accidents on the interstates, so driving to an indoor track seemed like a bad option too. So today, NYE, I was due to run 8 miles. Mr. Joanna, the kiddo, and I all packed up and headed to the Utah Olympic Oval. It's a 442m/lap indoor track that loops an ice skating rink. The boys skated while I ran. It was really fun to get to watch them. And what runner wouldn't get inspired by all the Olympic paraphernalia? So cool. (if you can't make it out, the banner in the background says "US Olympic Team Trials").

Training Update: I am still in the off-season. I've registered for a half in June, but nothing else yet for next year. I'm mulling my options for a great race season. In the meantime, I'd like to drop some weight. My clothes are all fitting well, but I'd still like to drop some. 

House Project Completed: Unfortunately it's been a bumpy road on house projects (I'm planning a whole post called "What I Learned from Renovating My House for a Year"). However, so much has happened since I last shared. I finally finished re-painting my craft desk and putting the office back together. My Mom finished the window treatment for the master bath. We chose an area rug for the living room (love!). I painted the dining room, and am working on painting the master bedroom. I found end tables for the living room (finally), and some accessorizing in various rooms has happened. We've also given away and sold a bunch of stuff, which, if you know me, you know I love to de-clutter. So freeing. Our house is coming together, finally. It's been quite a process. 

Other Lovely Things from Life: White Christmas. Sledding. Hot chocolate. Knitting projects finished. Baking lovely things. New friends and very new friends. 

I hope your December was great, too!

Being a Woman in Academia

I've wanted to write this post, and about 15 related posts, more times than I can count. Some recent conversations I've had, and some recent media on the topic, have convinced me that now, finally, is the right time. There is so much to say on the topic of women in academia; I cannot cover all I'd hope to say in one post. So I'm going to post on a narrow topic: sometimes, everyone can win.

Disclaimer: Much of what I want to say has to be made anonymous. Yet very little of what I'm saying singles out any one job I've had in academia, and as such, very little of this singles out any particular university, department, or individual.

Aside from the recent media discussions about gender in academia, I'm motivated by a recent email conversation I had* with a male assistant professor who I've known for some years. He sent me the following, of which I have removed only identifying information:

Men and women are different, and I'm not a sexist for saying it. The social values and cultural norms of some minority groups leave their sons and daughters ill-prepared to take on the real problems in the world, and I'm not racist or elitist for saying it. Though correct, these are thoughts that can't ever be uttered among educated, upwardly-mobile people....In reality, I avoid these subjects. There's no winning....It's more that there's no not losing. There's no socially-acceptable way for any such conversation to conclude, except for the white man to agree with whatever a non-white or non-man or non-white-man is saying.

Now, there's a lot going on here, and several points of response would be warranted. In the interest of being constructive for my colleague, I chose to send some suggestions of how everyone can win. Here again, I'm editing my response only to veil identifying information.

Let's discuss. "There's no socially-acceptable way for any such conversation to conclude." No. I feel pretty strongly that there are a lot of things men can do to improve the situation, you probably just don't realize they are happening. I could start sending you recaps of the instances where my gender affects the way I am treated in the workplace. You'd tire of it quickly. Imagine how sick of it I am. But without doing that, and more rooted in research on the topic (and some of my own experiences), here are everyday things you can do:

• Take advantage of your university's parental leave policy if/when you have children. I attended a symposium by the authors of this book (http://www.amazon.com/Do-Babies-Matter-Gender-Families/dp/0813560802) and this was one of the key findings they discussed. Parental leave policies stigmatize women unless men legitimize them by also using them. Don't have time for parental leave? Neither do women. And if men "don't have time" for parental leave, women feel stigmatized for having to "take time" for parental leave. 
• Women, and especially women of color, are presumed incompetent in academia (http://www.amazon.com/Presumed-Incompetent-Intersections-Class-Academia/dp/0874219221). I realize that this seems easy to wave off, but it's true, and it manifests itself in many ways. Here are ridiculously common things that happen, and solutions:
• I have often been given less time to speak during committee and faculty meetings than have male peers, even when the male peers are unprepared or junior to me, and even when I have important things to discuss. It is maddening, and I've had to believe that these men assumed that they were being given lots of time on the floor because they were brilliant. It would be wonderful if just once someone would realize that this is happening and say something like, "but, I've taken up too much of this group's time already and need more time to prepare a more finalized product for your consideration. Jill had less time on the floor for a topic that seems well developed, so I'd like to make sure we're giving that enough time, and I'll ask for a time slot at our next meeting to more fully present my agenda item." Or some such thing. 
• I've sometimes found out about various opportunities later than have male peers because the senior, male faculty members assume that they will be interested and capable of pursuing those opportunities. As you find out about cool things, just take a minute to make sure your female peers are also being invited to the conversation. 
• Women work harder to achieve equal status in academia. Just be aware of it. I don't have anything more practical here. Read this: http://modelviewculture.com/pieces/i-didn-t-want-to-lean-out
• There's all kinds of evidence that women are given higher service loads. When you realize that a female peer is on 4 more committees than you are, offer to sub in for her on even just one of them. 
• When personnel decisions are being made, I've too often seen men praised for style rather than substance, and women criticized for it. Object to this. Make sure candidates are being evaluated for the things they have actually achieved, and not for their ability (or inability) to present a glossy veneer. Stick, firmly, to what they have actually achieved. 
• True story, I once heard the need for male breadwinning given as a reason to hire a particular candidate. Object to this. 
• I once attended a reception at an exclusive, formerly-male-only social club. A university development director wanted to engage the crowd in billiards, but knew that it was outside the social rules of the place to be so forward. Had a male offered to break the first rack, she could have pursued all kinds of networks (and possible funding) that the social engagement might have opened up. Watch for situations where women are confined in ways like this, and offer to be that gateway. Break the rack for them. 

I wanted to share this list not only to get it out there, but also because my colleague's reception of it was telling: at our next in-person discussion, he angrily informed me that he'd deleted the email without reading it because it began with the word "no". What was that meant to communicate to me, besides an unwillingness to try some solutions? Talk about no way to win. 

*  I do not relish making public what was a private conversation, but after much reflection believe that in this case, that is outweighed by the ethic of calling a spade a spade, and of getting what I hope is helpful, practical information out there in a way I was ultimately unable to do privately.