Making the Transition to College Running

As I'm sure is obvious, running in college isn't exactly identical to the high school running experience.  For one thing, you don't see nearly as many pairs of Jesus sandals at a track meet and that is a huge culture shock.  So, dear readers, because I love you, I'm going to share some of the biggest adjustments/differences that I experienced so that you can mentally prepare for them.  Or if you're already a seasoned college athlete, I guess you can just laugh at my struggles.
Perhaps the most glaring difference that every wide-eyed new freshman will take note of is the difference in length of the championship races.  For the women, we only move up by 1k.  The poor guys have to run the 10k, which is double what they had to run in high school.  Neither one of these transitions really makes sense to me, and telling strangers your 6k time isn't nearly as satisfying.  They just sort of squint at you and go, "So...is that good or...?"  And you won't even know how to answer them because it's a 6k and you have absolutely no idea what is going on so you're in the same boat.  #FreeThe5k2k16
Racing itself is a big adjustment.  Freshman year in high school, I was just the gawky new kid who only owned two sports bras and felt awkward wearing spandex, so I didn't have many expectations for myself going into races and finished in the top 100 at bigger meets felt like a pretty big deal.  As time when on and I started actually caring about running, I began expecting to finish higher at these meets.  My junior and senior years, I placed top 10 in both Bob Firman and NXR, and finished in the top 50 at NXN.  So, this year, when I was back in the middle of the pack at pre-nationals, conference, and region, it was a little bit weird.  I just have to keep reminding myself that it's exactly where I started when I was in high school, and that I just have to keep moving up from here.
As far as pre-meet stuff with the team goes, it's entirely different.  Gone are the days of the coaches vs athletes laser tag battles and the post-race Krispy Kreme eating competitions on the men's team.  Because traveling is focused entirely on the race, you usually arrive and leave with only the time you need to prepare for and run the race.  Occasionally if there is extra time, you might go sightseeing or walk around the city, but you definitely don't go to theme parks anymore.  Team apparel is also very different.  Showing up to a meet looking like you were dressed by a blind homeless man is a big no-no in college, especially since you actually have matching team gear.  That has been a bonus, since my high school team only started getting matching warm-ups my junior year.  Also, mismatched uniforms are a thing of the past because you are sponsored by one brand and one brand only instead of piecing together uniforms out of the several you've had over the years in high school.  During the races themselves, there are far fewer team moms cheering for you, mostly because the team moms all live in different states.
When you go to college, you actually have to lift and do core.  Once upon a time, when my high school coaches would tell me I had to actually pick up weights in order for my time in the weight room to count, I would chuckle at their audacity and turn back to my conversation with my teammates.  Core was like church for a nonactive Christian-I would do it on Easter and Christmas, and sometimes when I felt like I needed a miracle.  Now it's required and my whole body is furious with me for not being more responsible before.  And ignoring an injury until it goes away doesn't work.  You get in trouble with the athletic trainers if you wait a month before going in to talk to them.  Sry, guys.
Finally and most unfortunately, you have to get your ferritin levels checked before every competition season.  When I heard that, my brain processed it a little differently as "You have to get a massive needle stuck in your arm and your precious red blood cells drained before every competition season."  I don't like blood draws in the slightest.  I don't handle them well.  I see a needle and revert back to three years old.  And the nurses all expect a mature adult when I walk in because I'm 18 years old, so they no longer offer me the pinwheel to blow on and distract myself from the stabbing.  The last time I had to get a blood draw for the indoor season, I got myself incredibly worked up before it.  The lady who stole my blood was incredibly unsympathetic and did not have any pity for my plight.  As soon as I saw the needle, I broke out in a cold sweat and stared determinedly at the opposite wall.  And like the brave little warrior I was, I passed out in the waiting room on the way out.  I'm hoping that technology will come up with a way to do all of these tests without all of the needles before outdoor season rolls around.
Needles and adjustments aside, my first season of competition has been great.  Having supportive teammates and coaches who helped me every step of the way was wonderful, and I look forward to the rest of my career at MSU.  #blessed

Using Athletics as a Justification

I've noticed a startling new habit in myself as of late.  It started around the beginning of my junior year in high school when I got really serious about running.  Anytime I needed an excuse for something, I turned to athletics.  GPA not quite where your mom wanted it?  It's because you're an athlete.  How can you be expected to run and do homework?  Did you eat something that was supposed to be for a special occasion?  You were probably blinded by your intense need for calories.  Is this the second week in a row that you've been wearing running tights?  Well, you just have so many of them and it hardly makes sense for you to keep changing back and forth between jeans and running tights when you're doing two-a-days.
Here is how a typical conversation with me might go when I've done something wrong:
"Lyssa, you slept in until 1..."
"I'm an athlete."
"Hey uhm, that cake was for everyone."
"I'm an athlete."
"So that assignment was due two weeks ago."
"Sorry, I'm an athlete."
"Just how long has it been since you took a shower or brushed your hair?"
"Don't ask silly questions, I'm an athlete."
And so on and so forth.  I have a very real problem.  I'm sure there will come a day when I'm more mature and I don't say things like, "Well, I already have 10 pairs of running tights, but I am a runner and I do go to school in Montana, so I should probably buy these.  They're on sale anyway!", but it will probably not be for quite some time.

Region and Season Recap

Before I get started with this post, I would like to apologize for the extended absence between posts.  I had a lot of angst about the end of my season and I was simply not in the mood to talk about it yet.  

Region this year was in Albuquerque, New Mexico.  The course was fairly similar to the NXN Southwest course, with the biggest differences being that it was a 6k instead and it never really leveled out-you were either going up or down a slope the entire time.  This was nice on the downhills, but the uphills were not a good time.  I wasn't really sure what to expect going into this race since the conference meet didn't go all that well, and I was still having a lot of ups and downs in workouts.  My left hamstring had been giving me a lot of trouble, and I was just hoping it wouldn't lock up again like it did in Cedar City.  

The race went out fast, and honestly most of it is a blur at this point.  I remember the first half going well, then that all-too familiar "Oh no" feeling settling in around mile two.  I ended up finishing 51st with a time that was about a minute slower than I ran at pre-nats.  Since it was my first year competing on a D1 level, I wasn't too broken up about the way I placed, although I was definitely a little disappointed.  I came in with some big goals this year, and I still intend to pursue them through track.  

Yesterday, after my first week back easy running following the one-week break I took after region, I thought it might be wise to talk to the trainers, since my left hamstring was still bothering me after the break.  I was told that I have a strained hamstring, and probably have since conference.  For a full recovery, it could take between 4-6 weeks.  It was good to find out exactly why I was having so much trouble at the last two meets, although it was incredibly frustrating as well.  

The team will be having our first indoor track competition this Saturday at our Blue-Gold intersquad meet.  It should be fun to see where everyone is at right now and lace up our track spikes again.  The nice thing about competing in track at the college level is that most of the distances will be the same as or slightly shorter than what I competed in high school.  Also, I won't have to worry about a hilly course for the next nine months or so.  

Big Sky Conference

For our most recent meet, I got to return to the Mothership and race in Utah again.  There are not even words to express how excited I was.  My family and Jacob's both got to come to this race, along with several high school friends who live in the area.  Since it was hosted by Southern Utah, which is about six hours away from where I live, I didn't have a chance to see all of my friends and family, but it was definitely great to see those who were able to make it.
The race was Saturday morning and we got in late Thursday evening, so we had all of Friday to relax after the course preview.  Naturally, for me "relaxing" meant "sitting in the hotel room and watching Spongebob".  I don't think I've quite learned how to adult properly yet.  The evening before the race, I got the opportunity to go out to dinner with Jacob's family, which totally made my day.
Saturday morning, we arrived at the course to find my older sister (who also competes on a NCAA D1 level) already there and telling the animated story of how she was attacked by a dog on the run over.  Before long, Papa John was stretching me out and I was headed over to the starting line.

I yawn when I get nervous...

 The excitement of the race definitely got to me a little.  For about the first 600 meters, I was in second place.  We came through the first mile at 5:40, and I sensed pretty quickly that something was not quite right.  This course was very hilly.  There was never really a point where it leveled out; You were either going up or down the whole time.  For whatever reason, my legs did not handle it nearly as well as they handled the rolling hills back in Bozeman on our 1k loop.  By about halfway through the race, I was completely locked up from hips down, and no amount of bargaining could make my legs move faster.  I finished my first conference meet in 23rd, which for me could not have been more disappointing.

Fortunately, I have some great teammates and friends who made it clear that one bad race is not the end of the world.  Since this is just my freshman season, I have at least three more years to improve on that finish.  I am beyond grateful for the support I have here at Montana State, and the coaches and trainers who are actually willing to listen to their athletes.  I spoke to the athletic trainers after the race, and they believe that part of my problem may have been due to an inflamed sciatic nerve, so I have been doing some stretching and exercises to hopefully help remedy that before region this weekend.  

Pre-Nationals

This past weekend, the NCAA pre-nationals were held in Louisville, Kentucky.  This was my first big college meet, and the first time I have raced a 6k, so it was a fairly new experience for me.
We departed Bozeman and spent most of the day traveling Thursday, so there wasn't much time for sightseeing or entertainment, but since the race wasn't until Saturday, we had all of Friday to get a look at the course and the city.  The course was actually one of the nicer ones I've raced on this year.  Since a hill in Kentucky doesn't quite compare to a hill in the mountain region, there wasn't anything big, and the course was at sea level so recovering from the quicker race pace was less of a challenge.  Myself and a few teammates had our own little adventure after the course preview when we needed to add on mileage and somehow found ourselves off the path in the middle of the forest.  We had to battle through a few thorns and hop a few fences, but it made for a pretty good story to tell the rest of the team when we got back.  We also got the opportunity to do some touristy stuff in downtown Louisville Friday afternoon.  I think the highlight of that was finding one street that had three wig shops within a block and wondering how high the demand for wigs in that area must be to justify it.
Saturday morning, we woke up to perfect racing conditions.  It was about 48 degrees and sunny when we arrived at the course, and it warmed up just slightly before we raced.  This race was a very different experience, even from national caliber races in high school.  From the time I started off the line to the time I crossed the finish, I was in a massive unbroken pack.  I'm used to races separating out at least a little over the first few miles, but this one remained incredibly crowded.  It really helped to be racing with so many other girls because though the pace was pretty quick, it felt easier to be surrounded by other people and have others ahead to focus on and try to catch.  The increased volume of the workouts I've been doing in college also seems to have helped, because the additional 1k did not feel like much of a difference.  I ended up crossing the line in 73rd with a time of 20:58, which I was pretty happy with.  I'm definitely going to try and focus more on certain teams to catch at conference, since I wasn't able to pick them out in a race this size, and I'd like to keep improving on my time, but this was a pretty good start to racing on a higher level.

University of Montana Invitational

Before I share the recap from my most recent race, here's a link to an athletic profile by the MSU Exponent that perfectly captures my relationship with food and running.
This past weekend marked my first away meet with the new team.  Since it's only a few hours to Missoula, we took the school's vans and rolled up like basically the swaggiest cross country crew of all time.  We got some aggressively pink shirts to wear to the course previews for the month of October to show our support for the fight against breast cancer, which is pretty awesome, and of course only enhanced our coolness factor on arrival.
The course itself was really nice.  It was on a golf course, so it was relatively flat and well-groomed.  It had a slight incline for parts of the first and last mile, and one gnarly hill at just over halfway.  Overall it wasn't bad at all.
We woke up to perfect conditions on race day.  It had been raining during the night, and it was just slightly overcast during the women's race. The pace for the first mile was probably a bit on the quick side-no one actually read off the splits for me, but a teammate told me that she had come through around 5:37.  A girl from University of Idaho led the race from the gun, and from the end of the first mile on, I settled in and tried to close the gap to her.  The hill took quite a bit out of me on the way up, but from there on out, most of the race was on a downhill incline, so I was still able to finish reasonably well with a 5k time of about 17:59.  My team ended up winning on both the men's and women's side, so it was a great first travel trip.

Apparently Hips DO Lie: My Adventures in PT

After the first few weeks of training here, I noticed that my IT bands were starting to flare up again and that I had some unusual fatigue in my quads and hamstrings.  Thinking it would be a quick fix, I went in to the training room to see if they could rub me out and have me on my way.  Instead, they diagnosed me with a weak booty and lazy hip flexors that would need to be remedied as soon as possible to prevent injury and help improve my biomechanic efficiency.  To teach my hip flexors how to be contributing members of society again, I was told to come in for rehab/PT three days a week.
This is how my rehab sessions typically go:

• Walk in and look around aimlessly for awhile.  Try to decide which exercise to torture my body with first.
• Decide to "warm up" on a foam roller
• Get told I'm in the way of something important by the football team 3-4 times
• Pick a spot where I won't get crushed and roll out for way longer than necessary while snapchatting my friends to make sure they all know how hard rehab is
• Give up on procrastinating because I have class later and get my sheet of prescribed exercises from the training room
• Cry a little
• Think about how strong my glutes and hips had better be after this
• Mourn the fact that immediate results are not a thing in strength training
• Tell the trainers the exercises are "a little tough" while screaming internally so they don't realize how weak I really am and judge me for it.
• Think about how inflexible I am  (AKA cooldown stretches)
• Hobble out of the training room and lie on the floor of my dorm for awhile while pondering what I could have possible done to deserve this

In all seriousness, rehab isn't bad at all.  But I definitely am a lot weaker than I thought I was in some areas.  I've know for quite awhile that I have a tendency to run with one foot directly in front of another (Jacob always says "Lyssa, you're running on your tightrope" to let me know I'm doing it), but for whatever reason I've always just pretended that if I ignored it long enough it would just leave me alone.  I guess once you start running on a collegiate level, you're no longer allowed to pretend your problems don't exist.  I'm hoping that once I get all of my weaknesses worked out, I'll be able to drop a rock solid 4:00 mile.  Just kidding, that might be a bit ambitious.  I'll aim for a 4:01 instead.  After all of these squats, I think I should be at least that fast.  Or maybe just switch sports and be a body builder instead.

Bozeman Running Company Invitational

Well folks, I am officially a collegiate athlete now.  Montana State competed in their first cross country meet yesterday on our home course here in Bozeman.  It wasn't anything huge, but it was a nice way to start off the season.  Also, it was my first time running anything over 2 miles since last winter at NXN so it was good to get a sense for how it feels to run real distance again.  The pre-race nerves were back with a vengeance, and I can't say that I missed them, but that's all part of the deal.  This is how it feels to compete.  Your stomach turns sour.  Your heart feels like it's trying to crawl up your throat and make a getaway.  You begin to seriously question what made you think running was fun.  These are the moments you live for.

 

The race itself wasn't nearly so different from high school as I thought it would be.  I think that biggest difference was the number of people who ran under 18.  For some reason, I thought college running would be a completely new sport so I was pretty happy to find that you still just have to keep putting one foot in front of the other and sweating profusely for three miles in college.  

MSU 2015 freshies

It wasn't too bad, either.  I ended up coming in third overall and first on my team with a time of 17:33, which is my PR for the open three mile.  My race strategy could definitely use a little work.  I think I got too accustomed to racing the mile last spring because the first mile of this race felt like a jog, but I definitely regretted it by the second mile, and my legs were really mad at me by the third mile.  Also, post-race tempos are completed foreign to me.  We did a quick five-minute tempo after we finished and my whole body was appalled.  "I'm supposed to be done!" my lungs screamed at me throughout those five minutes.  But hey, I'm sure they'll thank me later.  I'm excited to see where this team and I will go after a few more weeks of training and a little bit more time in the training room to work on glute and hip strength for me.  Our next race will be on October 2nd at the University of Montana, so look out for the bobkitten crew there.  

Running in Bozeman

Well, I've been living in Bozeman for just under a month now.  I must admit I'm still a little bit lost when it comes to finding my way around town and suggesting restaurants or places to hang out to people, and I'm not as familiar with the trails as I would like, but I've been running with the team for the last few weeks and they've led me to some great runs.  So far, all of the trail runs here have been very similar to the trail running in Park City.  The last two Sundays, the trails have been the best I've ever run on.  Holy cow it is beautiful here.  Sourdough trail and South Cottonwood, the trails we have run the last two weeks, are forest trails that are honestly pretty much fairy tale runs.  They even have ideal little streams off to the side for crying out loud!  The only downside is that anytime that I'm ever running alone, I have an intense fear that I'm going to be eaten by a bear.
It's also been incredibly nice to have a team to run with again.  This is the first time in about two years that I've been on the same training program as anyone else on my team, and the difference it makes to run with other people is huge.  We had a time trial as a team on Saturday, and it made me very excited to see how our first race goes.  I'm really hoping that our team will be able to win conference this year.

Tips For Your First Few Weeks of College

Though this is a running blog and this post isn't technically about running, I just celebrated the end of my second week of school, and I believe that it would be selfish to say the least not to share some of the knowledge that I stumbled upon with those of you who are still young, impressionable high schoolers.
1-Just because the dining hall serves pizza and donuts every day doesn't mean you should eat pizza and donuts every day.  Take my word for it.  The novelty will wear off after five or six days, and leave you with a few extra pounds that you don't want.  You'll also feel like a giant slug on a bike trying to work up the energy to go anywhere.
2-Figure out your sleep schedule before the term starts.  Don't try to cram an extra season of Supernatural in on the eve of your first school day or it will become a habit and you will be so sad when you have to start waking up for 6 a.m. practice.
3-Never assume that the car sees you while you are in a crosswalk.  If by some joke of fate they don't, the back tire of your bike will get squished by a truck, your phone screen will get shattered, and you will once again be so sad because you have no way to get around until your bike is repaired.
4-Plan on studying.  You may not have a ton of turn-in assignments, but you still need to pay attention to the syllabus and do the readings, or when the first exam rolls around and you see the words "Found on pages _ - _ in the text" in parentheses next to a question, you will feel really foolish. And probably fail that text.
5-Don't freak out if your only friends in the first few weeks are your Netflix account and your chocolate stash.  Don't become a hermit just because you haven't made friends yet, either.  These things take time.
6-Ask your friends, family and strangers on the street to send you mail.  Now that you have your own mailbox, mail is so much more exciting.  And opening your mailbox to find it empty makes you feel like you are forever alone.
7-Bring snacks.  Even if you are on a meal plan, healthy snacks for early mornings and times when you just can't take any more meal hall food are heaven sent.
8-Get ahead while you can.  Especially for student-athletes, it is important to stay ahead of your school work because once season, practice, and competition get started, you won't have as much time on weekends and afternoons to get caught up if you fall behind.
9-Take naps as much as you possible can.
10-Go to your on-campus duck pond at least once a week if you have one.
If I come upon any more nuggets of wisdom in my travels, I'll be sure to share them with you lovely individuals.

Happy Gear Day

Ah, gear day.  Quite possibly the most exciting day of the year for college athletes.  It's honestly a lot like Christmas but with more clothing and less unwrapping.  So, for those of you who have never experienced it, this is what a gear day experience goes like.  (At least for me)
-You are notified that you may now pick up your gear and get your very own locker, and your heart nearly explodes out of excitement.
-You report to the equipment room only to find that the head honcho isn't there at the moment
-You come back four hours later and wait awkwardly in a room full of football players whose thighs are bigger than your entire body
-The head honcho shows up and he is super intimidating.  You consider fleeing, but your desire to get your cool new stuff helps you find the willpower to stay
-Head honcho shows you to your locker
-You almost go blind from the sheer awesomeness of this moment, but you collect yourself long enough to grab your stuff and take off
-You get back to your dorm and roll around in the new things.  (Okay, not really.  But you do look at it for a really long time.)

We haven't gotten our team jackets yet, and the freshman still have to wait to be issued uniforms, backpacks, and duffel bags, but I'm already too excited about all of that.  I think the mascot on our gear is absolutely the cutest thing, and getting new things makes me really happy anyway.  I wanted to wear all of my things at once, but then I remembered it's August so it's still probably too warm out.  Maybe once the Montana winter sets in I'll be able to do that without looking quite as silly.  But until then, I will try to restrain myself.

Running Can Be Hard (And That's Okay)

There's a side of running that no one ever really likes to talk about.  When our friends and relatives tell us we're crazy to enjoy running, we just laugh and say how much we love it and how great it feels when we're out for a long run while they're home on the couch.  But what we never let them in on is that sometimes, it really is as bad as they say.  Whether it's because of overtraining, illness, injury, or just a plain old bad day, runners are people too, and we still have times when we think life might be easier if we dropped running and chose to focus on school and Netflix instead.  In the end, though, that is what really separates the great competitors from the has-beens.  The ability to accept that this sport will be trying both mentally and physically at some point in time, and to push themselves through it no matter how difficult it gets.
Like every other athlete, I have experienced these difficulties myself, though no doubt at a much lower level then those who have gone through it on the collegiate or professional level.  While I was competing in high school, there were several times that I would reach a big race and flop.  At the end of my sophomore and junior years, I found myself overtrained and exhausted.  I ran my slowest times of the season at the state meet, which is never desirable.  It's always frustrating as an athlete to be unable to compete at the level you know you would be capable of if you were completely healthy, especially without a concrete explanation.  I felt like I had the need to justify myself and my poor performances to everyone I came in contact with.  

BYU Invite just a year after my encounters with overtraining

Every runner is going to experience this at some point or another.  Distance running has a tendency to injure and exhaust even the best athletes, and it often takes the support of an entire team to get through it.  I am still very grateful for the influence my closest friends and teammates had on me in helping me to keep trying and to realize that a few setbacks would never be enough to keep me off the track forever.
For anyone who is currently struggling with running, this is the best advice I have to offer you:  Don't let it ruin your love for the sport.  It may be difficult right now, but if you give it time, you can get back on your feet and back in the races.  Don't be afraid to take a little time off to recover if you need to, and don't be afraid to rely on your coaches and teammates for support.  It happens to everyone, and it's nothing to be ashamed of.  I know when I got overtrained, I was extremely embarrassed and ashamed of my performances, but it's completely unnecessary to feel that way.  No one is going to blame you for having difficulties now and then.
Best of luck to all of you, and I hope you all enjoy this cross country season.

I'm a Gym Rat

Like most cross country runners in high school, I avoided the gym like the plague.  When our coaches had us go in to lift, I would typically hide in the corner and chat or pretend to be doing something with the free weights.  Over the summer, however, Jacob got into lifting quite a bit and needed a lifting buddy to go with him at hours that were upsettingly early to say the least.  I decided to buy a gym pass for one month so I couldn't back out of it even if it was terrible and join him for a little while because he claimed that it would improve my running.
The first day was pretty awful.  He claimed it was shoulder day, but it felt suspiciously like it was arm day in disguise.  As a matter of fact, every day felt like arm day in disguise.  The day after my first day in the gym, I thought my arms were going to fall off.  I have never been that sore in my life.  But for some reason I kept going back.  I slowly began morphing into a gym rat.  Jacob and I would go to the gym first thing in the morning and lift for an hour or so every day, then go drink protein and compare bicep size like a couple of weirdos.  Just kidding-our biceps never got big enough to actually compare size.  We did morph into full on gym weirdos for a couple weeks though.  We both even bought lifting gloves and bro tanks so we would look like true professionals.
Believe it or not, lifting actually was not terrible for me as a distance runner.  After a few weeks, I even came to like it.  But, like anything else, it had its pros and cons.
Pros:
-You feel like a stud
-It doesn't take that long to see some results
-It makes you feel accomplished
-It gives you an excuse to eat a little more

Cons:
-Your body will hate it for awhile
-Like seriously, it's awful
-You might die
-Even if you don't die, you'll complain so much that your buddy will want to kill you

Try it.  You won't regret it.

Favorite Running Products

Howdy kids.  Today, I'm going to tell you all about my favorite things to throw money at for the sake of running.   And maybe if I'm feeling particularly generous and a little less lazy, I'll include links and prices in case you decide you want to throw money at them too.  De nada.
Shoes
I've always preferred to run in a neutral shoe with a toe box that doesn't mangle my wide feet.  I was a Nike snob throughout high school, but after discovering that MSU isn't allowed to purchase Nikes for their athletes to train in, I went over to Park City Running Company and got a pair of Sauconies. They can both be purchased online and in stores.  I usually got my Nikes from the factory store in Park City because they're discounted quite a bit there, and the Park City team gets a discount at Park City Running Company.  I run between 45-55 miles a week on a combination of trails and pavement, and they work well for both without giving me any issues.
Saucony Kinvara

For a the most recent model, they are about $100, but you can find them for less at outlet stores and discount running websites.

Link to buy here.

Nike Flyknit Lunars

These ones run a little higher, between $100-$150 for the newest models.  I usually get the previously released edition at a Nike outlet store and they run between $50-$80.

Get them here.

Spikes

When it comes time to race, I am Saucony all the way.  I run in the Saucony Kilkenny XC4 and the Saucony Endorphin LD4s.  They're lightweight, comfortable, and they have a wider toe box than most other brands.

Kilkenny XC4

Since the XC5s have been released, these are fairly cheap, ranging from $30-60.

Get them here

Endorphin LD4

Some reviews online critique these for being too thin and tearing easily, but I've had both the LD3 and LD4, and never had a problem with either.  They are the lightest racing shoes I've owned, and they held up well for me.

These are between $80-$100 depending on where you get them.

Buy here.

Socks

I raced in the same pair of socks every time from my second meet of freshman year on.  Unfortunately, they ripped at Nike Cross Regionals and Nike no longer sells the exact same pair, so I'm stuck with other options for now.  For training in, I've found the the Nike OTC compression socks work very well, especially if you are having trouble with shin splints, and their training socks with the compression band around the arch and tab at the back are great for racing.

Compression Socks

Available here

Racing socks

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Go here if you want to give people your money for socks.

Shorts/Tights

Like I said before, I'm a bit of a Nike snob, so I'm sorry for all of the Nike gear that you're seeing on here.  But I promise it's quality.

Nike 3" Tempo

I own like 10 pairs of these, and I have one pair that I got freshman year that is still just as good now as when I got them.  Get them here.

My favorite spandex are actually volleyball spandex.  They were the ones that we were given as uniform bottoms at Nike Nationals my junior year, and they're the best spandex I've ever owned.  They don't ride up at all, and they're 100% more flattering than the previous uniform shorts I had.

Buy here.

As far as tights go, Under Armour has always treated me well.  Since most of them come with the elastic around the bottom, they tend to protect your ankles from snow better if you're dumb enough to try and trail run in eight inches of fresh powder.  Not that I would know.

Give these nice people your money if you want them.

Tops

I regret to admit that for the most part, though I graduated high school, I didn't graduate the idea that cotton t-shirts are the perfect tops to run in.  I do wear the occasional tech fit shirt, but since I'm on my way to being a poor college student, I can't afford too many.

I can no longer find the jacket that I got last year from Nike, but this one is very similar.  They're light, packable, and water resistant.  It's nice to be able to take a lightweight jacket on fall and spring runs just in case it gets chilly, and I took mine hiking a few times when I wasn't sure if it would rain or not and didn't want to pack a heavier jacket.

But it here.

Under Armour also offers great jackets for running.  The one I got last winter was light enough to go on long runs in without feeling too weighed down or overheated, but it definitely did its job.  

Watch

As I said in a previous post, I am a big Garmin fan.  The Forerunner 620 is worth the money any day.

Get it here. 

Other things that are worth looking into are foam rollers and muscle sticks.  Deep blue muscle rub is also great, but fair warning, your teammates might tell you that you smell like the cleaning solution used in porta potties.

Run Happy

I'm sure most of you are familiar with Brooks and their "Run Happy".  When you go to events such as the Mt. SAC Relays, the Brooks PR invite and smaller meets sponsored by Brooks, it is plastered all over just about every surface possible.  They hand out sunglasses, sweatbands, and rubber bracelets printed with it like free candy.  While I was running in Lake Powell last week, I found myself pondering this idea quite a bit.  As I practically crawled over several miles of rock, thinking that I would meet my doom at the fangs of some rattlesnake or the sting of a scorpion all the way, I caught a glimpse of the Run Happy stamped into a bracelet I got at the Davis Invite.  My feverish brain chuckled.  Run happy indeed, it muttered as sweat rolled into my eyes and I wondered if anyone would come rescue me if I decided to just lie down and take a little nap.  But as I thought about it more and more, it began to make sense to me.  Why would anyone in their right mind do something like this if they didn't really love it?  If running wasn't something that they knew would make them happy in the end, even if training was a little rough sometimes.

View from the top of Satan's Armpit, Lake Powell

Because my mind often tends to wander when I am out for a run alone, I soon after found myself thinking about all of the different catchphrases for running companies and critiquing them all because why not?  Brooks obviously has the best for runners.  Nike's, though it is motivational for some people, definitely does not work for me all the time.  When I'm having a bad run or a rough race, thinking Just Do It just doesn't do it for me.  That just makes my brain and body get in a fight that my body usually ends up winning because my brain simply doesn't have the energy to deal with it.  The best strategy for me in those rough spots is to think about how much I really do love this sport, and how much I want to continue in it.  If I let a bad race or lack of motivation stand in the way of that, I would never have made it past JV running.  In the past, every time I had a bad workout or thought it might be fun to just take one day off and relax, I had to remind myself of my goals to run in college, and hopefully someday run after college.
So, next time you find yourself thinking about just how good a donut sounds, or how you would rather be out having fun than going for another run, remember to run happy and learn to enjoy even the bad runs.

Garmin Review

If we're being one hundred percent honest here, I am a complete and total Garmin snob.  I got one of their earlier models of the Forerunner my sophomore year after one of my coaches made a joke about getting me standing outside with my wrist in the air waiting for it to load with the rest of the varsity girls if I wanted to get faster, and I've loved them ever since.  The watch I used had seen a fair amount of wear and tear before it came to be in my possession, being previously owned by my mom and dad.  It was also unfortunately clunky, and my sister used to refer to it as my prison shackle.  For those reasons, when I went to the Nike Cross Nationals in the winter of my junior year, I leaped at the chance to train with the new Nike sport watch they gave all of the athletes there. 

Though there's no denying that Nike watches are pretty good, it wasn't quite on the same level as my Garmin had been.  It only displays two things at a time, and one of them always has to be distance.  As someone who doesn't like to have the pressure of constantly seeing how far you have left to go on easy days, I missed the Garmin's ability to display only time elapsed (or something else) until paused if that's what you needed.  I also found that the Nike watch wasn't quite as accurate sometimes.  It would stop measuring distance when it got too overcast outside, and often wouldn't load at all if it hadn't been plugged into a computer and updated recently.

So, this summer, I saved up for one of the new Forerunners.  I originally planned to just go with the 220, since it seemed like the best option for my budget and my training needs.  After working for several weeks, I found that I actually had more than enough for the 620, so I decided to splurge.  And it was so worth it.

It features a color display and touchscreen, and it loads faster than any GPS I've had before.  It only takes a few seconds after switching to the sport mode to be completely ready to run.  As long as you connect to the satellites every once in awhile, the time and date stay accurate.  Not only that, but it's much lighter and sleeker than any of the previous models.  

The 620 comes with a few additional bells and whistles.  It has a VO2 max estimator that uses the paces and distances you've recorded with it to tell you what times you should be capable of for other distances or for races.  Obviously it isn't as accurate as a VO2 max test in a lab would be, but paired with a heartrate monitor and after a few runs with it, it seems like it's pretty decent.  Along with that, it can advise you on how long you need to recover before your next run and how efficient your form is. 

So far, this has definitely been the best GPS I've owned.  I would recommend it to anyone who is looking into getting a new watch.  The only downside I've seen to it would be that it has a white band, but I'm pretty sure that would only be a downside to me because I have a bad habit of making messes.

Rate 10/10 would buy.

Frequently Asked Questions

Hey there readers.  You are all fabulous, beautiful people.  I'd like to take a moment to thank those of you who are frequent readers and commentators.  I also really appreciate all of you who have been getting in touch with me with your questions and thoughts about this blog and about running.  Since I've been getting several questions recently regarding my training recently, I've decided to throw together a post answering the ones I hear most commonly.
What is your average weekly mileage?
I typically run about 45-50 miles a week once I've had an opportunity to build a base and get back in shape.  On weeks that I have a serious race, I taper down to 35-40 miles.  I'm not sure how much that will change once I am running in Bozeman, but so far training has been similar to what I have been doing with Jim in high school.
What kind of workouts work best for you?
I personally find that longer intervals, tempos and fartleks work better for me than shorter speedwork.  In the past, I found that doing a lot of bulk short work just left me overtrained and unable to race well at the end of my season.
What kind of strength training do you do?
I'm sure this will change once I have access to a real weight room up at school, but for right now and for the last year or so, I have been doing a pretty basic core workout.  Most of my strength training consists of body weight exercises like planks, sit-ups, lunges, box step-ups and supermans.
What are some other details you focus on to improve your running?
Well, sleep is pretty cool I guess.  And eating healthy.  Just the basics that Runner's World tells you about, mostly.  I cut sugar completely out of my diet this last track season, and to be honest, it made me very sad.  But it did help, so I guess that choice is up to you guys.
What kind of sport watch, if any, do you use?
I'm pretty much a Garmin snob.  I ran with a Nike watch for about a year because they gave them to the NXN athletes in 2013, but I found that it wasn't as accurate as the Garmins usually are, so this summer I've been saving up to switch back to either the Forerunner 220 or 620.  The 620 is pretty expensive for a sports watch, but it has all sorts of neat new features that I think would be useful.
What shoes do you train in?
I ran in Nikes all through high school.  I preferred neutral shoes because their Frees are terrible on trail runs and their stability shoes just don't get along with my feet.  Their Flyknit Lunars have been my favorite so far.  I'm switching up a little for college, and will probably train in the Saucony Kinvaras for the rest of college.  Since I race in the Saucony Kilkenny and the Saucony Endorphin LD4, I'm sure their training shoes will suit me just as well.
What did you look for when you chose a college?
I wanted to stay in the mountain region for altitude training, and I wanted a coach who would have the same type of training plan I used in high school.  The team dynamic was also very important to me.  I didn't want to compete for a school where I would have to fight my teammates for everything, and where the girls didn't like each other because it was too competitive.  I was looking for somewhere where they were working together for a common goal.  The dynamic of the town itself was equally important.  I have never really been a fan of big cities or small towns.  Bozeman is very similar to Park City in its size and scenery, so it just made sense to me.

If any of you have questions other than those I've posted here, feel free to ask me via the comments, instagram, or other social media platforms.

Feminism and Running

I mentioned in a previous post that feminism and running were two of my favorite things.  Later on while I was running and a complete stranger decided to wolf whistle at me, the inspiration for this post came to my mind.
People often see feminism as a dirty word that means the belief that women should be given more rights than men, or that women are in some way better than men.  In reality, it is the belief that men and women should have equal rights.  So why do we need feminism and running?
Because men can run shirtless without the fear of someone making obscene comments about their bodies, or calling them skanks, or assuming that they are doing it for the attention.  (Spoiler alert:  We actually do it because running gets pretty toasty sometimes.)
Because we shouldn't have to have the fear of rape in the back of our minds whenever we run alone or after dark.
Because no one should ever believe it is acceptable to yell those types of things at a total stranger.
Because when a woman chooses to run alone, it shouldn't have to be considered unsafe because of the people she might run into.
Most of all, because how would you feel if it was your sister, your child, your cousin, your friend who was out there running alone and being harassed or frightened by people she had never spoken to?

Girls On the Run

A few weeks ago, I had the chance to participate in the Girls on the Run program as a running buddy.  It was a great opportunity, and it made the feminist in me more happy than I can say.  If you haven't ever heard of this program, it is one in which young girls can sign up to run one of their 5k's, then train with the local leaders and other girls in their area for a few months leading up to the race.  It helps these girls to make friends, learn more about staying physically fit, empower themselves, and discover their own abilities.  And they give the kids capes to wear the day of the race, which is probably the best part about it.
Why do I love GOTR so much?  Because it teaches young girls that they can do hard things.  It combines some of my favorite things:  Running and feminism.  Running taught me how to be more confident, how to believe in myself, and how to work hard for the results that I want in life.  It's always been my greatest form of stress relief, problem solving and self-discovery.  It's wonderful to see an organization that helps to teach others how to use running for something positive.
The day of the race itself was incredible.  There were hundreds of girls from all over Utah with family, friends, and their very own running buddies there to cheer them on.  Booths were set up where they could get fierce hairdos, temporary tattoos, and support from the community.  These young ladies had worked hard to prepare for this race, and it was great to see the positive reaction from everyone in their lives.
I hope that all of the girls who ran were able to discover for themselves how wonderful and empowering running can be, and that this program can continue to inspire many more young people in the future.  Keep it up, kids.

Summer Training

To start this post off, I would like to sincerely apologize for the last few weeks I've gone without posting anything.  Between my graduation and the fact that I had to wait for my new laptop to get here after turning in my school computer, I haven't had a chance to get on blogger in awhile.

Back to the point, can we take a moment to talk about summer training?  It's weird how out of shape your body manages to get in the two weeks between your last race of track and your first week of summer training.  The first week back, I honestly felt like I was an overweight clown trying to play the bagpipes while on fire every time I went for a run.  My poor little legs were so confused as to how something that had been so much fun just fourteen days ago was now sweaty, difficult, and incredibly uncomfortable.  (Part of their distress may have been due to the fact that I went off of my sugar-free diet for the two weeks I wasn't running and went totally crazy with the treats.  Sorry, legs.)  The idea of going for a run and being expected to do anything else at all in the same day was absolutely ludicrous.
Fortunately for me and every other distance runner ever, this phase doesn't last that long.  About after two weeks, running isn't nearly so bad, and summer running becomes the best part of the year for you.  My high school team did our runs at 8 a.m. to beat the heat, and our coaches always gave us otter pops as an incentive.  We did team breakfast on Mondays, and often had other team bonding activities after practice because we had way too much spare time on our hands.  Plus, there was always camp to look forward to.
This summer has been pretty different because of my work schedule and my training schedule.  Since I'm doing the workouts that Coach Weese sends me instead of those that Jim or the Park City coaches are doing, I no longer have a team to run with.  I'm very excited to move to Bozeman in August so I can meet all of the girls and run with other people again.  I also run later in the evening after work now, and I definitely pity the people who have to be around me afterwards because when it's 90 degrees out, I have a tendency to sweat like a sinner in church.  My sports bra and shorts tan lines are getting out of control.  People can spot that I'm a distance runner from a mile off.  It's a mess.  But it's totally worth it because cross country is the best.

Golden South

Last weekend, I was lucky enough to be able to fly out to Orlando, Florida and compete in the Golden South Classic.  It was an automatic qualifier for the Dream Mile, so I thought it was worth a shot.  

I flew out with my mom on Friday.  We didn't get in until that evening, so we didn't have a chance to see much of the city.  Saturday, we spent most of the day either at the meet picking up packets and getting ready to run, or in our hotel relaxing.  She wanted to go to Disney World, but I figured since I was there to race, it would probably be best not to spend the day on my feet in the sun.  I wanted to go to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter myself, and it took all of my resolve to turn it down.

Just so you know, if you've never been to Florida, it is really toasty.  And humid.  Being from Utah, I'm pretty accustomed to fluctuating temperatures.  But the humidity was something I was not used to at all, and I was a hot mess pretty much the whole weekend.  

 The race itself was quite an experience.  It's always interesting when you get that many girls who have run under five in the same race.  The setup of the meet itself was a little unusual.  For one thing, they didn't do any calls at all.  They just expected you to be paying attention to what event they were on, and turn up when it was your turn to race.  They also didn't have any of the girls who had registered show up for the 3200m so they cancelled it.  I don't think I've ever been to a meet where no one showed up for an event.  I was in the second heat of the mile, and the girls in my heat had all run under 5:10.  Through the first lap, it was just a huge pack.  I'm pretty sure I was in dead last for most of it.  Coming through the second, the pack started to break up.  We came through the 800 mark in 2:30, which was surprisingly slow for the group I was with.  Things started to heat up in the final two laps.  The lead pack was down to about six girls, and with 400m to go, the lead two took off.  It took me too long to get out of the pack, so by the time I started my own kick, the leaders were about fifteen meters ahead.  I finished in fourth with a full mile time of 4:54, and a 1600 around 4:51-52, which was a pretty decent PR for me.  It was a really fun experience, and I'm glad that it was the race that closed out my high school career.

Now I start my transition into college running.  I'll probably take two weeks off of running to just cross train right now like I do at the end of every season to avoid overtraining or burnout, but after that I'm ready to dive into training for college.  I'm excited to start this new chapter of my running career, and to see where it can take me.

State 2k15

My eighth and final state track meet was not quite what I expected it to be.  Since my freshman year, I've kind of seen the senior state meet as the grand finale of high school running.  I viewed it as being the last chance I would have to go out with a bang, and my last chance to really make sure I had a memorable career.  However, since I had another meet in Florida the next week, and since I spent most of my senior season at bigger out-of-state meets, it just didn't seem like as big of a deal as I always imagined it would.
The day of state, it was about 40 degrees and rainy.  My first race, the 1600, and the one that I really expected to win, didn't go as well as I wanted it to at all.  Typically, I let someone else lead for the first 1000m, then start my kick at 600m and try to catch them.  It had worked pretty well up to that race, but for some reason, when I tried to kick this time, my legs refused to cooperate.  They weren't tired at all, but they felt totally numb and would not work with me.  I think because of the cold, my muscles just weren't feeling it.  It was pretty disappointing, because I took second when I was predicted to win, and because I ran over five minutes in the 1600 for the first and only time this season, but in the bigger picture, I don't think it really matters.
I was supposed to run the 800m leg of the medley relay the first day of state as well, but my team had a collision in the handoff between the two 200m girls, so we were disqualified.  That was really hard to watch because we were predicted to win that race as well, and our team really needed it in order to place in the top two.
On Saturday, the day started with the 3200m.  It was strange to race that again, because in past years, it has typically been my focus, and this year, since I was focused on the mile, I found myself racing the 3200m all-out for the first time at the state meet.  It didn't go badly at all, especially considering it was the first time I raced it all year.  I finished in second again with a time of 10:49, which is the high-altitude school record for Park City now.
My final race was the 800m.  That has never been my favorite, and to be honest, I'm just glad that I will probably never have to race it again.  My teammates always tease me because the last 800 of my 1600 is often faster than my open 800m times.  It's a phenomenon I will never really understand, but I can live with it.
Some of the best parts of state had nothing to do with my own competition.  It's always wonderful to see friends you've made at other meets, and watch people you love compete.  My friend Courtney, who swore up and down that she would never run a 3200m, ended up taking second with an incredible time.  Jacob helped take his team to third in the Medley, and ran a great 800m despite the fact that he had been sick and unable to even train all week.  Some of my teammates got huge PRs, and it was all around a great weekend.  We had a fairly off weekend for competition, and ended up coming in third as a team, but spending time with my friends and team all together for one of the last times before I head off to college was wonderful.

The End of an Era

This weekend marks the last state meet I will ever run.  It will be one of my last races in high school, and it is a very bittersweet moment for me.  I'm ordering graduation announcements right now.  I bought a bike for college.  I have my own laundry bag now.  A few months ago, going to college seemed to be quite a long way off.  Now it's strangely close, and it's the most unusual feeling.  

When I first entered high school running, I didn't see it as much more than a hobby.  I picked it up because my siblings had done it before me.  But as I spent more time with the team and coaches, I learned to love this crazy sport.  It got to the point where my weekends were filled up with racing and team dinners, and my days were spent going on runs after school.  And I had no problem with that at all.  Until my junior year, I didn't even realize how much running could do for me.  But Jim helped me to get in touch with the coaches at Montana State, and after emailing back and forth for a year, going on college visits, and receiving a few home visits, I signed to run on a NCAA Division I level for MSU.

I'm a little sad to see the end of my high school career, but I'm excited to see what the future holds, and I know that this is far from the end of my running career.  I feel quite confident that college running will hold just as much joy for me, if not more, than high school running has.  I am thrilled to be a part of a team of dedicated runners and wonderful people next year.

So, this Friday and Saturday, I will put on my Park City uniform for the last time, and try my best to represent my school well.  Running for Park City has had its ups and downs, but I have loved my time here, and will always love the people that I met here.  

BYU Invitational

It is so good to be back in Utah to race.  The atmosphere before these meets is so much more relaxed after having run the first half of my season at out-of-state meets, and it's been fun to spend time with my teammates and friends before I run.  Last weekend, I competed at the BYU invitational, and it was a blast.  I've been going to this particular meet every year since I was a freshman, but sophomore and junior year, I was overtrained by this point in the season, so it wasn't all that enjoyable.  This year, I felt pretty fresh and excited going in.  It was about 90 degrees on Saturday, and I did spend the majority of the day outside, so I felt a little sluggish going into the race itself.  It was also Jacob's birthday, so I was a little more focused on going to dinner with him afterwards than I was on the 1600.
I was in the Golden Hour, which is just the fastest heat of every event lumped into the last few hours of the meet.  Things were a little behind schedule, though, so I ended up finished my warmup an hour before I even needed to run.  There was also a slight mishap at the bullpen, as I was nearly not allowed to enter since the boys measuring spikes thought mine were too long.  I nearly had a panic attack because my race was starting in five minutes, and I briefly considered fighting them.  But Jacob had spikes that were short enough, and he and his teammates helped me switch them out in time to frantically dash onto the track.
The race itself wasn't nearly as stressful as it typically is.  I just carried out the strategy I worked out with my coach earlier, and ended up passing the leader with 700m to go.  It was a fun race, and it was the first one I've ever won at that invitational, which was definitely very exciting.
I won't compete again until state in two weeks, so I'll have plenty of time to recover and get some quality workouts in.  And I'll be crossing my fingers that it will rain at state until it comes because racing in the rain is scientifically proven to be 550x more fun.

Davis Invitational

I had my first race back in Utah last weekend at the Davis Invitational, and it was stupendous.  Jacob and I drove down together, so I got to watch him race as well.  He is incredibly fun to watch when he races.  And pretty stressful.  He ran the 800, and came through the first 400 close to last.  Then he started his kick and finished in third place.  He probably passed at least ten people in the last 300 meters, and he was just behind the leaders when he came through the finish.  It was awesome.
My race wasn't until several hours after his, so I got to spend some time with my team singing Fergalicious and hydrating too well.  It was much more relaxed than the first two races I went to this season.  I raced the 1600 first, and I was honestly not feeling all that well through the first 800m.  (Though this may have been because the pace was much faster than I thought it was).  However, with about 600 to go, I thought "Well, I haven't died yet, so I guess I might as well kick.  I ended up passing the leader with 250 to go and won with a 4:56.  It was really ironic because I went down to race at sea level twice in an attempt to get a new PR and ended up getting it here in Utah.  But it was definitely wonderful to have a good race.

I raced the 800m in the medley about an hour after that.  The other girls on my team raced really well, and we ended up taking first in that as well.  Since my 3200 was only about 15 minutes after the medley, my coach told me just to tempo it and run an 11:30 to state qualify instead of going all out and potentially exhausting myself for BYU this weekend.  It was a little frustrating to have to sit towards the back of the pack and know that I could run faster, but I also think they were right not to have me race it all-out after all of the other races I did that day.

I'll be racing again tomorrow in the Golden Hour 1600m at the BYU invitational.  I'm hoping it will go well, but I'm not looking for any specific time anymore.  I'm just aiming to enjoy the last few races of my high school career.

Mt. SAC Relays

Last weekend, I had the opportunity to compete in the mile at the Mt SAC relays.  Since I was the only person on my team going, I went with my parents rather than a coach.  We flew in disgustingly early on Thursday morning, and I had to spend most of the day convincing my mom that no, Disneyland would not be a great idea the day before a race.  I did an easy shakeout run Thursday night, and it was honestly amazing.  I love running in California.  It makes my lungs feel so alive.  I feel vaguely like a really, really sweaty goddess every time I run down at sea level.  If goddesses like to wear uncomfortably short shorts and knee-high Slytherin socks.
I'm pretty sure the people working at the hotel I stayed at thought that there was some kind of convention for skinny people with no fashion sense, because it was completely full of athletes there for Mt SAC.  It's a beautiful thing when a group of runners comes together.
I hit Olive Garden before my race, as per the usual, then played a little Pokémon on my GameBoy Color to calm my nerves.  Jim was there, since it's a pretty big meet, and I had a chance to talk to him about race strategy briefly before I warmed up.  The atmosphere was a lot more relaxed in the bull pen than I'm used to.  The girls were all very friendly, and it was definitely nice to be able to talk to my competitors casually before the race.

The race itself didn't go exactly as I'd hoped, but it wasn't bad either.  I came through my first 800m exactly where I wanted to be, in first with a time of 2:25.  The last 400m were a little catastrophic, unfortunately.  I got passed by one girl with 450 to go, and my legs just weren't feeling it anymore.  Another girl passed me with about 100 to go, and I finished with a final time of 4:59 for the full mile and 4:57 for the 1600.  These times would have (and did, since they're the same that I ran here previously) delighted me in the past, but since I was shooting for sub 4:50, I was pretty disappointed.  I spoke with Jim after, and he said we could work on improving my last lap with more short speed intervals between longer endurance ones.  

Jim and me

Considering that was only the second time I've raced this outdoor season, I'm not too worried about my upcoming races.  My next meet will be the Davis Invitational tomorrow, where I'll be tripling up in the 1600, the medley 800, and the 3200.  Since they're all within about 90 minutes of each other, I'll probably aim to run hard in the 1600 and 800, then just do what I can with whatever I have left for the 3200 and qualify it for state.  #prayforlys2k15

Pineview Invitational

Last weekend, as many Utah runners will know, Pineview Invitational was held in St. George.  I hadn't been planning on racing again until Mt. Sac, but my coach texted me and asked how I would feel about running an 800 there, and I had been planning on going to St. George anyway, so I figured running one race wouldn't be too bad.

I drove down with Jacob on Thursday afternoon, and we got to go on several runs together while we were there.  We spent the weekend at his grandmother's house, and it was tons of fun.  It was a little strange going down there and not focusing completely on my race, but it was also very enjoyable.  

We both raced the 800 on Saturday afternoon.  I had some trepidation when I got to the track and it was approximately 500 degrees, and I think that my competitors were somewhat disgusted by how much I was sweating, but the race itself wasn't nearly as bad as I expected.  I accidentally went out in a 32 for my first 200, and ended up with a final time of 2:20, so it's obvious I need to work more on negative splitting and not running my 800s like they're 400s.  

After the race, Jacob and I went to the Desert Hills track and did a workout.  It was 5x600m in 1:50-1:55, and I briefly thought I was going to die.  For some reason, schools in St. George haven't realized that black tracks are not the wisest choice for an area that averages a temperature of about 80 degrees.  It felt good to accomplish, though, and I'm glad that I did it.  

Chandler Rotary Recap

The elite heat of the girls 1600 had one of the most competitive lineups I've ever seen.  Fourteen of the girls had posted times under 5:04 to get in.  Twelve of us went under five minutes for 1600m and hit five flat or under for the full mile.  It was honestly an incredible race.
Leading up to the race, we were given the VIP treatment.  The Chandler Rotary club was generous enough to pay for all of our hotel and travel expenses, and when we arrived, we were given a full tour of the arena, full introductions on the starting line, and any other perks that we could need to be ready for our race.  It was very similar to the Nike Nationals experience.
Courtney and I arrived with her dad in Arizona fairly late Friday night.  There were some delays with our flight, so we touched down around 9 pm.   We were all pretty tired and ready to get some sleep, so we had a quick dinner and checked into our hotel.  There was a slight mix-up with rooms, and a very sleepy older man had to come to the door and inform us that the room we had been issued was already taken as we tried hopelessly to make our key work, but it all got sorted out.
Saturday, I went on a two mile shake-out run first thing after waking up.  Courtney and I found a clearance Nike outlet in Tempe, so naturally we spent quite a bit of time there before our race.  About three hours before we ran, we did the customary Olive Garden lunch, then headed over to the track.  The mile ran at 6:20, so the sun was just going down as we raced.
The race itself was a little frustrating.  I got boxed in during the first 200 meters, so I ran the majority of the race in lanes two and three, and had to drop all the way to the back of the pack and go around to move up in the third lap.  I ended up running a five flat for the full mile, and a 4:58 for the 1600m.  It was definitely not what I wanted, but for the first meet of the season, it was good enough.  I am going to use this meet to keep me motivated for Mt. Sac, and constantly working to improve.

Chandler Rotary Prep

Today, in preparation for Chandler Rotary, I did my last real workout before the race.  And boy did it boost my confidence.  The workout was 400m in 75, 100m jog recovery, 800m in 2:30, 100m jog recovery, 400m in 75.  So basically it was a five flat mile solo effort at altitude.  My first 400m was about 2 seconds fast, and my 800 was about 3 slow, so it was more like a 5:01, but hey, I still think that'll get me where I want to go when it comes time to race with other people when I've actually prepared to race.  Look out Arizona, here I come.

How to Identify a Runner in the Wild

Imagine this scenario.  You are out for a walk, minding your own business, when suddenly you hear a rustling along the side of the trail.  Preparing for the worst, you brace yourself.  Out from the brush leaps...a runner. 
How does one prepare themselves for this?  How do you identify a runner in the wild of the trails around your hometown?  More importantly, how do you recognize one when they are mingling with you in a public area and protect yourself from the spout of splits, trivia, and running information that could burst forth from them at a moment's notice?
Fear not.  Here, I will teach you how to identify a runner when one is in your presence, and how to prevent them from thinking you want to hear every time that they have ever run.
Typical Markers of a Runner:
Sports bra tan lines: (Typically found only on the female runner)  As the serious female runner often sheds layers as temperatures go up, you can spot one using the telltale sports bra tan line peeking out from their tank top.  Depending on how late in the season it is, or how often the runner in question sheds layers during exposure to sunlight, the depth of the lines may be different.  If you ever see one with a clear white outline on someone who is a deep tan everywhere else, you should maintain eye contact and back slowly away while making soothing noises.
Watch tan lines:  These come often to the more serious runners.  As they are used for timing splits for intervals, long runs, and tempos, you will not find one on your less dedicated athletes.  Always keep your eyes peeled for this warning sign.
Sock tan lines:  You can find these on just about any runner.  If sock tan lines start appearing on your close friends or loved ones, it might be best to stage an intervention or confront them before they become a full-fledged runner.
Uncomfortably Small Biceps:  Runners are not at all known for their muscular strength.  As they aim more for muscle endurance and speed, they care very little for bicep size.  Even in males, you will note that the biceps are much smaller than the average size in non-running males.
Ill-Fitting Pants:  Often you will find that the pants of a runner don't fit as well as those of a non-runner.  They tend to be too large in one area and snug in another, especially in middle-distance runners.
Killer abs:  If you are out swimming with friends and you notice that one of them has a perfect six pack without doing core workouts nearly often enough to justify them, I would suggest that you end your friendship as swiftly and gently as possible.  Anything is better than befriending a runner.

Escaping an Interaction With a Runner:
Keep your eyes down.  Whatever you do, don't attempt to run away.  This will only excite them and cause them to chase you down.  Avoid any conversations that could lead back to running.  (Topics include exercise, food, weather, vacation, shoes, apparel, health, etc.)  Call your local authorities if you spot one out in the wild, and get help if you ever find yourself encountering one.

Run For Fun In The Sun

It is currently 52 degrees and sunny out, and I could not possibly be happier.  Spring running is the best kind of running.  It's refreshing to be able to run in shorts and tank tops again, and all of the favorite trails open back up after being buried in snow for the last five months.  And there's just something energizing about having the sun on your skin while you're out and about trying to get a workout in.  And you don't have to resort to treadmill workouts anymore.  And outdoor track season starts.  Cross country is fun, but every meet feels like it's over so quickly.  You look forward to it for weeks and in less than three hours, you have to turn around and go home.  But with outdoor track, you typically get a full day (or even two) to spend time stressing about your races, seeing friends from other teams, meeting new people, and eating dry bagels and pasta.  And you get mad sports bra tan lines.

The workouts also feel more official.  During training for most of cross country season, my team does their intervals on the grass, since that's what races are on.  Running 6x800m repeats on a track seems redundant and pointless on a track during cross country, especially when we have an 800m grass loop available that doesn't abuse our hips nearly so much.  When I'm in cross country season, I love doing my workouts on that loop.  But as soon as track season makes it's appearance, I am eager to get back out on the track.  Running workouts on a treadmill in the dead of winter is so mentally difficult, especially with the tantalizing prospect of spring right around the corner.  Plus I get sweaty on treadmill runs.  Like really sweaty.

And if you're foolish (or adventurous) enough to hit the trails the second the snow starts melting, you come out with stories to tell your friends later and a refreshing mud mask for your legs.  You'll have to sacrifice the purity of your Nikes, though.

But hey, I think a little mud on the shoes and a lot of uphill running is well worth a view like this.  Training in Park City is the best.  And when I'm running here, my work becomes my play as well, which is how I think it should always be.  If you don't enjoy what you're doing, it's just not worth it, regardless of how well you do it.

Also, my first outdoor meet is next Saturday.  I'm probably only doing about four meets this season, unless I qualify for the post-season meets that I'm hoping to.  I'll be starting with the Chandler Rotary Invitational in Arizona, which should be tons of fun.  Several of my NXN Southwest teammates are also going, and it should be a very competitive race and an even better weekend.  After that, I won't race again for about a month, when I'll do the Mt. Sac mile at the relays in California.  That's actually the same race that I ran my mile PR at sophomore year, so I'm really hoping to do well there.  The only two Utah meets I'll be doing are the BYU Invitational and the state meet.  I'm aiming to get my mile time down, as well as place well at some more competitive meets, since my goal is to qualify for the Dream Mile.  (Possibly the Brooks PR invite as well.)  They're some pretty big expectations, but I honestly think that if I can get through this season without injury, death, or some other natural disaster, I can meet them.

Wish me luck!

I Blame Running For My Lack of Interior Decorating Skill

Anyone who has ever been to my house can verify that my room is positively plastered with running paraphernalia.  Things that I've picked up at races, pictures of my team and me running, posters for motivation, you name it, it's there.  There's a reason behind everything on my wall, despite the doubts of my peers and my sister who shares my room.
My flags were the beginning of her woes.  Freshman year at Footlocker Regionals and Bob Firman, I was informed that everyone who knows anything about running takes a flag from every meet they can get one from.  I have souvenirs of this sort from four years of Bob Firman, two years of Footlocker Regionals, three years of Nike Regionals, two years of Nike nationals, and a year of the Mt. Sac Relays.
Next after the flags came the schedules and posters.  I always keep my seasonal schedule right next to my bed so I can overthink every race in advance, and I have a "Go Lyssa!" poster beside it to prove that my younger sister didn't always think I was crazy for running.
My favorite things, though, have to be my State poster, my NXN poster, and my Dream Mile poster.  The state poster always reminds me where I started.  My team and my friends have pushed me to go farther than I ever thought I would.  NXN reminds me what I have accomplished, and what I could be capable of in the future.  And the Dream Mile poster reminds me of my goals every day, and gives me something to strive for.
So, despite Annie's insistence that we look like horders as a result of my wall decor, I refuse to give up any of my eccentric collections.  They're all too meaningful.  (Except maybe the picture of the cat in the cowboy hat.  That one's just funny.)

Why Do You Run?

Why do you run?  This is a question that gets asked far more often than most civilians would think.  The idea that someone would willingly put themselves through what non-runners consider to be miles of pure agony is foreign, unusual, and even frightening to some.  So, today I am here to shed some light on the beautiful reasons why people run.  Or at least some of the reasons, since not everyone runs for the same reason.

I run because...
Walking is just too darn slow.  Even going on hikes can be frustrating for a runner because though the scenery is beautiful and the company is pleasant, you just know you could've been at the peak hours ago if you had run it.  (Granted, you would also probably be crippled by the several miles of uphill running, but no one needs to know that.)
It gives you an excuse to buy tons of exercise clothes.  As someone who worked one summer at Adidas and one at Nike, I can verify that 100% of an athlete's income will go directly back into the company they work for if it is sports retail.  Let's face it.  Sports apparel is comfortable, flattering and convenient.  But if you are completely sedentary, people will question what you need 10 pairs of running tights for.  It gives you a killer bod.  You could probably use the abdominals of most athletes to grate cheese.  Not that you would.  Because that's completely disgusting and unsanitary.  But hey, it's nice to have that option.
You get huge biceps.
Just kidding.  Sorry boys, unless you are Elijah Armstrong, you will never develop massive arms by running.
You meet cool people.  Traveling everywhere and interacting with people who share interests and insanities with you tends to help you bond with others and form friendships.  It's pretty neat.
If you run for Park City high school, your teammates will occasionally yell, "Chacca run, Lyssa!" at you.  This one probably doesn't apply so much to other schools, but it makes running totally worth it.  Listen to Chaccaron Maccaron sometime before a race and you'll understand.  Or you won't.  But my team likes it.
You have time to ponder things.  Like how much homework you have to do.  Or which season of Bones you're watching.  Or things that actually matter.  It's like yoga but with more sweat and less flexibility.