Would You, Could You, In the Woods?

Ship Harbor Nature Trail, Acadia National Park 

"Try not to fight the trail.  Instead, try to feel the natural rhythm, the flow... and rather than attempting to conquer it, practice becoming one with it."   ~ Zen Running

This is why I love trail running.  I love being outside - love being in the woods.  I love the scenery, the sounds of the birds, squirrels crossing my path and the wind in the trees.  I love the feel.  I love how being forced to look for every footfall makes the run feel like a video game rather than exercise - it makes it FUN.  And I don't feel the pressure of pace.  The Garmin stays home.  Shush Garmin.  Whatever pace I am running is just fine.  Instead of another mile to finish as fast as possible, a trail run is about spending time outside and being part of something bigger than yourself.  Losing yourself.

How I feel on the trail

I'm still at that awkward place in my running training where my mind hasn't 100% caught up with the fact that my body can do it.  Running on the roads or treadmill seems very mechanical.  I have to keep and eye on my numbers - so many numbers.  Distance, time, pace, heart rate.... and what is there to look at really?  The treadmill screen?  Actually at my gym the treadmill screen will show me a video of running through some of the best trails in the world - like New Zealand and Arches National Park.  Best treadmill ever - it's a big part of what I joined that gym (and the pool).

I'm also at the point in my running where a 10K is fine, but any distance longer than 6 miles seems impossible.  Daunting.  Insane.  Which really, is silly, as six months ago I couldn't run a single mile, and three months ago 3 miles was a stretch.  So how do I get over this hump?  As we all know, a good portion of training is mental - not physical.  Once this pesky PF calms down, I'll be good to go again.

I'm remembering how trail running got me past my last mental hurdle - 3 miles.  We were on vacation in Acadia National Park earlier this summer.  We go there as often as we can - the hiking, biking the carriage roads, kayaking - it's just about paradise for the outdoor fan.  My first time was when I was a graduate student in my first Master's - a degree in Wildlife Biology that I got for the sole purpose of spending an additional 4+ years playing outside until I had to get a real job.  I've made it back nearly every year since.

In grad school - I like to get muddy

This summer I turned what was one of our favorite hikes with the kids into a three mile trail run.  For those familiar, it's the Ship Harbor Nature Trail and Wonderland Trail strung together into a three mile loop.  This was one of the first runs in my life I can honestly say I enjoyed.  The trails snake through the forest and out along the coastline.  You smell the cedar trees, you can see eider ducks and cormorants in the waves.  It was early morning so I was alone - I felt like I had the entire national park to myself.  Magical.

Later in the same trip I'd run another 4 miler along Ocean Path - a walking/hiking trail that follows the sea cliffs from Sand Beach to Otter point.  I remember stopping to take a photo of how far (because 1.5 miles was far then) I'd run:

From the beach to here and back

I began to think I might like this running thing after all some day.  Of course the gorgeous venue was a big factor.  After all - how many inspirational quotes do you see on Pinterest that aren't in some beautiful remote trail in Nepal or the Canadian Rockies?  There's a reason, folks.  Being out in nature is one of the most therapeutic and meaningful pursuits a human being can do.

This quote wouldn't hit
you so hard if he were
running down Main St.

Which brings me back to my earlier point.  How do I get past my fear of 6+ miles?  The answer might be the same - do them in the woods.  There is a 5.3 or 10 mile trail run in nearby Callahan State Park in November.  About 6 weeks away.  CSP was a regular stomping ground for the Jedi and I when we were dating.  I know its trails pretty well - it is a nice place.  Certainly the sort of place where, if I were to take on a ten miler, I would like to do so.  So will I?  It remains to be seen.....  I will definitely be eyeing the weather.  Aaaaaaand maybe I'll train up to that distance over the next few weeks.  Just in case.  Now to find another running buddy to do it with me....

This one WOULD make more sense on Main St. though....

How We Measure Change - Auburn Rocket 10K Race Recap

Gypsy and I ready to toe the starting line

Yesterday's race was the Auburn Rocket Race - a 5 or 10K to benefit a local town's youth center.  I ended up at this race with my best tri buddy Gypsy, as she is 3 weeks out from rocking her first half marathon, and a 10K race was in her schedule.  After my last race, I was having demented fantasies of signing up for an olympic distance triathlon on this weekend for lots of time and money I didn't possess, so she suggested I come out to this nice little local race instead.  Wisdom.

The only concern headed into this race was the weather.  80-90% chance of rain, said the internet.  At 4:00 am on race morning, I was awoken by my scaredy-cat shoving her whiskers in my face, shaking and asking for pets because she was scared of the absolute monsoon that was going on outside.

I've never been a huge fan of running in the rain.  Nice soft rain, sure.  But the kind that gets you soaked to the skin and freezing within seconds - forget it.  I casually emailed Gypsy the night before about the weather, and her response was, "Yup, it looks crummy.  So I'll pick you up at 8:40..."  No reprieve there.  I woudl expect nothing less from her :)  So I tossed and turned and worried until it was time to get up, and brought all possible combinations of clothing, headgear, and electronics to the race.

Luckily, by the time we got there, it wasn't raining.  It was just cold.  There was a kids race beforehand - the kids were really cute but looked more or less all pretty miserable and bored in the cold and wet.  I was happy I left my gang home in their jammies.  We got registered (I had a little hysterical hiccup when they asked me 5 or 10? and I said 10K!), undressed into our running clothes, and to the starting line, where.....

What's the yellow thing breaking the clouds?

The SUN came out just as the gun went off.  Making what was supposed to be a cold, wet, run a hot steamy and sunny run.  My arm warmer came off pretty fast (the other was stuck under my arm strap.  Oh well).  At one point another girl, also wearing black, was running with me and said, "drywick my *ss!"  To which I replied, "No kidding - this is like running in a microwave!".  Steam was boiling off the blacktop the whole way.

Sunny steamy run

The course was rolling hills, and very pretty.  The second half of the run was downhill, except for one long uphill at mile 5.  Overall I was very pleased with my run - I kept a steady pace just under 10 most of the time.  I travelled with a group that kept leapfrogging eachother.  I was able to open up my stride on the downhills to gain ground (yay for healing hips!) and stayed strong on the uphills - even the one at Mile 5.  Never even close to walking.

My phone chirped 6.2 miles at exactly one hour.  I was nowhere near the finish line - turns out the course is actually somewhere between 6.4 (MapMyRide), 6.6 (Gypsy's Garmin), and 6.9 (my IPhone).  So I finished in 1:06 and change - which is the same as the Running of the Wolves 10K I did last month. That course was actually 6.2, so I call this an improvement.  Despite of not feeling 100%, Gypsy also finished fifth for the women, which as usual for her, totally rocks.  As a bonus, I ended up running into the chute to R.E.M's "It's the End of the World As We Know It", a song that will forever and always remind me of my coach, the Sheriff (childhood story - it's cute I swear).  It was Sheriff's birthday, so I was able to text him happy birthday and tell him I finished a sub-hour 10k to "our" song.

As usual, the conversation in the car on the way home revolved around our  planned 70.3, how we are going to get there, and how far we've come.  Every athlete has a different experience, and we are no exception.  Without over-sharing personal details, we both see the change in eachother more strongly than we can in ourselves.

Change has been on my mind a lot lately.  This morning I kissed my four-year-old son goodbye for work and saw the he was perfectly coloring in a pretty intricate firetruck in one of his coloring books.  When did he learn to do that?  My daughter can actually read several words in many of her books, which is new in the last few weeks (yay kindergarten!).  This morning I stepped on the scale (which I haven't done in weeks) to find that somehow I've hit my "vanity" weight.  That number on the scale I never expected to see again, and haven't done much to bring about.  How did that happen?

My biggest demon is mental, not physical - stress, anxiety - has ruled my life since I was a baby.  My mom will tell you I had my first panic attack at 18 months.  She's probably right.  A few days ago I was railing at the Jedi (and my mom, and Scarecrow....) that nothing I do seems to make any difference for this demon.  I started a cake business to have a creative outlet - no less crazy.  I became a triathlete (exercise is good for that, right?) - no less crazy.  I can't see (feel) the difference.  Jedi says he can, but I have trouble measuring any change.  Friends still tell me that I must never sleep because of the number of activities I'm into.  Which isn't true - thanks to modern medicine I sleep very well.  Most of the time.  But I get the sentiment - my post-race "cool-down" was making a scarecrow with the kids, gardening for a couple of hours, doing fall crafts with the kids, and making dinner.

Making scarecrows

So how do we really see change in ourselves?  When it's something like the ability to run nearly seven miles, or pace, or weight, it's easy.  But what about things you can't measure, like happiness?  Or mental health?  Maybe the first step is in how we chose to describe ourselves.  Because really, it's not that I'm crazy.  It's that I like to do crafts with my kids.  And the truth is that while the kids and Jedi would eat quesadillas five nights a week, I like to have a nice dinner, especially at the end of long days.  That's not me being crazy - that's me doing what makes me happy.

Apple stamping

Gypsy and I might be described as crazy for attempting to swim bike and run 70.3 miles, but it's not crazy to us.  So maybe if I stopped accepting that label and using it, I'd be able to see when a run makes me sleep better.  Or a long bike ride on a crisp afternoon makes me feel like all is right in the world.  Or crafting with my kids and seeing how different they are every day makes me incredibly proud to be their mom.  I can measure my weight with a scale, my heart rate with my HRM, my mileage, my pace, my calendar, and so many other aspects of life.  But there isn't a good way to measure my thoughts - and those thoughts make up so much of how I choose to perceive myself and the world around me.  If only I could buy a "negative thought counter" on Amazon I'd be perfect!!  Patent pending... I'll make a fortune!

If you're gonna run close to 7 miles, it might as well be for good swag.
Plenty of KT tape samples - trying it out on my sore foot

Next up, Jedi and I are dumping our kiddos with Legos (thank you Legos!!!) for the entire weekend and riding 110 miles across Cape Cod over the course of 2 days for the American Lung Association's Autumn Escape Bike Trek, sponsored by my company.  It should be a great weekend - and so far no monsoons in the forecast.  We have never been away from the kids overnight.  Our oldest is nearly 6.  It's sad.  And yes, we are so desperate that we are willing to bike 110 miles and sleep in bunk beds with my coworkers to do it.  But there's free food and two free team jerseys, and you know how I feel about that....

Our bike jerseys for the ALA ride, delivered to my desk this morning

Product Review and Recipe - PearSports Mobile and Pear Crisp

Disclosure - I have absolutely zero affiliation with PearSports.  I did not get any swag, money, props, bribes or cool stuff of any kind for writing this review.  In fact, I'm quite sure PearSports is blissfully unaware of my existence and will continue to be so for quite some time, if not forever.  All of these opinions are 100% my own.

I'm not a bad runner.  But I am, let's say, a confused one.  I'm confused about correct form.  I'm confused about how to get better without injuring myself.  In the last six months I've needed PT for both knees, both hips, I've hurt my ankle, my back, and most recently sparked up some PF issues.  Grace, thy name is not Miranda.  I'm also quite honestly often confused as to how people who love running.... love running.  I've spent most of my life hating running.  Previous to six months ago, there were two things that would motivate me to run:

BEER

Being chased by a T-Rex

And that was it.  I mean, what the heck - people do this voluntarily??  Insane.  I'm also usually running alone because of my crazy work/schedule.  So when SwimBikeMom posted her review of PearSports Training Intelligence system, I thought hey - something that, for the low price of sub $100, will whisper sweet nothings in my ear telling me how I'm supposed to be training, encouraging me, and otherwise keeping me company on my long fall and winter of running, I got one pretty darn quick.

I love this system.  It's a heart rate monitor, special fancy earphones, and IPhone app.  My IPhone is pretty much surgically implanted, so one more gizmo to use with it was an added benefit.  The heart rate monitor is surprisingly comfy - I actually often forget I'm wearing it after a workout until I shower (which realistically isn't always immediately).  The headphones come with three different sizes of keep-it-in special comfy earpads.  I was actually so distraught at losing one of my size small earpads on a run that I went back to find it the next day in the rain.  The headphones also have a volume switch and a little button that clips to your shirt, and will tell you relevant stats (pace, mileage, heartrate) when you press it.

But the best part of all is the software itself.  First, it lets you listen to your own music while you work out - syncs right into your ITunes.  There are multiple training plans you can download (I'm doing the 10K running plan), with structured workouts that you schedule on given days of the week.  A coach (a famous one, if you are aware of such things, which I am not) will coach you all the way through each workout - giving you tips on form, reminders of what zone you are (or are supposed to be) in, etc.  The dialogue is often, but not so often that it becomes obnoxious or interferes with your tunes.

The home screen

In addition to running plans, there are spinning programs, strength training workouts, and even a guided meditation that you can download and use a la carte.  Yesterday when I couldn't get to the gym because work kept my late in the home office waiting for a critical email, I jumped on the trainer instead and logged a 50 minute spin workout.  The intensity was perfect, the coaching good, and except for the coach calling me "a monkey's uncle" when I was in the wrong zone (British? Aussie?  Just not sure...) it was pretty good.  There is also a free-form workout option that tracks your HR, distance, etc. but doesn't hold you to any particular program.  I've used this for races, and for runs that are longer than what I should be doing per the 10K plan (bad bad athlete).

38%?  I told you I was non-compliant...

At the end of your session, you can see your stats, a graph of what your heart rate was compare to what zone it should have been, and a map (if you workout was non-stationary).

A few nice-to-haves would be if it automatically synced to other apps like MapMyRide (it synces to some, just not my favorites), and if it was a little more flexible it letting you schedule and reschedule your workouts.  Maybe part of coaching is learning to stick to the plan?  I wish the HRM was a little more sensitive too - when I put my phone in my saddlebag on a long ride, it lost signal a lot.  A handlebar mount for the phone would probably fix that (more toys for my toys!!!).  Ditto for Boot Camp.  But that's pretty standard for BlueTooth...

A couple of thoughts on heart rate training, specifically for running.  Mainly, it is confusing as all anything.  I've spent all of my time to date trying to go FASTER.  You can't do that with heart rate training.  The voice in my ear wants me to actually warm up and cool down in Zone 1.  Which is just about walking for me.  Today I had a 4 mile "long" run.  (See how I had to put "long" in quotes?  Clearly I still have attitude....)  The first and last half mile the system wanted me in Zone 1 (walking fast) and the middle part in zone 2 (running not at my fastest pace, or even my almost-fastest pace).  For part of the run I was above in Zone 3, and when the electro-coach rebuked me I thought "Ha! I am BEATING heart rate training!"  Oh wait a minute....

Posting my runs to Facebook (which this system also does, even allowing you to select which subset of friends you irritate by doing so) isn't as much fun as usual with these slower paces showing.  Not that I was impressing anyone before, mind you, but still.  My run this morning ended at my kids' soccer practice - if you were to  look closely at my HR graph you would see where I started running again lest anyone not watching their little darling on the field glance over and think I couldn't hack a 4 mile run.  Because I'm crazy like that.  Clearly there is some mental re-shuffling needed to adjust here.... I'm working on it....

_____________________________________________

On the subject of pears, let's flip over and discuss how much I LOVE fall recipes.  Butternut squash, pork roast, pumpkin pie, baked apples - you name it I love it.  This is by far the best time of year for food (good thing I'm still running, huh?).  My family has been doing more than our fair share of apple picking.

Up on Jedi's shoulders

Which leads to much cooking of apples.  Much like after peach picking, I am over-run with apples.  So I make apple butter, apple sauce, and my favorite - apple crisp.  I'm the only one in the house that likes it, but that's ok because I am more than happy to eat the ENTIRE pan by myself.  Judge all you want.  I'm a triathete.  So shush.  Ha!

She's got a little bit of Evil Queen from Snow White vibe going-
I think the pirate scarf helps....

My favorite crisp recipe is actually equally good with pears (Bosc are best) or apples, so I'll share it here:

Maple Oat Pear [or Apple] Crisp

• 4-5 large pears or apples, peeled and sliced
• 1 stick of butter, melted
• 1/4 cup of maple syrup (real if you have it)
• 1 cup of brown sugar
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1 cup rolled oats
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp cloves
• 1/2 tsp allspice
• 1/2 tsp ginger

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  Lay the sliced fruit in a 9x9 inch baking pan.  Drizzle with about 2 tablespoons of melted butter and the syrup.

Add a little lemon juice to keep fruit from browning, if you like

In a separate bowl, mix together the remaining ingredients.  Pat onto the sliced fruit to make a more or less smooth layer.

Oven ready

Bake for about 30 minutes, until the apples are just starting to be soft.  This is personal preference, but I feel like most apple crisps are too sweet, and too overdone.  To the point of applesauce under the crust.  This recipe is much more like sliced fruit under and oatmeal cookie.  In fact, that's what my kids call it - "apple oatmeal cookie thing".  Serve with ice cream, with whipped cream, for dessert, or even for breakfast.  After all, it does have fruit and oats....  I dare you!

__________________________________________

The rain is just starting to fall here, and will continue through tomorrow's 10K race that I'll be taking on with Gypsy.  We will be soaked.  I'm not sure I'm even going to bring my IPhone and Pear system, because I don't want them to get ruined.  So think warm, cozy, fall thoughts for me and enjoy!

Happy Fall :)

Fall Training Plan - Let's Get it Together

This has been a good summary of me lately.  With the triathlon season over, my daughter starting kindergarten, work ramping up, car issues - you name it, it seems like it is happening.  I had some vague thoughts about what to do with myself in this, the "off season", but alternating between manic bouts of race registration and hard core training and collapsing into exhausted puddles for days at a time isn't really a training plan.  There was comfort in my triathlon training.  Swim twice, bike twice, run 3 times per week.  I didn't always MAKE it, but at least there was a goal for each week, and the Title 9 sprint triathlon as the light at the end of the tunnel (whether it was the end or a train is debatable - depends on the day).

Unfortunately, this is ALSO what I feel like.  My kids activities become mine, and suddenly I have work, being a grown-up (cooking dishes laundry cleaning WHAT?) in addition to all of their dance lessons, swim lessons, soccer practices to coach, etc.  There are trick words to read every night, bags must be filled every night with items starting with a certain letter (I'm sure that his teacher giggles when she assigns "X" and "Q"), and many many PTO meetings, fundraisers, and announcements to ignore.  I mean, participate in and file.  Ahem.

My training schedule was my crutch against the anxiety and the crazy for most of the summer.  Now.. no crutch.  No specific goals in the immediate future.  Drifting.  I'm like a giant version of a newborn that needs to be swaddled in a specific blanket, bounced a certain way, and put down with all the light turned off.  If it's not a routine, I don't sleep.

So, it's time to get serious and make a schedule and goals for the fall.  My goals for the fall are:

• Strength train 2x per week
• Work on building an injury-free base for running
• Spend more time with friends and having fun
• Play outside as much as possible (I love fall)
• Calm the heck down.  (this goal is the over-arching goal of my life, not just the fall)

To that end, here's the new training schedule for the Cupcake Triathlete:

Sunday - Crosstrain (bike), races for fun, hiking, or rest

Monday - Rest.  Mondays are good rest days

Tuesday - Early morning 5:45 Boot Camp workout at the gym

Wednesday - Run (lunch or morning - outside if possible)

Thursday - Zumba/Boot Camp in the evenings with friends

Friday - meet the family at little guy's swim lesson and either swim or run

Saturday - run in between the 2 kids soccer practices, preferably with a buddy

This plan has plenty of built in time for friends, for the family, maximizes outside time while still using my wicked expensive gym membership at least twice a week.  And only one day a week of getting up a dark o'clock.  Now, about the running: 

I do solemnly swear to lose the chip on my shoulder about "short" runs and stick to my 10K training plan.

Let me say that again....

I do solemnly swear to lose the chip on my shoulder about "short" runs and stick to my 10K training plan.

I started following the Pearsports 10K training plan a couple of weeks ago (I swear I'll do that product review any day now).  Meaning that I did the first workout, a 25 minute run in Zone 2 with a warm-up and cool-down of 5 minutes in Zone 1, and decided that I was light years ahead of that (I've raced 10ks and am a triathlete for crying out loud!) and discarded it, running four milers instead.  Well.  You know how that turned out.  

Resistance training

So today I grabbed my Pear system and my best training buddy and did the 10k "1.2" workout.  25 short minutes, just like before.  I ran exactly 1.5 miles.  Pushing a stroller with a 4 year old, but still.  It hardly felt worth getting sweaty for.  BUT this kind of plan is what will get me to a solid base, so lose the attitude, sister!

I will be as chill as my little guy.....

Runs will not be longer than 6 miles.  Workouts will not be longer than an hour.  I will have plenty of time for self torture come the winter and half-marathon and half-ironman training.  Fun, aerobic base, maintaining the fitness and weight loss I earned this summer, and sanity are the goals here.

Besides fall is gorgeous, and you can stop to take nice photos during Zone 2 runs