All things Running
The before, during & after
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You never understand what true runner's high is until you experience not only a goal PR, but a first place finish as well. My week/weekend was filled with so many emotions but ended on such a high note! (See what I sort of... did.... there...?). There's something to be said for being patient and training to a T -- it definitely pays off! God, I honestly get excited every time I tell someone about this weekend's experience, because the week prior was such a disaster and I have no idea how I possibly pulled off a performance like that. First let me give you a "brief" rundown on how the week was looking prior to my race on the weekend.... Earlier last week was relatively a rough patch for me, had an awful workout Saturday morning, exhausted/painful calves going into Wednesday, the 2017 CDPHP Workforce team challenge (3.5 mile race) coming up on Thursday where I was competing for team Fleet Feet Albany | Malta, and well... I was slightly intoxicated on Friday (no bueno) so Saturday before my race on Sunday I was completely hungover... (oops). It was quite the eventful week to say the least... but let's start with Saturday prior to this weird week. Saturday (May 14th) my expected workout was 7 miles with 3 miles @ 6:30 pace... and let me start by stating that barely any of that happened...at all. I ran in my new neighborhood where literally everywhere you turn there is a hill -- with almost no signs of flat land what-so-ever. It was expected that I would do the 7 miles on a flat out and back. What actually ended up happening was that I found myself running through an awful 2 miles of hills and almost 3 miles on a track at about 6:55 pace with 1 mile "cool down" if it can even be considered that. Mentally, I was a disaster. Nerves were kicking in for the week because it was a multi week for me (2 races in one week) and I just felt like sub 20 minutes in a 5k wasn't even an obtainable at this point. Monday through Wednesday were rough.. i've had a lot of stress on my calves recently and well the pain was just about at it's breaking point Wednesday morning (I would assume part of this stems from my nerves). Oh and along with all of this... the weather channel was calling for 96 degree weather on Thursday... HA! Well Thursday approached and let me just tell you I was sweating bullets sitting outside my office.. I knew this was going to be brutal. Albany is the host of the CDPHP Workforce Team Challenge -- a 3.5 mile race through the city (mainly Washington Park which sucks, and back to the State Museum). Businesses are allowed to put together teams to race as a corporation against other companies and as stated before I was running for Team Fleet Feet Albany | Malta. The local news reported had notes that the temperature had reached 98 degrees at the starting line with about 70% humidity. Saying that I felt like I was in an oven is an understatement. This heat was BRUTAL and the sun was not helping at all. Along with the unbearable heat, the course overall kinda of sucks, it mostly consists of rolling inclines through the park and the last half mile is a fast, painful decline back to the museum. The top finishers had even stressed their difficulties adapting to the weather and the course post-race. I ended up crossing the finish line in 24:01 which is about 6:50 pace (once I went through mile 1 I had decided to tempo instead of race). I was pretty surprised with my performance, however my main focus was the upcoming Sunday. Sunday I worked and raced the SPAC Rock and Run 5k in Saratoga. The race features a 5k, 10k, and Half marathon with the 10k being the "main event". I don't think i've ever been more confident about a race like I was on Sunday. I felt great, my warm up with my training partner Sam (girl on the right in the photo above) was a hell of a lot better than expected considering I had to be up at 4 AM to be in Saratoga at 5:30 AM. There was one hill shortly after the 2nd mile marker, but we went up it on the warm up and I felt ready to go. The temperature couldn't have been more perfect I believe it was in the low 60's, with mostly an overcast sky, and there was a comfortable faint breeze. My plan was to tackle the first 2 miles @ 6:30 and then if I felt good after mile 2 to just give it everything I had. Sam and I stuck together through the first mile, and I was feeling so comfortable it was insane. I slightly pulled away and went after the lead pack of guys ahead -- I could tell I was the first female and I was PUMPED. As I approached mile 2 a woman came up on my right, her name was Liz she used to run for the Albany Running Exchange and she was quick. She pushed me to drop to about a 6:20 pace and as we approached the hill I was slightly nervous. One thing I will forever be thankful for is my body's ability to tackle hill. I don't have the build of a marathon runner. I have strong legs (mostly because of my collegiate javelin career) that are extremely powerful and allow me to make my way up steep inclines without much of a struggle. My legs surely helped me on this hill, I was able to push myself to about a 6:18 pace and power up that hill like there was no tomorrow where I would then turn right onto the 2nd to last straightaway of the course. I am a firm believer in that an adrenaline rush in a race stems from the energy of the crowd that appears on race day. As I was coming down that 2nd to last straightaway I happened to glance up and see two of my favorite guys at the end pushing me to kick it into high gear. Jacob and Eric are elites in our area, true speed demons. I've learned a lot from these two when it comes to running since i've met them both this year. As I heard their excitement over the potential time I was going to finish in I knew it was my time to shine. I gave it my all that last half mile of the course and broke the tape across the finish line in a time of 19:55, 1st female, and 4th finisher overall. I DID IT! I FINALLY BROKE TWENTY IN THE 5K! Like whaaaat?! It may sound kinda slow to those of you who are all sub 18 and under in the 5K but to me this is a HUGE DEAL. I've proven to myself that there is still another barrier to be broken in the 5K and now i'm ready to work my way down to sub 19! I can't wait to see what the running world has in store for me next...Until next time... Stay Green, Amanda
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Hi all! It has been SO long since I posted here on the blog so I thought what better time to post than when i'm at work? (Let's hope my boss isn't reading this...). A lot has gone on lately, just a teenie update on my life (because I know you all desperately want to know), I ran my first 16 miler last Sunday (to replaced a canceled 5k), since last October, I moved into a lovely new home, and last night I took my first ever self defense class! (Which is one of the topics i'm going to speak about today). First of all I am happy to say after a full day of moving into my new home yesterday I was able to knock out 6 miles today with my boss actually which I find is very rare in many offices...My boss actually is an ultra runner who doesn't particularly race but does worry about distance. He's a fan of 50-milers (I cringe just thinking about that), and LOVES to run through the mountains (he lives on the border of Vermont so it's easy access to him). We went down to the local bike path along the river and just casually went out 3 miles then came back 3 which ended up being all uphill (yikes), and finished in front of our office. It's not common for our office to be "runner friendly" you kind of have to work your way towards earning lunch runs as wild as that may sound I really only get them because well.. my boss runs too so we are on the same page here. The worst part about our office is that we don't have showers available to us (I know it's so gross), so I have to improvise with sweat wipes that actually work pretty well (I use Hyper Go After Sport wipes). When I run or even walk during my lunch I find that I am far more attentive and creative at work (i'm a graphic designer that's why I say creative), personally I feel it should be a requirement for employees at any job to get at least 20 minutes of exercise per day. Exercise stimulates brain function, wakes you up, keeps you focussed, enhances ones' mood, and overall can enhance work performance. Now that we are approaching the warmer months take advantage! Get outside during your lunch and then eat at your desk, you'll feel 20x better and work 20x harder! Self Defense 101 So one of the highlights of my week (besides my 16 miler) actually occurred last night. For those of you that don't know, I run for the Albany Running Exchange (ARE) running club here in Albany one of the greatest things about this club besides the running portion is that they always host interesting events. Last night was the best, and I think most informative event yet: Self Defense for Runners. I think self defense is good for anyone of any age because let's be real here you NEVR EVER know what can happen to you at any time even when you feel you are in your "safe zone" ex: your house, your work, school. That was one of the key points instructor Jonathan Parsons US Marine and expert self defense instructor spoke to us about. Now keep in mind, self defense isn't about starting a fight with someone or "beating the shit" out of anyone, it's for your own safety you aren't trying to really harm anyone you're just trying to get out of the situation. During this 2 hour class we learned about an attacker's soft spots, how to handle ourselves mentally (KEY), and how to get away in the best way possible. I learned more in that 2 hours that I ever thought I would, most of the takeaways I can't physically demonstrate via text but one of the most important things Jonathan mentioned to us was that every part of your body are tools. Sounds weird but think about it, every body part can be used in a different type of way to defend yourself without the need of a weapon. He also mentioned to always keep in mind that an attackers' arms will always be preoccupied doing something and that's your opportunity to utilize your body to attack back whether it be with your legs, feet, or maybe even your head! (Yes we practiced head-butting). The class was great! We were given the opportunity to test out our new knowns skills and went through some test runs where attackers really tackled us to the ground or picked us up as we were running and we had to respond in the most effective way possible, and utilize our tools. Granted this room was filled with females and I would highly recommend other females to take a self defense class, but I was a little curious as to why no males showed up to the class. Everyone should consider taking a self defense class because honestly like I said you NEVER know what can happen to you and it happens so fast you need to know how to react immediately. So think about it! Also talk to your local running clubs about having an instructor come in, yeah the class costed me $40 but it was the best 40 bucks I have spent so far. So check it out!! Until next time... Stay Green, Amanda |
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February 2018
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