The Off-Season

As an avid runner, albeit an amateur one, I like to think that I have an "off-season." Historically, for me, it has been the month of December that I count as this down time. It's after my Thanksgiving Day 5k, and before my spring race training schedules typically start in the first couple weeks of January. However, this year I ran the last half marathon of the year in the middle of September, and while I still had the Thanksgiving 5k after the September half, I didn't feel like it required as much training. So I took a little more time off. And now that January is here, and my spring and summer race schedule feels a little closer, I feel ready to start adhering to a training plan again. 

I think it is extremely important to give yourself a break from a training schedule every once in a while. It helps avoid burnout, injury, and physical fatigue. I love the feeling of making every planned workout or run happen in a given week, but sometimes it is also important to listen to your body and take a rest day if you need one. Some weeks I'm the queen of the unplanned rest days, and that's okay. The most important day of my week in terms of my training is my long run day. I have found that if I occasionally miss a weekday workout or short run, as long as I'm hitting those long run days consistently, my performance isn't really impacted. I should add the disclaimer that I am not a high performance or elite runner, but rather a recreational runner, so it's not like I'm trying to shave off a few seconds here and there to set any records.

Cross training is also a great way to keep moving forward with fitness and give your body a break from the impact of running. I love cycling once the weather allows for it in the spring and summer, and hiking is another great way to get out and move but still scale back on the intensity. This year I'd also love to incorporate swimming, but that one might be a little more challenging considering that I don't have convenient access to a pool at the moment. In the mean time, I will continue to attend my Orange Theory classes twice a week, and add in yoga where I can to help with flexibility and balance. 

I hope your holiday seasons were just what you hoped they would be, and that you are ready to take on 2017 and crush your goals! 

-Linsey

2016 Big Cottonwood Half Marathon

On September 10, I ran the Big Cottonwood Half Marathon in Salt Lake, and what an awesome event it was! I am probably a little bit biased, as this route is basically in my back yard, and I run the canyon all the time since it is one of my favorite runs. The leaves have started changing almost instantaneously in the mountains above Salt Lake, and it made for some magnificent views during those canyon miles.

The buses loaded for the half marathon between 4:30-5:30am for a 6:45am start time. I used to be one of those runners who showed up at the very beginning of the loading window, in fear that I wouldn't get a seat on the bus. But now that I am getting old(er) and wiser, and sleep is more important to me, I tend to show up during the last half of the boarding window. I arrived in the parking lot around 5am, and was in line to get on a bus by about 5:15. I'm not sure what time my bus ended up getting to the start area, but we had plenty of time to use the restrooms, grab some water, and sit down for a few minutes before we were shepherded to the start line. Brandy and I were happy to have our space blankets to keep us warm. I think it was about 35 degrees at the start line. Brrrrr!

And here is my one and only complaint about this event. The buses dropped us off at the Spruces campground, which worked out great for the runners to have all that space to spread out and get ready to run. The downside was that our start line was a little ways down the canyon road from where that parking lot is. And all we heard was an announcement by someone walking through the lot that the race would start in 10 minutes and that was our last chance to get our gear bags dropped off in the truck (as a side note, I have never used a drop bag at a race, as I am petrified that my bag would be lost or stolen before I was able to pick it up). The problem with that was that by the time we all made it down the road to the official start line, the race had started several minutes earlier. I don't know if there was a countdown to the gun going off, but we didn't hear anything. It would have been really nice to have had a little fanfare at the start to get everyone excited about the start rather than just figuring out that we had started and seeing all the runners just starting to run when we got down to the start line. I did hear from another runner who did the full that there was fanfare and organization at the start of the full, so hopefully next year the half marathon runners will get the same treatment. 

Overall, I had a great race at Big Cottonwood, and didn't start feeling any fatigue in my legs until I got to about mile 11. I had to walk for about a block along Ft. Union in a spot that I never before noticed was uphill, but other than that I was able to run the whole race. Right as I came into the finish line chute, I saw Lacy there with her daughter, stopped for a quick hug, then ran through the finish. The runner's area at the finish line was pretty great with pancakes, pizza, drinks, bagels, and I'm sure other goodies that my tired self didn't even acknowledge. And Lacy brought me a beer, which was a welcome treat after the heat that greeted us when we came out of the canyon. I was pleasantly surprised with my time of 2:13, given that I had only done one long run since the SeaWheeze Half Marathon (I still need to write that post) a month earlier, and only a few short runs in that same time period. I credit my ability to feel strong and finish well to my Orange Theory workouts that I have been doing over the last couple of months (also more on that later). 

This was technically my last race of the 2016 season, although I still have a couple of 5ks upcoming in this calendar year. I am looking forward to running this race again next year, and going for a PR. Thanks to Revel for putting on such a great race, and I'll see you in about 51 weeks!

-Linsey

Salt Lake City Half Marathon

Wow! It's been a while since we've posted. Time to get back on the blogging ball. On Saturday, April 16, Lacy and I ran the Salt Lake City Half Marathon. The weather had been crummy the whole week leading up to the race, and the forecast was for rain. Booooooo! Luckily for us, the weather cooperated, and race morning was beautiful. It was a little chilly, but not super uncomfortable. And we timed it just about perfect for our arrival at the start line. We parked near the finish area, and took Trax up to the start line at the University of Utah. The location was beautiful, and we could just tell it would be a good day. With views like this to start the day, how could it not be?

We hopped around at the start line for about 15 minutes before it was time to get in the chute and get ready to go. My only complaint about the start line area was the number of Honey Buckets available to use. I don't know how many thousands of runners were there between the full and half marathons, but the number of toilets available was nowhere near enough. We didn't have time to wait, so I just started the race with a relatively full bladder. We were still smiling despite having to use the restroom, though!

The race started right on time (which is always nice), and off we went. The course changed last year, and while I can't compare it to the previous version because I never ran it, I do have to say that this year's course was great. We ran through Federal Heights, and across 11th Avenue to Memory Grove. 

Side note: I was so lucky that our friend, Sean, lives right on 11th Ave and was outside with his dog watching for me to come by. I ran straight to him, hugged him, and asked if I could use his restroom. He kindly obliged, and the rest of my race was much more relaxed. Thanks, Sean!!!

The stretch of course through Memory Grove was beautiful and a nice little downhill break around mile 3-4. This photo makes it look pretty dark, but it was gorgeous in there!

Once we were out of Memory Grove, we headed east up South Temple for a little over a mile. That was probably my least favorite portion of the course. We were running straight into the sun, and slightly uphill for that portion. It was the hottest part of the course for sure. Once we turned south on 900 East, we had a little bit of a downhill and more shade for pretty much the rest of the race. 

We wound our way through the streets of Sugar House and the Liberty Park area heading back downtown. When we came into Liberty Park for a half loop inside the park grounds, there was a group of people drumming, and it gave me such a great boost of energy! This photo doesn't quite do them justice, but it's not bad considering I took it while running past them. 

Once out of Liberty Park, there was only about a mile of the course left. I was really ready to be done by that point, and just powered through that last mile or so. 

I found Lacy once I got through the finish, we took our finisher photo, and we got the heck out of dodge. 

Thanks to the organizers of the Salt Lake City Marathon and Half for a great event, and we will be back next year! 

P.S. I have to share my medal with Sadie, since she did most of the training for this event with me (as always). 

GO SADIE! 

Super Bowl Sunday Run

Lacy and I got out for a 4 miler yesterday morning, and it was pretty great. We had a longer run planned, but with recent developments around our Florida Half Marathon (whole separate story), we opted for a shorter and later run so we could enjoy the miles in the sunshine. That turned out to be a good decision. Siena fell asleep in the stroller, and Sadie got to join us too since it was warmer and the roads had finally dried out. We kept a leisurely pace, around 11 min/miles, and chatted the entire time. 

One of the things I love about running with a partner is the uninterrupted time you have to talk about any variety of topics. We don't have cell phones out, iPads in our hands, or other media stealing our attention from one another. You just talk. And talk, and talk, and talk. Yesterday we covered everything from our upcoming trip to Florida, to Pink Prom, houses, kids, dogs, races, cycling, and I'm sure a whole other host of topics that I can't remember at this moment. We can switch topics quickly, and always come back to a topic that we got distracted from. And sometimes it's just nice to say things out loud and let go of them. After all, what is said on the road, stays on the road. 

-Linsey

2015 Thanksgiving Day 5k

This was my 4th year running the Thanksgiving Day 5k in Cottonwood Heights, and it did not disappoint. A group of 7 of us signed up, participated and had a blast! Here's the whole crew before we walked over to the Rec Center for the start of the race. 

We meandered through the neighborhood and got to the start are with just a few seconds to spare. Lacy, Crystal, and I hopped into the melee, snapped one quick photo, and off we went! As usual, I was dressed as a Green Bay Packer, and also wore the awesome football headband that Bethany made for me. 

Lacy finished fast, and Crystal and I plodded along at our own speed. I'm not quite sure how the boys finished, but I know we all had fun. One of these years I'm going to figure out a good way to take pictures during events so I have some action shots in addition to the fun group ones. 

Even though running a 5k doesn't burn that many calories, it does feel nice to start the Thanksgiving Day holiday off with some exercise. See you all there next year!

-Linsey

201 Haunted Half Marathon - Salt Lake

On October 24, 2015 we ran the Haunted Half Marathon in Salt Lake. I did the Provo Haunted Half last year, and I do have to say that I enjoyed the Salt Lake race more than the Provo version. Packet pickup was seamless, and Winnie and I had a little bit of fun with the photo board at pickup. 

Buses loaded for this race between 6-7am, which was a nice break from the 4-5am loading of some other races. The Haunted Half has a later start time due to the time of year, and I have no objections to that as it lets me get a few extra precious minutes of sleep. Winnie and I got to the bus loading around 6:45am and were able to get right on a bus to go to the start area. About 2 minutes into the bus ride, I realized I forgot my ipod and headphones. That was a bummer, but I knew I would be running with Winnie most of the race, so I wasn't too upset over it. There were worse things that could have been forgotten.

Lacy was supposed to run this half with us as well, but her daughter was up sick most of the night before, and she made the tough call not to run this one. It's so hard to decide not to do a race, but I think it's the smart thing to do when you know that you aren't physically up for the challenges of a half marathon, and knowing that the energy probably isn't there to get you through it. It's better to not run than to risk getting injured. We definitely missed her at this one! 

Once we got to the start area, we had plenty of time to eat something, use the honey buckets, and stand around shivering. At least the views were spectacular! Sunrise at the top of Emigration Canyon did not disappoint.

And there was also good company to keep us entertained and warm. I'm so happy Mariah found us and came to say hi! 

Finally 8:45 rolled around and it was time to start running! The downhill portion of the race was great, and we rolled through the miles. Winnie, Brittany, Kollin, and I stayed together for about the first 4 miles or so until bathroom breaks split us up. I did find this great photo of Brittany and Kollin in the race's photo bank.  You can't see Kollin's onesie, but he was dressed as a Storm Trooper. And I love Brittany's mermaid!

I think we averaged about 10:30/mile for the first 9 miles. After that when the terrain leveled out and we started winding through the neighborhoods, my legs started getting tired, and Winnie ran ahead of me to keep a pace that felt good to her. Winnie ended up finishing 10-12 minutes ahead of me. I was getting so hot in my Packers getup in those last few miles that the finish line was a welcome sight if only to be able to get out of the sun and slow down. 

Here's Winnie coming through the finish. 

And me a little bit later. 

I am so glad that I got to run this half with Winnie. I have missed her so much since they moved to Oregon several years ago, but am glad that we get to see them every so often when they come to visit or when we go to Corvallis to see them. 

And finally, here is a picture of the whole crew at the finish line, pizza and all. Huge kudos to Brittany for this one as her daughter, Summit, was born just three and a half months prior to this half. She's kind of a rock star in my eyes. 

Thanks for a great day everyone, and hope to see you at this race again in 2016!

2015 Huntsville Half Marathon

I'm going all the way back to September 26, 2015 for this post. Lacy and I ran the Huntsville Half Marathon, and it was a wonderful day! We had a very early start, but a little coffee always helps mitigate that. All smiles, even though I'm pretty sure this was around 4:30am. 

Once we got to Huntsville, the sun was rising and the scenery was spectacular. Unfortunately, my phone bit the dust a month or so after Huntsville, and a lot of my photos were lost, but at least I had these that I had posted to social media.

We had to be bused from Huntsville to the starting area, so there was a little bit of time spend standing around and waiting. But that was okay, because I also ran into my friend Natasha at the start! The leaves were gorgeous, and I was thrilled that it wasn't raining this year. 

Lacy and I run different paces, so we didn't plan on staying together during the half. Lacy ran ahead, and I trucked along at my own slower pace. It did get pretty warm during the half, but we both survived and got to see some great views of the valley around Pineview during the run. I finished slower than I had hoped to, but I felt pretty good this entire race, so I considered that a positive outcome for the day. 

FINISHERS!

I'm sure we'll do this race again sometime, just not this year. The Huntsville organizers moved the race a week earlier in 2016, which puts it one week after the Big Cottonwood Full Marathon. And that is just not enough time to recover from a full and be ready to run another half. So maybe in 2017 we'll be back.