tuesday rewind

BRING. ON. SPRING.

I'll take more sun and less rain, please. Pretty, pretty please.

I should be much closer to a third of that circle being filled in and it's not even close to being at a quarter! I have my fingers crossed though that with a turn in weather there'll be more chances to get outside and bike and run. And hopefully by then I'll stop getting sick from the peek-a-boo weather changes.

Having a mild case of the flu (or a really bad cold) is really the pits when the weather is ACTUALLY nice. And keeping a running streak going is especially challenging. But here I am, migraine and flu be damned, at day two thirty-nine.

There's just some slower days mixed in there...

April is wrapping up and I still haven't run any races this month but there are two or three 5Ks on Saturday that I'm eyeing. I just have to figure out which one I want to suck kick ass at. It's definitely not going to be the duathlon, but maybe I can convince Ryan to do it so I can cheer him on. 

In a life outside of running and exercising, I started watching Girl Boss on Netflix. Have you? I'm not sure how I feel about it yet. But I like Britt Robertson so I'm sticking it out for the first season. 

And while I'm not sure how I found this and my day has been made. This garter belt but for men's shirts is perfect for those all too common bend and snap moments. You just watch it and tell me you didn't fan yourself either around the 43 second mark.

I also baked for the first time in FOREVER. What came about were some of the driest brownies I've ever made. While they weren't terrible and could be paired with ice cream for enhanced eat-ability, I definitely won't be using the recipe again. You live bake and learn, I guess.

How about you guys? What's going on with you? Are you watching Girl Boss? Does it get good? What's something you've made recently that rocked your taste bud world? 

Peace out, alfalfa sprouts. - Allison

race recap : doc lopez run for health

The alarm on Saturday, March 18th came way. too. early.

For a weekday, 6:15am isn't too bad. On the weekend? It's just brutal. But that's where I found myself last Saturday. With a husband who's chronically late, a race an hour and a half away, and a caravan with my parents set for 7:30am, that wake up time was unfortunately, very necessary. 

The Doc Lopez Run for Health is held every year in Elizabethtown, New York (not Kentucky) right as winter is coming to an end. Four days before the race, Winter Storm Stella plowed through and dropped lots of snow up and down New York State. Albany got nearly two feet of it and Elizabethtown looked like it got more. Thankfully, the roads were clear and dry the morning of. I just wish the starting temp wasn't 13°F. 

That's freaking cold.

But there wasn't wind so I considered myself lucky. #smallvictories

The 5K course is a fairly easy out and back along Route 9 with only about 50 feet of elevation gain. My only wish is that the roads were closed so we could run on flat pavement and not the uneven shoulder. I mean, it's not like it would impede traffic that much. I think I remember all of four cars, MAYBE, during the time I was out there.

I didn't do or wear anything special for this race. I kept running everyday and stupidly did some fartlek running the day before. I wore the same thing I always do when it's cold outside: two sets of leggings, a long sleeve compression shirt, and my running jacket. Most of it being UA cold gear stuff. And I even ate the snack-sized trail mix from the swag bag as my breakfast that morning. Which, in hind sight, was not the best idea.

Going into the race I was very excited. Ryan had offered to pace it for me so I could shoot for a sub-thirty minute race. Although, with the temperatures as low as they were he cautioned that the day might not be the day for a PR.

photo by: Shawn Michener (2017)

At the race line, I gave my mom my phone, waved to both my parents, and the nerves settled in real hard. I had to pee (it was cold). I had to poop (I was nervous). I was freezing (it was 13° afterall).

At the whistle (yep, someone blew a whistle), we were off. My thoughts went something like this...

     ▪ Ryan's actually running with me!
     ▪ Are we going to PR today?
     ▪ I don't know if I can do it.
     ▪ But I'm keeping up with him...maybe I can?
     ▪ Holy crap, I thought going out there weren't any hills.
     ▪ What the eff was that little hill?
     ▪ Jesus Christ, I'm dying.
     ▪ "Ryan, please take these gloves."
     ▪ Yes, I can definitely keep this up without the gloves.
     ▪ "Ryan, can you please take the hat?"
     ▪ I'm sweating so bad.
     ▪ How fast am I running?
     ▪ Ryan tells me not to look at my watch.
     ▪ Damn, I'm running really fast.
     ▪ I'm still keeping up with him.
     ▪ Yes, one mile.
     ▪ There is no way I'm running this fast on the way back.
     ▪ Seriously? A truck driving down the middle of the road?
     ▪ Picture time! Smile!
     ▪ Almost halfway.
     ▪ "No water, thank you."
     ▪ Why am I so tired?
     ▪ My legs feel like lead.
     ▪ Thank you Mr. State Police.
     ▪ JFC there's no way I'm breaking thirty.
     ▪ Nope, just lost him.
     ▪ He's such a trooper.
     ▪ I suck at running.
     ▪ No, don't cry, just keep running.
     ▪ I want to walk.
     ▪ No walking, just keep running.
     ▪ Picture time, again? Try to smile!
     ▪ Definitely not catching Ryan.
     ▪ Oh look, a senior citizen is passing me.
     ▪ "No, no water, thank you."
     ▪ HOW LONG IS THIS EFFING HILL?!
     ▪ He's stopping?
     ▪ He's stopping.
     ▪ He's waiting for me?
     ▪ No crying. No crying. Just running.
     ▪ "Yep, let's just finish this."
     ▪ He waited to finish the race with me.
     ▪ He's so good.
     ▪ Okay, downhill then last hill, run it.
     ▪ Last hill, last hill.
     ▪ Short, quick steps.
     ▪ Big steps, muscle through.
     ▪ GOD DAMMIT HILLS SUCK.
     ▪ Okay, just a little slow run to catch your breath.
     ▪ Be strong, stay strong.
     ▪ I should've eaten some chocolate.
     ▪ Smile for dad!
     ▪ Sweet relief, I see the finish line.
     ▪ Oh God, don't die.
     ▪ Smile for mom!
     ▪ YES. I DID IT.

And then after a time of 32:20.71, I collapsed into a snow bank with my medal, bottle of water, and a box of chocolate milk.

I was disappointed in my performance considering I PRed the course last year with a 30:47 and really wanted another good performance. But not every race is a PR race. Especially when you have your head up your ass.

I can't say enough about the event coordinators, Susie and Christine. They really pull together a great event and put together awesome swag bags. They never do the t-shirt thing, instead doing branded items like gloves (last year) or multi-use head scarf (this year). I also get pretty pumped for that Ben & Jerry's coupon. Seeing Gatherer's in there this year was also pretty cool, with it made in Schenectady and all.

But overall, a great race with beautiful scenery. I mean, what's not to like about the North Country? I'll be signing up again next year. Hopefully running it without the jitters though.

Until the next race recap, peace out, lifers.

- Allison Rae

monday rewind

First race of 2017 is officially in the bag.

Saturday wasn't the greatest to start off the season but I think I got all the jitters out.

Last week was just focused on running to prep for the race. I decided to throw one interval session in there (which I've never done before) and thought the day before the race was the perfect day for it. In case you're wondering, the day before a race is not the day to start intervals.

Because of how sore I've been for the past couple days I'm not going to put pressure on my body to do anything more than run my run plan for the week. And if they're slower than slow runs, I'll take those too. Maybe later in the week I'll feel up for a bike ride or a short swim. 

Later this week I'm going to put together a race report and recap my run. Hopefully by then my legs won't be as sore.

What's the first race you have planned for this year? Do you have a goal for it? Did you already run it? And thinking back, what's the race you're most proud of? Mine is my second triathlon at Delta Lake. I can't wait to do it again this July.

Until the next rewind, peace out, lifers.

- Allison Rae

wednesday rewind

It just came to my attention that my first race of 2017 is three days away.

THREE DAYS.

No big deal. I'll just sit here quietly and freak out. Maybe first I should figure out how many layers of clothing to wear considering yesterday we got nearly two feet of snow.

Training's been fun this week.

Remember how last week I wanted to do three bike rides, possibly two swims, and all my running miles? Well, I forgot we had our mini vacay planned. So one bike ride and the swims were off the table. 

Then we got to Burlington (in case you didn't guess) and it was -19° F outside with 20 mph winds. So the dreadmill it was. And with my streak still strong at 198 days, no run was not an option. To save my sanity I shortened up the runs and just got my mile in each day. 

As far as I'm concerned there's no shame in a short run.

This week, I'm back on track and sort of excited for race day Saturday. I'm just hoping it doesn't look like this up North...

Maybe it will be the perfect amount of snow for a pretty morning run backdrop. Let's just hope it's not as cold as balls.

This week, I'm focusing on nice slow runs in preparation for race day. I'm skipping the bike and swimming since I've added about thirty minutes of physical therapy exercises into my daily routine. While they're definitely helping my tailbone pain, we're still trying to see what it's doing for my "running" muscles.

What's on your plan for this week? Any new exercises you're incorporating? Any ones you're skipping this week?

Until the next rewind, peace out, lifers.

- Allison Rae

monday rewind

Are you still recovering from last week's perpetual food coma? I know I'm still recovering. It's like the never ending story of leftovers. God help us all.

I do hope that your thanksgiving was full of family, food, and fun. 

My Thursday was full of running, family, food, and fun. Troy had it's annual turkey trot and Ryan and I did the 10K. And after eating everything we did, we definitely needed the extra calories. Although I'm pretty sure they were gone before dinner even started...macaroni and cheese is my downfall. 

One thing I noticed out on the course was that a lot of runners seemingly NEED to listen to music on their runs. While I admit I once needed it to get started running, I never listen to music on my runs anymore. It's just me, my shoes on pavement, and the ever present city hum. Can someone explain the music thing to me? Do you focus on the music? Do you zone out? How do you mull over your first world problems? Please tell me. Pretty please?

Anyway...on Smashrun, I'm getting pretty close to the last few badges I think I'll get this year. Since I kinda screwed myself over with a short thirteen mile week two weeks ago, I'm forfeiting some of the bigger ones I was working on. But there's always 2017!

How are you working off the holiday calories? Do you have a plan or are you being proactive and avoiding them to begin with? If it's the latter, please tell me how you have so much self control. The cookies do me in.

And mac 'n cheese. Always.

Until the next food coma, peace out, lifers.

- Allison Rae

fitness recap

I did it guys! I finishing training and raced my first 15K. Here's Ryan and I on Sunday morning...

That guy in the picture with us is my mom's coworker who was 62 on race day! I'm not even mad when I say he beat me by 10-20 seconds (depending on whether you look at gun time or net time). Even more impressive is that Ed Whitlock, the eighty-five year old who's been CRUSHING distance records, ran too and set yet another record. 

He beat both of us. 

I hope I have a tenth of the energy he has at eighty-five when I get there. 

The stockadeathon was a terrific experience and I already can't wait to run it again. The course is pretty hilly, with back to back hills at mile seven that are downright rude, but overall a great scenic route. And that last half mile that's all downhill is godsend.

So while I didn't get in any other training this past week I did keep up my run streak (currently at day seventy-eight). Here's what it looked like...

My goal for the race was a 11:15 pace but I blew that out of the water with 10:34s. My legs are rebelling this week and I guess I kinda deserve that? I'm just hoping that they get their act together by tomorrow. 

What's on your plan for this week? Running, biking, swimming? Maybe a little strength training. (I know I need to get some of that in.)

Until the next fitness recap. Peace out, lifers.

- A. Rae