Aesthete Runner

Not only is Week 10 over, but so is July! Scary to think that the Chicago Marathon is only two months away... Here was my training schedule for week 10: Monday: 7 miles easy Tuesday: Speedwork - 4 X 1200 with 400 recovery  8 miles Tempo Wednesday: Rest Thursday: 8 miles Tempo  Strength training Friday: 5 miles easy Saturday: 8 miles easy Sunday: 10 miles long (on the trail) The biggest change this week was that I skipped the speedwork. Because I missed my tempo run last week, I wanted to make sure that I completed this workout which meant skipping the speedwork. Week 11 of training is essentially a built-in "extra" week for me and I plan to repeat the missed tempo and speedwork runs. I always build in extra training weeks to accommodate injury, sickness, and vacation. Thankfully I am using this week as a vacation week, so I can do whatever I want with week 11, and I plan to get in a few high quality workouts with some much needed rest. But that will all be reporte...

Due to the heat, my time on the trails was limited. I was very grateful for the shade that the trees provide, and I happened to get a free tree this weekend to plant! My favorite shaded part of the trail Free tree!

Oh week 9 was brutal! Not so much the training itself, but training in the heat. Chicago is no stranger to hot temps but this week brought sequential days with the heat index over 100. I have heard that running in the heat is similar to altitude training, and I can fully appreciate this after my attempts this week. These are the times when I do wish for a treadmill or access to a gym, but I also know that I would never enjoy the runs as much as if I was doing them outdoors. As much as I had planned to stick to my training schedule, I simply had to make adjustments for the heat. Here was my training plan for the week: Monday: 5 miles easy Tuesday: Speedwork -  5 X 1k, 400m recovery Wednesday: Rest Thursday: 8 miles tempo  Strength training Friday: 6 miles easy Saturday: 5 miles easy Sunday: 15 miles long  5 miles long (on the trail) Clearly the two most important runs of the week were major fails. On Thursday the heat advisory had started and the tempos were ov...

This morning I woke up to an email from Lauren Fleshman announcing her retirement from professional running. For a Friday morning, it was a crummy way to start the day. In addition to a formal media announcement, Lauren wrote a post on her blog about her decision as well as shared a beautiful video that made me instantly cry. When I first started running, Lauren Fleshman was my role model and icon for running. Despite the fact that I would never be as fast as her, she always seemed like someone that I would hang out with and be friends with. I mean, if I could choose someone to be for a day, it would pretty much be her -  living in Bend, Oregon running on some beautiful trails.  For someone of many talents, she seemed very down to earth and motivating even when she had her ups and downs in the running world. Her post regarding why the 5k is awesome made me feel like it was ok to run shorter distances when it felt like everyone else was running marathons. I felt like a teenag...

Time for another Trail Tuesday! This past week brought me up close and personal with "my bird" after a run in the rain and a peaceful 10 mile long run on the trails. Storm clouds rolling in around Whalon Lake My bird was enjoying the rain One of my favorite trees in Green Valley

It is hard to believe week 8 is in the books! As with last week, I took some liberties with the plan as I found that I needed some time to recover from my race. Here is what the week looked like for me: Monday: 6 miles easy   Rest Tuesday: Speed 6 X 800m with 400m recovery   Tempo 5 miles Wednesday: Rest Thursday: Tempo 5 miles   Speed 6 X 800m with 400m recovery Friday: 5 miles easy  6 miles easy Saturday: 6 miles easy  Cross training Sunday: 10 miles long (on the trail) The biggest change was that I switched the tempo and speed work. I found that my legs were still really sore from the race and jumping into speed work might bother my hamstrings. After my previous hamstring injury, I am very conscious of the fact that speed work bothers them more than anything and made this adjustment. I do not regret my Monday rest day as that is just what I needed after recovering from the race and enabled me to feel refreshed for the tempo run on Tuesday. While I...

Rest and recovery is one of the most important aspects of training, yet runners often tend to neglect this more than anything else. It is often a common fear that taking a rest day will derail training, or that there is simply not enough time in a day for recovery. Especially with a plan like Hansons with only one scheduled rest day, it may seem hard to fit in yet more time to focus on other aspects of training. Yet without rest and recovery we cannot be the best runners possible. Having fallen victim to injury a few times in my life, I know how important it is to listen to your body and make time to take care of yourself. Here are my suggestions for incorporating rest and recovery into your training plan. Listen to your body There is a difference between lacking motivation or not "feeling" like going for a run, and actually needing a day off. If you feel unwell or you have pain that is not typical soreness, take a day off. One or two days off will not cause you to backtra...

This Trail Tuesday is a collection of pictures from my trail race on Saturday which took place on the Waterfall Glen 9.5 mile loop trail in Darien, IL. There is no better way to celebrate nature than to experience a race on the trails. The experience is completely different than that of a road race, and it is ultimately more satisfying to "conquer" the trail in the end! Seems cruel to take a picture of a runner going up an incline! Finish line game face! Ahhh the finish

Due to my race on Saturday, week 7 of training was altered a bit to accommodate additional rest and recovery. Here was my week 7: Monday: 4 miles easy  Rest Tuesday: Speed - 8 X 600m with 1:30 min recovery Wednesday:  Rest Thursday: Tempo - 5 miles Friday: 4 miles easy  Rest Saturday: 6 miles easy  10 mile race pace Sunday: 10 miles long  3 miles easy Adapting the plan: For me, the speed and tempo runs are the most important runs which is why I chose to focus on completing those runs vs some of the easy miles. Initially I had planned to run the 4 easy miles on Friday, but I woke up with a headache and felt very lethargic, so I chose to use the day to rest and prepare myself for the race. Based upon my previous post regarding the race, I am really glad I used the day for rest and relaxation. On Sunday I debated whether or not I wanted to run at all. Initially I felt sore from the race, but figured I could go out for a few m...

Yesterday was the Waterfall Glen Xtreme trail race and I had a great experience as usual. This is the third year I have run this particular race, and it continues to be one of my favorite local races to run each year. Sure, it is always hot and humid in July, but the weather yesterday was pretty great for a summer race and the course was nice and dry. Three years ago the course was flooded and extremely muddy, so any year where the trail is dry is a plus. I walked away with a 3 minute PR from last year's time, and the first time I can claim a sub-2 hour time at this race. There were about 200-300 less people this year, so we arrived at the forest preserve and found a parking spot very easily. Upon reaching the starting area, I was pleasantly surprised that there was a small line for the porta-potties, and they were in abundance! The little things that make a runner happy... Because the trail is actually 9.5 miles long, the race begins and ends with a cross country trek across t...

Tomorrow I am running the Waterfall Glen Xtreme 10 race which is a 10 mile trail race around a local forest preserve. This will be my third year running and I am looking forward to it. 2015 Xtreme 10 My pre-race routine 1.  Check the weather! Most runners constantly check the race day forecast weeks in advance of a race, but it is important to know what you will be facing. This will help you prepare mentally for what you might experience, and you can begin planning your race day outfit. 2. Plan your outfit and lay out your race clothes. This avoids scrambling around in the early hours of the morning before the race searching for what you want to wear. The weather will dictate what you will wear, so plan accordingly. Hot races usually require few layers, sweat absorbent material, and a hat or visor to shield your face. Cold races may mean wearing several layers that you can shed as your body gets warmer during the race. In the event of rain, plan for waterproof layers an...

Before we bring on the trails, I want to take a minute and celebrate TRIALS Tuesday! Anyone who was watching the Olympic Trials yesterday had to be blown away by all of the amazing accomplishments from our American athletes. The Oiselle teammates were all amazing, but Kate Grace was by far the most inspiring athlete of the day. Sadly, my heart broke for Alysia Montano as she took a fall and struggled to finish at the end. As much as it was painful to watch, it is inspiring to watch someone pick herself off the ground and finish. Now for the trails...Enjoy! America, the beautiful! Wildflowers along the Greene Valley trail My bird, picking bugs out of the water

Happy Independence Day! This American Runner has been busy the past week. Week 6 brought the first week of both speed work and tempo runs. My schedule this week was as follows: Monday : 4 miles easy Tuesday : 12 X 400m with 400 recovery speed Thursday : 5 mile tempo Friday : 4 miles easy Saturday : 8 miles easy (on the trail) Sunday : 8 miles easy Hansons really slaps you in the face during week 5. After a few weeks of easy runs, suddenly you are thrown speed, tempo, and back to back 8 mile runs. Here is a recap of the week. Speed work: The goal of speed work is to get faster of course! Speed work is something I neglected for years and unsurprisingly never really got much faster. Speed workouts for Hansons are typically done about a minute/minute and a half faster than your goal marathon pace. The last time I did this particular speed workout was on February 4th and 30 degrees outside (thanks Garmin!). It was the first time I had done any speed work and I recall ...