Wednesday, May 14, 2014

1/2 Marathon, 10,000m, and Boston... 2014 You're Looking Good

Spending my week sitting in continued learning classes… so naturally this seems like the perfect time to write a blog. Hey, check it out! I actually wrote a blog before Boston… so technically I am still keeping my New Year’s resolution to blog more frequently.

I actually had drafted this blog several times – after the Tom King Half Marathon, after Stanford 10,000, and obviously after Boston. I was mostly prepared to post something a few weeks ago, but then felt like a "grade A" jerkface to post about how well my season was going and my post-boston recovery when Krista had just ran until her leg gave out. I have been injured (a lot) and know how hard it can be, especially mentally, to recover from. From the lil’ fb message chats I have had with Krista it seems that she is on the mend and is as hungry as ever to come back. I have no doubts that she’ll be back on the roads chasing down the Rio standard in the near future.

Ok, so my 2014 season so far. I have raced three times and have been pretty pleased with how everything went. I opened up my season with a local half marathon down here in Tennessee. It was nice to sneak one under the radar ;)  I knew that my Kenyan training had gone really well, but wanted to test my fitness without digging too deep. I entered the Tom King Half with a broad goal of anything from 1:10-1:12. I managed a comfortable 1:10:47 with 100 miles (about 160km) in my legs for the week.

Here’s an interview I did with Alex Flint while running in a snow storm the week after the ½: http://castroller.com/podcasts/DistanceObsessed/3975809

Next up was the Stanford Invite… my return to the track for a 10,000m. Talk about stepping outside my comfort zone… I have grown accustomed to just having to line up in time for a race gun to go off, not checking in, getting hip numbers, and having to line up in any set order. Anyways, it was a lot of fun to head out to Cali and race in an event I had not done since University. It was also fun to debut my first race as an Asics Canada athlete (more on that later). Looking at the start lists a week or so out from the race it was apparent that getting pulled along to a Common Wealth Games qualifying time (31:45 A or 32:10 B) was not likely and that I was going to have to do a lot of work to try and run a fast time. I switched out the lead with the Dutch Giant… no lie, that girl was crazy tall and crazy talented (I think this is her first year not racing as a Junior)… and ended up finishing 3rd with a 32:29. I locked into pace and like the marathoner that I am kept that pace the whole race. I was pretty pleased with my time and the fact that I felt fully recovered within a few steps of crossing the finish line. The only hint that I had raced was a tight tricep… yes, apparently I like to race track races with my left tricep primarily. I finished up my weekend in California with a trail run with the Boise State track team. I ran with the boys and we got lost on an out-and-back course... oops.
Return to the Track
All smiles after the race!
The final race of my “Spring” season was Boston! I had a blast at the pre-race events and taking in the atmosphere of the city. I am pleased with how the race went... ecstatic? Not so much... running 32k solo is not exactly how I envisioned racing in the Boston Marathon... but I am really with my effort and mostly with how my body has recovered post race.
I really did not know what to expect on race day. Looking at the start list I figured a top 15 would be possible, and maybe something in the 2:30 range depending on how the race played out. I knew Flanagan was looking for a win but had no idea if that meant taking it out hard or running a slow tactical race for the first few miles. Well, the gun went and within a few steps it was clear that I was not going to be running with any pack… holy heck that race went out crazy stupid fast! I did my best to settle in with Des Linden and then, when I realized Des was moving a bit too quick for me, I did my best to run as controlled as possible. My hip started to misbehave slightly before mile 30… but that’s the Boston course; it’ll find your weak link and beat up on it. I finished 14th and in 2:30:34. It was a pretty good day. I was mostly pleased with how good my body felt over the next few days. I took 5 days completely off and started back with easy runs for 8 days after that.

Immediately after Boston I focused on eating pretty clean. Yes, I had my adult beverages and a burger, but after carb-loading my body was ready for some good clean food and I think it really helped speed up my recovery.
Celebrating Boston & a delayed "I'm 30" party

I have the best friends ever
 
I am now a few weeks back into regular running and 2 weeks back doing workouts. I am going to have a pretty busy next few weeks with racing and traveling; it’s weird to have a marathon be “part” of my season and not the be-all end-all of it. I have made my return to intense strength training sessions with Dameian, where he makes me want to vomit twice a week... all in the hopes of building a stronger, fitter, and faster Lanni.
Had a blast meeting all of the Canadians at the pre-race Canadians at Boston Brunch
 
Here are some interview links:

 

 

3 comments:

  1. Hi Lanni, just read the article on you, and it is inspiring to read. I am a Saucony sponsored athlete, and although I know I was ready to run sub 2:40 in my debut marathon last fall, I messed up my fueling during the race and crawled the last 7 miles to a 2:49. Now 2:40 seems so far away and I wonder if I will ever reach the times I dream of, and that Great Britain Jersey I want so bad! This was wonderful to see that you really can make that big of a jump, and at a healthy weight. I look around me and see twigs all around, it is hard not to compare, but you are another reminder that I should be proud I can enjoy cookies every day without feeling bad, have burgers and fries when I go out to dinner, and enjoy my life outside of maintaining a weight for my training. Thank you! And I look forward to following your journey in the future!

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    1. Thanks so much Tina! I had a very similar experience in my first marathon and hobbled my way to a 2:49 as well. Keep enjoying your training and your life outside of training and you'll hit your goals.

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  2. I'm a writer working on a magazine story about the history of women's distance running in Canada. I'd love to interview you after the Commonwealth Games, if you have time to talk? I don't want to leave my email address directly online, but I'm on gmail, and the part before the at sign is carrieannesnyder. Wishing you great luck at these Games!

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