Waiting for Spring!

So it's April. And it's 30 degrees outside. And it's April.

So where's Spring?

Who knows! What I do know, is this crazy weather that can't make up its mind is driving me into hibernation with one cold after another. It's finally at the point where my doctor has put me on a bunch of meds and ordered me to rest for the ENTIRE WEEKEND.

I guess this is a good thing. More rest means a happier, healthier me, means better runs and training, means better half marathon this summer.

But it's spring.

I'm supposed to be out running 7 miles on heartbreak hill tomorrow celebrating the beautiful weather and the sunshine, getting to know my teammates, and gearing up for "Marathon Monday" here in Boston. But instead I'll be hibernating at home, "resting", and waiting for whatever this sickness is that I have to go away.

I guess it could be worse, a lot worse, and I shouldn't be complaining. I'm just so excited to be part of Team Challenge this year, and finally feeling motivated to do my regular runs, and really just want to be out there running. But, running last weekend and all this week when I was still sick is probably what stopped me from getting better already.

So, I'll give this another few days, let my body recuperate, and next week I'll be out pounding the pavement once again for a cure. I want to wish all my teammates good luck at training tomorrow. I'll be with them there in spirit while they climb heartbreak hill.

In the meantime, I'll work on my fundraising and see if I can't get closer to my goal. I'm 44% there already! Help me hit the $2k mark this week and win the prize for most number of donations by making your own donation at bit.ly/ashleyruns.

Let's kick IBD in the butt!
ashley

Long Run + New England Humidity = A True Challenge

Today was possibly the hottest, most humid day of the year so far. And, of course, the day of our 12-mile long run. It was also a holiday weekend, which meant we were all pretty much on our own to get in the mileage any way we could.

I have gotten really used to completing our long runs with the team and not really running the longer distances on my own, so all of these things were really daunting for me. But I tried not to let it stop me.

I am so lucky to have the team that I have! I found 3 other runners (Leslie, Rocco, and Carolann) that were not going out of town for the holiday, so I coordinated for us all to meet up at DW Fields Park for an earlier long run (thanks to Carolann's suggestion, a 7am run instead of 8am would help us beat some of the heat). My parents also generously agreed to set up a water stop for us at the beginning of the 3.8-mile loop so we could stop for water 3 times during the course.

Me, Carolann, Rocco, and Leslie before our 12-mile long run in the heat!

We've run some shorter runs on that loop, so we were all already familiar with it. It was just a matter of cranking out the mileage.

So, this morning I packed the water, Gatorade, and ice, and headed out to Brockton with the picnic cooler where I met up with my parents and the rest of the runners. I was actually super energetic and in high spirits, which got me off on the right foot.

Leslie and I ran the first loop or two together, and then I pulled ahead on the last lap. I'm pretty good at maintaining my pace for longer mileage, which I think will give me a great advantage on race day ;)

Having my parents there to man the water stop was AWESOME. We definitely wouldn't have made it through all 3 laps without them. I owe them so much for my success this season, and this was just the icing on the cake! There were just sitting out in the sun/shade, reading books and waiting for us to come around to pour refreshments. And they were offering a ton of encouragement :)

It was ridiculously humid, and I was finding it hard to breathe at points. But it was encouraging knowing that the weather in Napa on race day will be really dry and probably a bit cooler. It's like we always say at Team Challenge New England, we train in all conditions so that we're ready for anything!

Sweaty and exhausted, Leslie and I finished our 11.4 miles, and Rocco and Carolann finished 10. We were also joined briefly by Marisa and Amanda who did a loop before throwing in the towel - it was seriously so hot out! It really is the thought of that beautiful run in Napa that kept me going today. That and the encouragement from my mentor, Leslie, who has so much faith in me and would never let me give up. I am so ready for you, Napa!

Sweaty and exhausted, but we finished!

The one downside to today was the pavement. Like I said, we've run this loop before, but only with shorter distances. About halfway through today's run I started getting ankle pain on my right foot. I thought it was just from lack of stretching, so I stopped a few times to to some ankle rolls and calf stretches. Nothing really helped, but I made it to the end in one piece.

It's been a couple hours since I've been home and I did some reading. It turns out that the pain I have in my Achilles tendon is from running too long on uneven ground. Much of the loop at DW Fields Park is uneven or slanted pavement, so the repeated pounding without evening it out on the other side really took a toll on my leg. We're not built to run at an angle, that's for sure! And we were even debating running the last lap in reverse so that we would have a change of scenery, but decided against it at the last minute. What was I thinking?

So 2 weeks out from the big day and I have to take a few days off to rest my ankle, roll it, and stretch it. I'm hoping for a quick recovery so I can get in my last few days of hard mileage before the taper week. I'm really hoping not just to finish my first half marathon, but to set a really good PR. If I could finish in less than 2:30 I would be really happy.

All I have to do now is take care of myself and hopefully the rest will follow.

15 Days and counting!
ashley

Invincible Superwoman!

I was having a conversation a few weeks ago with a customer service rep at Best Buy about running. I don't know how the conversation started, but we found out we both love running and started chatting about it. I told him that I was currently training to run my first half marathon with Team Challenge and that the training was definitely challenging and we have really only just started out. He mentioned to me that once you pass the 5 mile mark though, anything feels possible.

Since I was only up to 3 miles or so in my current training I had to recall the training I did last fall for the Tufts 10K for Women.  I do remember getting to the 5 mile point and feeling invincible. Wind at my back, I felt like I could run forever when I was out for my daily runs. Of course, I would always wear myself to a good level of exhaustion, but throughout the day I had this feeling of strength and fitness over my whole body. And on race day I beat my goal of finishing in under an hour - although I did feel exhausted to point of collapse afterwards.

But that good feeling - that invincibility - is what I felt a couple weeks ago after our first group long run past 5 miles - 5.4 miles to be exact. I ran alongside my mentor for most of the route until she gave me the go ahead to keep running ahead while she slowed down. I kept up a great pace and finished in about a 10:00/mile pace. I felt amazing afterwards - better than I ever feel after my weekly morning runs. And even better, I felt I could keep running forever! (well, at least another couple miles...)

But lately, I have not felt like Superwoman during my training. Things have been getting really tough. On top of everything going on at work and in my personal life, and my plateau in my fundraising, I've definitely felt a strain on my body from my training: shin pain, lower back pain, general muscle soreness, and a bruise on my pride from worse-than-desired times on my so-called "hard workouts". The last couple weeks or so have just made me feel - physically and mentally - that I just can't do this.

Enter training week 6.

I woke up this morning feeling well-rested and excited about training, but very nervous - would I hurt myself or otherwise be unable to finish? But I got dressed, put on my sunblock, and drove the 29 miles to today's route: Battle Road in Lexington. My team was already warming up when I pulled in to what looked like the middle of nowhere, and minutes later we were off on the dirt/gravel route through Lexington, Concord, and Lincoln.

And WHOA, was it awesome!

I ran the first 2.5 miles or so with Coach Dave, who gave me some great advice and training tips on the way. Before I knew it, I was at the halfway point where Alicia was set up with cups of water and electrolyte drinks. I was cruisin' through the beautiful park scenery, with no ipod or other technology to distract me from the beautiful weather and the fact that I had virtually no leg pain running on the off-road trail. I felt, in a word, invincible.

We will ignore the fact that I was so in the zone that I ran right past our starting point, went a mile off-course, and started having a panic attack when I realized that I was totally and utterly lost, without any form of map or way to call anyone on my team. Fortunately, everyone on that trail is super polite and the first person I came across let me use his phone to figure out where I was and how to get back (despite the fact that my hands were sweaty and trembling). I turned around, and about a half-mile later came across one of our teammates, Ben, wearing his memorable bright orange jacket. We made it back to the parking lot in no time with no problem at all, while Ben shared with me his own fundraising tips and tricks :)

But at mile 7, mere moments before I realized I was in totally the wrong spot, I felt like I could have kept going for miles. I had just conquered a rutted, never-ending hill (that I didn't remember from the beginning of our journey) and still felt great - high energy, pain-free shins, and just the right amount of Vitamin D from the partly-shady, partly-sunny trail. I was so proud to share with my team what I had accomplished, and received compliments on my time when I returned.

Above all, this week's run helped me believe in myself again. Armed with quite a few suggestions of local trail runs to try out during the week, and personal realizations of how I need to adapt my training to prevent injury, I know that I will be able to finish my training. Armed with countless ideas and a renewed vigor for fundraising, I know that I will be able to reach my goal of raising $4500 for a cure. And armed with the confidence that both of these weapons give me, I know I will be able to run Napa on July 21st for Team Challenge with Nick at my side cheering me on.

I am once again the invincible superwoman that I always knew I could be.

Thank you, Team Challenge!


Running strong,
ashley

Team Challenge with our honored hero, Timmy (back row, center), at Battle Road
for today's long run and re-commitment picnic!

A New Kind of Cardio

This weekend I volunteered at Camp Sunshine - an overnight "summer camp" type facility for children and families affected by terminal illnesses such as cancer. Camp Sunshine is located in Casco, Maine. As I was packing Thursday night I looked at the weather report and was disappointed to see a forecast of snow, rain, and a wintry mix for most of the weekend. Being the baby I am about snow and freezing conditions, I expected not to run at all while I was at camp. I brought my workout clothes though in case I had time for weight training or something.

I originally felt extremely guilty that I wasn't going to get my training runs in this weekend. I know I'm just at the very start of my training, but I'm out of shape from taking some time off during this winter's string of snow storms that I didn't feel like I could afford it physically.

However, once I saw the schedule for the weekend I felt much better about leaving my running shoes at home. On Friday night, after the families arrived at camp and we had dinner and the opening ceremony, I spent an hour playing freeze tag with my new 6 year old friends, Lily, Joey, and Maddie. On Saturday, I was assigned to the teen group, and together we spent an hour playing basketball once the rain cleared up, an hour playing nuke 'em volleyball, an hour rock climbing, and over an hour dancing our butts off during the "masquerade ball" after dinner. And on Sunday, we had a half day before the families were to depart after lunch, and played nuke 'em volleyball for another hour, floor hockey for an hour, and even tried out some archery (talk about weight training!).

So, at the end of the weekend, I felt fulfilled. I was exhausted from all the cardio I had done with the teens all weekend, and was so tired when I got home at 6pm that I fell right to sleep. But I also felt like my heart got a workout in another way - I had the opportunity to meet some amazing families that have overcome tremendous obstacles in their lives and that wanted to share their stories and time with a group of rag-tag volunteers, some of which they had just met for the first time. In just 2 short days we built a community of mutual love and support. The families trusted us with their kids who were healthy and/or recovering from cancer treatments, and they trusted us with their stories and their feelings about their experiences.

In many ways, this is how I feel about Team Challenge. We started out as a group of strangers, but every week when we get together for a couple hours we have the opportunity to get to know one another, and to share our stories about how IBD has affected our lives and our loved ones. I am so grateful for this opportunity to build this community of runners and to be raising money for such a worthy cause. Every week when we get together, and every week when we train on our own, we are not just conditioning our bodies for the half marathon that awaits us in July - we are also exercising our hearts and giving them an opportunity to share the experiences we or our loved ones have undergone dealing with Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis.

Thank you Team Challenge!

Group photo of all the volunteer counselors at Camp Sunshine this past weekend.

1st Group Training Run with the Napa Team

Updating our team fundraising progress.

Today I met the rest of the Napa team, got some tips on footwear and nutrition, and ran about 3 miles or so in the chilly wind. Collectively, our team has raised over $180K for a cure! I'm about a third of the way to my personal fundraising goal, but couldn't be prouder of our team :)

I'm pretty confident right now in my speed and endurance. I was near the head of the pack for most of the run this morning, but also got to chat with Marisa, Leslie, Kristen, and a few others. 

We also received 20% off at Greater Boston Running Co, where they did a footwear clinic for us. I picked up a water bottle belt to use while I train. Previously I really only brought a water bottle with me on longer summer runs, but never really went beyond 4 or 5 miles until my 10K training in the fall. But if I'm going to be out on the road for 2 hours at a time in July I wanted to get used to wearing the belt now. Especially because I've always been told not to try anything new for race day. I want to get in the habit and have my body adjust to wearing it before then.

Anyway, I had a great morning in Lexington with the crew. I won't be joining the group run next weekend as I'll be in Maine volunteering at Camp Sunshine, and the week after I'm working. But I'll be joining the group on the 27th at DW Fields Park in Brockton - back to my roots!

Still waiting for spring...
ashley

The Team before the run warming up inside at GBRC.

Aaaaaaaand....They're off!

This weekend marks the official start of my training for the July 21st Half Marathon in Napa Valley! That means that the rest of my Napa crew will be at training with us tomorrow. We're going to be doing a 30 minute run while the Virginia and Chicago race teammates will be running 8 miles (their Halfs are in early June).

While we are also going to receive some footwear tips and a discount for the Greater Boston Running Company, I am most excited for the opportunity to meet and get to know the other people that I'll be training with over the next 16 weeks. This is going to be a huge undertaking, so it's great to know that we're all in it together!

I bought a new planner just to track my training.
Don't ask how this is all going to fit in with my work schedule...

Over the last few weeks I've been trying to get back into shape and to re-build up my baseline from the month that I took off when we got all the snow. Right now, I'm back up to being able to run 3-4 miles without completely exhausting myself. However, I'm not back up to the speed that I was so proud of last year. Right now, I'm doing around 10-10:20min/mi. In the fall, I was running 8:30-9min/mi. But my plan for the coming weeks also involves some interval training and some strength training to whip me back into shape :)

I'm excited to be starting my official training plan. Having a plan for each week and month on top of what I need to do for the day definitely helps to keep me on track. I can plan ahead for my work and volunteering schedule so they don't interfere too much with my training. And if I'm really tired one morning and don't want to get up for my 5am run, I know I can move things around a little bit to ensure I'm getting in the mileage that I need for the week. Also, as a side note, with the mileage I'll need to be getting in each day come June and July, I may have to change my running pattern and start going out after work. I just honestly don't think I'll be able to wake up any earlier in the morning for a 7 or 8 mile run...

Looking forward to the group run in Lexington tomorrow, and I'm sure I'll have some photos to share then!

Run strong,
ashley

P.S. I am not running the Boston Marathon like my picture above might suggest. However, I do know an awesome group of people that are running Boston for the nonprofit I work for, Cradles to Crayons, and I'll definitely be there to cheer them on!

My first group run in March. That's me in the back row in the bright pink fleece. 
It was freezing that day on the beach!

The Journey Begins

I started training this week for the Napa to Sonoma Wine Country Half Marathon that will take place on July 21st. More importantly, I began my training for this 13.1 mile race with Team Challenge - an endurance and fundraising program to benefit the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of America (CCFA) in supporting affected families and finding a cure.

This will be my first half marathon ever, and every week of my training will set a precedent for the longest distance I've run to date (which is currently 7 miles).

It has been a few weeks since I've been out running (the blizzard set me back a bit), but I laced up again this week and started my training. This week I took it a bit easy to help myself get back into the swing of things - I did 3 runs just under 3 miles for about 30 mins each. You can see my progress on my twitter feed in the right sidebar, or you can view my RunKeeper profile by clicking my weekly mileage total in the top right corner of my sidebar.

This morning I was supposed to join the rest of the team for our first group run, but it was a bit too far for me to travel, so I ran on my own for 30 mins.

I have set a goal of raising $4,500 to support the CCFA and would like to reach $3,000 before April 15th - please support me to reach this goal! You can make a secure online donation on my Team Challenge fundraising page, or you can send cash/checks directly to me. Please message/comment for offline donation information. Also, please ask about whether your company provides matching gifts.

I plan to use this blog to track my training, share about what a vegan eats while training for a half marathon, and to share my experiences about this physically and emotionally challenging experience. I hope you will continue to read my posts and follow me through this journey to Run for a Cure!

Thank you for your support in this incredible challenge!

xoxo
ashley

Crossing the finish line at the Tufts 10K for Women 2012 - my longest race yet!