My Passionate Love Obsession

Here we go again.. This time on a road far less traveled for me. The past 8 weeks have absolutely without a doubt flown by. As I prepare myself for my first real test I reflect on the weeks behind me: the relentless weeks of AlterG training, the weeks that followed learning to trust my body and what it wanted; these are all very important keys components to what will become of Saturday morning. I’ve had some ups and some downs but ultimately I’ve stayed uber excited and confident in what I am doing.

I took a look at where I was last year at this time. I was rolling out of contol, undefeated, ranked #1 in the world and I was arguably in the best shape I would be in for the rest of the season. That’s not where I am now but I am however arguably in the best shape of my life. It’s such an interesting feeling knowing these facts. Last year was amazing, I would not have changed one thing about it. I had to train and race the way I did because I was working with the collegiate system and ultimately peaking for what I thought would be my last race of the season(USA Championships). I ended up running one more steeple at Pre with another huge PR then went off to travel the world(Or BelgiumJ).

I’m sitting here on this plane with so much excitement. I have yet another great opportunity to take advantage of, another testament to whom I am as an athlete. If you know me at all, you know I’m bursting at the seams to get out there and compete again. I’ve been waiting for almost 10 months to get back to that passionate intimate relationship I have developed with the steeplechase over the past 6 years. Although I left the Prefontaine Classic with yet another Steeplechase PR, I was far from in love with the event at that time. I did everything in my power to forget the steeplechase for the rest of the summer. Once again relating back to my “collegiate” season that burnt me out from it a little bit. It is the best event on the track, I must say.

My teammate(Erin Bedell) and I were reflecting today on how we both opened up last year in 10:03 at Stanford. We discussed how “easy” it felt! Bedeezy has already opened up and ran a couple of steeplechases this season. I think we are both ready to have that “easy” 10:03 weekend.

Anyways, enough about my passionate love obsession with the steeplechase. There is more to this magical Drake Relays weekend. I will take pleasure in representing not only Brooks, Team USA Arizona and Charisma Sports but also Team Houlihan. Baby sissy Shelby will start out our weekend in the 3,000 meters Thursday night. She will go on to defend an 800 meter title and I believe 4x400 title as well. Don’t forget about the 1500 meters(currently ranked #1 in the nation), she’s dabbling there as well. The weekend will finish out in Nebraska for my baby neice Maya’s dedication! Word has it that she’s taken on the Aunt Shayla burp challenge! Quick little business trip mixed with some fun after then back to Flag to continue to improve on fitness.

Less Is More

I started this blog about a month ago. Wrote it, read it about 5 times and decided it was not ready for the public’s eyes. I was very emotional and a bit crazy to the average person. Anyone that knows me on a personal level would agree with me when I called January my month of “emo kid”(Thank you Shelby and Chloe for the lingo). Yep, I was that person moping around not knowing what to do next. I had a lot of unanswered questions during this time. I still have a lot of unanswered questions but one thing is certain. I’m running again at 100%. I went to different doctors all of whom said things were structurally fine with my hip. That’s great since I’m a steeplechaser and need the longevity of my hip for many blows off the water barrier. This still did not answer why I had a ton of pain. After a couple of weeks I saw Dr. John Ball in Phoenix, as he would say there was a lot of bad tissue that needed to be reversed. It took what he would call a “full” round of Active Release Therapy(ART) treatments to reverse the problem.

I’ve now been running on the ground for about 5 weeks. This is my first week that I’m completely off the Alter G treadmill and my first week doing track workouts. My legs feel amazing, refreshed and ready to go. Everything is going just as planned. I’m so happy I stayed diligent in my cross training while being hurt, this has made a world of a difference. I was able to get a strong base of strength training in during this time, which has helped me feel super strong in workouts. This has made the transition into running on the ground much easier. I’m very confident on where my fitness is and the direction it is headed! Coach and I decided that opening up at the Drake Relays instead of the original plan of Payton Jordan would be a better way to “throw” me to the wolves. It’s perfect for so many reasons, it’s home(: I will feel comfortable on this track since I grew up around this track whether I was dreaming of some day being good enough to run at the Drake Relays or I was actually running at the Missouri Valley Conference Championships. My baby sister Shelbo will be running there. Team Houlihan can once again commence. Mainly, I want to be competitive with myself and others again in an environment that is conducive for me to focus on racing not chasing a time. Now, does that mean I expect to just run an “okay” opening time? No, even though I was out for a bit I’m still better than I was last year at the end of the season. That’s just how it is so I expect nothing but an excellent execution. I have big goals for this year so in order for them to be realistic I’m going to run a PR off the bat. Now, if I don’t end up running what I think I can run time wise, I refocus my goals and figure out what truly is realistic for this year. I can’t help but think about my workout on Wednesday, I had 200’s over hurdles at the end of the workout. I was SO excited. Once again I’m amazed at the learning curve in the steeplechase. Each year you get that much better technically. I didn’t flinch going over the hurdles. I visualized the water barrier each time and what pattern my feet would take to power over that barrier. I attacked, I executed! I’ve never opened up a first steeple session like that. Now, that was only 2 hurdles; in the race I have 33 more. Who knows where I’m at with that but I was totally pumped after that workout.

Through all of this I’ve learned an important lesson. Less is more. It’s very simple and it’s very true. My nutrition was crap. I refocused that. I was training about 3-5 lbs. over weight. So I’m currently fixing that. I don’t deprive myself, I never will and I never have. I just simply make better choices and am completely happy with that. I stopped feeling sorry for myself because I cant eat everything in site like a lot of the other girls I’m surrounded by. That’s fine, that’s just not who I am unfortunately because my daddy cursed me with the love for food and finishing everything on my plate! Anyways, I’m also doing less mileage. The mileage I am doing, I’m making sure that it’s quality. I’m not out there just drudging along. I’m completely engaged loving every second of it, feeling how good each stride feels hitting the trail! If I feel crappy I’m taking the day or the afternoon off. It’s simple. My body is in the driver seat and my mind is the passenger seat, sometimes back seat. It’s better this way. It feels right again. I’ve found my passion and drive. I’m SO fortunate to be doing what I’m doing so on a daily basis I remind myself of that. I up and moved my life for this sport it’s time to start embracing it.

A Day of Ups and Downs, Sedona to Flag

Our view down the canyon to Sedona!

Here is a video from a couple of weeks ago. A typical day lately!

Hardest Hill in Flagstaff

Here is the view on the way down the hill:

Sorry, not the greatest coverage.. or the greatest editing skills. I promise more perfection in the future! I wanted to give a picture of how long this hill was so hopefully I painted that picture. The hill climbs about 500 ft. in elevation and at the top we jog for a little bit and stride for 100 meters, then back down the hill with another stride at the bottom. We did this 5 times and is around a mile each trip. It was about -2 or -4 when we began this morning! I am so thankful to have my teammates! Happy training!!

Pressing Forward without Skipping a Beat

Well, it’s been awhile since my last blog. I figured now was as good of time as any to update how the past few months have been going. Let’s see, the move to Flagstaff went well, as planned. I’m already 10 weeks into base training with the team! It’s going exactly how I had expected it to go and actually better. That doesn’t happen very often in a runner’s career so I’m very thankful that it has played out how it has. My first week in Flag I had prepared myself for a hard transition with the altitude adjustment but I actually jumped right into mileage and workouts without a hitch. I picked up right where I left off with coach Kepler in Utah. I keep surprising myself with the amount of volume I’m able to do. With every step of the way I try to challenge myself just enough to get just a little bit better daily. This year has been an amazing one and it seems to just keep on getting better and better. Consistently, I’ve hit around 80 miles for the past 4-5 weeks. This is quite a change from last fall. Last fall I hit 70 once and thought I was going to die. I’m totally consuming my life with running; this is something that has been hard for me in the past. Going to bed at 9 and getting my 9-10 hours of sleep is pretty standard for me these days!

I’ve been doing a lot of traveling the past few months. The “Brooks Beasts” had a photo shoot in Portland for the Fall 2011 Apparel catalog. It was so great to meet a few of my new family members of Brooks. The Beasts were back in action this past month in Austin for the Brooks sales meeting. Being part of that was so much fun. We were able to meet so many of the people that are the brains behind the brand. I’m so excited to be part of such a passionate group of people. It’s so amazing to be able to see these people hard at work trying to make our brand number one! Also, while we were in Austin we got to meet with the Flotrack crew and film some stuff for the new PR spike series that are coming out soon for high school athletes. They also helped us learn even more about social media.

I have had the opportunity to be at home in Iowa a lot this fall. I’ve been coaching my little sister Shelby from afar which makes it challenging at times but I was able to see her win her first individual state title in cross country! It was so exciting and helped me see what she needed to work on for the next month leading up to Nike Cross Country Nationals. Thanksgiving at home was adventurous as always, I had my training buddy Shelbo so that was always nice especially for my 17 mile long run. My sister Ryann had her baby a month early!! I told her it was because she heard I was coming home and just couldn’t wait to meet me. Maya is healthy and got to go home after about 5 days!

While I’ve been away my team in Flag are hard at work preparing for their next big task; Club Cross Country Nationals. I’m so excited for them, they inspire me daily with how hard they are working and how much stronger they individually are getting by the week. Watch out for them on December 11th!

Wearing my Heart on my Sleeve With Pride

It’s been a long, exciting road the last few months; lets me honest here. I got back from Europe and took 10 days completely off. It was amazing! I not only physically benefited from it but mentally also. The next 10 days I took and ran every other day while cross training on the opposite days. My first week back was a 45 mile week. Which was easily entertained by visits to both Rogue Elite in Austin, Texas and Team USA Arizona in Flagstaff, Arizona. I was able to see each program from the inside out. I felt very fortunate to be able to travel to both of these elite programs to see where I might fit the best. In the back of my mind I knew I could make it work in Salt Lake City as well; although once I got to Austin I knew what my next step had to be for my professional career. They met for team functions, encouraged and sought out each other when they needed help with things. Wow! That is something I only got the opportunity of experiencing at Utah my final year of collegiate competition. I knew then that the change of scene had to be made, no matter where that might lead me. It also helped me realize the mask I had been hiding behind in Salt Lake City. I love the city but am not feeling completely 100% happy there. I’m such a feel person so when I felt this I buckled down and tried to feel out every little thing about each group that I possibly could. Ultimately I knew that I would feel what was right at the right time. This is an all too familiar feeling for me. Every big change or step I’ve made in my life I’ve had this feeling; it’s a feeling of belonging and ultimately owning something as my own. It’s a feeling of buying 100% into something that is placed in front of me. This is what I was searching for. In that I felt comfortable because in that I have never regretted trusting myself and my feelings.

Rogue was my first stop. I had already met Kara June(6th place in 2008 Olympic trials steeplechase, and roommate this year at the Prefontaine Classic) and knew she would be a great option for a training partner. While in Austin I took a run through “scenic” with Kara and some of the guys on the team, ran one day with my old teammate Scott and on the final day took a run through the city because of the monsoon we encountered that morning(flooded trails). The team did fun stuff together such as cheering Joe on during the triathlon on Labor Day, dinner at a local pizza shop and a bbq at the Rogue store! It was apparent that everyone really enjoyed being part of the team and being in Austin. Another perk of being in Austin was the opportunity of joining a great track program at the University of Texas. Coach Sisson asked if I would be interested in continuing my second passion of coaching at UT. I had the great opportunity to meet the women and watch them workout. I was SUPER impressed by them. I could tell that they had a tremendous amount of respect for coach Sisson and what he was doing. It was pouring down rain at 6 a.m. when they started their workout and not one of them complained about the task at hand. It was fun to see how exactly Coach Sisson interacted with every single one of the women and that he gave feedback to every one of them. It was apparent that he believed in them individually just as much as they believed in him. How cool!

I left Austin feeling pretty excited about my options. A) I knew I had to make a change and B) knew that I already have such a great option! I then made my way to Flagstaff later that week. This is where I met up with the McMillan Elite/USA Arizona crew. They welcomed me with open arms. My options here for training partners were virtually endless. Lindsey Allen, whom had been there for a couple of years now while Erin Bedell had most recently joined (2 of the nations best steeplechasers). Those are only 2 of the 9 women team members. When I got there they took me straight to dinner. The team meets 8 or 9 times a week. I was thoroughly impressed since one of my main things I am looking for is structure. Everyone shows up, everyone is happy and helpful to one another. I realized when I got home how spoiled I had been by having coffee freshly brewed for me every morning before our 8 o’clock runs. One day we ran with some local runners, what they call “bagel run”, this is a run that goes along the urban trail around town. The next day we went to Lowell conservatory to run on the trails there. It was absolutely beautiful and all too familiar to Utah<3. The last day I was there we went to “A-1”, this was a more difficult run for me. It is at 7,500ft. Enough said. We were running pretty fast in the beginning as well. It’s weird how the altitude can catch up to you fairly quick! Through my Flagstaff journey I was also able to partake in a team dinner at Coach McMillan’s house. From what I heard this was rather rare for most of the athletes to be together in one spot! I got Very lucky!!

The next day after I left I kept debating back in forth but knew that there was one place that I got that perfect feeling of belonging that I oh so often had felt in other chapters of my life. I think I realized where I belonged when in the middle of this blog entry the flight captain announced we were flying over Flagstaff and I got immediately excited with butterflies in my stomach. The excitement of what’s to come, this great opportunity that has been placed in front of me. Will I accept the challenge of having people push me every single step of the way? Absolutely! I’m ready and very excited to get started with the next chapter of my life.

Yet Another PR

This weekend I made my decent upon what is the final piece to my PR spread. I’ve now PRed in every event from the 800 on up to the 8k this year; It’s official! I ran the 1500 in Halle, Belgium. It was called the Allonsius B-meeting. You can watch it on Flotrack if you’d like to see the sweet action. The race went pretty much as planned. Although I am finding out in each race I run that the middle portion of my races have been less than par. I had a 400 in the middle that was :72 and I closed in a :67. I need to think out every step of the race I’m about to race but I have not been doing so. I’ve also noticed myself doing this for workouts. I’m not fully invested into the workout. For instance not thinking about what each split needs to be. I really like to “feel” the pace but that doesn’t always cut it, especially with these faster workouts, it is way more important to hit the pace than “feel” it at this point in the season. It’s good that I’m realizing it now, I have some goals set already for next season I guess! I hope to fix these things in the last 2 weeks of training and racing though.

I have another 1500 set for this Saturday at Ninove. I for sure hope to break into the 4, teens. I think coach and I have a good plan set for this one. No falling asleep during this one and I will run right where I think I can! I had 2 solid workouts this week, my legs and mind are feeling amazing. I did some 400’s with Lauren Fleshman on Tuesday and a tempo on Wednesday. It’s been so great getting to meet new people this summer. I love hearing their stories and about their training. It is truly amazing that a lot of us are trained totally different but in the end the results are very similar and where we want them to be. I think all of this will help me be a better coach. As a coach you have to be versatile because each athlete is different and they will need different training and attention but mainly they have to buy into the process that you’re trying to sell them.

I’ll leave yall with a quote for the week: “The major reason for setting a goal is for what it makes of you to accomplish it.” – Jim Rohn

Almost forgot(maybe tried to block it out), I’m running an 800 on Sunday in Brussels as well! This should be fun!