It has been so much fun being back on the track! Since graduating in 2011 I raced on a track only two times. Now I’m back to what I love – the 3k Steeplechase.

Not anyone can run the 3k Steeple. You have to have guts to run two miles over 35 immovable barriers (5 each lap, one of which includes a 12 foot long water pit). It takes hours of training too… strength training, practicing hurdle form, speed work, stretching, tempo runs, practicing water jumps, intervals, ladders, not to mention still getting in the right amount of mileage… enough said. But it’s totally worth the effort.

To top it off, anything can go wrong in a race like the 3k steeplechase. That’s what happened to me five weeks ago when I sprained my ankle coming off of the first water jump of a race. Let’s just say I was lame for the rest of the ordeal. I should have stepped off the track mid mango but it had been so long since I had been able to run a steeplechase that I wanted to finish.

Well, that experience put me out of order for about two weeks, but it made me smarter. I realized I hadn’t prepared well enough for that race. The big wake-up call came to me when I read one of my former teammates’ articles in Runner’s World magazine that emphasized strength training. Lois Keller was an awesome mentor for me when I came to ISU in 2007. She was a veteran of the steeplechase and I was a naïve freshman hoping to follow in her footsteps. I trusted every piece of advice she gave me and it helped me improve by leaps and bounds. Now, eight years later, I still trust in her advice. Her article helped me realize that strength training was not on the top of my priority list where it should be.

Simply put, it all comes down to the nitty gritty details. When one is striving for success it is easy to plateau if they are only focusing on one or two facets. It’s easy to forget about the little things that improve performance other than just mileage and workouts. So I intensified my strength training efforts, spent more time stretching, and I focused my attention on improving technique over the barriers.

Amazingly, all that hard work has already paid off. I attempted another steeplechase last weekend and – Voila! I was able to cut my splits down by 3 seconds per lap simply because my technique and muscle strength were significantly improved.

Granted, adding in an extra workout each day hasn’t been the easiest adjustment to make. For all those mothers out there (and Happy Mother’s Day by the way) who know what it’s like to keep the house clean, make meals, do laundry, run errands, keep kids happy, etc… you know it’s hard enough just to get a run in, let alone another hour of strength training. But as I’ve mentioned earlier in my blog, don’t give up!!! Because…

 

The best part about all the hard work before each race is the fun time that I can have with my family when the race is over: playing in the steeple pit!!! My kids get so excited to go to track meets now because they get to “play in the water”. If I’ve taken anything away from this experience, it is: make sure there is still fun involved in the hard work.

My wisdom for this month is: Just get out and do it… No excuse is good enough.

Ever since I had my second child it has been harder and harder to motivate myself to get out and run. It is so enjoyable to spend all day playing with my kids (and cleaning up after them, although that isn’t as enjoyable). So when it comes time for me to go running I honestly don’t want to. Like every other normal human being out there, it has always been easier for me to stay inside. Still, I force myself to go for a run because I know if I don’t I will regret it later.

So when I signed up for the Health and Fitness 10k road race two weeks ago I wasn’t too excited about it. Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely LOVE road races, but I’m just not fond of races over 5 kilometers. It is still necessary for me to race longer distances so I can build my endurance for shorter races. I convinced myself that I was simply going to tempo the whole thing and see where that got me. Well, the race started and I lagged back for the first 5k, enjoying the pace I had set for myself. Except there was one problem: One of the racers ahead of me was pushing their two year old in a stroller and was beating me (any guesses who that was?… yup, Gray Augustus, the manager for Bill’s Bike and Run). I figured he was just doing the 5k and would finish after the first loop (the 10k course followed the 5k loop twice).

Well, the first loop came around and Gray kept on going. I didn’t think he was serious. He had crossed the first 5k under 18 minutes. That’s fast for anyone, but you have to be wearing rockets on the bottom of your shoes to be pushing a stroller that fast. I have gone on runs with my kids in the past and it’s hard for me to push 8:30 pace for three miles, but Gray was going sub 6 minute miles for 10 kilometers. I chuckled to myself thinking that I would pass him in a jiffy and cruise in the last 5k. Oh boy was I wrong. By the last mile I was sweating in my socks because I still wasn’t catching Gray even though I had picked up my pace significantly.

Let’s just say that when I finished the race I was extremely humbled. Gray finished barely ahead of me still pushing the stroller. I had gotten my best 10k time ever, and had still lost to the two year old in the stroller. :) I came away from that race with a greater appreciation for what it takes to be a parent and runner all in one. So when a day comes when I just want to stay inside, I realize that no excuse is good enough. If someone else can get out and run a 10k in 35 minutes pushing a stroller, then I can certainly get out and go for an easy jog. Or better yet, bring the kids along in the stroller for the ride too. I know when I come back from my run I’ll be glad that I got out and did it.

-Erica Richardson

 

Hi, my name is Erica Richardson. I’ve been a runner for most of my life and was recently privileged to have Bill’s Bike and Run and Teton Toyota become my sponsors. As a result, Bill’s Bike and Run is willing to let me use their blog page to share my personal experiences. I know I wouldn’t be the runner, mom, coach, and housewife I am today without wisdom I have drawn from past experiences. So that’s where I’d like to start – in the past, the year I graduated from Idaho State University.

My senior year at ISU brought me some of my greatest triumphs. Near the end of the cross country season I surprisingly came out on top at the Big Sky Cross Country Conference Championships. I wasn’t supposed to win, but that was a day when my desire to do well overcame any pain I was feeling. I was the only female athlete from ISU to ever win a Cross Country Conference Championship. I don’t share this experience to boast, but to share the wisdom I learned from it.

That wisdom is: winners never quit. I’m not saying that all winners take first place. I’m saying that you can be a winner if you never give up. When I graduated from ISU I wasn’t ready to be done running but there were more important priorities in my life, such as my family. It has been so wonderful to feel like a winning mother and wife. Some of the best experiences I have had in my life have been with my family. Over time I was able to return to running and it has become even more fulfilling than ever before because of the support I have from my family. One of the best parts of my day is when my son Logan realizes it’s time for track practice and begs to come along with me. Or the willingness my husband shows to make dinner, do the dishes, and take care of the kids so I can get in a few extra miles each day.

All the hard work has started to pay off. Just last month I was honored to participate in my first USATF event, the Cross Country National Championships. I knew I wasn't going to get first, or second, or third, but I was shooting for top 30. I can honestly say I've never run in a race before where my legs were ready to give up halfway through. But I couldn't give up because I had worked so hard to get there. While I watched runner after runner slow their pace (with some even dropping out of the race), I kept thinking to myself, "I have to keep pushing." Thankfully, my coach, Sean Schmidt, was able to help me stay focused on my goal. Plus, I knew I had so many family and friends back home watching live USATF TV that were anxious to see me finish. I couldn't disappoint them. 8 kilometers after the start of the race, I was so grateful to cross the finish line after the most physically grueling race I had ever run. I had no idea what my place was until Coach Schmidt told me I had gotten 23rd! And my team, the Boise Betties, had placed 3rd overall! My team and I were able to accomplish so much more than we had ever dreamed of because we didn't give up. I knew we were all winners at heart.

My advice to those out there would be this: whatever priorities you have in life, make your #1 priority something you can ‘win’ at. And make sure you have good support from your family and friends because winning is ten times better when someone is there to cheer you on.

I'm excited to add more posts to this blog in the future. I hope that my wisdom and advice can help more people than just myself.