Five weeks ago I was super stoked for what was ahead of me. I was in Washington with my family on an extended Christmas vacation, preparing for the USATF X-C National Championship. I was doing awesome with my training and everything seemed to be in my favor. Then one day I felt some pain in my right leg. I thought it was shin splints but by the next day it had migrated to my lower calf. Then I reasoned that it was probably a pulled muscle. But the next day it started to twinge uncomfortably just above my anklebone. I knew I had to stop running... I had a stress fracture. The best cure for that type of injury is rest :(   I'd gotten stress fractures before in college but I always ran through it because that's what stupid college runners always do. But I didn't want to make the fracture worse and be out for the season. At the same time I still wanted to stay in shape so I could compete at the Championships.

My only option was to cross train - ugg. So the next two days I hopped on a bike, but that didn't make my injury feel any better. So my last option was the pool. I used to be a pretty good swimmer, but that was way back in junior high. So I resolved to DWR (deep water running) or aqua jogging. DWR is pretty tricky to master and you have to be super focused every minute you spend in the water. I had to constantly focus on maintaining proper form, and ensure that my tempo was still on pace. It was amazing how difficult it was to be in the water. Every muscle from my shoulders down had to work twice as hard, and it burned like crazy. The worst part about DWR was the hunger - I burned 1/3 more calories that I did running so I had a voracious appetite. It's a good thing my Mom cooks the best home meals on the planet or I might have starved to death.

I would highly recommend DWR for anyone who has an injury but still wants to stay in shape. Being in the water can help you maintain your fitness for at least 6 weeks (which is usually how long it takes to fully recover from most injuries). The best part about DWR is you don’t feel any pain because gravity isn’t working against you. You can maintain complete fluid motion in the pool. For anyone interested on learning how to DWR here is an awesome link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dsamCiwQ9Ww
The nice thing about this tutorial is it provides you with the stride count you need every 5 seconds to be on pace. In order to get a more precise step count I would recommend that you count your strides for an entire minute.
For example: 10 steps per every 5 seconds x 12 (because 5 goes into 60 seconds 12 times) = 120 steps per minute for warmup pace
12 x 12 = 144 steps per minute for LSD (long slow distance)
15 x 12 = 180 steps per minute for tempo
18 x 12 = 216 steps per minute for race pace
20 x 12 = 240 steps per minute for sprinting

When you are DWRing it is extremely useful to use an aqua jogger belt. It provides more buoyancy on your back so you can exercise with proper running form. Most athletic gyms have belts readily available (since they use them for swimming classes), or you can purchase them online for about $15.

Anyway, back to my story… Two weeks before the race I was ready to go back to running but I jumped the gun too soon and tweaked the fracture again. So another anxious week was spent in the pool. All I could do was hope that I'd be ready to run on race day. There were so many people depending on me, and dozens others who had sacrificed so much to help me along, and I didn't want to let them down. The moment of truth came, and.... success. I was able to run without feeling any pain... but I only had four days till the race. Now I had to make sure the pain wouldn't come back. The day before the race I got to preview the course. I just about gagged and ran away - it was ridiculous! I couldn’t believe they were making us run a 10k on seriously one of the hilliest courses in the nation. There was only one flat part the entire loop for about 20 meters. The rest was either straight up or down. Oh yeah, did I mention we had to do the same 2k loop 5 times over? I was so nervous the night before because I had no way of knowing whether being in the pool for the past 4 weeks had done me any good.

Finally race day arrived… I won’t spill the blow by blow details of what happened except of how proud I am of our team. We are the official 2016 USATF X-C Team Champions!!! I promised myself before the race that I would be grateful for whatever happened, so here is what I am grateful for: I have the mostest awesome team to race with - the lovely Boise Betties; I have amazing sponsors that I can’t even begin to describe how much they do for me - Bill’s Bike and Run, and Teton Toyota; I have the most supportive family who is my biggest cheer section at every race; I have a super awesome coach who is willing to train me without getting anything back; and an awesome community that has my back wherever I am (aka visiting teachers, fellow church members, neighbors, friends, runners, fellow coaches and athletes, and countless others).

Whew! It's a good thing the holidays are over and a New Year has begun. I'll be honest though - I think this is the best holiday I've ever had (exercise wise).

First off, I don't think I've ever run on Christmas Day in the past, but I did in 2015! I remember Coach Janssen (my coach at ISU who is a very dedicated runner) tell me that he ran on his wedding day. It made an impression on my mind and from then on I've learned to make exercise a daily priority regardless of what day/holiday it is.

Secondly, I finally watched my eating habits over the holiday. I know that sounds like a surprise to some, but I've never really been a conscientious eater. Whatever is on the table or in the pantry goes into my mouth (especially if it is chocolate). But while the rest of my family was enjoying the snacks of the holidays, I was happy to eat a banana or some carrots. Instead of gaining a couple pounds of fat over the break I was able to lose a few pounds!

Third, I started my New Year's resolutions early. Why wait to start some new goals? Why not begin them when you have the ideas fresh in your mind? If you wait for a new year to begin it might be too late or you might not have the motivation to start. So I began my 2016 resolutions in December 2015. If you haven't made any goals yet, it's not too late - start now instead of in 2017!

Fourth, I've learned to ease into my goals. Although it was good to get a head start, I may have been a little too overzealous... The onset of injuries have hampered me momentarily but it's taught me a valuable lesson. I've learned to be patient with my body. I'm not as young as I used to be and I'm more injury prone each year I advance in age. I'm not extremely fond of swimming or biking but if I want to continue with my goals then I'll have to accept my situation for the time being (and cross my fingers that my body will recover soon enough).

I wish you all the best of luck with the goals you've made for 2016. Just remember the rewards and life changes you can achieve if you just persevere. Good luck to you all (and a happy, but late, New Year)!

Necessary winter gear (from top to bottom): a reflective vest, Yaktrax, and a headlamp.

Just ignore my retro carpet in the background :)

Now that Cross Country season is over it’s time to welcome in the winter months (and start blasting that Christmas music).

Here are just a few tips for how to be more prepared for running during the winter:

1.       Bundle up – Now is the time to bring out the winter clothes. Don’t be afraid to run outside, be afraid if you don’t have enough to wear. Last winter I found myself running outside in blizzards and I didn’t have a problem because I was bundled up well enough (even if it was 4 or 5 layers, plus face masks, scarves, and numerous headbands and gloves).

2.       Hydrate – It’s especially hard during the winter months to remember to stay hydrated. The best way for me to stay hydrated is by drinking 6-8 ounces of water as soon as I wake up. That gets me going for the day. Throughout the rest of the day I remember a quote my Mom always told me – “Drink before you’re thirsty”. I know if I get thirsty during the day then I haven’t been drinking enough.

3.       Wear proper footwear – You want to make sure you have good traction on your shoes. Even then, when the roads and sidewalks get icy the best solution I have found is Yaktrax. They are attachable traction supports for your shoes. Granted, they may add on several extra pounds of weight, but that’s better than slipping and falling. There are two types of Yaktrax - Walk and Run. I prefer the running ones because they have steel spikes in the forefoot and steel coils on the heel that keep you from sliding around.

4.       Check the weather ahead of time – Know what time of day to go running, when it is warmest, or when it’s least windy, etc… Sometimes running in cold, snowy weather is inevitable but if there is a break in the bad weather then you’ll want to take advantage of it. Wunderground.com is my favorite source for predicting the weather.

5.       Expect to run in the dark – With the sun coming up later and going down earlier it’s inevitable that you’ll face the dark sometime this winter. So, either get a really good head lamp and reflective gear, or run on lighted paths.

6.       Kids along? Only if you’re crazy J  – If you’re going to bring your kids along make sure you also have them properly bundled in their snow gear and a weather cover for your stroller.

7.       Keep warm on your run – Aside from bundling up, the best way to stay warm is to keep moving. If you stop, your body will start to cool down, causing you to get chilled, thus increasing your risk of sickness. To curb getting chilled it is best to transition directly from your warm up into your workout, and from your workout directly into your cool down. Remember that you’ll need a longer warm up during the winter. However, if you find that your muscles are tight during your run you may stop and stretch briefly, then start again. As soon as you get home you need to shed your sweaty layers, shower, and bundle up. I’m convinced that this instant transitioning saved me from getting sick last winter.

8.       Easy way out – The easiest solution for all of this is to simply get a gym membership and workout indoor during the winter.

This is just what has worked for me and I hope it can help you too. Anyone else have suggestions on how they tackle running during the winter months?

I couldn’t have asked for a better trail race debut. The Gnarly Bear was indeed - gnarly - but totally worth it. All the runners were treated so well that I'm definitely coming back for more next year (although I don't know if I'll be able to beat my time from today). The weather was amazing for this late in the season and the trails at Kelly Canyon beat EVERY other trail I’ve been on. To top it off, the views from the peaks were breathtaking.

I know this sounds weird, but my only goal for today’s race was to not walk (aside from stopping to refill my handheld at aid stations). Everyone who ran today knows it’s pretty much impossible to run up the Face (i.e. black diamond in ski terms) at Kelly Canyon without walking, but I did it. I didn’t walk once. The entire 25 kilometers. With 3,000 feet vertical elevation gain. It took me 15 minutes to run my 9^th mile straight uphill - but I didn’t walk.

So now that I have some experience under my belt I can offer some advice for other aspiring trail runners.

1. Pace yourself. I know it seems hard to find a pace with constantly changing elevation, but it’s not about speed, it’s about effort. If you feel you are overexerting yourself early on in the race (regardless of how fast or slow your pace is), you will be road kill by the end J So slow up - you know the story of the tortoise and the hare. Well, I felt like the tortoise at the beginning but I remembered that slow and steady wins the race, and that's what happened.
2.  Fuel properly, early on, and regularly. Don’t skimp and wait for aid stations. Bring what you need along with you. I found the perfect gel that worked for me – Huma – and I packed what I needed in my handheld along with water. I had a gel every 30 minutes per advice from Pat Bragassa, and I didn’t hit the wall like other runners.
3. Train ahead of time. Don’t go out and do a trail race cold turkey. You’ve got to practice running the same distance and/or estimated finish time. And you’ve got to get some experience on the trails too. The only thing that kept me alive the last half of the race was the fact that I knew what to expect because I had practiced on it before.
4. Enjoy your time on the trails. It’s all about fun, enjoying the views, and destressing. Stop and chat with people you pass (or people that pass you), cheer other runners on, and keep yourself pumped. Two weeks ago I when I practiced on the trails I was having so much fun enjoying the scenery and chatting with a running buddy that we took a wrong turn. But it was worth it because we got to see a moose and her baby (at a safe distance, of course). Were we bummed we took the wrong way? Of course not! Because we were having fun and enjoying nature in its fullest.
5. Set a goal and see it fulfilled. Whether it be to make a new PR, have more fun, fuel better, or like me - not walk, etc...
6. So who's in it with me next year?

My kids playing in a lake to get a break from the stroller (and yes, I packed a change of clothes and extra diapers)

As a mother of two, numerous people have asked me how I’ve managed to fit in exercise time each day. I’ll share a few of the things I’ve implemented over the past few years that seem to work.

1. Schedule your exercise time at the beginning of each week. Plan with your family so that they know what to expect, how long you’ll be gone, if you are bringing the kids along in the stroller, and where you’re running (in case of bad weather or an emergency they can come pick you up).
2. Get a babysitter on your hard days. For example, I have a scheduled, permanent babysitter two days each week (same time, same days). Every other day of the week I push the kids in the stroller.
3. Prepare for anything to happen. I bring everything imaginable with me on a run: snacks, snacks, snacks, diapers, wipes, extra clothes, coats, hats, gloves, blankets, water bottles (for myself and the kids), and the weather shield for the stroller. I figure that my kids weigh 60 pounds together, plus the stroller weighs about 40 pounds, so what difference will an extra 10 pounds of weight make? It’s better to be over prepared than to have hungry, cold, or fussy kids.
4. Stop and have fun. When I go running with my kids I try to go places where I can let them take small breaks to get out and play. Sometimes we’ll stop at a playground, other times we’ll pass a lake and I will let them get out and play in the water, or we’ll go to Great Harvest for free slices of their delicious bread.
5. Plan for multiple routes. I realize that with kids anything can happen. So when I go running with them I plan to go the bare minimum – 3 miles. But if they are doing okay at three miles, I’ll go another two miles, or four, or 6, etc…
6. Run when your kids are happy. That is most often accomplished if they have full tummies. A hungry kid is a grumpy kid.
7. Or go running when your kids are sleepy. Sometimes the easiest way to put kids down for their nap is pushing them in the stroller. That way they’ll sleep the entire time and you can go as far as you want.
8. Fuel yourself. Take good care of your body before, during, and after your run. Eat a healthy meal or snack 2 hours prior. Bring energy foods with you on your run and consume them as often as prescribed. And don’t forget to refuel when you are done. It’s hard enough trying to run by yourself on an empty stomach, but it’s even more difficult when you add a stroller and two kids in front of you. You’ll be better off to take care of your kids if you also take care of yourself.
9. Have fun too. Make sure you laugh and smile the whole way. I will often sing songs with my kids, point out things in nature, tell them jokes, and just have random conversations with them.
10. Remember, you are not supermom. It’s okay to stop and walk. If you try pushing your kids in the stroller for the first time and you work yourself too hard, it’s easy to get burnt out fast. Go easy and slow to begin with. You’ll eventually find you can go farther and faster the longer you keep it up. Even I stop and walk occasionally (did I just admit that?).
11. Give your kids more outside time than what they get in the stroller. If they enjoy playing outside, they’ll like being in the stroller. If you kids are indoors all day long, getting in the stroller might not be appealing to them. My kids probably spend a combined total of 5 hours outside each day, and they love the stroller because it means spending even more time outside.
12. Getting in a hard workout with the kids: Some days it’s hard to find a babysitter so you have to bring the kids with you. I have found when this happens it’s best to go somewhere my kids can run around in a contained area while I closely supervise them. Fenced in tracks are great locations – bring toys along for the kids to play with in the jumping pit (they love sand). You’ll be guaranteed at least 30 minutes of an uninterrupted workout.
13. Want to get in a strength workout too? In my mind, pushing kids in the stroller is somewhat of a strength workout. But that doesn’t cut it if you want to tone all your muscles. So I’ve done some internet searching for good core, leg, and arm exercises that I can do right in my home (free and cheap). I have found the best place to do those workouts are in my kids play room. That way they can play while I get in my strength conditioning. All it takes is 20 minutes every other day.
14. Start now and don’t quit! If you want to be in good physical condition when you are older, now is the time to start. Don’t come up with excuses. Don’t wait until tomorrow to exercise, do it today. I’ve told several people that I want to be able to run with my grandkids when they are in middle school and high school. I know that’s really far down the road of life, and I’ll be much slower than I am today, but I want my posterity to see the importance of a healthy lifestyle through my example.

I've been reminiscing recently and thought I'd put down my thoughts for all to read…

When I was still running at ISU I had so many aspirations to become an elite runner, but I seemed to have bad luck when it came to crunch time. My goal during my senior year of cross country was to qualify for the National Championship. Unfortunately the night before Regionals (the qualifying meet for nationals) I had an undercooked chicken dinner that gave me a bout of food poisoning and I found myself throwing up all night. Needless to say, I was extremely weak at the race start but I wanted to give it my best shot. Unfortunately the last 1000 meters I got tunnel vision and nearly passed out at the finish line. I didn’t place high enough to go to nationals.

I felt so unfulfilled but I decided to focus my effort and attention on track instead. By the end of the outdoor season my steeple time was 22^nd fastest in the nation. I thought for sure I was guaranteed into nationals but I took too much for granted. Just before my race at regionals I felt super exhausted so I decided to take a power nap. When I woke up my body felt strangely numb. I thought my warmup would shake off the coma, but it only made me more tired. During my heat it rained so hard that I could barely see where I was going. As soon as I stepped of the track the rain let up, and the other two heats ran in perfect weather with almost every girl getting a PR. Again I didn’t qualify for nationals.

I wasn’t ready for my running career to be finished, but my dreams had been dashed. I decided to focus myself on more positive situations. Maybe my bout of bad luck was a sign for me to move on with my life. I had a wonderful husband and we wanted to start a family. The next three years our little family doubled as Logan and Charlotte were born. Being a mother is the most rewarding job I could ever hope for and I wouldn’t give it up for the world. I was also blessed to become the assistant coach for the Skyline Cross Country team under the supervision of Head Coach Sean Schmidt. I think that coaching is the best paying job for a mother because my kids can tag along.

But I must admit that I wouldn’t be the runner I am today if I weren’t a coach. In fact, I’d probably be a couch potato. Coaching gives me an incentive to get out the door each day and exercise. As a coach I want my athletes to know that I’m willing to do the same workouts I inflict upon them. When I run with my athletes I take each opportunity to help them develop proper running form, push past mental barriers, and always do their best. In turn, I strive set the example by doing all of these things myself. Over the past few years I have been slowly improving, but I wouldn’t have seen that without the help of Coach Schmidt. He encouraged me to extending my running career even after I believed I was done running competitively. He offered to train me and helped me find placement on the Boise Betties team.

I feel fortunate that my situation has turned out for the better. I know I’m repeating myself when I say this, but I’m lucky to have such a supportive husband who makes an extra effort to help me succeed, a wonderful cross country team and head coach who challenge me to improve, a supportive family that cheers me on, a fun team in Boise that encourages me to run at the next level, helpful sponsors who make it all possible, and enthusiastic kids who tell me to “run faster!”

Racing at sea level is a wonderful experience. True, it’s been 4 years since I’ve raced at sea level and I’d forgotten how amazing it is. It makes me feel guilty for not taking advantage of it more often. But I can’t complain: I live in a beautiful area of Idaho with a wonderful community that supports me every step of the way. I couldn’t ask for more, even if the elevation of Idaho Falls is 4,700 feet. True, it’s not ideal for most elite runners because it’s right in-between. In-between the point of oxygen deprivation (found at higher altitudes), and pure speed (that can be attained at sea level).

Regardless, racing in New York last month was a good pick-me-up. I had qualified for three events in the USATF Club National Track and Field Championships. My dilemma was figuring out what events to actually run. For some reason, the schedule on the championship website was outdated and missing certain events. I had pestered the meet director for three months to put out an updated schedule so that I could plan for what races to run. In the past, the championship had been a two day event, so I planned my schedule accordingly.

Unfortunately, the final schedule came out only a week before the championships. To make matters worse, all my events were on the same day. Not only that, they were schedule within 3 ½ hours of one another. I had hoped to run one event on one day, rest, and do another event the second day. Now, I had to decide if I would do just one or two races in a crunched time period. The first event was the 5,000m run. I hadn’t done a 5k on a track since I was a sophomore in college. I personally detested it but I was willing to give it another go to see if my preference had changed in 6 years.

So, at 10 am I toed the line on the track at the breathtaking Icahn Stadium (sorry Oregon, New York has a better venue in my opinion). I hadn’t been training for the 5k so I had no set pace. I was just going to wing it and see how everything turned out. I gave the race everything I had, and lucky for me, I actually enjoyed it. But when I finished I was so wiped that I wasn’t sure if I could do any more races. Here comes the nice part about being at sea level: ½ hour after my race I felt completely recovered. I almost felt like I hadn’t even run a race earlier.

So, I decided to give a shot at the next race, the 3k steeple (scheduled for 12:20). By the time I was done cooling down from the 5k, it was time for me to start warming up for the steeple. I was beginning to think it was a bad idea for me to try to run more than one race, but I didn’t want my time in New York to go to waste. So I toed the line again. Luckily there was a rabbit that I was able to run behind for the first half, but after three laps I was definitely more fatigued than I had planned. Still, I gave it every last ounce of energy and finished as a National Champion*. It wasn’t my fastest time of the season, but it was a decent performance. I was so excited about the outcome that I blurted out to my husband that I was going to run the 1500. Wait, what? I never thought I was crazy enough to do something like that. The last time I had tripled on the same day was my senior year of high school (8 years ago). And the races I did back then were shorter distances, slower paces, and they were scheduled farther apart from one another. But the words were already out, so I went out for my cool down, I mean warm-up.

Either way, I only had 30 minutes until the race started. I barely had time to put my shoes on and run to the start line at 1:25. I was already out of breath before the gun even went off. I felt like a slug the first two laps, and I even considered dropping out. But since I made it half way I decided to go the other half. Luckily my legs started to pick up a little more. I wasn’t able to throw in a great kick at the end but I didn’t lose my place. When I met up with my husband after the race, I joked to him that I should try to do the 800m run that was scheduled 45 minutes later. He just about choked!

Coming back home was the best part about the whole experience. I teared up each night we were gone because I missed my kids and all the fun things they were doing without us (like Logan going on his first train ride). The one thing I didn’t miss was climbing stairs. I never realized how out of breath you can get at 4,700 feet above sea level!

As always, thanks so much to Bill’s Bike and Run and Teton Toyota cheering for me the whole way. It was great to have your support in New York!

*Being a National Champion isn’t as big of a deal as some make it out to be. There are dozens of faster women in the US than me. Plenty of people have asked me if I will be going to the Olympics because of my performance. The answer is no. If I want to make it to the Olympic Trials my times have to be considerably faster. Granted, it has always been a dream of mine since I was a little girl to go to the Olympics. Regardless of what happens I’ll still give it my best shot.