It was nothing short of awesome

As runners, we all know how it feels to get into a routine. Running is a part of our day-to-day lives: we wake up, go to work, go to school, run, eat, sleep, repeat. We run the same routes, have weekly running patterns that are the same, and probably run with the same people. Slowly but surely, each run blurs into the other.

Every once in a while, though, we have a remarkable run. The kind of run that makes you remember that THIS is why we run, THIS is how it's supposed to feel. Sometimes it happens when you hit all your split times, or when you are up in the mountains, or when you have some kind of epiphany on your run. Your body feels electric, alive, full of muscle and energy and movement. I had a run like this today. It happened in a completely normal place, on an absolutely typical day. I was in a city, at a high school, on a football field. I was barefoot.

Barefoot running has popped up recently as a return-to-your-roots running phenomenon. I don't really know that much about it, except for two things: A. That it is championed as being much better for your biomechanics than running with shoes, and B. That the Tarahumara runners of Mexico are the most prominent example of how one can go for miles in minimal support footwear (much like how vegans rally around Scott Jurek as an example of how veganism does not diminish endurance potential). I really just wanted to try it because I absolutely hate wearing shoes and socks (it's so...I don't know, confining somehow), and if there's an excuse for me to take them off, then I'm all for it!

I arrived at the Roosevelt High School turf field expecting to do a speed workout, but was lured by one of my running friends into running on the turf barefoot instead. She had recently read a book by Chris McDougall called "Born to Run," which is essentially the barefoot runner's manifesto, and was absolutely gung-ho about the whole idea. She spoke pretty words to me about a world with no injuries, no pain, and no shoes. She told me stories of runners trotting up trails and mountains for generations without anything except the support of their own two feet. I was entralled. WWHD? (what would hippies do?). RUN BAREFOOT. And so I did.

The first lap around the turf felt strange. I was worried about high school meat heads spitting on the field. I was worried about getting beaned in the head by a stray ball. I felt a little off kilter, like I needed to step gingerly because my feet didn't want to get hurt. I relaxed a little on the second lap. The dangers of rowdy students was still present, but my feet were starting to find their stride. I was hitting the ground with more ease, and I noticed that I wasn't doing a hard heel-toe step anymore, but more of a mid-to-whole-foot sort of step. By lap three, I stopped thinking about my feet, and started to think about the scene around me: the bright lights of the field, the teenagers laughing and rough-housing in the bleachers. The speed workout group flew by. The air was crisp and cool, the sounds of rush hour traffic all around. The world was alive; I was alive. By the end of that lap, I was in love.

The next laps flew by, and I lost count of how many I did. I noticed that my arches started to hurt a little, but the feeling of having air on my feet was so liberating that I couldn't stop running. I ended by doing some fast strides across the field (so quick! so light! I'm a freakin gazelle!!), and then bounced over to the rest of the group in a fit of giggles. I told my friend that I wanted to do this every week, forget speed work outs! I had become a barefoot running convert.

I still don't know very much about the science behind barefoot running, but I can tell you that the spirit of barefoot running is very much what every runner needs. More than other feats of athleticism, there is a magical quality to running, a kind of mysticism. Our solitude on the trail or road and the simple movement of our bodies allows us to connect with our surroundings in a way that athletes in other sports cannot. For me, barefoot running is another way of enjoying my sport and another reason for me to love being outside. Whether or not you believe the physical benefits of barefoot running exist, I wholeheartedly suggest that you try it at least once.

Remember, WWHD?!

--Phylly

Ah the sound of pitter-patter on the cobblestones....

I know you're thinking my running shoes on the pavement but sadly I mean the sound of pouring down rain. Its finally that season in Rome. I wake up and its pouring so much that I want to crawl back into bed.

This morning however was different. I went with my Prof to an amazing street market in the pouring down rain at 7:45 am. All I could think was that I should have gone running yesterday when it wasn't pouring. O well. Such is life.

So after that really sweet street market (can you say Christmas present shopping?) I came home soaked to the skin even though it had finally stopped pouring and I treuly felt the call of the road. I've felt this call before, but not like this. All I could think about was running swiftly along the tiber, shorts and a longsleeve (perfect cool but not freaking cold weather, ah the joys of fall). Even though I promised to not run by myself in Rome, today I just couldn't convince anyone to go with me. I figured though at 11 am on a Sunday, who would really be out there? Before I knew it I was changed and walking out the door, ready to start hitting the pavement, or should I saw, cobblestones. I noticed that the stones were starting to dry and little pieces of blue were emerging. Maybe it would be a good run afterall. I headed out from the Campo on my usual route but at a much swifter pace, invigorated by the crisp fall weather and running on my own .

Despite it being 11 am, late for starting a run on a Sunday, I saw a shocking number of runners on the Tiber. Unlike other mornings, they all smiled at me when I smiled back, in fact, one guy even winked at me in a not creepy way. The run seemed to be going great. Running by myself is so meditative. Don't get me wrong, I'm not sure I could do my extra long runs all by myself, but for a few runs sometimes its really nice to get out ther alone. It gives me a chance to think about life and have a little Soph time before returning to my apartment with 8 other girls where alone time is nothing but a creul fantasy.

Before I knew it I was at my turnaround spot, heading back to the Campo happy as could be. As I started to head back, suddenly I found myself back at Ponte Sisto, my bridge back over the Tiber home. How did that happen? How was I all of a sudden about to finish my run? I felt like I had just started it. I guess I run faster by myself then with other people (shocker). But still, the way back felt like a blink of an eye. As I people dodged my way down the cobblestone streets back to the Campo, I couldn't help but think how lucky I am to run along the Tiber, past St. Peters and Castle S. Angelo. What will happen when I return to Seattle and there are no more monumental landmarks? It'll be sad but at least there are actul parks and trees and trails and NO COBBLESTONES (they really wreak havoc on my running shoes!)

Maybe next weekend I'll get to venture out on my own again. On Tuesday we leave for Naples/Amalfi coast for a week and hopefully I can squeeze in a gorgeous coastal run maybe to watch sunrise over the Mediterranean.

Happy running!
Soph

Another Beutiful Day in Rome?

Today I awoke, excited for my relaxed Saturday run. No pressure of getting to class, meandering pace. But alas, there was the sound of rushing water outside my window. Not rain, but water pouring. Along with the water were bright flashes and loud noises. Yes indeed, my first storm in Rome. I ran to the dining room windows to get a better view of the lighting bolts in the sky, and noticed that it was downpouring. It was awesome to watch, but I knew that running + cobblestones + pouring rain = bad.

Sadly, I sat at the kitchen table, eating my italian style honey nut cherrios, reading Once A Runner contemplating how I can safely run in the pouring rain in Rome. If Quenton Cassidy can run anytime anywhere way faster then me, why can't I handle running in the pouring rain in the beautiful city of Rome. After munching and pondering for a few minutes, I noticed a small break of blue sky in the dark clouds. Hope returned for my saturday run.

About 10 minutes later, enough time for me to finish eating, the sky completely cleared! It was incredible. One minute it was pouring and the next, it all burned off and was a gorgous day! By then it was about 9:30 in the morning and I was getting antsy to run. I recruited Catharine, we put on our running shoes and took off!

It was another adventure run, that started out like all my runs so far in Rome: along the Tiber. Ah the tiber. Its like the duamish. not very nice to look at, but better then running on cobbelstones since it has a paved path next to it. We decied that today would be an adventure run. We planned to run to the Borghese gardens, but since its like the Rome version of the Arboretum, only with a villa in it (it used to be one family's private villa) there are trails everywhere. we figured its only 2.3ish to get to the entrance, then a run up a nice hill, then park/tree/trail paradise in rome, or at least as close as we could get. running along the tiber was reminiscent of seattle. a little waterfront, an asphalt path, mapleish trees everywhere with their leaves falling not to mnay people. it was great!

After meaning through the Borghese gardens for a while, we turned back to the Campo Di Fiori for our run home. Then run home always seems shorter then the run out to a place. On the way I imagined how I can do long runs to the park, get lost on some trails, then do the short run back to the Campo. Running this fall is starting to look up!!!

Happy Trails (or cobblestone paths!)
Soph

My First Run in Rome!

Ah the start of a fresh school year. People laughing, walking to class....a market outside your window at 7am? Welcome to Rome, my home for fall quarter. I'm studying architecture in the eternal city, living in the Campo Di Fiori! Rome is a pretty interesting place. Lots and lots of people, especially tourists, but once the rain comes I think they'll go away. Its pretty hot here though for now.

This morning, I finally felt like going for my first run. I figured, I've been in Rome for 5 days, how lost can I really get? Well, as I promised my mom, I didn't run alone. I convinced my roommate Catharine to venture out with me early in the morning, only an hour and 30 mins before our group met 20 mins away at the Colosseum. We figured we had lots of time to run and shower and get ready. Apparently we didn't quite do the math.

Our run began by waiting for Garmy to find itself. It took so long! I forgot that moving hundreds of miles away from Seattle would confuse it a little bit. After waiting at least 10 or 15 mins for it to register, we were off! People dodging our way out of the campo, we found ourselves in a small side alley heading toward the river (the Tiber). We decided to follow the river on our first run to minimize getting lost. We found a staircase down to the riverside. It smelled an aweful lot like pee which gave me an iffy feeling about the riverside. Did I mention that most of the streets are cobblestones? That's also why we went by the river, it was our hope to avoid the cobblestones. As we decended, I looked ahead and saw beautiful pavement leading to a dirt path. No cobblestones.

We ran down past the island in the tiber, under many bridges and finally decided to turn back and run on the opposite side of the river. I saw a few runners, but on the whole I'm ot sure sure Italian people run, despite the many marathons in their country. As I headed back to the Campo I couldn't help but think about the long runs to come by the river and trough the neighborhoods of Rome.

Happy trails!
Soph

Summertime Woes + Husky Running Club

Whew! Long hiatus from blogging. School has ended, and with it, my motivation to run long distances. Fortunately, summer is a great time to fit in speed work, strength training, and short 5k races. Our next ones are the Firecracker 5k and the Torchlight 5k/8k. In the distance, we have the Super Jock n Jill Half Marathon.

Also, for our readers involved with the UW community, there is a new message board for runners with a UW ID. Check it out here: https://catalysttools.washington.edu/gopost/board/phylly/11762/

Ok, time to go to bed. It's 2am and way past my bedtime. The problem with running at night is that you have too much energy to fall asleep!

--Phylly

I Love the Smell of a Marathon in the Morning!

As I awoke from my deep sleep, realizing I was squished between two other people in a tent, it hit me. Today I was running my second marathon. The Capital City Marathon in Olympia, WA. I got out of my bag, watching everyone else begin to awake, and meandered inside Prof Kennedy's house (we were camping in his backyard) to use the bathroom and prepare for what was to come. I pulled on my race clothes, ate my half banana and half bagel, helped take down our "circus tent" and off we went to the start line. As we pulled up to the downtown park start line, Camper says "I don't think we'll be able to find parking" to which Phylly almost agrees to, then realizes there is tons of parking out and that camper was being facetious. It was way too early in the morning for sarcasm.

As I thought to myself about my race plan, it dawned on me that if it wasn't to chilly at 7 am, it was going to be freaking hot by 10:30 or 11. Sunglasses were a must in my mind. At the start line we mentioned our goal paces, Camper's being to break the 4 hr barrier, and mine and Phylly's around 9:30 min/mi, to beat the Seattle marathon's time.

When the gun went off, we were off! Camper went up ahead, Phylly and I holding back not to get to carried away. But then, coming around a small inlet ofter 2 miles, I was feeling great. Not the sort of great that I would push to hard and then die later, but the sort of great like I could blow the doors off my pr. I began to push my pace a bit and was running next to another woman. She introduced herself as Connie, and I asked her what her goal pace was. She said this was her 17th marathon (she should be a marathon maniac!) and her goal was around 4 hrs, but that she runs for herself and for fun. I decide in my head that this pace is good, a bit faster than I had anticipated, but what the heck? Why not push myself and see what happens? I knew I wouldn't be doing a fall marathon since I'd be in Rome, so if I didn't pick a summer one, this was going to potentially be my last marathon for a year. We cruised for the next 18 miles at a solid 8:55-9:15 pace (our garmy's told us so). For a few miles inthe middle, where there were some short rolling hills (and glorious downhill) I could see Camper 300m ahead of me cruising along, and I thought of Phylly behind me, whom I had intended to run with. I hoped everyone was feeling well!

The heat started around mile 17, as we emerged from the countryside to head back into the city. Although there weren't many spectators (some people were upset, but I didn't mind since we'd bee doing trail runs with no spectators really) the ones who were on the course, Connie and I really appreciated. We took turns saying thanks to them, and a few who we saw multiple times learned our names and cheered us on! As we headed into the last 3 miles, I could feel how much I wanted to be done with the race. It was hot out, and the map had promised downhill, but really, there were some rollers. Luckily, people brought out their hoses and sprinklers for us tired and hot runners to cool ourselves off in. Also, with water stops every 2 miles, it was easy to cool off by dumping the rest of my water cup over my head. Finally, after what seemed like forever, the downhill came and I cruised into the finish, overjoyed to have completed another marathon. I came in at a 4:04 (about 20mins better than Seattle, to get 4th in our age) Connie hugged me and we parted ways to find food and water. I found Camper who had indeed broken the 4 hr with a 3:54 (3rd place in our age division!) and we waited for Phylly to come in at 4:19. All of us pr'd that day! Laury and Caryn were running the half and they got 1st and 4th in their age division too! It was a great day for all of us.

As we headed home, tired with tight muscles, I couldn't help but wish I had pushed harder in the last 3 miles, because then I might have broken the 4 hr marker. As I fell asleep that night, all i could think about was my next plot to run. I want to pr again, and as Connie said during our race, after the 2nd one, you're hooked. Even though I told myself I'd be switching to shorter distances, and work on my half marathon time, I find myself craving another marathon, despite the pain in my IT bands, and a few blisters on my feet, the first 23 miles were no problem. Maybe if I do a 24 miler as training the first 25 wont be bad since this time we did a 22 miler, and the first 23 weren't so bad. Am I crazy? I don't think so, but beating my time running was a way better high then when I was rowing and would beat my 2K time. Nothing compares so far to the joy and empowerment of finishing a full marathon, and I can't wait for more.

Happy running!!!

Soph

Have 10 minutes? Watch these videos.

1. A hilarious set of short video-ads by Brooks: http://www.runningsuperfans.com/#/videos

(I wish the Super Running Fans were in my life....)

2. A short animation from Nike on the wonders of running: http://www.onwards.tv/

Thanks to Sam and Teresa for passing these on to me!

--Phylly

A Relay Well Done

As my blaring alarm awoke me from my peaceful sleep at 4:40 Sunday morning, all I could think was, why do races start so early? As a sprung out of bed (yes a spring was required to get up in the darkeness) and began to make breakfast and wake up, I began getting excited for the day ahead. Finally, it was here again. The Mt. Si Relay.

Last year, our Husky Running Club women's relay team won our age division, and this year we were returning to defend our title. Last year we won with an average split around 8:45 min/mi, and our fast team this year wasn't to concerned about being able to set a new record.

The sun began rising as we drove out to North Bend, WA. The nerves in me were beginning to build. I was running the first leg (and the 6th), and needed to start the team off right. By the time we got to the race start, it was light out and was the perfect temperature in the PNW: just warm enough for shorts, but not to cool to need gloves.

When the gun went off, the mass of runners and I left the high school to begin our epic (7 hour!!) journey on the trails in Snoqualamie.

I set in behind to guys and fell into the perfect rythm, enjoying the forest scenery around me. I knew I was near the front of the pack, but since its a small race, the group was pretty spread out. One of the guys was playing obnoxious music so loud in his headphones that I could here it from at least 7 feet away. The other, slightly older, had the same watch as me (Garmin 305) and as I was running, I really appreciated him turning off his beep-beep-beep-beep at ever mile, seeing as we were doing 8 miles together.

The transition came swifty, as I passed off to Caryn, and I took note of race numbers whose members started their second leg. The race for First had begun.

We looked up who was leading our category, the Running Divas, and dubbed them the green team. Also, Moms in Motion (in light pink) was leading the women's relays.

We couldn't have asked for a better race. After pasing the Running Divas around leg 5, we looked to Moms in Motion as our next target, making each of our second legs stronger than the first. Laury was the lucky runner to pass the Pink team on the 8th leg. As we looked towards the finish, we were excited to be leading the pack.

After the last transistion, we meandered over to the finish area to wait for Shannon to come into the shute, and snack on a few delicious bagels from Panera Bakery, after all, I had been telling everyone on the team about how delicious they were since the start of the race. As we stood there talking and enjoying hte sunshine, Moms in Motion appraoched us and said "Did all 5 of your runners run the right legs? We're curious how you guys ran so fast in the second half and passed us." We looked at them funny and replied that we had in fact ran our race fair in square.They continued to ask us about each of our split times, repeated that it was weird/curious/interesting that we all ran our second legs faster than the first. After the Moms walked away, having essentially accused us of cheating, someone mentioned that maybe we ran faster becuase we ere each about 20 years younger than them, so we could recover better in the 4 hours between our legs then they could.

Soon after, Shannon came into the finish, after I began the race, 7 hours and 2 minutes before then. As we recived our custom made first place tiles, we marveled in the fact that not only did we win our age category, but we also were the first women's team to finish. period.

I think the Moms wanted the honor of saying they were the first to finish, and were in fact faster than everyone not only older than them, but younger as well. Alas, our fast collegiate legs were able to out run them.

Happy Trails!

Soph

impromptu

Today I told myself I wouldn’t go for a run. But then the sun came out. My homework was arduous. I put on my 2140’s anyway and ran out the door. I headed out on the Burke Gilman toward Fremont, enjoying a leisurely pace and the ample people-watching opportunities. As I was crossing the Fremont bridge, about to make my loop around Lake Union, a mid-30’s man said to me, “I guess I just should have followed you! You know where you are going!” He had passed me earlier, then I had passed him, and he was re-passing me…presumably because he didn’t know where he was going. I directed him down to the path, but we had fallen in stride despite the fact that his pace was quite a bit faster than mine. We started talking about running, and upcoming races, and our favorite routes in Seattle. I mentioned the Mt. Si relay (which is tomorrow!), and he is training for the Eugene half-marathon. I found out that he’s an attorney in Belltown, so I asked him, “How did you figure out that you wanted to be an attorney?” He replied with, “I didn’t.” He explained that he had no clue what he wanted to do with life post-graduation, so he took the LSAT on a whim, since many of his friends were taking it. ‘Phew’, I thought, ‘even if I don’t know what I want to do with my life now, something will work out!’ Toward the end of the conversation, he thanked me for the chat. He said, "I usually get bored about 30 minutes into a run and want to be sipping coffee and reading the paper instead." He turned off around Valley St., and I continued along the Lake Union loop, returning to my original pace.
I smiled broadly as I ate my chocolate GU. People can be so nice! Or maybe, runners can be so nice…? He was just a random guy out for a run, and I was just another random runner to chat with. It was pleasant surprise.

-Camper

Sun Mountain 1/10/25/50k - Winthrop, WA

I was awakened Saturday morning by the sound of light snoring and a beam of sunlight in my face. I lay there groggily, wondering why the hell my ass was so cold, and it hit me: I'm camping with 7 other people in a stranger's backyard in the middle of Methow Valley. Allow me to explain:

About two months ago, we (the TechnoRunner crowd) ran the Orcas Island Fat Ass 25k/50k directed by James Varner. This race could not have been more beautiful or fun; sunny skies, a varied and heavily forested trail, and an amazing post-race bash with food, beer, and live music. Needless to say, I jumped on the opportunity to register for Varner's newest race in Wintrhop, WA--the Sun Mountain 1k/10/25k/50k--when I heard about it, knowing that it would not dissappoint. By the time I registered for the 25k, a few of our other trail running friends had also registered, and it was only a matter of time before the whole crew signed up together. In the end, we had 7 runners registered for the 25k and 1 for the 50k.

True to college-student fashion, we managed to completely procrastinate on finding accommodations in Winthop until the week before, leaving us scrounging for a place to stay in Wenatchee, a 2 hour drive from the start line. We finally opted to camp 20 minutes away from Winthrop instead and avoid the drive from Wenatchee on Saturday. Lucky for us, our last minute decision to camp somewhere in Winthrop worked out, as Varner himself heard of our predicament and offered us a space in his yard to pitch a tent (or three!)...thanks!!! The night was a drafty one, to say the least, but race-day morning arrived with sunshine and clear skies. After fueling up on bagels, peanut butter, pop tarts, and nutella, we piled into our cars and headed over to the start.

The 25k and 50k were slated to start at 8am, right after the 1k kids' dash (we suspect that the winner of that race had been doping....ha ha....), and we stood in the starting queue awaiting our directions. Few of us knew what route we'd be running; last minute changes had been made due to the residual snow on the mountain. We were told that we'd be running a figure-8 course, with 50k-ers running it 3x, and 25k-ers doing 1.5x. As the race began and the runners plowed onto the narrow trails, I sent a silent thanks to the trail volunteers who cleared the first parts of the trail for us, as there were portions of the ice/snow-compact that were at least 6 inches thick.

The terrain and landscape of the course was beautiful, with a lot of low shrubs and a desert-y feel. Many of the trails were horse trails, and there were some barbed wire fences and dusty horse corrals along the way. Overall, the hills on the course were not incredibly difficult --mostly short hills--barring one behemoth around mile 6. This course ended up feeling much more painful to me than Orcas, despite the faster time. I blame my choice of shoes (Asics GT 2120 trail), which were too small and caused my toes to cramp up. The others did much better, with Camper getting a second wind about 3 miles from the finish and rocking her way to the end.

All of us runners were pretty much tired out after the race (accolades and accomplishments among our number include a 1st and 6th 25k finish, 5 25k PRs, and 1 "take-it easy" (his words, not mine) 50k at 4:48:30), so we loafed about and munched on pizza and gummy candies for the rest of the day. The 5 hour drive back to Seattle was cramped, but entertaining. There is nothing quite as fun as skippin' town to go trail running with your friends...now I just want to know, when's our next one?!?


Keep hittin' the trails,
Phylly