Ever since Jude was born in June, I’ve been working toward becoming an elite athlete again, but it has been very difficult to find momentum. Little things keep getting in the way of progress. Breastfeeding zapped my energy. The sleep deprivation slowed recovery and niggles kept popping up. My body moved differently requiring a muscle and ligament adjustment period. It didn’t take long to realize that I would have to adjust my approach and remain flexible until things started to click again.
Wednesday something happened. I did a “Michigan” workout, which orignated from Michigan Coach Ron Warhurst, which is a workout where you alternate between hard intervals on the track and tempo work on a nearby field or road. The version I do has about 30sec-1 min of jogging between the two locations but otherwise it is all continuous, forcing you to recover at tempo pace. This is what I ran:
Bob Lesko coaching me and Mel Lawrence during our Michigan.
Mile: 5:00
Grass mile: 5:42
1200: 3:47
Grass mile: 5:38
800: 2:25
Grass mile 5:40
400: 63
This is a workout I’ve done since my freshman year at Stanford, at least 2 times every year. I’ve done it as part of a 10 woman college team, perfectly synced in stride. I’ve done it farlek-style, solo on the famous resevoir in Boulder as a new pro. I’ve done it at sea level at the Olympic Training Center, and at 8000 feet in Mammoth. I’ve done it on my home track during Christmas break with my old high school coach turning up to hold the watch. I’ve felt every kind of good and bad during it, and done it at all kinds of fitness levels. After 15 years, this workout has become an old friend.
My times on Wednesday weren’t my best ever, nor were they my worst. They were reminiscent of times when I was confident and strong, motivated and satisfied. As I ran my last 400 up on my toes, driving my arms, feeling my jaw loosely moving with my stride, I felt something move inside me. For 10 months I have been trying to move this boulder out of the road. I keep trying different approaches, pressing with all my might, grunting and sweating, and nothing happens. Then I wipe my brow, collect my energy, smack a smile on my face and start again. Maybe if I come around from behind! Nope. Maybe from under this little ledge here! Nope. Maybe if I take a log and prop it under this side and then push on the other side. Nope. Then, during that 400 in a moment of powerful, free motion, the boulder budged.
For two days I have felt different inside. A little bit excited. Afraid to talk about it. Fearful that it’s another false start. It has allowed me to begin to think about the future in less vague terms, and see a return to excellence as a possibility. One workout has the power to change everything, but it takes many workouts to see the change through.
Great job!! Someone told me once that you can’t run ahead of your fitness level, which sounds obvious but always makes me feel better when I am wondering if something is a false positive. You can have a bad day and run worse than your fitness, but you can’t fake a good day. The hardest part sometimes can be not getting carried away when the good times start to roll in.
Thanks Muna!
“You can’t run faster then your fitness level”. Thanks for the reminder and will share it often with my XC girls.
Richard
Muna this is exactly what I needed to hear right now. Thank you.
I read this and I relate in the weirdest way. Right now I am sidelined with a hamstring injury I had been training through (stupid) for over a year. I kept running and running with not a terrible amount of pain, but no power on that side. The pain came post run. Again, nothing terrible (us runners are tough as nails, sometimes to our detriment…). My boulder, right now, is this injury and it wasn’t until I gave into a break that I understood that is the only way to nudge it. By doing nothing I am doing everything. I am so glad you found a way to nudge your boulder. Before you know it you will be lifting it above your head and showing it who’s boss.
How exciting! Can’t wait to see you get back to racing well again! Remember that late season 5000 in London? 🙂
Is that fastk8 next to you?
Very happy to read your blog. Enjoy the process of family and training.
I appreciated your thoughts, I’m trying to get back to near my best 10 years on. I struggle, I look at my times and get very discouraged.
I have noticed recently a little improvement as I’ve been more consistent but again another fall back, sore knee. I need to listen to my body but I want to get better again.
……many workouts as you say is what it will take
Awesome! Your hard work is definitely paying off. On a much slower level, I can so relate to “that” feeling. Not sure how to describe it but it’s an almost giddy, exciting feeling that I’d like to bottle and save for those not-so-great days/weeks. Embrace it and keep kicking butt!
Thank you Lauren! You are such an inspiration. Glad to hear breastfeeding kicked the crap out of you too. They don’t tell you those things. I am 5 months postpartum, and after working my butt off in PT for pubic symphysis instability, I am finally back to running. Did my first community track workout this week. I ran 7:30 pace, the husband sub 5 min pace, and we traded off with recovery laps with the chariot. YES! I keep trying to honor my body and not talk shit about it. Yes. I keep trying. It is working. (Writing this as I pump, after work, before running, and it is almost 7pm…YES!).
You have an ability to put into words things and feeling I’ve felt many times over the past few years trying to be “competitive” again after an accident and surgery. I’m excited to see you what you do this year!!!
Thanks for putting this into words, Lauren. I’m a few weeks away from the birth of our second kiddo and I can see myself re-reading this post many, many times in the year ahead. Patience and dedication are amazing things–and so are those magical moments when they pay off!
I had my moment a few weeks ago in which after weeks of struggling to maintain a constant pace on increasingly longer intervals at Anaerobic threshold (ie: 4x8min, 4x10min) when finally on the 2x20min i ran faster, smoother, and stronger than i have in years and could not wipe the smile off my face for days!
Thanks for the update and lets go move some more boulders!
must feel awesome to have that workout in your pocket. Awesome job LF!
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That has to be a nice feeling. Great job!
I love that you acknowledged that your body has changed and you just have to work with it! Women go through this a few times in life (puberty, growth, BABIES!!!) and it’s nice to hear someone accepting a change and rolling with it instead of trying to hide it or deny it.
OWN that change! You made something cool out of it – your adorable son.
Also, love hearing about a great workout. It really is one of the best, hardest to attain feelings in the world, no?
Good luck with the training!
“It has allowed me to begin to think about the future in less vague terms, and see a return to excellence as a possibility.”
Lauren, I have confidence you will return to elite status. You have a mindset, work ethic and attitude to attain it. However, I see ‘excellence’ and ‘elite’ as not synonymous. Being a former competitive runner it took me a while to realized that. I’ll never be as fast as I once was, nor have that racer’s body, but I can still achieve excellence in my running. I believe your recent Michigan was excellence.
Godspeed in returning to elite status and embrace the excellence along the way. It will surely help move some boulders.
Such a wonderful blog; you are an inspiration to all. I am curious about what shoes you use in your shoe rotation. In the photo you are wearing NB…..what models do you use for long runs and workouts? Best of luck as you continue on the road to excellence.
Me too! Me too! Me too! I’ve been hurt for almost 9 months – ugh – and have been struggling to get healthy, overhaul my running form (which caused the problem in the first place), and regain my fitness. And then today I actually finished a workout! Like you wrote – it wasn’t the fastest I’ve ever done that workout – but I felt strong and I didn’t feel any pain. The boulder budged!!
I couldn’t agree with you more, one session doesn’t make a lot of difference, but a series of those workouts put together, and you can climb mountains.
Lauren,
Thank you, for placing the thoughts I’ve had circulating around in my head so clearly down on paper. I read a sentence and it clicks. I literally think to myself: so that’s what i’ve been feeling, that makes so much sense! Because of the reality your words bring me, I now feel like I have the power start positive change.