Tag Archives: cross country

Oswego Musings Part 1

By Posted in Uncategorized Tagged , , , , , , , 11 Comments

Looking at my posts from 2-3 years ago is a little bit embarrassing.  Almost like looking at old scrapbook of distant memories.  I have been away from college and Potsdam for a year in Oswego and have for the most part, really enjoyed myself.  Writing this post has become a lot harder than I ever imagined it would.

As some of you know or don’t (I guess since I’ll probably link it back to my facebook everyone can know) I have extreme social anxiety.  I don’t thrive off of being spontaneous all the time and moving to a brand new place, not knowing anyone or anything really about the area last fall really sent me into a tizzy the entire last summer.  I have a very hard time being in situations that are crowded (big concerts, big road races…bars) and I also have a very hard time facing new situations.  Not the whole “oh no so and so are judging me, but I’ve had panic attacks because of it). 

So many questions I asked myself on the drive up…Would I make friends?  Would I still be close to my old friends?  Would I sit in my room and cry because I was all alone? Would I find things to do?  The list that went through my mind last summer was endless.

But let’s start from the very beginning of my internship yes?

I made it to Oswego and when my dad (who drove up with me) and I finally located my room, they had absolutely no records or idea of who the heck I was.  So I sat there for about 15 minutes crying and in a near panic attack before calling my boss to get help.  I was already stressed from driving but the fact that I might not be able to move in was really overwealming. 

 

My boss was more than helpful and I moved all my stuff in.  Then dad and I were on our way back to the airport to drop him off in the morning. 

For those of you who don’t know, I’m extremely close with my family and leaving again in the fall was extremely difficult for me.   The more I seemed to get through college, the harder it seems to get.  I thought it was supposed to be a reversal here.  My dad has driven up with me to college or Oswego the 90% of the time that I make that drive from upstate to VA or vice versa.

The first semester work wise was great.  I worked on pretty cool projects and learned a lot more about public/community health then I did in my courses.  Not to say I hadn’t learned much in my courses but the real world is far more inclusive to learning things in the field.  I worked on various topics dealing with mental health (the suicide prevention walk) as well learning what exactly it meant to be a health promotions coordinator on a college campus.  It was far more overwhelming at some points than others but I truly enjoyed it.

The Walkers beginning the actual walk! 450 coming!

The Walkers beginning the actual walk! 450 coming!

After finishing clean up and 9 hours later...it's nap time. It was a long process but well worth it and we raised around 20,000 dollars.

After finishing clean up and 9 hours later…it’s nap time. It was a long process but well worth it and we raised around 20,000 dollars.

They played a great prank on me with getting an early 90s computer.

They played a great prank on me with getting an early 90s computer.

I ran the Turning Stone half marathon...because...well why not...nothing better to do

I ran the Turning Stone half marathon…because…well why not…nothing better to do

 

Also during first semester, I dealt with a foot injury that prevented me from running.  That in itself sent me into an extreme spiral due to the amount of training and also the suspected heights I was going to achieve collegiately.  Let’s be honest here my life is comprised of family and friends, work and my hobbies (which right now is running).  Taking out 1/3 of my life was a big deal and it felt like the countless 90 mile weeks I had logged were absolutely for nothing.

Enjoy this X ray of my foot

Enjoy this X ray of my foot

 

What if’s can be played here, but it gave me more time to focus on other aspects of my life. (edit: I’ve only come back stronger from my bootleg injury so honestly I have no regrets…plus I made some serious great friends in the gym…I’m looking at you SARAH!)

 

I can type my foot injury casually now, but just know combined with being in a new area and not many friends at the time, it was a very rough period for me.  I called my parents crying several times…thank goodness they were always there to listen.  

I made friends my first semester with coworkers, was able to see some of my friends that lived in the area and for the most part was doing okay.  There were still times I sat at home on a Friday, Saturday and Sunday night but I was fine with that.  As a more introvert and someone never really into the college scene in college it wasn’t a big change there.  I didn’t want to go to the bar scene and so relaxing at night kind of was my thing.

Aren't we fun.

Aren’t we fun.

When the time came for what I was doing in the Spring, I had absolutely no idea.  I had looked and applied for several jobs and hadn’t heard much back.  I tried to stay focused and determined but it seemed like nothing was working.  My original plan had been move back to VA after the semester and look for jobs there, but I was lucky enough that I could stay and work in Oswego for another semester buying me time to continue looking for jobs (which for those of you who don’t know or are still in college…it’s not streamlined and you will be 100% frustrated.).

Then in November, everything seemed to click…you can go back and read about my long winded whines regarding my cyst but I was able to run the final collegiate cross country race.  It seemed like things were clicking again and I began my long journey to gaining back my running fitness…that really I never lost in two months.

As proven here when I didn't run for 2 months due my cyst and then ran a 24 minute 6k...

As proven here when I didn’t run for 2 months due my cyst and then ran a 24 minute 6k…

Oh and duh I got to see Tim for the first time in four months.  That was a good Thanksgiving.

timmewaterbuffalo

So mid December I left Oswego for the Winter break and went back home.  I was excited to spend a month off and hanging out down south but knowing I was coming back in the Spring to work again.

Tomorrow I’ll post more about Spring as this is wordy.

Questions for you:

Have you ever moved somewhere completely new, not knowing anyone?

Do you scrapbook?

I feel like my blog is a collection of my scrapbooking, as well as facebook (considering I have 3000+ photos)

Running Coaches

By Posted in Reads, Running, Training Tagged , , , , , 45 Comments

I posted a while back (probably about a year ago) about my thoughts on coaching and people having coaches.  Long story short, as a collegiate runner at the time, I thought it was great.  Coming from a cross country team that I was NOT forced to do track workouts and NOT forced to make a certain weight or compete inner team like…I full enjoyed the laid back appeal of my coach.

Hard to believe this was 6 months ago...

Hard to believe this was 6 months ago…and one week into cyst recovery

OH the joys of running D3.  Honestly, though I still keep in pretty good contact with both my college coaches and they inspired me to keep running after college.  This post isn’t about giving them all the credit they deserve though, because that would take a few thousand words.

This post is about why I do not think everyone and their mother needs a coach. To me personally, it seems like everyone talks about their coach and how their coach forces you to run harder…you never would have made it out there without HIM (please comment if you have a female coach because I’m curious to find someone who does).  I often feel when I say I’m at the point where I’m uncoached on my blog, people don’t get it.

Well why don’t you have a coach?

Because I’m improving right now without one…because I don’t need external motivation to go out in run…I run almost every morning with no coach telling me…Hollie go run this morning.

I’m not doing speed workouts and even if I was…there are plenty of sources to tell me what goals I need to hit my dreams.

I’m not saying every person should not have a coach. Caitlin and I are on the same boat with this…I think elites obviously should.  I think high schoolers/collegiate obviously should…their running is much different than those going to road races for a good time (ie: me).

I do not think for the average runner that it is necessary to further your running career by having a coach.  I think running basically boils down too: if you train smart and run more…you will improve.  If you aren’t improving, maybe then it’s time to look for a coach.  (or maybe it’s time to change your training first).

If you have a coach, that’s great and I’m happy for you.  If you have an exact mileage, speed you need to be hitting daily with no room for change and thrive off that…well great.

For me I need the flexibility to start off every run, not knowing exactly how far or fast I’ll go.  I wouldn’t mind having a coach but I am not obsessivly looking for one nor do I feel incomplete without one. 

Questions for you:

Do you have a coach?  Do you want a coach?

Mud In Your Eye Cross Country 5k (19:43)

By Posted in Running Tagged , , 47 Comments

I had mentioned last Sunday that I had done a cross country 5k.  (Did I mention how long the title was? I had actually run this course before (in the summer) and ran a 20:21.  Six months (and a large cyst) later I ran it in 19:45.  All good.  It is a completely cross country course (I ran in spikes). 

I love any excuse to run in spikes.  I’ve been doing most of my runs on as much trail and grass as possible.  I used to believe that pavement was the best and I wouldn’t run on anything else.  It took me a very long time to truly love running on dirt, mud and grass.  Moving on.

I had no idea how this race would go because my blood sugars had been seriously out of whack prior and I hadn’t really been running a lot.  As well as I had two back to back pretty decent 8 mile runs which meant my legs were pretty tired.  Meaning, I just wanted to enjoy myself in the race.  (but when do I not?)

We all lined up on the grassy null behind the prison and were off.  There were a lot of high schoolers at this race because it is a certified high school and collegiate (though not sure if they use it for that) cross country course.  They thrive off this course since they spend a season…or four just running this course over and over again.

Anyways, we all lined up ready to go.  I immediately saw the percentage of high schoolers at the front compared to normal road races.  Such a different crowd, so I knew the competition would be tough.  (then of course the ones that die off after 1k) And the high school age boys…would be…well themselves and slightly creepy.

So with that we started and I was probably pretty far back (maybe 30th?).  I felt pretty strong and started with the hilliest mile at 5:53.  I tend to run my races conservative and would rather be too slow (for me) then too fast die and cry through the race.  I’d rather run 5:5X and not be dead then 5:4X and die…but that could also be a mental block.

When I realized I felt pretty good (which surprised me) I noticed there was one other female in front of me.  So I began my tunnel vision.  So with that, I started to crank out the next two miles (through the mud) with a 6:27 and 6:13 and took over first for females.

I finished chasing after an 11 year old boy (Is that weird to say I’m chasing after someone born in 2002!) but alas I couldn’t catch him.  I’m pleasantly surprised and happy with this race.

Dad and I post race

Dad and I post race (I don’t think I could look more awkward)

Questions for you:

What is your favorite terrain to run on?

How would you feel chasing an 11 year old LOL?

(in his defense he is an incredible athlete and a very sweet kid).

Opening Up About My Injury Part 1

By Posted in Reads Tagged , , , 30 Comments

Since September 10, 2012, I’ve wanted to write this post.  I’ve wanted to talk about how I’m finally becoming uninjured.  Though I did not know it, September 9 was when I broke the bone in my foot fueling the cyst in my foot and making me have a double unrelated running injuries in my foot.   

I want to say that I haven’t exactly been the best at explaining things nor did I want to broadcast my foot issues on the internet.  Especially because my injury did not deal really deal with running and I could have 10 bizillion people giving me advice when they knew barely anything of my issues.  It was just the sad event that everything came into place in the once area of my body I didn’t need to be injured…

My foot.

Two weeks prior to my fracture, I had been having weird issues.  My leg and foot was tight and never really felt that great.    It felt injury provoking so I talked to my coach, cut down my miles and analyzed what was going on.  We thought it was probably a mild case of plantar fasciitis, so I did anything you do to treat that, cut miles, ice stretch and it seemed to tame down except when I was running…I raced twice and both times pain surged during my race and then was done as soon as I was done running.

September 9th, I did a long run (at that time) of 10 miles.  The first two miles were not pretty then the pain seemed to clear up.  I finished the last 8 easily and then went around my merry way.  I thought the pain had cleared up.

Not that I had broken a bone in my foot.  My muscle had ripped off my bone a few days prior and therefore had more run to chill…and therefore wasn’t tight anymore.

OH and therefore had created a small crack in my bone. 

A crack that if it had been less then a millimeter lower would have resulted in a Jones fracture (which takes about a year…and surgery…to heal).

So when the doctor looked down at my foot and said…swollen and bruised, bet you broke it, I was pretty smug.  Still I got the MRI done and figured it was a bruise at the worse…after all since then I had run 2 more ten milers and it had not hurt but just felt like a bruise.

My heal was still pretty tight, but now I was worrying about my pinkie toe.  At this point I wasn’t running at all and hoping a few days would allow the bruise to clear up.  I could have run on it but I thought running now is counterproductive…why not wait a week when the bruise was healed.  So I ellipticalled, I iced and even got a deep tissue massage.

I remember the conversation I had when the doctor called me very clearly, I was being “good” and cross training on the elliptical.  I had begged them to call with my MRI results several times before the weekend and he did.   He said the daunting news that sent me into a tailspin.

You do have a small bone crack Hollie and it is best that you don’t run for 6-8 weeks.

I had always heard of rumors of runners being able to run on broken bones but thought…how on earth could they run on something broken and not realize it?  How on earth could someone be pregnant and not realize it?  I would have never thought that I had a broken bone when I finished a 10 mile run in little to no pain.

So on September 14, I watched in the gym as my entire senior year of cross country went away.  The year I had spent 10 months training for.  The year I was going to nationals.  I had the small crack in my bone, and I had the weird heel pain that we still thought to be plantar fasciitis, who knew the issues that I would later be told is giant cyst the size of a golf ball in my heel.

Stay tuned for the multiple parts.

XC Invite 2 (19:47)

By Posted in Running Tagged , , , 14 Comments

Obviously today is September 11th.  It is mentally challenging day to our Country.  I know a lot of bloggers like to talk about where they were and how they felt.  Although I did know a few people who were lost, and my father knows even more, I want to keep slightly on a more upbeat track.

Hmm.  Well cross country race number 2 I done in the books.  It’s hard to say it wasn’t my best because it was a PR in Cross country…however, I had to race it slightly injured. Judging from my road races, I should be a bit faster. I say slightly injured  because well I don’t have a serious injury-just some nagging pain. 

Moving on, the race was actually held at the school I’m interning at-making it super convenient.  I literally just had to walk about a mile to meet my team.

Moving on, I warmed up with my coach and I wasn’t feeling that great (cutting miles doesn’t work for me…without regards to injury) and so taking a plummet in miles for injury healage,-I knew my race was not going to feel great.

When we lined up in our respected boxes…it started pouring rain.  Honesty it was forecasted all day and the wind was showing that it would…so when it starting pouring at the start…I wasn’t shocked or surprised.

The first 1m, I was in third place.  Keeping up with some girls that will be nationally recognized this year (because they are so fast).  But alas, that pace was entirely too fast for me.  Though my first mile was a 6:05, the race conditions (ie pouring rain and super windy) made that pace really hard.  Plus cross country races.that makes that super hard to begin with.   Long story short, I needed to slow down.

From the first 100 meters, I was pretty boxed in

Mile two was a essentially circling a large field which I run in a lot.  By this point it was a large mud pit and I honestly looked for every excuse to mentally check out of this part of the race.  I ended up getting passed by a large pack of females somewhere in this time too.  It was mentally hard for me to handle.  With the wind, no spectators and being passed it was my least favorite part of the race.  (mile 2 was a 6:25 mile)

With mile 3, I just held on for dear life. There were a few rolling hills and I was dying.  I knew I was almost done  and I felt like death.   I just kept convincing myself I was almost done..for the entire mile.  (It worked somewhat).

I finished the race in 19:47.  I was outkicked in the final stretch by someone…which pretty much stinks because I got 11th…and top 10 got shirts.  Oh well, I’m not any more injured then starting the race and my coach thinks he has solved the problem (now to just do said things and hope that my heel feels better!).

Question for you:

  1. 1.       Do you like exercising in the rain?

I don’t mind it now.  In the winter (or 40 degrees) it stinks.  Freezing rain is MUCH different then warm rain.

  1. 2.       Have you ever ran injured?

Let’s not play games here, I know everyone that runs has run at least one run where they have felt some niggling pain.  I would love to take a week or two off but sadly, that isn’t really going to happen.