It's All In My Head (And In the Training): Tough Mudder Report Part 3

I lost count after seven, but here are some of the more memorable obstacles from Tough Mudder ATL. (Notice the lack of photos-this was due to neither of us having a GoPro (next time, bruh) and starting in a fairly late wave. We've got some fabulous photos of our finish!)

Photo Courtesy of Tough Mudder

Skidmarked, a wall slanted at about a 45 degree angle TOWARDS you was one of the first real walls to climb over. Unless you could jump of your own accord, grab the top and hoist yourself over, you would need help. Another mudder and I hoisted Rebecca up first. I lent a hand or two to others before I asked for help getting myself up.

I asked for help.

This is a fairly new concept for me. I don’t like asking anyone for help until I’m in dire need of it, and often it’s too late. This Tough Mudder thing was an exercise in doing just that, and willingly accepting it early on in the process.

So two people gave me a leg up, and then slowly I was able to lift myself over the wall. I felt like the queen of the world. My arms and legs felt strong. Our training had paid off. Rebecca and I had worked for this, to be able to conquer precisely this.  I climbed down to the tire buffer in the middle of the wall, and jumped down, this time landing successfully on my two feet. Rebecca and I high-fived, helped a few other people over the wall and went on to test our new-found strength and confidence on other obstacles.

Photo Courtesy Of  Tough Mudder

There was the Pyramid Scheme, a slippery wall with nowhere to grip. One had to literally climb on top of and over people to reach slippery, outreached hands at the top. It took me a bit longer to muster up the confidence to use actual human bodies for climbing (like say, toddlers do), but I did it with help from people at the top and bottom. I’m not a crier, but after worrying that after all of everyone’s efforts I still wouldn’t be able to reach the top, I felt enormous relief when I did—and the waterworks were ready and willing to spill without any input from me.

Balls to the Wall, Liberator, and Chunky Monkey were three obstacles that required superior upper-body strength, excellent grip, and patience with oneself. Although I tried—and it is quite possible that I did NOT leave everything on the field—I did not get over the two walls. At Chunky Monkey, I froze with fear at the top of the platform, knowing that I probably would fall into the water right away. I felt like one ledge-dive was enough for a day but I would be back to test my non-existent prowess at a later date. 

Photo Courtesy of Tough Mudder

The Liberator required you to insert pegs into holes, lift yourself up to the next level of holes with legs on slanted (not in your favor) notches on the side walls, liberating yourself from any traces of hubris. Chunky Monkey was a supersized version of the my childhood monkey bars, only it required swinging from pole to pole using momentum and strength from your hips and core. Rebecca and I were late in practicing our hip taps while hanging, so this will be one to try again, next time!

Balls to the Wall required rope-climbing against a wall, with deceptively helpful knots spaced at intervals just out of reach for simple climbing. This was another obstacle that required teamwork. I attempted it once, took a break to observe other folks, and then tried again, getting a bit higher the second time. I thanked the folks at the top who held on to me as I contemplated trying one more time to swing my body higher. Then I dropped back down. I started to realize that my biggest issue is not necessarily a lack of strength, rather it is not know which muscles to engage and how to engage them. 

I’m looking forward to attempting all three of these again after doing some more work on grip strength, pull-ups, hip flexibility and utilizing momentum to propel myself forward--basically everything!  I’m know that I will do better next time, knocking out some more of these babies, and proving to myself that it really is all in my head (and in the training)! 

Next up: Final TOUGH MUDDER POST!

On the Precipice: Rebecca's Tough Mudder (GUEST POST)

My heart pounded in my ears as I looked at the bar a seemingly unfathomable distance away.  I was standing at the top of the rise of the King of Swingers, one of the obstacles I have been dreading the most in the Tough Mudder. I have a HUGE fear of heights, and now I was 12 feet off the ground looking at a foot-wide bar I was supposed to leap out and grab.  It took me a couple of tries, but I sprung out over the abyss......

Hanging/Pull-up Practice

When my hands made contact with the bar, and I felt my solid grip carrying me smoothly through the air, I let loose a rebellious cry that lasted the whole swing.  Even more terrifying was the drop after I let go: I closed my eyes and waited to hit the water.  It felt like forever and I became afraid the water wasn't there: someone had moved it, I was about to hit the ground, I was falling through outer space.

The shock of hitting the water was electrifying, and I suddenly remembered my body and started swimming for the surface.  As I broke through another scream ripped through the air, and language came back to me.  "I can't believe I f**king did that!" was my mantra as I swam for the rope netting to escape.

For me, this was the core of the Tough Mudder experience.  Overcoming my fears, challenging myself when I thought I couldn't do any more, and pushing myself to do as much as I could.  This was not the messiest obstacle, but the ones like it requiring upper body strength were the ones I was most challenged by and made me feel the most powerful when I completed them.

There were many other obstacles, such as the Liberator, where you are climbing a wall with pegs in your hands and notches under your feet, or the affectionately names Balls to the Wall, climbing a wall using a knotted rope, where the amazement at reaching the top was immediately replaced by the anxiety of how to get over and back down again.  The pride and accomplishment once again took over as soon as my determination brought my feet back down to the ground.

A great thing about the Tough Mudder was the sense of camaraderie on the course.  The inspirational speech at the beginning included talk that everyone would be your teammate by the end, and it was very true. Without my teammate Mirna and so many other helpful people on the course, I would not have accomplished half as much.  Strong arms hoisted me over the lip of Everest on my second attempt, I conquered the Pyramid by using someone else's shoulders as a ladder rung, and even Balls to the Wall had a volunteer scrambling (with ease) up the back side to talk me through getting over the top. When I thanked the helpers for their assistance, the reply was, "you got over it because you wanted to."

Wind-sprints practice--up Mirna's driveway hill

The combination of training and teamwork was really amazing.  Mirna and I had been weightlifting and doing various forms of prep since February.  It all came together as I reached for waiting slimy hands to grab to get out of mud pits, but then amazing the same men ready to hoist me out as I set a foot as solidly as possible in the muck and set leg and arm strength in motion to get myself out, with their leverage being the final push.  Each time I felt that much more powerful. Helping others was wonderful as well, knowing my training could help pull someone else up the Pyramid after I had been hoisted to the top, and I was part of the team assisting others to success.

As we ran from obstacle to obstacle, Mirna and I lost all sense of time, living in the moment.  We reflected on what went well, what we would need to work on for our next attempt, and just the beauty of the landscape around us.  We met some that were concerned with their time, some who were painting designs on themselves and their clothes, some who danced or flapped like birds as they traveled, and some who ran Everest multiple times for the thrill, the fun, or to help someone out.

Finished!

For those who say, "That's crazy! Why on earth would you want to do that?" (especially running through live wires at the end), my answer is this: There are few times I have felt more alive, at peace, and in touch with the amazing things my body can do.  Throughout my life I have struggled with weight fluctuations, body image issues, and overall negativity and self doubt.  The Tough Mudder this weekend, and all the prep that went into it, have brought me a long way on my journey of empowerment and taking control of my life.  I am so proud of all I accomplished, and can't wait to challenge myself again. I want the victory cry as I emerged from the water pit, and the bellow I let loose as I picked myself out of the mud after passing the last 10,000 volt wire, to be the sound my life makes moving forward.

Follow Rebecca on Instagram!

Not the Queen of The Swingers: Tough Mudder Part 2

I got on the ground, assumed a rolling position to protect the ladies,2 and gingerly but ungracefully made my way across the fifteen yards or so of the obstacle. That was easy.

I realized that as long as I didn’t freak out and as long as I didn’t make any stupid jerky movements I would be ok. This sentiment along having successfully hurled my heavy body over the unexpected baby wall at the beginning would set the stage for the entire event.  The obstacles may have been scary or overwhelming to look at, but when I acknowledged my fear, shook its hand and pushed it away, I was mostly able to accomplish whatever task awaited.

There were just about twenty obstacles on the course, and each section it seemed was progressively more difficult and less single-athlete-friendly (although there are a bunch of folks who are absolute superstars at OWNING the obstacles, many of us would require help.. Many would require teamwork to get over, under, or through them).

I won’t bore you with the details of each obstacle, though NONE of the them were boring. In fact, every obstacle had a different challenge. Most were physical, but there were certainly some in which you had to engage your brain, letting go of whatever self-doubts were holding you back, and then use your physicality to succeed.

Out of 20 obstacles, I managed to completely skip only two obstacles; I was not able to complete four of them, but I tried earnestly to do so and will keep trying until I am able to master each and every one of them. 

NOT The Queen of the Swingers: The one obstacle that gave me nightmares....

What I had been most afraid of was the King of the Swingers. I have no problems with height. I also have no problem with swimming. But jumping off a 12 foot high platform with murky water at the bottom and having to simultaneously grab onto a swing seemed impossible, and well…scary. I’ve NEVER dived off of anything. I love swimming. I adore water. Heck, I’m always the one they had to force out of the water during family trips to Rockaway Beach in NY. I love water that much. And heights? We’re best friends. I love being on top of a cliff, or or knob or ledge leaning over, looking death straight in its eyes. But something about the combination of the two gave me very vivid, anxiety dreams leading up to when I was actually standing on the platform waiting my turn. Is there a logic statement that makes sense for this? If p and q then z? If q then not p then r but not r or p then k? I dunno.

One woman approached the ledge, took a few breaths and decided not to do it. I can’t do this, I just can’t. Her team tried desperately to encourage her, gently but insistently. She declined their valiant efforts.

Would that me, I asked myself? Will that be me too? Highly possible.

When fear and anxiety take over, I morph into this quiet, laser-focused, person.  

It was my turn. I thought about letting the guy manning the obstacle at the top keep counting the others in until I was ready. But then he said, possibly sensing my incredible angst, look at the swing, don’t look down, and jump. Your instinct will take over.

I bent my knees a little and tamped down the rest of any errant fears that remained. I jumped. I don’t remember being in the air or hitting the water, but I do recall vividly being underwater for a few seconds, wondering if I was dying, then forcing myself to relax completely.

I didn’t know which way was up, but hoped that my body would know which way to float. Eventually, I broke the surface of the water and doggie-paddled tentatively as my heart rate slowed down, and then freestyled it over to the other side. I coughed, having swallowed some water, but I was not dead. I did not die.

That Escalated Quickly: Tough Mudder ATL Part 1

Morning preparations for the the BIG DAY at the hotel. I ended up not using the hydration pack or the Tailwind. 

After arriving at Mudder Village, a bustling but temporary town of crazy folk, some of whom where inexplicably dirty and zombie-like, Rebecca and I signed in, handed in our death waivers, and picked up our permission-to-imbibe wristbands, we settled in for a bit at the Merrell tent and chatted with shoe and product geniuses Eric and Jon. Nervous energy coursed through our entire bodies. Neither Rebecca nor I could believe that we were actually there, about to begin what had seemed impossible and highly loony just a few months ago. 

Before we set out for the warm-up zone to hang with Coach T. Mud, we caught up with Melissa from Tough Mudder Headquarters (TMHQ) for some live streaming. Catch me and Rebecca from 2:52-8:24



After our live streaming we headed over to Coach T. Mud's warm up zone, where he energetically took us through some dynamic stretches and movements including butt kicks, arm circles,  his signature HIP GYRATIONS, for, um flexibility.  

And then we moved on to the start area, ever so close to dying (or so I thought).

Well, that escalated quickly, like LITERALLY.

This was the first thought in my head was this after we had finished listening to the gorgeous tall, dark, and handsome solider deliver his pre-Tough-Mudder-experience motivational words of wisdom in an authoritative but soothing baritone to this squirming and excitable group of adults. We were of all sizes and shades, in all manner of athletic attire--and after standing up, putting our trembling hands over our hearts, saluting the American flag and singing the Star-Spangled Banner in a key that was too low but too high, we were off!

Driving into Mudder Village

The first not-even-official obstacle required hurling oneself over a wall. I panicked for a few seconds until my training buddy and only other team member, Rebecca, pointed out that there was a shorter wall, with pegs nailed into it to facilitate climbing. 

WHEW. Oh, I got this.

I climbed over the wall, which stood about 6 feet high, and promptly fell, body-slamming heavily into the (thankfully) deep bed of wood-chips on the other side. I popped up immediately. 

All clean and nice-smelling beforehand

I'm okay. I'm okay! 

Then Rebecca and I were off for real.

We quickly entered the forest on the property of Bouckaert Farms, a fancy horseback-riding outfit with stalls cleaner than any room in my house.  We decided to keep an easy pace, even though we were experienced long-distance runners with many hundreds of miles on our legs. We expected the obstacles to eventually tire us out and sowanted to make sure we had enough left in the tank for those that would require not only mental energy, but huge bursts of physical strength. 

The weather was perfect--the day was sunny and stunning. This property, in the midst of one of the more beautiful areas in Fulton County, was well maintained and groomed, with just the right amount of horse-farm whimsy to keep us on our toes. The trails were pristine, well-trodden, and surrounded by trees in the throes of mid-spring renaissance. We ran and hiked up hills for about a mile until we reached our first official obstacle.

I decided at this point that there was no way in hell I would try to remain unsullied by the mud, because I knew that if there was one thing to worry about, it wasn’t getting dirty. I’m used to dirt, mud, falling, slipping, and losing my balance multiple times during trail races—so this was not new to me (and besides I had already had my first fall). What was new, however, was having to travel under a low-lying sheet of barbed wire that left very little room for mistakes. And when was the last time I’d had a tetanus shot? Hmmm—don’t remember. Don’t mess this one up, Mirna. Don't fucking mess up.

I GOT COACHIFIED!

The next few posts will be about TOUGH MUDDER!!!! I finished my first TM in Atlanta last weekend and I'm so stoked to be part of the Tough Mudder Legion. Can't wait for my next one!

This whole Tough Mudder business began in Mid February when I was asked by the folks at Merrell if I had any interest in doing one. I said "Yeah, sure" faster than my brain could stop the foolishness of my mouth (believe it or not, sometimes that happens...I know, right?)

 Turns out I made a pretty fantastic choice.

Hanging with Coach T Mud in Piedmont Park, Atlanta for the Tough Mudder Training event in March

A few months ago I had an enormous opportunity as a Merrell Global Ambassador to get COACHIFIED by Kyle Railton, AKA Coach T. Mud. Not only is Kyle the amazing motivator and face of Tough Mudder (what with his signature tight 80s ladies shorts, stacked TM headbands and hard-as -a-rock sculpted legs (and arms and everything else), but he is a gem of a human being who truly believes in the spirit of working steadily towards a goal, working as a team, and engaging in general badassery on a daily basis. I had a blast (albeit a DOMS blast) having him train me on already tired legs and arms for my first Tough Mudder. Here is the full length video from our Coachified session!

Stay tuned  this week for more on my spectacular experience!

RAINN RUN

This is a cause I can get behind.

Laurel crossing the finish line!

On Saturday May 21, will you consider running the virtual version of the third annual Lace Up 4 RAINN 5k? It is in support of survivors of all forms of sexual violence.  RAINN, which stands for Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network is the nation's largest anti-sexual assault organization sponsors this event as a major fundraiser for its activities, education, and action. It is listed at one of the 100 best charities in the US by Forbes Magazine.
Laurel, a survivor of sexual assault, is taking part in the event! “I run to remind myself of how strong I am and how resilient the human heart is."  You can join Lauren by registering HEREand using discount code "MIRNA" for $10 off before May 2nd! 

Khadija getting stronger and stronger everyday!

Khadijah, another survivor says “I love staying active. I find that lifting weights and running helps with my depression and anxiety."  Many survivors use running as a way to heal after trauma. You can get active yourself by registering here with discount code "MIRNA" for $10 off before May 2nd.
Hope you all will join in supporting our fellow human beings!

#mynature

Here is my first blogpost for the Merrell Ambassadors blog from the merrell.com page. This piece is important to me because it so clearly demonstrates that one's positive experiences with the outdoors during youth can be life-changing. 

My nature—

My first memorable experiences with the great outdoors were in good old, pre-hipster Brooklyn. The whole lot of us, brothers, sisters, cousins and friends on the block made a daily pilgrimage around our neighborhood in the summertime. After hopping from school to school for free lunch, and after stashing as many desserts as we could in my sister’s stroller, we would then settle in a nearby park and stay put for hours until it was time to head back home for dinner.

My cousin Eric and I would get bored after a while; there was only so much swinging and hanging from the metallic monkey bars one could do, so we usually ended up in one of the fenced off, grassy areas of the park, digging for worms and whatever other treasures we could find. Once we found peanuts and imagined we were in West Africa, where peanuts are called groundnuts. Other times we’d only find worms, trying to lay them out in straight lines on the grass, but for some reason it never worked. They’d wriggle and wriggle, and we’d laugh and laugh, rolling in the patch of grass surrounded by metal and concrete, the squeaks of rusty swings and the smell of metal, dirt, pavement and rubber assaulting our senses, filling us with life and filling our hearts.


My nature—

The summer of 1985 found me in a dark culvert, lit only by the dim headlamps that our two counselors wore as they guided twelve eight-year olds on a nighttime stream hike, our first evening at camp. For many it was their first time this far away from home, and the first time living in a place where the only sounds at night were of crickets, far away thunderstorms, and occasional peals from other campers in their bunks across the quad. I had on brand new, too-heavy-for-my-feet work boots and cotton socks, jeans, and a t-shirt, not understanding yet why I was poorly dressed for our expedition into the damp unknown.

It was terrifying. Never had I imagined that I would be walking in a stream at night somewhere deep in the forest in Upstate New York with a bunch of other Brooklyn and Queens kids I didn’t know, and counselors from places like England, Ireland, and Scotland. We screamed and shouted, slipping on the smooth rocks, trembling and scaring ourselves into thinking that Bigfoot was right behind us. We held hands, hoping that if we were tethered to each other, somehow we wouldn’t be snatched by the Boogeyman, who was most definitely waiting for us at the end of the culvert.

At the end of the hour-long hike, we chided each other for being such scaredy-cats and promised we would never, EVER do anything like this again, because what were these crazy people thinking? But the bond formed was immediate, and I would forever think of those girls and boys whose names I have long forgotten whenever I cross a stream, or whenever it is dark in the woods.



As unsettling and new as this experience was, I became fascinated by the way it made me feel. Scared but exhilarated, fearful yet somehow energized, at peace and content—happy to have lived through this seemingly insurmountable and frightening task.

My nature—

When I am hunkered down in my tent up on Mt. Mitchell resting my feet on my dirty backpack after a long day in Pisgah,

When I am climbing up a rocky trail in the Chattahoochee National Forest, slipping on always-wet rock,

When I am home in Brooklyn and catch a whiff of the playground around the corner where monkey bars are now called jungle gyms and are made of plastic and colorfully coated metal,

When I come across worms doing their work in my fledgling and poorly maintained flower garden,

When I am running down a rooty hill on the Bartram Trail, only to get stung by angry yellow jackets,

When I smell wild onions running through a grassy meadow, or thyme high up in the Sierra Nevada in Spain,

When I sit on the stoop on a summer evening in Brooklyn, listening to cars, air brakes on elevated trains, people, shouts, sirens, kids…looking up at stars blurred by city lights, life.

This, is my nature.

All the Good Things

As you may have read on my Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook page, I have been traveling quite a bit over the past few weeks and I wanted to let you know of all the goodness that has been headed my way.

I've mentioned this before in a previous blogpost, but in case you've forgotten I recently became a Skirt Sports Ambassador captain, a global ambassador for Merrell (a subsidiary of Wolverine--you know, the parent company of Sebago, Sperry, Saucony, and CHACOS OMGGGGG), and a sponsored athlete for Swiftwick.

The fifteen months or so have been a whirlwind of opportunity, from TV appearances to a few really cool speaking engagements, to making a training video with Coach T. Mud for the Merrell Tough Mudder series and actually committing to doing one which will be on May 7. I am terrified.

But look at those legs tho...

In addition to being invited to run the the Shape/More Women's Half Marathon in NYC, I was also invited to run the NYC Marathon courtesy of CEO, Michael Capiraso in November (which I'll be doing the week after my FIFTH MARINE CORPS, BIOTCHES!)...I am so fortunate.

The third week of March found me in Grand Rapids, MI hunkering down (from the freezing lake effect snow) with professional mountaineers, climbers, an adventure racer who has his own TV show, a professional runner, a photographer and adventure leader who had just arrived from an epic trip to Chamonix, France where she shot footage and pics of two other ambassadors skiing and base-jumping. Then there was yours truly--someone who has had a little bit of media exposure for being a fat long-distance runner and whose longest run to date has been a 100K.
The energy was high, the immensity of outdoors and physical talent in the "brandroom" was overwhelming. We all had our feet professionally measured, learned the ins and outs of shoe design, development, and production, met with various leaders in the outdoor field, did a focus group, shared our goals and accomplishments, and enjoyed the company of like-minded folks.  I felt both energized and intimidated by these spectacular folk whose collective wisdom and experience in nature was something to be lauded.

Three weeks ago I was invited by Evans Clothing (based in the UK) to participate in a photo shoot highlighting several inspirational curvy women. I got to hang out with Callie Thorpe, blogger at From the Corners of the Curve and newly minted plus size columnist at Marie Claire UK. Also at the shoot were Brielle Cunningham, professional model, Hayley Hasselhoff--another pro model, Nadia Aboulhosn--model and designer who graced the latest cover of Women's Running Magazine (where my other blog resides), Jessica Clemmons--lead singer of the London-based contemporary country band, Jess and the Bandits, Alessandra Garcia Lorido--pro model, and Anna Shillinglaw--former model and founder of the modeling agency, Milk Management.

Nadia Aboulhosn, Women's Running Magazine Cover Model and me (in a bathrobe....) on set

If you know me, you know the only time I wear makeup is when I'm on stage performing--which as of late has not been very often. Mary Kay and I are occasional friends, and sometimes we let Covergirl join our circle. (BY THE WAY--HAVE YOU NOTICED THAT GABBY SIDIBE IS THE NEWEST COVERGIRL?????? WTG, Covergirl for striving to be more inclusive of all sizes and shades of body!)

SOOOO, Tuesday, April 26th launches the Evans body positivity campaign, #IAMME. Be prepared for some awesome photos, cool videos, and some other media coming from a pretty forward-looking company reinventing and revamping itself. I've already seen the 30 second video and CANNOT WAIT TO POST IT. I'm so excited. It was very cool to get all dolled up and step into the circle of professional models, if only briefly. Trust me--the trails were calling, but I ain't gonna lie, that shit was fun as hell.

Here is a sneak peak at my contoured face, complete with a non-unibrow(!) by unassuming and fantastically talented Natalia Bizinha, with hair by extraordinarily fabulous Kendall Dorsey.

Wow. Just wow. Will life become any more surreal? We'll see...

More/Shape Women's Half-Marathon: A Race For EVERYONE

Thanks to the fabulous folks at More/Shape Magazine headquarters, I got to run their beautiful, well-organized and uplifting half marathon this past weekend by invitation. I am so honored! Also, this was a chance to come back home to NY and do an actual race in Central Park, something I hadn't done since 1999. Just so you know, Harlem Hill has not changed ONE BIT.

At the start!

Women's running events are fast becoming more than a chance to get our movement on. For many the More/Shape Women's Half Marathon was a destination race. Not only is the location of the event in THE PREMIERE running city in the world (that is personal opinion that I'm pretty sure is backed up by actual facts...) that included a free Yoga for Runners event at Bloomingdales on Saturday morning, goodie bag included. Too bad I missed FREE YOGA and a Bloomies goodie bag. What???? Next time.

We started at the Naumberg Bandshell near 72nd and Central Park West, nearly 7500 women decked out in outfits ranging from minimalist performance-wear to tutus and tights. The energy was electric and eclectic. There were runners and walkers of all ages, many abilities, speeds, goals, shades, sizes, heights--you name whatever type of woman comes to mind when you say the word WOMAN and she was there. I was not surprised by the variety of folks at this event. An event that is invitational and embracing to all will draw well, everyone. 

Your friend was there. Your mom and her mom. Your sister was there. Your aunt and her neighbor she trained with were there. Those young women from Brooklyn were there. The two ladies who had just met in the last corral, each wanting an half-marathon PR were there, and they decided to run together and cheer on anyone and everyone else that passed them--calling them sexy, hottie, badass...

It must have been the first loop...still smiling. Gear notes: Pearl Izumi Road M2
shoes, Swiftwick Aspire socks, Skirt Sports Redemption capris in Free Love print,
Merrell Essential Half Zip, VSX Incredible Sports Bra, Torrid Bra Tank.

• Cassandra flew in from Detroit and was happy to share that she had been working on her health for a while and that she had done a bunch of half marathons! (She took one of my pictures)
• Andrea Figueroa from Puerto Rico was there to run with her best friend.
• Vivian Chacon from Miami was there to run with her sister for some much needed bonding since they live apart for most of the year.
• Joanna Haberts from California came to prove her badassery on the course after she lost significant weight over the past year.
• Machele Clark, a teacher and coach from upstate New York was there running with her mom.

In fact there were a lot of mom-daughter duos. Some moms were encouraging their daughters to keep moving. Some were being encouraged and motivated by their daughters. All of the pairs I encountered worked together to get it done. One pair in front of me, met up with their partner-dad about 10 miles into the race and dared him to try to get to the finish before they got there...a little friendly competition.

Almost everywhere in the park, and boy was it an amazing day to spectate--sunny, almost warm, perfect, family members and friends greeted us. Volunteers cheerfully (ok, most of them anyway) handed out water and gatorade, tried to keep the tourists on their Citibikes from crashing into us. Other volunteers in neon green vests kept the cyclists out of our lane; they also yelled out words of encouragement:

Only 5k to go!

That was your last Harlem Hill!

You just did that!

Just think of all the people that aren't even up yet!

This is the wine and cheese aid station! (Did someone say WINE?)

This event was gold. The organization, the course, the volunteers, the goodie bags, the shirts (okay, we should work on the shirts...maybe a slightly larger cut for those who don't want figure hugging shirts), packet pick-up, pre-race information...all excellent. There was even food left at the end for us slow folks. Good job SHAPE/MORE Magazine and NYRR. I'm impressed!

Approaching the finish

This race was first half marathon that I've done in a while in which I ran most of it with very short walking breaks. I didn't PR, but I did better than my last very hilly road half which was about 3:15. I'm aiming for under 3 before I start training in earnest for the NYC Marathon and I have a feeling I'll be able to do it! 

DONE!

I'm NOT addicted to running. It's just a hobby...

How do you know if someone is a runner? I mean, if you don’t already know, you might just be living on that new planet.

Here’s how you can tell if you’re not sure:

• Runners will chatter incessantly about which route is the hilliest or which road has the meanest dogs or which streets to avoid if you don’t want to have to pause your GPS watch

• Instead of lunch, they’ll do RUNCH and maybe have a smoothie and a bar afterwards (see below)

• Their social media is full of the following types of posts: selfies of them on the road, on the trail and on the ‘mill; inspirational quotes and pictures; descriptions of their runs; mileage; pace…

• They might disappear for hours on end, early in the day on Saturdays and Sundays and come back home sweaty, tired, grumpy—and happy.

• The closets of runners might actually have more running clothes than work or casual clothes. These clothes may or may not be organized by color, sleeve-length, season and technical-ness, The others may just be in a big pile in the middle of the floor. If you are married to a runner, find another closet.

Read more on my Women's Running Magazine Blog--

I ran with my son and it was awesome

There’s nothing I like better than running by myself. It is my me time, my thinking time, my time away from dealing with that thing called “adult-ing”—making critical life decisions, planning lessons, writing blog posts, listening to podcasts or just listening to myself breathe. 

In fact, I’m the first one to tell mothers to RUN FOR YOUR LIVES! Get away from the family, make sure you have some time to yourself and don’t feel guilty about it. Take a bath—alone. Use the bathroom—alone! 

I grew up in a family where women did and still do everything, many times to the detriment of their own health. For that reason, I am a fierce advocate of moms getting used to being alone with themselves and not having any qualms about it. If mommy is healthy and happy, chances are the family is too. That’s how I like to live my life.

Read the the rest on my Women's Running Magazine BLOG

The Fashionista That Wasn't

I'm no fashion maven.

In fact, over the course of my lifetime, people have showered me with COMMENTS about how poorly I dress, how I should do my hair differently, how I need to accessorize more, how I could maybe stand to wear more skirts, how I should swap out my comfy pumps for more flashy heels, and how I need an entirely different wardrobe for TV...shall I go on? No disrespect to the well-intentioned, but I think I'm good, though. 

The truth is, I've never cared much about how I look--as long as I'm clean, don't smell, my hair isn't matted, and most importantly, as long as I'm comfortable. It is said that how you present (clothes-wise) is important as it gives an impression of who you are. But I'd like to think that the degree to which I have comfort with myself is way more important than which shoes I wear. I'm finding as I get older, I care way less that most think I should and, well, I don't really let that stop me from meeting new people, seeking out new opportunities, and well, just being. I've got to use the limited space in my brain for other things. In fact, I know immediately if a workplace is not for me depending upon it's rules (both stated and unstated) for dress code.

I once worked as a paralegal, legal assistant, and translator for a couple of law firms in NYC, and I found that I just COULD NOT wear suits. They were constricting, expensive, and I thought, ugly. (This was back in the late 90s--there were still shoulder pads in a lot of things, and I like my shoulders to look like what they are, slanted and soft, without the added football-player look) Suits didn't represent who I was and I did not last in the legal profession (although I very briefly flirted with the idea of taking the LSATs, working in international law at a boutique firm, and then retiring early.) I also taught at a school in the city whose student uniform was so strict, it seemed to wrench any and all creativity from its individual students. That was not who I was or what I was about, so I didn't last there either.

Enter the whole running thing, and not only have my fashion interests been piqued, but I am actually open to considering color choices and matching footwear, but only as they pertain to athletic apparel. This may be because I could live in and be very comfortable in running clothes for the rest of my life.  I admit that I do push the envelope on our employee dress code at my current school, but I digress....

The truth is, these days there is a WHOLE NEW WORLD of athletic apparel for people my size and I wanna try all the things: long tights, shorts, capris, socks, tops, shoes, jackets (ok--actually, we still have a ways to go re: functional and fitting athletic jackets...), and accessories that help people do their workout without worrying about the previously dysfunctional fabrics and cuts that were reserved for queen/plus/women's...choose your euphemism 

I am fully embracing athletic apparel fashion, and I'm NOT talking about the whole ath-leisure thing that's being promoted on Facebooks by designers like Tory Burch. Because I am a complicated human, my non-care of how I look does not transfer into the running arena. I mean, I don't care what others wear, but I like to look the part, makes me feel like a BAMR.

Before we get into the spring/summer season and all of the amazing capris and shorts it entails, I thought I would pay homage to my favorite pieces this year. They're my faves because in addition to looking good (whatever that means) they feel good and WORK for the most part. For all of the serious jumping around, running, weight-lifting, and stretching that I do, I need real compression bottoms with waistbands that don't roll down and that hold a jiggly tummy in (because jiggling hurts), bras that support the ladies, tops that don't look like square tents (trust me, I LOVE tents--you know, the ones made for camping in the backcountry) and are well-cut/non-hiding/flattering, socks that don't cause toe chafing, shoes that comfortably fit big feet and Flintstone-like toes (some folks in my family used to call me Pebbles), and accessories that actually work around my waist or on my head or around my shoulders.

Here are some of my favorite functional and fashionable fitting athletic apparel made for us: ( I realize that my size 18/20 self does not represent everyone who is plus sized. Baby steps, y'all.) I will be updating my favorites as I test out more Skirt Sports and Merrell stuff in the coming weeks and months:

I love the above skirt/pants combo by Skirt Sports and I wear it a lot. For this girl that once said " I will never wear a running skirt," I stand corrected. These aren't even compression but they feel so good and fit so well and I never find myself having to pull them up. I also like the crazy print on the skirt. The half zip jacket is also by Skirt Sports and it's perfect for layering in the winter. It's not too thick but it is very warm when paired with a compression thermal top. The fingerless gloves are by my favorite knitting-runner, Rebecca at Bexter Designs. The handheld bottle is by Nathan. It's specially designed for keeping your hydration unfrozen. I don't remember which bra I was wearing this day.

Here I am in this skirt again at the right, this time with a different top on. I don't absolutely love the top for jumping and high intensity activities, but it's cute. It does tend to rollup when I am jumping, so if that's a concern, go with another one. (It's great for weightlifting, though.)

The next photo has me in tights from Breeze Activewear, a new company based in Florida. They sent me a pair of beautiful and bold tights a few months ago and I tested them out while running, yogaing, and walking my friend's dog. If you like your tights to be tight, these may run big so you should probably order a size down. The Breeze tights are perfect for a brisk walk, a short jog, and yoga. I didn't try them out while weightlifting, but I imagine they are functional for that too. I would not recommend them for endurance activities like long-distance running or walking. The seams are such that they will rub your skin raw (unless you coat yourself with Body Glide and Vaseline) on a long run or walk. Otherwise, they are great--and cute. Also, on top is that jacket from Torrid. Flattering and functional (unless it's actually cold out...) The shoes are Hoka Stinson 3. 

The Redemption Capri from Skirt Sports is probably my favorite pair of tights apart from the Under Armour Heat Gear Capri and The North Face GTD Capri--they are available in a variety of different  prints, like these in Safari print (the shoes are Hoka Mafate trail shoes)

and these in Free Love print--the shoes here are Merrell's new All Out Crush trail shoes, which felt great for the entirety of the Naked Bavarian Trail Marathon I DFL'd last weekend.

A note on the socks: they are Swiftwick and they are amazing. I have had nary a blister, ever, wearing them. That's pretty spectacular given how big and unwieldy (but STRONG AF) my feet are.

I know this post is full of Skirts Sports, but I really love that there is a company making REAL athletic wear for women like me who like their clothes to fit and be flattering. I shall be scoping out some other companies that do the job too.

So stay tuned friends!

Speed for the Slow Among Us

I'm slow, and I'm okay with this. I've always been a back-of-the pack kind of runner.

A note on slow running: Whether I'm running a 12 minute mile or a 14 minute mile, I'm still running. There is still a fraction of a second when both feet are are airborne, so this makes it running--not jogging, or that awful sounding contraction of walking and jogging (which is a word that should never, ever be used in my opinion) WOGGING. UGH!!! What an ugly word! Also, if you run, you are a runner. Give yourself some credit. Rant over.

Anyway, as I said, I'm OK with being slow BUT since I have the opportunity to run in the NYC Marathon this year, I'm actually going to work on getting faster. I don't mean the sub-four hour kind of faster, but the sub six hour kind of faster. In my job as a coach (and I'm a certified USATF Level 1 coach--BOOYAH!) it's easy for me to train young cross country runners to get faster. But now, I'll need to coach myself, using my training and experience to get ME to run faster. This is going to be interesting to say the least.

My 26.2 PR is 6:14 at the Steamtown Marathon in 2012, and that was only because the first eight miles were downhill. Otherwise, my road marathons tend to be in the 6:23-6:40 range and I'd like to get better.

My goal this year is 5:30. Lofty? Yes. Impossible? NO.

Well now this means I'm actually going to train... like actually do speed work.

I hate speed work with a passion, because why can't I just keep running SLOWWWWW?? Well, I could if I wanted to. But, I've always had the idea that if I could run NYC then I would PR in my hometown. Achieving a 5:30 has always been the goal for running through my five boroughs.

So I thought I would share what I've been doing to get faster--and it's working. I also wanted to share with this particular audience because if you've looked up any speed workouts online you'll find that the vast majority of them are unrealistic and seem impossible for the runner that is accustomed to doing a 15 minute mile or even a 12 minute mile. Like for example--I can't even start out at 9 minute mile pace to warm up because I can't even do a 10 minute mile. Catch my drift here?

I've been working on my speed once a week, and I'll probably up it to twice a week as I get into real marathon training in the early summer. I haven't chosen a training plan yet, but I want to make sure I'm ready for some more serious work when the early summer arrives.

Here's what a typical off-season week looks like for me this year. I happen to be doing a trail marathon (The Naked Bavarian, and NO, I will not be running naked...too many physical liabilities) this week so my long run will be 26.2, nice and "easy" and probably a little snowy:

M: Rest and recovery day/PiYo/Weightlifting

T: 2-4 miles easy (12-14 min pace, depending on the time of day and the KIND of day)

W: Weightlifting in the morning/2-4 miles in the evening

Th: 1-2 miles on the mill in the morning/anywhere from 3-6 miles of SPEED WORK (depending on where I am in training)

F: Weightlifting in the morning

Sa: 4-6 miles easy

Su: 8-20 miles long run-um, at whatever pace...

(For all of you Strava stalkers, I have not uploaded my treadmill runs (which have been many) yet. So, just saying...)

Speed work is all relative.  To me, it means faster, less comfortable running that I cannot sustain for a long period of time. I like to do my work on the treadmill so that I know exactly what pace I'm at.

When I say I do speed work, here are some examples of what I do after a one-mile warm up at an easy pace (for me that is a 12:30-13:30 mile). I always do a mile. That way, I know that I'm really warmed up. Some people might be able to start after a half mile of running. Find what works for you.

Fartleks:  at 5.0-6.5 (Fartlek is a Swedish word that means speed-play--so in essence you are playing with speed. You speed up when you're ready, and when you have exhausted yourself, you slow down. You can do this for a mile or for a few miles with walking/slow running breaks as long as you need them.

Repeats: this is the type of speed work in which you run fast for a period and let your heart rate come down almost completely.  This trains your fast twitch muscles to work--like to actually engage. I like to do repeats of .10-.25 miles at increasing speeds from 5.5-7.0 mph. At the upper end of that spectrum, I will do only two of those, because REALLY? In all seriousness, I'm working towards being able to do a whole quarter mile repeat at 7.0. I can dream, right?

Intervals: are much like repeats, but you don't let your heart rate recover completely. You go back out, still fired up and exhausted from the last interval. This trains your body (more specifically, your fast twitch muscles) to maintain relative speed. So this might look like exactly what's written above, with a 30 second rest in between each interval.

Tempo Runs: There's nothing I hate more than running fast for a long time when I don't need to, but tempo runs are really helpful for being able to do just that: running at a faster speed than you're used to for a long time. Again, you're training your fast twitch muscles to fire when you call upon them. For me a tempo run lasts for about 3.1 miles (at this point, maybe more in the near future). I use my 5K PR (which is 35:39, and 11:28/mi pace) and add 30 seconds to the pace and then do a 5k on the treadmill at a 12 min/mi pace. I actually know that I can probably do a faster pace than that, but that's my story now and I'm sticking with it! (I do have a goal of doing a 33 minute 5k before the end of the year, so I'll update you on that too)

In addition to interval work, I have also started a program of strength-training/cross-training three times a week, and WHAT A DIFFERENCE!

I'll talk about hill repeats (speed work in disguise) and track-work when I get actually get to them in my training. And maybe I'll even do some videos...

If you do speed work, HOW DO YOU DO IT? Share in the comments!