Food and Fitness for Living Better

I found a new thing recently and I’ve been LOVING it: run club. I know, I know, these have been blowing up everywhere recently according to social media. This group might be one of the originals though, before they were cool. I didn’t run with them back then, but after hearing a few weeks in a row at yoga that these people are running 10 miles in the morning and then going to yoga too, I was excited! I might have inserted myself into their conversation to start hearing more about it and casually introduce myself as a runner too… and it paid off! I’ve been running with them since March of this year. 6am is the typical start time, which was a bit of a shock to my system but overall good for my discipline. I was sure to tell them that it was the earliest I had ever run in my life (considering that high school cross country summer workouts started at 7am)! And the first time I ever ran with a headlamp, which was cool. 

The pros: 

• VO2 max went up in a few weeks from running faster. I had dropped to 48 after finishing my marathon training last year, but went back up to 49 in early June after a couple months of run club. 
• Average speed got faster because I didn’t want to drop all the time. I was averaging 11-12 minute miles, and was able to hold on to some 9:30 to 10 minute mile runs. I’m still happier at 10-11 minute pace for my long efforts, but hey that’s a whole minute drop! 
• Racing / tempo running more often. There’s a local race series called Roxbury Races, where you meet at a local park and have a designated route, and even get a chip timer. $30 for the whole year is a pretty good deal in my books. 
• Mileage increased significantly. Last year I averaged 52 miles per month, and this year am averaging 74 miles per month! 
• People to sign up for races with. More on that below  
• Fitness community is my ideal. I always said I’d prefer to have social exercise, like friends going to yoga class or going on a run with a friend. Here it is!! 
• Breakfast afterward fills me up in so many ways. It’s community, it’s food, it’s fuel, it’s coffee with friends, it’s soul warming. 

The cons: 

• Very difficult in the beginning to readjust my pace. I didn’t want to drop all the time, so I huffed through it, but it was painful at times to be honest. 
• 6am start means 5:15 wakeup, which is earlier than I do for work! But hey, discipline is good. 
• Hard to run alone on longer runs. I was surprised that a random 6 mile run I did alone felt so HARD, but then I realized I hadn’t done that long of a run alone in weeks since finding this run club. 

My favorite Friday morning now is to wake up to run a lap around Lake Waramug and then go for breakfast at a nearby café. A 6am start means we’re done running and stretched by 7:30, then breakfast as long as I want, and usually home to shower and start my work day by 9am. It is lovely and the community aspect to it fills my heart.

Another favorite I discovered is having the group to sign up for races with. I hosted a little pizza party the night before a race in the spirit of carbo-loading. My now husband was practicing making pizzas for our wedding rehearsal cookout, and the running friends were happy to come over to enjoy some pizza and beers before the race. A couple tequila shots were poured as a little extra fun. The next day during the race, everyone who had a tequila shot the night before placed in their age group! It was a funny reminder to enjoy life and celebrate the little moments.

With the practice and extra miles of running with this group, I’ve gotten pretty good at placing in my age group! I finished 1st for 30-39 females. I questioned if that was because of a small field, but there were 8 or 9 other women in my age group, so I’ll take it! 

Next up, I have my sights on placing in the overall for females. It’s happened once before and hopefully happens again if I continue progressing in my running. Maybe even one day I can channel my inner Courtney Dauwalter and beat everyone including all the boys!