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World Record Marathon Holder in the 55–59 Age Group Jenny Hitchings’ Advice to Run Boston Strong

April 2, 2022 carmenmicsa Leave a comment

Boston 2021 was the fastest marathon in her career so far

Photo by the race photographers. Jenny Hitching crossing the Boston Marathon finish line, 2021

Whether you are a runner or not, there is a magic marathon revered and appreciated by many: Boston.

With the Boston marathon taking place on April 18th, 2022, let’s hear some wise advice from Jenny Hitchings, who lives in Sacramento, CA with her husband, Andy, and their dog, Mia. Hitchings is the world marathon record holder in the 55 to 59 age group.

“And now at 58, I am still getting faster and still running PRs. My time at the Boston Marathon on October 11th, 2021 of 2:45:32 was a lifetime PR. This is where people ask, how? I wish I had an easy answer that I could deliver in a box with a bow. But I don’t.” — Jenny Hitchings in an interview for Run in Rabbit blog

A five-time Age Group (55–59) American Record holder in various race distances and an Age Group World Record holder in the marathon, Hitchings is also a running coach for individuals, youth, and middle school cross-country. Besides her exciting running and coaching career, Hitching has two grown girls, Molly and Maggie, and is a newly crowned grandma to Olivia (Molly’s baby).

Hitchings’ advice on training and running a strong Boston marathon

Doing harder workouts within her long runs with her fast runner friends and teammates from SRA Elite team has helped her be well-prepared for Boston. Some of Hitching’s favorite workouts were: long runs with fast finishes to practice picking up the pace even though legs are feeling tired, progression runs where the pace starts slower and gets faster with every mile, as well as running GMP (goal marathon pace) tempos and longer GMP mile intervals, such as 3x 2, 2 x 3, 2 x 4.

2. Running many 20-mile runs, or longer. Occasionally, Hitchings tried to run on courses that mimicked the Boston course hills by starting on a slight 3-mile downhill and returning on the same hill around mile 16 to simulate the challenging Boston course. She also advises running on rolling hills to strengthen the quadricep muscles that need to help you transition in downhill and uphill running, which can also be done on trails.

3. Do NOT go out too fast, as Boston starts with downhill running. “If starting too fast or beyond what you know is reasonable, your legs will fatigue and cramp by Newton hills and beyond. Try and run effort based on the inclines, and let it flow on the declines,” advised Hitching.

4. And last, but not least, enjoy the crowds! Smile, pump your fists, and hands in the air, as spectators will scream and cheer louder, which can carry you a long way.

Photo by the race photographers. Jenny Hitchings running with joy at Boston marathon, 2021.

Improving running and athletic longevity

“I have been running since college (for fitness) and more competitively since I was 40, so I don’t have all the wear and tear on my legs like if I had been running at a high level in high school and college,” said Hitchings. “I have a flexible schedule that allows me to run when I want. I have a coach. I train hard, and I have good genes,” she added.

Hitchings’ advice to women runners of all ages, but particularly women over 50 regarding running the best races of their lives:

The first and most important thing is to love running because it makes it easier to be consistent and do what it takes to get out the door, instead of making excuses about why you can’t run or train.
Success has nothing to do about comparing yourself to others, and everything to do with being the best you can be at any given point in your life.
As far as reducing injuries and increasing your running longevity, Hitchings can’t say that she has stayed injury-free over the years. She had an Achilles/heel surgery and a PRP (Platelet Rich Plasma injections) procedure on her glute/upper hamstring. Hitchings added that running with no pain felt enlightening! Although she admits to not being great at doing strength or cross-training — Hitchings does enjoy riding outside or on her Peloton — she regularly sees her sports chiropractor doctor and gets deep tissue massage. She also thinks that walking her dog 1.5–2 miles after runs helps her stretch and feel loose.
Hitchings pointed out that getting good or better at running (or anything) takes time: practice pacing, fueling, hydrating, running on different courses and terrain, and adding mileage. “In the end, your training doesn’t lie,” she said.
Sometimes, Hitchings watches dogs run and thinks, “they have it right. They just do it organically. Warm up with a trot, run fast and chase things to get the energy out, slow down because they’re tired, find a stick and chew on it in the shade, because, why not? Then get up and repeat. Interval training at its best without getting injured.”

Photo by the race photographers. Sacramento, CA

Although Hitchings is not running the Boston Marathon this year, she hopes to see her granddaughter Olivia at her next Boston, wearing a T-shirt that says:

“My nana is FAST as AF.”

Meanwhile, happy tapering for Boston, and don’t forget to wave at the crowds!

For more inspiration on how to let “AIR,” which stands for adaptation, inspiration, and resilience guide, please consider buying my print edition or e-book The PR- The Poetics of Running, A Book of Poetry in Motion and Morsels of Love, A Book of Poetry and Short Forms on Amazon, or buy it straight from my blog by clicking on my books link, which will take you to Amazon.

For more info on running and real estate, whether buying or selling, please e-mail me at carmenmicsa@yahoo.com, or call me at 916-342-2446. Also mention this blog and receive a great offer whether buying (credit for closing costs) or selling (commission discount). Running for real estate with joy!

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Start 2021 Like an Olympian – Advice and tips for a brighter year from Olympian kim conley

January 21, 2021 carmenmicsa 12 Comments

“I have become much more comfortable dwelling in a world where we’re not sure what’s coming. I can wake up every day and prepare as if I’ll be at the Olympic Trials this summer, but if that doesn’t come to pass, I can regroup and reset my sight lines.” Kim Conley

Kim Conley doing a poised and focused track workout.

Are you hopeful for a brighter 2021? Then follow the wise, down-to-earth, and inspiring advice from Kim Conley, United States Olympic runner, who represented our country eight times, including at the 2012 and 2016 Olympic games, and hoping to represent again this year at the Tokyo Olympic games. As Conley pointed out, we can be better prepared for 2021, if we follow three important tips and apply them to our lives:

Becoming more comfortable with uncertainty.
Being prepared and working hard every single day, as if we were going to the Olympic games, which to me, equates to early preparation prevents poor performance in everything we do, or as Sun Tzu said “every battle is won before it is fought.”
Regrouping when things get canceled, or don’t go our way, and thus be ready for the next battle.

Kim Conley sees 2021 as motivating, helping her stay on task with her training. When the Olympics were postponed and there were no races on the calendar, Conley enjoyed running and exploring the trails around Flagstaff, even though she lacked the normal structure to a training routine targeted to peak performance. After being able to do some racing in the second half of the year, Conley concedes that even if the major global events won’t happen, there will still be micro meets for which she wants to be prepared. For now, Conley is acting as if the Olympics will take place and preparing for the Olympic Trials in June. She will be racing a 10,000m in Austin, Texas at the end of February as an attempt at the Olympic standard, and in order to achieve these big goals, Conley has embraced some of the lessons that 2020 has taught her, such as:

Be adaptable to life’s swift changes in a way that she has never been before.
Be prepared to be disappointed, such as a race being canceled at the last minute, which so many of us have experienced last year, but maybe did not embrace life’s disillusionment with the same equanimity and serenity as Conley.
Be open to change and welcome it as a catalyst towards personal growth. For instance, one of the things that Conley changed in her training was to move to Flagstaff permanently in the middle of 2020, and thus train at altitude full time. Additionally, Conley stopped going to the gym, but instead, she uses the developed at-home strength routine based primarily around the KBox Trainer by Exxentric.

And if you are wondering what a day in the life of an Olympic runner looks like, Conley was kind to give us an example of a heavy training day from the month of January:

Wake up ~8am

Breakfast of steel cut oats with collagen mixed in and coffee.

~9am Prehab: I do a series of foot strengthening exercises (this is timed for when my body will have absorbed the collagen and is targeting it to where tendon and ligaments I stress during the routine).

~9:30 drive down the mountain from Flagstaff to a track in Cottonwood which is at about 3000ft of elevation. The lower elevation allows me to run my sea level race paces.

~10:30am Track workout: 2 mile warm up; 6 sets of 1000 at 10k pace followed by 600 at 5k pace. 200 meter jog between everything; 1.5 mile cool down.

~12:30 drive home and drink a recovery drink in the car

~1:30 lunch

Afternoon is spent reading, writing, snuggling Smokey, and sometimes attending virtual meetings (I am a board member for the USATF Pacific Foundation and write the copy for email correspondence, web etc.). Conley is a huge reader and has a few books on her reading list, such as A Promised Land by Barack Obama, The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson, and The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver, a novel set in Tucson, Arizona, where her next sea level camp will take place.

Kim relaxing with a good book after an intense morning of training.

~5pm 3 mile easy shakeout run on turf fields at NAU

~7pm dinner

~8pm watch basketball, eat some chocolate, drink tea

~9pm light massage work, then bed

One of Conley’s favorite workouts that is getting her ready for the 2021 competitions: the steady-state run, which is running 8 miles at marathon pace (based on current fitness, not goal pace), then a month later progressing it to 10 miles at a slightly faster pace. Conley thinks that this workout is not as hard as doing 5k/10k pace on the track, but it definitely makes her feel really strong. On top of these tough and focused workouts, Conley runs twice a day about three to four times a week. She also does her strength training twice a week to be able to run strong and stay injury free.

And last, but not least, Conley has some great actionable mental, physical, and emotional advice for us mortals to have a brighter and better 2021.

Mental: Write your goals down and actively do something every day that is bringing you a step closer to achieving a goal.

Physical: Be proactive with your body’s health. Eat well and do strengthening exercises to keep your body able to handle the training load you desire.

Emotional: Talk about whatever you are feeling. We are living in hard times and don’t get the same levels of human connection that we are used to and need. “It helps me to tell other people when I’m sad that I’m not seeing them, or to know that others also miss seeing their loved ones.”

We wish Kim Conley to hopefully participate in the Tokyo Olympics this year and to put all her hard training to good use, competing at the highest level, representing the United States with pride. Happy feet, Kim, and thank you for inspiring the athlete and the human being in all of us.

To follow Kim Conley’s Olympic journey, feel free to connect with her on IG @kfconley, FB, Twitter, or check out her website www.kimfconley.com.

For more inspiration on how to let “AIR,” which stands for adaptation, inspiration, and resilience guide and uplift you during these uncertain and crazy times, please consider buying my print edition or e-book The PR- The Poetics of Running, A Book of Poetry in Motion on Amazon, or buy it straight from my blog by clicking on my books link, which will take you to Amazon. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of the book is going to Girls on the Run Sacramento chapter organization.

For more info on running and real estate, whether buying or selling, please e-mail me at carmenmicsa@yahoo.com, or call me at 916-342-2446. Also mention this blog and receive a great offer whether buying (credit for closing costs), or selling (commission discount). Running for real estate with joy!

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Mt. Charleston Marathon in the time of covid – Five tips for running a strong downhill marathon

December 2, 2020 carmenmicsa 4 Comments

**Crossing the finish line in 3:28:48, my 12th and fastest marathon time so far with my biggest smile ever! Third in my age group, too.**

“Over the years, I’ve given myself a thousand reasons to keep running, but it always comes back to where it started. It comes down to self-satisfaction and a sense of achievement.” — Steve Prefontaine

Let’s be honest: running marathons gives us a huge sense of self-satisfaction and achievement. Running a strong marathon and hitting a PR (personal record) in Covid times, when most races had been canceled, is sheer joy. After I had Tokyo and London marathons cancel their races this year, I decided to run London virtual marathon together with my awesome friend and Arete team mate, Bryn. We trained conservatively for this marathon, as the devastating California fires put a wrench into our training, but we also knew that we weren’t trying to run a fast marathon. However, just a few weeks before running London Virtual marathon on Oct. 4th in San Francisco due to poor air quality in Sacramento, one of our team mates posted about a Covid limited edition marathon happening in Las Vegas, so Bryn and I decided to sign up, knowing that we will have six week in between marathons, but thought running an easy marathon for our long run might work well for our in person marathon, where we wanted to give it our best shot.

As soon as Bryn and I finished our London Virtual marathon that had about 1,700 ft. elevation, we took four days off, and started running easy on the fifth day, as we knew we didn’t have much time to train for Revel Mt. Charleston Limited Edition marathon, but we also needed to stay healthy. Although we were able to use our awesome Arete coach Mary’s training for London Virtual marathon, for Mt. Charleston, I created our schedule based on the six-week window that we had to train for a marathon that started at 7,633 ft. elevation and ended at 2,507 ft., which meant doing workouts and long runs downhill. I created my own workouts for our marathon training schedule, but the bulk of the training came from the book Advanced Marathoning by Pete Pfitzinger and Scott Douglas, who had a six week marathon training schedule for runners like us. A big change to our regular marathon training was doing most of our speed workouts running downhill, instead of hitting the track.

Bryn and I during a 10-mile hilly run on the famous Johnny Cash Trail. We ran up the hills easy, and ran the downhills hard to shred our quads and be strong for our marathon. It worked great, as I was sore two days after this 10-mile run.

1. Train on the downhills for speed workouts.

Neither Bryn and I have ever run a Revel marathon race, or a true downhill marathon like Mt. Charleston before, but we figured it should be easier to run it strong, especially if we did our weekly speed workouts on the downhills to get our quads prepared so that we would not experience what other runners call “knives in the quads” when running downhill for a long time. A great workout we did was 6X800 meters running up the hills very easy, and then running at 6 minute to 6:20 min pace on the downhill. We also tried to do most of the strides downhill during our easy runs that had six to eight strides included, which was another excellent way to practice fast turnover on the downhills.

**Bryn and I running downhill happily at the beginning of the race, wearing the warm gloves kindly provided by the race organizers.**

2. Long Runs on the Downhills

Bryn and I have done about four long downhill runs, and the last one was 12 days before our race. We ran 18 miles mainly downhill from Sugar Pine to Auburn with a few hills at the end (many thanks to my awesome friend and team mate Christina Nokes, who ran twice with me on this route in her home town Foresthill). We ran on the main road, which was not too busy, and it resembled our marathon course. Besides the fact that we were able to run many miles at GMP, or faster (goal marathon pace) during some of these long runs, Bryn and I also got stronger and faster for this marathon. According to Runner’s World, runners should incorporate downhill workouts, even when running a flat, or hillier marathon, because it will increase good leg turnover and make us faster.

Besides doing long weekend downhill runs, three weeks away from the marathon, I was excited to participate in our Arete team’s two-day 30-mile Yeti challenge. I ran 12 miles of GMP downhill on Saturday and 18 miles on the trails at an easy pace on Sunday, which was great training and perfect timing before the taper. Doing two long back to back runs is what ultramarathoners do a lot for their races. I like to apply this kind of training to the marathon, as it teaches us to run strong on tired legs, which works great for me, but one has to be careful if injury prone.

**Running down Mt. Charleston during the marathon felt amazing, because the long downhill runs prepared me physically and mentally!**

This marathon was organized safely with less than 50 runners per wave and capped at 262 runners total per day, so there were not many people to pass, but here I was flying down the hill and passing one of the runners.

3. Recovery Runs on hilly terrain

One of my sneaky ways to get stronger even on easy days is to do what the Kenyans do: run on hilly terrain for recovery. This approach does three things for me: it keeps me slower for my recovery run, running uphill, or on rolling terrain gets me stronger, and I get my run and strength training done at the same time. Running hills is great for runners like me, who are not too keen on lifting weights. One thing that I was great at during this marathon training cycle was doing my kettlebell swings every day ( I have been doing a kettlebell swing streak for four months now), so that coupled with running hills kept my glutes happy and stronger for the marathon.

4. Take your marathon taper even more seriously than your training

I hear so many runners saying that taper is hard. To me, taper is the sweetest marathon term ever, as it allows my body to fully reap all the training benefits while getting the much needed and well-deserved rest necessary to run a strong marathon. Taper is not the time to gain any fitness by pushing hard and not respecting your body. On the contrary, a taper done wrong can break your chances to run your best marathon. One thing that Bryn and I are really good at is enjoying our taper. We took days off the week of the marathon, did a short and sweet speed workout on Monday, since our marathon was on Friday, which included running two miles at faster than marathon pace and 4×200 meters. Additionally, I changed to my old way of training, meaning no running/shakeout the day before the marathon; instead, we did our two mile shakeout with 4×30 sec strides two days before the marathon, so that our bodies were rested. We did some walking down the strip the evening before the marathon just to get some blood flow going and to admire the beautiful Las Vegas lights.

Enjoying the red, white, and blue lights in Las Vegas the evening before our marathon.

5. Train to run faster than your typical goal marathon pace, as banking time in a downhill race is legit.

At mile 20, I was on pace to run a 3:20 marathon, but the last six miles of the race are more flat, although the elevation chart still shows a good downhill grade, but tired legs tell a different story, and there is a long uphill from mile 23 to 24. Not only did I bank time, but I also let my body run freely on the downhills, which meant running in the low to mid 7s for the first 20 miles effortlessly, which felt amazing and smooth. Coach Paul, who trains athletes for the Revel marathon races, kept saying in his videos put together for us runners that we need to let the terrain dictate our pace, and not try to break, or slow down to chase our typical marathon pace. That was salient advice, and I highly recommend to all runners doing a true downhill marathon to let the body run freely without pushing too hard, as the terrain is there to help you run in a state of faster flow.

Flying towards the finish line. **Thank you, Revel Races Limited Edition for the free pictures. Such a treat!**

With my awesome friends and Arete team mates right after the marathon. From left to right: Bryn Mumma, who ran a sensational PR in 3:20:29, Carmen Micsa, or the savage ninja, who ran a 2-minute PR , Tamara Torklason, who ran her first sub 3-hour marathon and a great PR, and Elysha Costella, who ran 3:04, and a huge PR of more than 40 minutes. Such an honor to have these badass women as teammates, friends, and training partners.

Not only did the organizers put together a safe Covid compliant race for all of us runners, but they also let us stay on the warm bus till five minutes before the race started, which was the biggest treat ever, since it was 30 degrees at the start. The theme for my 12th marathon was to run with an attitude of gratitude, which I had totally accomplished, as I could not stop running and smiling, smiling and running.

Although 2020 was not a regular, or ordinary year, Bryn and I enjoyed going with the flow, training together, laughing, and running two marathons six weeks apart, resulting in PR marathons for both of us at Mt. Charleston, our second marathon of the year, but the first official and in person marathon. Training for this race meant being flexible, adaptable, and learning to relish the pure joys of running and the fiery sunrises, as we did not put pressure on ourselves, and yet, have accomplished a great feat while staying healthy and happy. Looking forward to 2021 and to running more races!

For more info on running and real estate, whether buying or selling, please e-mail me at carmenmicsa@yahoo.com, or call me at 916-342-2446. Also mention this blog and receive a great offer whether buying (credit for closing costs), or selling (commission discount). Running for real estate with joy!

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When Most Racing Stopped in 2020, Running Was Not Canceled – Advice from Two Times Olympian Kim Conley on Running Faster, Smarter, and Happier

September 3, 2020 carmenmicsa Leave a comment

“The lesson I have taken from this year is that there can be unexpected silver linings if we choose to see them. ” Kim Conley, two times Olympian 5,000m runner

Kim Conley, two times Olympian Sacramento local runner running with joy!

I will start my blog with a confession: I did not know anything about the wonderful, speedy, impressive, intelligent, and down to earth Sacramento Olympic runner Kim Conley until last year when I was doing a hilly, solo run around my neighborhood and listened to Deirdre Fitzpatrick’s informative and fun podcast Dying to Ask podcast Kim Conley, Olympian. Make sure to also listen to this year’s podcast How to Think like an Olympian during Covid-19. Needless to say, I was so impressed to learn that
Kim Conley is a 2012 and 2016 Olympian at 5000m and professional runner for New Balance. She grew up in Santa Rosa, California, graduated from UC Davis in 2009, and has lived in Sacramento since then. The more I listened to her talk, the less fatigued my legs felt.

As soon as I got home from my run, I followed Kim on Instagram and became an instant fan. Shortly after that, I started to see her run with speed, intensity, and indelible joy on the bike trail. I greeted her often, but I could tell that she was in floating mode, or what I call levitating between being and nonbeing from the tough speed workout that she was doing that day. A few times I noticed an slight nod, which was enough for me, as I was more focused on admiring her flawless gait, her inner strength, athleticism, controlled buoyancy, and, of course, her smile that obliterated pain, any negative thoughts that we runners experience so often, and any doubts about completing another grueling workout with confidence, poise, and determination.

Kim Conley has built her professional career on the American River Bike Trail

Kim Conley winning the 2014 USATF Championships 10,000m in Sacramento, her first national title, which will always be a special and favorite racing memory.

Kim Conley and her husband Drew, who has also been her coach for 12 years.

Kim Conley’s Advice on Becoming Happier and Faster Runners

Kim Conley advises runners lacking motivation right now due to most races being canceled to create a goal, even if it’s not tied to a virtual race, as it will give us something to work towards. She added: “Goals make me feel like my training has purpose. When the pandemic first shut down normal life, I built up my long run to 2 hours and then sustained a ten-week streak of long runs over 2 hours. It was very different than a race, but it still felt satisfying to accomplish.”
Sign up and support virtual races, such as the ones put together by our amazing running store Fleet Feet. I signed up for their Running is not Canceled race, love the T-shirt, and obviously have included their slogan in the title of this blog. Conley has done some virtual races with organizations she wants to support, such as Running for Office Challenge. Although virtual races are not the same as the real ones, Conley believes that race organizers need our support to get through this time and that it’s no different than ordering takeout from a restaurant where you would normally dine in. The experience isn’t the same, but if we want the restaurant or race to exist when we get through this, we need to help sustain them in the meantime.
Find joy in running means continuing to do what we love! When the Olympics got postponed, Conley acquiesced that the rigors of training and the satisfaction that come with the afterglow of a hard workout, or a long run were enough to overcome her questioning to why she was still pushing herself. Additionally, she used the time to explore new trails (Conley also trains part of the year in Flagstaff, AZ) and develop her training together with her husband and coach Drew differently than they would have done it during a normal racing season.
Find hidden meanings in this year’s low to no racing environment. For instance, when the Tokyo Olympics were postponed, Conley decided to view the extra time as a gift. She has allowed herself to build up mileage again and reduce the amount of cross training, since she had a frustrating injury in 2018 and had to run cautiously in 2019. However, in 2020 Conley has really enjoyed being able to sustain a higher volume of training again, which she hopes that it will yield dividends down the road.
Work on Speed by trying out two of Conley’s favorite workouts by building up to them first, so that you don’t get injured. First workout: 20x400m with 1 min recovery, divided into five sets of four. The first set begins at tempo pace and each set cuts down in pace. The last set is at 3K goal pace. This is a great workout, because it teaches us how to shift to our race pace. Additionally, at the end of the workout a runner accumulates five miles of work. Second workout: 3-4 cut down miles with 3 min rest. There are no set paces for this workout, but Conley is basically running 5k effort. For us mortal runners that would simply mean starting at a pace that we can cut down from in the next mile. The final mile is pretty much all out, as if finishing a 5k. This workout prepares Conley for the mental and physical demands of the 5k. It’s really hard, but having a good day for this workout always boosts any runner’s confidence going into a 5k, 10K, or half marathon race.
Consistency is key. Conley strongly believes that having a coach and a training plan can help structure the training optimally, but ultimately it’s up the individual to get out the door every day and do the work.
Make recovery a priority. Conley sees Dr. Justin Lau at Elite Spinal and Sports Care often, because she is the happiest when she runs pain free. She also enjoys eating a good burger and drinking some good beer for recovery.
Cultivate your Mind with good books. In high school, Conley’s parents gave her John L. Parker’s Once a Runner for Christmas, and she loved it. In her most recent reading, Conley realized that the book is a little outdated and sexist, but if you are willing to overlook that, there is no other book that captures the beauty of the endeavor in the same way. Another of her favorite books are Deena Kastor’s Let Your Mind Run and Becky Wade’s Run the World. I also have learned so much from Deena Castor’s book and absolutely relished the intense and beautiful writing of John Parker’s book. For training insights, Conley recommends Joe Vigil’s Road to the Top and Jack Daniel’s Running Formula.
Let your mind run, which to Conley means to feel the joy of running the workout you are doing that day, instead of worrying that there are no races to run for now.
Run with gratitude. Conley loves that Sacramento has great resources for runners. She has traveled all over the world for training and competition, but has always felt that Sacramento has everything she needs to be successful and that is why she has been able to build her career here. Conley added: “It can be easy to take things for granted when they are right under your nose, but every time I return to this area, I am reminded of what a gem the American River Parkway is. Not many places have so many uninterrupted miles of traffic-free bike path with soft surface options right alongside.”

Kim Conley running the 5000m at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Conley plans to move up to the marathon distance by 2024, but for the near future, she is preparing to run in the Tokyo Olympics next year, so let’s all wish her good luck! We are all cheering for you, Kim, and wishing you to run like a savage! A million thanks for sharing your time and resources with all of us mortals!

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Five Ways to Regain Joy in Running Without Racing

July 18, 2020 carmenmicsa Leave a comment

Let’s be honest: when every single race we were supposed to run this year (I was supposed to run Tokyo and London marathons) gets canceled due to the global Covid-19 pandemic, we get upset, frustrated, and even depressed when we feel that our training has gone to waste, even though we all know that our health and safety come first. Our inability to race this year seems unfathomable and surreal, as in previous years we have had way too many races to run and not enough time to properly train for all. And now that we cannot race, how about a shift in perspective? We have no races to run, or a very limited amount, mainly trails and small road races, but we finally have more time to train and to be intentional about the sport that brings us so much joy.

1. The Simplicity of Running

As some of you know, I became a runner in 2015 after having played soccer as a kid and competitive tennis for 20 years plus. However, as soon as I became a runner, I was hooked by its purity and simplicity. I didn’t have to plan my tennis matches by finding friends to play with. All I had to do is put my running shoes on and take off down the street from my house till I hit Ancil Hoffman Park, or what I call my slice of Paradise. What a simple way to experience the world as poetry in motion! What tremendous joy to let my feet take me places while feeling the gentle summer breeze against my neck, my arms that moved in perfect unison with the world, and my legs that, at first stomped around like a sumo wrestler, after which they learned to caress the ground and be gentle and quiet. Not only did I relish the simplicity of running and the tremendous joy that suffused my soul, but I also started writing poetry in my head and I continue to do so. I hope to publish my poetry book at the end of this year, so stay tuned.

Therefore, one way to deal with all the race cancelations is to go back to basics and to the simplicity of running by finding more time to relish our breath, stride, and euphoric feelings induced by running.

PC: Bryn Mumma, my friend and Arete team mate
The simplicity of running, but not so much of doing hill repeats- ha!ha!

2. Gratitude

In 2018 when my husband and I finished building our home, I threw a big party for the runners in the Sacramento community. Lisa Limcaco, one of my runner friends, brought a housewarming gift, a small decoration piece that said gratitude on it. She told me: “You always say how grateful you are in your posts, so I thought this would make the perfect gift.” I was grateful to Lisa for being so thoughtful, as well as thinking of me as someone who lives life with gratitude, as I never want to come across as ungrateful or entitled. To me, life is a constant opportunity to practice gratitude, not only during good times, but especially during hard and nebulous times. As Deena Kastor, who is the American record holder in the marathon, said in our Zoom meeting with my Arete team mates: “We need to practice gratitude, patience, and solution seeking.” Optimism, she added, helps us put the bad days in perspective quickly. And if you wish to become a more grateful and joyous runner, according to Kastor, then write three things you are grateful for every evening and you cannot repeat what you wrote the previous day. I also highly recommend reading Deena Kastor’s memoir memoir Let your Mind Run, which will transform your relationship to running and to the world around you.

Due to the precarious stage we are in with this pandemic, I feel gratitude can propel us forward, as well as make us more appreciative of our strong runner bodies and lungs. The fact that we are healthy and that we can run while others are fighting for their lives in hospitals, with some of them not making it, should give us the strongest dose of gratitude ever and dissipate any complaints about races being canceled. Racing will return one day and we will be even more grateful to run next to our friends and competitors, but for now we all need to find joy and gratitude for being alive and able to run.

**Grateful to run faster even though I have no races in sight.**

3. The Joy of Running

To me, running is pure joy as sweet and gooey as honey pouring down my soul every time I lace up my shoes to go on a run, solo or with friends, but in these times more solo. During our quarantine in March, I ran solo around my neighborhood for two months, missing my friends, but knowing that I had to do my part in flattening the curve of this contagious virus. I kept running through Ancil Hoffman Park and all the hills around my neighborhood, writing poetry in my head and composing a few rap songs. I started to relish the tranquility of my morning runs and found joy in my solitary running, because that was the only known constant in my life and it made me happy to be out in the fresh air, while social distancing. Not only does running make me elated and more content with life, but it also adds inner peace and the realization that we already have everything we need inside our souls to be joyous, as I expressed in this poem I wrote.

Jumping with Joy

When I run around Ancil Hoffman Park,

my magic place and slice of Paradise

where I first became a runner

I sometimes stop running

and simply jump with joy

as my way to greet the day

on the trail.

To salute the sun

and kick up my heels

towards the Heavens.

4. Health and Nutrition

We all know that when we eat healthy and focus on eating more fruit and vegetables together with high quality protein, such as wild-caught salmon, organic chicken, and less processed foods, we have a better chance to beat Covid-19 and stay healthy, besides running stronger. One thing we can really do while not having to rush from one race to another is to focus on our minds and bodies by eating healthy and clean, avoiding processed foods, and paying attention to what our bodies need, especially when we demand so much from them when we run an average of 40 to 50 miles a week.

As our focus is to stay healthy and not catch this virus, nutrition plays a big role in our overall health, as studies show that runners cannot outrun a bad diet.

In my case, at the beginning of the year when running didn’t feel great, I had to reevaluate my vegan diet and decided that it was too restrictive and not giving me all the vitamins and protein that my body needed. Test results showed I had various vitamin and protein deficiencies, so I decided to adopt more of a plant-based diet and after adding wild-caught salmon and some bison meat, my iron levels have improved and my running has never been stronger. The moral of the story is that we all have different bodies and nutritional needs that are different for women and men and that having many bad runs can mean that our body needs more vitamins and nutrients, which is why checking our iron levels and thyroid is key for runners.

5. Freedom

The fact that most races have been canceled left us with sadness that we cannot run together and compete against one another, but it also gave us more freedom to work on our speed, endurance, or just to run for the joy of running. When not preparing for races, we can devote more time on proper rest and recovery, cross training (I have biked and done more strength training), and just rediscovering the main reason why we run, which is the ultimate freedom, as we stride through time and space. As a sports enthusiast, I have never felt as free as when I run, because running allows us to move freely and to be ourselves. Running is thus the ultimate form of simplicity, gratitude, joy, health, and freedom, and until we race again safely, let’s all hold these truths close to our hearts, because in the end, it will be worth it and we will come out stronger, kinder, and maybe even faster. And last, but not least, let’s wear our masks and show others that freedom also means caring deeply about one another and doing our part to protect our fragile planet.

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Six Fun Ways to Add Speed to Your Training and Hit Those PRs

June 24, 2019 carmenmicsa 9 Comments

After I ran California International Marathon, my first marathon, in 2015, I started playing with my speed doing all kind of creative workouts. I lowered my 9-minute pace to low 7s and I PRed in three 5K races that I ran in three months with two 5K back to back races. I am still working to break my 21:56 minute PR from Run to Feed the Hungry that I ran in 2016 in preparation for my second CIM marathon.

I dedicate this blog to my awesome trail runner friend Jeremy Payne, who recently asked on FB how to get faster on his own before hiring a coach. I highly recommend doing two speed workouts a week, but starting with one depending on your goals can work, too. For advanced runners looking to run faster, short distances from 5K to half marathon race, I recommend three workouts a week, especially because some are much shorter and not as intense. Advanced marathon runners can also swing three workouts, as they will have some included in their long runs, too, but ideally due to mileage volume, I suggest keeping the speed workouts to two a week.

1. Track Intervals and Ladder workouts

When I was a new runner, I discovered that I was 2.5 miles from a high school track and I started copying workouts from my runner friends that they were posting on Strava. The first time I hit a sub 7 minute in my track workout, I was elated and simply fell in love with running around the track, while I kept pushing the pace and tried to catch my breath during recovery between intervals. As far as track workouts and intervals go (click on the link to get a mix of intervals to use in your next training), we can always do them on our own, but it’s better with friends who can push us.

When it comes to track workouts, there is no reason to ever get bored, or to keep repeating the same ones. In addition to our typical interval workouts, such as 200m, 400m, 800m, 1,200, 1,600m, we have pyramid workouts, which start from low to higher and come back down (e.g. 200, 400, 600, 400, 200), and ladder workouts, which are my favorite, as they keep me focused, excited, and motivated (e.g. 400, 800, 1,200, 1,600).

My best friend and training partner Andrea Brizendine and I doing a jumping picture at the end of a fun ladder track workout on a rainy winter day.

Some of my favorite track workouts are:

10x200m with 200m recovery in between.
8x400m with 200 or 400m recovery.
5x300m, 5x500m, 5x400m ladder, which is one of Desiree Linden’s favorite track workouts, according to Runner’s World Magazine.
4×600, 400, 200 starting at 5K and ending at 1-mile effort with 200m rest between the distances and 400m rest between the sets.
800m, 1,200m, 1,600m, 2,000m, 1,200, and 800m. with 400m recovery. The 800m are done at 5K pace and the rest are done at 10K pace.

At American River College track after 6x400m at 5K pace, as I am working on speed and to PR in a future 5K race. I am wearing my RADrabbit top and proud to be part of the RAD rabbit community of runners around the world, as well as my amazing Sacramento team Arete.

2. Fartleks

When I was a new runner and I first heard about Fartleks, I laughed out loud, as it was too close to another word that is not associated with speed at all, but something that we all do every day in private or public- ha!ha! However, from the first time I did Fartleks, I fell in love with the workout and the sheer exhilaration that they brought to my running. Doing Fartleks is my most favorite workout, because they bring out the inner child in me. Fartlek is a Swedish word meaning “speed play.” It is applied to a relatively unstructured form of training over natural terrain. It originated in Scandinavia where structured training during the snowy months of winter is difficult.

Super important note to all runners: Fartleks are best done for up to a month before starting intense Interval training on the track. They will increase your speed and endurance and will prepare the body for more intense and structured workouts.

Some of my favorite Fartlek workouts:

Running 10×1 minute faster than 5K pace at about 90 to 95% full effort with 1 minute recovery in between.
Running 8 to 10×2 mins with 1 min recovery in between at an effort of about 80 percent of full speed.
Running 8×3 mins with 2 mins recovery in between.
Running 4×5 mins with 3 mins recovery in between.
My very favorite Fartlek workouts that my awesome coach Jenny Hitchings makes me do at the beginning of a training cycle: 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 minute with speeds varying from half marathon pace to faster than 5K pace, which is usually 6:30 for me. Recovery can be 2 minutes in between.

Best place to run Fartleks is on the bike trail, or any flat and not busy road. I love running on our American River Bike Trail.

My coach Jenny Hitchings does most of her training runs on our beautiful American River Parkway, a place where runners, bikers, and walkers share the trails. I am always running faster when I see her on the trail. Super happy to have her as my coach to keep me accountable and help me reach my goals to break 3:30 in my St. George Marathon in Utah that I will run in October, if I stay healthy and everything goes according to plan.

3. Tempo Runs

Tempo runs are the ideal workouts for any kind of distance, but they are especially beneficial to runners doing half marathons and marathons. Tempo runs are run at sub-maximal pace and done as anaerobic threshold workouts made popular by coach Jack Daniels, Ph.D. Tempo runs should be done at 20 to 30 seconds slower than 5K pace and for a minimum 15 minutes all the way to 60 minutes for advanced runners.

Types of Tempo Runs:

Sustained Tempo done with no break or recovery for 3 miles to 9 miles, depending on the runner’s experience.
Tempo repetitions can be done slightly faster, as they include recovery, which will help clear more lactate.
Tempo Circuit, which I have only done once with coach Henry Hawkins, the head coach of Total Body Fitness Training – click on the link to see what a tempo circuit involves and why it gets us stronger and faster. The workout I have done included 400 meters followed by push-ups, lunges, squats and dips at different stations off the track. I ran one of my fastest intervals that day and it was so much fun.

4. Hill Repeats

Running the hills around my neighborhood in preparation for Boston marathon, which I ran on April 15h this year.

As we all know, hills not only make us stronger and faster runners, but they improve our running form. I love running hills to get stronger and to avoid injuries. I have a great running route through Ancil Hoffman Park that I like to do on my recovery days, as it has some hills and the trails keep me slower.

My awesome, speedy SRA vegan elite runner friend Jedidiah Soliz and I running through our slice of Paradise, keeping the pace easy, but also running the hills.

My awesome friend and Arete team mate Christina Wills jumping with joy at the end of a hilly long run, which included the Johnny Cash trail.

Some of my favorite Hill repeat workouts:

Warm up for 2 to 3 miles and then do 6 to 8×30 seconds sprints uphill.
6×60 seconds sprints at the end of a 3-mile tempo run, which I am excited to do soon, curtesy of my coach who put it on the schedule for me.
Long hill repeats, which are great at building aerobic and muscular endurance. They should be done at 10k, or faster pace depending on your goals.
Long hill runs, which I do quite often, as I created up to 20 mile hilly route around my neighborhood.
Downhill running, which increases quadriceps strength through eccentric contraction. Open your stride, lean forward, and don’t fight the gravity!

5. Progression Runs

I need to thank my good friend and Team Remo coach Robert Ressl-Moyer for turning me into the progression queen last year when I had my best marathon so far that I ran in 3:30:56 at Mountain 2 Beach. I used to run 10 to 18 miles progression runs, starting in the mid 9s and getting down to 7:40 pace, or faster. The purpose of progression runs is to teach us to run fast on tired legs and they can be done for 3 miles all the way to 20 for truly advanced runners, but ideally shorter so that you don’t burn out.

Another way to sneak in a short progression run is to run the last mile of a regular, shorter run at 5K pace.

Both Robert and I ran the Chanoako 50K race last year and I finished third female overall, running it in under 6 hours, which was my goal. Robert won the race and was very nice to wait for me at the finish line.

6. Strides

New runners should start with strides at the end of their easy runs before doing interval workouts. Strides should be done for about 20 to 30 seconds at about 90 percent running ability, but they can also be done at a lower intensity. According to a recent article I read on Runner’s World it is great to do strides the day before a tough track workout, which I did this week and I had a great speed session on Wednesday, so give it a try. Try to incorporate strides into your easy runs about twice a week and you will reap the benefits.

And when you have exhausted all these speed workouts, why don’t you take your long run on the trails, where the hills are ubiquitous and you will immerse yourselves into nature, soul bathing, or posing for a great picture on top of some rocks like my awesome friend and best training partner Andrea and I did just recently.

Andrea and I are soul bathing and posing during our trail run on the Foresthill Divide Loop.

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For more info on running and real estate, whether buying or selling, please e-mail me at carmenmicsa@yahoo.com, or call me at 916-342-2446.

Running for real estate with joy! Happy feet!

RUNNING for REAL ESTATE!