Bloomsday 2015 Race
Jordan and Gretchen traveled to Spokane to participate in the Bloomsday 12k. Toeing the line with the best of the west (and several Olympians from around the world), these two ran well and represented the Betties in a national class race. Nice work!
-
- Getting ready to race
-
- Look at all of those runners!
-
- Working together in the first mile
-
- Jordan to the finish
-
- Gretchen finishing
-
- All out sprint
Give the Running Skirt a Try!
Enjoy this guest blog from Boise Bettie founding member, Maria Morgan. She wanted to try something new, but was smart to try the change before race day. Her trial and error is comically real and will probably bring to tears as I was, in laughing so hard as she relayed the story. Read on for a good laugh, because really, we’ve all been there!
Many of the Betties trained for the 2015 Race to Robie Creek half marathon, where this year’s theme was the Running of the Bulls. Because so many Betties were training for the race (about 15 members), my teammate Samia thought we should get outfits to go with the theme- she loves the Robie themes! Emily teamed us up with Lululemon and we were outfitted with Run: Swiftly Tech Tank in white- with the Boise Betties and Bandanna Running logos, of course- and white Pace Rival running skirts.
I had never worn a running skirt before, nor did I have any desire to do so. I do not have the body shape of someone you think of when you think of a runner so I was a little nervous about running a half marathon in a skirt. I opted for the tall-sized skirt in hopes that the slightly longer shorts under the skirt would help me avoid the dreaded “chub rub.” For those of you not familiar with these terms, chub rub is when chubby thighs rub together which can lead to chaffing. I usually wear long shorts or capris to prevent this very uncomfortable side effect of running in shorts that are too short.
A week before Robie, I gave the white running skirt a trial run at the Micron FABulous 5K. I had recently invested in some Body Glide which I liberally applied to my inner thighs just in case the shorts on the running skirt rode up during the race. It took all of 0.25 miles for the shorts to ride up on me. Luckily, the Body Glide did its job and I didn’t have any chaffing. whew! However, I did not have enough experience with Body Glide to know if I could trust it to work for 13 miles. If the Glide didn’t work, the already grueling race would be miserable. I had just a few days before the race to come up with a solution for my skirt dilemma. With three young children to care for, I didn’t have a lot of free time to shop. I looked for a solution in my closet.
First thing I found- Spanx! The form fitting, suck it in, keep it there spandex intended to go under your clothes to improve the fit. I gave Spanx a try. This particular pair of Spanx was nude colored with mid-thigh shorts and a tummy control waist the went to just below my chest. I thought, “If Spanx can prevent chub rub all-day in a dress, it can work under the running skirt, right?”. It may have the added benefit of hiding my belly a little. So, I gave the Spanx and white running skirt combo a test run in my neighborhood.
I set out on my a 5-mile run feeling fast and thin with these Spanx holding everything in. All was fine until about two miles in to the run. I started to run up a pretty big hill and I suddenly realized that I couldn’t breathe. The tummy control part of the Spanx was restricting my breathing! I couldn’t make it all the way of the hill like this, so I turned around. As I ran down the hill, I attempted to pull the tummy control portion of the Spanx down so I could breathe a little better. Once I did this though, I had this uncomfortably tight ring around my middle with the fabric annoyingly rolling up and down with each step. This was way worse, so I did my best to pull the Spanx back up despite the many cars passing me on the road. Finally, I gave up on the run at mile four. Clearly, Spanx was not the solution.
A couple of days later, on my way to the packet pick-up for Robie, I stopped by Bandanna Running and Walking to pick up my race jersey. Getchen was there and we started talking about my white running skirt problem. I told her that I wanted a longer pair of white running shorts to wear under the skirt, but I didn’t have the time to search around. Besides, how many stores would carry white running shorts (for obvious reasons, yikes!)? She chimed in saying that I should search the men’s section and we spied some men’s white boxer briefs in the store, but they were too short. Then suddenly, it hit me: I had a pair of Under Armour long, white boxer briefs at home. I purchased them when I was pregnant with my twins and I had been wearing a lot of maternity dresses. I wore the Under Armour boxer briefs under the white running skirt and they work perfectly for the entire half marathon. The solution to my problem was in my closet all along!
Race to Robie Creek: I Fought the Hill (Or The Heat?)…
Still mulling over Robie Creek? Maybe it was a great day, maybe you walked more than intended. What I am hearing is more of the latter; the warm day forced many to their Plan B. After training for months, it is disappointing for a strong influence on your race to be so outside of your control. One Bettie’s report captures the emotion I heard from so many.
My Robie Race Report AKA “I fought the hill and the hill won! ” Or maybe it should be called “I fought the heat and the heat won!” And what is the point of being half Egyptian if I can’t run in the heat, anyway?!?!
I started the day with high expectations. I was hoping to beat my time from last year (which was 2:09 something) or maybe even do as well as 2:05. I felt like I had trained well. I had trained harder and more for this Robie than any other Robie: more mileage, more speedwork, more hill repeats, more time on the course, more weights, more core work, more cross training. I think my fitness level is in a better place than last year, so I didn’t think I’d have an issue beating my time. Plus, on my long runs, I actually *ran* to the summit. It was a slow run, but I was “running.” And that’s something I had never done before. So I hoped to be able to do that in the race too.
I covered my watch hoping I’d be able to go off of effort and not be distracted or discouraged by pace as it slowed towards the summit, as I had in previous years. I felt okay the first couple of miles. On the first hill I told myself I would not pass anybody. That would my way of keeping my pace in check. However there were some people that stopped to walk and others that were just running at a slower pace than I felt I wanted to be running so I did pass some people. When I got to the 3 mile marker I saw it and thought something along these lines: “Oh s@#$!. Only 3 miles and I feel like I am running out of gas already. I must have run the first 5k too fast. I effed up. I am totally screwed. I want to quit. I am never going to make it to the top. I am not even at the dirt yet and I am hot. And I feel sick. This sucks.” Totally self defeating thoughts. Not exactly what you want at mile three of a half marathon. Or any race really. I thought when I looked at my splits for the first 3 miles I was going to see that I had run them ridiculously fast or something. When I saw the splits I don’t think I had run them too fast. I think it was just the heat that got me. The heat got me last year too. I got too hot too fast.
After that point I started walking through each water station. I’d grab two cups of water and drink one and pour the other one over my head. Once I got to the dirt I felt a little better. I like the dirt better than the pavement. And by a little, I mean just a little. I was still pretty miserable and feeling sick. I saw Ashley pretty early on in the dirt passed her and told her good job. It made me so happy to see another Bettie! I was pretty sure she’d be passing me soon because I didn’t have much in the tank. At the next water stop Sarah came by me and patted me on the back and told me good job. Again, another Bettie encouraging me along the way! We leapfrogged with each other over the next water stop or two and then I couldn’t keep up anymore. I felt that each time I stopped and walked at a water stop it got harder and harder for me to start running again. And I really wanted to quit. More than I’ve ever wanted to quit any other race I’ve done. I started thinking of ways I could get to James’ car and get to the people I’d promised rides home, but I couldn’t figure out a way. There was no option but to run over the hill! GRR! I also felt really hot and sick (nauseated). At around mile 4 or 5 I forced myself to have a gel even though I didn’t want it. I kept thinking of my kids and that I didn’t want to have a stroke or pass out or something and that’s another reason why I kept walking through the water stations. I also kept noticing that I had goosebumps all over my arms. I tried not to look at them because I didn’t want to think about the heat exhaustion. I just kept telling myself to put one foot in front of the other. I hated that I was not enjoying the race. One of the purposes of covering up my watch was to make the race more enjoyable!
That last steep mile to the summit I did a run/walk. I just wanted to be done. I kept thinking of who might be behind me. “Maybe Claire is behind me?,” I thought. “I know!” I can stop at the top, wait and cheer for her, and then we can run down together!” Then I saw Gretchen in the distance. I know I didn’t SOUND** very excited when I saw her, but I was SUPER excited to see her. “GRETCHEN!” I thought. “IS THAT GRETCHEN?!? How did she get up here? Maybe SHE can get me out of here!” That was the perfect spot for her to be cheering at too. Just a half mile before the summit, right where we all needed encouragement the most. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. For everything that you do for us. We all love and appreciate you so much! (aww thanks!!!- ggh)
Once I got over the summit, I started to feel MUCH better. I felt pretty strong on the back, actually. I saw that my time at the summit was 1:32 something. That’s what it was last year. I was disappointed, but not surprised. At that point I knew I would be either right at or over my time from last year and I decided I wasn’t going to kill myself for a 2 second PR or something, especially since I felt so miserable and had bombed the front side. So I pushed it coming down, but didn’t red line it or anything. At mile 10 I still felt pretty strong somehow. By mile 12 I was ready to be done again and so happy to see the finish. When I heard the announcer say my name, I heard “Josh Jackman” right along with it and looked and he was right there with me at the finish! I told him congrats and he said he’d been following me for awhile and thanked me for pacing him and carrying him along. Glad I was helpful to someone in spite of my misery!
I felt better than last year at the finish (last year I felt a little sick for awhile) but still didn’t want to eat for awhile. Had a recovery drink and some fruit and a power bar on the way home and then ate more later. Like I said before I thought initially it was going out too fast that killed me, but once I looked at my splits I think it was the heat. And maybe too much caffeine, but probably mostly the heat. I guess maybe I should be doing long runs in the middle of the day if I am going to do this race?
I feel frustrated because I feel like I am at a better place fitness wise than I was a year ago, but I wasn’t able to perform better. At least not on April 18, 2015. I also feel disappointed because I feel like maybe 2:05 is too lofty of a Robie goal for me and I’d like to break 2 hours one day. It is a hard race. And I am not getting any younger. I am feeling a little defeated, old and humbled after that race. But I also feel motivated to get back to work so that I can hopefully have a better race later this year. More than anything I don’t like all of the negative thoughts I was having during the race and the fact that I wanted to quit. I want to stay strong when I am hurting and to be able to reach deep in my mental toolbox and pull through. Even though it was a tough run for me, I am proud that I finished, I had a great day with my friends, and I am so thankful to have such an amazing coach and a wonderful group of women to run with. You all keep me going day after day after day! Thank you!
-
- new singlets for the theme
-
- a few of the Betties
-
- pre-race posing
-
- bootie shakin’ skirt
-
- no bull, just sail toads
-
- heading to the start
-
- learn to count in basque
-
- Gabby chases #4gal
-
- Becca going strong
-
- Vanessa Fry
-
- Ashley strides effortlessly uphill
-
- Sam & Candace work together
-
- Samia really is enjoying the race
-
- Emily keeps pace near the top
-
- thumbs up from Claire
-
- Hot days bring out the snakes!
-
- AG winner in her new beret
-
- post race celebrations
**I ran up to her, dropped the f-bomb, told her that my run was a disaster and that if I weren’t giving people rides I’d have the medical cart take me down the hill. Of course, she cheerfully encouraged me to keep going. And I apologized for my outburst later. And thanks to everyone who needed rides for keeping me on that hill!
DR. BETTIE: Resuming Training After an Illness
Welcome to Dr. Bettie’s Corner, your local expert in nutrition, fitness, and health! This is a bimonthly forum where we attempt to address Woman-focused topics of interest. We welcome your suggestions & questions! Please contact us with yours.
Resuming Training After an Illness
We are right in the middle of cold and flu season, which means you are bound to find yourself sidelined at some point due to illness. How do you best take care of yourself when illness strikes and safely resume your training once you start to feel like yourself again? Dr. Bettie is here to help! I recently found myself taken down by the flu. What I thought was just a little sniffle turned into a high fever and body aches and I found myself down for the count.
Do not try to run with a high fever. Recovering from illness in and of itself places a lot of demands on your body. Your body and immune system is working overtime to fight the virus. Work on resting and staying hydrated. By resting now, you will allow your body the time it needs to heal and you will be able to get back to your training sooner. Your body heals more quickly with less stress. Also focus on eating high quality foods and getting plenty of sleep.
Once your fever breaks, that means your body is on the mend, but it does not mean you should jump right back into your training plan, After your temperature and eating has returned to normal, give your body at least one or two additional days of rest before resuming training. And when you do run again start with easy effort runs. As a rule of thumb, do one easy effort run for each day that you were sick before resuming high intensity workouts. Listen to your body, Even though you may feel better, your immune system is still working on rebuilding itself.
If you find yourself struggling with a minor cold, which includes only light sniffles and no fever, it is still okay to run. In fact, some studies have found that people with minor colds have actually felt better after exercising. So there’s no need to derail your training for a runny nose, but listen to your body and stop if you develop a fever or chest congestion.
Finally, do not despair if you do find yourself having to take a few days off for an illness. You will not lose a lot of fitness by resting for a few days and your body needs the rest more than it needs the running when you are sick and fighting an illness. Take it easy and resume running gently so as not to overstress your body and risk the return of illness. The investment you make in resting your body will be worth it, as you will find yourself back on the roads and trails in less time.
Here’s to good health and happy running!
USATF XC Championships 2015
The weekend proved successful for the Boise Betties in their national debut. Erica Richardson, Jordan Rehfeld, Gabby Reeves, and Gretchen Hurlbutt represented Boise’s newest team with strong pack running in spite of the heat and altitude. The women finished the race to finish 3rd in the team division!
The unseasonably 72* warm weather came on after nearly 2 feet of snow fell in the week leading up to the race. The course had puddles of standing water and a few muddy spots, but nothing too sloppy. True to cross country, the 2 kilometer course hosted a few rolling hills, sharp turns and soft grass. The most challenging part was the dry creek bed- a dip in the course where a slight mis-judgement of ideal foot placement could send a jarring halt of momentum to your body. With 4 laps in the Women’s Open race, the dry creek bed became mentally tiring as well as physically challenging. Of course altitude was the greatest, though predictable, challenge of the day.
When the Boise Betties were announced as placing 3rd in the team division, the name turned heads. In talking with others after the race, many admitted to turning to see who the women were representing such a non-traditionally named team. Even Alan Culpepper, in giving out the awards, seemed amused by the Betties. Silly names are not the norm, but then most teams probably didn’t have as much fun as we did either!
Off the course, the gals had fun in Boulder. Great food, a sneak preview of McFarland USA (opening nationwide on Feb 20), and an after party hosted by Sara & Steve Slattery, Brooks Running and Elliptigo all rounded out a gorgeous weekend in the Colorado mountains.
-
- Erica Richardson
-
- Jordan Rehfeld
-
- Gabby Reeves
-
- Jordan & Erica
-
- Gretchen Hurlbutt
New Years Run- Race Report
Incredible performances today, in the first run of the year. Would you believe that we had at least one PR, in spite of the icy roads and frigid temps?
Pictures here are Candace and Samantha. I missed Shalini when my hands froze solid and the camera no longer worked. Brrrrr!
Nice job to all three Betties!
YMCA Christmas Run
-
- Candace rocking the Run Happy ugly seater shirt- love it!
-
- Shalini Ramachandran
-
- Gretchen drives her arms to finish fast
-
- Team smiles at the finish line
6 miles with 2 uphill. This race is kind of a doozie, but it is fu not be out among the festivities!
Great job to Candace, Emily, Claire, Shalini & Gretchen for their awesome races! We had a lot of fun chatting after the race and comparing notes on The Hill. Thursdays are our hill work days and have served us well.
Cheers ladies! Enjoy your holidays and we’ll see you on Jan 3 for our resolution run.
DR. BETTIE: Run Naked and Tune In to Your Internal GPS
Welcome to Dr. Bettie’s Corner, your local expert in nutrition, fitness, and health! This is a bimonthly forum where we attempt to address Woman-focused topics of interest. We welcome your suggestions & questions! Please contact us with yours.
Run Naked and Tune In to Your Internal GPS
Earlier this fall I promised myself (and Coach G for accountability) that I would run the Turkey Day 5k “naked.” Don’t worry, no need to keep the kids inside (I left my streaking days behind in college) — I’m not talking about taking my clothes off, I’m talking about running sans GPS watch. Scary, right? How would I pace myself without technology? How would I do without knowing anything about my time? I’d heard some positive things about running without a GPS watch and was curious about trying it, but my type A personality is quite attached to glancing at my watch every so often while training and racing so I was not sure how I would do without it.
As a frequent contributor to Runner’s World and similar running publications, coach Jenny Hadfield suggests (more…)
DR. BETTIE: Winter Running- Is the Weather Outside TOO Frightful?
Welcome to Dr. Bettie’s Corner, your local expert in nutrition, fitness, and health! This is a bimonthly forum where we attempt to address Woman-focused topics of interest. We welcome your suggestions & questions! Please contact us with yours.
Winter Running: Is the Weather Outside TOO Frightful?
It’s hard to believe it’s that time of year. (I mean, seriously hard to believe.) And nobody hates cold weather more than Dr. Bettie. (Pretty sure.) What can we do to survive these harsh days? Here’s a short list of advice, which I hope will help. (more…)
DR. BETTIE: Staying Motivated During the Fall and Winter Months
Welcome to Dr. Bettie’s Corner, your local expert in nutrition, fitness, and health! This is a bimonthly forum where we attempt to address Woman-focused topics of interest. We welcome your suggestions & questions! Please contact us with yours.
Staying Motivated During the Fall and Winter Months
Q: Dear Dr. Bettie, I just finished my big fall race, now what? How do I stay motivated to train during the fall and winter months?
A: First of all, congratulations! It’s a huge accomplishment to complete an event that you have trained for all summer. Hope it was a great experience for you! Make sure you take some time off after the race to let your muscles fully recover. I recommend that you take a full week off of running after racing a full or half marathon. Just like tapering before a big event, recovery after the big event is also important. While you are resting, remember to stretch, drink lots of water and eat plenty of dark leafy greens to aid your recovery. When you do resume running, start with (more…)
