Train, Hike, Race, Repeat: An IllumiNITEd Agenda

IllumiNITE Savannah Shirt

January and February are always my lowest miles months. The cold, short days really zap my enthusiasm, but I figure if there is any time to rest and recover, winter is the perfect excuse to kick off my running shoes and catch up on my shows. Remember, 2020 is all about finding balance.

So far, I'm finding my groove. I've settled into my new 5:00 am writing routine before going into my day job.

I've been working out at the gym with my sister on our lunch hour, adding in strength training and speedwork on the treadmill.

Sera: IllumiNITE Dovetail Tee
and Women's Shortie

And I've officially planned out my hikes and races for the year!

Yes! As part of goals for living a balanced life, I'm incorporating more mountains back into my athletic activities. Why? Two reasons:

1) I promised my life partner that I'd hike more if he ran a marathon (his first) with me (he did! and he signed up for two more!).

2) In 2018, I ran my fastest marathon and was in the greatest shape of my life. I truly believe it's because I incorporated mountain training/races into my running routine that year.


So what's on my IllumiNITEd agenda this year? I thought you'd never ask!

THE BOSS

IlumiNITE Eclipse Headband, Vigor Singlet,
and Women's Shortie

First up is Loon Mountain Race in Lincoln, New Hampshire, in July. This race is 6.6 miles straight up a mountain—with the last kilometer on a black diamond ski slope—a 45-degree angle!

Check out the Upper Walking Boss video to see for yourself. Hang onto your couch...you'll get vertigo just watching!


It's brutal; it's dizzying; it's So. Much. Fun!

Instead of taking the gondola ride that's included in the race fee, I always run back down the mountain afterwards. And then I cool off in the river!

IlumiNITE Eclipse Headband, Vigor Singlet,
and Women's Shortie

Ahh, best mini-vacation ever! Since we're there, we'll hike up Franconia Ridge a few days before the race as well. That weekend is a 16-miler training weekend for us (for our marathon), so the hike and race will fulfill that requirement. This will be my third year doing this race, and I seriously cannot wait to run it with Mike!

Training for this race will include the Seven Sisters race route and Mt. Tom ski slopes. My quads and glutes are already burning thinking about it!

THE RIVER

I ran so fast, I burned holes in my socks! haha

What goes up, must go down! Everyone who knows me knows how much I hate hills! So to reward myself for all this climbing, I've signed back up for the New England Green River Marathon in August. The course is one way, from Vermont to Massachusetts, on a tree-canopied road alongside the cooling Green River. The elevation LOSS is an appreciated 1,450 feet.

I ran this race ONCE, and it was my fastest marathon yet! At the time, I was at the peak of my mountain racing, so I'm hoping I can beat my record now that I'm adding mountains back into my routine!

I chose this marathon again because it's the perfect FIRST marathon, and since Mike's first marathon was the ever-grueling, mostly uphill, jam-packed marathon in Greece, I thought Green River would make for a nice contrast (he's still not convinced he likes marathons, but soon he will LOVE them, haha).

Training for this will include hikes on Mount Greylock and Mount Race (gotta keep up our strength) and speedwork (intervals) on a track.

THE GHOST TRAIN

My son and I costuming it up at
Ghost Train Ultra in 2018 

We'll end the year with Ghost Train Ultra Marathon in October. This was my first ultramarathon (I did 30 miles), and it's 15-mile out and back course makes it perfect for the newbie (or seasoned) ultramarathoner. The course is relatively flat with just one hill (that goes up both ways!), but is hardly boring as it's filled with spooky, Halloweenie decorations, costumes galore, and a tunnel—yes! a tunnel!—to run through!

This year, I'd like to accomplish 45 miles, 30 on Saturday and 15 on Sunday. We'll see how my year goes before I officially commit to that! What I'm most excited for is dressing up in costume for this race! Maybe this year, we can wear capes! I'm already feeling like a superhero as I think about bounding up all these mountains and racing at the speed of IllumiNITE!

IllumiNITE Fishbone Halloween Cape

New England Green River Marathon is perfectly timed 7 weeks before this ultra! I'll just continue on with Hal Higdon's Ultramarathon schedule to stay on track, maybe doing half-distance the day after my long distance runs to get used to running long stretches back-to-back. For example: 26 miles on Saturday and then 10 miles on Sunday. And I'll have to shave off one week, so I'll just skip week 21 and go right to week 22.

I'm crossing my fingers that Mike will feel motivated to "go the distance" and join me with my ultra training. He is thinking of running 15 miles on Saturday and 15 miles on Sunday for a total of 30 miles that weekend...but I'm wondering if all the excitement and magic of race day will get him to do 30 all at once!!! No pressure (yet!)!

Sera: IllumiNITE Ambition Hoodie
Mike: IllumiNITE Early Riser

So tell me:

What races are you signed up for this year?

What's your training plan? 

I'd love to hear! Leave a comment below!

I HATE Running! The Makings of an Ultra Marathoner

As I gear up for not one, but two marathons just two weeks apart in two different countries, I think back to how it all began...

I first started running because my best friend Loretta stopped being social, and I missed her terribly. 

"If you want to hangout," she said, "you need to run with me. I'm training for my first marathon."

"I hate running," I said. But I joined her the next Saturday morning at a nearby parking lot to give it a try. To my surprise, a bunch of people in real athletic wear were gathered around stretching and doing high knees and butt kicks. I felt so out of place in my beat up walking shoes and old sweats.

When it was time to run, I told Loretta: "We're taking walk breaks as often as I need them." 

Loretta and I at my first half marathon:
Amica Iron Horse Half Marathon 2016
My first "birthday" race.

"Okay," she said. She may have rolled her eyes.

"And you better not leave me," I said.

"I won't," she said.

"And don't expect me to run more than three miles. Ever. I HATE running," I reiterated.

"Okay," she said, this time with a smirk. And she kept her word...mostly.

When I first started running, I ran about 30 seconds and walked two minutes. Loretta did not complain once, even though I was being a terrible sport. So, I came back each Saturday to spend time with my bestie. I noticed how happy and excited the other runners seemed, and that confused me. We're running...for no reason...what's there to be happy about? But their joy became contagious. I decided to try harder to see what all this "happiness" was about. Over time, I was able to run longer and farther before taking a walk break. People noticed and congratulated my tiniest accomplishments. I'd never belonged to any club before. And I had to admit, it was more fun than I expected. Shoutout to Run Your Health!

But then, Loretta did the most despicable thing. She volunteered me for a relay marathon team at the Cape Cod Marathon. Before I could protest, the relay team captain threw her arms around me and exclaimed her excitement. The team couldn’t race without a fifth person. I knew I couldn’t let these people down. I had no choice but to run.

"You were going to the Cape to watch me run my marathon anyway," Loretta said. "You might as well run, too."

Shooting out the gate with all the other runners
Cape Cod Marathon and Relay 2015

Loretta waving to me as we ran
the beginning our first race together
Cape Cod Marathon 2015

My leg of the race was the first three miles, and I got to shoot out the gate with all the other relay runners and marathoners alike. The vibrating energy of the crowd was exhilarating, and for the first time, I felt like I was a part of something greater than life. Those three miles were excruciating. I had only run three miles without stopping once before, but I was determined to do my best, so I ran for my life. When I saw my teammates at the transition point, I felt like a rockstar. They were jumping up and down—cheering for me. FOR ME! And that was it, I was hooked.

Cheesing it with my first marathon medal
Cape Cod Marathon 2016

I bought a real pair of running shoes from a running store that fitted me for the perfect fit. Then:

Marathon Relay, turned into 

5ks, turned into 

10ks, turned into
Half Marathons, turned into 

Marathons, turned into 

Chowdah Challenge (half marathon on Saturday/Full on Sunday), turned into

Ragnar Reach the Beach (2-day, 200-mile relay race), turned into 

Trail and Mountain races, turned into 

Ultramarathons!

And now I’m running in multiple states, in other countries, on multiple continents.

Loretta ran right by my side through my first half marathon AND my first marathon. We ran side by side for Ragnar’s Reach the Beach for some of our legs, and she even ran on a few trails and mountains with me. Life gets busy, and Loretta and I don’t run together as often as we used to. Part of that is because our schedules don't always mesh, our running goals don't always match, and she isn’t too fond of trail running...or ultramarathons. But that’s okay. I still feel her energy and inspiration with me on every run.

Loretta and I celebrating after finishing my first marathon
Cape Cod Marathon 2016

Running has changed my life in ways I could never imagine. It’s given me the chance to see pieces of the world I would never see whizzing by in a car. It’s lessened my anxiety and increased my happiness tenfold. It’s helped me realize that I can overcome other obstacles or hardships in my life. I’ve learned nothing is impossible; some things just take more effort or patience or time or education.

I'm so excited to be running Cape Cod Marathon in just eight days! Especially since it's the race that sparked my love of running! 

Still, ask me on a bad run day, and I’ll tell you: “I HATE running.” But I also LOVE it. And I can’t imagine experiencing life without it ever again.

Is there something you thought you didn't like but learned to love once you gave it a real shot? Leave a comment below!

Loon Mountain Race: Who's The Boss?

Loon Mountain Race is a one-way, 6.6 mile race up a 3,125-foot mountain in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. With an average 14% grade, LMR is known as one of the toughest mountain races because the last kilometer takes runners up Upper Walking Boss—known as "The Boss"—a black-diamond ski slope with a dizzying 48% vertical incline. 

Last year was the first year I ran LMR. I signed up because Trail Sisters gave a fifty-percent off discount for first-time females as an incentive to gain more female entrants. Even though I had run Seven Sisters Trail Race two months prior and had trained on local ski slopes, I was terrified of LMR—so terrified I could barely swallow down my pre-race fuel. I took it easy to conserve my energy for "The Boss,” taking lots of pictures along the way as my excuse for going slow—the views are stunning! But when I reached the Upper Walking Boss, I was surprised at how well I had hiked it. Was it grueling? Yes! Did I have to stop several times? Yes! Did I almost fall backwards? Yes! I may have even crawled at one point. Still, I felt like "The Boss!" I finished the race at 2 hours 6 minutes, 47 seconds, and I couldn't wait to run it again! 

Making my way up Upper Walking Boss

This year, my goal was to PR (personal record) at two hours, but I told myself I'd be happy with the same time as last year’s because my ultramarathon schedule didn't give me much time to run on mountains. I thought running two ultras three weeks apart, with the last race happening just one month before LMR, would have prepared me. Boy was I wrong. Less than a mile up, my legs cramped, my back spasmed, my whole body screamed: "Why are you doing this to me?" There was nothing I could do, except keep on climbing up...

Up... 

UP! 

Running down was so much fun!

Once my pain leveled off to a dull throb, I was able to focus on the positives. The views still amazed me, and despite other runners complaining about the brutal heat, I noticed I didn't feel sticky or swampy. My clothes stayed dry, and my headband wicked away sweat so my sunscreen didn't drip into my eyes. Last year, I was so sweaty and gross, I had to jump in the river to cool off immediately after the race. But this year, I was completely dry before I even started running back down the mountain. I was able to enjoy the after party, which I had missed last year.

I'm glad IllumiNITE had my back, even if I was undertrained. It's good to know their clothing keeps me dry and cool in all environments. Plus, I feel so much safer running in reflective apparel. I once got lost for more than an hour on a mountain I have never been on before. I was alone with no map, no cell service, and no idea where I was or where to go. I couldn’t even figure out where I made the wrong turn during the race! It was the scariest thing ever (a story for another time!)! But now that I've found IllumiNITE, I know that if I ever get lost again, I'll be easily found when a search crew's flashlights illuminate my clothing! But don’t take my word for it. Try IllumiNITE for yourself. Use discount code Sera15 for 15% off your entire order!

But I digress.

At the top of Loon Mountain!

Back to LMR. It’s humbling to say that I finished at 2 hours, 18 minutes, 35 seconds. It’s even more humbling that the first elite male runner passed me on Upper Walking Boss, despite starting 1 hour, 15 minutes after the women—and even more humbling that he effortlessly said, “Good work, Ladies,” as he jogged past.

So Loon Mountain Race, I ask of you, “Who’s The Boss?” You may have won this year, but I'm coming back for you!

What mountains do you like to run?! Comment below.