Hello everyone,
I know it’s been a while since I’ve written, my apologies! It has been a busy summer with work and training. I now am working with Green Events, a local race company, and the College of Natural Sciences here at CSU, in addition of course to Runners Roost. So, I have been doing a lot of writing, just not as much on my blog (you should check out the blogs I’ve written for Runners Roost and Green Events)!
A lot has changed in my athletic life; last year Anna would've thrown a fit had she
known how different training would look at this point. Since my achilles has not quite been able to get back to its normal self, I was forced to let go of the idea of training exactly how I wanted. My grasp on “perfection” was loosened and I’ve accepted that it’s just not possible to run 70+ miles a week like I did last year. At first I didn’t believe that it was even worth trying to race if I couldn't train how I wanted to. Now, though, I’ve realized that there are probably dozens of successful and productive ways to become the athlete I want to be.
This begs the question: who is the athlete I want to be?
Well, I can say that I want to be an athlete who does cycling and running- at least for now. I want to be an athlete who plays outside, feels the sun and the snow, sees the mountains. I want to feel sore, sometimes, but not broken. I want to eat good food and feel really tired at the end of the day. I want to spend my miles with friends, talking or quiet. And I want to feel challenged. Scared. Excited. Legs burning and lungs heaving.
As long as I can find that, I think I’ll feel fulfilled with who I am as an athlete. I think
that ability to find fulfillment as an athlete, and having a balance among it all, really makes someone excellent at what they do.
So for now, I’m going to keep chipping away at my goals. I want to run in cross country nationals with my team and run really fast on the track. Those goals have remained the same, the ones I’ve added are cycling related: I want to get better at bike handling, descending, riding in a group and find a race to enter!
While unconventional, I have been having a great summer of training. My love for cycling transpired for many reasons:
I get to be outside and see the sights! Cycling is by far the way to go as far as supplementing training for running! One of my favorite parts about being a runner is getting to spend at least an hour outside every day. Especially living in Colorado, it feels like a terrible punishment to be kept inside in a gym or pool. During my time cycling so far, I have ridden all over Fort Collins and the surrounding towns, in Boulder, and through Estes Park to Rocky Mountain National Park. I love getting to explore the mountains every time I go out for a ride. That’s one of the ways riding beats running- you can see so much in a lot less time!
I’m becoming a much stronger athlete with a lot less wear and tear on my body! Obviously, cycling has been a lot easier on my body, which is why I’m doing it in the first place. Although cycling doesn’t translate quite the same way running does in cross country and track races, it’s crazy how fit I’ve gotten from running only half the miles I ran last year at this time. I run about every other day for workouts and long runs but I get the rest of my volume from cycling. This has really worked to help my achilles injury start to heal.
Cycling is a fun new way to challenge myself in sport. I listened to a podcast with Colleen Quigley that described what I was feeling about my newfound athletic abilities outside of running. The podcast was about the recent developments in her career and how triathlon fits into her training as a track athlete now. She was talking about how she started riding and had so much fun, she was falling in love with training all over again. She talked about how running the same workouts at the same time of year can become really stressful if you’re not in the same place physically that you were before; you’re constantly racing against your own workouts and races from the previous year. I felt this personally over the last year with not only race results but weekly mileage and workouts. When I started riding I got better so quickly, because I was starting from, basically, nothing. Although I would say I am a solid cyclist now, I still see improvements in my riding weekly. I get to do new bike workouts, routes and even small races. Having new goals and being able to surpass all expectations in training is FUN and makes me feel more confident in my athletic abilities- not only as a cyclist but as a runner. Of course I miss the simplicity of having all my training be running. I still feel like I have a lot left to give and room to grow as a runner… but, if I can be successful as a runner-cyclist hybrid, that sounds like the best of both worlds to me!
I even got to try my hand in a few grass roots races over the summer, thanks to Your Group Ride! I started off with a couple criteriums which learned me up real good! It was really scary but really rewarding to put myself out there and try something that I’d never done. I wouldn’t say that it was my best showing but I learned a lot about handling and technique that I really needed to learn. While there is still tons of room for improvement here, I feel a lot better about things like cornering- plus it was fun to join in and get to know the cycling community! I got to do a couple time trials as well where I got the chance to show off all the climbing I’ve been doing. When I first started riding I learned quickly that I liked climbing, doing the only route I knew at the time, Double Dams. Now I know it as one of the hilliest routes around. I would love to eventually do a longer road race with lots of climbing, so I’ll keep an eye out and keep you all posted. I would also like to get into the gravel and cyclocross scene to see what all the excitement is about!
While I am really enjoying this new sport, most of my racing endeavors will take a backseat to running for the next year to two years. Getting to run alongside my best friends everyday (errr- every other day) is such a gift and I couldn’t be more proud of my new teammates as well as my younger teammates who are stepping up! The Rams have an electric season ahead and I’m excited to be a part of it as someone who has some knowledge and experience to pass on. I am very much committed to my running goals, team and coaches here at CSU. You only ever get one chance to run in college!
In addition to my journey as a writer and athlete, there's another delightful
chapter in my life, and it comes in the form of a furry, effervescent companion named Grizz. He radiates joy and never fails to bring a smile to my face. Grizz’s favorite thing is going places, he relishes in the company of squeaky toys, savors pup cups as if they
were his last meal and makes friends with anyone and everyone. His running prowess is steadily improving (albeit with the occasional distraction caused by bunny and squirrel encounters), and if you're curious about my experiences running alongside this four-legged dynamo, I've linked an article that delves into the joys of running with your
canine companion linked here.
Last on the blog agenda are two recipes I’ve enjoyed over the last two weeks! I must credit my sources, Chat GPT and my roomie Emily for the inspiration. Read below for Pasta With Lemon Chicken and Arugula and Chocolate Covered PB Dates!
Chat GPT’s Pasta With Lemon Chicken
The Chat GPT chicken and pasta recipe came to life when I was struggling to decide what to make for dinner when my sister came over using only the leftover ingredients I had on hand. This dinner is a light and flavorful option that should work well even if you have limited ingredients in your fridge or little time on your hands! This dish combines the fresh and slightly peppery flavor of arugula with the zesty brightness of lemon and the savory taste of garlic chicken. Thanks Chat!
Ingredients:
- Boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- Pasta
- Arugula
- Lemon
- Garlic cloves
- Olive oil
- Salt and pepper
- Optional: grated parm
Instructions:
1. Prepare the Chicken:
- Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper.
- In a skillet, heat some olive oil over medium-high heat.
- Add the chicken breasts and cook for about 6-7 minutes per side, or until they are cooked
through and no longer pink in the center.
- Squeeze in the juice of the lemon and stir to combine.
- Add minced garlic.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste.
2. Cook the Pasta
- I think we should probably all be able to cook pasta. I prefer whole wheat spaghetti noodles.
4. Assemble the Dish:
- Toss the cooked spaghetti noodles in the chicken and lemon garlic sauce to coat them evenly.
- Slice the cooked chicken breasts.
- Scatter a handful of arugula over each plate.
- If desired, sprinkle some parmesan on top for extra flavor. **I have gone dairy free in efforts to reduce inflammation and help my achilles heal, so I used dairy free cheese but highly recommend parm for this
Chocolate Covered PB Dates
My roommate Emily and I both have a serious sweet tooth. She gets pretty creative with trying new recipes and this was a house favorite of hers that’s super quick and easy.
Ingredients:
- Dates (pitted is easier)
- Dark chocolate chips
- Peanut butter of choice (Adams works well!)
Instructions:
- Spread some PB inside the sliced dates. Place on a plate or tray then put them in the freezer for 10-15 minutes.
- While PB in the dates is firming up in the freezer, melt the chocolate.
- Dip dates in the chocolate, then let cool in the fridge.
- Enjoy!
Keep embracing the journey whether it's on two feet, two wheels or whatever path you choose,
Anna
Comments