Kate, Author at Kate Dugan

On Falling In Love With Running… Again

February 23, 2017 by Kate 2 Comments

Today I went for my first run in a week. Runs have been sporadic lately. My aim was to incorporate lifting more into my routine this winter, and I have, but not as regularly as I’d planned. I have discovered that there’s just something about running… here’s a little more about why I love to run.

Yes, me, vociferous hater of running just said, “I love to run”. I still hate it sometimes, too. But here are a few reasons why I have come to love it…

Time to myself, all to myself

In the gym, where I lift, there are usually other people – they are also usually nice and polite, but try as I might I cannot make them disappear (haha, I kid, sort of). So running trumps lifting for me in this regard.

Also, I remember when I had my kids I became obsessed with finding the perfect jogging stroller. It made sense because I love getting two things done at once. Giving my kids the opportunity to be outside while I got in a workout seemed like a great idea. Soon I realized stroller running was not all that I’d imagined. Every few minutes someone needed something or someone dropped something or someone was kicking someone. And a few times someone would throw a tantrum when we were a few miles from home. I found myself full of anxiety, sprinting home. I hated stroller running.

After that, I worked more with my partner on designing a schedule that would enable regular runs for us both. And I learned that sometimes I don’t want to do it all – it is ok to occasionally hire a babysitter to go for a run. $20 is less than I’d pay to take a class in NYC anyway, and it is worth it for my sanity.

Thinking

I remember my boss telling me she does her best thinking in a nice hot shower, the longer the better. I think I do my best thinking on runs, the longer the better. Both situations are problematic in terms of recording and therefore remembering ones great ideas, but I usually retain 50% of my big ah-has. It’s not often in this day and age that I am away from my phone for such an extended time and free of distraction. Both of these things, I’ve discovered are necessities for creative thought, and running affords me them.

Plus, endorphins. I don’t know that the science says, but I’m convinced they prime me to explore a wacky idea more than I would normally.

Being outside

As I dropped the kiddos off at school, the sun was peeking out from a building to the east. The air was dense, but it looked as if the sun would break through and burn off the low clouds. Fifteen minutes later I was in my running gear and heading out, and the sun was nowhere to be seen. All of a sudden it was a grey and foggy day. I could smell fumes from the standing busses and exhaust from the big trucks. Something about it made me thing of my trips to China and India. Bad air quality, I suppose. Good thing I was heading for Central Park. Even in a city like Manhattan and even when it is filled with neighbors and tourists or rain and snow, there is something healing and rejuvenating about being amongst the trees and hills and ponds.

On the rare occasion that I travel, exploring a city via running is one of my favorite pastimes. You cover more ground than you would walking and you see more than you would driving. It’s perfect.

One thing I can control

I remember when I went back to work more than a year after having the twins. The idea that I could step away from my desk and get coffee at a time that I decided upon (so long as I didn’t have a meeting that interfered) without dragging two small humans along with me was powerful and freeing.

Still, even though I am long back to work, there’s so much I can’t control in a day – how a pitch I make at work will land, what small move will set off a toddler, the mood of my partner when he returns from work – the list goes on. Running, though, is in my control. Of course, some days we feel better than others and sometimes we are battling injuries, but for the most part, I decide how far, how fast and where to go. And the rest of the day I have something good to look back on.

Even if my day is crap, at least I moved my body and freed my mind.

These are the reasons why I love to run. Why do you?

The Gear You’ll Want to Keep Moving This Winter

December 7, 2016 by Kate 1 Comment

Last night I had plans to meet my cousin to run in Central Park. She’s a new runner so I was surprised that she was up for a run in 40 degree weather, but she’s tough and I always find it easier to get out the door when I’m meeting someone. I’m delighted to have a running buddy again! When it started raining I wasn’t surprised to receive a cancellation text. I pushed back a little, “come on… you know you’ll feel great afterwards,” and it became clear that the only thing standing in her way was proper cold / rainy weather running attire. Who can blame her for that?

She dug around and replied that she’d found something suitable. We were on. Fast-forward 45 minutes and I’m waiting for her at the edge of the park in the pouring rain. She messages apologizing for the delay – apparently she stepped in a puddle and had to change her sock. “Oh no, maybe this was a mistake,” I thought to myself.

Soon enough, I see someone of her stature dressed all in black running towards me. Only it couldn’t be her. This person was holding an umbrella. The figure came closer. It was her! “ok, I guess she’ll put it down and tuck it away when she gets into the park,” I thought. Nope, we proceeded to run 3 miles together in the cold rain. All the while, she was holding her umbrella out in front of her as a shield.

We passed a few runners on the loop and we even got one comment about her ingenuity. And, I assume carrying an umbrella while running takes serious stamina!

So, AV, this blog post is for you. The holidays are coming, maybe someone will gift you a few of these items. Fa La la la lah La la la lah…

Must haves:

Craft Base layer – this is my go-to piece. In fact, I wish I had at least 2 more. Layers are so important in cold weather. This one keeps me fairly dry, even when I’m sweating like a maniac (I’m a heavy sweater)
Outer shell – if the temp isn’t too cold (4o’s and dry), I’ll just wear a long sleeved technical tee over my base layer. Once it gets into the 30’s and lower, I’m all about the a thicker outer layer. This running hoodie is similar to what I wear regularly. For something a little heavier, check out the Nike Shield jacket.
Hat or headband if you’ve got a lot of hair, the Lululemon top knot toque is great! Really, any beanie made of technical fabric will do. The more it wicks away moisture, the better.
Gloves / mittens or a combo. I like the versatility of these gloves transform into mittens with a windproof layer for extra chilly runs.
Running tights – these are an upgrade from the version I’m wearing, but I’m a huge Brooks fan when it comes to tights. Nike, Asics & Under Armor have comparable pieces, just make sure you get tights that are made for cold-weather running (not the super thin ones).
Socks – usually I don’t like my socks to come above my ankles, but in the winter that can mean there’s an annoying gap between the bottom of my tights and my socks. Long leg problems, I guess, so I opt for a taller run sock. These are largely up to personal preference so you might have to try a few. If you’re vegan, just make sure they don’t contain wool (it’s pretty common).

**Note: I wear all black all the time, however, from a safety perspective, investing in some brightly colored pieces for running is smart. Do as I say, not as I do.

Nice to haves:

Rain Jacket / windbreaker – confession, I don’t own one of these. Most of the time, if I’m running in the rain, I just layer up if it’s cold and get a little wet. By the end of our little run last night, though, I was pretty chilly and wet so I’m beginning to rethink this. Maybe this will be my next investment piece…
Vest – these are great because they keep your core nice and warm, though I tend to use mine more while cycling. During running, usually my hands and feet are the most likely to freeze.
Head lamp or reflective gear – not usually needed if you’re doing most of your running in a lighted park, but some country-dwellers aren’t so lucky. Believe me, I’m envious of folks who live in the sticks for lots of reasons, but well-lit places to run in the winter is not one of them!
Phone / key storage – I like the SPI belt or the flip belt for storage on short runs, when I don’t need to wear a hydration belt

Definitely do not need:

Elite Brief – yeah, I’ll never be this fast.

Happy (& warm / dry) running!

How to Manage The Off-Season

November 23, 2016 by Kate 3 Comments

Full definition of off–season:

a time of suspended or reduced activity; especially the time during which an athlete is not training or competing.

… we have arrived!!

The NYC marathon, 2+ weeks ago, was officially my last endurance event of 2016. Phew! As you may know, it was a less than stellar experience. This photo of me on Central Park South, about a half of a mile from the finish, sums it up pretty accurately. That, my friends, is the look of defeat.

But, on the plus side, I learned quite a bit this year and this season.

Immediately after the marathon, I ordered By Chloe for the whole family to refuel and refresh my spirits. Vegan burgers, fries and mac + cheese. It hit the spot.

And that, my friends, may have been the healthiest meal I ate until about a week ago…

These last few weeks have been interesting. Election day was just two days after the NYC marathon. I usually enjoy reading and watching election coverage, but I have to admit that I was tiring of the campaigns dominating the news. Not only was I eagerly awaiting the news of our next president, but I was also excited for it all to be over.

Until almost midnight on election day, I was completely unaware of how badly I’d take Hilary’s loss. I mean, I actually don’t agree with a lot of her ideas for policy. Rationally, I knew that Donald Trump had a chance at the presidency (against all odds, he made it this far, I figured), but had mostly written it off due to predictions from polls. As swing states started reporting, my heart sunk. Turns out, I’m a big fan of respecting humans and treating them decently regardless of their gender, sexuality, race, religion or age. For that reason and also because I thought we were on the brink of our first female president, I took the Trump victory pretty hard.

Wednesday morning I woke up, still stunned. The mood in New York City was somber. It was a grey, rainy day. The volume was low, almost as if someone had kicked us hard in the gut, knocking the wind out of us for a full 24 hours. I sat in my bosses office and tried to hold back tears as we watched Hilary’s concession speech.

“And to all of the little girls who are watching this, never doubt that you are valuable and powerful and deserving of every chance and opportunity in the world to pursue and achieve your own dreams.”

That part really got me. More than ever, I felt the presence of a seemingly impenetrable, thick glass ceiling. Still fully intact.

Then the protesting and gloating started. People who had been perfectly friendly before the election were all of a sudden bickering intensely on social media. The ugly campaigns that I was looking forward to sun setting had morphed into angry rants, hate crimes, and an air of fear and uncertainty.

For about a week, I went to bed as soon as the kids did and slept as long as I possibly could. Exercise was the last thing on my mind. And some pretty poor eating habits crept back in. And then, sort of unexpectedly, I was slammed at work and Michael was out-of-town. My hands were full and there wasn’t much time for sleeping. It was a welcome distraction.

Now, the distractions have subsided. Some of the raw emotion from the election seems more processed. Things are still uncertain, but there is less panic.

And I’m realizing that the “off-season” is for the birds! Certainly, ironman training is not sustainable year round, but in years past this has translated into a 1-2 month complete hiatus from exercise. Typically during these periods, I don’t feel good about myself, my energy is lower, and I’m not as happy.

This is why I’d never advocate for a true “off-season” from a training perspective. Instead, I think it makes sense to periodize our training, change things up, and focus on shorter workouts.

For me, since I have my sights set on a fall marathon (sub-4 hours), I’m planning the following fitness routine:

December to April: strength – I’m planning to take advantage of the chilly temperatures and bring my workouts indoors during this period. Starting when I was a young teenager lifting weights in the basement with my dad, I loved it. I felt so powerful. And, I think my body would benefit from building some lean muscle mass. I also plan to swim once a week because it is a great full body exercise, and also one that I miss post-ironman.
April to July: speed – During this period, I plan to add running back into my routine. I’ll likely start by running three times a week and still doing some lifting. My runs will be a speed workout, a tempo run, and a longer easy-paced run, and they will be shorter than most runs in the next phase.
July to October: endurance – In summer, I’ll drop strength training except for core and weekly hill / speed workouts. It will be more like traditional marathon training, and I’ll aim to run 5x per week.

So far, the only race on the calendar is the Chicago marathon, however, I have been doing some research and think it would be fun to do a couple of destination half marathons. 13.1 really is such a fun distance.

I would love to hear about how you approach the off-season. Do you take any time completely off? How do you change up your training? And do you love it or loathe it?

P.S. Yesterday I did my first CrossFit workout in years, which called for 150 burpees (I only made it through 135). I’m feeling sore already… I might be nearly catatonic later today.

2016 NYC Marathon and What’s Next

November 7, 2016 by Kate Leave a Comment

The marathon is always a great day in NYC. I love the nervous energy at the start, followed by excitement, and finally, glory. It is beyond compare. But this year, despite all of that, I had a rough race. I ran my slowest marathon ever, including my first, aka “the porta-potty hop of 2012” in Philly, where I stopped at every toilet there was after mile 12. Yeah, it was not fun, but this NYC was 2 minutes faster than my slog to the finish in 2016. Luckily, it wasn’t that way for everyone. I have many friends who did killed it yesterday! (Congrats, Guys!!)

Here’s my story:

As you may know, it took me several years to finally run the NYC marathon. I first registered in 2009 and failed to make it to the start that year and the following year due to nagging injuries. In 2011, I just started a stressful job that took over my life and left no time for training. I was ready to race in 2012, but the race was cancelled due to a hurricane. So I thought 2013 would be my year. Nope, a twin pregnancy kept me sidelined that year. Finally, in 2014 (with 7 month old twins), I made it to the start and ultimately the finish line of the NYC marathon. It was a great day and a challenging one. I fell in love with NYC and I finally got to experience the marathon.

This year, I plain, straight did not train enough. I ran 2-3 times a week, often missing my long runs. I got in one 20 milers and two 18 milers. All of my runs felt miserable by the end. I also got a slow start to training after Ironman. It took me several weeks, into October, to wrap my head around running for 3 hours and finally do it. You could say I was burnt out.

Of course, due to all of that, I expected a slow time for this year’s NYC marathon. I thought I could hold 10 minute miles and manage a slight fade, finishing around 4:25. Unfortunately for me, around mile 10 I knew that 10 minute miles were probably too fast. I started to feel tired and achy. By mile 16, which is demarcated by the Queensboro bridge connecting Queens to Manhattan, I was struggling. This is when, according to NYC marathon veterans (including the guy I shack up with), “the race begins” …

There was a chance that C+E would be waiting for me at mile 18, which is near our apartment. I kept it together until then, but when I didn’t see them, I got a little upset. My breathing quickened and then I got a cramp in my ribs. For the first time, I stopped to walk. You know when you start to walk, it is very hard to get back into the mode of running. My stomach had been feeling a little iffy for the last few miles and the relief of walking was immense. No more jostling. But still, it was probably a bad idea. My pace per mile dropped immensely after that point. I was dry heaving due to whatever was happening with my stomach. I switched from gels + endurolytes for fuel to Gatorade and water and wished hard for coke and ice. Ironman has ruined me!

The Bronx was a blur. When I entered Manhattan again, the sun was so bright, I couldn’t see a thing. Never was I so happy not to be wearing my name on my shirt. I tried to interact as little as possible with the crowd. And for the most part, they left me alone. I was walking now with an occasional run, which was more like a shuffle, thrown in until I felt like I might puke. I almost stopped once to try to throw up, but thought better of it. What if I didn’t get started again?

I saw Michael on 5^th Avenue and made it into Central Park. Finally, the finish line was in sight, but there was no joy in it. A little bit of relief, but overall… meh. My time? 4:40 something. I didn’t even check my watch. Instead, I joined the walking dead and shuffled my way out of the park. I even thought about skipping the finisher’s medal because I didn’t feel I really earned it.

Processing it all

Rationally, I understand why this happened, but I still needed to work through it emotionally. I fell into a deep sleep abruptly last night and then had a dream that I was running and people were yelling negative things at me from the sidelines. Then I tripped over a hose that was in my path, which resulted in me kicking my feet and waking up. I started to cry. Why is this %&*%# sport so difficult for me?

This is what happens when you don’t respect the marathon. As much as it sucked, and it did suck, I learned a valuable lesson out there yesterday. For me, the marathon has to be the main thing. Never again will I run a marathon as a “B” or “C” race. It will either be the main thing or I’ll sit it out and cheer on my friends. And I don’t plan to run one again until I feel I can commit the energy to it to run it in less than 4 hours. And for goodness sake, I need to figure out this nausea thing!!

It wasn’t all terrible, of course. I met a guy from Chicago who was making a comeback to the marathon after 10 years. It was his first NYC. We chatted away in our corral. I saw so many friends on the course and received such support from them. And Michael ran quite well, all things considered. I’m really proud of him. My OBGYN qualified for Boston in her first marathon since college. My tri coach ran his first marathon in a respectable time. An American woman, Molly Huddle, made the podium for the first time in 2010 in her marathon debut. Gwen Jorgenson, US Olympic champ in Rio, ran the race in a speedy 2:41. And so many other people I know had great times and made themselves proud.

Next Steps

Very tactically, I have some plans (of course!) 🙂

Make an appointment with a sports nutritionist to see if we can get to the bottom of my digestive issues. I’m going to come up with a plan so that I can try a few new things in training next time and see what “sticks” because this is not fun!
Take some time off. I’m going to take a week to recover from my long slog to 26.2 – woohooo!
Focus on strength training in the off-season. I think we can all agree that I’m not a natural marathoner. I didn’t hit the genetic lotto for this sport, but I do love making progress against myself. And there’s something about endurance sports that is appealing. There are so many lessons I’ve learned through the adversity I’ve created for myself in running. To make better progress and fall in love with endurance sports again, I plan to build some strength in my core, hips and butt. Lifting will also be a nice change of pace for me. I always feel so strong and powerful when I incorporate weight training into my routine. I’m really looking forward to it.
I’m giving myself the freedom to explore other forms of exercise this winter, too. I think that yoga could be really restorative. I might dabble in Pilates for core strength or get back to the pool.
In the spring, I may add in some running and slowly build my base for a fall marathon. It will depend on how I’m feeling and what inspires me.

Thanks for reading. I’d love to hear about your NYC marathon experience. I hope you were one of the runners who had a great day out there. Either way, congratulations on your finish!

Happy running.

The Anatomy of the Weekend when both Parents are Marathon Training

October 31, 2016 by Kate 2 Comments

With or without kids, marathon training is not for the faint of heart. In contrast with Ironman training, of course, it seems sort of like a blip, mainly because I’m not working out for a full day on the weekends. But Ironman training is pretty extreme. So, I want to share what marathon training looks like around our household (with two kids) when two parents are giving it a go at the same time.

Sidenote: We are in the process of goal setting for next year. M will run the Boston Marathon in April and I have plans to go long (marathon) again in the fall. I’m guessing he will too, though he hasn’t fessed up to it yet. But the good news is that we’ll get a little break from dual endurance training sessions in the spring before it picks up again in the fall.

This is because I’ve decided to take some time to regain my speed and get stronger after the NYC marathon. More on that later, but I’m pretty jazzed about changing it up.

Here’s what our weekends typically look like when training for a Fall Marathon.

In July, August and September, in the North East. temperatures are still pretty high so unless you’re a glutton for punishment (I am not), getting runs in as early as possible is recommended. Unfortunately, that’s hard to do when you’re a sleep-deprived parent, which means it doesn’t always work out that way for us.

But let’s start with our ideal weekend of training and go from there.

Our preference has been staggered long runs. I take Saturday morning. Michael takes Sunday morning. I do my recovery run on Sunday and he does his on Monday. The downside is that it leaves us without a date night (haha, that’s sort of a joke – we average one date night every quarter), but seriously, sometimes it’s nice to just stay up late and order take-out. That’s hard to do when you’re alternating long runs and someone is up early for a big workout.
The other option is to hire a sitter. To be honest, I’m such a cheap skate, DIYer that this option never really appealed to me, but we’ll do it in a pinch. It probably happened once or twice this season. If we lived near family, I’d absolutely recruit them for babysitting so Michael and I could run together. He’s faster than I am, but we could at least get in a few early miles together.
The final option, which I’m advocating more for lately, is doing long runs on weekdays. If the weekends are packed with family activities or we predict not having the energy to fit in our long runs (often the case for me), we’ll push it to a weekday. Michael will sneak in 3 hours from 5am to 8am on a Friday. I’ve done a few Monday evening runs, either from 6 to 9pm or 7 to 10pm. At first, the idea didn’t really appeal to me, but so long as I’m mentally prepared, these runs have been some of my best.

When temperatures cool, usually in October, we’ll take turns running long on the same weekend day. This is also a good option if you’re not someone who needs to get your run out of the way first thing in the morning.

We’ve also managed to go away for a few weekends this fall without the kids (usually for weddings). When that happens, I basically feel like I’m 16 years old again and I just got my license. In between acting a fool on the dance floor and sleeping 10 hours a night, we’ll often run together. This past weekend, we went to Charleston for a wedding. It was so fun (photos below) and also pretty warm. The wedding was Friday night. By the time we woke up on Saturday, the temperature was already in the high 70s so we opted for a short run. We staggered our long runs on Sunday since we arrived back in NYC around noon and our runs are short this weekend (8-10 miles).

As much as long runs are the staple for marathon training and they anchor my week, it is really important to me to spend time with my family and just live life. This is why as much as I wish I could just schedule my run for 7am every single Saturday, it always seems to shift around.

If you’re a runner mama balancing all sorts of schedules, I’d love to hear how you manage it all because what we do is constantly evolving. And we always want to find a better way!

Happy running,

Kate