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Running
Super fast I wanted to feature one of my favorite fast athletes today on the blog — Rebecca Mehra! I first saw Rebecca at Sir Walter Miler in 2019 and recognized her as a Oiselle Haute Volée (elite team) athlete. Rebecca is a professional mid-distance runner specializing in the 800 meter and 1500 meter (basically the mile for those of us less immersed in track & field).
There is a good chance that more races will be cancelled or postponed or I may choose not to attend. But even so, I’m excited to have some (tentative) things to look towards.
When I was reflecting on my core values and goals for 2021, I realized one of the key things I want to focus on is community. The Oiselle Volée community has greatly impacted me (not just in my running but personally) and I want to extend the invitation to you while the membership window is open.
How do I describe running 31 miles in the mountains? The fact that I’m struggling to describe it tells me one thing: it’s a lot to process. I’m remembering the race in snippets, like scenes from a dream: a long line of runners streaking across a field in blue pre-dawn light, the angry buzz of perturbed yellow jackets, gravel roads that continue for miles, swollen mountain streams, the arduous climb to the summit, the thrill of the technical downhill running, the smell of cookies and bananas and PB&J, and the final grueling miles in the late afternoon heat. Thirty-one miles is a montage of pain and stubbornness.
Just four days into the new year and I’ve already completed my first race of 2020 - nay, my first ULTRA of 2020! 50K #3 is officially in the books for me after the Salem Lake Frosty Fifty on January 4!
(aka “the Mont Blanc Intro to Nature Running Fun Run” or something like that, lol) I’ve officially run a race in Europe! I’ve officially run a race in the Alps!!
McCrae and I had already planned a trip to France for the FIFA Women’s World Cup in June/July 2019 and we planned a side trip to Chamonix, not even realizing we would be there during the Marathons du Mont Blanc. Most of the races were sold out by the time we realized it, but the 10K - billed as the “intro to nature running” - still had spots available. So, eager for adventure, we signed up to race! Sure, a 10K seems a little silly now after running ultras, but I figured any chance to hit some trails and scout out the Mont Blanc area has to be a good decision. 😉Plus we were technically on holiday, so might as well take it kinda easy, right??
In November 2018 I ran my second marathon. It was both my second marathon ever and my second marathon in 14 days - just two weeks after Marine Corps Marathon. In my defense, I hadn’t actually intended to run two marathons so close together. I had planned on doing the RDC full marathon as my original target race when I signed up with Fleet Feet’s speed series training program since the race registration was included in my training group sign-up. But then I had the opportunity to get a (legit) bib transfer for Marine Corps Marathon. A bunch of my runner friends were going to MCM and I had major race FOMO so I jumped at the opportunity. That race went well and I felt pretty good; I knew I wanted to run another marathon, but I wasn’t sure when exactly. How long did I need to rest? How much time did my legs need to recover so I could walk comfortably, much less run? I knew I had Run RDC coming up and I thought I might drop to the half marathon but, well, I forgot. (Okay, actually I didn’t forget. I just procrastinated too long and then realized in horror the deadline had passed for swapping distances, oh no!!)
“Well,” I said resignedly, “That decides it. I guess I’m running a marathon this weekend!”
I SURVIVED MY FIRST ROAD MARATHON!! (Actually, at this point hopefully I will have survived my first AND second road marathon, since it looks like I’m running RDC too.) (Also, duh, we knew I’d survive my first marathon, since I’d already survived my first ultramarathon. Whoops.
