North Vs. South

As fall starts to settle in (I use the word “settle” loosely as it was in the 30’s this morning) some thoughts keep nagging at me about some important winter training decisions I need to make.  The big question:  Stay here in Minneapolis where temperatures can dip to a brutal -40 degrees Fahrenheit or make like Tom and Cruise on south for the winter?

With the Olympic Team Trials Marathon being in Houston, the answer almost looks obvious – go south. But it isn’t that easy. 

The Pros to staying in Minneapolis:

- My loving husband and biggest supporter is here.

-I get to stay in my routine, doing the things that I know work for me. Sleep in my own bed.  

-I have my coach close at hand, where he can watch my workouts and make assessments.

-I have access to all the facilities that I could possibly need with all the support I get from Team USA Minnesota and Life Time Fitness – including indoor training facilities, massage, and so on.

The Cons to staying in Minneapolis:

-The cost of the trip. 

-Did I mention yet how cold it gets in Minneapolis, or how much snow falls during an average winter? I have trained through the winter here in Minneapolis for the past three years without being any worse for the wear. So why am I even questioning whether I should stay in Minneapolis or not? Well, the reason is because in January the average daytime temperature in Houston, TX is 63 degrees while in Minneapolis it is 22 degrees.  Those 40 degrees make a big difference because my body would have to acclimate for the trip to Houston in January for the marathon trials. Although normally 63 degrees isn’t that warm, when my body is used to being exposed to 20 degree temps and then is suddenly put into much warmer temperatures, running at peak performance is asking a lot.  

So this is where my quandary begins: to stay or to go? At first I thought that the answer was obvious, that I should go south.  However, after listening to an interview by Tera Moody after she completed the 2011 World Marathon in Daegu, South Korea, (she was the first American to cross the line, finishing in 18^th place overall) I am not so sure. She mentions in her interview with LetsRun.com that one of the reasons she was able to cope with the very warm and humid conditions in Daegue was due to the fact that she spent a lot of time training on the treadmill, where room temp is often in the 70’s and there is no wind to help keep you cool.

After listening to her interview, I only have one strong aversion to staying….and that is that I really hate running on treadmills. I like having the road under my feet and the scenery passing by. However, at the same time I can’t ignore all of the pros that would come with staying put.

For now I guess I will continue to soul search….at least while fall is still settling in and the abundant trees of Minnesota begin to turn their beautiful red and gold colors.

Any thoughts? 

Coach Peyton

I am not sure how the idiom of “wearing many hats” came about, but with the changing of the seasons it is time for me to once again get out my coaching hat, dust it off, and be prepared for an adventure.  My official title is “assistant women’s cross country and track coach” at Augsburg College. However, in practice I try to be a number of things: coach, inspirer, confidant…the list goes on. Whatever I may be at the moment, I know one thing for sure, I get just as much benefit out of coaching as the girls do.  Helping the Auggie girls reach their goals and dreams helps me to remember that every time I step out the door to go for a run, I am doing it because I love it.

              Above: Auggie Harriers out to cheer me on. "Go Meghan" written on their stomachs.                                                   

 Augsburg is a highly accredited college, but it is also a NCAA Div. III school, meaning there are no scholarships to persuade athletes to commit to our program. All the athletes there training and getting an education are doing so because they love the sport too.  Being around these young ladies really helps to remind me every day that I am here doing what I love and I should be very grateful for all the fantastic opportunities that I have in my life. 

Life Time Fitness Torchlight 5K

Tonight I am changing my hat again, back to athlete.  I am competing in a local 5K, to help support one of Team USA Minnesota’s biggest sponsors – Life Time Fitness (LTF). I spend time at one of the many LTF’s around the twin cities almost every day and in the winter sometimes multiple times in a day. Without their state of the art facilities and support of our team, training in Minnesota in the winter time would be very tough.  However, supporting the Torchlight 5K really is a no-brainer…race a 5K and then attend a free party! As my younger sister would say “no duh”, I am going to run.  

It will be nice to run off some of the rust tonight in the 5K, after some tough weeks of training, I am looking forward to it. Last Friday I did a really tough workout of 2 ½ mile repeats over a very hilly course.  I obviously didn’t learn from my 7mile race, because I once again went out too fast on the first 2 ½ miles, running under 5:20/mile pace…boy did that bite me in the butt.  I was still able to finish the workout at 5:30/ mile pace, but it made the workout tough mentally. My coach Dennis had to step in and help me realize that I am stronger than I think I am, and when I put my mind to it I can do anything. Another thing I am very grateful for when it comes to coaching, that I have my own great coach.

So now, I tip my blogger hat to you and say thank you for joining me on my journey. Thank you for supporting me in my quest of becoming an Olympian!