Race updates from… New York, Scottsdale, and Indian Wells!

First, the NYC update:

The Abbott Dash 5k on the Saturday before the NYC Marathon has been on my bucket list for YEARS! Even though I’m not very fit or race sharp right now, I finally got to check that box and that felt like a little win. I never like losing and I really don’t like it when I’m not even in the mix for the podium, but when the race went out in sub 5:00 for the first mile, I knew my training didn’t prepare me to hold that pace, so I had to drop off of the lead pack and ended up running the next 2 miles in no woman’s land. I’ve never been very good at time trialing or being a workout queen- I’m at my best when I’m competing and racing. However, the preparation for this race just wasn’t there. I ended up running 16:11 for 14th place, averaging 5:13 pace. My coaches and I all agree- that result is much better than my workouts would have predicted! So we are all happy with a step in the right direction and something to build off of.

Looking for a gift for a track fan? ⬇️

I dug up some memorabilia from my stash and I’m hosting an auction to benefit the organization, THE TRACK COLLECTIVE, that I helped launch this summer. Our goal at The Track Collective is to help support developing pro athletes in our sport. This summer we sold limited edition T-shirts at USAs and gave $1,300 each to 2 unsponsored athletes who showed up and showed out at nationals. We added a couple new members to our collective this fall and look to gradually keep growing and supporting developing pros.

Auction ends on Tuesday at 3pm EST!

lululemon 10k Tour in Scottsdale

I just finished up the lululemon 10k Tour in Scottsdale, AZ (literally I’m sitting in my Normatec sleeves in the hotel writing this). The whole weekend was so much fun, starting with the shakeout run on the canal the day before (pictured below). The race itself was a huge block party with cheer stations all along the route. My training partner, Katie, and I did it as a long, hard effort, averaging 5:58 pace. I haven’t done a workout this long yet, and it was challenging! The vibes along the course made it so much more fun though. We made friends along the way and held hands crossing the finish line. 💖

I’m so excited to announce that the next stop on the lululemon 10k tour will be…. LOS ANGELES!!! March 30th we get to do it all over again in a city that is very special to me and I cannot wait! See you there???

What’s next? 🏊🏻‍♀️🚴🏻‍♀️ …🏃🏼‍♀️?

Indian Wells, here I come! Ironman 70.3 Indian Wells is supposed to be “a triathlete’s paradise” so when lululemon asked me if I wanted to join their group of about 30 people who are making the voyage to beautiful Palm Springs I said… count me in!

Okay, here’s the catch. An ironman 70.3 ends in a half marathon run… which seems a bit much for me right now especially after a 1.2 mile swim and a 56-mile bike… SO I’m doing it as part of a relay. I’ll be tackling both the swim and the bike, then my lululemon teammate, Michelle, will take up the (figurative) baton and do the run portion. I plan to bring my running shoes to transition so that I can do my own little run off the bike (maybe a 5k or 10k) just to see how it feels, but without the pressure of doing 13.1 miles in case my back or hamstrings don’t feel right after such a long and hard bike ride. This will be a good challenge for me, but feels like a safe way to test myself without being too risky in an Olympic year.

Let me tell you about the course:

1.2-mile swim in a lake with a sandy beach start- this is great news for me as I’m still not super comfy with an ocean swim!

56-mile bike ride that is supposed to be “flat and fast” but has a lot of 180 degree turns that seem intimidating to me. I talked to Lionel Sanders after the lululemon 10k this morning and he warned me about the technical bike course! Lionel has won this race multiple times, so I was soaking in all the pro tips!

13.1 mile run - again, I won’t be doing this portion of the race, but it’s a 2-loop course so I’ll get to see Michelle multiple times during her run!

Thanks for reading! I love that I can give ya’ll so many RACE updates. I haven’t done nearly enough of those over the last few years because of all my health issues, so I’m grateful for the chance to race again. I hope you are enjoying challenging yourself in whatever way makes you feel more alive.

I have some giveaways planned in November so stay tuned to my IG page for a chance to win some of my favorite things (right in time for the holidays)!

Be well,
Colleen