As we approach the end of January, it’s time to hunker down and work hard, getting in the remaining big workouts and long runs ahead of #Atlanta2020. To get a gauge of where I’m at fitness-wise, I headed down to Naples, Florida for a half marathon last Sunday, January 19. Running in warmer temps than I’m used to up here in New England winter - with humidity to boot - I felt a Florida race would be a good test run simulating what are sure to be warm, humid conditions in Atlanta next month. And the Naples Half delivered!
Race day brought temps in the mid-to-upper 60s and fairly high humidity, which meant I was grabbing water to hydrate at every water stop along the course. After a brisk first mile, a pack of 4 women formed, including the 5-time defending champion, Belainesh Gebre. We settled into a rhythm, clicking off 5:30-35s along the flat streets of Naples, cruising past seaside mansions and multi-million dollar beach retreats. I was feeling good and around mile 5 found myself pulling away a bit, and soon it was just me and Belainesh, trading the lead for many miles. My legs and lungs felt great, but unfortunately I was plagued by some GI issues and started to feel worse for wear after mile 6… never good with 7.1 miles still to go! I pressed on, but just after mile 9 I had to make a mid-race pit stop — something I’ve never done in a race! 12 seconds later I was back racing, but in those 12 seconds Belainesh passed me for the lead. The race was on…
Winning the 2020 Naples Half in 1:13:52
I was able to reconnect to Belainesh and ultimately pull away in the 11th mile, but given my stomach distress, I wasn’t able to step on the gas like I had hoped to do in the back half of the race. Still, I had accomplished my goals of securing the win and running a personal best (1:13:52), with the added benefit of practicing staying calm under pressure when obstacles arose mid-race. After stomach problems in both NYC and now Naples, I’m working on figuring out a better fueling strategy so that I’ll have no issues in Atlanta!
No one said Instagramming was easy ;)
After the race, I was able to enjoy the beach and the Florida sun with my sister Kallie, who accompanied me to Naples and helped with all my race needs (including photographing my pre-race Instagraming, ha!). We swam in the pool, biked to the beach, and celebrated my win before it was back to New England, and back to work!
Gregg sisters in Florida
Training
The first half of this week was all about recovering from the race — working through post-race aches (bound to happen after 13.1 miles in flats). My calves were a little junky and needed some TLC, but thankfully it was nothing that couldn’t be addressed by a massage, arnica gel, and an ocean soak. By Friday I was feeling like myself again and ready for a good long run. I headed up to Boston for 22 on Saturday, running with my friends/fellow Adidas athletes Amanda Nurse and Allie Hackett. Amanda (who I’m coaching!) ran a speedy 90 second PR at the Houston Half on the same day as Naples, and since we were both feeling 13.1 in our legs, this week’s long run was just about getting in time on our feet. We found a nice rhythm over the hills on the Boston Marathon course, running from Brookline to Newton into Wellesley before turning around and heading back to Boston. Successful long run in the books, arguably one of my better ones — made possible by speedy super friends/training partners! :)
On the Menu
Between traveling for racing and a busy week, there wasn’t a whole lot of cooking going on. I ate a lot of Whole Foods hot bar while on the road in Florida, and after 22 miles on Saturday, cooking was the LAST thing I wanted to do. Thank goodness for Tatte for post-long run brunch! I ordered the avocado and sweet potato tartine with eggs - my Tatte go-to. Already dreaming about next week’s brunch!
What I’m reading/watching/listening to
I loved listening to New York Times journalist Lindsay Crouse on the Rich Roll podcast. If you’re a runner, you’ve surely read Lindsay’s work on the NYT - she’s the inspiring journalist behind the Dream Maternity series, which exposed how Nike refused to guarantee female athletes’ salaries during and immediately post-pregnancy. Because pro runners (me included) are independent contractors with our sponsors, we do not have the same rights and protections as employees. Under some athletic sponsorships, maternity leave does not exist, and in fact some contracts penalize runners who do not compete for certain time frames (sometimes as little as 6 months); these contracts effectively punish female runners who choose to have a child during their professional career. It was Lindsay who helped pro runners like Alysia Montano, Kara Goucher, and the most decorated track Olympian of all time, Allyson Felix, tell their stories, raise awareness about this issue, and ultimately lead to change in Nike’s policies. There’s still work to be done though, across our sport, to guarantee pregnancy protections for America’s track stars.
Lindsay is also the producer of this important piece on Mary Cain, which was one of the top 50 most-read NYT pieces in 2019 — in the video, which I highly suggest you watch, Mary opens up about the emotional abuse she suffered at the hands of Alberto Salazar and the Nike Oregon Project. If there’s one thing that really makes my blood boil, it’s abusive coaches, especially older male coaches manipulating impressionable, eager-to-please, young female athletes. Mary’s experience is sadly one that I think many female athletes can relate to, which is perhaps why it resonated so strongly with the American public. Thank you to Lindsay for writing the articles I want to read and sharing the stories that our sport (and our society!) need to be aware of!
That’s all for this week - it’s back to the grind, with eyes on February 29, 2020!!
