The Long Run

“One Hour to Race Time” Clinic at Amador Valley

Photo Coutresy of the Amador Valley Track Team

As an item offered at the BATC auction organized in the fall of last year, I spent an afternoon at Amador Valley High School directing a clinic called “One Hour to Race Time,” which focused on teaching proper warm-up techniques.

The goal of the clinic was to help the athletes fine tune their warm up routine and the time was prioritized around teaching proper technique for drills and stretching exercises. I divided the 2 hour clinic into 4 parts: Introduction; Jog & Dynamic Flexibility; Sprint Drills & a “race” (4x100m relay); and Review/Q&A.

After a short introduction, everyone did a couple laps around the track to get their muscles warmed up and ready for drills and stretches. All the kids, around 15, dove into the lesson, mentally and physically. I was extremely impressed by the the skills the athletes already possessed, showing that their coach, Jason Oswalt, had done an excellent job coaching his athletes and laying a great foundation for them. I feel that this is extremely important and should be one of the major focus’ of a high school coach.

I taught the athletes components of my own warm up routine and watched them to make sure that they were executing each exercise properly. Since most of the athletes already had a basic understanding of these drills and exercises, I was able to focus on the finer details such as foot placement and arm carry. The athletes all responded quite will to this feedback.

After all the Dynamics and Drills were done, we headed outside. As the athletes did their strides, Coach Jason and I organized the relay teams, complete with one of the coaches on anchor. Team Oz (I believe it was called) was the clear winner, but I like to think that everyone had fun. At least there was plenty of trash talk coupled with hooting/hollering. More importantly, in speaking with the athletes, many felt that performing the drills correctly had the most significant impact on the routine.

We ended the clinic with a short Q&A session where the athletes had a chance to share what they learned and ask any questions. Some of my favorite ones were:
-Q: “What do I do if a meet is running behind schedule?”
-A: Try to relax. Rest until you catch up then jog a couple laps and do a few more drills or strides, but try not to panic and spend so much time warming up that you are tired for your race.
-Q: “Where did you get your pants from? My friend and I have admiring them since you got here”
-A: “Nike” :)

The two hours at Amador Valley went very smoothly and although it was a rainy and cold day, everyone was very excited and happy to learn new ways to improve their warm up routines and to learn about life as a professional runner.

Thanks Amador Valley High School Track Team for being a great host and a supporter of the BATC. Best of luck of luck for the rest of the season.

Living Abroad: San Luis Potosi, Mexico

This past Wednesday I returned home from an altitude training stint in San Luis Potosi (SLP), Mexico. I guess I should say I returned home from my second home, because I actually had been living and training in SLP for 3 months, and this trip marks my 5th year training there.

I keep going back again and again because the winter weather in SLP is 70 degrees and sunny, the training facilities at La Loma and ITESM Campus San Luis Potosi are top notch, and I never seem to tire of the trails. It looks like more and more runner are starting to catch onto this good thing, because while I was in San Luis Potosi this winter, Running Times Magazine named the city as one of the top seven altitude training locations in the world. Read January 2012: Altitude Training Supplemental by Ysbrand Visser for more details.

Back in 2009, I wrote a blog post entitled Centro Historico and Restaurante El Mexico de Frida, about San Luis Potosi. In it I mentioned some of my favorite things to do when I’m not running. While those places still rank as my favorites, I thought it was time to post some updates.

On the map below I have marked a mixture of trails, training places, restaurants, and hangouts. Click on each icon for further details. Or, for a larger version of the map with a list of all the locations, click San Luis Potosi Points of Interest. I hope it’s helpful. If you have anything else to add, be sure to comment below.

View San Luis Potosi Points of Interest in a larger map

Andy Skurka: Bay Area Speaking Engagements this week

My college teammate and the ever impressive adventurer Andy Skurka is going to be back in the Bay Area. I have writtten about him a couple times before. Most recently, when National Geographic did a huge spread on him in their March 2011 issue about his 176 day trek circumambulating Alaska. For more details read:  Andy Skurka's Alaska Track in National Geographic

In case you need anymore reason to get excited, I would also like to remind you that Andy Skurka has also been called an "Adventure God" by Women's Adventure Magainze writer Elisabeth Kwak-Hefferan. About him she also wrote:

-“Andrew Skurka is smokin’ hot. Not just looks-wise (he’s been compared to Tom Cruise, but it’s more like Mark Wahlberg with a dash of Eagle Scout); he’s hot because he’s a true adventurer.”
-“He’s as inspiring as he is drool inducing.”
- “I found myself following his Grecian-sculpture calves up a brutally steep trail one Sunday afternoon.”

As you can see, within Andy there is something for everyone. Risky, showerless adventure to get your inner mountain man excited, as well as rugged toughness that can both awe a woman and make her nurturing side shine right on through. So, if you want a chance to see Skurka live, make sure to catch him this week. He's on a speaking tour and he has four engagements scheduled for the Bay Area, two of which are being hosted by one of the BATC's original sponsors, The Sports Basement.

For full details and a complete schedule, visit: http://andrewskurka.com/slideshows-clinics/current-schedule

The "Circling Alaska & Yukon" slideshow recounts my 4,700-mile 6-month hiking/skiing/packrafting trip with great images, video clips and stories. The "Ultimate Hiking Gear & Skills" clinic focuses the backpacking gear, supplies and skills needed to make hiking fun, without compromising your safety or comfort. He will be selling and signing his new book, The Ultimate Hiker's Gear Guide, at all events.

Here are the Bay Area dates and locations:

Sunrise Mountain Sports
2455 Railroad Ave
Livermore, CA
Mon, March 6, 7pm: “Circling Alaska & Yukon:
Tues, March 6, 7pm: “Ultimate Hiking Gear & Skills”
$5 admission, $2 for Boy Scouts in uniform

Sports Basement – Bryant Street
1590 Bryant Street
San Francisco, CA
Wed, March 7, 7pm: “Circling Alaska & Yukon”*
Thurs, March 8, 7pm: “Ultimate Hiking Gear & Skills”
Free admission

*If you go to Sports Basement on Wednesday, look for me there! :)

Upcoming Races: Millrose NYRR Wanamaker Women's Metric Mile

Tonight I am competing in my second Indoor race of the season, the first ever Millrose NYRR Wanamaker Women's Metric Mile, which will be contested in front of a sold out crowd in the New York City the Armory. The gun goes off at 8pm and will include another excellent field of women. I'm excited to get back to the event I know best, especially now that I have a race under my belt. I'm also extremely excited to race at the Armory again, a venue that I frequented quite often in college days at Duke, but which I haven't been back to since 2007. The event will be streaming live on YouTube, so if you've got an internet connection, make sure you check it out.

Millrose Meet Info and Start Lists: http://www.armorytrack.com/Meet/50/The-Millrose-Games-at-The-Armory/

Live Coverage on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/armorytrack

Flotrack Pre-Race Interview with Ryan Fenton:

Watch more video of 105th Millrose Games 2012 on flotrack.org

 

I also had a chance to have a "Brief Chat" with Peter Gambaccini, which is always a joy. You can follow the link to see the full post.

Brief Chat with Shannon Rowbury at Millrose: http://news.runnersworld.com/2012/02/10/brief-chat-shannon-rowbury-at-millrose/

 

Shannon Rowbury and Andrew Osagie join PACE Sports Management

I'm happy to announce that this year I will be represented by PACE Sports Management. My teammate Leo Manzano is with this agency and I had a chance to meet Ricky Simms, Marion and Grainne back in 2009 when I spent the summer based in London. I was really impressed with the professionalism of the agency, but even more so by the kindness and integrity of each member of the organization. I am very excited to work with PACE and to have Ricky help guide my professional running career.

The Official Press Release is below. To check out the PACE website, follow the link at the bottom of the post.
 
PACE Sports Management is pleased to welcome middle distance athletes Shannon Rowbury (USA) and Andrew Osagie (GBR) to its roster for 2012.
 
Shannon Rowbury, 27, has been one of the top 1500m runners in the world over the past few years.  In 2009 she won the 1500m in the USATF Championships and went on to claim a bronze medal in the IAAF World T&F Championships.  In 2008 the Duke University graduate with a Masters degree in Humanities won the US Olympic Trials, USATF Indoor 3000m Championships and qualified for the final in the Olympic Games in Beijing.  She is coached by John Cook and trains with PACE client Leo Manzano.
 
Andrew Osagie, 23, placed 4th in the 800m in the 2011 European Indoor Championships, won the British 800m title and progressed to the semi-final of the IAAF World T&F Championships in Daegu.  He is coached by Craig Winrow and trains at St. Mary’s University College in west London.  Andrew is a black belt in karate, as is his brother, sister, uncle and cousin.
 
Follow them on Twitter @ Shannonrowbury @andrewosagie
 
For further information visit www.pacesportsmanagement.com

Boston Review and Media Coverage

Last Saturday I ran my first race of the 2012 season, a 3k at the Boston New Balance Indoor Grand Prix. The race spread out quickly, with the lead pack taking it out in 68-69 seconds per lap. Since it was my first race, and I was coming out of altitude, I was hesitant to bite off more than I could chew. I knew I was strong but had some sharpening to do, so I decided it would be best to take it out conservatively. My goal was to work the middle of the race and finish strongly: I finished well, but unfortunately the 55 meter gap between the lead pack and the chase pack made made it hard to get the most out of that middle section. In the end, I placed 5th in 8:55, which is a respectable finish but makes me wish I had another chance to go at it in the 3k.

Full results: http://www.nbindoorgrandprix.com/events-results/womens-3000-meters/

FloTrack Post-Race interview with Alex Lohr:

Watch more video of 2012 New Balance Indoor Grand Prix on flotrack.org

I also had an opporutnity to speak with David Monti about last year and my thoughts on the upcoming season. As usual, he wrote a great article: "SHAKING OFF LAST YEAR'S DISAPPOINTMENTS, ROWBURY OPTIMISTIC ABOUT 2012 SEASON." You can read the article below.

SHAKING OFF LAST YEAR'S DISAPPOINTMENTS, ROWBURY OPTIMISTIC ABOUT 2012 SEASON
By David Monti
(c) 2012 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved

BOSTON (03-Feb) - When Shannon Rowbury broke the tape to win the Fifth Avenue Mile in New York City in September, 2009, she capped the best year of her career.  The 2008 Olympian and former Duke University star had ascended to become America's #1 female miler, winning national titles at 1500m and the mile on the road, clocking a swift 4:00.81 for 1500m, and taking the bronze medal at the IAAF World Championships in Berlin.

But during 2011, Rowbury, 27, didn't win a single race.  Moreover, while she struggled to regain her form after dealing with Achilles injuries in both her left and right ankles, she watched compatriots Morgan Uceny and Jenny Simpson pile on the accolades, including Uceny's #1-ranking in the 1500m by Track & Field News and Simpson's world 1500m title, the first by an American woman in 28 years.

"Last year?  I felt like nothing could go right for me last year," Rowbury said in an interview with Race Results Weekly.  "I hurt my right Achilles in the fall, and just as that was getting better around this time last year, my left Achilles started bothering me.  I lost my grandmother, who was like a second mother to me.  It was just like, man, I can't catch a break."

Rowbury, who lives in San Francisco and trains under John Cook's Austin Track Club, is here in Boston to make a fresh start at tomorrow night's New Balance Indoor Grand Prix.  She's been in San Luis Potosi, Mexico, where Cook's group does their winter altitude training, focusing on building her strength and endurance for the long Olympic year.  She'll run the 3000m here as a rust-buster against a strong field, which includes Simpson.

"Last year forced me to reevaluate everything," Rowbury continued.  "There were some really tough moments where I questioned why I did this as a sport, why I put myself through this, you know, trying to put myself in the shape I had been in and not quite being able to get there.  But, it made me realize how fit I had been and appreciate that."

Rowbury said she enjoys the relaxed vibe that training in Mexico offers, a calm prelude to the pressures of elite international competition.  Her boyfriend, miler Pablo Solares, is also Mexican and the pair train together, along with Leo Manzano, Treniere Moser, and Lea Wallace amongst others.

"It's been good," she said of her latest stretch of training.  "I've been in Mexico since the beginning of December... and I've really enjoyed the simplicity of life in Mexico: good weather, easy access to facilities, and having extra time at altitude to build that base I missed out on last year, to get that extra strength."

By starting out her season with a 3-K, Rowbury won't have to call on the kind of speed she has shown in the mile, where she is a fierce kicker.  But, she said, under Cook's program, there is always an element of speed development in their training, even during an endurance phase.

"I think my speed is good," said.  "It's certainly not where it will be in June, but throughout the year coach Cook does a good job of making sure we are not too far from speed.  We're always doing, at least once a week, a speed development day.  We've been doing power lifting and stuff like that in the weight room to get that explosiveness."

Tomorrow's race --her first since last September-- will give her objective feedback on her current level of fitness, she said, especially since she's been running exclusively at high altitude which means running at a slower pace.

"I'm excited go get out there again against a top-notch field of women and just kind of push myself and see where my strengths and weaknesses are and moving forward from there."

From Boston, Rowbury will go down to New York City for next Saturday's Millrose Games where she will run the NYRR Wanamaker Metric Mile, a 1500m race, again against Simpson.  After that, she said she might do the USA Indoor Championships in Albuquerque, but she and coach Cook had been leaning against it.  However, because Albuquerque is at high altitude, Rowbury could enjoy a relative advantage because she has been "training high."

"Coach Cook did mention that," Rowbury said of the high altitude.  "That's why I'm saying it's not fully out of the question because he did throw that out last week when were were at training.  But, as of now, I haven't made any plans for it."

PHOTO: Shannon Rowbury winning the 2009 Fifth Avenue Mile (photo courtesy of New York Road Runners)

ENDS

 

Upcoming Races: Boston 3k

Well, after a long winter hiatus of altitude training in Mexico, I'm finally putting my fingers back to work. My New Years Resolution was to be more attentive to my blog, and while it took me a month to start honoring that resolution, I'm hoping that I can keep it from here forward.

I'm kicking off my 2012 season tonight with a 3k race at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix. The field is stacked and the facility is familiar (The Reggie Lewis Center). I even heard that the event is sold out, so it's sure to be a fun evening.

Below are some links relating to the meet:

Boston New Balance Indoor Grand Prix Meet Website

FloTrack: New Balance Indoor Grand Prix Preview

Videos: Yesterday Morgan Uceney, Anna Pierce, Jenny Simpson, Maggie Vessey & I did a press conference. You can watch the video recording of it (in three parts) below. (I'm still trying to figure out how to embed these...would love some help from someone more techy than myself!)

Women's Press Conference - Part 1 - New Balance Indoor Grand Prix.

Women's Press Conference - Part 2 - New Balance Indoor Grand Prix.

Women's Press Conference - Part 3 - New Balance Indoor Grand Prix.

The Year in Review

As I look back on my 2011 season, I must admit that I am happy for it to be over. This year was a huge learning experience for me and an even bigger test of my mettle. I have had one other major injury in my career, but that was a stress fracture in May of 2007. While it was scary to be sidelined for 3 months only a year before the 2008 Olympics, the timing was such that I just shut down my season and could focus on the long and steady build to Beijing.

This year was a different scenario. My achilles strain happened in the Fall, at the very beginning of my base training. Having dealt with my stress fracture, I thought I had everything under control. I did all my treatment and at first it seemed easy to be patient...after all, there were still 10 months until Worlds. As the months slipped away, however, panic slowly set in. That’s when I learned a new lesson: Tendon injuries are a different beast. While a bone injury has a pretty standard recovery time (as long as you don’t re-injure yourself), tendons are hard to predict. In the course of this year, I hurt both my right and left achilles, and both behaved differently. If someone asked me to write a protocol of what I did to recover, I honestly couldn’t. I tried everything and talked to everyone: Swimming, biking, Alter-G, massage, chiropractic, acupuncture, shockwave, orthotics. Each helped to a differing degree but none was the answer. I think of a stress fracture like cooking with a recipe. Achilles tendon rehab is like looking through the remnants of the fridge and then asking the pot what it prefers before adding it.

In reading this, I am a bit surprised by my own tone. I know I sound like a whiner and I promise that’s not who I am, but I think my reflection on this past year reminds me just how unsettled I became. Nevertheless, in every negative there are positive, and finding them IS who I am.

As much as I hated underperforming (by 2008-2010 standards) in every race this season, I am still extremely proud of the fact that I made the World team off of 2.5 months of training, got the 1500m Olympic A Standard, and made the World Semi-Final with only 4 months of training in my legs. (Side Note: When I say 2.5 and 4 months, I am not being dramatic. Initially I tried biking as a form of cross-training, but with my particular achilles injury, biking only aggravated the problem so I had to stop. I swam a little and used Alter-G as a recovery method once I was healthy enough to run on the ground, but otherwise I spent a lot of time scratching my head.)

So, given all this, had you presented this years performance as an option to me in early April, when I was struggling to run 20 minutes at a time, I would have be ecstatic. Yet, as every perfectionist and high achiever knows, once we have some success, we want more. I’d be remiss if I didn’t give thanks for the biggest thing I gained from this past year, which is a greater awareness and appreciation for the support I have around me. Prior to 2011, I had gotten to the point where I thought I could take care of most things myself, not from arrogance, but more from not wanting to impose on those around me. Being a pro-athlete, I feel selfish enough already, and I often try to just go about my business without bothering too many people. When I was sidelined for 8 months, I had no choice. I felt like I was floundering and I even questioned why I continued in such a emotionally draining profession. I was forced to reach out to others and what I found is that when I did, I often realized that they had been standing right next to me the entire time. In a “what have you done for me lately” job where you are revalued after every performance, it was comforting to know that my core support (family, boyfriend, coach, teammates, friends) would love me regardless. While that may seem obvious to an outside observer, for me it was extremely touching.

So now, while I type this blog post as I let my sunscreen dry before heading to the beautiful beaches of Playa del Carmen, I am excited to let all the stress and disappointment of 2011 melt away so that I can start up training next week with a renewed body, mind, and spirit. London 2012, here I come.

New look to my webpage

I'm excited to announce that my website has a brand new look. Thanks to the creative skills of Amy Weiher of Weiher Creative, her programmer Charlie Teall, and the fact checking skills of my mom, the site is now up and running.

Check it out and tell me what you think!  www.shannonrowbury.com

 

Living Abroad: Cologne, Germany

Throughout the span of my pro-running career, I have experienced living in many different locales. I am a creature of habit, so my goal has always been to find a spot and stick with it, but until now I haven't quite found the perfect fit.

In 2008, my first European summer, I stayed in Cologne, Germany, but wasn't a big fan. I came over by myself, didn't bring my computer (seemed like a good idea at the time...until I got to Europe), stayed in the Sports University dorms, and overall just felt homesick.

The next year (2009), Leo Manzano and I stayed in Teddington, England, just outside of London, and while I absolutely LOVED it there, my blood-pressure rose every time I went through customs (and our coach one time got detained), so we decided that we better find someplace else.

Last year (2010) was a case of musical rooms. We went first to Egmund Aan Zee, about 45 minutes outside of Amsterdam, and though the training was great, we had to take a bus to a train to get to every plane, and the commute became too much. I did some mid-summer altitude training in Font Romeu, France and then settled into Leuven, Belgium. Things were pretty good there, but I still hadn't found my perfect fit.

So now, summer of 2011, I have to laugh at the fact that I have come full circle back to Cologne, Germany (called Koln in Germany), and I couldn't be happier!

This year, I am in a serviced apartment located equidistant from the track and downtown, and otherwise in the center of my little universe of needs. Within 400m in any direction I have access to the tram, the park, grocery stores, cafes, a Deutche Bank (no BofA fees!), and many cafes. When it's time for practice, a 5 min train ride takes me to the track, unless I decide to run there through the park, which takes about 15 min. When it's time for dinner, if I don't feel like cooking then a 5 min tram ride takes me to a huge array of restaurants.

I owe this ideal situation to Steffen Keil, one of my agents at Peter Stubbs Management. He lives in Cologne and is the one who setup everything for me and my teammates.

Below is a map I created, showing some of my favorite spots. Click on it for further details about running, food & shopping in Cologne.

View Cologne Points of Interest in a larger map

Last week, we had the pleasure of hosting Alex from FloTrack for a couple nights. He made a Euro Shack Video of my teammate (not boyfriend :P) Leo Manzano's room. Since we're nextdoor neighbors, I am there hanging out as well. Check the video below to see our accomodations.

Watch more video of FloEuro Adventures 2011 on flotrack.org

Alex also captured the workout of two of my other teammates, Treniere Moser and David Torrence. To see the track we use, check out this video.

Watch more video of FloEuro Adventures 2011 on flotrack.org

As of today I am actually off to London for one more 1500m race. After that I am heading to St. Moritz for some altitude training before heading off to Daegu, South Korea for the World Championships near the end of the month. I have never been to St. Moritz before, but I am hoping that training and living will be great there as well! As for Daegu...fingers and toes crossed. :)