Gleeful Times Racing Indoor Track, that Weren't Time Dependent
and other moments of joy in this difficult week, plus what's new on the podcast, and appreciating Devon Yanko's many ongoing contributions to running
New on WRS: Heather Caplan of the Lane 9 Project
Heather Caplan’s running story spans many seasons of her life. And through those seasons, she has discovered how wins in her running life can show up in many different ways.
These days, Caplan is a runner, a run coach, a dietician, and the mother of three children. She is also well known for being the co-founder of the Lane 9 Project, with Alexis Fairbanks.
To quote Caplan, “Lane 9 is a community of athletes and a directory of clinicians and coaches that work with female athletes. And we’re all trying to improve menstrual health and reduce REDs across various levels of sport.” You can discover Lane 9 through its website, podcast, and newsletter.
These days, running looks very different than it did earlier in Caplan’s life. She first started running in college, a time marked by disordered eating and amenorrhea. In her episode, Caplan discusses the intersection between her running pursuits and these health challenges, and how running has changed over time, through her early adulthood, and then through becoming the mom of three, in addition to navigating the rest of life, which has included several long-distance moves.
Caplan’s journey through it all, to where she is today, finding a renewed sense of belonging and joy in her running life, is what her episode is all about. You can listen here:
I Really Had Fun Racing, and It Wasn’t Time Dependent
I got to race indoor track last weekend for the first time in a few years. When I was moving from Ireland back to the Boston area last fall, several people asked me what I was most looking forward to. Of course, I mentioned getting to see friends I missed, the running groups I was excited to rejoin, and Black Bird donuts. And, I always added, I am so excited for indoor track.
I can’t put my finger on exactly why, but I really love being at an indoor track, for training, spectating, and racing. I only discovered indoor track a few years ago, so it still feels new. And the more I experience it, the more I think it’s just so great.
So I was really excited about running at the Greater Boston Track Club meet at Harvard on January 20. I registered for the mile because I’m working on speed over longer distances, with an eye toward running a faster 5k in the spring. My preference in the past has been the 800, and I’ll get back to it, but this year, it’s the mile (and by “this year” I mean the two indoor races I’m racing).
The mile on an indoor track is 8 laps, which feels like a lot. That’s the first hurdle I had to get over: staying in the moment, and not getting bogged down thinking about how many more laps I had to run. But the biggest hurdle was going into this event knowing full well that I’m not running as fast as I had thought I might.
The last mile I ran was in October last year: on a beautiful day in Santa Barbara, I ran a PR of 6:17. I had been aiming to be somewhere close to that this indoor season, and I had planned to train through this meet with an eye toward resting up for the meet the the following week, on Jan 26 in Providence, RI. I’d had my sights set on running somewhere in the 6:25 range at Harvard. But recent training indicated otherwise.
This posed an interesting conundrum because I had set as my top priority to have a great time. Not just a good time, I wanted to have a great time—regardless of the time I ran. I knew that whatever pace I ran, it’d be hard. That is a given. But I wanted to be running from a place of excitement and not a place of fear. But how was I going to get excited about running a time that didn’t feel that exciting to me?
I wouldn’t be anywhere near a PR, and furthermore I was going in a little tired, so I knew it wouldn’t even be a true indication of the fitness I do have.
Of course, the ideal way of running with excitement and joy is to be super fit, having had great workouts, coming in with confidence, having a great warmup, feeling fresh coming up to the line, and having a race where you’re flying, everything is clicking, the laps fly by in a glorious blur of seemingly effortless speed, coupled with the ability to give your absolute all, every step, to the line, ending with a spectacular PR.
Those days happen, but they are rare. I knew this was not going to be that day.
So back to, how was I going to have a great race when it wasn’t going to feature many of the aspects I typically associate with such an experience?
I had some thinking to do. I started by adding up what I had done right, what was going well, and what I could practice in this race that would benefit me in the future.
I had done a lot of things right coming into this event. I’d been doing a lot of plyos, and I’d been doing a lot of ankle, calf, and foot exercises. I’d shown up at nighttime indoor track training sessions to practice running on an indoor track and I’d done some running in spikes. All of this meant I could run flat out in my race without being concerned about getting injured.
I had also been doing meditation, and this helps me tap into a more calm state. I reminded myself that I was good at that. It helped.
My time training on the indoor track helped me get a sense of where I was at, so I could set realistic goals. Yes, my legs felt fatigued from training, but other than that, they felt good: no significant aches, pains, or injuries, and that’s always something to be happy about.
Something else that was going well: I had teammates who showed up to cheer for me (Hi, Robin, Sage, and Jonny!). I was going to focus on those cheers to fuel me.
I decided to practice keeping my pace as even as possible and having enough at the end to kick to the finish. Pacing well has been something I’ve been working on for a while, and I have improved, but this is always a skill I can get better at.
To help with staying in the moment, I broke the mile into four parts, two laps each. I gave each quarter mile a focus word, which is something that’s worked for me in the past. The focus words in order were Calm—settle into the goal pace as soon as possible to avoid going out too fast; Confident—stay with effort because you know you can do this; Commit—the third quarter of the mile is notoriously tough, so dig in here knowing that this is the part that is supposed to feel really hard; and Celebrate—by the last quarter, you’ve put in the bulk of the hard work and now it’s time to throw every last bit you can in a full celebration of what you’ve brought to the line.
I went to the line, ready. The gun went off, and made my way to lane 1. As I finished the first lap, I looked at the clock to make sure I was on pace. I was. I never looked at the clock again. I heard my teammates cheering and felt that support. I focused on my breath, my form, my focus word.
The laps ticked by. I realized I was actually having fun. It was hard, but I could meet the challenge I’d set for myself and I felt strong. I began to feel the joy of meeting my goal. I made a point to look for my teammate in the crowd. I saw her and gave her a smile or thumbs up or some indication that things were going well. It may have looked like a grimace, but inside, I was so happy. I felt a surge of being really thankful my friends were there cheering me on. The great thing about indoor track is that the laps are so short, you pass cheering sections a lot. It’s nice.
With a little less than a lap to go, I gave just a little bit more. I surged. I crossed the line. I was elated.
The time on the clock was 18 seconds slower than my PR, which was completely satisfactory. That’s exactly where I thought I was. I had done my best in that respect, but I’d actually really done much better: I had finally, finally been able to run a race with joy and be A-OK with whatever the finishing time was because I knew I’d executed well and had had a blast.
I let my body tell me where I was at, instead of trying to do something my body wasn’t ready to do, yet. I ran the race I was ready for, instead of feeling like I should be able to run faster, trying to go after some hoped for, currently unrealistic pace, and being really disappointed that I couldn’t hold it.
The biggest surprise to me of all was how truly happy I was. I was gleeful. I had so much fun. I love racing on these indoor tracks. I don’t get to do it often, so I was thrilled that I’d set myself up to enjoy the experience, and I did.
This week, I’m actually tapering because I have another indoor mile race on Sunday. I’m hoping the extra rest will set me up to unlock a little more speed.
But the time on the clock will not be my only gauge of success. Setting my self up to get the very most out of the experience will be the ultimate measure of a win.
This Week’s Recommendation: Devon Yanko’s Many Creations
Ultra runner Devon Yanko has had a long history in the sport and right along side her incredible running performances has been her creative output, about running and life.
Yanko also has a special distinction on WRS: her story about running the 56-mile Comrades Marathon in South Africa launched this show in March 2020. I will always be thankful to Yanko for saying yes to an interview with an upstart podcaster who had no examples of work to show; I had zero track record. She was generous with her time, and her story, and she told it so well. You can hear it here:
One of the many reasons I asked Yanko to be on the podcast was that I’d been reading her writing for some time, and I loved how open and honest and deeply thoughtful she was about her experiences.
I was a fan. I still am, because thankfully, Yanko continues to put out thoughtful writing, and now she’s also podcasting.
These days, Yanko writes the newsletter/blog Let Me Explain. She also recently launched her new podcast The Mentor: An Athlete’s Guide to Chronic Illness. I recommend them both. Even if you aren’t an athlete experiencing a chronic illness, the podcast provides insights into simply taking care of yourself. And if you are experiencing a chronic illness, this is a terrific resource. Yanko also just put out a workbook called Sick!?! An Athlete’s Guide to Chronic Illness. I’m sure it too will be very helpful for anyone navigating that difficult path.
Thank you, Devon, for everything you do for the running community.
… Plus Other Things That Made Me Happy in this Difficult Week
The new administration that just entered the white house has been difficult to stomach. I am devastated, angry, and as focused as ever on doing work that aims at doing good in the world. One of my greatest joys is hearing about or seeing women fall in love with moving their body, and the health, power, and joy that comes from that.
I focus on women who run. Hearing their stories brings me tremendous joy, and it’s my hope that sharing these stories lifts other women up and empowers them to discover or continue their own movement journeys.
I also know that the joy of running, especially distance running, has not been shared and supported equally in our society, and as a result, equity work has become a strong focus of Women’s Running Stories, as well as other work I do in the running space. Because having access to running and feeling welcome in running communities is really important.
I hear time and time again how running and the running community have saved women’s lives, sometimes quite literally. I also hear regularly that running and the running community help women keep going when things get tough. Running gives them strength and confidence to show up powerfully in their lives. And running is a space and time to clear their minds, find peace, and maintain health.
Making this podcast is helping to keep me going. The stories I get to hear day after day light me up. And there are some great ones in the works.
Coming soon, you’re going to hear from Jennifer Sandoval about how it all went down at the USATF National Cross Country Championships. In addition, you’ll hear how she’s navigating post-collegiate running as she continues to pursue her potential in the elite ranks of the sport. You also hear from Katie Gunvalson about running the 2,650-mile Pacific Coast Trail (PCT), and how it’s been difficult to process having not been able to go after a Fastest Known Time (FKT) on that journey due to wildfires. That is, she ran the PCT, but she knew early on that her FKT attempt wasn’t going to be possible.
I’ve also got some other exciting guests and events in the works, and I will be announcing those as they solidify.
And, to close out this week’s newsletter, I wanted to share something that I was thrilled to see go public: Alison Mariella Désir and Aaliyah Earvin, along with the Seattle Running Collective and the North of Seattle Run Club, announced that they are putting on the We Out Here Trail Fest, June 7. The vision: “We imagine a world where everyone feels welcome to find joy in the trails – free from fear or intimidation, and surrounded by a supportive community.”
Registration opens January 29! You can register here: https://raceroster.com/events/2025/98155/we-out-here-trail-festival
Bravo on your mile and your attitude!