10K is the new 5K and being an international running superstar

There are people in my life that may never understand why I run and the lifestyle that I have adopted when it comes to overall health and wellness. 

Remember, I ran (at least) 2 half marathons (plus dozens of 5 and 10-K races) when I was at my absolute heaviest weight of around 250lbs - I was literally the healthiest heavy girl I knew - which was a duel edge sword.  To have so much control and discipline when it comes to physical training but struggle on the nutritional side leads to so many feelings of defeat, failure, and overall depression. 

When I asked for help and chose to have the gastric sleeve surgery in 2017, it allowed me to finally work to create the kind of person that I always knew I was - my outsides matched the inside 'inner beast' that I knew always existed. There has never been any shame in asking - anyone that thinks I took the easy way out remember this; I was running 13.1 at 250lbs - never forget that? WLS is only a tool and I respect anyone's decision to take this path!

Running has allowed me to see the world from a different perspective. When I travel, I plan to run in the areas where I may be for a day or 2 - or even at a week-long trade show, we run where we land. I've seen some great sunrises in places like Nashville, Orlando, and San Diego and I've run in the bitter-cold temperatures of Detroit, Milwaukee, and Chicago.  

...from the top of Mt. Washington to the Vegas strip, it's been a fun journey!

After running the Las Vegas Half Marathon in February and the Boston Marathon in April, I took a bit of a break from any kind of formal distance training - I believe we can all say that I earned a break :)  

In the fall of 2022, I had the opportunity to travel to England to spend a week with my coworkers at DriveWorks. Our HQ is located in the Manchester, England area and it's quite a lovely place to visit. It had been almost 3 full years since we had seen each other (in person) and I was excited about that. Another event I looked forward to was being a part of the Warrington Run Festival (10k) that was being hosted on the weekend I was to be in town. 

Oh - and as you know we moved to Colorado as well in the Spring, just after Boston. Once we got semi-settled in Colorado, I tried to put into a place a training plan that would just allow me to get used to running in Colorado as well as my fall running events. I know I've said this before, but for someone that had just completed 26.2 miles - running 3 miles in Colorado felt like the very first time I'd ever run in my life. It could have been a bit discouraging, but I knew it would take some time and I need patience. 

On Sunday, September 18th I left for a week in England. When packing, I'd packed enough running clothes to run at least twice during the week as well as the 10K on the weekend. I have found that when I travel if I plan my packing with running clothes I set the standard for how many times I plan to run and it works (most of the time!). 

Now, an overnight flight can be exhausting (especially if you don't sleep). I am not always able to sleep and for that, I am grateful to have a chance to nap when I got to England that Monday (there was a public holiday in observance of Queen Elizabeth's funeral). 

Wednesday morning, I got up and went out for a run (I gave myself Tuesday morning to rest as well being in a different time zone takes a minute) - it's great as the people I work for/with are also very active so there is a ton of support for this type of behavior. I didn't feel like I couldn't run - it worked well for my schedule. 

Running felt good and I also ran that Saturday ahead of the 10K that Sunday. 

We had a great run together - many people on my team ran the half marathon and a few of us ran the 10K. We raised money for one of my coworkers and it was such a great effort I felt really happy and proud to represent DriveWorks as well as the good ole US of A in England at the race!

After returning home, I also had a 10K planned for this past weekend - the Boulderthon 10K. I'd made a choice to run the 10K for both races and not the half marathon - I wanted to have some fun and 'ease' into my new post-marathon normal. A 10K is enough to get you into a rhythm without taking over your life (anyone that's trained for their first 5K, 10K half, or full marathon can tell you that a training plan can be tough!). 

On Sunday, October 9th I completed the Boulderthon 10K and had a great time. My running time was a little longer than that in England, but I'll take it.  

Sunday, Sept. 25th Warrington Run Festival 10K (approx. 60ft above sea level) = 1 hr, 11 mins

Sunday, Oct. 9th Boulderthon 10K (approx. 5,400ft above sea level) = 1 hr, 16 mins

See the difference #elevationmatters

In summary - every run can be a good run, depending on how you look at it! 

Also - I'm an international runner. My high school gym teacher would be proud. 

There are a few other runs I have registered for before the end of the year - no significant distances but just to keep me tracking and training to continue my path to turning 50 in December. 

...and that, my friends, is another blog post in the making.... Heather turns 50, stay tuned.