Baby on Board!

Sorry it's been a while since my last update...

A lot has been going on, so first let me update you on Brent. His training is going fabulously. He's putting in more miles than ever before (he's up to around 105 some weeks). He's never been above 95, so this is new territory for him. He's recovering well and is getting in some good workouts with some other local professional runners. Working with a new coach yet again, it's hard to tell exactly where he is in his fitness, but we all think he's on the right track. Coach Jay Johnson and he are working on an upcoming schedule, though it's not set quite yet. He'll be competing sometime in January for sure. Then, looking ahead to the outdoor season, he'll start focusing on the 10k on the track.

As for me, I'm simply focusing on keeping up my endurance and keeping my body strong... Exciting news: we're expecting Vaughn Baby #2 in June! We couldn't be happier and the timing seems perfect. I'll continue to run throughout my pregnancy, as I did with Ciara. Part of me is sad I won't be competing this upcoming spring and summer, but I'll have plenty of other things on which to focus. We're looking forward to welcoming our new addition this summer, and you can expect to see me back on the track in Januray 2011!

I was lucky enough to do a cover shoot for Running Times in August for this month's edition. Say "bye-bye" to this body for a while. :) The photos are from the shoot and here is a link to the article.

http://runningtimes.com/Article.aspx?ArticleID=18379Article.aspx?ArticleID=18379

Breakfast with Kip

I sat down this morning at Einstein Brother's Bagels to enjoy my pumpkin bagel and OJ. A man walks in, with several trash bags and a tattered adidas duffel bag, and sits at the table next to me. As I was catching up on my email correspondence, he pretended to read the newspaper, but after our eyes met for the third time, it was obvious he was looking for someone to talk to.
A minute later my computer shut off - my crappy battery had run out. So I shut my computer. The man asked me what I was eating. Then he asked if I might buy him one, too. I obliged. I have to admit that I might have said, "sorry" and left, but I learned something from reading Brianna Glenn's blog last week. I thought I would take advantage of helping him out - it was just a few bucks.
I brought him his bagel and began to have a fairly mundane conversation with him. I told him how I graduated last year, how we live up in the mountains. He wouldn't tell me much about himself. But then the conversation turned to sports. First the Olympic bid came up. Then the conversation turned to tennis. But then, after telling him I was a runner, what he said next totally surprised me.
He told me he was a huge Kara Goucher fan! He actually followed her in the sport. Here I was, with this homeless guy from Indiana, having a full-on conversation about a professional runner. I was surprised and impressed for two reasons: 1) Kip knew who she was and knew legitimate stats about her career, and 2) Kara Goucher is really famous. I knew Kara got a LOT of fans, but - I'll be honest - I just assumed it was a cult following of runners. Now I realize her popularity has reached beyond track geeks. Which is awesome, right?! What an amazing opportunity Kara has - she's inspiring to a Kip, an unemployed, out-of-luck 46-year-old.
In turn, this whole morning has inspired me. Why do I want to be as good as Kara Goucher? Why do I want to keep running and keep improving? First off, because I simply have the desire to do well. But secondly, because when people look up to you, you are provided with an amazing opportunity to influence others in a positive way. That's what I want to do. I'm going to keep striving to do better so that I can do good. :)

Seasons Change

It seems like we only had 3 days of Autumn. The leaves were just starting to change, getting more and more golden. I hope this snow and freezing weather doesn't ruin the vibrant reds that are supposed to follow. I'll be disappointed if so. Fall is my favorite - perfect running weather.

But, alas, there's still something about the first snow. It always gives me the feeling of starting new, resetting. Typically my track season would be well over by now. This is the time of year for a little recuperation. One more race for me, then I'm not running a step for at least a week! I'm staying inside, drinking cocoa and playing Candy Land with Ciara. :)

Right now, in more than one way, our family is getting a fresh start. After deciding to move to Portland, then deciding to stay here after all, Brent and I are both looking forward to resuming training feeling refreshed. Brent is officially going to be working with Jay Johnson (coachjayjohnson.com) now! He's excited about putting the '09 season behind him and looking forward to new experiences in 2010. I'm looking forward to new experiences in the near future, as well! We'll keep you posted. :)

Pearl Street Mile

This Thursday, August 13th at 6:00 p.m.

I'll be running the "women's competitive" wave. Brent and Ciara will be there cheering! :)

Season Update

As you may have noticed, I haven't updated our website in about five months! I've been pretty busy (but mostly it's a pain in the ass!). Enter: the blog.

Since most of you that check our website are interested in our running performances, let me give you a quick run-down of the last four months:

Brent has had a bit of an up-and-down season. Running mostly miles/1500s early in the season, he ran consistently close to his PRs (3:45 1500m, 4:01 mile). After a bit of a hiccup at the Prefontaine Classic (June 7) in the 3k, he put it some good training leading up to the USA Championships. He ran the 5k there, finishing in 9th. Then we headed to Europe where he ran a great 5k in Belgium (13:27 - his second fastest ever). Now he's putting in a few good weeks of training before (hopefully) heading back over to Belgium for one or two more races...

I have been slowly progressing since February. I've "PR'ed" in every race I've run this year, save one USA Championship semi-final 800m. I ran 1500m races early in the season, getting down to 4:15. Then I PR'ed in the 800m by 7 seconds at the Nike Mile meet (from 2:11 to 2:04). I ran the 800m at USAs, finishing 10th. In Europe I PR'ed three more times, twice in the 1500m (down to 4:11) and once in the 800m (down to 2:03). As of today, the next meet on my schedule is the 5th Avenue road mile in NYC.

Europe was fun and a true learning experience - from putting sour milk in my coffee to getting kicked out of a clothing store with Brent! :) The whole experience definitely teaches you to be flexible, and also to appreciate how spoiled we are when we go to races here in the states. And boy did we miss Ciara! But it necessary as we both took an important step in our careers. We handled the stress well and will be much better equiped the next time!