Last year Haute Volée steeple specialist Megan Rolland had an incredible year. From September to May she PR'd at every race she entered! You could see her confidence building from one race to the next all culminating in her qualfication to USA Track and Field Championship in Sacramento in the 3k steeple. She finished her year off by hitting the roads at the Missoula Marathon with teammate Heather Lieberg. The two of them went 1-2 with times of 1:15 and 1:17. After a much deserved break Megan started to build up her mileage and begin her next training phase. Currently she is training for the Big Sur Half Marathon on November 16th. Learn a little bit about her favorite key workouts leading up to this half.

Moving from California back to my home-town in Idaho was a big decision for me. Moving meant leaving my great full time nursing job, friends, family and the place I called home for the past 8 years. It was a decision a long time in the making. I had been thinking for awhile what it would be like to train for running full time and everything sort of fell into place this fall to allow me to try and do just that. In California I did all of my workouts and runs solo. I would get my running schedule for the week emailed to me from my coach and I would try and piece it together around my work schedule. If I was working 3-4 shifts in row I might push a workout back or move it up a day in order to complete it.  Some days I would finish a particularly grueling 12 hour shift and just skip a run altogether. I would go home and fall straight into bed trying to push the guilt aside. Since making the move my training has become more consistent than ever and I also get to workout with other runners and my coach 3 times a week! I have started doing double days which is something new to my training. I am also incorporating lifting, drills, core, everything I was lagging on the past few years. I am so happy with how my training has been going and look forward over this next year to see what is possible.

My favorite workout leading into the Barber to Boise 10k was an hour run in the hills followed by a 4 loop progression run. The loop is around a hospital with a big uphill, long downhill and flat finish. The loop is just under 1 mile. I struggle with the second half of races mentally and have been known to "check out" of a race mentally before the finish. This workout really helped me focus on producing a good long effort of hill running and then to dig deep to keep getting faster for each loop at the end. My first loop was a 6:06 and I finished off with a 5:21.

My favorite workout leading into the Lewiston 5k cross-country race was a track workout. I love getting on the track so anytime I see a track workout scheduled for the week especially in the offseason I get pumped up. This workout was 4x200, a 4k tempo followed up with 4x200. A big component of racing is being able to handle surges and moves when they happen. My best races are usually the ones that go out nice and steady with no big surprises but that hardly ever happens. Being able to train my body and mind to be able to handle surges in the race will hopefully prepare me for whatever happens in the half marathon. My tempo runs are usually always sandwiched in between shorter and faster reps to help with this.

My key workout for Big Sur was the same workout that I did leading into Barber to Boise. I ran for an hour in the hills followed by 4 progression loops. I am working on the same basic stuff but it is great to have a comparison workout at the beginning of a training cycle and then again about 6 weeks later.  It helps mentally to know I am more fit and that my times were faster and the overall workout felt much better. I started out in 5:33 and ended in 5:08.

Joining Megan at Big Sur this weekend we also have Haute Volée 10k specialist Kara Foster along with Oiselle Team runners: Kayla Evans, Paulette Ference, Marilyn Keys and Kara LaPoint. Follow along with Megan and our other Standard Chasers as we update this blog this fall!