Longmont‘s Addie Bracy turned a disappointing season on the track into happiness on the mountain. Bracy raced the U.S. mountain running championships in early July – her first trail race ever – and came away victorious. She’ll lead the U.S. team into worlds in Bulgaria in September. This success also earns her our “The Runner Box” Colorado Runner of the Month award.
Your win at the U.S. mountain running championships starts with a near-miss in the steeplechase, and the 10000m, I think. How’d the track season go then? Were you off your personal bests and just in a rut, or running faster than ever, but just not quite fast enough to make it to the Olympic trials?
The last two track seasons have both been pretty frustrating for me. I had run under the standard required to get into the steeplechase before, however it was two years ago. Last summer, I got close but was only able to squeak out a 9:57 which was four seconds short of the Olympic trials qualifier. I think I went into this track season with a sense of urgency that was not conducive to running fast. I ran the Olympic trials marathon in February and tried to make too quick of a transition to track since I knew I didn’t have a trials standard and didn’t have the luxury of resting and waiting until my body was ready to go.
Racing an early season steeplechase unprepared just set a bad tone for the rest of season before it had even started. Each consecutive race held more pressure in my mind, seeing it as either a chance to succeed or fail, which is not the way to run well. I ran the 10k at the Portland Track Festival as a last ditch effort to sneak into the trials. I had only run one other 10k in the last three years but thought my marathon strength might carry over. My PR (32:37) only fell about 12 seconds off the standard so it seemed doable. I also ran the 10k at the 2012 Olympic trials so already felt very familiar with the event. However, I just don’t think my heart was in it and I fell quite a bit short of the necessary time.
It’s not an atypical move off the track and roads to the trails, but yours was just so quick and your success so immediate. And so how did that happen? Once abandoning the idea of the Olympic trials, did you do anything special in the short period before the U.S. mountain running championships to at least partially get ready for it?
The only thing I did to prepare for the mountain championships was stop putting pressure on myself and have fun. Over the last two years, I stopped having fun racing on the track and roads. Because I wasn’t improving for the first time in my career, each race turned into a self-imposed test of whether or not I was relevant in the track world. While letting go of the idea of racing at the Olympic trials was hard, within 24 hours I felt a sense of relief that made me know I made the right decision. While I am ready to stop competing on the track and roads for right now, I harbor no bad feelings towards the sport and still just love to simply run. I also feel very inspired in the mountains and out on the trails. So, I decided to go run the mountain championships just to remember why I love running and to end this season on a positive note.
However, I thought that positive note would be just having fun competing in a race. I had no expectations of winning. I did a few workouts that involved some solid climbing on trails just to have some small idea of what to expect. I thought that there was a chance I could sneak into the top four if I ran smart, but when I found myself leading the race I was just as surprised as anyone else.
I’m a big fan of mountain, ultra, and trail running. It’s what I generally write about. But it’s weird for me when someone who has never run a trail or mountain race before wins a U.S. championship in their debut race, and I wonder what that says about the competitiveness of this niche part of the sport. Do you think you’re just a natural and freak talent going uphill, and found your intended place in the sport, or is there room for a lot faster times in races like this if some of the truly national-class track runners crossed over?
I certainly don’t know enough about mountain and trail racing to intelligently comment on the talent level or depth. However, I certainly think that my general fitness played a role in how the race went. While I wasn’t racing well on the track, my training throughout the winter and spring was pretty consistent with some very solid blocks. So, I definitely went into the race knowing I was in good shape but just not knowing how that would transfer to a mountain race.
I also have some factors working in my favor in where I live and who my coach is. I live at altitude and my coach (Brad Hudson) also incorporates a fair amount of hills in our training. We do something called “the climb” that I think prepared me pretty well on the mental side. The route we do is on a road and is nowhere near as steep as Loon (is anything that steep?!?), but I had some idea of the long grind it takes to run something like that. I also grew up running technical mountain biking trails back home (Greensboro, North Carolina) and felt confident in navigating some of the rocky areas. So, I had those things working for me. The way my Dad put it after the race is “you have been training for mountain running your entire career and you just never knew it.” So, I guess that is how I am looking at it for now. The most encouraging thing was that I did feel like I belonged and I had a blast which is exactly what I had been missing.
And so now you’re going to Bulgaria. What do you know about Bulgaria, the city where the race will be, and the race course?
I know next to nothing about Bulgaria. I had to look at a map as soon as I found out that is where the World Championships will be just to see where it was! I have researched the race course a little bit so as to know how to prepare over the next few months. The elevation seems to be fairly comparable to Boulder so I feel fortunate to be able to live and train here.
You’re part of Hudson Elite and you guys always use the tagline “Roscoe Your Run.” I know Roscoe is a boxer dog, but how does Roscoe run, and what does it mean to Roscoe Your Run?
Great question! Roscoe is the handsome dog in the sunglasses on our team logo and the Hudson Elite mascot. He also happens to be my 8-year-old boxer. We are a team that works very hard and takes training very seriously. But, we also remember that if you aren’t haven’t fun then what is the point? Roscoe is a very energetic and happy dog. He is known for his “talking” and butt wagging. To us, #Roscoeyourrace means to go out with a similar attitude. It reminds us to lay it all out there every time, but to also remember to enjoy every step. I think it just keeps things in perspective for us. It provides a sense of lightness in what can sometimes be a stressful environment.
What’s your favorite thing in the Runner Box?
I love the idea of the Power Ice! Thinking about eating freezy pops on a hot day reminds me of being a kid. With the heat we have had lately nothing sounds better than coming home and eating a cold, refreshing freezy pop and knowing that it is also helping me hydrate and replenish electrolytes after a hard run.
Thanks Addie and good luck at future mountain races! Follow Addie on twitter @addiebracy and on Instagram at www.instagram.com/addiebracy/. Follow Hudson Elite on twitter @hudsonelite.
“Leave the research to us, and we’ll leave the training to you,” says Runner Box. The Runner Box is a subscription-based service that delivers a “box” of runner-friendly goodies to you every other month, items like gels, bars, and other accessories hand-picked to add to your running. Many items are new to the market, and new items are expected with each box. A great service for yourself, the boxes also make great gifts and are often themed around holidays.
Previous “The Runner Box” Colorado Runners of the Month:
May 16 – Tabor Scholl
April 16 – Amanda Basham
February 16 – Alia Gray
November 15 – Ali Williams
October 15 – Neely Gracey
September 15 – Timmy Parr
August 15 – Andy Wacker
July 15 – Lanie Szuch
June 15 – Joe Gray
May 15 – Brittni Hutton
April 15 – Andy Rinne
March 15 – Justin Ricks
February 15 – Laura Thweatt