She's going the distance

Tinker Bell Half Marathon Goals

2012-01-28T21:29:00.001-08:00

I'm writing this from my hotel room (on my phone), just before I try to fall asleep nice and early for my 4:15 wake-up!

We drove to Anaheim this afternoon, and spent a little time at the expo. Packet pickup was nice and fast, and the long-sleeved race tee is cute.

Pre-race dinner was steak at Outback with J, my parents and my aunt. I've basically given up on "carb-loading," so meat and veggies it was. Then we came back to the hotel, at which point I realized I had nothing on-hand for breakfast. A quick dash to the hotel mini-mart (and a break to watch the Disneyland fireworks from the staircase!) later, I have a Luna bar and I'm ready to go.

So...goals. They're simple this time around.

A-Goal: Have lots of fun! The whole point of running a half at Disneyland on my (30th!) birthday was to have a ton of fun and celebrate starting a new decade. So that's really the No. 1 goal tomorrow--the one that really matters. I want to have fun out there!

B-Goal: Sub-2/around a 9:00/mile average pace. A PR would be great, but it's all dependent on the A-Goal. I'll run as fast as I can, but only as long as it's fun! So just keeping it around a 9-minute pace will make me happy.

C-Goal: Not to run a personal worst. :)

Alright, it's bedtime!

Werewolves, Birthdays & Words

2012-01-25T19:06:00.000-08:00

No Wordless Wednesday for me today--I've done enough of the "wordless" thing the past week or so.

Last week was a roller coaster for me, involving some fantastic news and some really tough news, none of which I can really write about at this point (hopefully that will change in the future). Thankfully, it was followed by a fun and relaxing weekend, and after a few nice, normal days at work I'm feeling more like myself.

Friday night, I went with J and his coworkers to see Underworld: Awakening. It was a lot of fun to watch the movie surrounded by people who'd worked hard to make it, and exciting to see J's name in the credits.

Getting ready to see the movie, in our 4-Lycan Moon shirts. If you're not enough of an Internet geek to understand the reference, I both applaud you and recommend you Know Your Meme

Saturday, we "celebrated" our furbaby Caspian's 7th birthday with a trip to the vet for vaccines (poor pup--it's a good thing he didn't realize it was his birthday!), then spent the rest of the day hanging around the house.

Saturday night: beer, a good book and salmon with carrots & leeks. What more could a girl want?

And yes, I ran! Sunday morning was my last "long" run before Tinker Bell: a lovely 6-miler along the water. I'm feeling great, and excited to knock out my last workout tomorrow (just a short tempo) and race on Sunday! I'm so glad I decided to run this race. I was hoping it would feel like a really perfect way to ring in the big 3-0, and now, as I'm getting closer to it I'm convinced that was a good call.

I'll close with the photo that would have been my Wordless Wednesday, had I not turned it into a wordy one: My fuzzy birthday boy.

Best. Dog. Ever.

Wordless Wednesday - Jan. 18, 2012

2012-01-18T15:17:00.000-08:00

(Is it still wordless if there are lyrics? Because this is really the best way I can sum up my week without bunches and bunches of words.)

13.1 Los Angeles 2012

2012-01-16T10:51:00.000-08:00

My first race of 2012 is in the books. This is the first time I've run a race on a whim, and certainly the first time I've run a half with such short notice. I don't think it will become a regular occurrence, but it was fun to be spontaneous!

The starting line for 13.1 LA was only a couple miles from home, so I just walked down to the start before the race. I was worried about it being too cold, since it was in the high 40s and I was wearing shorts, but I walked fast and it wasn't too bad. (The adorable little Cold Hands/Warm Heart "cuffins" on the Lululemon jacket J got me for Christmas helped!) While I was walking, the police were clearing homeless people from the Venice boardwalk where many of them sleep, so the race course would be clear. The interactions I observed were very kind, and I was glad to see the officers treating the people who live on the boardwalk respectfully. Well done, LAPD! (Or ... Santa Monica PD? I'm not actually sure which they were ...)

I got to the start line about 25 minutes before the race was set to start, and found a spot at the back of the 2:00 corral/front of the 2:20 corral. Since I was using this as a training run, I wanted to keep a 9:30-9:40 pace. As it turned out, the start was delayed by 15 minutes, so I was colder standing around waiting than I had been walking to the start.

Finally, we were off. The first couple miles were a bit slow as I made my way through the crowd and warmed up, but then I settled into a 9:30ish pace, and ran it fairly steadily throughout. I felt strong and fresh through most of the race. By the last couple miles I was feeling a bit tired, but I guess that's to be expected, right?

As you can see, my splits were fairly even, with the exception of Mile 9, when I spent a couple minutes on a bathroom stop, and and Mile 12, when I just plain lagged a bit. I finished strong, with an official time of 2:09:11, and I'm feeling nice and confident about Tinker Bell in two weeks!

In general, 13.1 LA was a decent race. It wasn't too big or too small, the route was beautiful--right along the ocean most of the way--and there were plenty of aid stations. A couple downsides were the delay at the start, a lack of crowd support (most of the race was pretty quiet, though there were a couple entertainment groups toward the end, including a Taiko drums group,which is my most-favorite racing music ever--I'd happily run a course with Taiko drums throughout), and no food at the finish (aside from stuff you could buy from food trucks.) I would do it again, just because it was so convenient (they even had shuttles from the finish line that took me within blocks of home), though I wouldn't pay $100 for it again (but that was just because I registered so late.)

Why can't this be the soundtrack to every race?

Oh--and the medal was pretty nice, too!

Not a bad start to 2012. It's going to be a good year!

Three Things Thursday - Jan. 12

2012-01-12T21:32:00.000-08:00

1. I realized this morning, when my apartment complex sent us an email warning about traffic delays, that the 13.1 Los Angeles route goes right through our neighborhood. So my weekend plans now include spectating. Yay! I haven't spectated a race since the Oakland Marathon in 2010, when I entertained runners & embarrassed J with my sign:

Actually, while typing this just now, I had this crazy thought of just registering (there's still room!) and running the race as my long run this weekend. I need to do 12 anyway! But then I checked, and it's $100 to register now. Probably best to just run my 12 on my own.

2. Regarding those "terrible tempos," I decided today that tomorrow, which would be my worst tempo, I'm going to run at a moderate pace and not worry beyond that. It's just not worth it to me right at the moment to stress myself out over the pace. I haven't been training super-hard as it is (my lack of cross-training right now is just embarrassing), and I'm just not at a point where pushing the speed is a priority.

3. After I wrote the first two things, I picked up J from work and went to dinner, where I ran my crazy "maybe I should just run the race" idea past him, and he said "Sure! Do it!" So ... disregard No. 1. I'm running this thing!

Wordless Wednesday - Jan. 11, 2012

2012-01-11T15:17:00.001-08:00

Afternoon snack.

Terrible tempos

2012-01-07T09:19:00.000-08:00

I've always had a love-hate relationship with tempo runs. Heavy on the hate, actually. I like interval runs just fine--running hard for a few minutes, maybe a mile, tops. And long, slow runs are great. But tempos? They just hurt.

I've been using the FIRST plan to prepare for the Tinkerbell Half. This is my third time on this plan, and I really like it and have had good success with it. You only run three days a week, which I've found works much better for me, both physically and mentally (Though it definitely works better if, unlike this time around, you get that cross training in). But that also means all of my runs are supposed to be "quality"--no junk miles. So it's one interval workout, one tempo and one long slow run.

This time around, the intervals have been going well--I'm consistently hitting my time goals and feeling good. Long runs have been fine, too--I've done a couple 10-milers so far, and they've felt good. But the tempos? They've been rough. My goal pace has been about 8:35, a pace that should be tough but doable for me, but honestly, I'm not sure I've maintained it once in the past several weeks.

Tired of listening to my Garmin beep at me, flashing "speed up!" all the way through my tempo runs, this week I just gave in and changed the goal pace to 8:40, which is what I've been averaging. I also cut the run short--I was late getting out of the house, and besides, it was my first week back after a week off at Christmas--but what should have been an 8-mile run with 6 miles @ 8:35 became a 5-mile run with 3 miles @ 8:42.


Not quite what the plan called for ...

Next week, the plan calls for an 8-mile tempo. I'm going to be honest here--it's probably not going to happen. Confession time: In the three times I've used this plan, I've yet to actually run the 8-mile tempo (to be clear, that's 8 miles at tempo pace, plus a mile each warm up and cool down, so 10 total). I have no good excuse. It's hard to fit a 10-mile run into a weekday, but I could do it. I just honestly don't want to run 8 miles that hard.

In any case, I'm just 3 Terrible Tempos away from the Tinkerbell half. And since my No. 1 goal for this particular race is just to have a fantastic time, I'll run them, but I'm not going to let them get me down.

New Year

2012-01-01T08:44:00.000-08:00

Happy 2012!

The past year was a full one for me. I moved twice (across town in January, then 375 miles away in October), got a promotion at work, climbed Half Dome, did my first (and second!) triathlon and finally got that sub-2 half I've been chasing. J graduated from college in 2011, which was the impetus for our move to SoCal, so it's been a big year in that respect too, as he begins building his new career.

I expect 2012 to be just as exciting and memorable, starting with the fact that I will turn 30 this month! Over the past few days, I've been putting together a list of goals for 2012. I did the same last year, and it was so fun to cross goals off the list (including much of what I listed above) as the year progressed. Here are a few of them, both running related and not:

Read 15 books, including two in Spanish (25 books was a goal in 2011. I fell short, and decided I need to cut back the goal, especially since I no longer commute by train, so my reading time has been reduced.)
Blog twice a week (hold me to this!)
Run a full marathon (I think it's finally time! I'm looking at fall races ... maybe Marine Corps? Or Portland?)
Do an Olympic-distance triathlon
PR in a 5k (my current PR is from the last 5k I ran, back in 2009, so it's high time.)

There are a few others, which I may write about later, but for now I'll leave it at that.

And now I'm off to ring in the new year with a run!

Back in the saddle

2011-11-19T10:40:00.000-08:00

Things that have happened since my last post:

I finished the See Jane Run tri in 1:19:48, so just squeaking in at my B goal, which put me at 9th of 70 in my age group. I felt fantastic on the bike (18.1 mph) and solid on the run (8:47 pace), but struggled at the start of the swim, with some unfortunate water inhalation that slowed me way down. Overall, I was thrilled.
My relay team was accepted into Hood to Coast 2012!
I moved to Southern California! J got a job down here in July, and after a few months we decided it was time to take the plunge and actually move down here permanently. The move was exhausting in every possible way, and I miss the Bay Area and my amazing friends there so much, but there are upsides. Like the fact that this is now the scenery I pass on my runs:

I also attended a new/prospective member meeting for the LA Tri Club last week, so there will definitely be more to come ...

See Jane Run Women's Triathlon goals

2011-09-24T05:36:00.000-07:00

I meant to write this post last night, when I was less anxious and jittery, but didn't get to it (I was too busy watching Lord of the Rings for the thousandth time, furminating the dog, and checking approximately 95 billion times to make sure I'd packed my bike helmet. Speaking of ... I should check again.)

So I'll have to make this quick ...

The race is: 400-yard swim, 12-mile bike, 3-mile run.

A-goal: 1:15 or better (this would be slightly faster paces on all three events than the Tri for Fun in July, which I finished in 1:13 but had a shorter bike)

B-goal: 1:20 or better

C-goal: Don't drown.

Kidding! (I mean, mostly.) C goal will be to finish in under 1:30.

I have had to adjust my expectations slightly because I am still feeling the Half Dome hike we did on Monday. Which I also need to write a post on. For now, here's a little taste ...

And I'm off!

Haphazard tri training

2011-09-03T11:04:00.000-07:00

So I finally decided on a race. I'm doing the See Jane Run Triathlon on Sept. 24-three weeks from today! I'm so excited to do another tri!

I toyed with finding or creating an actual training plan this time around, but I haven't been able to find a sprint triathlon training plan that really fits my needs. Most of the ones available free online are, oddly enough, too easy. They want me to swim for 20 minutes, or bike 25 minutes. And while I'm a beginner triathlete for sure, I guess when it comes down to it I'm not quite a beginner endurance athlete. I may not swim fast or beautifully, but when I go to the pool I'm there 45 minutes to an hour. And I still don't own a "real" bike jersey, and the clipless pedals still give me a bit of trouble, but I really prefer riding 20 miles to riding 20 minutes.

Besides. I eat too much to only work out 20 minutes a day.

So I'm just playing it by ear again. Trying to run, bike and swim twice a week each, give or take, with a long bike and/or run on the weekends and an occasional brick. For example, this past week looked like this:

Saturday: Brick, 4-mile bike/4-mile run
Sunday: Rest
Monday: 4-mile run, moderate pace (8:56)
Tuesday: 7.5-mile bike (13 mph)
Wednesday: Rest, though it should have been a swim
Thursday: Interval run, 6 x 400 (7:25, 7:13, 7:25, 7:38, 7:32, 7:24)
Friday: Rest

OK, so that wasn't exactly perfect, what with the lack of swimming and all. I'll get back to that this week, honest! But aside from that, it's not too far from off from what I'd like to be doing. This weekend I have a long ride, a fairly long run and a hike (need to get ready for Half Dome, too!) on the schedule.

It's all a little haphazard (truthfully, more haphazard than I can be if I really want to improve my time), but I'm having fun!

Race indecision

2011-08-10T10:08:00.000-07:00

As soon as I finished the tri in July, I knew I'd be back for more. My initial thought was to do the Tri for Fun No. 3 in August (identical to the one in July), then the Tri for Real in September (same location, but longer distances - 700-yard swim, 18-mile bike, 4-mile run, and actually timed). But now, I'm not sure. I'm certain I can be ready for the longer distances in September. But there's another race, the weekend after, that might be even more fun.

It's the See Jane Run women's triathlon, and it's in the same location, on a very similar route to the Tri for Fun, with the same short sprint distances (400-yard swim, 11-mile bike, 3-mile run). The advantage to this one would be that it's an all-women's race, which is fun once in awhile, and typically means better swag, and it's USAT-sanctioned. And I think, if that is my third race this distance, I can do reasonably well. I looked at last year's results, and while I'm certainly in no danger of placing in my age group, I think I might be able to swing top-20. Which would be pretty exciting.

The other thing that's making me re-think the Tri for Real is that it's two days before we're hiking Half Dome with a group of friends. I can't quite decide if it's a good idea to mash those two events into one weekend. It's not like it's a super-long race, but I was pretty tired after the shorter tri last month, and Half Dome is a pretty serious hike. I think I could do it, but I'm not sure if I should.

Right now, I'm leaning toward the See Jane Run tri. But part of me wants to try a longer race. So I'm still undecided.

One thing I have decided on, though! I'm going to be celebrating the big 3-0 in January at the Happiest Place On Earth by running the Tinker Bell Half Marathon! So excited! Does this mean I'll need to start running more than twice a week?

Taking off the training wheels

2011-08-04T15:33:00.000-07:00

Triathlete Jen was in town this past week, and after a great ride on Saturday and some positive reinforcement from her (she says I'm a "strong cyclist!" I've never been called a strong any-sort-of-athlete before!), I decided it was time to take the next step. So when we returned her rental bike to Sports Basement (which is quickly becoming my favorite sporting goods store, thanks to its better-than-average selection of cycling and triathlon gear), I brought along my bike and traded in my flat pedals for a pair of Look pedals and shiny new tri shoes.

Love my new shoes!

Once the pedals were installed, Triathlete Jen gave me a little clipless pedal lesson in the parking lot. First she held the bike while I snapped my feet in and out of the pedals a bunch of times, then once I felt more comfortable I rode some circles in the parking lot and practiced stopping and starting. It all went surprisingly smoothly, until I actually tried to get off the bike and remembered that you need to unclip both feet to do so.

I've yet to take a real ride with the new "big girl" pedals. I rode around the neighborhood a bit yesterday, but I still have to really think when I start and stop, and I know I'm not ready to maneuver busy streets just yet. This weekend I'll have to drive somewhere that I can practice without all the traffic.

So far, I've only toppled all the way over once, when I didn't unclip in time while practicing on my street yesterday. And I managed to get by with only a minor scrape on my knee. Here's hoping the worst is over!

Worth a thousand words

2011-07-28T06:14:00.000-07:00

The pro photos from the tri were posted yesterday. Here are a couple (Watermarks and all. Because I'm classy like that.)

No one looks good in a swimming cap. Right? It's not just me?

Yay bike!

Running ...

... and finished!

So one thing sticks out about these photos. How happy I look!

I mean, compared to, say ... this one:

Oakland Half Marathon ... you'd never know I was having a great race.

Granted, a sprint triathlon is easier than a half marathon. But still. I'm never grinning like that in running race photos. Interesting ...

Pleasanton Tri-for-Fun #2 Race Report

2011-07-24T11:43:00.000-07:00

OK, I'm hooked. My first triathlon was everything I hoped it would be and then some!

The race started at 7 a.m., and it was held about 35 minutes from my place. Coach Bruce had told us he normally arrives at 5 a.m. for this race. Unfortunately, thanks to a flight delay for J, I didn't get to bed till around midnight the night before, so the earliest I could convince myself to get up was about 4:40 a.m. I ate my peanut butter toast, grabbed my pre-packed bag, dragged J out of bed so he could pop my bike on the rack (Yes, I can do it myself. Just didn't wanna), and headed out. I got there at about a quarter to 6, and found most of my teammates already there. I racked my bike with theirs (they'd saved spots for me and a couple others who hadn't arrived yet), got my bib and body markings (can I just say how excited I was about those? I know, I'm a dork), got a crappy $1 cup of coffee, and peed about 15 times. And then it was time to go!

Swim - 400 yards
I swam a few strokes off to the side while the wave before me was starting, and I was so glad I did--just getting in the water, getting used to the temperature, etc., made me feel so much better. The start was not nearly as bad as I'd feared. Our wave (there was a group of about 10 of us who trained together, two of whom were girls in my wave) was fairly small. I honestly don't know how many people, but maybe 30-40? There was definitely some turbulence in the water, and I did feel fingers on my toes a couple of times (the advice I'd been given, which worked, was just to kick as hard as you can if that happens--they'll move!), but I didn't get punched in the head or kicked in the stomach or anything!

Overall, the swim felt fine. No major panicking--lots of adrenaline and it all happened fast. Well, pretty fast. There were a few moments mid-way when it felt like it was taking forever! Really, though, I was out of the water in under 9 minutes, which isn't fast, but I was just afraid of it taking me something like 15 minutes, so I was happy!

T1
I felt like the transition went pretty smoothly--no major problems. Not sure how fast I was (this was not a competitive race--they keep a timeclock at the end, but don't time your splits or anything), but I didn't forget anything important.

Bike - 11 miles
Loved it! Sooo much fun. The course started with a hill, and I just barely remembered before the race to put my bike in an easier gear--so glad I did! I was breathing pretty hard for the first mile or so, still recovering from the swim, but settled in pretty well and felt great. Pushed hard enough to feel the burn the whole time, and passed lots of people who'd killed me on the swim! Averaged a 17.3 mph speed, which I was super happy with.

Also, the bike wasn't *actually* 11 miles. It was more like 9.5. Oh well!

T2
My head was feeling pretty fuzzy by now. So what should have been a super-easy transition (I don't have bike shoes, so I biked in my running shoes--no clothing to change) was a little iffy. I managed to leave my Garmin on my bike, and only just remembered to take my helmet off!

Run - 3 miles
What can I say--it was a run. I kept an ok pace. Probably 90 seconds/mile slower than I would normally run a 5k,but it was also a hilly course, so that made a difference too. My legs felt pretty weird for the first bit, but I'd done a few bricks in training, so I knew to expect that. One really fun thing about this part of the course was that it had a few laps, so I got to see almost all of my teammates at one point or another--some more than once. It definitely gave me a little extra burst of energy to cheer my friends on!

Me, just before the finish, and the guy I'd just passed!

And then I was done! Final time was about 1:13:20 (no official records, and like I said, I left my Garmin on my bike.) The third triathlon in this series, identical to this one, is in August, and I think I'm going to do that one too. I'd love to do it in around 1:10!

I really loved this race. I just felt so happy all the way through--a feeling I can't say I always have in running races. Coach Lindsay says it helps that it was a sprint. She's probably right. But still, I think I like this triathlon thing! Can't wait to do another!

Me and my awesome triathlon buddies!

Tri update

2011-06-19T08:03:00.000-07:00

I'm just under a month out from my first tri! To be honest, I've not been as consistent with training as I should have been. In general, though, I think I'm doing alright. Here's where everything stands:

Swimming: Still my weakest event, as it probably always will be. But I'm consistently getting in 1200-1500 yards in a session, and have finally bumped up to two times a week. I haven't tried all 400 yards at once yet, but I don't think I'm far off from being able to manage it.

Biking: All systems go here! I've only been getting in one ride most weeks, but they're always longer than the 11 miles I need to go for the tri. Yesterday was the longest yet, at 28 (with a break at 22 to run a quick mile). It gets easier each time, and I'm even getting a bit faster. For the section of the ride yesterday where we were riding on bike paths (so without frequent stops), we were going 15-17 mph, and my Garmin recorded my max speed for the day at 25.4 mph.

Running: I've been getting two runs a week in, most a bit longer than the 3 miles I need to run at the tri. I'm actually planning on getting 6 in today (longest in awhile, sadly), once J wakes up this morning. Yesterday was my first time running post-ride. It felt super strange--my legs felt s0rt of springy but weak--but I actually ran the mile faster than I expected, in 8:17. Go figure. It made me feel good about the tri, though. Just need to make it through the swim ...

A new challenge

2011-05-23T12:42:00.000-07:00

In my 9-month blog absence, I ...

ran the San Francisco Half Marathon in July 2010 with J and Triathlete Jen. This race was a bit of a turning point for me. My time wasn't awesome--2:08ish--but that was due to a bathroom break + hills. It was the first time I'd ever felt really good throughout a half--I remember hitting mile 10, and realizing I'd never felt so good at that point in a race. Really just a good time--beautiful course, good company.
ran the Oakland Half Marathon in March 2011. This was the race I've been waiting for. I finally got my sub-2 half, with room to spare. Felt fantastic throughout. Loved every moment.
realized, based on the past two races, that I might actually do better with a "less is more" approach to training. Perhaps it was the psychological difference between working SO hard before the race and feeling so much pressure to have a great race, vs. feeling like I probably wasn't as prepared as I should be, thus just going out and having fun. Or maybe my body just doesn't love running 5 days a week. Whatever the cause, my past two half marathons have just been far and away better than the previous three.
ran The Relay again, with six veterans from last year, and six who were new to our team. A great experience, once again.

So I've not been racing a whole lot, nor have I been running nearly as much as in the last few years. But I've decided to take on a new challenge this year: a triathlon! J and I have started training for a sprint tri in July, which we'll do with some friends from our church, several of whom have been Relay teammates as well. We bought road bikes last week, and have been hitting the road hard--harder than we probably should right off the bat, actually. We did 25 miles Saturday, and 12 miles Sunday this past weekend. Lots of fun, but I seriously need to buy some padded bike shorts. That's all I'll say about that.

Tonight is our first group swim. Exciting and a bit scary!

I'm hoping to blog a bit more as we get ready for this new adventure!

Sidewalk inspiration

2010-08-01T20:12:00.001-07:00

Spotted on a sidewalk next to UC Berkeley on my 9-miler tonight:

You can bet I took an extra-deep breath when I saw that!

SF Half Marathon report to come ...

Sunday Morning in May

2010-05-30T12:14:00.000-07:00

This was my reward today for 8 hilly miles.

Totally worth it.

Next race?

2010-05-12T06:55:00.000-07:00

One of my relay team members sent this around yesterday ...

The Tough Mudder series is being launched because there is not a race in America that tests toughness, fitness, strength, stamina and mental grit all in one place and all in one day. Sure, there are a few races that will test these things – for thousands of dollars and a week of your life. But in one day in one location? We don’t think so. Other mud runs like the Muddy Buddy series? Forget it – unless you want to run alongside your 60-year-old grandmother. Tough Mudder is a truly exceptional event for truly exceptional people. Fair weather runners should stay at home.

and ...

Tough Mudder is the TOUGHEST one day event on the planet. This is not your average mud run or boring, spirit-crushing road race. Our 7 mile obstacle courses are designed by British Special Forces to test all around toughness, strength, stamina, fitness, camaraderie, and mental grit.

Wow. Now that is a hardcore race.

Also, I can't help but notice the nearly complete lack of women in the photos.

I sent J a link, and he mumbled something about the Army and hating the low-crawl. (There does appear to be a lot of low crawling.) But if any of my friends are crazy enough to actually give this one a try, I will be lobbying hard for his participation. (And wondering if my scrawny little arms could actually get buffed up enough between now and October to make this a challenge I could take on too.

Though I'm not sure about that fire ...

200 miles

2010-05-05T13:43:00.001-07:00

The Relay was challenging, exhausting, beautiful and exhilarating.

My teammates were amazing, wonderful and inspiring.

All around a fantastic experience.

I'm working on writing it all down, but I needed to at least get that much out.

It's Relay Time!

2010-05-01T12:07:00.000-07:00

In about three hours, I'll be climbing into a van with five other fantastic people and making my way to Napa, where we will begin our first legs of The Relay. Van 1 left Oakland about two hours ago, and will be starting the race in Calistoga at about 1 p.m.

We've been planning this race for so long, and I can't believe it's actually here! Everything has come together wonderfully, and I'm super excited about running with my team. We have a really awesome group of people. I would post a photo of my fabulous team here, but my camera is currently charging. Many photos to come, though!

My first leg will begin at around 6:15 p.m., which I think is just about perfect. I love evening runs--it's so much easier to run negative splits when the weather is cooling off. My second leg will start at around 4:30 a.m., and honestly, I'm hoping we're a little behind by then so it will be getting light by the time I start!

I'll definitely be posting a race recap on Monday, and maybe I'll even manage to do a quick update between now and then. I will be spending an awful lot of time sitting in a van!

2010-04-21T20:30:00.000-07:00

Ahem.

It seems to be late April.

How did this happen?!?

Remember in January, when I said I'd been laid off? Well, that post was written the day of my final interview for my new job! I started at a PR agency in the city the following Monday. It's the same type of work I did before, but it's in a different industry (different industries, really), and there's been a big learning curve. I've been more challenged in the last few months than any time in recent memory, and it's been exhausting. It's also been a lot of fun! I work with really great people, I've been really impressed by my new company, and I have some fun clients.

But the change in schedule, the general busyness and just feeling worn out all the time has not done good things for my running. I haven't stopped running altogether, but it's been more like two or three times most week, instead of four. That doesn't sound like a big difference when I write it out like that, but it feels very different.

I did get a 10-miler in last Saturday, and was pleased that it went well. Because there is ththe little matter of the 200-mile relay I'm running in a week and a half! (Hey look! Another blog I haven't been updating!)

I also ran an absolutely gorgeous trail 8-miler the weekend before with some people from my relay team.

This kind of absolutely gorgeous.

Anyway, that's a very brief update on my life recently. I miss writing, and I've decided I want to do more of it. I haven't entirely decided what form that should take--if I want to keep writing about running, or if I want to find another niche. But there will be more writing.

2010 races, so far

2010-01-28T09:40:00.000-08:00

I had a pretty decent little race schedule for the first half of 2010 worked out in my head. The start of it is actually sitting over in the sidebar: Couples' Relay in February, Oakland Half Marathon in March, The Relay in May. Unfortunately, being laid off put a cramp in my ability to pay for races, so I've had to re-evaluate. Not being independently wealthy, I always have to consider the cost when I'm choosing races, but I'm usually able to go ahead with the ones I really want to run without worrying too much. This year, though, I'm having to be more selective. So here's what I've come down to:

The Relay

This one was a no-brainer, as I'd already committed to my team. I'm running this 200-mile, 12-person relay from Calistoga to Santa Cruz with J and 10 great people from my church. We have a really awesome group that happens to include a number of pretty fast people (me not being one of them), and I think it's going to be a ton of fun. I'm actually the team captain, so I've been wrapped up in planning this for several months already. Our team is Re:run, and I'm sure I'll be posting more about the experience as we ramp up our training.

Bay to Breakers

When I realized my funds were going to be tight this season, I was really sad about missing Bay to Breakers.

B2B is more than a race. It's an experience. A uniquely San Franciscan experience. J and I ran it in 2008, then again in 2009, along with J's brother who came down from the Portland area to run with us. My brother-in-law was already making plans to come down for the 2010 race, and I was terribly disappointed that it wasn't going to work out.

As fate would have it, a week after the lay-off, B2B ran a special for returning runners that allowed J and I to register for half price. We couldn't pass that up, so we'll be running Bay to Breakers again in May! I can't wait.

And ... that's it! I would still love to run the Oakland Half Marathon, as it's the inaugural year and I would really love to show my support and be a part of the fun. I'll definitely be a spectator, as a number of friends, including about two-thirds of my relay teammates, are running the half or full. And depending on what my employment situation looks like in another month or so, I might still register. Other than that, I'll just have to wait and see what the rest of the year holds.

Adventures in self-diagnosis

2010-01-21T22:33:00.000-08:00

I don't think I mentioned that I fell in November. It was a week or so before the Skirt Chaser 5k, and I was finishing a run by charging up a hill outside our apartment. I was focused, really nailing the hill, and when my foot hit an uneven patch of sidewalk, I fell hard. There was no stutter-stepping or trying to catch myself, there was just me connecting with the ground, left knee first.

The immediate result was a scraped, swollen knee. It was pretty stiff and sore for several days, but seemed to be healing ok. Obviously, it was in good enough shape for me to get a 5k PR, so I didn't think much of it. J and I were moving to a new apartment, so I was busy, and my knee wasn't at the forefront of my mind.

Within a few weeks of the fall, I started noticing pain in certain circumstances. What I noticed most was that if I tucked my left foot under me when sitting down (something I often do), I would get fairly severe pain upon un-tucking my leg. Walking around after sitting was also sometimes painful, and I also couldn't kneel without pain.

What wasn't painful, though, was running. So I kept at it, albeit somewhat sporadically between the move and the post-race-season slump.

I'm not sure when I started noticing pain while running, but it was at least a few weeks after I fell, and it was only when I ran hills. I could start to feel a strain behind my knee when I ran uphill, and the pounding of a downhill slope was starting to hurt.

Unfortunately, this is still where I am today, two-plus months post-fall. Kneeling hurts, sitting certain ways hurts, and hills hurt. The first day or two after running hills hurts, too. It isn't severe pain, but it doesn't seem to be improving, either.

This is the part where sensible, employed people would go see a doctor. I am neither. (Oh--did I forget to mention that I'm ~~funemployed~~ unemployed? I am. Have been for ... 16 days, 12 hours and, oh, 20 minutes. Not that I'm keeping track. Don't worry--the job hunt is going smoothly thus far, and I have lots of time to cook! Yay silver linings!)

So, being both silly and broke, I made the only reasonable decision at this point: Embark in self-diagnosis!

I know, I know. It's terrible. Really though, my track record is pretty good. When I had patellar tendinitis in 2008, the doctor examined me, was quite sure I had a stress fracture, and ordered a bone scan to confirm. The bone scan instead confirmed exactly what I'd self-diagnosed before visiting the doctor: patellar tendinitis. In addition to having a pretty good track record, I am the Google Queen. Seriously, I can find incredibly obscure information remarkably quickly. It's a gift. So, as people without any medical training go, I consider myself relatively well-equipped for self-diagnosis.

Upon reading all the Internet had to offer me regarding pain in the back of the knee, particularly the variety caused by impact to the front of the leg, I think I've injured my posterior cruciate ligament. Apparently this ligament is often injured by impact to the front of the leg while the knee is bent, for example when a passenger's knee hits the dashboard in an accident ... or "when an athlete falls forward and lands hard on a bent knee." Sounds about right, and the symptoms line up! Self, consider yourself diagnosed!

Of course, what to actually do is less clear. I'm still considering seeing a doctor, but I'm hoping to hold off at least until I can figure out what's going on with my health insurance (Namely, whether I can afford to continue it.) In the meantime, I'm pretty certain my injury is on the mild end of the spectrum, so for now I'm going to continue doing what I've been doing--taking it fairly easy, icing, and avoiding hills and speedwork. Hopefully that will be enough!

My new running partner

2010-01-02T23:20:00.000-08:00

Meet Alice!

(Is it ok that I gave her a girl's name? I'm not sure of the etiquette on this.)

My wonderful husband ~~finally got tired of my begging~~ generously gave me the running toy I've been lusting after for years! A shiny new Garmin!

We actually shopped together for this, since J wanted to make sure I got exactly the one I wanted. (Though I did make him go back to the store and purchase it without me.) I'd thought I would want the 405, since it's ~~less ginormous~~ so little and cute, but when I tried the 405 and the 310XT on, I discovered that though the 310XT is larger, it actually fits better on my wrist. The part of the 405 wristband closest to the face is molded hard plastic that is larger than my wrist, while the 310XT has an entirely flexible band, so it actually sits better on me.

Of course, it didn't hurt that the 310XT is a bit more versatile, which will be great once I finally buy a bike and get moving on my eventual triathlon goal. It also came with a heart monitor, which is something I've never used, but might come in handy in the future. (More specifically, it might be nice to have on hand to monitor workouts while pregnant. If we ever actually get around to having kids.)

So far, Alice has accompanied me on four runs, and she's done a great job! The data geek in me is thrilled to have so many numbers, graphs and maps to pick apart post-run, and I'm looking forward to having immediate feedback when it comes to tempo runs and races.

The runner-up for coolest running-related Christmas present, by the way, were these:

Love them!!!

Regrouping

2009-12-18T09:46:00.000-08:00

As I start building my race schedule for 2010, I'm finding myself uncertain about my running goals. Running-wise, 2009 had some really great moments for me, but also some really disappointing ones, and I'm not entirely sure where to go from here.

The big question I'm wrestling with right now is simply whether to continue pursuing long-distance running, or whether to focus more on shorter distances and speed. I have consistently struggled with half marathons. I love the training, I love the sense of accomplishment, but I haven't loved the races themselves. What I haven't quite determined, though, is whether this is simply a matter of being inexperienced (I've only run three, though I trained for a fourth), psychologically unprepared to manage the distance (my training always goes fine, but I think I psych myself out pretty badly on race day), bad circumstances (coming down with a nasty cold a few days before my last half, for example), or if it truly is that I'm just not cut out for long distances.

So what I'm trying to say, I guess, is that I'm not entirely sure what all my running goals for 2010 are. Here is what I've come up with so far:

1. Run 1,000 miles. I finished 2009 with 930.5 miles, so this should be an easy goal to reach. (OK, let's be honest--all it will really take is me avoiding my annual autumn running slump!)

2. Break into the 24-minute range for the 5k. (My current PR is 25:21, so again, this should be doable.)

3. Run a sub-two-hour half marathon. This goal is the scary one for me. My half PR is 2:09, and that was a disappointing time after working my ass off with the Ryan Hall half plan. Based on my training runs and general speed, a sub-two half should be very much within my grasp. But based on my previous performances in the half, I'm still a long way off. So we'll see.

I've discussed running a full marathon with a friend this year, but I'm still undecided on that. I kind of want to "conquer" the half first with a sub-two, but how strongly I feel about that depends on the day. I know I want to run a marathon someday (though this does seem to conflict with the big question of whether distance running is really for me, doesn't it?), and it's possible that if I don't run it this year, it might be a few years before it's an option again. But I'm not sure I'm ready just yet.

Skirt Chaser 5k

2009-11-16T09:42:00.000-08:00

I was super-excited a month or two ago, when Skirt Sports announced a San Francisco Skirt Chaser race. I thought it would be a perfect challenge for both J and I. For anyone who doesn't know, in the Skirt Chaser races, the women get a three-minute headstart. Just enough that it really is a toss-up whether a man or woman will win the race.

Unfortunately, J's knee is really giving him problems right now, so he decided it wasn't worth risking further injury to run the race. This was disappointing not only because it meant we didn't get to "race" each other, but also because we'd already paid the (very steep) registration fee. So yeah ... counting the registration fee we absorbed for J, and my own, I ran a $90 5k yesterday. Ouch. But it *did* come with a running skirt--so that's cool! The goodies bag had the best cool stuff-to-junk ratio I've ever seen, and there was pizza, beer and wine at the finish line. So with all that taken into consideration, if we'd both run it, it would have been worth the price. As it was, it was just a way-too-expensive 5k. :)

Anyway, the race itself was pretty great. The weather was perfect--sunny and in the low 60s (Yay for California!), and the race was in Golden Gate Park, so it was a beautiful course. There were several hundred people, but since men and women started separately, there were only about 240 people the first wave. I started sort of in the middle of the pack, though I think I could have started a little farther forward than I did. As it was, the crowd thinned out pretty quickly, so it wasn't a bad start.

The course was a bit hilly, but they weren't very steep hills. Just sort of low and rolling. I honestly didn't think too much about them, but DH told me that at the finish line, people were commenting on the hills. So apparently all the (much steeper) hills I run on a regular basis have paid off.

There wasn't a mile marker until the second mile, but I hit that one in the low 16-minute range. I was really careful about not starting too fast, and I think I did a pretty good job of pacing myself. I felt like I was working hard, but not like I was dying at any point. Which is a good thing, as races go for me. ;)

The whole "skirt-chasing" aspect of the race was a lot of fun! I couldn't believe how quickly the fastest of the men caught up to us, and it was fun knowing the guys were having to play catch-up! A woman did end up winning the race, in 17:08 (she also won my age group), and a man was in second place, but only just barely. His actual time, not counting the 3-minute headstart, was 14:53!

There was a timing mat at the end, but not at the start (that, by the way, drives me nuts. If you have the equipment available, is it really that hard to add a mat at the start?), so I'm just going by my watch time, which was 25:21. The official results show me at 25:31. Either way, it was definitely a PR, as my previous one was 26:38. I was really pleased with it, especially since I think I would have been quite close to breaking 25 minutes if the course had been flatter. I was 9th out of 46 in my age group, which I'm pleased with, given how blazing-fast the fastest runners were!

Anyway, it was a fun race, it would have been more fun if J had run it, and we might consider doing it next year, even though the registration is so steep.

Half-marathon Playlist

2009-10-07T22:38:00.000-07:00

Well, the race may not have been quite what I expected, but my music was perfect! I don't normally put together a specific playlist for a race, but this time around I thought I'd make one and listen to it in order. A lot of them are songs I know a lot of runners enjoy, but some of them are a bit more unusual. Most have a good beat; a few I chose almost solely for the lyrics. Here's what I came up with:

I Gotta Feeling - Black Eyed Peas

Beautiful Day - U2

Paperthin Hymn - Anberlin

Meant to Live - Switchfoot

Suddenly I See - KT Tunstall

Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy - Big and Rich

Boom Boom Pow - Black Eyed Peas

Cotton-Eyed Joe (remix) - Rednex

Sexy Back - Justin Timberlake

Unbelievable - emf

Shadow of Def - Brave Saint Saturn

Poker Face - Lady GaGa

Rock Superstar - Cypress Hill

Livin' On A Prayer - Bon Jovi

Dread Rock - Oakenfold

I Believe in a Thing Called Love - The Darkness

Let's Get it Started - Black Eyed Peas

So What - Pink

Shut Up and Let Me Go - The Ting Tings

Going the Distance - Cake

Hey Ya - Outkast

In the Ayer - Flo Rida

Icky Thump - The White Stripes

I'm Shipping Up to Boston - Dropkick Murphys

Crank That (Travis Barker Remix) - Soulja Boy Tell 'Em

Lose Yourself - Eminem

Capital G - Nine Inch Nails

Mortal Kombat

World Without End - Five Iron Frenzy

Remember the Name - Fort Minor

Stronger - Kanye West

Right Round - Flo Rida

Supermassive Black Hole - Muse

Bombs Over Baghdad - Outkast

San Jose Rock 'n' Roll Half 2009

2009-10-05T10:23:00.000-07:00

Race morning got off to a good start. I had the best night’s sleep I’ve ever had before a big race—fell right asleep when I went to bed, and slept straight through. I don’t know if it was because I was more calm than usual, or if my body was still a bit wiped out from the cold I’ve been fighting, but it was great to actually feel well-rested going into the race!

We got to San Jose around 6:30, and stayed in the warm car for 15 or 20 minutes before walking to the start line. It was in the low 50s—perfect race weather, but cold for just standing around in a running skirt and singlet.

While we were in the starting corral, we were approached by a man who recognized us because he lives right on one of the routes we run frequently. So that was kind of cool--definitely a "small world" sort of moment.

We did decide to run with a pace group, which I hadn’t done before. It was a 2:00 pace group, which was the pace we’d been training for (and yes, I know it was a way-optimistic goal, given that I ran a 2:13 in June, but I was consistently nailing my times in training, so it seemed reasonable), and I figured if nothing else we could start with them and see how things went. If I needed to slow down at some point, at least we would have gotten a solid start—and, most importantly, not started too fast.

The start was not great. At the Seattle RNR Half, they did a great job of staggering the start, giving a bit of time between each corral’s start, so that’s what I expected in San Jose, as well. Not so much. The race started, and everyone went at once, so there was the usual big-race traffic jam. We ran with the pace team, and the first mile was 9:03. An even 2:00 half is a 9:09 pace, but they’d explained that they were going to try to keep the pace at about 9:00, to make up for time lost at water stops, so I figured we were ok. Until we hit Mile 2 at 8:47. Yikes! And that was *with* some traffic-jam weaving. So it’s safe to assume we were actually running a little faster than that. Not a pace I’m able to hold for 13 miles! At this point, I was starting to get a bit nervous, because I was pretty sure I couldn’t hold that pace. Jesse was doing fine, of course, and told me I’d be fine as well, but I wasn’t so sure.

I ended up hanging with the pace team for almost 7 miles, but they were consistently hitting 8:something miles, and I just couldn’t keep up. Jesse stayed with them, but I started falling behind. I hung in there at a good pace for miles 7 and 8, but then things got ugly. I was pretty wiped out from that fast (for me) pace early on, and my splits for the last 4 miles were just embarrassing. I did make one bathroom stop (ugh), but I also walked through the last few water stops, and took I think one other 30-second walk break. I hate that I walked, and I wonder if I would have finished a tad faster if I’d just gutted it out and jogged, even slowly. My hope at the time was that I would be able to pick up the pace again if I gave myself a little break, but I don’t think it really worked out that way.

So anyway, I ended up finishing in 2:09:51 (yeah, those last few miles really were *that* bad—considering I was still on pace for a 2:00 finish until the 9th mile). That’s a PR by about 3:30, so I’ve decided to just be happy about that. I’d really hoped to at least do a 2:05 (especially since that was my goal in June too), and given how well the training went I thought a 2:00, or at least very close to it, was within grasp. So that’s a bit disappointing. But I’m glad I at least got a PR out of it. And it really was a lot of fun training and racing with Jesse!

Oh—Jesse, by the way, stayed with the pace team another couple of miles. He told me later that the whole time the guy--it was a married couple leading the team--just kept pushing on ahead, going too fast, while his wife kept trying to slow him down. At some point after I fell back, Jesse actually pulled ahead of the pace team. But then he decided he wanted to finish with me, and just flat out stopped at the 12-mile mark. Unfortunately, I was so far behind him at that point that he waited awhile, then just went ahead and finished, hoping I’d passed him and he’d just missed me. So he ended up finishing in 2:06, but had he not stopped, he would have finished well under 2:00. Not bad for his first half!

Needless to say, despite spending the last few miles wondering why I put myself through this, convincing myself that I’m just not cut out for this distance running thing and swearing I’d never do it again, by a few minutes after the finish, I was already talking with Jesse about “next time.” Craziness, I tell you. I do think, though, that my goals for next year are getting a revision. I’d really been thinking about a full marathon next year—probably my last chance to do one pre-kids—but I want to nail this half thing. I have yet to run one where everything goes right. So, whether I’m cut out for it or not, that’s what I’m going to focus on again next year. I learn something every time (this time, unfortunately, it was “don’t count on a pace team to start you out at a solid, steady, not-too-fast pace.), and sooner or later it’s all going to “click.”

Thinking healthy thoughts

2009-10-02T13:28:00.000-07:00

I'm hesitant to even type this post, because I'm trying my best not to dwell on a certain unavoidable fact: I woke up sick yesterday morning. It isn't anything serious, just a head cold, but I'm definitely not at 100% right now.

But enough of dwelling on that unpleasant fact. I decided yesterday morning, when it became clear that my body was, indeed, trying to fight something nasty off, that I was simply not going to allow myself to be sick. It isn't an option. I have a race on Sunday, and I am going to run it, and run it well.

I'm not a believer in the idea that everything we think affects what the universe brings us. (The Secret, I'm looking at you. Silliness.) I do, however, believe that how we choose to think about things--whether we choose to focus on the positive, and the things we can control, or choose to focus on the negative, and on the things we cannot control--does make a huge difference. Not because it means we magically attract good and bad things, but because the outlook we have affects our attitudes, actions, and even our bodies' responses.

So ... I've spent the last two days chugging water, eating every vitamin-packed thing I can get my hands on, and trying to rest as much as possible. I took a nap after work yesterday, I'm on my third 20-ounce water bottle of the day, and I even drank a green Superfood smoothie yesterday. I've always avoided the green ones, but it was surprisingly tasty--so tasty, in fact, that I had another one today!

So far, I think it's working. I don't feel awesome today, but I don't feel terrible, either. And I'm cheerful and optimistic, which is something! I'll make myself go to bed early tonight (always a struggle for me), and I might even get a quick nap in just after work. I can do this!

Taper time!

2009-09-30T09:52:00.000-07:00

T-minus 4 days till the San Jose Rock 'n' Roll Half, and Taper Madness is in full swing! At least I'm in good company, though. It seems like every runner I know is tapering right now. It must be marathon season! (And, you know, half-marathon season for some of us.)

My own feelings on tapering fall somewhere between Chic Runner's relief and Morgan of Caution: Redhead Running's "tunnel vision." On one hand, it is a nice change to have short, easy runs on the schedule. The 6 x 400 I have planned for tomorrow sounds heavenly after the crazy-long interval workouts I've done over the past couple of months. It's been a challenging training cycle, and my body is welcoming the break.

On the other hand ... now I have lots of time to obsess over every. tiny. detail. Race-day weather (67 and sunny! Please don't change, please don't change, please don't change ...), what I'm wearing (black Skirt Sports skirt, one of my favorite Target tops), what to listen to (the race day playlist is almost finished--I'll post it when it is), how to pace myself (Should I rely just on my watch-timed splits? Would a pace band help? Maybe I should run with a pace team ...), what finish time I should shoot for (I'd initially hoped this fall would be a sub-2 finish, but after my lame 2:13 in June, I should probably just try again for 2:05, but based on my training I really should be faster than that ... but oh my goodness, I'm barely running at all this week, and what if I lose my endurance, and what if I can't keep up my pace, or what if I start too fast--I always start too fast, I'll probably start too fast, but what if I start too slow because I'm trying not to start fast, and I can't make up the time, and ... ) ... you get the idea. My brain won't stop, and focusing on anything besides the race is proving very difficult.

And the thing is, I know all these mental aerobics aren't helping anything. I know that the mental part of a distance race is challenging for me, and I know that I need to be calm and confident. But it's easier said than done.

... And when it doesn't

2009-09-28T10:09:00.001-07:00

My training plan said to run 10 miles this weekend. At just a week out from the half, I felt like that was a bit much, and planned on doing 7 or 8. It was a busy weekend for us, so after a lot of discussion, we finally decided to get up at 5:30 on Sunday morning to get about 7.5 miles in.

From the moment the alarm went off, things were not good. My right calf muscle immediately cramped. Lovely. About a mile into the run, I stopped to stretch, because my calf was just so tight. I'm not sure how much it helped, but I didn't know what else to do.

About 2 miles in, we hit a big hill--the biggest hill I run on a regular basis. At the steepest point, my husband stopped to walk, while I kept going. I conquer hills. It's one of the things I'm most proud of when it comes to running, because they used to totally kill me. At the top, I stopped for a second to wait for my husband to catch up. And promptly felt ... well, like this. "Vasovagal syncope" is a fancy way to say "sudden drop in blood pressure" which is a somewhat-less-fancy way to say "fainting." Or almost fainting, as was the case on Sunday. This wasn't just a little light-headedness, it was everything but the actual passing out. Yuck. We walked for a little while, but I was still feeling generally yucky after another half-mile or so, so we ended up cutting across our route and just walking home.

So. I ran 2 miles last weekend. Total. Tapering is good and all, but that's a bit extreme. And not helpful to my already freaked-out mental state. I'm trying to convince myself that the 8-miler I ran on Thursday is close enough that I won't have lost all my endurance by Sunday. But rational thought and tapering do not always go hand-in-hand.

When everything just falls into place

2009-09-23T11:58:00.000-07:00

I love perfect runs--those ones when everything just falls into place.

My 12-miler on Sunday was one of those runs. I wasn't expecting it to be--it was my last "race sim" run before the half, I was doing it alone (instead of with my husband), and it was a hot day.

But for whatever reason, once I got out on the road, everything was perfect. I was running in a nearby town, and my route took me through some lovely neighborhoods and out into the country, where I passed horse pastures, farmland and vineyards. Peaceful, beautiful, perfect.

It had been a tough week, and I think I needed a good run, out away from everything. Of course, my brand-new shoes (and socks!) didn't hurt, either. The sun was fairly high in the sky by the time I finished, but I didn't feel uncomfortably hot. The fuel belt, which I usually "let" my husband wear, didn't bother me (though I did discover one chafed spot on my back when I got home). The Cytomax, which I was trying out pre-race, on the hunch that lack of sodium contributed to my poor performance in June, was not exactly delicious, but did its job well. Everything just worked on Sunday.

I was pleased to discover, at the end of the run, that my pace had reflected the way I felt. My overall pace was 10:10, and my pace for the second half--the "race sim" portion--was about 9:10. If I can pull it together and keep that pace on the 4th, I'll be a happy, happy runner.

Faster than a cannonball

2009-09-18T19:02:00.000-07:00

Today was New Shoes Day! I headed over to Fleet Feet after work, giddy with excitement over the prospect of New Shoes. (And socks!)

I tried on a few pairs--Adidas Supernova Sequence, which is what my last two pairs have been, Brooks Adrenaline and Saucony Omni. The Supernovas were exactly what I expected--snug and cushy and wonderful. I liked the way the Brooks were cut--a little more streamlined around the toes--but they just felt so firm after running in the Adidas for a year. It ended up coming down to the Sauconys, which were really pretty similar-feeling to the Adidas, and the trusty Supernovas, and I decided to go with what's been working. I haven't had any injuries since I started wearing my Supernovas (though this is almost certainly due at least in part to smarter training), and they're just so darn comfy! I love slipping them on. They hug my foot just perfectly.

Aren't they pretty?

Now I just need to decide whether I should risk taking them out on a 12-miler first thing tomorrow, or give the old shoes one more goodbye run and take the new ones on a short recovery run on Sunday. The latter would probably be wiser ... but the new ones feel so wonderful.

Oh ... and the title? It's because Supernovas make me think of this.

Ready or not

2009-09-17T09:54:00.000-07:00

I'm 2.5 weeks away from my half! Eek!

Right at the moment, I don't feel all that ready for this race. I'm not sure why ... I've been putting in my miles, hitting my speeds, and I've been injury-free. My peak-mileage week was last week, with 34 miles total, including 5 x 1200 intervals, an 8-mile tempo run and a 15-mile LSD, and everything went great. So why am I feeling lazy and out of shape?

OK, I did blow off a 5-miler last night in favor of fast food (I know, I know) and an easy 2 ... but I'll make it up Friday, honest!

I think part of the strange feeling might just be that half training has gotten easier for me.

Mileage and speedwork that used to be terribly daunting are starting to feel pretty run of the mill. I wasn't even nervous about that 15-miler, and the long tempo was more of an annoyance than a stressor. (This is a major change from training cycles past. There was a time would I would start dreading my weekly tempo runs, oh, about as soon as I finished the previous week's.)

I guess I'm used to training just knocking me out and exhausting me by the last few weeks. And don't get me wrong--there have been some tough, tough workouts in the last couple of months. (1 x 2 miles @ 10k speed, 2 x 1 mile @ 5k speed, 2 x 800 meters @ faster than 5k speed comes to mind ...) But overall, I guess I'm strong enough at this point that I can handle even a pretty challenging half program with relative ease.

Hopefully all this will translate into a nice, fast half. Whether I feel ready or not, I think I probably am.

Filling in some missing pieces

2009-09-11T09:54:00.000-07:00

I'm going through today and adding some race reports from the last couple of years. They'd been posted on a running forum I frequent, but I decided they should be here too!

These are a few of my favorite socks

2009-09-09T14:34:00.000-07:00

So today I thought I'd post today about one of my favorite things: Socks!

I love socks. Fuzzy socks, long socks, short socks, striped socks ... I love them! My husband regularly makes fun of my affinity for socks, but really, they're just so great! There is nothing like slipping your feet into a warm, cushy, soft pair of socks. It's a wonderful feeling.

Given my affinity for socks it was inevitable that, upon becoming a runner, I would become obsessed with running socks. The first several months I ran, I wore regular cotton socks, and experienced the blisters that go along with them. Then I bought my first pair of running socks, and the whole world changed. Cushioned feet, that wonderful smooth sensation as the socks glide against my shoe, and no more blisters! (Well, aside from occasional toe-tip blisters, which lasted until I developed hardy callouses.)

The reason I'm thinking about socks today (well, more than I usually do) is that I ran in bad socks last night. Not just cotton socks, but old, rough, thin cotton socks. I threw them on because they were the first pair I found, and because I was planning on an easy 5-miler and didn't think it would matter. When my husband and I headed outside, we discovered the high-school track was free (it had been full of football players shortly before), so we decided to go ahead and do the 5 x 1200 intervals that had been on our schedule.

By about the third interval, it became clear that my socks were not up to this task. As I was pushing through the fifth interval (which I finished 21 seconds below goal time--yay!), my right heel was screaming at me. Sure enough, when I got home and took off my socks and shoes, there was a popped, bleeding blister where the edge of the sock had rubbed against the back of my right foot. Lovely.

So. Back to good socks ...

I have two favorites out of my assorted running socks. The first are my Balega Enduro Lo Cuts.

I have two pair, and they're wonderful. They're incredibly cushy, have a nice thick back that prevents nasty blisters like the one I got last night, and the top is thin and well-ventilated. I save these socks for long runs, when I really want to baby my feet, and they've always done the job.

At around $8 a pair, Balegas are a treat for me, but so very worth it. In fact, when I head into Fleet Feet later this month for a new pair of shoes, I just may throw in a new pair of my beloved Balegas.

My other favorite pair of running socks are from a company called point6.

I actually got them for free at a 5k last fall, and they're great. They're made of merino wool, which is not at all scratchy, and is surprisingly thin. (At least it surprised me--I tend to think of wool socks as big and bulky.) The really awesome thing about these socks is that since they're wool, even when they're wet they feel great, keep my feet warm, and prevent blisters. They also smell way better than my other socks after a long run--because of the wool, I guess?

The point6 socks I have retail for about $14, and I have yet to shell out the cash for another pair. They really are great, though. If I lived in a place where running through puddles was a regular occurrence, I'd probably be more quick to buy another pair or two.

About that training stuff

2009-09-02T16:18:00.000-07:00

Since I've been terribly remiss in updating this blog, I thing a quick update on what I'm doing these days is in order.

I ran the Rock 'n' Roll Seattle Half Marathon in June. It was a PR for me, by 11 minutes, but it was nowhere near the performance I was hoping for. I started out on-pace, but just lost it halfway through the race, and finished about 8 minutes slower than I'd hoped and trained for.

There were probably a number of reasons for this. Part of it was, I think, just mental--psyching myself out and convincing myself I couldn't maintain that pace. But, given that I was clearly dehydrated and exhausted by the end of the race--so much so that several volunteers asked me if I was ok after I crossed the finish line, and I only said "yes" because I wanted to avoid an IV--there were physical factors at work as well. I thought I had hydrated well, but it was not enough. I'd also gotten very little sleep the night before, which didn't help. I don't know--maybe it was just an off day, too. All I know is that it wasn't the race I expected.

So. I took a month off from training, and just ran shorter distances and worked on speed. Then I convinced my husband to sign up for a half-marathon with me (his first!), and I picked a challenging training plan--the Ryan Hall Half Marathon Plan from Runners' World.

I'm in in Week Six of the plan now, and it's been doing its job--kicking my butt. The long intervals in weeks four and six (1 x 2 mile @ 10k pace, 2 x 1 mile @ 5k pace, 2 x 800 meters @ faster than 5k pace) were especially painful, and I'm so glad they're over!

The paces I'm running during training are based on a mile trial I ran a couple of weeks before starting the new plan. I ran the mile in 7:26, about 30 seconds faster than I ever have before. Mcmillan predicts a 1:59:02 half based on that time. Obviously, that isn't a guarantee (in case the Seattle race wasn't proof enough), but I've been basing all my training runs on those times, and have been able to keep the paces pretty easily most of the time. So, we'll see. I'll be thrilled with 2:05 or better. I know that cutting another 14 minutes off in one fell swoop is a lot to hope for. But I also know that the race in June really wasn't a good representation of my potential.

Sugar, sugar

2009-09-02T15:36:00.000-07:00

I've been running regularly for about 2.5 years now. And while my body has gotten stronger, and my endurance and speed have improved, my diet has not always kept pace.

Let me just be honest here--I love food. I love to eat. And I especially love food that is bad for me, particularly when it is sweet.

I've always been a pretty thin person, so even when I wasn't as active as I am now, I was able to do quite a bit of splurging without it affecting my weight or waistline. Which means I've never really been forced to learn discipline when it comes to food. Work out six days a week? Sure. Say no to a cookie or brownie or Snickers bar? Are you crazy?

A few years ago, I had bloodwork done during my annual physical, and it came back with the blood sugar a tad high. Still within the normal range, but toward the higher end of the range. High enough that my doctor told me to "be careful about simple sugars." I have a family history of diabetes, so this was enough to convince me to lay off the sugar. It was then when I first realized I might have a bit of a problem. Cutting back on sweets proved quite difficult, and after a month or two, I slipped back into my normal habits. A candy bar here, a bowl of ice cream there ... it's been rare for me to go a day without eating something sweet. And really, if I kept it to one treat, I felt pretty good.

The last few times I've had bloodwork done, my blood-sugar levels have been fine, which is great, but didn't do anything to encourage me to cut back on sugar.

When I started seeing stories pop up in the last week or so about new research on the effects of sugar on heart health, I cringed a bit, considering my own eating habits once again. The clincher, though, was reading Librarianruns' blogs about her own sugar addiction and her decision to rid herself of the dependence. If she can go cold turkey like that, I can at least give it a shot, right?

So, for the past three days (after finishing a few remaining sweet things in the house over the weekend), I've been avoiding sweets. No candy, no cookies, no ice cream, no soda ... you get the idea. And so far, it's going ok. I think my sugariest meal each day has actually been breakfast--granola with plain yogurt on Monday, apple-cinnamon instant oatmeal on Tuesday, and a piece of berry coffee cake today. That's been it though, and that, for me, is a huge improvement.

I don't intend to go completely cold turkey on all things sweet. I think life is too short to spend it depriving myself of things I really enjoy. But I want to cut it back to one or two sweet treats a week--I want sugary treats to be just that. Treats. Not a part of my every day diet.

Seattle Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon

2009-06-30T10:12:00.000-07:00

Short version: I finished slower than I'd hoped, but still set a significant PR. Lovely course, great to have friends and family there!

Long version ...

I had a rough night before the race. My alarm was set for 4:30 a.m., and I didn't get to bed till after 11, then didn't sleep well at all. I'm guessing I ended up getting about three hours' sleep, though I hope it was a bit more than that. I ended up getting up for good around 4:15. I ate some oatmeal and got ready while Jesse went to pick up his brother and another friend of ours. Once the guys got back, we headed up to the race.

I met up with a friend from a running forum in the start corral. We chatted for awhile, and then we were off! The start was really well organized. Of the four really large (20,000+) races I've run, this was easily the best organized. No congestion, no weaving.

The first several miles were great. The weather was beautiful (though I wouldn't have complained about some clouds! lol), and it was really a lovely course. We were right on pace, aside from one hilly mile.

Somewhere around the 6th mile, though, I started having a hard time. During the 7th mile, I told my friend I was putting my iPod on (the "rock 'n' roll" on the course left a lot to be desired), and I quickly lost sight of her and worked on trying to pull myself together. It ended up proving futile, and most of the rest of the race was a struggle for me.

I ended up finishing in 2:13:11. That's an 11-minute improvement over my last half (which was a year and a half ago, and which I ran about 6 months after I started running), but about 8 minutes slower than I'd hoped/expected/trained for.

By the time I crossed the finish line, I wasn't in great shape. I was lightheaded, nauseous, and having a hard time walking a straight line. Three different people--two volunteers, and one who was just another runner--asked me if I was ok as I made my way through the area after the finish, and I told them yes, but mostly because I just wanted to get to Jesse, and I was afraid if I said no I'd end up in an aid tent with an IV in my arm.

I was definitely disappointed by my time. The numbers just don't add up--my times from recent, shorter races, the paces I was keeping on my training runs, and the pace I ultimately ran on Saturday--they just don't make sense. Everything went so smoothly during training, I felt like I did everything "right," and I was really confident going into the race. I don't know how much was physical, and how much was mental, but something didn't go as expected.

Looking back, it seems pretty clear that I was dehydrated, but I'm still a bit confused about why. I drank a ton of water the day before the race, and I had water at almost every water stop along the way. The only thing I can think is that maybe I became dehydrated while we were traveling in the days before the race, so the water I drank the day before the race was just getting me caught up from that. Other than that, I'm really not sure what the problem was.

OK, enough pity party ... there were lots of bright sides!

It was a lot of fun to be running in Seattle, and it was great having friends and family there! My mom and grandma also came up to see the race, so I had a "cheering section" of five. It's hard to be too down on yourself about a disappointing finish time when you have a bunch of people telling you how proud they are of you. I'm so glad I got to meet one of my online running buddies, and running with her for the first half of the race was a lot of fun. All in all, it was a fun race, and I might do it again another year.

Bay to Breakers 2009

2009-05-18T10:08:00.000-07:00

Have I mentioned how much I love Bay to Breakers? :-D

For those who aren't familiar with the race, I think it's best described as a race, block party, parade and Halloween all rolled into one. It's a 12k race that starts at the San Francisco Bay and goes to the Pacific Ocean. It's been run for almost 100 years (this was the 98th running), and it draws some world-class elite athletes as well as thousands and thousands of recreational runners and people just looking to have a (costumed, drunken) good time. It's loud and chaotic and very, very fun. It's definitely an "only in San Francisco" sort of event, and one I highly recommend everyone experience at least once!

We had a really great time this year. Jesse's brother came down to run with us. He actually started running last year after we told him how much fun Bay to Breakers was and he decided he wanted to run it with us. I've been giving him tips along the way, and wrote him a training schedule when B2B got closer. He worked really hard, followed the training schedule even though I was afraid it was going to scare him, lost a good 10 or 15 pounds along the way, and I was so proud of him!

The three of us took the train into the city on Sunday morning, but got there a bit later than we'd planned because we just missed the train we'd hoped to take and had to wait 20 minutes for the next one. We ended up getting there about 7:15, so with 45 minutes till start time, we hopped into the port-a-potty line, where we still were by the time the race started! We'd waited so long by then that we weren't about to give up, and with 33,000 registered runners, we weren't going to be crossing the start line in a timely manner anyway, so we went ahead and waited a few more minutes.

By the time we finally got to the start line, it was probably about 8:20ish--I'm not entirely sure. I figured since it was chip-timed anyway, I'd rather cross the start line late than have to stop along the way for a bathroom break.

We got off to a very slow start--partially because the crowd was so thick, and partially because every time Jesse would speed up just a tad his brother would say "Too fast!" He was really worried about pacing himself--which, really, I was pretty impressed by, considering many runners have trouble starting too fast. Honestly, the pace was quite slow for Jesse and I, but we got to really take in all the sights, and we wanted Jesse's brother to really enjoy himself, so we tried to make sure he was at a comfortable pace.

Two and a half miles in, we got to the infamous Hayes St. Hill--a half-mile hill that is at an 11.14% grade by the end. I asked my brother-in-law before we got to the hill if he was going to try to run the whole thing, and he said yes. And he totally did it! Have I mentioned I was proud of him? The hill was actually less difficult than I remembered it, possibly because I'm in better shape this year (I've been running hills like mad, and I wasn't a month away from a half-marathon this time last year), or possibly because we did it more slowly. My legs were still burning by the end, but really not until the last block. As per usual, the sidewalks were full of residents, many in costume, playing loud music and cheering. The crowd support and interaction in Bay to Breakers is half the fun.

After that, it was all downhill. (Literally and figuratively.) Golden Gate Park, which is where the last 3.5 miles of the race take place, was, as usual, beautiful. The shade and sea breeze were also welcome by the time we reached them, because it was hot! I learned later that there were a number of temperature records set around the Bay Area yesterday. We actually missed the first water stop of the race, which was fine, but when we got to the second, they were out of water, which gives you an idea of the temperature. Thankfully, the rest of the water stops were well-stocked, probably because they were after the Hayes St. hill, which is where a lot of the walkers/party-seekers stop.

We came around the corner where we could see the ocean and the finish line just as "Livin' On A Prayer" was playing on the sound system. I can't think of a better song to finish a race to! I started sprinting with a few hundred yards left, and Jesse and his brother joined me. I'm glad I picked up the pace (I had a lot left in the tank, since we'd taken it so easy), because my brother-in-law was really proud of himself for pushing it in at the end.

All in all, we had a wonderful time. It was easily the slowest I've ever run a race--we finished a good 20-something minutes slower than Jesse and I had the year before--but we had an awesome time. It was so much fun to introduce my brother-in-law to racing, and he's definitely got "the bug" now.

Oh--and Deena Kastor took 3rd place for the women! I wish I'd been able to see her race.

And my final tally (I was counting as we went, so I could make the boys laugh, and report to my sister-in-law later) of naked runners was 39 ... only four of whom were women. Eek!

Lake Merrit 5k March '09

2009-03-23T12:44:00.000-07:00

After our rough 10k relay last month, I wanted another shot at a 5k PR, so Jesse and I decided to run the Oakland running club's monthly 5k this month.

I was all excited about finally getting a chance to get a good 5k in (I was recovering from being sick last time, and recovering from an injury the time before that), so the night before the race, I put together a special playlist, with just my very favorite running songs, and just the right number of songs to get me through the race. I even made mental note of which song would start about 2 minutes before I hoped to finish, so I'd know I was almost there and needed to kick it into high gear when that song started. I actually haven't worn my iPod to a race in quite awhile, but I decided if I was going to run with music I was going to have the perfect music.

Yesterday morning, we got to the race about 15 minutes before start time, grabbed our numbers, and headed toward the starting line. It was a bit chilly, and sporadically windy, so I decided to leave my long-sleeve half-zip top on. I put my iPod armband on underneath the long-sleeve top (there really is a point to all this iPod talk, I promise!), after setting it all up so I just needed to press the "play" button through my jacket when the race started.

Cut to the starting line ... the siren sounds, we start running, I start my watch, press "play" ... and the sweet opening notes of "Wunderkind" by Alanis Morissette start playing. I should note here that "Wunderkind" is NOT the same as "Let's Get it Started," by the Black-Eyed Peas ... which was SUPPOSED to be the first song on my playlist! So I manage to hit the "next" button through my jacket ... and on comes another sweet, quiet song. And then it dawns on me ... instead of the "5k" playlist, I've somehow managed to start my "cooldown" playlist, the one I listen to when I'm walking back to my house after a run. The one with all the relaxing, slow, quiet music. Awesome. And since I can't see my iPod, and I'm not willing to lose the time it would take to stop and take my jacket off and fix it, I'm just going to have to run my 5k to slow, relaxing music.

Anyway, silly music issues aside, it was a pretty uneventful race. Even while fumbling with my iPod, I managed to start too fast. Jesse knew this, and tried to slow me down, but I'm not sure how much good he did. We finished the first mile in 8:14, which is blazing fast for me.

At the beginning of the second mile, we got our first nasty few minutes of wind. Gotta love that feeling when you're running as hard as you can, and don't feel like you're making any forward progress, huh? We got another one somewhere around the beginning of the third mile, but other than that the weather was pretty good.

We ended up finishing in 26:38, which was a definite improvement over my previous 5k PR of 27:12! I was pretty pleased, though I'd be lying if I wasn't immediately figuring how much I faster I could get before I run another 5k. I do still need to work on pacing ... after that first mile of 8:14, I ran the second in 8:41, and the last 1.1 at an 8:49 pace. Some of that was due to wind, but I can't blame it all on wind. It was definitely nice having Jesse with me--it was a pretty easy pace for him, but I think my pace would have been more erratic without him there.

Here goes ...

2009-03-02T15:51:00.000-08:00

As of today, I'm officially back in training. The fall and winter were not great for me, running-wise.

First, patellar tendinitis knocked me out of half-marathon training just a couple weeks before the half I'd intended to run in October. I came back with an ok 5k (4 seconds slower than my PR, but a 3rd place finish. Yay for slow fields!), then took another break in November thanks to a pulled hamstring (I still have no idea how I pulled it).

After a shaky December, I pulled it back together in January, and was all set for a significant 5k PR in February at the annual Lake Merritt Couples' Relay. I was running my tempo runs at an 8:30 pace, and considering my previous 5k PR was an 8:45 pace, I had it in the bag. Until I got sick the week before the race. After 10 days off, and still pretty wheezy, I ran the race, but finished a good 1:14 off from my PR.

But now ... NOW I'm back, darn it! The Excel spreadsheet is complete, all filled in with training runs between now and the Seattle Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon on June 27. I pulled a bit from the Hal Higdon half plans, a bit from the Runners World Smart Coach, and a bit from my own experience and advice I've received from others. New shoes are on their way (I don't need them just yet, but Roadrunner Sports was having a sale--how could I resist?). And I'm determined.

I want a half PR this year. A solid, significant improvement. The McMillan Running Calculator says I should be able to run a half in 2:05:44, but that's based on a 5k time from a year ago. I know I'm faster than I was then, even if my race times haven't reflected it. I just need that perfect day--or at least one when I'm not sick, or coming back after an injury. In any case, I put 2:05 as my goal time when I registered. I'd be thrilled with a 2:05--how could I not be thrilled with taking 19 minutes off my last half? And if I can run a 2:05 in June, I'll know that a sub-2-hour half is within my grasp.

Of course, this all depends on me not injuring myself. I've gotten injured both times I've trained for a half. The first time, it was peroneal tendinitis, but early enough in my training that I was able to take some time off and let it heal. I learned to tape my foot, thanks to a friend who'd recently had the same injury, and that ended up being enough. (And, since I switched shoes, the problem hasn't recurred.)

The second time, it was patellar tendinitis. This one concerns me, because while the month I took off from running took care of the initial problem, I still have occasional pain in my knee after running. In fact, right now, if I press my finger on just the right spot on my knee, I can feel that familiar stab of pain (albeit not nearly as severe as it was last fall). I'm really afraid that it's going to recur as I increase my mileage. Hopefully, careful training, some targeted exercises and my trusty knee strap (which I haven't worn in a few months, but should probably pull back out) will be enough to keep my tendon happy.

Lake Merritt Couples' Relay 2009

2009-02-23T09:59:00.000-08:00

I was sick all of last week, so I was undecided on whether or not I was racing yesterday until the day before. I hadn't run since last Thursday, so on Saturday I went out and ran one mile, and walked another, just to see if I was going to be able to do the 5k without stopping every 100 yards to cough. ;) As it turned out, I didn't cough at all while running, but my breathing was significantly more labored than normal, from the very beginning. I decided to go for it, though.

Those of you who read my report for this race last year may remember that the weather was pretty terrible--cold, rainy and windy. When I registered again this year, I figured there was no way we'd get so unlucky with the weather two years in a row. Even in the winter, weather like that is relatively uncommon here. I ended up being proved quite wrong--it was rainy again, although thankfully a bit warmer.

The relay is 10k, with each partner running 5k. As we were heading toward the start line for my leg, I coughed a bit, which upset Jesse. He wasn't exactly thrilled that I'd decided to run the race despite still getting over being sick, and he also wasn't thrilled with the weather (both because he thought it would make me sicker, and because he didn't want to run in it.) So we had a little mini-argument right before I went to the start line. Good times. He apologized later, and I know he was just worried about me, but it just wasn't the time and place, you know? Not like I was going to go back to the car and go home at that point.

Anyway, I found a spot toward the back of the pack and the race started. It was rough going for me almost from the beginning (at least after the initial adrenaline burst/too fast start). Like the day before, my lungs just weren't working anywhere near as efficiently as they normally do. You know that heavy-breathing person you pass in a race, the one wheezing so loudly you wonder if they're about to keel over? Yeah, that was me yesterday. OK, it might not have been quite that bad, but it was close. I got passed a lot, but tried to just focus on keeping a pace I could maintain and not worrying too much about everyone else. Easier said than done--being passed constantly isn't my most favorite thing ever--but I really just couldn't push it much harder than I was pushing it. Honestly, by about halfway through, I wanted to stop and walk, but I kept going. It was frustrating, knowing I wasn't running nearly as fast as I'm normally capable of, but I was determined to see it through.

I ended up finishing in something around 28:45 (I haven't seen official results), which is about 90 seconds slower than my PR, and about 2 or 2.5 minutes slower than I'd really hoped, before getting sick, to run this race. But a 9:15ish pace, which 6 or 8 months ago was a fairly tough tempo pace for me, seems fairly respectable given the situation.

Jesse ran his leg several seconds faster than last year--I clocked him at 25:58. He wasn't happy with his time, but I think he's motivated now to work a bit harder and get his mile times back down into the 7-minute range. We're thinking about running a 5k together in March, since we both want another shot at a great race. :)

So in summary, not my finest race. We'd really been hoping to smash last year's time, but it wasn't meant to be. I'm glad I did it though. Like I told Jesse afterward, I needed to prove to myself that I could push through even when circumstances weren't ideal, and finish even if I knew it wasn't going to be a great performance.

And hey, look--while I was writing this they posted pictures. It's me in my silly-looking hat! And arms crossing across my body! http://zerodayphoto.com/details.php?gid=156&pid=29169

Race schedule for 2009

2009-01-08T10:49:00.000-08:00

So here's what I have lined up so far for 2009 ...

Lake Merritt Couples Relay 10k
Oakland, Calif.
Feb. 22, 2009

Jesse and I ran this race last year, and had a lot of fun, despite the fact that it was a miserable, blustery day. It's a 10k relay, so I run 5k first, then it's Jesse's turn. Last year we finished in 53:18, and I intend to be faster this year! Fingers crossed for better weather this time around.

Sacramento Zoo Zoom 10k
Sacramento, Calif.
April 19, 2009

This will be my first 10k race ever! I'm running it with a few wonderful ladies from a running messageboard I spend way too much time on. I'm so excited!

Bay to Breakers
San Francisco, Calif.
May 17, 2009

Bay to Breakers is ... hard to describe. It's a 12k race that starts at the San Francisco Bay and cuts straight through the city to the Pacific Ocean (So, you know, from the Bay to the Breakers). But "race" doesn't begin to describe it. It's like a race combined with Halloween, a block party, a parade, and Mardis Gras. It's won every year by world-class athletes, but it's also run by plenty of Average Joe runners, people in a vast array of costumes, and a fairly large contingent of people wearing nothing at all. Oh, and it also includes the Hayes St. Hill, which is a very long, 11.15% grade hill. Jesse and I ran Bay to Breakers last year, absolutely loved it, and intend to make it a tradition for as long as we live in the area.

That's it for the for-sure races, but I'm seriously considering (and by "considering" I mean I really want to do it, but just need to make sure Jesse's all for the idea) running the Rock 'n' Roll Seattle Half Marathon.

Pushing myself, part 2

2009-01-07T17:01:00.000-08:00

Tuesday morning Jesse and I headed down to the track for an interval run. It was my first interval run in a couple of months, and our first speedwork as we get ready for a 10k relay in February.

After an easy 800-meter warm-up, we launched into our first 400-meter interval. We took off at a pretty good pace, and when I glanced at my watch at about the halfway point, it said 50 seconds. I usually try to make sure I'm at 1 minute or less at that point, so I knew we were making pretty good time. When we crossed the 400-meter mark and slowed to a jog, I knew I was in trouble ... after that it went something like this:

Jesse: How fast was that?
Me:(gasping for breath) ... ... ... ... it was ... ... (slowing to a walk) ... I'm going to puke ... (leaning over and heaving)
Jesse: Oh. You meant it!

Yeah, I threw up. Take THAT, Mr. "You need to push yourself harder!"

Turns out we'd run the 400 meters in 1:43. Which, as I slowly worked out in my head as we walked around the track post-puking, would come out to a 6:52/mile pace. Definitely the fastest I've run that distance. But oh, to be able to maintain that kind of speed ... preferably without the throwing up ...

Starting a new year

2009-01-01T19:00:00.001-08:00

After a less-than fabulous fourth quarter of 2008, running-wise, I'm ready for a fresh start. Once the tendinitis in my knee healed, I ran a 5k. The race was ridiculously disorganized, but the course was nice and I placed 3rd in my age group! Granted, the field was small (and slow, at least in my age group, lol), but I'll take it.

My only other running event in 2008 was a 5k with Girls on the Run, which ended up being a ton of fun. I highly recommend the Running Buddy experience.

My 2008 total mileage ended up at 642.5, and I fully intend to increase that this year.

I began my running year today with a 6-miler, the longest run I've done in at least a month. Maybe a month and a half. Yikes. But it was a good run, and I'm excited to get my mileage back up after a lazy couple of months.

Grape Stomp 5k

2008-10-26T15:42:00.000-07:00

Well my 5k today ended up being an interesting experience.

The whole thing was terribly disorganized. A new company was organizing the race this year, I guess, and I was pretty disappointed all around with the way they ran things, and very glad I was only running the 5k, not the 10k or the half that were also being held. But more on that in a bit.

I got there about 7:30 this morning, for my 8:15 start. Jesse and I walked around a bit. We decided we really should have brought the dog, since the start and finish lines were at a park and there were tons of other dogs. I was about to wait in line for the port-a-potties when I realized there were actual bathrooms, with a much shorter line (apparently most people didn't realize the real bathrooms were there), so I opted for those instead. ;)

The 10k and half were supposed to begin at 8:00 a.m., but by that time no announcements had been made, and no one seemed sure where the starting line was. A bunch of people lined up in one spot, but that ended up being the wrong one. After several minutes, they announced that the start was going to be pushed back by 10 minutes, and finally told everyone where the starting lines were (there weren't any actual marks to show the start).

I don't think the longer race actually got going until around 8:15, and then they announced that the 5k would begin at 8:30.

There were around 250 people running or walking the 5k, so it was a small race. I tried to find a spot not at the front, but not too far to the back, of the pack, and that worked out pretty well. I passed a bunch of people the first half-mile or so, and I'm pretty sure I went out a little too fast. It was exciting, though--because I was realizing there weren't too terribly many people in front of me!
By about the halfway point, I'd settled in with a few other runners--I passed a couple more women in the last half of the race, I think, but was also passed by two more. There were really only a couple people ahead of me that I could see, although I was pretty sure there was a faster pack that was out of sight.

It was a beautiful day for a run, sunny and clear. I'm glad it didn't start any later than it did, because it was starting to get pretty warm. And the course itself was really nice--almost completely flat (I did speed past someone on one of the very few slight uphills--yay for all the hills I run), with some parts on a nice trail.

Overall, I think I held a reasonably steady pace throughout, although I do think I was a bit fast the first mile and had to slow down a little. I don't have any real way of knowing, because the only mile marker was at mile 3. I did enjoy feeling like I was actually *racing* as opposed to just running in a group of people. I haven't felt like that in all my races, and it was fun trying to pass people ... and trying not to let them pass me!

I ended up finishing in 27:16, which is 4 seconds slower than my PR. It would have been cool to beat my PR, but it's a time I can live with, at least. I'm shooting for under 27 at my 5k next month.

When I crossed the finish line, I asked Jesse how many women had finished in front of me, and he made it sound like it had been quite a few. I didn't think there had been too many, but started to wonder if maybe I'd been further back in the pack than I'd realized. But we waited around for a bit until they posted the results, and I ended up in 3rd place for my age group! So then we decided to wait around for the award ceremony, which was supposed to begin at 9:30 for the 5k runners--like I told Jesse, this may be the only time I ever place, I'm enjoying it. ;) There were a bunch of problems with the timing, so they kept printing out revised times, but I hung onto that 3rd place.
At 10 a.m., they announced the award ceremony wouldn't begin till 11. At this point, Jesse started getting a bit antsy--he'd been wanting to get home and get some homework done. But we decided to go grab some breakfast and come back.

The awards ceremony, when it finally began, started with a long apology. Apparently, in addition to all the disorganization starting times and places, the course markings had been "vandalized," so a bunch of people running the longer races had gone the wrong way and gotten lost. I guess they put the course markings out last night, and apparently no one double-checked to make sure they were there this morning. And they also apparently didn't have race staff at all the turns, so people just ended up going the wrong way.

Oh--and one thing I forgot to mention earlier--when the 10k runners were coming in, so before the half runners were even in, they made an announcement asking people to put back post-race drinks if they'd taken more than 2, because they had run out of drinks. Now ... I only took one, but I did see people with bags full of goodies, so there were definitely some people being greedy. But it seems like there was a serious problem in the planning if they hadn't even provided enough to get through two of the distances.

Anyway, despite all the disorganization, I had a pretty good race, and I think it's pretty cool that I placed. Part of me feels a little weird about it, because I didn't even set a new PR, and against a tougher group of opponents I would have been nowhere near the top. But at the very least, it was a nice little confidence boost.

Pushing myself

2008-10-21T16:43:00.001-07:00

I've been thinking a lot about speed lately--wondering how much of running fast is genetic and how much can be trained, and trying to figure out what realistic expectations for my own performance should be.

My husband says I don't push myself hard enough. Or at least he says that when he isn't chiding me for developing an overuse injury or groaning when I tell him how many miles I'm running on a given Saturday. He thinks I push myself quite far enough when it comes to distance, he just thinks I'm not running as fast I could be.

And he's probably right. It's possible that I'm a lazy runner. I have gotten faster over the last year and a half, but probably not as fast as I could have gotten if I'd pushed the speed more.

Anyway, this morning he and I ran intervals. We didn't go as far as I'd initially planned--just 2.5 miles, including the cool-down, with two 800-meter intervals and one 400-meter interval. The 800s came first, and I ran a 3:56 and 3:58, which aren't quite my fastest 800s ever, but were very close. I was pretty beat after those two (bear in mind that this is my second speed work session since the month off), but I pushed through the 400. By about 150 meters in, I was starting to gasp for air, and by 225ish my legs were burning and I could feel myself really starting to slow. Normally I would have let my pace slow a bit, but I kept pushing, and even managed to accelerate through the last stretch. I ran it in 1:46, which is nine seconds faster than I've ever run a 400. Not too bad.

You spin me right round baby, right round

2008-10-13T12:21:00.000-07:00

So while I was spending most of September not running, I finally bought a gym membership. I've never in my life had a gym membership, unless you count belonging to the Y in high school. I don't count it, because I almost never went. And because I didn't have to pay for it.

I did frequent the gym at Ft. Benning for the last 6 or 8 months I lived there, which was great because it was maybe 2 miles from my house, and free. Free is a good price. It was also great because my friend Jessica (aka the coolest deployment buddy ever) and I went together and worked out while giggling at all the oh-so-tough Army guys strutting around the building.

The gym I am now a member of is definitely not free. But it is close to home, which is good. And it has a 6 a.m. spin class three times a week, which I've discovered is a really wonderful thing. There are not many things I consider worth getting up at 5:30 a.m. for, but this class has become one of them.

The first day I went to my new gym, I used the elliptical, trying to get some low-impact cardio work in, what with not being able to run. After 30 minutes with one of the "hills" workouts, I was a little bit sweaty (which can largely be attributed to how darn hot it is in the gym), but not at all out of breath. May heart rate may have risen slightly, but I'm not sure. It was frustrating, to say the least. All I wanted was a good workout--was that too much to ask?

So the next morning, I dragged my butt out of bed and went to the spin class. My friend Jen, who is a kick-ass triathlete, said it would kick my butt, which is exactly what I was hoping for. And sure enough, it did. And I was hooked.

So after a year and a half of running almost exclusively, I'm thrilled to have some real cross-training in my routine. I'm doing spin class twice a week, on Mondays and Fridays, and it's been great. The class is fun but tough, I always leave feeling both exhausted and exhilarated, and I'm pleased to be doing something that is so perfectly suited for a runner's cross-training (running works the back of the legs; cycling the front). Here's hoping the results will be seen in my running.

And 10 months later ...

2008-10-10T23:25:00.000-07:00

I'm blogging again! Just a little hiatus, right?

So in the past 10 months, I've ...

- Run a 10k relay race with my husband ... I finished my 5k in 27:12 (8:47 pace), he finished his in 26:02, for a combined 10k time of 53:18

- Run Bay to Breakers, the quintessential San Francisco race. Conquered the Hayes Street Hill, in all its 11.15% grade glory, and completed the 12k in 1:11:55 (9:29 pace). Had a blast, will be making it an annual tradition.

- Trained my butt off all summer for the San Jose Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon, only to be sidelined with knee/leg pain several weeks before the race. Doctor thought it was a stress fracture, and 3.5 weeks without running and several hundred dollars in medical expenses later, it turned out to be patellar tendinitis. With 10 days left before the race, I decided to go ahead and sit it out. *sigh*

Next up: a 5k, hopefully this month. Need to decide for sure which one I'm doing.

The Big Goal: A 24-minute 5k by this time next year.

Another Big Goal: A half-marathon in the spring (I have my eye on this one ), considerably faster than my first.

I survived the Hayes St. Hill!

2008-05-19T13:36:00.000-07:00

So I had three goals going into the Bay to Breakers 12k yesterday: Make it up the Hayes St. Hill without stopping to walk, have a lot of fun, and finish with an average pace of under 10 minutes per mile. If you don't feel like reading the whole report, just know that I accomplished all three.

But for the long version ...

Jesse and I got up at 5:30, ate some oatmeal for breakfast, and then took the train into the city. Even the train ride was an experience--the only people on the train at 6 a.m. on a Sunday were people going to Bay to Breakers. In our car we had a group of people dressed as Luchadores (picture Nacho Libre), and also a guy who used his time on the train to do pull-ups on hand rails and one-handed push-ups with his feet up on the seat (while the rest of us tried not to stare and/or giggle too much).

We got into the city around 7 a.m., an hour before start time, and got straight into the long, long port-a-potty line. That actually worked out perfectly, because we spent 30 or 40 minutes in line and then just headed straight over to the starting area.

Even the start area at B2B is a bit ... special. People bat around beach balls and throw a lot of tortillas. I'm not sure what the deal is with the tortillas, but apparently it's a tradition.

We managed to get within about a block or a block and a half of the starting line, so we crossed the start line about 5 minutes after the gun. We definitely had to do a lot of weaving through the crowd for the first mile, but after that things thinned out and we were able to go at a decent pace for the rest of the race.

I think the most fun part about the race was just the general party atmosphere in the city. The first few miles were just like running through some sort of massive block party. Residents were out on the sidewalks, many in costume, blaring music and cheering us on.

Of course, a lot of the runners were in costume as well. My favorite costume was a girl running carrying an "Olympic torch." She was running with 5 guys. Four of the guys were dressed in identical navy blue outfits, and ran surrounding her, acting as her "bodyguards." The 5th guy ran behind them, and every once in a while ran up to them shouting "Free Tibet! Free Tibet!" and tried to get the torch, while the other four guys fended him off. It was great.

The infamous Hayes St. Hill was during the third mile. It was every bit as tough as I thought it was going to be, but I made it! Ran the whole thing. I know the hill training we've done in the last month or so definitely made a difference, and it really wasn't until the last block or two of the hill that I really struggled. Our time for the mile that included the hill was easily our slowest of the race--10:43 I believe. But we made it. :-D

The nice part of having that big ol' hill toward the beginning of the race was that the rest of the race was flat and/or downhill, with a lot of it downhill. Jesse said afterward he almost felt like he was cheating, with all that downhill running. I told him we'd earned our downhill running, darn it!

The last few miles were pretty uneventful. We ran through Golden Gate Park, which was pretty and fairly peaceful compared to all the craziness downtown and through the residential areas. I was definitely getting a bit tired in the last couple of miles, but Jesse kept pushing on ahead, so I just made myself keep up with him. According to my watch we ran the last 1.46 miles (the distance from the 6-mile marker, since there wasn't a 7-mile marker for me to set another split at) in 13 minutes even, which works out to an 8:54 pace. Which is pretty darn fast for me. :)

My official time was 1:11:55, which works out to a 9:38 average pace. Considering all the weaving in that first mile, plus that nasty hill, I'm really pleased with my time. Jesse could have done it much faster on his own--he was feeling strong the whole time--but he keeps telling me it's ok, and that the point was to run together. I still feel a bit bad about holding him back, but I'm glad he was there to push me on!

All in all, we had a blast. Jesse really, really enjoyed himself, which was a huge relief for me. Generally speaking, he hates large crowds, and tends to get pretty uptight when he's subjected to them. So I was really afraid he was not going to have a good time. But he had a great time, and I think I just might have finally gotten him hooked on the racing thing. He says he's not interested in racing any distances longer than the 12k we did yesterday, but that still leaves plenty of 10ks and 5ks! I figure I can get my half-marathon a year in, and we can do a handful of shorter races together. One thing's for sure--B2B is going to be a yearly tradition for us as long as we live in this area.

Stability!

2008-01-14T12:29:00.000-08:00

Last Saturday I finally visited Fleet Feet to buy new running shoes. I've been meaning to do this since, oh, October, but have been putting it off. My current shoes have well over 500 miles over them at this point, and it was past time to move on.

I ended up being fitted by the same guy who fitted me way back in May of last year, when I purchased the Asics. The first question he asked was how the other shoes had worked out for me. I told him I wasn't entirely sure--they had felt mostly fine to my novice feet, but my recurring problems with tendonitis made me think maybe there was a better fit out there for me. I told him what my podiatrist had said, which was that my feet tilt slightly in when I stand normally.

Upon examining my feet, my shoe guy was apologetic about my previous fitting. It seems he was new last spring, and the difference in Saturday's fitting was obvious. I did a lot more running, he did a lot more watching, and I tried on more shoes than I had before. He even busted out a fancy jointed skeletal foot, to show me exactly how my over-pronating foot moves, and why it has caused me problems.

So in the end, the verdict was a shoe with greater stability than my previous shoes, which will be supplemented with Superfeet inserts. Aren't they pretty?

Unfortunately, they were out of my size, so I won't get my new shoes for a week or so. I guess my worn-out Asics will have to carry me a few more miles!

In other exciting-only-to-me news, I got my first issue of Runner's World in the mail the other day! Wheee! I'm almost like a real runner! ;)

Goodbye, 2007!

2008-01-05T09:56:00.001-08:00

OK, I'm a little late on this, but here goes:

My total miles for 2007 were (drumroll please) ...

489.14

To be more exact, those were my total miles from May 18 on, since that's when I actually started keeping close track of my runs. Considering I actually started running the first week of March, and was running about 4 days a week from then on, I was actually well over 500 miles. Not too shabby!

January's off to a slow start, as I've been running with Jesse. He was running regularly with me until maybe the end of August, but hasn't really run since--so he's getting back in the swing of things. The result is that my mileage is low, but I'm running those miles faster than normal, at least!

Merry Christmas to me!

2007-12-26T10:20:00.001-08:00

I went out this morning for a 3-mile run on the track, wearing my brand-new Timex Ironman, a gift from Jesse's parents. I hadn't timed myself on a run in over a month, ever since my Nike Plus chip conked out in November, so I was eager to see what my time was.

Splits:
8:46
9:35
9:26

Final time:
27:48

Wait ... what? Are those seriously my times? I haven't run a mile in less than 9 minutes since high school! At least not that I know of ... either my Nike Plus was seriously cheating me, or I've gotten significantly faster in the last month or so. And, as evidenced by the fact that I went on to run two more miles at decent times, I wasn't running all-out, either. Which makes me really want to run an all-out mile and see what I can do!

Running as therapy

2007-12-13T11:03:00.000-08:00

An old friend of mine and Jesse's was diagnosed with cancer last January. Klinton has a very rare form of cancer--neuroendocrine carcinoid--and it's incurable. We haven't been close to Klinton in several years, but he was a big part of our lives as teenagers. We've been following his treatments and condition via blogs kept by him and his wife over the past 10 months, and praying for both of them and their two beautiful young children.

Last week, Klinton took a major turn for the worse. Late Tuesday night we were getting increasingly dire updates, and when I woke up Wednesday for my run, after staying up late praying, talking and crying, I didn't know if he was still alive or not.

With a heavy heart, I headed out for a 4-mile run on the hilly route near my house. I often pray when I run, but this time there was a greater intensity to both my running and my praying. I prayed for Klinton, Elizabeth and their children, crying out to God for comfort, peace, and relief from pain. And I thought of Klinton as I attacked the biggest hills, and was thankful for my health.

By the time I finished my run, I felt a thousand times better. It seems there's nothing like some hard work combined with a heart-to-heart with God to soothe the soul.

Klinton posted a blog the following day, which speaks more beautifully and succinctly about, well, everything than I could hope to. A week later, he is in a hospice house surrounded by his family. My prayers are still with them, especially during my runs.

November total

2007-12-01T13:04:00.000-08:00

52.7 miles.

Yikes! That's the least I've run since June (the month I started my official training plan for the half). My goal was to do 15-20 miles a week, but I clearly didn't manage that. Next month: 65 miles or bust!

Brrrrr!

2007-11-29T12:10:00.000-08:00

So it's official: I need some new running gear.

I already needed new shoes (mine are well into the 400+ mile range at this point), and I've been putting it off because it's an expense I'm not eager to pay, but it's becoming very clear that in addition to the new shoes, I need something to keep me warm!

I knew it was going to be fairly cold this morning when I got up, so I put on a long-sleeved T-shirt and gloves. I also, unfortunately, put on shorts. You have to understand, the daytime temperatures here are still hanging out in the mid-60s range. In fact, I've been relishing the fact that while some of the other women on the running forums I visit are dealing with temperatures in the teens, I've still been able to run in a skirt and a T-shirt.

The plan this morning was to run 4 miles, but when my Nike Plus chip decided it was having an off-day (it does this occasionally, I'm not entirely sure why), I scaled back to 3, as that's my self-imposed limit on the track (I'm a fan of maintaining my sanity; 12 laps are enough). Ok, the fact that my fingers and nose were already going numb might have had something to do with that too.

By the third mile, my fingers had thawed out, but my legs were pretty much frozen. In fact, an hour after my run, after a very hot shower, I could still see the line on my thighs in the place where my shorts ended. Everything below the line was still bright red. At that point, I finally checked the temperature. 42 degrees, an hour or 90 minutes after I had started my run. I think it's safe to assume it was in the upper 30s when I started ... and I think it's also safe to assume that I seriously need to invest in some warmer clothes.

Running without a goal

2007-11-05T10:29:00.000-08:00

So this past Saturday, I set out for my longest post-race run yet. I was planning on doing 5, maybe 6 miles, depending on how I felt. I finally stopped at 6.6 miles, and right after I stopped I was kicking myself for not just finishing out that 7th mile.

When did this happen? When did I become the sort of person who runs long(ish) distances just because? Not because it's on a schedule, not because I have to, but just because?

I've always had trouble with open-ended work-outs. I like to have a goal. If I have a goal, I tend to be the type of person who will stubbornly stick it out until I reach it, but not having a goal stresses me out. In summer 2006, when Jesse and I started running several times a week in what would end up being a very half-hearted attempt at training for a half-marathon, I would get SO mad at him when he wouldn't set a specific distance for our run. I would always ask "how far are we going?", and if he didn't give me a specific distance, or worse yet, if part of the way in he got the bright idea to run longer than we'd initially planned on, he was met with a very cranky reaction. And we're talking about 2- or 3-mile runs, here.

Which makes Saturday's run all the more perplexing. For whatever reason, instead of setting a distance on my iPod, I just set it to "basic workout"--which is as open-ended as it gets--it even left me without the little "One mile completed. You have 4 miles remaining" voice that I always count on, and just started running. I ran three miles on the track, then just set off onto the streets, running a fairly typical route, but not really focusing on the distance.

And somehow, I ended up running more than 6 miles without really meaning to. I felt a little like Forrest Gump.

It's hard to believe that 8 months ago, when I hit the track for the first time since the previous summer, I ran 3/4 of a mile and felt exhausted. It amazes me that my body has learned to do so, so much more.

And I guess that's part of why I'm still running. There were moments in my half-marathon training (especially early on), when I was pretty sure I was never going to lace up those shoes again after the race. But now that I've gotten my body to perform previously inconceivable feats, I want to hang on to that ability. I want to still be able to hit the road on a Saturday morning and run for an hour or 90 minutes. I certainly don't ever want to have to struggle through 3/4 of a mile again.

I'm not an elite athlete, and never will be. I'm not fast, not at all. And there are times when I don't feel like taking another step. But somehow, somewhere along the way, I think I might have turned into a runner. Maybe not by everyone's standards (I remember hearing an expert of some sort designate "running" as a pace of 8 minutes per mile or faster, he considered everything else "jogging"), but that's ok. I do want to be faster (I've set my long-term goal as finishing a half marathon in under 2 hours), but I mostly just want to keep running.

And 8 days later ...

2007-10-30T15:59:00.000-07:00

Random thoughts a week after my first race ...

- I'm more ok with my time now than I was initially. I know the reasons behind it (hilly course, not enough nutrition during the race), and generally speaking it's not a terrible time for a first half-marathon.

- I was surprised by how eager I was to get back to running. I went for a short jog on Thursday, then did a little bit of speed work with Jesse on Saturday (I managed a 9:09 mile, which is my fastest yet). Today was the first day that felt like I was really back to my running routine, as I got up early and ran 4 miles on my familiar, hilly neighborhood route. It felt good to attack the hills with confidence, knowing they didn't come close to comparing with The Big Hill in my race.

- I'm looking forward to running more races. So far I'm planning on a 5k with Jesse in December, Bay to Breakers in the spring, and another half-marathon next fall. I think I'll probably end up doing the Nike Women's Half again. The other option is the Disneyland half, over Labor Day weekend, but between travel expenses and the heat, I'm not sure that's the best option.

- I need new running shoes. Running is not as cheap a hobby as one might think.

More to come ...

13.1

2007-10-30T15:54:00.000-07:00

The following entry has already been posted a few places: on my MySpace blog, and on both of the iVillage boards that I frequent. But it wouldn't make sense to leave it off of this blog, so here goes:

Short version:

Finished the Nike Women's Half Marathon in about 2:24 (haven't seen the official results yet), slower than I'd hoped. Killer hills, and I don't think I got enough calories during the race. Had a great time, though, and will definitely be racing again!

Long version:

Jesse and I made a little weekend of it, so we drove into San Francisco (we live about 25 miles outside the city) on Saturday afternoon, and had a great time shopping and relaxing that afternoon. We had some amazing Italian food that evening (yay for carbs!), and I did my best to fall asleep early. I actually didn't feel too nervous on Saturday, mostly because it didn't seem real that my race was actually about to happen!

By Sunday morning, I was definitely nervous--I woke up at 4:45, 45 minutes before my alarm was supposed to go off, and couldn't go back to sleep! There was already a lot of activity on the streets outside (we stayed about two blocks from the starting line), so between that and the nerves, there was no more sleep for me. I got dressed, ate my Luna bar breakfast, drank some more water and we headed down.

We ended up at the starting area almost an hour before race-time, so we just hung out for awhile. We actually ended up heading back to the hotel about 6:40, as the elite runners were starting, because it was quicker than waiting in line for the port-a-potties!

The main race started at 7 a.m., and I actually crossed the start line at about 7:14. The first few miles were a ton of fun--running through downtown San Francisco just after sunrise with thousands of women. It was just a really fun atmosphere. I did, however, get off to a very slow start. I found it hard to move very quickly with so many people--lots of dodging and weaving--and beyond that, I have a terrible track record of starting way too quickly on my long runs, so I was consciously trying to keep a slow pace to start. Unfortunately, I think I did too good a job!

I ate a package of Luna Moons at mile 5, in preparation for the big hill during the seventh mile. (Moons are an awesome new product, by the way--just like Clif Shot Bloks, but smaller! I have a small mouth, so Shot Bloks are a bit much to handle, but the Moons are perfect! I don't even know if you can buy them yet--I got mine for free at the race expo, and it doesn't look like they're actually for sale on the Luna Web site yet--but as soon as they are I'm buying more!)

I'm glad I did, because wow! I'd looked at the route elevations on the race Web site, but WOW! The hill at mile 7 was actually the second hill of the route--the first was steep but not too long. The mile-7 hill, however, stretched the entire mile. The whole entire mile was uphill. And it was all pretty darn steep. I'm SO glad I did as much hill training as I did, but I could have used more! There were a lot of people stopping to walk on the hill, but although that sounded like a very nice idea at the time, I managed to keep running.

I think I probably ran too fast on the downhill slope on the other side of that big hill. I knew I had run too slowly at the start of the race, and was sure that all that uphill had made my time worse, so I kind of saw it as my chance to make up the time easily. I know in my head that running downhill actually expends a lot of energy, but I always *feel* like it's easy, you know? Anyway, I think it would have been in my best interest to rein it in a bit on the downhill.

The next couple of miles were ok. I was definitely feeling a bit tired, but nothing terrible. We ran through some nice neighborhoods, and Kaiser handed out orange wedges, which were nice!

Here's where it gets a bit rough ... I had thought that the race map said there were going to be Luna Moons passed out somewhere around mile 9, so I only brought the one package with me, counting on that second package to take me through the last few miles. Well, either they weren't handing them out, or I missed it. So the one 100-calorie pack I'd brought ended up being my only calories during the race. I learned my lesson--next time I'll bring what I need so that I'm set either way! I did drink Gatorade at one of the aid stations, but because I'd only used Gatorade after my runs while training, I didn't want to drink too much during the race for fear of my stomach rebelling. So at all the other aid stations I just drank water.

Anyway, the last few miles were really tough. There were two more quite respectable hills, and my mile time rose into the high 11-minute range (my average pace during training was 10:15-10:30 a mile), and I was feeling pretty exhausted. By the time I got to the finish line, I was not feeling well. I'm sad about that, because I didn't really get to enjoy crossing the finish line--it was more of a "Thank goodness that's over--now let me try not to pass out" feeling, which wasn't quite how I'd imagined it. ;)

Jesse found me just after I'd crossed the finish line (unfortunately, with all the people, both runners and spectators, he never did get to see me during the race--he waited at the 10-mile mark for a long time, and we must have missed each other), and after walking in a daze through the various checkpoints to grab a bottle of water, my finisher's T-shirt and necklace (The necklaces were handed out by firefighters in tuxedos! I wish I'd been more lucid, lol.), we walked down to the beach (the race ended right on the waterfront). That was wonderful--I waded out to my knees and enjoyed the cold water. Much more fun than an ice bath! After several minutes in the ocean I was feeling much better.

So overall, my first race was a good experience. I am disappointed by my time, as I was hoping to run it in the 2:15-2:17 range, but I feel like I know the reasons why I didn't reach that goal, and I know what I need to work on next time! I am very proud of myself for finishing the whole race without walking (well, besides walking through aid stations to drink the water--if anyone has a trick for drinking water from a paper cup while running, please clue me in!), because when I started training that was really my goal.

I loved the atmosphere of the race--especially the camaraderie that came with running an (almost) all-woman race. Everyone was really nice and helpful, and the course itself was beautiful. The scenery was gorgeous, the weather was great (Although I wouldn't have complained if it was a few degrees cooler, lol. I am such a wuss about the sun!), and there were lots of fun things along the way--spectators in fun costumes with funny signs, entertainment stages with live music, even an oxygen bar at the top of that terrible hill! (I didn't take advantage of the oxygen bar, but I thought it was a cool idea).

So all in all, I had a great first race experience. There were definitely some moments (mainly in miles 11 and 12) when I thought I never wanted to do this again, but by the time I finished I was making a mental checklist of everything I'd learned and how I would apply it to my next race. I think I've got the bug. ;)

I will say that this race did NOT make me ever want to run a full marathon! Wow ... I cannot imagine yesterday's finish line being the halfway point. All you marathoners have all my respect.

Catching up

2007-09-04T10:43:00.000-07:00

So I'm pretty much the world's worst blogger. I think about blogging a lot, but I actually blog far too rarely.

This morning, about 15 seconds into my 7-mile run (the longest weekday run in my whole trainin schedule!), my iPod conked out on me. Fabulous.

The music I can live without (although I certainly would have enjoyed having it) ... but I use Nike Plus to track my runs, and with no iPod, my runs don't get tracked. Watching my mileage graph change and my total miles steadily rising (236.2 as of today!) is a huge motivator for me. And I'm very sad about the fact that my run today won't be included.

On the upside, I don't know how slowly I ran this morning ...

Tendonitis

2007-07-19T12:50:00.000-07:00

Sometime in May, my running was waylaid for a few weeks by fairly severe pain in my right foot. I went into the urgent care clinic, where they x-rayed my foot and told me I probably had a strain. I wasn't convinced, but they made me feel stupid enough about it that I wasn't about to get a second opinion.

Well, last week, the pain started again, only this time it was in my left foot. It was in the same place (starting on the outside of my foot, below the ankle bone, and radiating across the arch of my foot), and it felt the same (sharp, shooting pain when I walked for too long or ran on it), so I finally went to see a podiatrist.

Turns out I have tendonitis, and it's probably recurring because my feet tilt in a bit more than they should. So now I get to tape my foot, wear special inserts in my shoes, and take anti-inflammatories! Wheee!

It's working, at least, because I was able to complete my run this morning (first full-length run in a week) with only soreness, no sharp pain. Yay!

Unfortunately, due to my screwed up foot, I missed my 90-minute run last Saturday. This Saturday's is supposed to be 110 minutes(!), but I think I'm going to split the difference and go 100 minutes. Either way, it's going to be a rough run.

Becoming a runner

2007-07-11T15:20:00.000-07:00

Well, as I posted earlier today, I've passed my first big milestone: To be more precise, I've run 105.74 miles since May 18th.

Getting back to running (and more specifically, running much longer distances than I ever have) has not come easily for me, and there have definitely been some discouraging times. But more and more, I find myself feeling good at the end of a run--and more importantly, dreading my runs less and less.

As my mileage has begun to increase, I've felt more and more like I can actually do this. I might just make a runner out of myself yet!

100

2007-07-11T07:01:00.001-07:00

http://nikeplus.nike.com/nikeplus/v1/html/milestones/print_certif.html?id=1018693921®ion=us&language=en&locale=en_us&dateFormat=MM/DD/YY

More to come later ...

Speed kills

2007-06-27T08:30:00.001-07:00

I'm a really slow runner. Really slow. I used to be a fast runner--in my eight years playing soccer, I was consistently one of the fastest people on my teams. I was never one of the best players, but I rocked those runs during practice. In retrospect, I really should have skipped the sports that required coordination and just run track.

Seven years later, after running only sporadically (fairly regular, but short distances in college, and irregularly since), I've become slow. Molasses slow. It drives me nuts when I finish a run, exhausted, only to have my iPod (go go Nike Plus chip!) tell me "average time: 10:43 per mile."

Living on top of a steep hill, in an area filled with steep hills, I run a lot of hills. I've tried to keep the major hill-running to once a week, since hills are hard on your joints, and I'd like to keep as many of said joints intact as possible. On the day or two a week when I buckle down and do the extra-hilly route, I tell myself over and over again a piece of advice I found on a running forum: "Hills are speed training in disguise."

Honestly, although that little tidbit makes a lot of sense, I've been a bit skeptical. For a little while late last month I thought I was getting faster, but then, inspired by a blog on Runner's World, in which a woman calibrated her Nike Plus chip and discovered she'd been running a full minute per mile faster than she'd thought, I calibrated my chip. And discovered I was actually slower than I'd thought. Lovely.

Today, however, I'm finally allowing myself to believe that bit about hills. And to hope that maybe, just maybe, I'll actually finish this half-marathon in decent time.

On Saturday, I ran the longest time and distance yet: 50 minutes, 4.81 miles. Sunday we cut the run short thanks to a sore ankle on my part. Tuesday was my hilly day, so my time was nothing amazing. But today, I ran 4.43 miles in 45 minutes: 10'09" a mile. That's not a good time by most standards, but it's 22 seconds faster than my current average mile time--so I'll take it!

So I think there's hope for me and my slow, slow running.

Ouch!

2007-06-20T10:51:00.000-07:00

So yesterday, about 22 minutes into my 35-minute run, things went a bit wrong. I caught my foot on something (we were running on a fairly steep downhill slope, on fairly uneven terrain) and after a couple of attempts at staying upright, I fell and sort of skidded down hill.

Upon righting myself and assessing the damage, I found a total of two scraped knees, two scraped hands, a scraped elbow and a 3" by 3" patch on my hip that seemed to be missing all of its skin. That was the end of that run!

Jesse was great, as per usual, and ran to the store to buy first-aid supplies (as well as Advil and Cheez-Its). All we had in the house was a box of band-aids, and that just wasn't going to cut it for my hip.

I ended up going to work with a band-aid on each hand, liquid bandage sprayed on both knees and my elbow, and a gauze pad taped over my hip. And a couple Advils in my system, which helped quite a bit.

Today, everything's significantly less bloody, but still very red and raw, and the big purple bruises are starting to pop up under and around each of the injured areas. My hip is looking quite lovely: In addition to the section missing skin, the whole thing is swollen and somewhat purple. Sexy.

On the bright side, I had the best run this morning that I've had in awhile--probably since I started my official training, actually! It didn't feel great at the time (running with a banged-up hip is surprisngly painful), but when all was said and done, I'd run 3.93 miles in 40 minutes, which put my average mile time at 10'11" (I love you, NikePlus)! Which is, unfortunately, pretty darn good for me!

I've been averaging between 10'30" and 10'47" a mile the last couple of weeks, which has frustrated me to no end. I had thought my pace was a bit better than that, but then I went and calibrated my NikePlus chip. Bad idea. It turned out that I was even slower than I'd thought!

Oh well, it can only get better, right?

Day One

2007-06-10T10:02:00.000-07:00

Well, after about three months of running regularly, today was the first official day of training.

It pretty much sucked.

The longest I've run thus far is 45 minutes. This was purposeful, as my first "long" run, coming up this Friday, will be 45 minutes. My training schedule has shorter runs three days a week, one day of cross-training, and a long run each Saturday. The shorter runs stay fairly constant--staying in the 3-5 mile range for much of the 20-week training plan. The Saturday runs are a different story. This Saturday it will be 45 minutes, next Saturday 60, and by mid-July I'll reach 110 minutes before dropping down to 3 miles (at the switch between time-based runs and mileage-based runs) and building back up. My final Saturday run, a few weeks before the race, will be 12 miles.

So anyway, I wanted to make sure that the first week or so of actual training wouldn't be too bad, so I made a point of working up to running 30-35 minutes regularly, and 40-45 minutes occasionally before training began.

Which brings me to my "easy" first day of training: 35 minutes.

Jesse decided he was going to run with me, which he does sometimes but not always, and we spent about half an hour pre-run on MapMyRun.com, trying to find a less-hilly route to run (my normal route has a ton of hills, and I'm constantly trying to find less-hilly routes so I don't have to deal with monster hills every day). Jesse figured out a good one, and we finally set out. We were going to start by running across the campus of a nearby high school, but about 15 seconds into our run, as we were about to go through the gate into the high school, Jesse caught his foot on a rock and fell hard. Upon picking himself up, examining his bloody palms, and immediately finding three painful places in his arm, he decided he wouldn't be joining me on my run today.

So off I went, alone, on my normal route.

I don't know exactly what was wrong today, but it was not a good running day for me. I was tired from almost the start, and sloooow. I stopped to walk once--maybe about 20 seconds up the end of the worst hill of the route--but those 20 seconds aren't enough to account for a 10'49" pace. Ouch.

I was hoping to get a really good run in today--sort of a symbolic thing, marking the start of the real thing. Oh well ... symbolism is overrated.

Tomorrow's a rest day, so hopefully Tuesday's effort will be worth talking about!

How this whole thing got started

2007-06-01T10:04:00.000-07:00

I'm not a runner.

When I think about it, I guess I've done some running most of my life. I started playing soccer when I was 9, and played until about 8th grade, I think. I took a break in 9th grade for an ill-fated attempt at playing basketball (apparently height isn't everything), and then went back to soccer for the last three years of high school. I jogged regularly through college, and have jogged off and on since.

But I'm not a runner. The most I ever willingly ran (coach-mandated runs not included) was about two miles--the idea of running a longer distance never really appealed.

So how did I come to have a whole blog about running?

A little over a year ago, I moved from Georgia to California. Jesse was getting out of the Army and preparing to start art school in San Francisco, and I moved out to the Bay Area about a month before his enlistment ended, to find a place to live and a job. I found an apartment quickly, but employment was more elusive. I ended up finding a longish-term temp job as an administrative assistant in San Francisco, and spent my first three months in California commuting into San Francisco on BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit - the local train system).

It was during one of my daily treks into the city that I noticed a poster advertising the Nike Women's Marathon. I'm still not entirely sure what about the poster suddenly made me think that long-distance running would be a fun thing to do. It may have been the smiling, fit women, the San Francisco skyline, or perhaps the promise of a finisher's necklace from Tiffany's. Or maybe it was just that I was alone in a new city, and the thought of having something to focus on and work toward sounded appealing.

Whatever the draw, I went home that day and checked the Nike Women's Marathon Web site. The half-marathon (I wasn't crazy enough to think a full marathon was a good idea) was already full, but I signed up for e-mail updates.

Jesse and I toyed with the idea of running the U.S. Half Marathon later that year, but only trained half-heartedly, slacked off during a heatwave, and never got back in the swing of things.

Which brings me to late February of this year, when I received an e-mail telling me registration for the Nike Women's Marathon would begin on March 1. I decided if I was really going to do this, I needed to go ahead and register, so I did. The half-marathon portion of the race sold out within two days, so it's a good thing I decided to just go for it!

So for the past three months, I've been running several times a week. I've gone from an exhausting .75-mile run that first week in March to an also-exhausting 4.3-mile run this past Saturday. Progress has been made. Four and a half months and 9 miles to go!

Getting started

2007-05-29T12:46:00.000-07:00

As illustrated above, in a little under five months, I plan to run 13.1 miles. In a row.

My present distance record (at least for straight-up running, I played soccer for a number of years) is 3.95 miles. That was last Saturday.

I've been running several times a week since I registered for my race, back at the beginning of March (more on that in a future post), but my actual training schedule begins in about a week and a half, on June 9.

Here goes ...