NWM 2010 Half marathon report




Dimity (tallest) and Sarah (next tallest) in back and me in the middle of it all

 

I went into the training program with little expectations. I just wanted to cross the finish line in December, actually I just wanted to do an entire leg of the CIM relay in December and do it with a smile on my face.

The highlight of my weekend was actually to meet Dimity and Sarah who wrote RUN LIKE A MOTHER: and Not Lose Your Family, Job, or Sanity  for their presentation on Saturday morning then again in the afternoon for a little pre-race RLAM chit chat. Their voices resonate so loudly through the pages in the book and are just as witty and down to Earth as the essays in their book.

Race morning: Got up with Tracy and Teri and headed to the start line about 5 blocks away. It was warmer than I thought and by the time we got to Union Square the buzz and the energy was through the roof! We used the little-blue-rooms then headed to the line up. It went all the way around the block and we didn't even get close to where we were last year. We started so far back that it took 7 minutes before we could even move forward at a slow walk, almost 15 to reach the start line a few more before our feet moved in a motion that almost resembled a shuffle more than a walk. That was a really slow start but my whole view this year was to have fun.



me running w/ GG Bridge in the back ground



We kept an easy pace those first few miles to warm up then just took the hills easy and the downhill and flats at a harder pace. We sang and took some pictures along the route, we have high 5's and checked out everyone else's running gear. I took some GU chomps at mile 4 and mile 8. Mile 6 was the start of the first long hill and I just put my head down and put one foot in front of the other and cruised up the endless hill. I smiled to myself and repeated the mantra of the race: I run to be... and I filled in the blanks. I don't think i had one negative self talk moment for the whole race. After each hill was a huge smile and a little "wahoo!"  I started picking up the pace after the last long hill at about mile 8 and slowly push the pace. I did wonder where the heck the turn was into the park for the last two miles but all along I kept wondering what was so awful last year? The smile stayed plastered on my face even when the sprinkles came at mile 9 and continued to get a little more wet as we went along. It was still "sprinkles" until the end and it started to rain for real!



Me and Tracy at the end before it rained too hard!

Tracy and I played leapfrog along the whole race and we talked little but cheered each other and pushed each other along as we went. I pulled ahead that last half mile and pushed the envelope even farther... I crossed the line with a huge smile on my face and my arms in the air!!! Tracy was just behind me and so was Bernie. We got pictures with the firefighters decked out in Tuxedos handing out Tiffany & Co. necklaces instead of finishers medals. We stayed to the left so Teri could find us and walked through the finisher chutes and were corralled to the end. I felt like my throat and tummy were full of ice cubes and the rain got more and more heavy. I went off one direction to find Dimity and Sarah but found hot chocolate and hot soup instead, found the girls and headed for the long hike back to the car.  Even if it wasn't my fastest it was the most fun I've had running since the CIM last year. I'm looking for a fun race in December too!

I Run to Be:

I run to be:

• a mom who sets a good example for her boys and their friends by living a healthy lifestyle and getting them out and encouraging them to find exercise they love.
• a wife and partner who is healthy and fit enough to still go do fun things with her hubby and get the things that need to be done as a stay at home mom done while he's gone.
• the kind of friend who has learned to listen with intention whether on a long run or a phone conversation and be a true supporter in the things they love
• a mentor to new runners who are looking for direction and support




2010 NWM half finishers necklace


• most of all to be the best possible me I am am capable and intended to be.

Be Afraid

Be very afraid... then do it anyway. I've always been a cautious person, sometimes to a fault. Especially being a parent. I hate to see my children hurt. I hate to imagine the circumstances that may have been within my control but happened because I didn't say no, or didn't put the right tools in place for them to take care of themselves. I got that from my Grandma Reba. She worried over everything.

I'm a little naive too. I want to always see the best in others while at the same time fearing that their best is no where near good enough. I'm a mom, wife, daughter, sister and friend full of contradictions and perhaps that makes me a hypocrite.

Running has brought me farther than I ever thought possible but in so many ways. My feet have carried me over 2000 miles in the last 2 years 9 months. Those miles have brought me a perspective few others have (i.e. 20 mile long run seems long to me. 2 miles seems long to my husband). I took on a cross training regimen to keep my core strong and to build strength to counteract  osteoporosis that plagues the women in my family. It also makes me feel stronger and more in control but who the heck thought I would be swinging around an 18lb weight with a handle? Not me, and no, its really not safe for me to be doing this. I'm the biggest klutz you have ever met but I do it anyway.

Running for 26.2 miles makes me smile. Makes climbing the rope less scary and I climbed farther than I ever have before. It made me believe that I could go back to school and start from scratch to take on crazy hard classes because it took me 17 weeks to train for a marathon i can pass one basic algebra class for sure then chem, stats, anatomy, physiology and two microbiology classes before I even transfer. I'm scared to do all these things but I ran a marathon so don't tell me I can't. I got in a kayak and paddled across a lake, I can do more than I ever believed. I just need to do it. I may be afraid but now that isn't a reason to stop is it? So be afraid and let your fears guide you to new and marvelous adventures you always believed were too far to reach.

Putting the PLAN into Action

I'm not sure what our marathon coach has lined up for us as far as workouts but sometimes I need to adjust to make time for family time and efficient cross training too. I'm signing up for KOR (Kettlebell class) in a few weeks and for the cost that is usually out of my budget range I had better use it wisely in combination with my running routine. Kettlebell class is all about the functional and flexibility strength of your body starting in your core and the muscles are the great icing on the cake! I definitely say results last time I did my 6 month term there and I'm looking forward to doing it again. Balancing KOR and running isn't easy w/ two little boys and a husband who will be gone from September to November this year.I have to start planning now.

 The fist thing is that I always know there is my speed work on Tuesday evenings and long runs on Saturday mornings. Since I'll be doing KOR too I need to adjust my miles so I don't run myself back into the ground like I did in January. Most important to me is getting my glutes back into shape so other muscles aren't compensating for them. My favorite all over body move is the TGU. You go from laying down to standing up then back down again all w/ the bell over your head. Not easy and I was using the baby bell (18lb) before moving up to the 23lb when I felt stronger. I'm excited to get back out there though. So here is the tentative plan.

Kettlebell move: (TGU) Turkish Get-Up

Saturday: long run
Sunday: rest
Monday: KOR + easy run
Tuesday: speed work
Wednesday: KOR + easy run
Thursday: Longer run
Friday: KOR

I have a few weeks of workouts with the 10k program then onto the big M program. I do have a few ideas for some other blogs in the works too. We'll be talking about skin protection with sun screen in one post and Vitamin D deficiency, calcium absorption (or lack of) and bone mass in another! I can't wait to share them with you and get your input!

Run into the New Year

So far I've tallied about 22 miles for the week. I didn't run last Saturday with group because I just wanted to sleep in and hang out with my kids after being gone to LV the week before. I knew vacation was coming to an end and I wanted to not have to worry about getting up and about for just one morning. I took up an offer to run with Susan (owner of FF and 5k, 10k and 1/2 mary coach), Ed and Katie (both helping to coach the 1/2 mary group). I love my running groups but not sure how "special" I looked running with 3 coaches, either I really needed it or I'm damn lucky. I'll take the latter "Thank-you-very-much". We took the trail to upper park and the levy around to the bridge, back through 5mile and down the trail to 1 mile again. I love our not so little park. I had missed my running buddies now that we were all running different speeds during training. It was so nice to chit chat with them again. 6.89 on the books and the first for the new year and new decade.

Tuesday: Speed work. I got there early and ran an easy lap around the 1/2 mile or so loop at WW park. The fog was setting in as we did our plyometrics and warm up. We got done as the pea soup feeling settled in around us. 6x800's . Wahoo! But I kinda suck at figuring out what my threshold pace is. My marathon pace is actually about the same as my half and my 10k pace... because well, I don't really know why its the same. I feel like I push the same effort at any distance some are just farther than others I guess. TTD and I settled into a 8 minute pace (for me in hopes of speeding up by teaching my body that faster is not a bad thing) and Liz and Ross were on our heels. Diane is new to the program and she stayed right with us too. The fog was so eerie. I really liked it up until someone mentioned that it seemed like a set for a horror story... eek! Then I ran faster thinking about things like men in hockey masks and chainsaws and before I knew it the speed work was over. Did a cool down and some stretching with David. 5.5 miles in the books for my second run this 2010 season.
I took Wednesday off and ran Thursday hills with Liz, Katie and Kim. We met at 5pm after work and it was already mostly dark. We had fun with the rolling hills in CalPark and Canyon Oaks. If you stick to the main road, and don't climb the biguns, then the gentle up and downs feel like work in a good way. The fog looked beautiful hanging into the nooks and crannies of the canyon and the light finding its way through the dark foggy night in beautiful and magical ways. I <3 my good friends and a good run. Another 4.04 miles in the books.
Thursday: Ed FBed this morning that he wanted to run in upper park this morning. I took him up on it and we had a blast. We trudged through dirt and mud and muck and talked and talked and talked. I haven't had a run alone with Ed since his "unemployment days" not so long ago. Today his job was on a furlough day like most of our friends in any govt. or upper division school position holds. So glad to take advantage of the BEAUTIFUL day with a wonderful friend. 5.5miles today.
Sheesh I feel so blessed to be a part of this amazing running community.

2010 Welcome!

I wrote the breakdown of the CIM but didn't post it because it just seemed dry and sad. I had a great first 20 miles until I used the port-o-potty for a much needed break then struggled and never got my groove back. I came in at 4 hours 7 minutes and 47 seconds. Not as good as I had hoped but I know I went out too fast and held that too long. Oh well. I still took 18+ minutes off of last year and I'm looking forward to using that knowledge for this year. I believe that an amazing group of friends and coaches as well as kettlebells at KOR made that happen. I can't wait to use their knowledge again this round.
2010 is a new year, a new decade but I'm not putting forth resolutions but small goals I have written on a piece of paper. I'm not ready to open that up and post it. Somethings are a little too personal and I hold close to my heart. I have every intention of fulfilling them and maybe I'll be sharing when I feel more comfortable.
Running: Oh my goodness. I'm doing the Bidwell Classic on March 6th. Its a half marathon here in our very own Bidwell Park. I hope to take some time off my PR. We'll see if that is in the cards. If its not I'm not devastated. I enjoy half marathons... at least I did until I got sick last year and missed Shamrock'n then totally bombed Nike Women's in October including puking at miles 6 and 7.5. I'd like to redeem that now. LOL
Marathon training will start in June if I plan on doing Chicago. I think its totally cool that it is run on 10-10-10! Training is kinda freaking me out though. It gets really really really hot in Chico. I don't do well in the heat. I don't do well in the cold either for that matter. Give me 80F all year round and I'd probably be as happy as a clam. Maybe that's a clue that I should be on a beach somewhere.

Nike Recap

You know when you run a good race and you can't wait to get home and post a report to all your running buddies while its fresh in your mind. You want to list all the things you did right so you can remember to do those things again. We form little pre-run rituals, chants in our heads to repeat on hard parts of the course, only wear certain socks or a certain outfit to guarantee success. All those things have been thrown out the window for me this year.
I got a bad strep infection on my skin in March throwing me out running the Shamrockin' in Sacramento. Heavy and long term antibiotics stripped my strength and my speed and its been a long time coming to get it back. Whiskeytown Relay last month was hard and I didn't realize I had some sort of virus when I ran it. I was in bed for the next 3 days.
Nike was something I was so looking forward to. The hills were going to be my weak point but if I slowed down on them and kept a good steady pace the rest I would be OK. That didn't happen. The start line was warm. 30,000 or so people (mostly women) crammed into Union Sq early Sunday morning was a telling tale from the beginning. Although it only took us just over 4 minutes to cross the start line it was pretty crowded. I got hot fast and my long sleeve shirt came off before mile two. I was running in my tights, compression socks, sports bra with my other shirt around my waist. That shirt was SOAKED and my pants were so sweaty that my waist belt kept moving around. We hit the first big hill by Chrissy Field up to the Presidio and the wind started blowing. It was really cold and the fog was hanging around. All of the sudden I was freezing. At mile 6.4 I put my long sleeve shirt back on on the way up the first long hill. It was still damp and made me colder. I started to shake and just wanted to be done.
At mile 6.7 my stomach started knotting and I got sick on the side of the road. Not a pretty site I tell you. I had a really hard time getting my legs moving again. Everything was cramping up. On the way down the hill (that same hill we walk up the first day of the Avon Walk before the rest stop at the Presidio for those of you who have walked it before) I thought I could get my legs motivated but found that my regular low 8's were no where to be found. I had a hard time maintaining 9:30's. We came out back into the city and it warmed up some but another hill was in front of us and more cold wind. I had to stop and walk a few times here and was nauseous every time I drank any water. My tummy had had enough and revolted against me again but this time just puking water was easier than the first time. I was cold again and at the next aid station I found someone with a space blanket. I sat down for a few minutes and waited for my lips not to be so blue.
I struggled here. I can't lie and tell you that I just got up and ran for the finish. I really balanced my idea on whether I should quit right there or not. I cried a little and it felt like a hundred years when looking back it was under 4 minutes of contemplation. I really didn't want to leave my friends behind. I really didn't want to get a DNF. I already have a DNS on my record from March. I really really really wanted that Tiffany Necklace from the hot Firefighters in tuxedo's at the finish line but that was still 5 miles away. For two miles I walk/jogged with the space blanket around my body. I stopped and took pictures, I motivated another lady to keep going by walking/jogging with her until she could go off on her own. I enjoyed the rest of the run... or tried to. Those last three miles were the longest ever. I don't even hardly remember them. I just thought about being done. I was crying when I crossed the line... by then it was out of disappointment and just thankful I was done. I caught up with the girls and cried a little more then. We had to round up our clothes which ended up not being so easy but we got back to the hotel, showered, packed and ate lunch at this cute little bistro/cafe downstairs. I got my necklace and I finished the race but it wasn't pretty.
I love my friends. They say that I more than EARNED that Tiffany Necklace after the race I had. I don't believe that so much since they ROCKED it but I do believe that I am super lucky to have friends who try so hard to make this race easier to swallow. CIM better rock.

What Drives you to run?

Almost two years ago I started on this wonderful journey that changed my life. I decided that I wanted to run. I ran in High School, ran with some of the cross country kids once in awhile, changed schools and gave it up (along with some other reasons). Time went by and I found new hobbies, Journalism and Drama in High School, horse back riding, Jobs daughters, a boyfriend or two (or more). I longed for the feeling I had crossing that finish line, the sound of the gun, but I had no idea how to get there.

Fast Forward. That darn doctor says I have osteoponia (the step before osteoporosis). I'm 29 years old! Gotta get some exercise in there. I decided that I need to go back to running. In January of 2008 I started training for my first half marathon. Although I fought through a terrible bout with Bronchitis I still managed to cross that finish line in 2 hours and 11 minutes. Not bad for only running for 2 full months hu?

But this bug got me. I wanted more. I took the Spring off from races and recouped from being sick and then trained for the 10K during the summer, then a half marathon again in October. I trained hard and it showed taking nearly 14 minutes off my time and coming in at under 2 hours. I had a not so good 20 mile race in November but had my running friends by my side then a terrific finish to the year when I completed my first marathon in 4:26:16.

Along the way I had lots of good and not so good runs. I had ITB issues and child care issues. I had scheduling issues and tummy issues... but I got my runs in. I learned about dips in the creek that were as good as ice baths. I learned about stretching and core muscles and foam rollers. I learned about eating and food... lots and lots of food. I learned to love and hate Dr. John's hands. He would fix me but it hurt like the dickens to have him get me there.

Without those miles listed on my calender I felt like I was floundering. I felt like I was at a standstill. I felt lost and lazy. I have found my way back. I'm looking out for that perfect run. The high that comes with it. The miles it took between the last one and this one. The exact formula of food, of distance, of fuel, of temperature and climate outside and friends by my side. I seek it out with every run. Sometimes I find it sometimes I don't. So when people laugh because I ran 20 miles on Saturday, or say they don't dare drive that far in their car, I smile because I have a secret. It has nothing to do with crossing the finish line first... at least not for me. Its about the achiement and progress of the journey getting there. Its about finding that perfect run and riding it all the way home.

I Love you Tomorrow, you're only a day away!

So I guess I'm going to stop drinking alcohol today. I did only have 2 beverages yesterday when we had a little post 10K (that I didn't participate in) soiree at "chief Howler monkey's" residence to celebrate the end of the 10K training session and his lovely wife's bachelor's degree. What a great host, a bunch of food to enjoy and a bunch of running friends and family to celebrate with us. No pictures yet (as I cringe) but I'm sure there will be some to post soon.

No running today but I did stop by a friends house who will be running Nike Women's half with me in October. Our goals are very different right now, she wants to PR and I'm in it for fun. But so nice to have someone to chat up at school about running. Most of the gals get mad when I post all about how far and how fast I went. Apparently it's rude to remind people that exercise is good. Reminder to self, not so much runner updating on facebook.

I'm so excited about getting back into the groove of things. School starts in two days, Marathon training starts tomorrow! I'm going to train like I'm out there to run a 4 hour marathon and see what happens. That's my pipe dream goal, 4:10:00 is my realistic goal.

Lots and lots and lots of talk about Greece next year. But that's all I'm saying for now. I do have reservation all ready made for an adult vacation to Las Vegas. FFP and I haven't been away for more than 1 night together without the kids since they were born. He is usually gone hunting or at work or I'm off at a race or on a girls trip. This year is going to be different. I want to actually make memories TOGETHER. of course the camera broke so we either get a new one or do without. Memories in our minds might be more realistic this year.

So running tomorrow. Marathon race report in about 18 weeks. The countdown begins.

Reach for the Stars

I'm in motion... moving towards the new season, the new dreams, the new reality of running a marathon again. My goal last year... to finish. My goal this year, concentrate on enjoying the ride.

I have made such wonderful friends in our little running community. Those folks down at FF are like my other family. I swear there are some I love as much as my family (sorry family). They help keep me accountable, in control, looking for new dreams, stretching my sights, pushing my limits. This little family is making me stronger, in my muscles, in my heart, in my head.

I am going to log my miles as power miles, no matter how slow, fast, long or short. Time to make Tina Stronger... build her confidence, fuel her drive to make a difference, even if it's just a difference in her time. It's OK to have bad runs but not OK to dwell on them. This marathon program is about the journey to the end, not so much the end result... at least until I get to the end then that will be what matters LOL.

I am not drinking soda. I know it's bad for me. I know it makes my restless leg syndrome act up, which leads to insomia, which leads to tired and cranky Tina who does not want to run. I can practically hear the calcium being sucked from my bones. No more soda. Not too much Alcohol... you know maybe some on Vicki and Liz's birthday and maybe one after the half marathon in October. But this summer was all about me enjoying a few cocktails with friends and boy oh boy did I.

I don't think I'm going to run a half, at least not to the limit. I think I'm going to enjoy the Nike Women's and if another half comes along I really want to run... and there is still room, I might jump in. No pressure. I want this whole experience to be about loving to run, loving to live, loving to be strong and have power here (pointing to my arms, then my legs, then my core, then my head). Its about quality time with my friends and setting a positive example for my kids and husband. This journey will take me to new places with familiar sights along the way.

What does it matter, that finish time, if getting there was a labor of pain instead of a labor of dedication and love? What finish line is it that you passed, succeeded, earned if you did not enjoy that journey to its fullest?

Limits

I've thought a lot about what my limits and my boundaries have been since I started running. I have gone far beyond what I thought I could ever do and thus blowing those ideas of limits out of the water. In the life of a parent I am very good at shutting those down and forgetting what I am capable of. Mostly I want to protect them, even by being "too safe and cautious" which isn't really helping them at all is it? I became a paranoid mommy. Not where I wanted to be in my parent style at all.

I never thought I would run a 10K much less a half or full marathon, but I did. I had to push those "limits" in myself to train for longer distances, for faster times, for conserving energy now so I could push it later. I had to learn to eat differently so I had energy to do things I never thought myself capable of. I had to retrain my mind with positive thoughts, not my usual process at all.

As a parent I am constantly worried about the boys getting hurt, physically, emotionally, spiritually. I built walls around us to keep us safe, those walls are mostly figurative but sometimes very physical when you see what my kids are allowed (or not allowed) to do compared to some of the other kids in our neighborhood. I don't let them play in the street. I don't allow them to go to someones house where I don't know the parents. I hover when they are online so they don't accidentally log into the wrong site. They have timers set for how long they can watch TV, play video games or have computer time. I force them to play outside with Blondy under constant supervision, and at age almost 9 I let Hollywood play outside with less supervision than before with the understanding that he knows his boundaries, knows he must check in every half hour and does not enter any ones backyard, house or car without coming and talking to me first. If I say no there will be no temper tantrums or talking back. Of course these are only a few of the obvious ways I protect my children but the list could go on all day I don't think you want me to bore you anymore with that. All in all, I built my walls pretty high.

It was so hard to climb those walls, jump over them and run, but thats exactly what I did. I always came back though. I needed to get a little Tina time in, not as a parent or a spouse for a little while. I learned that not only did I build walls around family to protect them but I built walls around myself and became of the world going on around me. So when I started to run I had little confidence in myself, but slowly and steadily I learned that there is a difference in LIMITS and BOUNDARIES. Limits are meant to be challenged and boundaries are what we have to keep us safe. My kids are getting the benefits too. A happy mom who is tearing down walls, setting boundaries broader and limits more as goals to overcome. Those walls around our family are not so high but still working on coming down s-l-o-w-l-y as my kids grow. Those walls around myself will be torn down and rebuilt over and over I think but at least they grow with my goals and are torn down with great friends, great runs, great coaches, great workouts, PR's and everyday wonderful achievements. Becoming a runner as taught me more about being a person, a wife, a friend, but mostly a parent than I could have ever imagined.

Trail Less Traveled and my walk for a cure

First a shout out to Ed who ran the Paris Marathon Sunday morning. He took in his first sub 4hour marathon despite the crowds and cobblestones. I'm sure when he gets home you can read all about it here. We're so proud (and so jealous) but can't wait to run with him again soon.

Trail Less Traveled. This trail run took us up and around the hills overlooking (kind of) Lake Oroville. My plan was to have no goal, to just go out and have fun, take my time and cross the finish line. Some of us ran the Quarter marathon and some of us ran the 5K. I took off too fast into the race and when I hit "the hill" I was dragging. This hill just kept going and going and going. Vicki said it was about .6 miles or so of up, up, up. You look around the next corner for a reprieve. There wasn't one. At 3/4 of the way up I had to walk. I was walking faster than I was running. It was so awful and all I wanted to do was throw up. Thank goodness I didn't. When the top came I was so relieved!

The rest of the race was a lot of up and downs but just enough to push me but not so much as to make me cry, which wouldn't have taken much I'm sure. I caught up with Susan and we talked for a while. There was these guys who popped out of the bushes. I hadn't seen them before so I think they were taking a potty break, LOL. We kept them motivated for a mile or so making them run if we got too close to them. It's funny what a girl behind you can do for motivation hu? By the time we got to about 5.5miles I passed the boys and kept pushing it home. I came in at 1hour 6 minutes and 46 seconds. That's 10:12 a mile. Not great but not bad for the first trail run out of shape.

I'm looking forward to upping my mileage again trying to hit 25-30 miles a week through the spring. Summer will include a 10K program and a 5K in June, the Avon Walk for Beast Cancer (more info on that below) with my friends and then the Nike Women's Half Marathon in October while training for the CIM again.

This summer I will participate in my 6th Avon Walk for Breast Cancer in SF. 26.2 miles on Saturday and 13.1 miles on Sunday to raise awareness for the fight against Breast Cancer. Each year I have a new reason to walk. This year my Uncle Larry has been re diagnosed with cancer and this time it won't be an easy fight. Actually it is eventually going to be terminal. Chemo and surgery will help him hold on for awhile but eventually the cancer will take over. My biggest hope is that finding a cure for Breast Cancer, that my Mother in law is a survivor from, will be a key to finding a cure for cancers like Pancreatic cancer that took my Grandpa, Leukemia that took my Uncle James, and stomach cancer that is effecting my Uncle Larry.

This charity is more than a walk to me. It's a family affair. My Aunt Sandy (Uncle James' wife, Uncle Larry's sister), my mom, my Grandma all do so much for me to walk. They are throwing this huge Bunco party for me and last year raised an amazing $2100 toward my two walks. So if any of you are in the bay area and would like to come hang out and play bunco on June 13th give me a call. I'd love to see you. My family is so amazing. My Mother in law and her friend Jewels have had wonderfully successful yard sales that have raised as much as $1200 for me in one day. My friend Jenni and I are having fundraisers to ensure that we both walk including a local bunco game here in Chico. You see that this is more than a walk, its a mission for me. I am thankful for every day that I spend with my family and friends, thankful for my health and thankful to have the power to help.

mom, me, Aunt Sandy in Long Beach for my 5th AWBC

Shamrock'n (aka Big Fat DNS)

This has been a crazy training season. I swear that anything and everything has told me not to run this race. My Garmin got eaten by my dog after I tried to fix it since I broke it. I lost my ipod that wasn't working anyway. I lost my $20 gloves that I loved, I got an abscess in my cheek that swelled my face to twice the size of normal and have a possible staff infection from it. OK I give up. I did not run today. It was not meant to be and I'm sad but I'm also willing to understand that missing one race is NOT the end of the world. These Crazy antibiotics I'm on are proof that I should wait a bit til I'm better before I do any hard core training.

That didn't stop me from getting up at 3:55am in order to be in Sac on time to support my friends. Vince and Ross ran their FIRST 1/2 marathon today and are feeling the repercussions now. LOL poor guys. Vicki, Liz, Ed and Tracy TD ran of course and all did very well. Some did exceptional! (Vicki's PR was an amazing improvement and Vince had never run a half came in at 1:47:07). Lisa Duke did amazing things today as well as the rest of the FF group! I'm so proud of them!


Today I was Fleet Feet Race Group Photographer. I got our Coach from the marathon program out of the gate and at the finish... the FIRST PLACE FINISH! I got a bunch of other people from the program's pictures too. I was so proud of everyone and it was kind of cool to be behind the camera again. I'm looking for my next race though and I'm thinking I may do a trail run or two before summer. I'm hoping for the Nike Half in October while training for CIM again. I'm planning to do Napa Valley Valley in March and I hope that the 4 months between is enough for me to recoup and keep going. I'd also like to do Chicago next year! Yea I'm a bit crazy. I need to work on core work and strength if I'm planning on undertaking these kind of miles again and again and again. In the next year and a half I have several short races, a couple half marathons and 3 more full marathons.

More Relay Report to Report

And the results are in! TTD and I took 2nd place in the women's Bidwell Classic Half Marathon relay team! Alan over at FF said we would place and I waved my hand to shoo him away and said I would just be happy to finish. This gave me the little nudge of confidence I need for next weekends Shamrock'n Half in Sacramento.

I haven't been doing so good on the eating front but this week I'm going to make more of an effort since Sunday really depends on it. I'm taking a little protein at every meal but being good about getting more carbs mostly from fruits and veggies until Thursday when I move into starchy glycemic rich foods to fuel my body for Sundays race. I should have NO problem carbing up on Saturday since it will be my nephew JJ's 1st Birthday party! Birthday cake here I come. I'll just need to remember to drink lots and lots and lots of water and not Over Stuff myself. It will be an early morning the next day and I'll need to have everything ready.

Tonight I had two taquitos (the ones that did not end up on the kids plates) and a baked potato with a half tablespoon of sour cream. I had broccoli salad, cut up half of an apple, dried cranberries, chopped cashews with a teaspoon of honey mustard dressing for lunch and ... no breakfast! I know I'm so bad but we had a yard sale today and it was go go go from the moment I woke up at the new 6am til I took it down at 1pm.

My dinner last night... WOW so super yummy. I had polenta in the fridge so I thought I'd make some polenta pizzas I through some rounds in the oven and started going through the fridge when I realized I really really really wanted huevos rancheros... sort of. I took out eggs and fried too to over hard, I had black beans and some southwest salsa to throw on there and ... what? Where did my cheese go? What the heck? (can you see my frantically searching through my tiny fridge that should take about 2 seconds to scan?) All I had was feta? So feta it was and it did make a pretty dish and it was OH SO YUMMY! I'm starting to feel a bit like Kai Kai and Caitlin getting foody on you and all. I love that they post food pix. I should do it more often but my food never looks as yummy as theirs does.

Relay

TodayI ran the Bidwell Classic Half marathon but I did the relay instead of the full since I'll be doing Shamrock'n next weekend! Remember last year when I ran the half marathon for the first time? This was that same race but I dreaded running around our beloved park TWICE again. So when I was asked to do the relay I jumped at it. TTD was my partner and she did the amazing first leg, so I went out for an easy 3 mile run before my leg of the race. I'm not sure what her time was but after the "exchange" point I turned the corner and headed through the finish line shoot and the time said 57min so I knew I needed to keep the 8:30 pace but I didn't have my Garmin and I didn't have my tunes so I was by myself out there.

Vince ran the first mile and a half with me and we were doing a little over 8 minute pace and I knew that was too fast so when he took the cut off I slowed down a bit and found the zone. Problem was the zone kept getting slower and slower until I realized people would start passing me! I sped up and found a faster happy place and by mile 4 I had caught up with a guy who was doing 7:40! I don't think he was going close to that fast when I was catching him but he didn't want me to beat him so he sped up. Men and their ego's hu? I stayed with him from mile 4-5 and decided I probably wouldn't finish if I kept that speed up. I slowed back down and took it easy mile 5-6. Probably too easy as I took the corner and could see the finish line I kicked it into high gear and sprinted! I practically ran over the gal in front of me to beat her to the mat on that last turn into the shoot.... sorry! Well kind of sorry, she knew I was behind her but stayed right in the middle of the narrow path anyway. I'm not exactly sure of our time but I looked at the clock and it said 01:51: ?? (I have no idea what the seconds were). TTD met me with water and a hug. What a great relay partner hu? I figure I ran about 8:30 pace and know that next weekend won't be that fast but I'm hoping for sub 9s anyhow. WAY TO GO EVERYONE! Both Ed and Susan took some pictures that I will post when I get them.

That sweet spot

So far we've had a good week. I took Sunday off of running and Monday the rain came. I headed out when the hubby got home and about a half of a mile in the rain started. Cindi didn't like it but as long as we kept moving everything was good. We took off towards KK's house and the levy and when we turned East onto the levy the wind and the rain came on strong. It was a hard run but we had a good 2.13 mile run in then turned around to head for home when the rain got harder. I have to say it was fun to go out and run next to the channel and have Cindi off her leash and the route to myself. I loved having the wind in my face on the way out so I could push myself through it and to my back on the way back. Once we got back to the houses and turned off the levy the wind wasn't so bad. I got home, soaked, dried the dog and got on with my day.

Tuesday's weather was high clouds and no rain, light wind. We did a .75 mile warm up then some plyometric work on the baseball field. then we did 1200m intervals at 15 seconds faster than 1/2 marathon pace. That was supposed to be 8:30-8:45pace. Of course I hung with Vicki, Liz and Vince (or tried) and did way faster intervals I was shooting for, more like 8 minute pace. I'm sore today. But I felt really good when I was done. I'm going to be sad when this program is over and I hope for the best for all of us in this half since it is quickly approaching.

Today I will be running with Good Neighbor and Gehrig, slow steady and great recovery run from last night.

Thursday is my long run so I won't have to have a sitter. Liz, Vicki, Vince and their significant others will be headed to Tahoe for a ski weekend and need to get it done early and if I get a weekend off of getting up early. Maybe I'll even make it to church this week.

My whole dream of doing one legged squats with the kettle bell... didn't happen. I'm having some guilt over spending more money on myself but I'm afraid to do the kettle bell thing myself.

Almond Blossoms

Do you pronounce the L in Almond? If you are a native to Chico, California you don't. Its almost a crime to pronounce it with one. EEEK! I still slip and I've been with a native boy for 14 years. Anywho...

I had been suffering through my long runs and hitting walls that had never been there before so my plan today was to eat right. Eat enough and hopefully fuel the way I should so tomorrow would be a better day than say... the last 6 or so weeks during my long runs. LOL. I ate oatmeal with peaches and milk (I guess it would be peaches and cream hu?) some granola sprinkled on top because I like the crunchy texture. I had a banana. Late morning I had some salad with romaine lettuce, broccoli salad, garbanzo beans, dried cranberries, carrots, feta cheese, artichoke hearts (soaked in water not oil) and 1 Tbsp poppy seed dressing. I was hungry right before picking up the boys so I picked up a burrito at Chipotle with yummy rice, grilled fajita veggies, steak, pinto beans, corn salsa, and a little bit of cheese. I don't know if I could eat anything else today I'm still stuffed at 7pm.

Tomorrow is that long run and we'll be leaving Vicki's at about 7:15am and headed to Durham where the annual Almond Blossom run will be taking place. Its about 7 miles out there +5k(unofficial) and a 2 mile cool down. We'll be having lunch in Durham before coming home. It will be nice to run with the gang. I can't really say girls since Ross and Vince have increased our group size and Ed, who is training for PARIS MARATHON, will be running with us also. I'll let you know how it goes.

Fast Pass

I did speed work out tonight and even though it hurt, it was cold, it was wet, it was not as fun as I had hoped it would be...I did it. 1.5 mile warm up with strides and 10x 800m at 10K pace and 40 seconds recovery between. I managed to hang with the girls and stick just a few seconds behind them. Each interval landed me in at about 4 minutes to 4min10seconds. Not too shabby. Ohhh and the hubby bought me a windbreaker/water resistant jacket and it came in handy since I ran in REAL RAIN not just drizzle tonight.

Since I've got Disneyland on the mind still I decided to use a bit of terminology for my post tonight. I passed the long line (no long run this week) and jumped in at the fast pass (speed work). Thursday long run, Saturday Almond Blossom 10K(kinda)and breakfast. Maybe some kettlebells and an easy run with Jenni in the morning. Cindi really, really, really needs it.

Pick up the slack

Blondy loves the Tower of Terror. We had to run across the park to make in on time befor it closed Friday night.

I really need to pick up the slack. I would count walking all over Disneyland for three days working out because I have to. I have done nothing in terms of running or working out this week. I started getting a headache coming over the Grapevine Saturday on I-5 (or "the 5 if I was from SoCal) and it just progressed into a migraine as the night wore on. I still have the headache. It doesn't want to let up. I'm hoping that a good workout tomorrow night and some nice weather for the next few days will help get me back into the swing of things. I will say that I ate very healthy while on our trip. I chose fruits and veggies as snacks and at dinner I chose a small protein and lots of veggies so I didn't gain 5lbs on our 3 day excursion like last year. Guess What? I still gained 5lbs. What the heck. Must have been retaining water or something, Dehydrated and puffy is my only excuse.

Tomorrow it starts again. Speed workout, Kettle bells on Wednesday and Friday. No MORE SLACKING. The Shamrock'n Half is just a few weeks away. No more excuses.

I did take my resting heartrate this morning before I got up and again tonight and they were both 55beats per minute. Pretty good. My resting heart rate when I started the half marathon program last January was 63bpm so I'm showing cardiovascular improvement. Lets see how the next few weeks go though. I may be kickin' myself for taking a week off.

Hey, you wanna see some more pics from Disneyland!?! Head on over to my other blog to get the story.

February Goal:Show your love and one legged squats

I'm not sure if this will be a monthly thing but I thought February would be a good time to set a smaller goal and break down that New Years Resolution into bite size pieces you know? I am also throwing out a February challenge to you so I won't be going at it alone you know...

First things First. Show your love. There are lots of ways I think you could do this. One thing I need to work on is positive reinforcement for the kids, the hubby and myself. We are too hard on each other. Instead of focusing on the things that are wrong at that moment think about speaking up when everything is going well. Congratulate on a 100% spelling test and reward with ice cream or a hot chocolate with extra marshmallows. Thank them for using their manners. Cultivate friendships. Have Coffee with a friend you haven't seen in awhile. Don't forget your non-human loves. Rescue a dog from the humane society if you are looking into bringing a pet into your home. Bring home special treat or toy for your cat.

Love the Earth. I'm selling Chico Bags to raise money for the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer. They are pink and brown. So cute! It is so good for the environment to carry your own bags when you are running to the market for something or the farmers market. When you take something from your house to your friends because they are on bed rest, had a baby or just are under the weather? Take the food in a Chico Bag and leave it for them to use again. You are showing your friends and the Earth Love.



Love your heart. It is the Month that women wear Red Dresses to raise awareness for Heart disease. Take care of you. Make a 30 day commitment to eat healthy (maybe less Pizza and more fun foods like stuffed butternut squash! Thanks Vicki!) for you and your family. You will all feel good and maybe the recipes and connection to your own health will become a habit. Exercise. I know most of you who read this do. Some may want to do MORE. set a goal. I had to decide to run a race. I don't particularly like the race part but it motivates me to train so I don't hurt myself or look like a total moron out there.

Love yourself: Tell yourself you are worth it. Take time for YOU, doing something you like even if you have to drag the rest of the family with you on a hike. Take some quiet time for you too. Read a book or an article you have been waiting to read. Read 15 minutes of the Bible every day if you haven't and that interests you. Wow, what a concept that was for me when I had little ones. I felt like all I was doing for 24 hours a day 7 days a week was cooking cleaning and serving nourishment from my TaTa's. I was drained and exhausted and didn't feel like I had anything else to give...but those few minutes a day I found my connection to God more strong then ever. To each their own. I didn't think of doing that til someone brought it to my attention so I'm just putting it out there. Smile when you look in the mirror. I know its hard but don't look for the flaws, look for the things you like, every day and it should get easier (I'm going to work hard on this one, we are all so self critical aren't we?).

This month besides loving someone else, loving my family, my heart, my Faith, myself. My big physical goal this month is to do 10 Kettle bell one legged squats on each leg. Yea I'm a freak and I should have started with 20 push ups or something "normal" but I always wanted to be able to do them so that's what I'm putting on my plate.