Lazy Bones Running

And a Final 400, For Time

2012-02-07T06:30:00.003-07:00

Coach Dean interrupted my thoughts
"And run a final 400. For Time."

I was still trying to catch my breath after running a 5K on the track. The workout was 12 laps (400 meters a lap) at 5K pace. Hit each one at 1:45 and he assigned it to three runners. Michael, Me and Jamie.

First lap 1:47. 2 seconds off
Second lap 1:49. 4 seconds off. 6 seconds off now.
Third Lap 1:45. Nailed it.
I knew better than to think I could make up the lost 6 seconds and my goal was to hit 1:45's the rest of the laps

Jamie, full of constant aches, pains and excuses slowed after 6 laps. Michael and continued to run together hitting the 1:45's. I broke up the workout into three parts, basically a mile each. I would count out 4 laps and then restart the count. One lap at a time is the only way to do a workout and not think of it all in one lump.

Mile 1 7:06
Mile 2 7:03

With 3 laps to go Coach Dean joined us. Quit looking at your watch he advised...no he demanded to quit looking at the watch. Matter of fact, he even took Jamie's watch away from him before we started running.

Dean gave more advice
Quick feet. Quick turnover
Relax your shoulders
Pick up your feet
Look straight ahead

With 1.5 laps to go Dean said only 600 left. I had already made up my mind this was going to be a full 5K for me. I was going to run an extra 200 meters. 800 left I called out.

For a number of years I've had a goal to break 22 minutes in a 5K and Dean knowing my goal, put the opportunity in front of me.

Third Mile 7:03

With a final 200 left and feeling of wanting the throw up, I finished with 21:58, a two second PR.

Having a full recovery, Michael, Jamie and I took off for our final 400. Watching Michael and Jamie run away from me, I ran my 400 in a surprising 1:39 even with heavy legs and being tired.

Another successful workout in the running log. Tell me about your last successful workout. Was it a track workout, a tempo run, long run?

Happy Running!

Freeze Your Thorns Off 5K

2012-01-29T15:10:00.002-07:00

The Freeze Your Thorns Off 5K started off like any other race, a pre-race winner, baby throw-up and Adam almost being arrested.

Adam, with the Boring Running blog, put on an awesome race again. While the rest of the world is running the Virtual Race, a group of us met in Papago Park in Phoenix Arizona and froze our thorns off. I showed up early to get a run in and saw Adam and Jeff running towards me. Turning, I found out Jeff was running his race early and so I tagged along and became the annoying person saying "you're almost there." Jeff finished with a PR and a giant smile (in between trying to catch his breath).

Getting back to the parking area where Adam and Jeff parked, I wondered how they parked where they did. It turns out that Rebel Adam, moved the barricades to park in the area reserved for a company picnic from 8am to 6:30pm. The park ranger came and threatened to arrest Adam if he didn't vacate the area immediately. That's what I imagine happened but there may be some stretching of my imagination. When we left at 9:30 there was still NO ONE there for the company picnic so what harm would it actually have caused for us to have been there? Oh well....that's why people reserve the area to keep hoodlums like Adam out of reserved area.

Somewhere in the 8 o'clock hour we lined up and received instructions from our fearless race director, Adam.

There's a turn around 1.5 miles out that you can't miss

The turn around is NOT the same as the big pole in front of the flour markings

I've took on the role of official race photographer and captured pictures of the race.

Dan and dog

My fav picture. He wanted to be running for the pic

The race winner

Even though I didn't recognize her as part of our group and didn't have a bib on, I took her picture anyways. She smiled for her race picture but was just out for a regular run.

And the baby throwup...luckily there is no picture of that but rumor has it that Adam's wife's car needs to be detailed now. Good thing it's winter and the sun doesn't heat up the car too much.

Much happier baby after projecting baby throw-up all over the inside of the car

Adam again made his infamous homemade medals and everyone got one.

Including the dog!

Happy Running!

Which Marathon to Run?

2012-01-21T12:20:00.002-07:00

I'm waffling if I want to run a spring marathon and if I do, which one. John wants to run Whiskey Row Marathon in Prescott, Az on May 5th.

The description of the race course leaves me trembling

This out-and-back course is considered one of the most challenging in the United States. Starting at 5,280 feet, the elevation increases to 7,000 feet over the first seven miles, then down to 5,600 feet at the 13-mile turn around. The course is paved road for the first and last five miles, while the rest of the running route is a trail race on a dirt road maintained by the US Forest Service.

I've run the half and it's a TOUGH course. Times that course by 2 and I'm not sure I have it in me to run serious hills for a marathon. Running Whiskey Row though does give me a break on not having to hit a specific time or get a BQ. The goal would be to finish the race in one piece with a smile on my face. Training for the race is in line with training for the SF Half Marathon I'm running in April. In order to be ready for the SF Half, I need hill training and to run a little more hills (eye roll on the little more hills) I could do Whiskey Row.

There is a possibility John is out of town that weekend and I don't want to run Whiskey Row hills unless I have to. If that's the case, I am eyeballing the Orange County Marathon in Newport Beach, CA on the same weekend. If I run that race, I'm going for a BQ (Boston Qualifier). The course description sounds beautiful.

The first mile of the Marathon course includes a breathtaking panorama of the Pacific Ocean before winding through the seaside village of Corona del Mar including the spectacular Ocean Blvd. with cliff side views of Big Corona del Mar State Beach. It traverses down Bayside Drive, past the Newport Harbor Yacht Clubs and homes and boats of Newport Harbor. Exceptional views await runners at the bluffs overlooking the Upper Newport Bay Estuary Reserve as are the supportive cheers of neighborhood residents.

But the race isn't without it's hills.

The Full Marathon course is net downhill in elevation from start to finish. The first 6.5 miles will be extremely fast with only minor inclines. Mile 6.5 to 7.0 is the only significant hill on the course taking the runners from 15 feet to 75 feet. The course is then mostly flat through mile 10.5 with a couple rolling hills to 11.5. There is another 45' incline at mile 14.5 over the 405 overpass and a 40' incline slightly over 1/4 of a mile in length at mile 23 after leaving Fairview Park. These are all relatively small hills.

I love it when someone says it's a small hill. Is that a runner saying that? Or a person driving their car? When you're tired there is no "small" hill.

So my choice right now are two totally different races that would be run very differently. Whiskey Row is $80 through 4/14 and OC is $100 till 3/31 and then the prices increase.

I have some time to decide which one. In the meantime though I need to get hill training in and long runs. I ran 16 this morning in preparation for one of the races. The run went well except some knee issues the last three miles (IT band saying hello maybe? I think I'll tell it goodbye).

What are your thoughts? Go for the cheaper, hard, hilly race with fewer expectations or the flatter, more expensive course with hopes of getting another BQ?

Getting My Day in Court

2012-01-19T20:07:00.000-07:00

I won!
I should be happy!
Even Ecstatic!

But for any winner, there is someone who isn't so happy.
It's not a good day for them.
And frankly, besides being glad that the day is over and the judgement was in my favor,
it's not a good day for me either.

As a landlord, there are difficult decisions to be made when someone doesn't abide by the rules.
The number one rule is pay rent and hopefully pay it on time as well.

But even if you can't pay it on time,
pay a little.
Pay Something!
Make an effort to say YES.
Yes, you do want to live there and don't expect to live for free.
Don't blame the landlord for filing for an eviction after you pay zip.
After you miss all the dates you said you would pay something.
Don't push and put the landlord in a position where there are no more choices.

It's not easy being a landlord knowing that you have no place to go.
That your kind heart which takes in and cares for pets has no place to go.
I know you're good people.
And so am I.
It's not personal.
I wish you luck and I'm sorry our relationship had to end this way.

Discussion with the Bomb Squad

2012-01-17T21:11:00.002-07:00

Each year I get excited when the PF Changs Rock and Roll marathon and half takes to the streets in January. Even thought I haven't run the half in a couple years, I shop enthusiastically at the expo and gaze at the tourists wondering if they are running the race. Last year I rode in the press truck and watched Josh Cox set the American record in the 50K. This year, not having any VIP plans, I volunteered for the start of the marathon.

Arriving at 5am for a marathon start seemed early and for a bit there was nothing to do. Around 5:30am, after putting small water bottles out on tables, I was given the Warm Zone for my assignment. Runners prepaid $45 for a warm room, food, water/juice, free parking and coveted indoor toilets. It was my job to check everyone's wrist bracelet before letting runners in. And yes, there were many people who wanted in without the bracelet and I got a handful of dirty looks.

A few runners milled around the Warm Zone when it opened at 6am. Out of place though were 4 men in khaki pants, matching shoes, black shirts and guns standing around laughing. Not being shy and wondering what they were doing I approached them. Their humor was dark while they joked they were there to motivated people but had to motivate each other first.

"Really, what are you doing," I asked.

"We're the bomb squad"

I think my jaw dropped some and I looked into the sky, saw the city sky scrapers and it made sense. Thousands of people show up in one location would be a target for some evil person. They told me that all majors marathons have the bomb squad come in and secure the area. I never would have guessed.

Next time you run a major race, take comfort in the fact that a portion of your race fees include handsome men with their bomb sniffing dogs scouring the area so you have a safe race.

Happy Running!

Ragnar Relay Florida Keys

2012-01-15T15:13:00.000-07:00

What happens when you throw 12 people (many of them strangers) into a van and tell them to run 200 miles from Miami to Florida Keys? You get

Ballistic Buttercups at a Ragnar Relay

This race was by far my best Ragnar race yet. The people in the van, the scenery and the after party in Key West made the Ragnar experience fantastic.

A month before the race the team was off to a bumpy start. Our team captain had put together two teams, primarily consisting of runners from Tampa and a few other runners from Minnesota, Wisconsin, Georgia and Arizona. Two years ago I ran Central Florida with them and was invited to run the Keys with them. A month before the race the team captain became AWOL and wouldn't return phone calls and emails. Mike stepped up and became team captain for Ballistic Buttercups and I became team captain for Ballistic Buttercups Too. Mike finalized all the arrangements and pulled everything together.

I met the team after I arrived in Miami for dinner and met everyone on the two 12 person teams and our 4 drivers. Having run Ragnars before with some of the people, I already knew 6 of the people. This is better than some other Ragnars where I know one or even none of the people I'm running with. Later that night we squeezed 6 people into a room. 3 in one bed, 2 on a very uncomfortable pull out and one on the floor (probably better than the pull-out).

Most of the two teams at the start line in Miami

Of the two teams, team one was faster (I was on team 2) and projected to finish 45 minutes ahead of us. Team 2 started at 10:30am and Team 1 started at 11am which left the question when would team one zoom by us?

Petey hangs on for dear life on our van

As runner 7, I was the first runner in van 2 and we had some time to kill before starting our running. In the grocery store parking lot we taped Petey(blow up parrot) to the antenna and van hood, put more decorations on our van including the pink straw hat on the roof and made our way to exchange 6 at the Miami zoo. While I was waiting for our runner, team 1's runner 7 showed up to wait for their runner. Matt was going to run 5:30's compared to my 8's. If I could have enough lead I would finish my 5.3 miles before he caught me. Throughout my run I looked over my shoulder. When I crossed the exchange I shouted Matt didn't pass me! Success.

Lori, Carrie and me at the start

I don't worry if I'll get along with my van mates because we all have running in common and can put up with each other for 30 hours. I had run Florida Central and Chicago with Lori whose from Wisconsin. Emily and Carrie were from Minnesota with Bryan and Vu from Tampa. I was very fortunate we got along so well and had many, many laughs...many at Bryan's expense. Poor Bryan...aka Bry Bry, as a 19 year old, entertaining young man, he was perfect playdoh for the 4 "older" women and we embarrassed him more than once.

Carrie and cute Bry Bry. He looks so big.

After my second leg of 10 miles, I learned the first team was 20 minutes behind projections. One runner went a mile off course and another runner unfortunately was injured. We weren't in the clear though because they had some awesome runners and could EASILY make up time but I still did a happy dance for holding off the other team.

The third leg of 4+ miles was around 11am and in the full sun it was hot, hot, hot. I was grumpy. In the distance I saw the lights of a cop car (which isn't unusual because they help monitor traffic and cross runners at some exchanges). It seemed way too soon for the exchange but I could also see the port-a-potties, which meant that was the exchange. Finally I reached the cop and port-a-potties. "It's just across the bridge" the cop called out. Just across means something totally different to me running in the heat as compared to a cop standing there. Just across means, I cross the bridge and the exchange is there. RIGHT there; not another half mile down the road.

I finished my 3rd leg with a 7:50 pace and jumped in the van. The last set of legs were only 2-3 miles and there was no time for wasting at the exchanges. We had to get moving to get to the next exchange quickly. For each runner after that (except Bry Bry who ran the team in) I had an ice pack waiting for them when they finished. Everyone did really well in the heat and no one passed out.

My exchange wasn't the only one with misplaced port-a-potties. The next set of legs we saw port-a-potties on the wrong side of bridges and one set was in the middle of no-where..probably a mile from where they should have been.

Mike and me with our team captain hats and finisher medals.

Our team finished at 2:15pm and then waited for the first team to come in. You know, the one that was going to pass us during the race? They didn't pass us but the question is who would win. The other team started 30 minutes after us and if they came in before 2:45, they would beat us. On the other side of the road the other team hung out talking while they waited for their final runner to come in. I watched carefully for signs they were expecting him. At 2:44 I looked at my watch and declared if they didn't come in the next minute, we won. 2:45 came and we high fived for beating the other team.

Two medals...one for the Keys finish and a second one for running any other race in 2011 and the 2012 keys

As the underdogs we were expecting to be beat by 45 minutes and we ended up beating the other team by 10 minutes with a final time 27:57:03. You just never know what is going to happen in a Ragnar race.

At the finish line on the beach in Key West

Happy Running!

First Follower: Leadership

2012-01-07T08:27:00.000-07:00

I first saw this video at a Women's Leadership Conference a couple months ago. Where the guy just looked like a giant goofball at the beginning, it turned into a leader with a following. Running can often be like that too. A goofball out there running and next thing you know, you've encouraged someone else to get out there and run too.

Bandido's 10 Mile Race

2012-01-02T14:26:00.002-07:00

Traditionally the Bandido 10 Mile race is the first race of the new year, but this year it fell so it was the last race on 12/31. It is a low key 10 mile, well organized race along the bike path on the canal and about 75 runners attend. An extra bonus is it's only $2 and there are bananas, power bars, Gatorade and water at the end.

The race started at Granada Park with water around 2.5 and turn around at 19th ave. At the turn around a volunteer (thanks Jeff!) called out the 5 mile split time. There are two street crossings where volunteers (thanks Brett) held stop signs holding traffic for the runners. Last year there were photographers on the course but I didn't see them this year. The first place male and female runners win a terra cotta pot with an aloe vera plant.

As I often do, I show up to a race thinking I'll treat it as a training run. Once there though my competitive nature kicks in and I go for it. My goal was to run 8:00's and not run too hard since I have Ragnar Relay Florida Keys next weekend. The first 2 miles were MISERABLE. My lower legs ached and burned and had I been out for a run, I would have stopped and I seriously considered it. I know that it takes me 2+ miles to warm up and was hoping the pain would stop, which thankfully it did. At 5 miles I thought there would be a water station but there wasn't. I didn't need it but wished there was one. I finished in 1:18:24, 7:50 pace.

My co-worker is training for the PF Changs half marathon and she ran this race to get in her 10 miler, her longest distance to date. After I finished, I ran back to get her and was so tired I had to walk some. When I met up with her she was running strong and I had to pick up my sluggish pace. I love seeing new runners get out and run and train for a half marathon. She did so awesome and I'm proud to watch her run towards her goal.

Two days later my legs are incredibly tired and ache. My run this morning was very tough and I had to stop after 2 miles and turn back. At least I got out there and got the blood flowing. I only hope that come Friday, my legs are refreshed and ready to race from Miami to Key West.

Resolutions

2012-01-01T07:51:00.000-07:00

I'm feeling a little groggy, with a mild headache after a non-wild and crazy evening. Staying up late will do that to me and I was in bed before midnight too. Guess I'm just getting older.

Many people set resolutions for the new year. Coach Dean wrote a blog post about NOT setting resolutions. Why wait until January 1st to set about making a change? Just start the change. For me the first of the year is perfect to reset my thinking regarding food after the indulgent holiday season. Amanda at Run to the Finish has started a challenge to keep a food journal for the month of January. To start off the challenge I updated my profile and weight at Fat Secret, an online food journal. Weighing myself was a shock. I knew I was heavier but had no idea 6 lbs crept on during the holidays. I'm going to clean out the freezer and set up my pantry list with the app Out of Milk. The question is do I keep or toss the chocolate chips. It's not that I won't allow myself sweets but if something like chocolate chips are around, I'll eat them.

While I won't set up specific resolutions, I do write a letter to myself as if it was the end of the year already. I got the idea from Jess at Jess LC. I need to find my letter to myself last year and see how I've done. I've found that writing down desires and goals they come true. For example, in December 2009 I made a 101 things in 1001 days. Some of the things were long shots that I didn't think I would really work towards them yet they came to be. I wrote down go to Maine for no particular reason because I thought it would be beautiful. I had no desire to truly plan a trip to Maine and make it happen making it a long shot. In April, after running the Boston marathon, John and I took a trip to Maine. Another example is I put in the list, "plant a lemon tree". We have an orange tree on order to be delivered in March, after the threat of frost is past. Writing down desires is powerful.

I challenge you to write a letter to yourself, make a 101 things in 1001 days list, or a list of things to accomplish. This isn't meant to be a resolution list or something to beat yourself up list. Maybe call it a wishlist instead. Just something to put down ideas in writing, even if they are long shots.

What goal setting do you do? Do you write letters to yourself? Do you have a 101 things list?

Flash Mob in California Shopping Mall

2011-12-23T06:29:00.000-07:00

Enjoy this flash mob performance that took place December 18th at the South Bay Galleria in Redondo Beach, California

Ramblings of Events

2011-12-14T19:01:00.000-07:00

I've been quiet on the blogging front. Not because I'm not running but I've lost my blogging mojo. I still have lots of ideas while I'm out running but to sit down and take the time isn't happening right now, and that's ok. The important thing is I'm running (hurray!) I have the day off today and thought I'd post a couple race reports and happenings.

Today is the third day of rain in Phoenix. First of all, it hardly rains and when it does, it spits for 10 minutes, everyone complains about traffic and how people don't know how to drive in the rain and then the rain stops. I'm getting in gardening and composting and now run around with buckets collecting rain water. I need a 50 gallon or bigger rain barrel with a spout at the bottom to really being able to harvest and store the rain. After arriving home yesterday, I dumped my rain buckets by the citrus trees and noticed the rain stopped and went out for a run. It's so wonderful running after a rain. Everything is wet, clean and smells good and with the weather being cool I can run a decent pace.

I'm training for Ragnar Relay Florida Keys on January 6-7th. Starting in Miami and running all the way to the keys, this is going to be an awesome race. I'm not sure how much of the water I'll be able to see while running because I think there is a cement barrier between road and water but I'll be able to see the water while in the van. The group I'm running with has two teams and at first we were equally matched. Changes in the runners means they are faster than us and start 30 minutes later. I sandbagged my time about 15 seconds per mile/pace so I'm hoping our team has more sandbaggers and we can hold off the team from passing us.

Two weeks ago I ran the Cave Creek Luminaria 5K race. I have never been as late for a race as I was this one. I took the wrong roads to get there and arrived at the starting line with 2 minutes to spare. Considering I like to be at a race an hour before, that was seriously cutting it close for me. The race started at 5:15pm and when the sun went down, you could see he course lined with paper bags, candles glowing inside. I finished in a surprising 22:18, was 5th overall female but got third in my age group.

Last weekend was the Sally Meyerhoff Foundation 5K race. Sally Meyerhoff was an elite, local athlete who was killed in a cycling accident March 8th, 2011. Her family created an organization to raise fund to help striving, elite runners towards their goals. "The Sally Meyerhoff Foundation is committed to helping distance runners and triathletes pursue their dreams that Sally was so passionate about. This may include travel expenses, running gear and entry fees, just to name a few." Sally always wore pink socks and cheetah print when she raced and in honor of her, many people also pink compression socks, me included. The race was an old fashioned, timed race, where the bottom of the bib was tore off and turned in at the finish line. With 1000 people on the narrow canal, the race start was slow but eventually thinned out and I picked up my pace with a Garmin finishing time of 23:13. It's still hard to believe that Sally is no longer with us but her slogan "Be Relentlessly Positive" will stay with us forever.

Back in April 2010 my then 16 year old cat, Nugget, was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism. I considered doing a radiation treatment called Radio Cat, but decided against it. Nugget did very well on the twice a day pills which he gladly took using a pill pocket until this summer. I took care of my parents cat during the summer, which stressed him and he had digestive issues. Even after returning the babysat cat to my parents Nugget didn't bounce back, quit taking his pill and eating. I had a tough decision to make and had the vet come over October 13. Nugget was 17 years old and although people say that was old, I thought I had another 5 years with him. I made a donation to a local, non-kill shelter, AAWL, in his name.

On Sunday I went to the AAWL shelter and adopted a four year old female cat named Kalihari or Kali for short. She's very sweet and purrs SUPER LOUD. I'm keeping her separate from Sundae, my 11 year old, for a couple more days. Kali is adapting great to the new house. Sundae isn't sure at all about the changes and has taken to sleeping under the bed and hisses through closed doors. Despite Sundae's reluctance, I'm pleased with the integration of Kali into our household.

I'm off now to eat some hot, freshly made cranberry bread I made this morning. Yum.

Happy Running!

Sugar Plum Fairy

2011-12-14T07:06:00.000-07:00

I watched in amazement how beautifully they played this song on crystal glasses. Enjoy.Glass Duo (Poland) - Chamber Music Festival in Bologna, Italy - June 2010.Placed in Chiostro della Basilica di Santo Stefano.Festival di Santo Stefano XXII edizione.P.Tchaikovsky - Sugar Plum Fairy (The Nutcracker)

Olympic Athletes Participate in Extra Curricular Activities

2011-12-09T19:37:00.001-07:00

While reading an article on The Sun website about the luxuriousness digs for the 2012 Olympians in the Olympic Village, an out of context sentence caught my eye.

Athletes in the village will share two to a room so they can getto know each other as well as they want — at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and the2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics, Games organisers provided 100,000 condoms forthe competitors.
At Sydney in 2000, they apparently provided only 70,000 — andhad to order in an extra 20,000.
It's not yet known how many condoms the London 2012 organisers are planning to give out...

There are over 10,000 athletes that participate in the games which means each competitor is allocated almost 10 condoms a person. Are they there to compete in their sport or to compete in how many one night stands they can have? I'm sure the distribution of the condoms is also for the coaches, trainers, etc and not strictly for the athletes.

It makes me realize though how naive I am to think the athletes go there just to compete. After the competition (or maybe before as well), it must be one heck of a party.

Happy Running!

Anthem Turkey Trot

2011-11-28T07:03:00.001-07:00

I love the race graphics

Thanksgiving wouldn't be Thanksgiving without a Turkey Trot. Living in Phoenix there were 4 trots to choose from. Mesa and Anthem were a 10K, Peoria a 10 miler and Phoenix was a 5K. Even though Mesa is my favorite, I chose Anthem because it wasn't quite as far of a drive and I had to drive to Mesa later the day for Thanksgiving.

Turkey Trot's have later starts and this was no different starting at 8:45am. This gave me time to sleep in, buy the coveted newspaper with all the ads and have a leisurely morning and race warm-up. The course was a double loop course (once for the 5K) and the first part climbed uphill and second part downhill (amazing how that works...what goes up, must come down).

I ran well and finished strong with an unofficial 47:57. When the results were printed and posted I wasn't listed. I trotted over to the timing trailer and asked if I should be concerned I wasn't listed. He asked my time and said No, he had a gap and as filling it in. My guess is because the 5K and 10K ran together, I was probably classified under the 5k race.

Bottle of wine and T-shirt (there were pink shirts for girls but I'm not a pink type of gal and opted for the dark grey)

Looking over the results that were printed, I figured I had a good chance for an age group award. I almost checked with the announcer before he started the awards to make sure the times looked right but thought naaa, this is what he does. Of course he would have the current, correct results. You guessed it, he read my age group awards and the winning time was 49 something. I went up and explained that my time was faster and I was left off the initial results. Another lady in the age group said the same thing and a 15 year old also chimed in. The announcer made it right by announcing our names and we got our bottle of wine. For once, I feel like I'm in Europe getting a bottle of wine like Black Knight and Giorgio.

I left after getting my award but felt sorry for the announcer. All the age group awards would be messed up since there was a gap around the 48 minute mark.

I hope everyone had a great thanksgiving and ate lots of fantastic food. I know I did.

Happy Running!

Day One of HBBC Challenge

2011-11-19T08:46:00.001-07:00

There is no better way of going through the holidays than with the HBBC challenge to keep me focused. HBBC stands for Holiday Bootie Buster Challenge and is sponsored by Run to the Finish. Starting November 19 through January 6th I'll get points for doing what I love...RUNNING. I'll have lots of opportunities to win prizes too. I LOVE to win prizes.

To start off the challenge I went out for a 10 mile run. The first 1 mile was tough, achy and I had some serious discussions going on in my head. Around mile 4.5 I went off to find some friends that were starting running at 7am. I was at a turn around point so I knew I wouldn't run long with them but wanted to do something different. It was a big group and even Hunter was out running. It's hard to complain that 7am is too early, especially in the winter when the weather is awesome so Hunter was out. My trying something different to run a bit with friends turned my 10 mile run into a 12 mile run. Love it!

I'm feeling good. Cautious, but good about my running. I've had two weeks of minimal, relatively slow, running without incident. Calf is good. IT is good. All is good. On Monday I'll go back to track and TRY to ease into it. That's one of my problems...things are black/white...on/off...run hard/not at all.

Back to the challenge. I have 12 points now and can earn another point each day if I eat 7 servings of fruits/veggies. I also want to take this time to minimize the sweets. Store bought sweets I'll can usually say no to. Homemade sweets I'm a sucker for and they are so good. I also enjoy baking so I'll find a balance there somewhere. I won't get points for cutting out sweets but I'll feel better overall.

It's not too late to join the HBBC challenge and stay active during the holidays.

Happy Running!

Women's Half Marathon

2011-11-06T17:42:00.000-07:00

Not knowing what to expect from the second running of the Women's Half Marathon from Scottsdale to Tempe, I am happily pleased with the outcome. My co-workers decided to run it and I was terribly excited for them. To hit that point where EVERY step is further than they have EVER run before gives me goose bumps. I remember that feeling and remember that knowledge temporarily drowns out the pain towards the end of the race.

Earlier this week on Tuesday I took a run to see how the calf would do and was pleased the four mile run went well. At least I know I could run. The question was could I run 13.1 miles without a calf issue. At the expo I spurged and bought hot pink CEP compression socks. I already have compression sleeves (like the sock but without the foot part) but I had wanted a pair a hot pink in memory of Sally Meyerhoff. Sally was a local, elite runner who always wore always wore hot pink socks. Tragically she died earlier this year. I'll think of her when I wear them and be motivated by her enthusiasm and positive attitude.

One note about the packet pick up. Packet pickup was in a much bigger room this year and it flowed well. My friend needed a larger shirt and they wouldn't exchange it for her. She could come back 5 hours later and they would see if they could exchange it. They didn't want to run out of the shirts for people still picking up their race packets/shirts. First of all, they order extra because they want people to sign up at the last minute. Second, if someone wants to size up, there is most likely someone who will want to size down. In the end everyone is happy. Refusing to exchange a shirt means my friend will not wear her shirt (loss of free advertising for the race and sponsors) and it sours the experience.

The weather, as often is in Arizona, was picture perfect, temperature perfect running weather. The start line area with the start, gear buses and port-a-potties was congested with the increased of women from last year. It's so exciting to see all the women together running a half. There were quite a few men too which probably signed up to run with a friend or spouse and enjoy the "view" of the race.

In the weeks leading up to the race we had "meetings" at work and Julie, who ran it last year with me, mentioned the hills. I couldn't remember the hills and didn't study the race course and elevation chart before the race. When I came to each hill my memory came back to me. "Oh, THIS hill" I would tell myself "and THIS hill". The race is billed as a downhill course but there are a lot of gradual hills. I made a mental note to myself to read my race report before next year race to remember the hills.

My first mile was right where I wanted it to be 8:29. My goal was to start slow, see how it I was feeling and adjust from there. After the first mile I speed up, maybe too fast.

Mile 2 8:07

Mile 3 8:07

Mile 4 8:06

Mile 5 8:13

Mile 6 7:48 (wow...this surprises me until you see the elevation chart and the downhill)

Mile 7 7:53 - nice pace considering the hill

Mile 8 7:44- This was a motivating mile because leaders were coming back past us. The leader seemed to have a good 5 minute lead on second place. I love cheering on the runners when a race double backs over itself.

Mile 9 7:56

At this point I was getting tired and while my calf presented NO discomfort at all, the right knee/IT band was flaring up. Fortunately it was minor and didn't cause me to hobble.

Mile 10 8:13

Mile 11 8:13

Mile 12 8:14

The last mile I was tired but I knew I was almost done. I was running. The weather was perfect and I was almost done.

Mile 13 8:22

I ran through the shoot waving my arms up getting people to cheer. If your a spectator at a finishing shoot your job is to cheer for any runner coming through...whether you know the runner or not.

I finished the race with an unofficial time of 1:47:19, grabbed a water, banana and granola and headed back on the course to find my friends. I was a fish swimming upstream on the edge of the street cheering on runners as I ran back almost 1.5 miles to find them (IT band was not a happy camper). One awesome thing about this race is the names on the race bib. It made it so easy to cheer individuals on calling out their name.

My friends did awesome and I'm so proud of them for running their first half marathon!

Jessie, Ann, Me, Lizeth and Angelica

And to top off the perfect day, I came home and watched the NY City Marathon on TV and took a nap.

Happy Running!

Am I Meant to be Runner?

2011-10-23T07:59:00.001-07:00

Ok, this is a whiny post but I'll try and keep it brief. Over the weekend I pulled a calf muscle again; the same one I did in August. What's frustrating is I posted last week about how I had a plan with speed work and now I'm injured again.

I'm hoping to lay low for two weeks and still run the Women's Half Marathon in two weeks. I know it's a risk to run it and make it worse during the race. I have two weeks to decide what to do.

This leads me to the question Am I meant to be a runner? I've had various injuries off and on this year and am wondering if I'm really not meant to be a runner. Maybe I need to run only 2-3 days a week and make biking or something else more prominent than the running. I could try yoga and at home DVD's. I know there are lots of options and I can explore them. I'm not sure what to do and I know there isn't an answer to the question.

Do you ever feel like maybe you just aren't meant to be a runner?

Happy Running!

Speedwork

2011-10-20T16:57:00.004-07:00

One of my goals is to break 22 minutes in the 5K. Just writing down that goal isn't enough and I'm to a point where I will actually train towards it. I wrote down that goal two years ago and thought through normal running and weekly speed work I could hit the goal. So far that hasn't been the case but I have a plan. I always have a plan.

On Monday's I'm going to run with RxRunning at the track where they do shorter distances in speedwork. Last week was 600,400,300,200,100 at 5K, mile, 800,800 and as fast as you could go pace, respectively. This weeks workout was 400's at 5K pace with 60 second rest. What was great about the workout is I ran 1:41-1:45 for 12 400's and the final two Coach Dean ran with me and I hit 1:34 both times. He was very adamant for me to NOT look at my watch and run by feel. I use the watch to pull back and say 'I'm running too fast' and regulate myself to a slower more comfortable pace. For two laps I didn't and I was amazed at how fast I ran the 400's. Granted, it hurt but I still ran them faster than I have. Just imagine...if I can run 1:40's consistently (I can't do 1:34's all the time) and that becomes normal I'm closer to being able to run 7 minute miles during a 5K and hit my goal.

On Tuesday's I'll run with the ARR group where we run longer distances, ie 1000's but at a 5K goal race pace of 1:45's a lap. I'll also take the full 4-5 minute rest between intervals.

So that's the plan....one night of fast speed work 5K or faster and the next night of goal paced running. I'll string it all together and run a 5K in November/December. I don't expect to hit 22 min that soon but I have roughly 5 months through April of awesome winter running that I will continue improving and work on hitting my goal.

Happy Running!

Get Your Bootie in Line

2011-10-16T10:48:00.001-07:00

Halloween is the start of it all. Candy in the office. Bite size candy in the stores screaming bring me home. I don't dare buy halloween candy too early because I might open the bag and once the bag is open it's empty within days.

Next up is Thanksgiving with yummy pie's and cranberry salad. Christmas is homemade baked goodies and then New Years with onion dip and potato chips. It's an eat-fest for the next 3 months.

The best way to combat the temptation and negatate some of the holiday calories is to sign up for Amanda's Holiday Bootie Buster Challenge from Run to the Finish. From November 19th thru January 6th you can earn points towards prize for exercising and staying fit and focused during the holidays.

Read all about her awesome challenge here and Bust Your Bootie this holiday season.

Volunteering for Ragnar Relay

2011-10-15T17:35:00.002-07:00

It's almost Friturday (Friday running into Saturday) which means another Ragnar Relay! I put together this page to pass on information to my volunteers for the next Ragnar. Thanks so much for volunteering! If you have questions, feel free to comment or send me an email at cheinle at cox dot net.

Whatis Ragnar Relay?

RagnarRelay is where 12 people run about 200 miles in about 24 hours. Runner one starts on Friday morning and runs about six miles and hands off at the exchange to runner two. Runner two runs about six miles and hands off to runner three. Rinse andrepeat. When runner 12 finishes, he hands off to runner one again and itstarts again. Each runner runs three times anywhere from 12-24 totalmiles finishing sometime on Saturday.

Florida Central 2010 Team Horny Toads

There are two vans, each holding 6 runners. When van one is running, van two is resting. When van two is running, van one is resting.

The exception to the above is an ultra team. An ultra team has six runners (or less) and runs two legs before handing off to the next runner. All six runners may be in one vehicle or there may be two vehicles with three runners in each van.

TheExchange

We areworking the exchange where the runners hand off to each other. Most ofthe exchanges are on the side of the road with lots of dirt, no shade (during the day) and nolight (at night). Our role at the exchange is to record each runner asthey come in and their next runner goes out. For each exchanges someone will be sitting in a chair about 200 feet ahead of the exchange and using awalkie talkie to call out the team number of the runner coming. At theactual exchange is a clip board with all the team numbers and you mark off thatthe teams as they come in.

What's a Minor Exchange vs a Major Exchange?

The major exchanges are where both vans show up. These are bigger areas with bigger parking lots to handle all the vans and runners. There is a medical tent at each of the major exchanges. Major exchanges are start, 6, 12, 18, 24, 30 and the finish line.

A minor exchange has only one van of runners and is often on the side of the road. The parking area may be a local church, or school or in a dirt field. Each exchange is different. Minor exchanges are 2-5;7-11;13-17;19-23;25-29;31-35. (If you were directed to the site by Christina (me) then you are working a minor exchange)

Minor exchange at Del Sol

What happens if the next runner isn't at the exchange?

Sometimesa runner comes in and his team isn’t there. The runner has to wait in theexchange area until his team shows up and then the next runner takes off. Record the time when the runner takes off, not when he first came in.

What will I be doing while volunteering?

Here’sa summary of the jobs you could do while volunteering –

-callingout runners numbers as they come in about 200 yards before the exchange. You’ll have a walkie talkie so you don’t have to lose your voice.

- youcould be marking runner as they come in to the exchange

-directing traffic in/out of the parking area. Watch out for runners andtraffic. Don’t stop regular oncoming traffic

-directing runners which way to go. Sometimes runners come in from onedirection and the outgoing runner needs to go another direction. Yourexcellent flag wave abilities will come in handy.

-Whydid the runner cross the road? To get to the other side where the exchangeis,of course. Sometimes the exchange is across the road and a volunteers job it tocross the runners back and forth.

-If you're working the start line you could do any of the above(except call in runners as they come in) or check teams in, be gopher, or anything else that needs to be done.

-If you're working the finish line you could help with medals, food, exchanging t-shirts along with any of the other duties listed above.

Three of my awesome volunteers at Del Sol

Whatto bring-

You'll be provided a reflective vest to wear during your shift. You'll also be given an orange Race Crew t-shirt to wear under your vest (it screams authority!) and the t-shirt is yours to keep. There is a bin full of stuff you may need during your shift (flashlights, batteries, pens, clip board, etc)

Chair– if you’re shift #1 you may be sitting for a while before the firstrunner comes in. You may wait a little while before the second runnercomes in and then the flood gate of runners open and you’ll wonder if you’llever see the chair again. For the second shift people, it’s opposite. You’ll look at the chair with envy but won’t get to sit until the end of theshift when the runners come in less frequently.

Rain Gear/umbrella - if you look outside and say Tut tut looks like rain, you are either related to Christopher Robin or you need to bring rain gear. Mother nature wins out regardless if there is a race going on or not.

Food - Ragnarprovides water for the volunteers (the runners have their own). There is also agranola bar but that’s not really considered food. In Napa I had volunteersbring a fold up table, chairs and a whole picnic lunch assortment of food for themselves (and offered mesome too J (I always like chocolate, hint, hint)

Other - Thereare port-a-potties at the exchange and they usually have hand sanitizer in thembut if I were you, I’d be ultra prepared and bring hand sanitizer, baby wipesif you have them (there’s no running water) and toilet paper (just in case). There's nothing worse than being stranded on the bowl without a roll. Your manager has extra rolls with them in their vehicle; call and let them know you're out).

Dayshift – Bring shade if you have it. Unless you’re lucky and thereis a tree nearby, there most likely won’t be shade. Also bring sunscreen, bug spray and a hat.

Night shift – if you have a headlamp please bringit. Ragnar provides flashlights but I love the hands free freedom ofusing a headlamp. It’s agood idea to bring bug spray.

Night Running

Your manager will tell you what the night-time hours are. During night time hours the runners must wear a reflective vest, headlamp and butt light. All other participants (running or not) must wear a reflective vest.

typical night runner attire

What's up with the costumes?

It's not a requirement but is a lot of fun to dress up in a costume and you can win the most spirited exchange. The Wine-O volunteers have come out for the Del Sol (Arizona) race for years and leave hoarse but get the most spirited exchange prize.

What do I look like?

If you were sent here to the site by Christina(me) you are one of my volunteers and are probably wondering how will you know who I am? Here's what I'll be wearing (minus the tutu)

Del Sol Ragnar

Napa Ragnar

Boston Marathon Female Finish

2011-10-06T18:55:00.000-07:00

While reading Kara Gouchers latest post about three women who inspired this year (Desiree Davila, Jenny Simpson, Morgan Uceny), I realized I never saw the 2011 Boston Marathon female finish and set off to find it on YouTube. These women are extremely talented and they make running fast LOOK effortless, which of course isn't true as evidenced by Kilel laying on the ground immediately after finishing and having trouble getting up.

Happy Running!

Bye, Bye AC. Hello Running Weather

2011-10-05T18:33:00.001-07:00

Finally. The heat has broken. I turned off the AC last night and slept with the windows open. It is finally time to run and train in weather that isn't 90 plus (plus, plus, plus) degrees.

Quit Using GU

2011-10-03T17:32:00.000-07:00

Why use GU when you can inhale gnats and bugs on the run? Protein delivered directly to you.

Willing to Let Go?

2011-10-03T06:18:00.000-07:00

I found this saying on a site about organization and it talked about letting go of clutter. I see use for this quote outside of clutter and organization. For my running I have set ideas of what I should be doing (getting faster), how much to be running (4-5 days a week) and types of races (marathons). What if that's really not what is waiting for me? Am I missing the joy in running by having these set ideas?

What are your thoughts about this quote?

Race Judicata

2011-10-02T16:13:00.000-07:00

Five years in a row I've run Race Judicata. If you would have told me I'd make a tradition with this 5K race for lawyers, I would have laughed at you. Four years ago I was looking for a 5K and chose this race because it was close to home and priced right (I don't like paying more than $25-$30 for a 5K). I met John at this race and I've been running it each year since.

Two of the ladies from work (who are also running the Women's Half Marathon) ran the 5K today. One of the ladies has never run a 5K before and the other one quasi trains yet she is super fast. I told her she must be a closet runner because she's so fast and runs effortlessly.

Coming back from my injuries I set my expectation of 7:45's -8's. To help set the stage for a positive outcome, I wore a regular tech T instead of a tank and wore my trainer shoes instead of my lightweight frees. This race would gauge where I was and now I can work on improving this winter.

Each year the course for this race is different. It has turns, hills and tricks you into thinking your at the finish when you still have 1/4 mile and there's a hill. One of the runners got lost and added 1/2 mile to the race. He came in behind me and will probably be the first and only time I beat him.

My closet runner fast co-worker ran 20:46 and got first in her age group. I got second in my age group with 24:15. My newbie co-worker broke 32 in her first 5K. Excellent job ladies.

Happy Running!

Helping Train for a Half Marathon

2011-10-01T19:11:00.002-07:00

Remember your first half marathon? Each mile was SO much further than the run before. There are six people in my office training for the Women's Half Marathon in November and three are newbies to running. One lady has never run a 5K before. That goes to show you how powerful peer pressure is to convince non-runners to run in a half marathon.

Fresh and non-sweaty before our run

Today I met Angelica, Lizeth and Jessie out on the canal for our long run. Angelica talked her friend Lizeth into running the half marathon also. Angelica and Lizeth had a lower mileage day with six on the schedule (they ran nine last weekend) and Jessie had 8 miles today. Jessie has run all her miles so far on the dreadmill and today, being outside, was a new adventure. For someone who brings a gigantic purse with her to the gym, going for a run with the bare minimum is quite a change.

At Angelica's and Lizeth's 3 mile turn around point was GU time. Since they were running 6 miles, they technically didn't need the GU but I figured it was a good opportunity for everyone to experiment with a GU and see if it worked well for them in training. I still remember my first GU and not knowing what the heck I was doing.

I really do like out and back routes because you can break it down into a small piece and then the only option left is to turn back and run back. There is no cutting a run short with an out/back. During our run I would only tell Jessie how far it was to the half-way point....to the four miles. Only half a mile to go I would tell her. It didn't matter that it was 4.5 miles to the end. The goal was halfway and then we just run back. Jessie and I hit the four mile mark and saw the buffalo in Freestone Park in Gilbert and turned back and ran back to the car the four miles. Jessie did awesome running her 8 miles today and I'm so proud of her. She most likely will be really sore tomorrow.

Back at the car we enjoyed banana bread, I checked to see how everyone's stomach held up to the GU and I showed off my Garmin to Lizeth, who is a gadget geek. Everyone did great out there running on the canal and they'll be ready to go for the race in a month.

Happy Running!

Homemade Pesto

2011-09-30T19:20:00.000-07:00

Wanting to see how green my thumb was, I planted a tomato plant along with basil, cantaloupe and zucchini all from seeds this year. Last year I tried unsuccessfully to plant chives and a couple other herbs but forgetting to water left empty dirt where the seeds were planted. This year I was more diligent with watering and was ecstatic when green sprouts poked up through the dirt.

So far my experiment is going well and last night I made fresh, homemade pesto. The recipe I found on the web called for basil leaves, olive oil, garlic, Parmesan cheese and pine nuts.

Can you tell I shop frequently at Costco?

Put it all in the blender and blend away.

Pesto ravoli with White Merlot in my new Ragnar wine glass.

Thanks to Simply Recipes for the great recipe.

Fresh Basil Pesto Recipe

Prep time: 10 minutes

INGREDIENTS

2 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan-Reggiano or Romano cheese
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup pine nuts or walnuts
3 medium sized garlic cloves, minced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

METHOD

1 Combine the basil in with the pine nuts, pulse a few times in a food processor. (If you are using walnuts instead of pine nuts and they are not already chopped, pulse them a few times first, before adding the basil.) Add the garlic, pulse a few times more.

2 Slowly add the olive oil in a constant stream while the food processor is on. Stop to scrape down the sides of the food processor with a rubber spatula. Add the grated cheese and pulse again until blended. Add a pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.

Serve with pasta, or over baked potatoes, or spread over toasted baguette slices.

Yield: Makes 1 cup.

On the Road Again

2011-09-28T06:51:00.003-07:00

I've been back running for 2 weeks since I pulled a calf muscle. It feels AWESOME to be running again and the mornings are beautiful. It still hits 100 degrees during the day but the mornings have finally cooled off making it perfect running weather.

This morning I ran fartleks. 2 minutes quick running followed by 1 minute easy jog. Breaking up the run with fartleks made the miles go fast. I thought I was at the 2 mile mark of my run but realized my 3 mile turn around was in front of me. Awesome.

I'll keep up the fartleks for my runs to increase my overall speed. Taking a month off from running decreased my endurance and speed but I can use the fartleks to keep in the run interesting and continue to build until the quick pace gets easier.

Do you incorporate fartleks into your workout?

Happy Running!

Napa Ragnar SWAT Volunteer

2011-09-19T21:24:00.001-07:00

Whew. I'm home from an awesome weekend of volunteering for Ragnar Relay in Napa, California. Over the weekend I cheered on runners, fought with street cones, called 911 and eaten my fair share off M&M's all on almost no sleep. I've slept so little in the last three days I feel like I have a hangover and I didn't even have a glass of wine while I was out there but I'm certainly having one now.

An odd tree in the middle of vineyards with a flag on it

There are so many things to say about the experience I'm not sure where to start and organize my thoughts. This was my first time being on the traveling SWAT team and course manager and I know I can do better next time. It's not that I necessarily did anything specifically wrong (that I know of) but the perfectionist in me wants to be better.

Next time I SWAT (which is in October at Vegas) I'll take two days off from work. Because of the short notice for work, I asked to work remotely on Thursday to minimize my time off and hopefully keeps me on my boss's good side. What I didn't realize is after Thursday mornings training the team would set up the start line. So while they drove to the start line in San Francisco, I went back to the hotel room to work. Even though I got a lot done ( maybe even more work than if I were actually in the office) I felt like since Ragnar brought me out there, I should have helped set up the start too.

Being my first time as course manager, I wasn't exactly sure what to expect. The "day" started at 10:30pm on Friday night. I showed up early to try and sleep in the van because I couldn't sleep in the hotel. I followed lead foot Janessa as they started/stopped putting up directional and the favorite "Mile to Go" signs. They really did all the work putting out the cones and signs but I did help put cones together and consistently put the bases on the cones backwards. When I was taking down the course and fighting getting the cones and bases separated I realized the grove on the base center would match up with the cones base.

At 4am I starting meeting up with my volunteers. Volunteers are awesome and I made sure to thank them multiple times. I had 3 or 4 volunteers per exchange and set them to work. Two volunteers brought friends and I put them to work too. I didn't have time to talk with the volunteers until the end when I spent time with them while waiting for the final runners to come through. At one water station we were waiting for the last runner and when he came in we asked if he wanted us to dump the water on him, which he did.

I had three hours of sleep on my schedule from 10am-1pm but when that time came I was busy at an exchange and not tired so I kept working through it. I needed to drive through my exchanges a second time and pick up trash and talk with the volunteers. Had I taken a break I wouldn't have been at exchange 34 to help out a dehydrated runner. Being SWAT we have special black shirts and a runner came to me and explained her teammate was throwing up, couldn't keep anything down and wasn't able to finish her last leg. Luckily during SWAT training dehydration was discussed and he went over the symptoms so when I heard what was going on with the runner I called 911 immediately. I explained to 911 what was going on and gave her my address, although she already knew where I was at. She asked for the van description and I explained it's a white van but the parking lot is full of white vans. Look for the person with the blue and orange wig I told her. The firetruck and ambulance arrived promptly and after she threw up on the paramedics shoe, they whisked her away to the hospital where she would be given an IV.

Driving to each of the exchanges I was keeping pace with some of the teams and after 3 exchanges after talking to some of the same people, I asked them to take my picture. This was the most scenic part of my course and the teams were taking pictures with the vineyards in the background. It really was pretty out there.

As I mentioned, there are things I would do better next time. When I was setting up the course I was very aware of how the runner would be coming in. I wanted to make sure there were no obstacles for the runner coming in and out. One of the placements was great for the runner and looked great until there were people standing around and vans trying to park. Next time I'll know to incorporate the crowd into the equation. At another exchange the safety managers came by and put up orange cones with the orange tape and created a barrier. Next time I'll use that trick to manage the crowd. The final thing is when I see a runner walking back on the course I'll stop. I realized hours later that I saw the dehydrated runner walking back towards two female runners on the course and although it was odd, I thought she had dropped something or knew the two runners and was going to run with them. Had I turned around I might have been able to help her sooner but she hadn't told her van mates she didn't feel well until she started throwing up.

After the runners passed through my exchanges I was supposed to pick up the signs and cones. Other Ragnar volunteers started picking up my exchanges and I felt guilty. In the corporate world you get help when you're failing and can't do the task. With Ragnar they were helping to get the task done and I'm truly thankful for their help.

The last team on the course I pretty much followed for the last 3 exchanges. I would wait for them to get to a sign, hand them water, help them cross the road (dang those were busy roads) with the red flag, send them on their way, take down the sign, drive to the next sign, hand the runner water, get the sign, go to the exchange and cheer them on as they came in. Rinse and repeat.

We started the task of unloading the vans, sorting all the equipment and loading the big truck. It took hours to get everything put away. Afterwards we went to IHop for "dinner" and I got back to the hotel at 12:30pm on Sunday in which I promptly crashed after my shower.

While sorting out all the equipment the final team approached the finish line and everyone that was working, everyone that was there went to the finish line to cheer the team on. They probably had a bigger cheering section than the other finishing team. We hooted, hollered, yelled and cheered them on. We built a tunnel with our hands for them to run through. I'm an emotional sap and teared up as the team came through the finish line. This final team represented all the accomplishments each of the 300+ teams did out there on the road starting on Friday morning, running through the day and night and into another day.

Job well done to everyone!

Happy Running!

SWAT'ing Napa

2011-09-16T15:59:00.003-07:00

Two weeks ago I called Rae to tell her running Ragnar Napa was a no go. I could volunteer and work SWAT (sweating, wet and tired) if she needed someone last minute. A week later I still hadn't canceled my vacation day at work because I hoped by some miraculous chance I could run the race. First came an email and then a phone call, Rae had a last minute SWAT cancellation, could I work Napa?

I drove to the start line this morning to see Rae and the team off. At the Golden Gate bridge toll booth the attendant asked me if there was an event today. I explained the race and pointed at the runner who just went by with their vest, headlamp and butt light. That should have been me running on the Golden Gate but at least I can still participate in the awesomest relay.

The start ( I missed my teams runner in the pic)

As an extra bonus my friend from high school (we ran track together) was in town and tackled the San Francisco hills to go to the race start. It had been 20+ years since I had seen him and it was great talking with him.

Almost forgot to get a picture. Had a stranger walking by snap a quick picture

My volunteer shift starts at 11:30pm tonight and goes until tomorrow night. Maybe 9 or 10pm? I'm course manager for 5 exchanges towards the end of the course. My job is to set up the exchanges, put up signs, train the volunteers, resolve issues and take down my section of the course. I bought a pair of gloves to keep my hands warm through the night and help with set up and take down. I have a van PACKED with cones, signs and bins for the exchanges. Anchored behind the drivers seat the metal plate separating me from the cargo blocks the rear mirror view yet I keep looking. Perhaps by the Sunday morning when I hand the truck back I will have figures out to use the side mirrors exclusively.

My Ragnar-Mobile

After unpacking this, how does everything fit back in later?

In February I worked SWAT for Del Sol and was an exchange manager; was on my feet running around for 14 hours straight. I'm excited to do course manager and love learning the behind the scenes of the race. The magnitude of planning and coordination is unbelievable.

Happy Running!

How Quickly Things Change

2011-09-03T21:30:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I was looking forward to Ragnar Napa and today I'm sulking because I'm not running it. 2 weeks ago I signed up for a boot camp. During the little running sprints I felt a tightness in my calf and naturally kept doing the exercises with the little sprints and ran the mile home. I took the next 5 days off to let the calf rest. On Monday I went to track to run with Bart Yasso and rather than run my own pace, I tried to keep up with another, faster runner and the calf tightness came back. 5 days later, this morning, I tried to run again thinking it had been 5 days and although the sensation still existed I went for a run. Within half a mile I knew the run was over and it wasn't just a tight calf.

Coach Dean replied to my pitiful email with the following reply

Probably not a legcramp.. probably a muscle strain. Ice. Heat before doing activities. Stay onthe elliptical......do what you can.. control... heat, workout, don't run, do strength work.. ice

A "strain" didn't seem too bad until I Googled it and found that it's actually a muscle tear and depending on the reference site recovery is 4-12 weeks. I called Dean and talked to him about Ragnar and he said absolutely not. I wasn't expecting that at all even though from what I read I knew he was right. My low-grade strain could turn into something bigger and take even longer to heal. My goal is to get running as soon as possible. Regardless, it is still very tough to pull out of a race that I had been looking forward to and planning for for months. I feel like I have let the team down but at least they have 2 weeks to find a replacement.

Dean did say to exercise and do what I can unless it aggravates the calf. Use the elliptical, hike, bike, whatever I can do. This is good news because last Monday there was a cancellation for Havasupi and I get to go with backpacking next weekend with my brothers. I am worried the calf will hurt or get worse but if I'm not running on it I should be ok, right? RIGHT?

I clung to the statement from Dean's email DO WHAT I CONTROL. Dean and I have many conversations about mental toughness, choosing thoughts and thereby choosing happiness. Do what I can control is something I can focus on. I can control my thoughts and how much I wallow in my new injury. I know I need to switch up my attitude and make better choices eating while I heal and stay positive and in the present.

So there you go. How quickly things change.

Happy Running!

Ragnar Packing List

2011-09-02T21:01:00.002-07:00

Ragnar Napa is right around the corner and I'm increasing my wine intake to train for the race. Here's my packing list for Ragnar (with bullet points for the guys out there that don't like too many words)

Van Items - Mandatory

Race Bible
Leg Maps
Driving Map
Cooler(s)
Drink/water cooler
Reflective Vests - need 6
Headlamps (with extra batteries) - need 2
Butt light - need 2
Water
Ice for cooler/drink cooler (can be used for ice packs too)

Van Items - to share

First aid kit
Food/Snacks to Share
Hand Sanitizer
Baby wipes
Paper Towels
Scissors
Sharpie Pen
Tape
Toilet Paper (in plastic zip lock bag)
Trash Bags
Ziploc Bags

Van Items - Optional

GPS
Car Power Converter
Cups (write name with Sharpie; use for runner support)
Decorations - great to have to distiguish your white van from the hunderds of other vehicles. Keep it easy to clean up. Tape/magnets work well

Personal Items- Remember Space is Limited (plan for warm days and cold nights)

Cold-weather hat (covers ears)
Comfy shoes/sandles
Compression socks
Earplugs (great for using in sleeping areas)
Extra running socks
Food/Snacks
Glide
Gloves
GU
Handheld water battle/water belt
Hat for sun protection
Medications
Pillow(smaller the better)
Rain gear (if needed)
Running jacket
Running shoes
Running shorts/running skirt
Running Tops
Sleeping Bag/blanket
Sleeping mat
Sunglasses
Sunscreen
Sweat pants/running tights
Toothbrush/tooth paste
Towel
Underwear
Water/sports drink Water bottle to refill and reuse.
Costume

First Aid Supplies

Antacid tablets
Antibiotic ointment
Bandaids
Cold medicine
Cough drops
Dramine/Bovine
Feminine products
Hand Sanitizer
Moleskin
Needle
Tweezers
Safety Pins
Scissors and/or razor blade
Tiger balm/Aspercreem/Biofreeze
Tylenol, aspirin, Ibuprofin
Baby Wipes
KT Tape
Chapstick
The stick
makeup remover cloths
kleenex
Aquafor

Other

Camera and film
Cell Phone Chargers (cell phone, ipod)
Entertainment (reading material, cards, twister, chess)
Money
Notebook/Journal
Garmin
Ipod and headphones
calculator
Outlet thingy. Plug in more than one cord

Monk and The Elliptical and the Case of the Mismatched Shoes

2011-09-02T08:22:00.002-07:00

I canceled my Blockbuster membership and switched over to Netflix. Blockbuster closed the local stores making it impossible to exchange the DVD for another one and having the DVD's show up in the mail wasn't as fun anymore when they sat there waiting to be watched. Netflix doesn't have a great selection of movies but they do have some TV shows that I enjoy watching, like Monk. Netflix has 100 episodes of Monk that I am thoroughly enjoying and only have 85 more to go. Monk is an excellent detective and has an EXTREME OCD personality that if it wasn't for his assistant, he would be unable to function in the world. His OCD habits cause me to cringe yet laugh out loud. This last week I have been watching one a day while I use the elliptical. I signed up for a boot camp thinking it would force me to do my core exercises and day one the lunges left my glute screaming for a break and I was so sore the next day. On the 2nd day the little short sprints caused my calf to cramp up tighter than Adam's butt out while he's out on a run trying not to poop. So it's been a week, the calf is still tight and I get terribly grumpy when I can't run. And why is it when I can't run, I increase my food intake 10 fold and make poorer choices. French fries and chocolate have been staples the last week. It should be the opposite. If I can't run then I should be more aware and make better choices. Oh well. At least I'm getting in lots of Monk time.

My friend Rob showed up to track with two different shoes (at least they weren't two left shoes) and two different brands at that. The jokes flew around that he was cross dressing and took the advice to switch out his shoes to the extreme. Have you ever showed up with the wrong shoes, mismatched shoes or two lefts/rights?

Have a great three day weekend.

Happy Running!

Surprise Track Guest

2011-08-30T20:39:00.002-07:00

Monday night at 5:15pm I was driving home and got a text from Coach Dean. Bart Yasso was coming to track practice; did I want to go? Absolutely! I keep running clothes and shoes in my car just for "emergency" occasions when I need to go running and don't have time to get home for running clothes. It turns out that my friend Jason saw Bart Yasso post on Facebook that he was stuck in Phoenix due to the storms on the east coast and couldn't get home after running Hood to Coast.

Jason, jokingly asked Bart to join a track workout thinking no way would he want to run with total strangers in Phoenix heat.

Who would have guessed Bart would say Yes. Jason picked Bart up at the hotel and we did a "short" workout (Dean's definition of short and the rest of the world's definition of short differ by about 2 miles of speedwork)

Following track we headed to dinner and enjoyed great conversations and Bart stories. It was such a treat meeting Bart. I'm thankful Bart was stuck in Phoenix and Jason follows Bart on Facebook

Happy Running!

You Know You're a Runner When....

2011-08-25T19:54:00.001-07:00

I love the posts, forums, articles and blogs that have me laughing out loud in my office causing people to gaze in cautiously at the usually serious, worker bee who stars unflinching at the computer monitor. Here's our chance to add to the list...

You know you're a runner when....

you wish all your pants, shorts, skirts had a soft liner so you could go commando everyday.
you use words like hydration, chafe, wick, race pace in everyday conversation.
your legs are really tan, but your feet are super white.
you put more miles on your running shoes in a week than you do on your car.
you know you actually have two shoe sizes.
you refrain from getting pedicures for fear the lady giving it might pass out at the sight of your feet.
you shoot snot rockets with gusto and rejoice when you don’t have anything on your face after
you use the words “easy,” “run” and a 2-digit number in the same sentence.
you know a ‘fartlek’ isn’t an insult.
you are totally comfortable wearing shorts that are entirely too short for your gender.
planned your wedding around your Summer race schedule
your calves are bigger than your biceps.
you are willing to dig through the smelly dirty clothes hamper to find your favorite running shirt.
when traveling, your suitcase is full with running stuff before you even start packing regular clothes.
you have a shirt that says “Stop Pre”.
your drawers are filed with more race shirts than regular shirts. Most of which you have never worn, and probably will never wear, but you keep them anyway.
you have left socks and right socks.
you drink more water than anyone you know and still have yellow pee.
your cupboards are filled with gu, electrolyte supplements, protein shake mix and hundreds of water bottles.
you have spare gels in every bag you own.
you know charity “Fun Runs” are actually fun.
you know 1, 3, and 5-mile routes from your house and work in every direction.
you check the weather hoping it will rain on your run.
you can eat an entire loaf of bread and not feel bad about it.
you think it is appropriate to stretch in public places.
you have diamond cut calves.
‘google maps’ or ‘map my run’ is bookmarked on your computer.
you can’t wait to share your run stats with someone when you get done.
you shave your legs, and you are a man.
you know your running shoes are worn out, even if they look brand new.
you talk to your bowels encouraging them to do their ‘thing’ before your run! -Lesli Jenks Groves
sleeping in on a Saturday is anything past 6:30.-Asa Flynt Reynolds
boys get your number they save your name in their phone as “manda runner.” Yeah, NBD. -Amanda Theobald
you judge others by their shoes instead of their clothes.-Dan White
one of your favorite things about going out of town is running someplace new! -Tanya Semerad
you have more shoes than your wife… and you have lost ALL of your toenails ~ Scott Dickey
you are afraid to eat dairy products because you have a long run tomorrow. -Rendi Freimuth
You try to PR when mowing the lawn
You try to talk your friends and family into running a 5K because it is ONLY 3.1 miles
you plan your vacations around cool runs you want to do. Spouse: "Hey, lets go to Hawaii". You: "Great! There is a marathon there on 1/22. Lets go then"
When you instictively equate the distance of 1 kilometer to be a specific number of minutes and seconds
when you convert food calories into how many miles it equates to.
when someone asks you what you did over the weekend and you reply with "ran a SHORT race," they ask "how far" and you reply "I ONLY ran a half this weekend"
You know you are a runner when running in the rain or snow is just another run.
You know you are a runner when you have more running shoes than work shoes.
Your feet look better without toenails.
People at work think you're in a whole lot better shape than you think you are.
You actually are in a whole lot better shape than you think you are.
You spend you entire salary on running gear, ultrabars, and entry fees
when you get to the top of a hill and then go back to the bottom so that you can do it again
when you start to record runs onto a spreadsheet so you can plot everything on a graph
You refer to Oktoberfest as carbo loading for the Berlin marathon the following weekend
Your friends tell stories about how insane you are for getting up at 8am and running even though you just left the club 4 hours ago in Vegas.
Your out of office message reads something like "I'll be out of the office running RAGNAR, a 192 mile relay race. yI'll get back to you on Monday.
You drink from a water bottle at the dinner table

Credits: Elizabeth Jenkins July 22, 2011 article

Linked In discussion

What are you favorite sayings? What are you own you know your a runner when.....?

Post Run Review

2011-08-21T17:06:00.000-07:00

It's easy after a race to fly high if you do well or take out the baseball bat if you do poorly. It's been a week since the Crater Lake Rim Run in Oregon and I've had time to reflect. I looked back on my times and race report for 2010 and was surprised to see my time was faster this year by 11 seconds. I thought I was 3 minutes slower but I was mistaken. I can't actually say I ran faster this year because last year had a "bush stop" at mile 7.

Reflections:

It's a hard race. One of the racers (she passed me about mile 10) said it was harder than Boston and she had just run Boston in 2011 (we were both running our Boston jackets)
My training was better this year adding hills
I'll have to work on going out slower for my races.
I need to work on my self-talk. One of my entries from last year is I called myself "stupid". This year the self talk wasn't much better but I was aware and tried to refocus. I need to practice this on my runs so on race day I can refocus easier.
I need to read my blog from the year(s) before.
This is the prettiest race course I've ever run.
It's tough to train in the summer heat and have the fitness, mental focus and confidence to run a race in August. Perhaps if I don't have expectations except to enjoy, I'll have more fun.
It's a race and it's most likely going to be hard. If it were easy everyone would do it.
I want to conquer this race one day. Next year...I'll be back.

Happy Running!

Ryan Hall Comes to Phoenix

2011-08-17T19:44:00.002-07:00

Grinning ear to ear I met Ryan Hall at Runner's Den in Phoenix tonight. My conversation with him was brief while he signed a poster and took a picture. He asked me if I was training for anything and I explained the Women's half in November and had just run the half at Crater Lake. I also told him I ran in his footsteps at Boston, although 3 hours behind him.

Since there were many people milling around and waiting in line I couldn't ask him the gazillion questions bouncing around in my head. I heard him reply to another runner who asked one question which I had been wondering about, did he run while he was there in Phoenix? He had run earlier that morning up in Flagstaff and got his running done. You could tell he didn't want to run much in the Phoenix heat and I can't blame him.

Happy Running!

It's a Race You're Supposed to Push Yourself

2011-08-14T09:44:00.001-07:00

At start of the race. It was nippy but not too cold.

The kind hearted volunteer sitting in the chair saw how I was struggling and said you're at 11.5. Don't push yourself. I called back. " It's a race you're supposed to push yourself." She said yes, it's a race but well don't kill yourself.

I wish I could say I was pushing myself at the Crater Lake Rim Run 13 mile race. I started too fast, felt great on the downhills and faltered at 9.5 to the end on the hills. I ran/walked the last 3 miles up the hill and had zero mental toughness. Thoughts such as I never want to run this race again and I never want to run again crossed my mind. Each time I was passed, which was a lot the last 3 miles, I deflated a little more and wish I would have just dug deep and really pushed it.

Before the tough didn't get going, I was enjoying myself. This race is the prettiest I've ever run and the weather was perfect. The race is limited to 500 people for the 4 races, 6.7 run, 6.7 race walk, 13 mile and marathon distances. Having run the race last year I recognized a couple people and noticed there are a ton of marathon manics that run the race. It seemed like every other person had the yellow marathon manic tank top on. Then there were a handful that had their Boston gear on (me included).

Ribbon for 2nd in my age group

Despite my disappointment of not digging deep and falling apart, I still ran under 2 hours (1:58:09) and got 2nd in my age group. John got first in his age group but they made a mistake and put him as second in the younger age group. He rocked it and ran faster than last year.

Happy Running!

Even the Elites Get Injured

2011-08-12T11:31:00.003-07:00

It's easy to feel alone when you get injured or to think that you're the only person or that the elites have it easier. Kara Goucher recently posted on her blog about an injury that kept her from racing in London. She labeled her post appropriately Heartache and Hope

Kara's blog post confirms:

Even the elites get injured. The injury monster isn't biased about who it attacks.
Elites have access to some pretty sweet equipment. Who wouldn't want to run on an underwater treadmill?
Running through an injury isn't always the best solution.
Sometimes a setback isn't a true setback in the big scheme of life
Injuries suck (big monkey balls)

A couple things struck me about her post. She had the tight hip for months and that became "normal" and she continued to run through it. She used ART (active release therapy) to help manage the tightness but even ART (which has worked wonders for me lately) wasn't THE answer. It's muscle imbalances that she can remedy or improve with specific strengthening exercises. I'm sure her regular routine includes various exercises but in this case the exercises weren't addressing the specific areas. We runners love to just go out and run and ignore the exercises but those exercises help keep us running.

Happy Running!

Sole Sports- Summer 5K

2011-08-07T07:55:00.001-07:00

Free! Free! Free! was the cost of this 5k celebrating the one year anniversary of Sole Sports running store in Scottsdale.

Wanting to snag the free socks for the first 50 runners, I arrived an hour early and then went for a warm-up run. It's an oxymoron to "warm-up" when it's already 80+ degrees outside. My warm-up run was dual purpose. Not only did it allow me to work out the kinks to be ready for the race but coupled with the race miles, it would all count as my long run.

One of the reasons I love to race is to see my running friends. Ragnar Rae and my friend Jessie met me at the race and it was great hanging out with them before and after the race. The race itself was low key with only a timing clock but they still had great food and awesome door prizes (which I didn't win). It's funny because during the race I didn't notice how hot it was. If I were to run 3 miles by myself, I would be miserably hot.

I think I finished in 23:15. I forgot to make mental note of the finishing time and at the start forgot to set the Garmin to find the satellites so I didn't have a true finishing time. I'm pleased with how the race went because it is summer and running any quick pace is big effort for me.

My friend Jessie is a budding runner and got a PR yesterday, 32 something so I'm going to give her my free socks as a PResent.

Happy Running!

Cat Lady?

2011-08-05T19:56:00.002-07:00

How many cats does someone have before they become cat lady? My boyfriend insists at 2 cats I've turned into cat lady where when I die they will eat my eyes and body to save themselves. I've had 2 cats for years but have recently taken in another cat temporarily.

My parents, who live in Arizona, have decided snowbirds live a better life and flocked up to Denver to live with my brother, wife and their two children and escape the Arizona scorching heat. Originally my parents asked me to take Fritz, the 24 year old cockatiel whose squaking pushes even the most patient person to the edge to near murder. Luckily for my sanity the bird settled at my brother's house where they already have a menagerie of animals. What's one more bird to add to the aviary?

Nugget, 18 year old male Tabby/Siamese

Fluffy, the cat (what else would a cat be called), was going to travel by car up to Denver with my parents. When my parents came home to suffer in the heat for a week, I was shocked that Fluffy was at the house. Even though my parents had been home for 4 days, she was still starved for attention. Meow, meow, meow she cried out pushing against my legs. With my best puppy dog love eyes I begged John if we could take her home with us. It's unfair for the cat to live by itself for the next two months with someone briefly stopping in to dump food in her bowl.

Sundae, 10ish yr old female,

The very first act of appreciation Fluffy showed was peeing up and through the vents in the carrying case all over the inside of my car door and my leg. How a girl kitty can take aim, fire and hit her target while in a cat carrying case is bound to be a feat of excellence for the Guinness Book of World Records. Once home and settled in our guest bathroom she and my two cats, Sundae and Nugget, learned about each other smelling under the door. I locked up the other set to let Fluffy roam and stretch her legs. The next act of appreciation Fluffy showed was purring, rubbing my hand and then biting if my hand petting skills weren't fast enough. She was allowed out of the bathroom one night but when she bit me in the eyebrow at 3am because she wanted attention her new permanent nighttime sleeping room was the bathroom and not the bedroom.

Fluffy, newest addition, you can't see it in this pic but she has blue eyes

Almost two weeks later Sundae still hisses and Nugget avoids Fluffy but Fluffy comes out of the bathroom to socialize and most importantly uses her litter box. Nugget may be stressed as he spends all his days laying on the closet floor, has stopped eating and I think he has poopy butt (if it's not him then it's Sundae). It may not be stress though since he has hyperthyroidism and is18 years old. I have a vet appointment on Sunday to get him checked out and more blood work. Despite that, I feel the adjustment is going well and I could easily have three cats and still not be considered cat lady.

This post was inspired by Fair Weather Runner who talked about her dog attended doggy school at doggy day care.

Thought for Today

2011-07-28T18:53:00.001-07:00

A sign in Boulder, Colorado

Does This Skirt Make My Butt Look Fast?

2011-07-27T08:00:00.004-07:00

The mail held a package from Running Skirts and I squealed in delight thinking it was a gift from my friend Somer. We often send each other running gifts because we both love running and shopping for running clothes. Reading the enclosed letter from Cindy and Christy from Running Skirts, I was surprised I was chosen to review their products. Woo hoo! I love running clothes. I finished ripping open the package and saw a purple skirt and matching top.

All sweaty after my morning run

My very next run the following morning I put on the skirt and top. The skirt didn't have built-in shorties so I wore black compression shorts underneath the skirt. Maybe if I were running a race and wanted to beat a bunch of guys because they wanted to run behind me, I would forgo the shorties. The shorts were a little long and showed at the bottom and John said I looked goofy. (Note: I talked to Cindy from Running skirts and the skirt is a triathlon skirt intended to go over compression or swim bottoms.) The skirt bunched a little at the waist in the back but not substantial. There are two pockets on each side have ample space and easily hold an mp3 player, chapstick, car key and GU.

I love the back of the top

The running top fit great and I love the argyle pattern and chris cross design on the back. The bra was padded with removable pads making me look like I actually had boobs. The only problem with the padded bra is that it kept me warmer in the Arizona heat and absorbed my sweat. The bra must have weighed an extra 10 pounds holding all my sweat by time I finished running.

To complete my review I needed to see how it would hold up in the wash machine. Had I paid attention, I would have noticed the complete care instructions inside the skirt. Just a couple months ago I bought a fold-up clothes dryer and by pure chance I actually followed the directions to line dry the skirt.

Isn't the sassy "performance gear with girly-girl style!" fun?

The second time I wore the outfit I removed the bra pads, which came out easily and seemed to have held their shape well after washing.

Wash and wear (before the run)

I checked out their website and maybe I'll buy some shorties for underneath the skirt or wear it over capris in the winter or I can wear it out at the lake over my swimsuit. The top will get lots of wear this summer and help keep me cool. And when winter comes they have totally cute arm bands that match the outfit.

Happy Running!

Disclosure: The outfit was sent to me by Running Skirts for my review. There were no monies received outside of the value for the outfit itself.

South Mountain Run

2011-07-24T15:25:00.002-07:00

Today was silent Sunday at South Mountain and while my plan was to run up to Dobbins Point, I changed it at the last minute and ran the San Juan road at South Mountain instead. In the summer the heat takes so much out of me and I if I wanted to walk already within the first 2 miles of the run, I knew I wouldn't fare well for the trek up to the top of Dobbins Point.

San Juan is rolling hills and the joke is it's uphill both ways when in actuality it's uphill on the way back. On the way back I realized I was low on water and even though I knew John had extra water, I had a minor panic attack which affected my breathing. Once we hit the top we took a short rest and I was fine on the downhill.

Two weeks ago my achilles started aching and for this run I used KT Tape on it. The only problem is I sweated so much that it started coming off from the top and the bottom flapping as I ran.

Here's a picture of what my Garmin shows as my route. I can guarantee you that I ran on the road but you can see how Garmin captures the data. If you realize that Garmin isn't 100% accurate, you can understand how the distance at measured races doesn't match what the Garmin shows.

Next week is my final long run before Crater Lake and I'll run South Mountain backwards to mimic the race. I'll make sure we get up earlier to get in more miles before the sun comes over the hills.

Happy Running!

10 Ways to Stay Cooler When You Run

2011-07-22T17:26:00.003-07:00

Running in the summer in Arizona can be compared with cooking over a hot stove wearing a full length mink coat in a sauna. It's hot, sweaty, miserable and you always feel like you have little hairs, gnats and dirt in your eyes and plastered to your face. Not only physically is it challenging but the mental attitude goes downhill as your run continues.

What can you do when it gets hot?

The obvious is stay hydrated. You may chose to drink Gatorade or some other sports drink to replace electrolytes.
Add ice cubes or freeze your water for your run. Having cold water can be refreshing and add bounce to your step...until the run outlasts the cold water. Camelbak has chill bottles which advertise to keep water cold for hours.
Use a cool off bandanna found at Zombie Runner. These unique bandanna's have a chamois built in and can be soaked with cold water or filled with ice.
Wear a visor as compared to a hat. The visor allows heat to escape from your head and keeps your eyes shaded also.
Wear sunglasses. There is something mentally cooling by having it be just a shade darker.
Run behind a tall person so they make shade for you. (The same does not apply for someone farting in front of you creating more air flow)
Don't run outside. You can run inside on the dreadmill or if the dreadmill isn't your thing try swimming or biking instead.
Dress what's comfortable for you. Some people say don't wear form fitting clothes, or wear sleeveless, others say wear long sleeves with UV protection and one site even said wear long sleeve cotton because the sweat will help keep you cool. If you feel comfortable (or as comfortable as you can in 100+ degree heat) you'll be happier and do better on your run.
Run in the morning or evening. Try and avoid running when the sun is out. It will still be hot but the direct sunlight won't be messing with your mind.
Allow yourself to be slower. Your pace is going to be slower. That's the nature of running in the heat. Keep your effort up and try your best for the conditions you are running in but if you're slower that's ok. You're still getting out there, burning off the hamburger and fries you had for lunch and staying active.

How do you stay cool on your runs?

Happy Running!

New Blogger Format. Yay or Nay?

2011-07-19T06:10:00.001-07:00

Those of you using Blogger, what are your thoughts on the new format? I like how it looks but have trouble figuring out some basics like creating a new post. It took me a couple tries before I found the NEW button to get to a posting page. I don't always handle change quickly and it takes me a bit to figure out changed programs.

One thing I wish Blogger had was a format painter. In Microsoft Word and Excel you can highlight a word, click format painter which copys the format (color, font, style) of the word and then copy it to another section. Blogger doesn't handle formatting well when copy/pasting and having a format painter would be awesome.

I'm also running out of picture space on web picasa which is making me quite stingy with my picture management. I didn't realize that Blogger saves all the pictures on the web and that uses up my free space. I'm almost out of space and can buy more space (which takes the FREE out of having a blog), switch to Word Press (which I've been considering anyways but will eventually have the same issue) or even deleting pictures (which I really don't want to do). Blogger also doesn't handle moving pictures well. I don't know how many times I try and add a picture and it places it somewhere else and I have to fight with it to move it.

I really like the stats feature of Blogger. Seeing what posts are popular is interesting to me and what countries people arrive from makes me feel like maybe I do have something to say that others find interesting.

From an older post (don't want to do a new pic and take up valuable space)

What do you like most about Blogger? What do you like least? What tips and tricks do you have for Blogger?

Happy Running...or maybe I should say happy blogging

Running Question Challenge- What is your First GU Experience

2011-07-10T08:10:00.004-07:00

Feel free to comment or answer the question on your own blog. Click here to see past questions.

What was your first experience with GU or a similar product?

Somehow while training for my first half marathon I heard about GU. Probably from my girlfriend who was training with me and had done the research on training plans. We drove to the store during lunch and picked up the foreign substance in the little squishy package and not only did we have to choose a flavor but choose if we wanted caffeine or not. I can't remember if it was on a 9 or 10 mile run but we got to the top of the gradual hill we were running at the halfway point and stopped. It was like tasting on a meal when I was 8....smelling it, squeezing the gooey substance out with a scrunched up face, licking the edge of it and making another face and then taking a mouthful. I can't say that it was pleasant but it certainly wasn't as bad as eating hot dogs and throwing them up. Now I've tried many flavors and brands, know what size packages cut the edges of my mouth and which ones don't. I like caffeine and dislike vanilla and still hate it when I get the sticky substance on my hands.

Tell us about your first experience with GU. Did you like it? Do you have a favorite product?

Happy Running!

Dust Storm Through Phoenix

2011-07-05T20:40:00.000-07:00

At the end of my run the wind was picking up but I had no idea this dust storm was sweeping across Phoenix.

In the Summer it's nice to go Swimming

2011-07-04T18:41:00.000-07:00

In the Summer it's nice to go swimming. In the winter when it's 40 degrees out, it's not as nice.

South Mountain In Reverse

2011-07-02T15:24:00.000-07:00

Usually when people run South Mountain up to Dobbins Point they start at the second guard shack by the bathrooms (which are newly remodeled)) run to the top, take in the view and then run back down. The second part of the run is "easier" because it's downhill.

For my crater lake rim run I am running South Mountain in reverse...starting at the top, running down and then back up. The road to the top is curvy and it takes almost 15 minutes to drive to the top. Bikers and runner traverse the same road so extra caution is needed to keep everyone safe. The park opens at 5am and with the extra drive up, you are eating into that precious time which is much needed in the summer. This morning we got out the door late and didn't start our run until 5:30am.

Once running it was beautiful with the sun having just come up and it was "cool" considering the high today is supposed to be 116 degrees. Since it's easier to run downhill, we had to make sure to go out slowly otherwise the return trip, uphill, in the heat and the sun would be a death march. Running the hill in reverse does have one great benefit and that's refilling the water bottles at the half way point.

The sun was out in full force when we started back up the hill. The miles ticked off slowly in the heat and I kept going. Had John not been out there with me I may have walked towards the end but really wanted to run the full thing. To prove that I can run when the going gets tough. The last two miles we were rewarded with the sun hiding behind the cloud and I slugged my way to the top.

I allowed myself to just run and not worry about pace. For my birthday I got a Garmin 610 and the download of data is mind blowing easy. I walk into the room with the watch and computer powered on and data is transferred. How much easier can that be? You can see at the end where the pace severely dropped. Multiple times my Garmin showed 13 min pace but it was more important to get through this run and the next one I can push it more on the way up. I'm pleased with my 1:34:14 (avg 9:18) for the 10 miles especially when compared to the same 10 miles run the regular way in the winter when I was in better shape at 1:20. I have two more reverse South Mountains on the schedule with the next one being in two weeks. I can beat the time for this run.

Getting Back On Schedule

2011-06-30T21:42:00.001-07:00

Since Boston my running fell apart. It wasn't from the expected post marathon blues rather from injuries. I thought I was being smart post marathon taking a full week off and being cautious of my running. Maybe I wasn't cautious enough or maybe the injury was just waiting to occur because of bio mechanics. Regardless, I'm extremely pleased to be back running.

I have many blogging ideas bouncing around in my head so maybe that my running is back, my blogging frequency will increase. It's funny where time goes. Because I was spending time at the PT, fitting in work and then doing exercises at home, time just disappeared. Kind of like that last homemade chocolate chip cookie....gone.

My next race is a half marathon at Crater Lake National Park in Oregon. Last year's race was incredibly beautiful and very challenging. The last 3 uphill miles kicked my butt and I wanted to be race ready this year. Being sidelined with the injuries has me less prepared than where I wanted to be but with 7 weeks to go there is still lots of training time and confidence building opportunities.

My New Running Schedule

To come up with my training schedule I grabbed the calendar and figured out there were 7 weeks till the race.
Next I wrote Mon through Sunday across a paper and 1 to 7 representing the weeks down the side.
To mimic the race, I'm training at South Mountain starting at the top running down and saving the uphill for the end of the run. I've learned from past experience to limit my South Mountain hill runs to every other week and based on the 7 week schedule, I could fit 3 in starting week 1. I wrote in my long runs at South Mountain and then filled in the other weeks with long runs increasing the mileage.
I know I run Monday, Tuesday (track) and Thursday and filled in mileage of 4-6 miles. These distances work well in my schedule.
2 weeks into the schedule I wanted to add in a little bit more mileage and added a recovery run on Sunday's.

Things I considered putting together my schedule

Did I follow the 10% rule?
Did I limit the days of running consecutively to no more than 3? (Monday's is a morning run and Tuesday is an evening run so I don't count that as consecutive)
Do I have taper miles in?
Did I reduce my miles every 4-6 weeks? Since this is a short schedule I have a small reduction 4 weeks into it. If it was a 16 week schedule I would cut the mileage 25% for the off weeks.

On my off days I will do PT exercises and maybe swim also. Getting in my planks and some of my other exercises is going to be very important if I want to stay out of the PT office in the future.

Having a running schedule makes the training not so daunting for the race and is very motivating. Do you use a training schedule for your races? If you aren't training for anything do you have a running schedule?

Happy Running!

Road ID - A Coupon Code for $2 off Your Order

2011-06-28T10:27:00.000-07:00

I'm a big fan of Road ID, which is identification you can put on your shoe, wrist or necklace. I've had the shoe version for about 4 years and it gives me a level of security that if anything happens to me out on the road I'm not some Joan Doe but I actually have a name and emergency contact information. I attach it to my shoe and keep it one until I change into a different pair of shoes.

I've had multiple Road ID's for different shoes and a couple years ago switched to the Interactive version so when I moved, changed phone numbers, etc, I didn't need a new Road ID. I bought one for my boyfriend and tell my friends about it since I think it's such a good idea. I've also been known to stop on a run to talk to paramedics to make sure they know many athletes have Road ID's and they should look for it.

Recently I bought one for my friend and Road ID sent me an email thanking me for the order and a coupon code for my friends. If you're interested in a Road ID check out their website and if you order anything use the code to get $2 off your order. The code is ARR8768 and expires 3/31/13.

Happy Running!

Ragnar Wasatch Back - Hard Days Night

2011-06-19T16:38:00.001-07:00

When I originally said I would run Chicago, I didn't realize Wasatch back was the following weekend. The hardest thing about back to back Ragnars is being gone from home but Wasatch back is my favorite Ragnar race and I wouldn't miss it for anything.

RACE HIGHS

Mandy, the new addition to the team, was a running gazelle. Beautiful form and lightening fast. She surprised even herself with her awesomeness.
The weather was fantastic. It had a 30% chance of rain and we had perfect weather and perfect skies the whole time. As I type this, the day after, it's raining.

Curtis and Dan discuss the fine art of creek jumping

Our "van" is a truck and with the perfect weather we can sit in the back and take in the race from a different view. When someone is running and people are in the back, the members inside the truck always have plenty of space.

Somer ran fantastic on a bum knee. She hurt it while training for Ragnar and decided to do a knee plant on her run. The chiropractor did some magic on it two days before and unless Somer was lying to us, she ran on it and did all three of her legs.
Taking our picture on the fence.

The finish line was 10 times better than last year. Last year parking was horrible, the area was cramped, you couldn't hear your runner being announced and we never got to run in with our 12th runner. This year it was at a high school and it was organized with shuttles and staging areas for runners coming in and announcing for the finishing teams. There was free pizza, free ice cream and free chocolate milk too.

Their flesh colored costumes really looked like they were wearing nothing

Dan hand off to Mandy. Up to this point we had no idea Mandy was a gazelle...a natural runner

Somer hands off to me for my run up Avon pass

Mandy, me and Curtis

Jess hands off to Curtis

The scenery is beautiful

RACE LOWS

Getting up at 4:15am on Friday for the 9:15am start. Having gotten up equally early the day before, I felt like I was starting the race already deprived of sleep.
Somer getting a text the morning before the race having a team member drop. Like breaking up through text, getting a text of a drop is also heartbreaking but Socialite Somer already had backups lined up.

RACE STATS

My running confidence is low between being injured and sick the week before. I had only run 3 miles the week before and had to walk part of that and take breaks. I wasn't sure how I would do on my first leg which is uphill, on a dirt road and 7.4 miles at 9:28 pace (interesting fact: last year I ran it in 9:33 pace but I think I was in better shape last year)
2nd leg was awesome in the dark. 4.21 miles 8:19 pace (last year I ran it in 8:10 pace)
Freezing my bootie off on my third leg I wish I had gloves on for my run in the 30's. The third leg was actually Curtis's leg. Mandy was unsure if she would be able to run her 7.7 mile run so Curtis, being an ultra runner, took that leg, I took Curtis's leg and Mandy took mine. I was happy with the change because I got in some extra mileage although I felt very sluggish and tired during the run. 5.05 miles 8:43 pace

Fence picture right after leg 5

Somer and Dan

Curtis cuddles with his pillow pet

FUN MOMENTS

Dan reenacts his falling into the creek

While waiting at exchange 12, Dan decided the port-a-potty lines were too long and the rock up on the side of the hill needed watering. Unfortunately his creek jumping skills suffer and he fell in. I didn't see it happen but he provided entertainment for numerous team watching his non-athletic creek jumping skills.

Still feeling defeated after falling into the creek, after running his 2nd leg, Dan put on his hat, winter parka and cocooned himself into his sleeping bag and laid in the back of the truck even though it was in the 40's. After his 3rd leg he did the same and wins the award for the most sleep ever had during a a Ragnar race.

Somer baked birthday cupcakes for Haley. Yummy!

Unlike last year, the 2nd van was friendly and we talked with them at each exchange. It was Haley's birthday and they wore tulle in their hair, Somer made cupcakes for them and we sang happy birthday. The tulle in the hair is a great idea because it distinguishes the person from the crowd of other runners.

I was in the RagMag! I was flipping through the RagMag and saw a picture of me. A number of weeks ago Ragnar sent an email asking why people run. I made up some goofy story and hit send and was surprised it showed up in the RagMag

At exchange 12, I saw funky runner man from Chicago and ran over excited to see him since we had talked the week before. He gave me a hug but had no clue who I was. Then he said, what did you say? You said we talked last week? He probably doesn't remember me at all but with his wild and crazy costumes, I couldn't forget him.

Somer and I got hot pink hair extensions for our hair and they just peaked through the pony tail.
Each exchange the honey pot truck was there sucking up nasties with a gigantic hose. slurppppppp. We were laughing with tears in our eyes first time we saw and heard it.

Waffles after our 3rd leg at exchange 30. Finding a power source provided challenging but Steve scouted one out and we enjoyed hot, fresh waffles.

Ragnar Chicago- Fast and Delirious

2011-06-14T06:01:00.001-07:00

Our team name, Fast and Delirious, describes Chicago Ragnar. Tracy, Chris, David, Jess and I met at the Milwaukee airport and drove to Madison, WI. As I've gotten older, I'm more prone to motion sickness and by the time we got to Madison, I was feeling kind-of quesy. I'd have to take something before the race.

Our team shirts and tattoo (temporary) on my leg

Everyone in our van had run Ragnars before and with me having 7 Ragnars under my belt, I expected the norm...tired, exhausted and cranky at 2am, upset stomach remedied with my trusty stand-by Pepto tablets and some muscle soreness. Each Ragnar is unique and you can never plan the stories that are created throughout the race.

At the Sheraton where we were staying, other teams were preparing for the race and we couldn't help ourselves to yell smack at them as we drove off to dinner. "Roadkill...we're going kick your ass" David yelled out the window. Our driver, Chris, quickly realized we were on a court and had to turn back around and drive back past our competition. "If we don't get lost, then you'll be road kill" David hollered out the window. When we forgot something at the hotel and had to turn back yet again, we crouched down hoping the team wouldn't notice us as they walked by.

Wisconsin State Capital in Madison

Dinner was a blast. I had run with Tracy in Florida Central Ragnar and when she caught the Ragnar bug and wanted to run a team in Chicago I told her to count me in. I already knew 5 of the people from Central Florida and it was great meeting the other team members and we were a rowdy group. After dinner, I didn't feel 100% and thought it was still motion sickness but grabbed some Day-quill just in case I had a stuffy head the next day.

Team picture at dinner

Friday morning we met for buffet breakfast and then jogged to the start to see van 1 off. A couple team pictures and van 1 was off running. Having 5 hours to kill before we started, we shopped the aisles in Walmart buying car markers and lots of snacks. Lunch was next on the list and then off to the start where van 1 was already ahead of our time estimates. We rock!

David and Jess

Team picture at start

David competes in a handstand contest at the start

Our van members were awesome.
Jeff - uber ultra athlete training for double Ironmans could run his mileage in his sleep.
Brian - great runner dealing with a troublesome rolled ankle
David - fastest runner around could click off 6's in warm-ups
Jess- ultra runner coming back from an injury that would be our team lifesaver
Tracy - team captain and awesome runner fighting with achilles issues

At exchange 7, one of our volunteers was a finalist in the Wisconsin state fair mooing contest. I guess he entered it as a joke and actually won. He sounded uncanny like a cow. From that point on we would moo to each other at our exchanges.

Dean hands off to Brian, our first runner in the van

My first leg was 6.4 miles and went well. With my hamstring injury and my longest run being 5 miles, I knew I could run the 6.4 miles but wasn't sure how long I could maintain my pace. Before the race I had dropped my estimated pace so minimize the stress if I couldn't hit my paces and so we could accurately plan. The course was beautiful through rolling hills in Wisconsin through the farms. I ran by a veal farm and saw the little cows standing within the wire of their cages attached to a shelter no bigger than a large dog crate. A woman was bottle feeding one of them. I ran my leg in 8:26 pace, much better than I hoped and felt great.

Jeff hands off to Jess

The next set of legs for our van went well. We handed off to the 1st van and headed to the next major exchange for a short rest. The 2nd set of legs were short so our downtime was very limited. In the sleeping area there was only one mat and our team was lucky enough to snag it. I woke up at 11:45 seeing the last person of my team heading back outside. It was almost our turn to run again. Van 1 reported one of their runners wasn't feeling great and had a migraine but he had finished his 2nd leg. We hoped he would get rest and feel better for his third leg.

The front of the shirt said roadkill scavenger hunt

Me and a gnome

A wacky runner

Running at night is my favorite and I run well in the dark, with my vest and headlamp on. Around 12:30am the baton was handed off to me for my very short 2.5 mile jaunt which I raced it with a 7:46 pace. Although I couldn't have kept that pace up, I felt good to be running that well and getting in some speed work.

Throughout the night we ran and handed back off to van 1 and drove to exchange 30 for rest. There was no indoor sleeping and I found a spot outside. The weather continued to hold for us and was damp and misty but luckily not raining. I was cold sleeping outside and completely forgot that I had an extra jacket and a towel I could have covered myself up with. At 6am, tired of trying to sleep, I got up and saw everyone still asleep in the van. Not wanting to wake them up. I brushed my teeth and stood in the growing port-a-potty line before opening the car door mixing in fresh air into the thick, stale, heated air of the car. How could they sleep, let alone breathe in there? But in Ragnars you learn to sleep wherever and whenever you can.

About this time I was starting to feel not great but didn't think much of it. Tracy was having bouts of diarrhea and doubled over skipped to the front of the port-a-potty line. I wasn't having diarrhea and was actually more constipated not having went since the Thursday night before. Would I be able to go before my run or would the brown turtle come visit during it?

We expected the last runner of van 1 in at 7:15am, at 7:45 I was wondering what was going on. If our first runner was out, we needed to get going. Unless something was wrong. The 6th runner was the guy that hadn't been feeling well. The report came back that he was doubled over a mile up and was walking in. Jess, ran up the mile to try and encourage him in. I heard about this after the fact because my stomach revolt was beginning and I finally got in my poop but had to turn around and throw up too. Throwing up is never fun and there isn't a great location to do it but throwing up in a pooh, filled port-a-potty with your pants down is truly less than ideal. I was hoping it wouldn't come out at both ends. Thank goodness the weather was cool and not heating up the contents of the port-a-potty.

Walking back to the vans the sirens wailed through the air. I turned and saw the fire truck and hoped it wasn't for our 6th runner. Jess, while she tried to talk Dean through his last mile, eventually deemed him unfit to run, let alone even stand and got the police to assist and the team life saver ran her first extra mile in. Dean was taken to the hospital, given 3 IV's and released a couple hours later.

I started my third leg feeling horrible and within 100 meters I thought I was going to throw up. I didn't and kept creeping along. A runner came by and yelled ROADKILL to me. I shouted back, you're lucky I don't throw up on you. He called back...you guys gave us all the crap at the hotel. I thought to myself, I guess we had that coming but we're still going to catch you.

I had zero food in my system and didn't know how I could possibly run the miles and didn't want to throw off the team's pace since we were still ahead. I was hot and took off my jacket with the intention of handing it off yet when Tracy asked if I wanted to Jess to run for me, I replied yes. 1.6 miles was all I ran. I wish I would have run longer;that I would have toughened it out a couple more miles but I felt horrible. Later in the van, still feeling awful, subconsciously decided the van decorations weren't enough and decided to add my own personal contribution.

Our team lifesaver, Jess, later ran her own 3rd leg and then the two last miles in with Tracy who was really struggling too. Jess ran a total of 25 miles in the race when she only supposed to run 14. While Jess and I didn't click, I admire her bubbly laughter and happy disposition. She was awesome.

David anchored the team and we finished at Lake Michigan. Lake Michigan is gigantic, like an ocean and the finish was on the beach. It was overcast and cloudy and we didn't hang around long.

Despite having a minor case of the flu during my 3rd leg, overall Chicago was an awesome race and I loved the course and finishing on the beach.

Happy Running!

Gearing up for Back to Back Ragnars

2011-06-08T17:48:00.000-07:00

I've been on the quiet side with blogging mainly because I have been concentrating on PT to get running again. I'll try and expand in a future post about PT and ART, which is what made the night and day difference for me. The main thing is that I'm running now pain free. I was fatigued during the run and sore after the run but the calf/hamstring is good.

I'm leaving for Chicago Ragnar tomorrow and since I'm actually able to run I'm very excited. I managed to pack everything in a large day pack, which is a feat in itself. My total miles is 19 miles and my last leg is almost 10 miles, which does have me worried since my longest run in over a month was last night and was 5 miles. So much for the 10% rule. I did email the team captain and reduce my pace down to take some of the pressure off me. I'd rather under-promise and over deliver.

The following weekend is Wasatch and that race will be a blast since I will be running it with the same friends as last year. Hopefully it won't be too cold because they got snow a couple weekends ago.

Anyways, that's it for right about now and I'll post soon about Chicago Ragnar and the craziness of the race.

Happy Running!

National Donut Day - June 3

2011-06-02T21:08:00.000-07:00

It seems that I'm running into national days of something so here's another fun day.

National Donut Day

Yummy!

I learned about National Donut Day through a Krispy Kreme email. If you go to Krispy Kreme on National donut day you get a free donut!

Free!!!

Donut!!!

Yummy!

Here's some calorie information you really didn't need to know and should forget before you bite into that scrumptious donut.

Krispy Kreme donut is 52 grams and has 200 calories. 3.85 calories per gram
Regular glazed donut is 57 grams with 220 calories which is also 3.85 grams (I found this interesting because I once heard that Krispy Kreme had less calories than a regular donut. Not true...its the same calories per gram)
Medium sized bagel is 123 grams with 354 calories for a mere 2.87 calories a gram
Medium size bagel with cream cheese with 163 grams has 436 calories; 2.67 calories a gram. This makes ZERO sense to me so maybe I read the information on the websites wrong.

If you really love running and love donuts you should consider doing the Krispy Kreme Challenge in Raleigh, NC in February of each year. Run 2 miles to the Krispy Kreme store, eat ONE DOZEN donuts (2400 calories) and run the 2 miles back. I've heard there are garbage cans that line the route and people use them when they can't keep the donuts down.

Happy Running and Happy National Donut Day!

National Running Day - June 1st

2011-06-01T05:43:00.001-07:00

It's finally here.

The best day out of the whole year

National Running Day

It appears the first National Running Day started June 1, 2009. The Runningday website has the following fun facts

Running is the solution to everything.

If I hear a teen complaining they're bored...go running
Someone wants to lose weight...go running
Depressed?.....go running
Need something different to do....go running

But really, running is great and everyone should try it and work to get past the first 2 weeks, which are very hard. So what are you waiting for...get out there and go for a run.

Happy Running!

National Nude Hiking Day - June 21

2011-05-29T18:55:00.000-07:00

There are national days for EVERYTHING. Just a few are prayer, silence, listening, unplugging, reason (?!?), bird, popcorn, hugging, hat, buttercrunch, and don't forget National Day of Running on June 1st. Hallmark has more opportunities to sell cards and can include National Nude Hiking Day on June 21st, in their lineup of cards. Imagine the pictures you'd see on their cards...ok, don't do that.

There are websites hiking naked including http://hikingnakednetwork.com/ where there are profile pictures of the members and are their butts. There's also http://www.hikingnaked.com/ and an interesting hike recap of a nude hiker http://wanr.earthbiz.net/DCNudeHike.html. The author says "Despite a full frontal view of my genitals, fully exposed and bobbling as I approached them, I was much more aware and concerned of their responding body language than conscious of my own state of appearance"

I've never been hiking nude and don't think I'll start on June 21st either. I'm not sure my reaction if I saw a nude hiker. Embarrassment? Amusement? Admiration?

Have you ever hiked in the nude? I know there are nude races but I've never done one of those either. How about you?

Happy Running!

A Very Boring Lunch

2011-05-19T20:01:00.000-07:00

Imagine this...going to lunch and talking about nothing but running. Boring? Absolutely not! I had the pleasure of meeting Adam again from The Boring Runner, his wife and baby for lunch today and we talked non-stop running. It was awesome talking to someone passionate about running. Adam and I talked about Ashland Dave, podcast host of Running in the Center of the Universe, and Dave's blister prone feet and recent accomplishment of a 50 mile race in the Florida Keys. We talked about Boston and my uber-high expectations of the race and how disappointed I was that I allowed myself to walk as compared to just slowing down the pace. We talked and talked running but never got to the topic of his poop shorts (thank goodness). Before I knew it, lunch was over and we had barely tread on all the running topics we could blab about. I'll have to wait until Adam's Sweat Your Thorns Off 5K in July before talking his ear off about running again.

Happy Running!

Pluralize the Plank

2011-05-18T06:19:00.000-07:00

"You only do one plank? Nicole my new PT questioned.
"Yes", I replied with my tail in-between my legs, "and only on rare occasion" adding salt to the already embarrassing situation. I wish I were more like Jamoosh with his hard core workout (sorry I can't find the link but if someone emails me I'll update the post) being able to do the plank for 2 minutes.

Nicole pushed, prodded, twisted and watched my legs, knees and feet all with the amused look of putting together a picture of the sky puzzle without all the pieces. You know that type of puzzle...all the pieces look the same shape, the same color but there is just a little variation. How does it all fit together?

I'm fortunate Nicole is a 3:15 marathoner and like she says, she drinks the kool-aid so she understands the desire, the passion to run and how totally sucky not running is. She's interested in figuring out the bio-mechanics of why my injury happened and getting the root cause fixed. And she actually seems excited to try and figure it out. Nicole did say my injury isn't common based on the location, which is the top of calf, back of knee and into the hamstring. I guess usually an injury is lower in the calf, or higher in the hamstring.

Nicole's experience is many running injuries are related to the three B's

Big Toe

Belly

Butt

I completely understand the belly and butt but have never heard the big toe. Luckily for me, my big toe is ok. This is very good because I don't know how I would do big toe exercises. Would I lift weights with it? Make it do push-ups? To improve the belly and butt Nicole gave me these exercises

monster walks
lunges
with an exercise ball put my heels on the top of the ball and lift the butt and hold for 3-5 seconds (10 times)
with back and butt on wall slide down and hold for 5-10 second (10 times)
and pluralize the plank and do more.. 10 of them and hold for 5-10 seconds and also side planks.

I have another PT appointment tomorrow but in the meantime, I'm off to do my homework...pluralize the planks!

Happy Running!

Shrimp and Grits and Green Tomato Gravy

2011-05-17T06:23:00.001-07:00

Do you hear that southern twang in the title? Can you believe that I, a non-southern belle, made a dish from the South? Recently I took a vacation with girlfriends in Charleston, South Carolina and every night John asked me if I was going to come back and make him shrimp and grits with green tomato gravy. Considering I don't eat shrimp and I only tolerate grits to be nice, the answer has always been NO.
Not, I'll think about it
Not maybe tomorrow
But NO

He finally wore me down and when we had company (who only eats hamburgers and no veggies at all) I decided to make the recipe and earn good girlfriend points. Scouring the internet for green tomato gravy was challenging. There's lots of tomato sauce or salsa recipes or fried green tomato but green tomato gravy wasn't easy to come by. Finally I found from cdkitchen a recipe

Green Tomato Gravy
2 baseball size green tomatoes - coarsely chopped
1/4 cup garlic, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
3 tablespoons butter
2 cups of chicken broth
Emeril's Essence - to taste
sugar- to taste
cornstarch mixed with a little broth - to thicken

Directions:
Saute onion in 1 tbsp butter until soft. Add garlic and 1 tbsp of butter and saute 1 min. Add tomatoes and remaining butter and saute about 3 minutes. Add all ingredients except for cornstarch mixture and simmer until soft, but not mushy. Add cornstarch to thicken.

Notice the first ingredient in the list...green tomato. When I go to the grocery store I have only ever seen red tomato's. I have never once seen green tomato's so I turned to two gardening women at work. The first lady told me I meant tomatillo's, that those were green. No, I assured her I mean green tomatoes. The second lady had unripe tomato's on her plant and brought me two.

The next challenge was the shrimp for which I headed to Costco. In the frozen section was a gigantic bag of shrimp, which wouldn't work. A special event had prawns sitting on ice and I eyeballed them skeptically. Are they devined? How do you take off the shells? The lady showed me and I told her I would buy them if she gave me a pair of gloves too. Truly disgusted with my purchase, I headed out with 8 prawns sitting in ice in a plastic bag.

With knife in hand and two green tomatoes on a cutting board John asked me what I was doing. What am I doing? What have you been nagging for? Prepare to be impressed I replied and showed him the shelled shrimp where earlier in the day I had squimishly pulled the shells with the little legs off and took the garbage straight outside.

I managed to cook the meal AND the shrimp successfully and when John said it was good, I knew that I had earned DOUBLE good girlfriend points and I should NEVER have to cook again (hopeful wishing).

Whiskey Row Race

2011-05-15T20:12:00.001-07:00

Whiskey Row half marathon was supposed to be a training run for me and a race for John. As I mentioned in my last post, I decided not to run the race due to an indigent calf and hamstring. I thought I could drop down to the 10K and jog/walk it and as a result, I got my first DNF on Saturday when I dropped out after the first mile. With the major discomfort experienced after just one mile, I'm glad I didn't endure the whole 6 miles. Despite knowing it was the correct decision, the disappointment still lingers. John ran the half and looked strong at the end.

After lunch and a shower, we grabbed our books and went down to listen to the numerous bands playing into the evening. Filled with families, people milled around with their children, dogs and snakes. SNAKES? Yes, there was a lady there with her two red tailed boa's. She happily talked to children, let them pet her snakes and answered questions like what does she feed them...a small rat once a month.

Hold camera out....line up and shoot

A gigantic laptop

A cool timeline of the history of Prescott

Happy Running!

The Magic Wand Cures Hamstring/Calf Injury

2011-05-13T10:40:00.000-07:00

Recovery from Boston was going well and then over a week ago, at track, the tightness in the calf came back. I iced, took ibuprofen and tried running two days later only to walk home 3 miles. 5 days later I tried running again and less than half a mile later the calf strain was worse and climbing up into the hamstring. Back in February when the hamstring injury first reared its ugly little head in a race, the pulling started in the upper calf, climbed to the back of the knee and into the hamstring. Worried (standard fare for me) but not derailed, I did some research on the hamstring and wrote a blog post called Ham on a String.

Wanting to the nip the issue quickly, I went to the PT back in February and had the ASTYM treatment done and was running again soon but not without another hamstring fit and then an IT band issue on the other leg. Basically since February, I have been running/resting due to some sort of “injury”. Believing injuries are due from weak muscles, I have been diligent about doing single leg bridges, monster walks and clam shell trying to keep the hip/glute muscles strong.

Although the PT I went to used ASTYM as part of the treatment, he never mentioned anything that would cause the issue to begin with. As is true with many PT's, he treated the symptom and not the underlying problem. I felt like I knew more about the exercises than his assistant, who would randomly pull a number out of the sky and make it known that it was random, like I could choose to wear a blue shirt or green shirt but it really doesn’t matter.

I’m already a DNS for a half marathon this weekend and while I'm bummed, I'm looking forward to two Ragnar races next week. I have teams that are counting on me to be there and healthy.

Since resting 5 days didn’t improve my injury, I have a new plan. My recovery plan is as follows:

Go to a good PT. I’m fortunate to have medical insurance and it covers PT. After calling my primary care physician to get a new referral, I made an appointment with a different PT, one recommended by Coach Dean. I didn’t want to go to Coach Dean’s PT before because it wasn’t convenvient to work or home. Basically I was lazy. I’m now more serious and am looking forward to working with a PT, who is also a runner and addresses the issue and not the symptom. This PT also has an AlterG treadmill which is a treadmill on steroids and will allow me to run with less body weight.
I borrowed Coach Dean’s EMS device which I call the zappy thing. A EMS unit (electro muscular stimulation) zaps the muscle group by sending an electrical impulse through sticky pads that stick on the skin. There is a positive/negative connection and you place the sticky pads on the muscles and can relax the muscles or with other settings increase muscle strength. I can work on building my quad muscles, which I believe may be weak and I can use the ESM to massage and relax the hamstring and calf.
Strength exercises. Whatever the PT gives me I will do. In the meantime, I am going to do daily

Clamshell - 3 sets of 15 with resistence band holding at top for three seconds
Monster walk 3 laps through the kitchen
Walking lunges pulling myself up through the front leg, rather than pushing off the back leg
Single leg bridges

I'm keeping active by doing the elliptical right now (just so I can offset some of the calories AKA candy, cake and cookies I'm inhaling). I'm pretty sure the new PT will do ASTYM and the great thing about ASTYM is you’re supposed to continue with activity, including running. If after going to the PT she tells me differently, then I’ll do that. Luckily my hamstring and calf strain isn’t major and two days later I can only feel reminants of it but I don't know if I can run. I’ll report on my progress and what the PT says.
I’ll continue with IBU profin and have requested a prescription for Methylprednisolone, in case I need it for Ragnar. I have used this adrenocortical steroid for its anti-inflammatory benefits before with great success. The relief however is temporary and the injury itself, what is causing the inflammation must still be addressed.

And the last part of my plan is my secret weapon, a gift from Coach Dean, a pink magic wand. As a magic wand, it must not be used willy nilly but with intention and a few magic words…

HEAL! DAMN IT!

Happy Running!

Really Big Free Marathon

2011-05-09T18:07:00.000-07:00

Coach Dean forwarded an email about a "really big free marathon" with limited registration spots. First thought to zoom through my brain was races aren't free. Heck, the cheapest 5K is $25 and I only get a cotton t-shirt. Free races, unless it's a virtual race or the infamous Freeze/Sweat Your Thorns off 5K, don't exist. Especially an organized race with shirt and goody bag. The second thought to enter my brain waves was they must be giving free entries away. You know, 1 out of 1 million people will win and that one person isn't me. I followed the link and read (still in dis-belief) the race...the marathon...IS FREE. They do require a $50 deposit which you get back if you withdraw 3 months in advance or cross the starting mats (you don't have to finish).

If you aren't doing anything November 3rd in 2012 (lots of time to train) and want to party in Vegas, check out Really Big Free Marathon and register soon. A free race should "sell" out quickly.

Happy Running!

Great Site about all you want to know about Garmin Watches and GPS

2011-05-06T20:45:00.000-07:00

My Garmin Forerunner is starting to act up and I'm researching what I would like to replace it. (The 610 is the winner). In the process of researching it, I found a really cool site where DC Rainmaker has done reviews on Garmins and other watches, has Garmin tips and talks about the accuracy or inaccuracy of GPS. Not only is he techy, but he's also an accomplished tri-athlete and will soon be in the Men's Health magazine. You should spend some time on his site checking out all the cool stuff. Here are the links relating to Garmin and GPS that I found interesting.

How to guides for your Garmin (tons of various links here)

Ten random tips for your Garmin Forerunner 305

Art of Pacing with your Garmin

How Racing Courses are measured and the differences with your GPS

How to download workouts

This isn't Garmin related but he talks about the affects of alcohol

Happy Running!

Buckeye Outdoors

2011-05-02T21:09:00.001-07:00

Buckeye Outdoors is an awesome site to log your miles for all sports (you can even custom make icons/events...like gardening), track mileage on shoes, your diet, training plans, download from your Garmin and make friends with the social networking section. I've used the site for 4 years and enter all my runs and track my running goals on the site. Ben, tri-athlete, creator, programmer and host of Buckeye, has never charged for his awesome website nor asked for donations. The website isn't sponsored by some big athletic company nor are you harassed with constant, annoying pop-up adds. Ben provides the website out of love for the sport and to help others.

Unfortunately Buckeye servers have been affected by the horrible storms. The website says

Buckeye Outdoors has suffered a major outage. A series of electrical storms first knocked out the backup servers that were located at the backup up location. Then the unthinkable happened 4 days later and a second electrical storm caused an extended power outage at the datacenter where the primary Buckeye Outdoors servers are hosted. The current situation is pretty grimm and I'm despritly trying to recover the data that has been lost. If I am un able to recover the data I will put the application back online but right now I am holding out hope and I even might send the Hard Disks to a data recovery place. If you have any questions please email here: questions@buckeyeoutdoors.com

Many of you have expressed an interest in donating funds to help shoulder the burden of the recovery cost. At first I didn't want to accept these donations because there really isn't a guarantee that they will be able to recover any of the data. But as the expenses are adding up (while the recovery is going I am rebuilding the servers and having to replace hardware), so if you want to contribute I am open to it as long as you keep in mind that there is no primise that the data will be recovered.

If your a Buckeye Outdoor user or have a big heart and are interested in helping, you can donate here.

Happy Running!

Reflections of Boston

2011-04-30T07:48:00.000-07:00

Brief and un-energetic would describe my first Boston race report. Now that I've had time to reflect on the race and settle back into real life, I'd like to share my thoughts not from the stand point of making excuses but to allow me to talk through my experience and feelings about the race and post race. This is kind of a long post but has been very therapeutic.

Because I compare myself to other marathoners, generally better than me, I discounted my achievement of not only running a marathon but running the BOSTON marathon. Being around other runners and feeling like I'm the under-achiever of the group, I forgot much of the rest of the world doesn't run and a marathon to them is something super-humans do. When I got back to work, everyone congratulated me. They were proud of me.

Up to that point (well even now if I'm truthful) I wasn't proud of me. I ran/walked the last 6 miles and was disappointed in myself. Had I not given myself permission to walk, which then allowed me to walk again and again, would I have done better. I was very fatigued and while I didn't quit the race, I quit pushing myself. I've done plenty of long runs where I thought of walking and saw my pace wasn't that bad after all and kept running. I didn't even look at my pace when I decided to walk. Should I have just slowed my pace down? I know there is no answer to that.

One of my friends immediately after I finished texted me what happened? My pace fell off. Why did I fall apart the last 6 miles? Hmmm, are you a frenemy? It happened. I've thought about the various areas of possible reasons for hitting the wall

Nutrition- being in a hotel and eating every meal out is challenging. I didn't carb up like I did on my last marathon. I also only ate a bagel with peanut butter 4 hours before the race. That probably wasn't enough food.
Training- I had 3 weeks of little training due to injuries in the two months prior to the race. That affected my endurance and confidence.
Time of day- my training runs are always early and I would be done and showered by 10:30...which on race day is the time I started running.
Pacing- I still feel that I went out ok. It's a race, I chose to start at my race pace, rather than work into it. This is a different tactic for me because usually I start much slower and speed up as I go. Changing my tactic from something that has worked very well in the past for me is something in hindsight that I shouldn't have changed.
Mental game - leading up to the race and during the race I was fearful I would be injured. That the IT band or hamstring would act up. I was fine and wasted a lot of energy and created stress with the worry.
Flat out being tired- I was tired, chose to walk and in hindsight, I wish I just slowed down my pace but kept running.

In reality, even falling apart...or being shredded as one of my friends put it. I did fantastic. Bottom line. I ran a marathon and I did it under 4 hours. If I stand back and look at it, that is outstanding and I know many people strive to go under 4 hours and don't ever make that goal. As I mentioned, people at work and my friends are proud of me and so excited to say they know someone who ran Boston. It doesn't matter to them if my pace dropped from 8:25 at the half marathon to 8:54 at the end. It doesn't matter.

Now for the lighter side of this post..... I LOVED all the little kids out there. They were so excited, jumping up and down with so much enthusiasm, at the start yelling go go go. Throughout the race they held out orange slices in the palm of their hand making it easy for runners to get the oranges. Popsicles in various colors were held out and was a very welcome treat. Rows of children would hold out their hands for high 5's. If you started down the row, other people (adults too) put out their hands to keep the high 5 chain going. At the beginning of the race, high 5'ing is a serious energy booster. I tried to high 5 at the end hoping to get some energy but eventually I didn't have the energy to even do that.

The crowds were awesome. I wore my name on my shirt and loved having them cheer me on. At the end, it was very helpful and I felt like they cared and were really rooting for me. Sorry to the guys that I rolled my eyes and gave them a 'life sucks' look. I'm so appreciative of the crowds out there even though if I don't have many memories of those last painful miles.

I do remember

at the beginning seeing the crowd of runners...covering the road...a blanket of people
towards the end the crowds were 5 deep and the faces were a blur.
coming up to Becky and Sonja from my track group and Becky's smiling face as she cheered me on. we leap-frogged each other the last 2 miles.
seeing Becky put her hand on Sonja's back to encourage Sonja to keep running...that she was doing great even though it hurt to keep going
encouraging another runner who was in tears saying how much it hurt. The amazing thing to me was she kept running and didn't stop. Because I was run/walking, I would pass and encourage her a number of times
running behind Dana, who turned out to be Miss Canada. I realized who she was when Miss Canada, wearing her red gown AND HEELS are the post-race party had her bib on with her name on it.
running behind Kelsey and hearing the crowd call out her name. I've heard some runners get tired of hearing the names or runners being called out but I didn't. Kelsey, thanks for running by me.
seeing Team Hoyt on the course. You've seen storied about Dick pushing his son Rick in marathons. It was an honor to see them on the course. Rick was very bundled up for the cold.
seeing Achilles members and knowing the runners have overcome challenges greater than I could even imagine.
telling a blind runner and his guide that he's looking good and having him reply back that I was looking good too. That cracked me up.
throwing my gloves off to the side meaning to have them go to the side of the road yet over threw them many feet into someone's yard. I didn't know my own arm strength
talking to Tall Mom around mile 11. She said she was having a tough time and I felt bad for her that we weren't even at the half way point yet.
seeing my friend with her union jack bandanna at mile 6 in front of me and knowing she was running a faster pace, let her go and not try and catch up...even to say hi.
running by Jackie Moon and telling him he looked sexy and having him tell me that I'm sexy too and he's going to draft off of me.
seeing signs on business to encourage the runners
the green water cups scattered on the ground blowing across the road because of the high wind (which very very fortunately was a tail wind)
stepping on used Power Gels packs at mile 17 thinking they were slippery and someone could fall if there were too many on the ground.
seeing leaf rakes sweep the cups off to the side
being encouraged by the volunteers at water stations
the lady who cried out..come on in frustration when I started walking. I suppose if the runner in front of me stopped I'd be frustrated too
noticing the runner with the KT Tape across their legs at the beginning of the race. Wondering how tough would the race be for them.
Feeling a blister on my arch (same place I've been getting them) starting about mile 3. In the end, I had 7 blisters with 4 being blood blisters on the tips of my toes. Right now I still have a black toe that I wear proudly.
being cold at the start of the race but with the sheer number of people scrunched into a small area, the wind didn't get to me and it wasn't that cold.
the calmness yet excitement at the start of the race.
Choking up when I had the medal around my neck and realizing that I just ran Boston, something many people strive to do and I had to qualify to even get there.

The day I left for Boston my co-workers decorated my office. They signed a poster board with well wishes. One lady explained they tried to find a picture of a white woman winning a marathon and they said, all they found were Kenyans. They don't know who Kara Goucher, Paula Radcliff and Deanna Kaster are to look for their pictures and the fact is, Kenyans make up a large portion of the elites.

I love my Boston Marathon Jacket (even if it isn't embroidered like past years). Total strangers before the race told me good luck and afterwards for the following week total strangers asked how I did.

The latest episode (#270) of Phedipidations Steve says "The marathon humbles you, it teaches you something about yourself every time you toe the line. It's always more than just a race. The marathon is a challenge for individual glory and an opportunity for personal enlightenment. "

Consider myself humbled.

Happy Running!

Cyber Friend No Longer Virtual

2011-04-25T18:07:00.000-07:00

Meeting Natalia in Boston was like meeting a long lost best friend. We clicked instantly. Over the past few years we have exchanged emails and commented on each others blogs and in person we were chatty best friends that understood each other.

At the expo

Arranging to meet at the expo could have backfired based on the sheer number of people that would be attending but we arranged to meet early. Like a scene from a movie, we were both on our cell phones trying to locate the other person when I look up, see her on the escalator and knew instantly it was her (of course she looked like her pictures but was much prettier in person.) For the next 2.5 hours we zig zagged our way through the expo chatting the entire time. I learned that you're supposed to toss your sports bra's after a year (mine are grey, dungy and many years old) and that Natalia is a wicked fast runnuh. Natalia must have felt so sorry for me having old sports bra's because she later gave me a gift...a new sports bra. Out with the old; in with the new!

Natalia finishing strong

Natalia post race

On Sunday Natalia was running the 5K, which is on a portion of the Boston Marathon course, and I headed over to cheer her on. Getting up early in Boston wasn't a problem for me because I was still waking up at 6am (3am Phoenix time) At the start line there were 5,000 plus people and I knew I wouldn't find her. About 20 minutes before the start of the race I called her....she was just leaving the house! It would only take her 10 minutes to get there. This is one area were we differ. For races, I'm an anxious nervous rat arriving at the races an hour before and couldn't imagine showing up 10 minutes before the race even if I did already have my race packet and bib. After the start of the race I climbed into the stands to watch her come through the finish. I worried I wouldn't be able to pick her out in the crowd yet after a bit, she came through looking strong. I waited for her to pop out the other end of the food tent and we talked about her race and walked around until my pre-race nerves and tired feet got the best of me and we parted.

Natalia, Stuart, John and Christina

On Wednesday, Natalia wasn't sick of me yet and we met for dinner with our significant others. 3 hours later when we parted it seemed like only an hour had gone by. Natalia originally is from South Africa and her husband is British so both of them have the coolest accent. The night passed so effortlessly I was sad to say goodbye.

Meeting Natalia was one of the highlights on my Boston trip and I look forward to meeting her again...maybe Vegas?

Boston Marathon

2011-04-23T15:10:00.000-07:00

Leading up to Boston I watched the weather and was uber aware of each ache. Race morning was crisp, cold, windy but sunny. The sun meant for a great race and the wind was a fortunate tail-wind which would lend to Boston being the faster marathon setting a world record time. (The course doesn't qualify for a world record)

Jason and Chrissy waiting at the Westin for the arrival of our bus

I was incredibly fortunate with an opportunity to ride in the coach bus with the Alzheimer's charity group. The bus not only had a bathroom on it, but we were allowed to stay on the bus until the last minute. I didn't have to sit in the mud in Athlete's Village, stand in the port-a-potty lines or deal with the terribly cold wind.

Athlete's Village

The race started and I heeded (or so I thought) all the advice to go out slow. I held myself back at the beginning and was running strong. Around mile 11 I ran into Tall Mom and was so excited to meet her. It was sunny and for me quite hot. I sipped the water at most water stations and dumped the rest on my head. Going downhill at mile 18, I no longer felt I was holding myself back and my arms were incredibly tired. I tried to maintain for a little while but when my BQ pace slipped by, I gave myself permission to walk some. I felt the wall hitting me, falling on me brick by brick. From mile 19 through the finish I struggled and ran/walked to the finish. I've never been so happy to finish a race.

My final time was 3:54:45 and I finished in 14729 place, 5053 out of females and 973 in my age group. My bib number was in the 17K's and that means that I finished about 3K above compared to the people I started with. A number of people I talked to did worse that the qualifying time by 10-15 minutes so I fit right in.

While I am disappointed that I didn't finish with a 3:45, qualifying and running Boston is a great accomplishment and I will always have that. Thanks everyone for the kind words and support.

Relaxing on the Boston Common post marathon

Boston Marathon Alert

2011-04-16T06:19:00.001-07:00

I sent this to friends and co-workers and now I'm posting it too for my fellow bloggy friends. What's pretty cool is how many people in the office told me they signed up for the alert and have forwarded on the email to others. One of my friends likes being able to tell her friends she knows someone running the Boston Marathon. The mystic of Boston is there for runners and non-runners alike.

**SPOILER ALERT**

Kara Goucher will beat me (along with 17,000 other runners)

On Monday, April 18th I’ll be participating in the 115th Boston Marathon along with 27,000 other runners. If you’re interested you can receive a text when I cross the 10K mark ( about 6 miles), half-marathon (13 miles) , 30K (18 miles) and the finish line. You can text the word RUNNER to 345678 and you’ll receive a return text with instructions. My bib number is 17327.

I’m in the second wave and the gun goes off at 10:20am (EST). My best guess is it’ll take me 10 minutes to cross the starting line and actually start running. The first part of the course is downhill and then the hills start at mile 16. If all goes well, I’ll cross the finish line in Boston 4 hours or less later (about noon PST)

FAQ
How long is a marathon anyway? It is 26.2 miles long.

How did I get into Boston? To run Boston you need to qualify by running a certain time for your age group. For the 2011 Boston I needed to run a certified marathon in three hours, fifty minutes (3:50) to qualify. Last year I ran the 2010 IMS Arizona marathon in 3:44 and qualified to run Boston. Boston just lowered their qualifying times making it harder to get in so it’s a good thing I’m running it this year.

How many marathons have I run? This will be my third marathon

Will I walk? My goal is to run the whole time but a few runners use the Galloway run/walk method.

What about the wall? Some people say it’s all in the runners head. In my second marathon I didn’t hit a wall and felt great the entire time. In my first marathon about mile 22 I got super tired (and grumpy) and guess you could call say I hit the wall.

What if I have to go to the bathroom? There are port-a-potties along the course but I hope that I can do all my business in the morning. This shouldn’t be a problem because I need to be at the buses at 5:45am and will have plenty of time for my body to wake up.

Do you eat along the way? Many runners use GU, a carbohydrate goo like blob that has 100 calories in it and is really sticky if you get it on your hands. I’ll take one every 5 miles, or 45 minutes. If you’re curious on what GU tastes like, just ask my co-worker Nick. He loves GU.

Why am I flying to Boston, spending money on a hotel, air, etc just to go running in a race where I can’t possibly win? Hey, it’s Boston. What other explanation could there possibly be?

Happy Running!

Packing For Boston

2011-04-14T21:54:00.000-07:00

It can be daunting choosing the perfect race outfit for a local race. What should be packed for the Boston Marathon (or any other big marathon)? I pulled out my excel spreadsheet with various lists on each tab to come up with the following list.

Race packet pickup (very, very important)

Running shoes

Running socks

Tank top

Short sleeve top if weather is cold

Shorts

Capri's (if weather is cold)

SKINS

Garmin

Garmin charger

Hair bands (2)

White throwaway "sweats"

Throw-away sweat shirt

Gloves

Check bag for pre-race

Bag for post race include towel to shower and change of clothes
Spi-belt

Pepto bismal tablets

Tri-glide (for chafing)

Aquafor

Chapstick

GU (4)

Ibuprofin

Sunscreen

Visor (in case it rains)

Baby wipes

Mylar blanket to spread on the ground

Tour guide books
And a partridge in a pear tree

Am I missing anything?

Dreams vs. Goals - Guest Writer Liz Finch

2011-04-13T19:19:00.001-07:00

Have you ever dreamed of running a Marathon? Maybe even the Boston? Even if your answer is no, this post can still help you… if you are only willing to take a small journey with me. Ready? Let’s begin.

The first thing you need to learn is that there is a big difference between goals and dreams. A dream is only a dream. When we take steps to achieve it, then, and only then, does it become a goal. A dream is the desire to run Boston. A goal is taking steps to run the Boston. Even so, dreams are very important because they are the stepping stones for our goals.

So think with me for a moment, what do you daydream about? I literally had a dream last night that I was running this 5k that I’m registered for and my running was effortless and flowing just like what I had secretly imagined. Okay, so a 5k is a small dream, but it’s a stepping stone to larger dreams like one day running a full marathon.

The very first thing that I need is a mission statement. A mission statement is your dream, written out. So let’s say my big dream is to run in the Disney Princess Half come February 2012. (My small dream was the 5k, remember?) My mission statement might be, “I will train, through 5ks and 10ks, to run in the Disney Princess Half”. Or it might be, “I will become fit and strong through running races and cross training so that I can run the Disney Princess Half”. This mission statement is for you alone, so get as creative as you like!

The next step is where you can get quite creative. Put on your thinking cap, and think of goals that will help you accomplish your mission statement. Mini-steps. The only criteria that you need to use for those are that they must be MAPSS – Measurable, Attainable, Positive, Specific, and Scary!

So a good goal for me is, “I will run 2 5ks and 2 10ks and 1 half marathon to prepare for the Disney Princess Half”. A mini goal is “I will run the 5ks in under 40 minutes”. Measurable, Attainable, Positive, Specific, and Scary!

Keep making goals until you’ve reached your major goal. So it would look like this:

Run a 5k à Run a 10k à Run a half marathon à Run the Disney Princess Half.

Under each of those you might have even smaller goals, like a time goal, weight goal, or fitness level goal.

Does that make sense? Remember, any dream can be accomplished if you only break it down into measurable steps.

The last step is the most fun, in my opinion. Post your mission statement and your current goal somewhere where you can see it. On your bathroom mirror, the fridge, where ever! I also post pictures from Runner’s World and especially the posters of the Disney Princess Half all over the house so I’m always reminded of my goal.

Cheers, and Good Luck on your Goals!

L. Finch

Liz is a runner from the Kansas area whose biggest dream is to run the Disney Princess Half... and someday maybe a marathon. Her weakness is coffee, chocolate, and books. After falling and breaking her arm while running, her greatest fear is falling while running. Visit Liz at her blog Feet Dominating Pavement

Boston Marathon. A Century of Blood, Sweat and Cheers

2011-04-11T18:45:00.001-07:00

As Boston approaches, I desire to learn more about the marathon. Not only the course but also the interesting tidbits about the famous marathon. I've been listening to Steve Runners older episodes of the State of the Course and anxiously await the 2011 State of the Course episode. Sitting on the bookshelf of my boyfriend is the book 'The Boston Marathon A Century of Blood, Sweat and Cheers' published in 2003 by Tom Derderian, that has captured my interest with snippets of Boston marathon history, the course and races. I recommend reading the book yourself but in the meantime, here are a couple tidbits I found interesting.

In 1924 the starting line was moved to Hopkinton from Ashland.
Wheelchair collisions occur, much to the horror of the spectators. The collision in 1987 required changes controlling the start to prevent crashes.
1987 must have been a horrible start because they used a rope to prevent runners from false starting. The starter, fired the gun without realizing the rope was still up causing runners to trip and fall. (see there's a reason I'm not an elite at the starting line)
The Hadleys, who live on Hopkinton Common,open their bathroom to runners; many who return year after year for their hospitality.
An extra 12,000 vehicles go through the Hopkinton tollbooth increasing tolls collected
It once was believed the marathon was harmful to the human body. At least until 1958 a physical was required the day of the marathon to prove the fitness of the athlete before running Boston.
In the first Boston, each athlete had their own handler. Someone to ride along on a bicycle in case their runner needed "water, food, massage, encouragement and stimulants."
In 1907 runners had to wait for a freight train giving Longboat the lead in front of Fowler.
In 1927, when paving roads was still basically an experiment, the tar melted sticking to the runners shoes.
The largest margin of victory was 6:52 in 1897 for the men, 9:59 in 1972 for the females. The smallest margin was 1 second for the men in 1988 and .40 seconds in 1980.

Happy Running!

Throwback Day

2011-04-10T18:10:00.000-07:00

I love Johann's pictures of his throwbacks days and decided to follow his lead and post one of my own.

Hey, look at the runners. I can do that.

Feng Shui Poop

2011-04-09T05:00:00.001-07:00

I just finished Clear Your Clutter with Feng Shui and think it’s one of the best books on clutter that I’ve read. While the book talks about Feng Shui, it isn’t about the tiger in the prosperity corner of your Baqua, but about how clutter drags you down affecting all areas. You’re probably wondering what the heck does clutter have to do with running? Chapter 18 talks about clutter clearing your body. You got it…poop. As runners we have all asked the question how to control the poop and keep the brown monster from peeking out it’s grotesque little head at inopportune moments. The more you run you’ve probably had more bush stops than you care to admit.

Kingston says “People who collect clutter on the outside can collect it on the inside too, but whereas clutter on the outside can hamper your progress in life, clutter on the inside can have even more serious health-threatening or even life threatening consequences.” In chapter 18 Kingston talks about the benefit of colon cleansing and toilet habits of the west verses the east. She comments that Balinese babies get toilet trained much quicker than Western babies because they aren’t dressed up in diapers and figure out what is going on sooner and she notes that Western people “feel disgusted at the thought of their own excrement”. She also believes one of the reason Westerners have high rates of colon diseases are due to the Western toilet. In the East people squat, opening up the colon and in the West sitting on the throne constricts the colon. To help remedy this when using a Western toilet sit up straight and raise both arms high above your heading opening up the intestinal tract which simulates squatting.

So next time you are fretting over your body cooperating and trying to poop before a run, try sitting up tall and straight on the throne, lifting your arms high above your head and yell out your "Reach for the Stars". You may have to give up your morning paper to accomplish this but if you’re done sooner, you didn’t have time to read anyways. If this didn't bore the crap out of you and you wondering how else can you poop before you run, you can visit my Got Poop post.

Happy Running!

A Sprint Through Bloggie Land

2011-04-07T05:26:00.005-07:00

Here are some cool links I found. Some running related; some aren't.

400-pound marathoner celebrates nine hours, 48 minutes and 52 seconds of 'pure hell' (Los Angeles Times)

Women average 17 pairs of shoes, poll says (AZ Central) Note: I don't have that many shoes but probably a qtr of my shoes are related to running.

Get off Spam mail lists (eco-cycle)

Check Your Form: Running With Correct Biomechanics (Active.com)

Space Invaders (Slate)

Head Away From Nature West Near Ballpark Boston

2011-04-05T22:11:00.000-07:00

With Boston less than 2 weeks away I have download past episodes of the podcast Phedippidations by Steve Runner. Each year Steve does a State of the Course podcast about the Boston Marathon. With 9 Boston's under his belt, he is a wealth of information. The information in this post comes from his 2009 State of the Course podcast. Hopefully he'll post his 2011 episode soon.

Steve uses a mnemonic to help remember the cities the marathon runs through. It is

Head Away From Nature West Near Ballpark Boston

Hopkinton

Ashland

Framingham

Natick

Wellesley

Newton

Brookline

Boston

Naturally when I was trying to remember this mnemonic, I couldn't. If you see me walking around muttering to myself it's because I'm practicing remembering it.

I found a site where it shows the course marathon per BAA and shows his Garmin elevation. The BAA course elevation profile is smooth as a baby behind when you can see in real life the course is a monster with jagged little teeth.

Steve Runner also had some interesting stats on the course and the hills.

61% of the course has a slope less than 1%

22% descends at a rate greater than 1%

17% climbs greater than 1%

That means that 83% of the course is downhill. Downhill! Sweet. The problem are the three major hills starting at mile 16.

Hill #1 starts in Newton,climbs from 89 ft above sea level to 157ft, has an average grade of 4.7%, is .28 miles long
Hill #2, goes from 98 ft to 157 ft for .38 of a mile with an average grade of 2.9%.
Hill #3 climbs from 148 ft to 236 ft with an average grade of 4.5% for .37 miles.

Steve calls the third hill, AKA as Heartbreak Hill, as a goofy little speed bump. The elevation chart doesn't it make it look like a speed bump or goofy AT ALL.

A Runners World post by Hal Higdon breaks up the race this way.

Hopkinton to Natick (0-10 miles) - Profile: Elevation drops from 462 to 177 feet.

Natick to Wellesley Square (10-13.5 miles) - Profile: Elevation drops from 177 to 137 feet.

Wellesley Square to Lower Newton Falls (13.5-16 miles) - Profile: Elevation drops from 137 to 49 feet.

Lower Newton Falls to Cleveland Circle (16-22 miles) - Profile: Elevation rises from 49 to 236 feet, then drops to 147 feet.

Cleveland Circle to Kenmore Square (22-25 miles) - Profile: Elevation drops from 147 to 20 feet.

Kenmore Square to Finish (25-26.2 miles) -Profile: Flat with a slight incline on Hereford Street

I recommend reading the post because he also gives tips for running each section.

At track tonight someone asked me if I was "cool" about the race or "obsessed". I'm obsessed. Definitely obsessed - thinking about it continually (and worrying too). To keep my mind off the worry I'm weighing the option of wearing my name on my shirt and hearing it called or being anonymous. Part of me thinks hearing my name called out may keep me motivated, especially the last miles. The other part of me thinks after hearing my name for 4 hours called out, I may never want to hear my name again. What are your thoughts? Name on shirt or nameless?

Happy Running!

The Race

2011-04-04T04:05:00.000-07:00

Kara Goucher's New Book

2011-04-02T09:45:00.021-07:00

While Kara Goucher was pregnant and taking it easy but still probably running 50 miles a week, she wrote a book Kara Goucher's Running for Women: From First Steps to Marathons. This book is being released on Tuesday, April 5th. The Amazon product description is

GET FIT, GET FAST, AND GO FARTHER WITH OLYMPIC RUNNER KARA GOUCHER’S COMPREHENSIVE GUIDE TO RUNNING FOR WOMEN
KARA GOUCHER is crazy, madly, head-over-heels in love with running, and she wants to help you feel that love, too. Whether you’re just getting started or already a seasoned runner, this is the book that will take you to the next level. Kara Goucher’s Running for Women contains her expertise, tips, and tricks targeted specifically at female runners to help you become a better, happier, healthier, and more fulfilled runner. She’ll teach you how to:
• GET STARTED WITH THE RIGHT GEAR
• BUILD A SUCCESSFUL SUPPORT TEAM
• FIND THE RIGHT TRAINING PROGRAM FOR YOU
• OVERCOME PSYCHOLOGICAL SETBACKS
• BALANCE RUNNING WITH FAMILY AND WORK
• AND MUCH MORE
Designed to fit your busy lifestyle, Kara Goucher’s Running for Women is packed with quick tips, pearls of running wisdom, and sample training schedules and nutrition plans, as well as sections dedicated to running during and after pregnancy, managing the special challenges of the female athlete’s body, and maintaining a balance between sporting and family life.Kara Goucher’s Running for Women is the ultimate guide for women who want to train for the gold or simply discover their personal best.

It looks like it is a great beginners book but the psychological setback may prove to be interesting. I'll most likely buy it for $10.95 (although I would swear yesterday the price showed $9 something.)

Now we all know that besides talking about poop, Adam LOVES Kara Goucher and has googly eyes for her and turns into a whimpering,drooling puppy dog about to get a doggy treat when he even hears the name "Kara". So the big question is will Adam buy Kara's book on women's running? What do you think? Vote below.

Online Surveys & Market Research

Note: me and the blogger poll have NOT had fun. I would get it all set up and vote and then all the voting buttons would go away. Darn. I found Vizu and and so far so good. Results of the poll are displayed after voting.