Loosening my grip…

As most people do, I have been refreshing Weather.com about a million times a day for the past week obsessing about St. George, Utah on Saturday. Unfortunately, the weather outlook has steadily become worse and worse. Five days ago, the forecast was for high temperatures around 89 degrees.  As of five minutes ago, the high is predicted to be 93.  YIKES.

Yesterday, I posted on Facebook and Twitter asking for advice for running a marathon in extreme heat.  I had some good advice.  Some of it even made me laugh. Alyssa and XLMIC both suggested I run naked! Interesting thought…

Two tweets came through that really made me think:

When I talked to my husband about it, he encouraged me not to change my goal. I have been training toward this goal for six months. If you count my failed attempt last year, I have been running toward this goal for over a year.

But running in temperatures that high? In Googling “running in heat” I saw articles saying that running in temperatures over 85 can lower your pace as much as 20%.

I am not going to give up my goal. However, I am going to loosen my grip on it a bit. Last year, I was holding on to my goal so tightly that when it finally slipped away, I was crushed. It still stings. I actually have a bad taste in my mouth for the Long Beach Marathon because of it. I have looked forward for so long to running St. George, I don’t want it ruined. I am determined to enjoy this!

I will do exactly as Mason suggests: accept what the day gives me, adjust my goal as needed and, most importantly, HAVE FUN.

I don’t think there is live tracking for the race, however they are broadcasting the finish line. I will be wearing a day-glo tank top, pink visor, pink compression socks and black shorts. My bib number is 5974. Look for me! http://www.voddov.com/marathon/

I’m off to finish packing.  We leave in the morning.

Happy Running…

Q & A—part 3

Margot asked: What is one running goal you most want to achieve? I REALLY want to qualify for Boston. Because of my advanced age, my qualifying time is much more achievable than for younger women.  I tried for my “perfect storm” in October of 2010, but had a bad race.  I am trying again this October.  My goal for last year is the same—sub 3:50.  I will be moving up in age groups soon and even with the new Boston qualifying times, a 3:50 would give me a five minute buffer.

In addition, I will run a 50K one of these days.  I had planned to run one last summer, but I had budget and scheduling issues.

Jess asked: What do you look forward to most following a hard training run? It is usually something cold and sweet.  I LOVE Otter Pops right after a run (I have packed them in a cooler for the group before) or an ice cold Pepsi.

Favorite running outfit? I don’t really have one favorite outfit.  I am pretty cheap when it comes to running clothes and my outfits are a collection of clearance items, gifts and C9 from Target. Half the time I wear race shirts and whatever shorts are clean.  After participating and teaching Body Back, I am in probably the best shape of my life. I am getting more and more comfortable showing my shape.  I just started rockin’ the booty shorts and love how comfy they are. My current favorite has been my Roadrunner Velocity Compression Shorts and my Roadrunner Every Day Tank in neon yellow/green.  However, I am beginning to think that my cammo Running Skirt with pink Roadrunner tank might become my favorite.
Favorite mileage? The half marathon is my favorite. I am even a Half Fanatic(#1205)! It is long enough to be an accomplishment, but not so long that it overtakes your training. My running fitness goal has been to be in half marathon shape no matter what I am training for, which means running at least 8-10 miles on the weekend.  This has come in handy as I have been able to do several last minute half marathons over the past year or so. For random runs, I still like the longer distances. Sometimes it doesn’t seem like I get into much of a groove until mile 7 or 8. It seems like most of my bad runs are under six miles.

Tricia asked the all-important question: What's your favorite kind of beer? Maybe I should have included this with the Hood to Coast-related questions. I have already told Tricia that I would buy her a beer for sending me my running skirt. Hopefully, this question means that I have a teammate who likes beer.   Having my roots in Oregon, I am a fan of micro brewery craft beers. Everywhere you look in Oregon, there is a small brewery with yummy beer. My taste in beer depends on my mood.  I usually like Irish red ale, since they rarely have a distinct hops flavor (I’m not a big fan of “hoppy” beer).  Sometimes, especially in the summer, I like the fruit or wheat or Belgian White beer.  I have never been a fan of strong porters, IPA’s or stouts (although there is an oatmeal stout that I had once that was pretty good.)  hee hee….more info on my beer tastes than you expected, eh?

Lindsay asked: what is your ideal number of blog posts per week? (for you to write, or what you think others should post max)  I have no idea what ideal is, but I sometimes struggle to do one per week, which is far from ideal.  I would love to post 3-4 times a week.  I take a long time to compose blog posts, so I just don’t have time to do that.  I feel that posting every day is a bit of overkill and I have a hard time following anyone that posts that often. 

How many now-real-life friends have you met through blogging? (real life as in met up with).  I am a big fan of meeting people on the internet.  I have met five people I got to know from blogs.  I have met Alice, Penny, Alissa, Jill, Aron, Irene and LB.  LB and I met accidentally at the beach one day. I have also met Danica a couple of times.  Does talking on the phone count as real life friend? Terri and I have spoken to on the phone, texted etc and interact on Facebook regularly.  Before I ever knew what blogging was, I was involved in a couple online message board communities. I have friends who I consider very close that I met while trying to get pregnant nine years ago with my first child as well as a couple I met while pregnant with my second. I no longer participate in message boards, but we all stay well connected through Facebook.  I am sure after Hood to Coast, I will be able to update that list.  I am already becoming friends with a few of my teammates.

Ideal place to go on vacation? I love the Caribbean. The water is warm and crystal clear and the weather is balmy. I want to repeat the best vacation I ever had, which was chartering a sailboat called Cat Maudy. The captain and his wife spoiled my husband and I to a fantastic week of sailing around the Virgin Islands.  It was incredibly relaxing, and we could snorkel, swim, explore as much as we wanted. We met with them at the beginning of our voyage and decided on the itinerary and they knew our likes and dislikes in terms of food, drink etc.  We didn’t have to make another decision for the rest of the week.  It was incredible.

What activity would you do (money is not an issue).  I would have to say travel. Almost everything on my “bucket list” have to do with things in other parts of the world. I want to hike the Inca Trail to Macchu Picchu. I want to do a trek in the Himalayas. I want to cycle through Europe. I want to go to the Olympics and the World Cup (wherever they might be). I would also like to run along the Great Wall of China (that marathon/half marathon looks awesome!)

Did you enjoy high school? I did. I participated in a lot of things in high school (student government, speech team, drama club, newspaper), yet had plenty of time to hang out with friends.  However, I am not a “glory days” kind of gal.  I don’t look back at high school with melancholy thinking about the “best days of my life.” I grew a lot in high school and enjoyed it, but would not want to go back.  Ever.

Thanks for playing!  I hope you were able to learn a little bit about me.

Happy Running…

Bye, bye Boston...

If you are a runner and haven't been under a rock today, you have probably heard about Boston Marathon's new registration process and new qualifying times.  They are giving preference to those who blow away their qualifying times and runners who make it by the skin of their teeth will most likely not make it in.


They are starting the registration early, leaving October marathons out (so much for qualifying this year in St. George).  The first two days are reserved for runners who beat their qualifying times by twenty minutes or more.  The next two days are for those running ten minutes faster than posted BQ times.  Two days later, those beating their times by five minutes are allowed to register.  A week after registration opens the rest of the qualifiers can register.  In addition, the times in 2013 will be reduced by five minutes.


It is a good move for the Boston Marathon, which thrives on its reputation as the "race to run."  Boston is a prestigious race for the mere fact that runners have to qualify to get in.*  The harder it is to get in, the more impressive it is if you do.  To maintain this elite status in the wake of increase in the popularity of running marathons, changes had to be made.


However, it bums me out a little.  I was hoping that 2012 would be my year.  I turn 45 and my qualifying time goes up to four hours.  That extra ten minutes is huge!  My 3:50 goal that I was so sure I could run last fall is now an elusive target.  Long Beach really did a number on my confidence.  I  know I can run under four hours, since I did it at Surf City last year.  For 2112, to guarantee the ability to register, I'd have to run 3:40.  To get a decent chance, it looks like 3:50 is back on the table. I'm pretty sure 3:55 is already the minimum time (if the race isn't full before the five minute people are allowed to enter), new standards or not.


I still wonder why they have the same qualifying time for runners between 18-34.  I think creating new age groups for BQ times might change the field a bit.  But then again, they know the demographics of their runners better than I do.


Only time will tell how this will affect Boston.  I'm pretty sure it will help it.  My own running career?  I'm not so sure Boston is in the cards for me.  But we'll just have to see about that as well.  What are your thoughts on the changes in the Boston Marathon??


Happy running...




*except, of course, the charity and corporate runners.

Good luck Boston runners!!

I'm thinking about all the people anxiously waiting for the start of the marathon this morning.  I know that there are plenty of bloggers out there running, but right now I can only remember Lindsay, TeaMarcia, and  Scott.  I'll shout out to them and anyone else running this morning.  I hope it is a great race!

43

Today I am 43.  Yikes… seeing it in writing makes me feel OLD.

I ran my first race at age 40 (the Iron Girl 10K in San Diego).  I ran my first marathon at age 41 (as well as my first and second half marathons).  I ran my second and third marathons when I was 42 years old (along with various other fun races).

So what does this next year hold? 

This year I hope to run my first ultra marathon, a 50k.  I also hope to qualify for Boston.  Those are some pretty big goals.   Wish me luck!

April 16, 2012

I am officially declaring that I want to be in Boston, Massachusetts in 1090 days. It will be two days past my 45th birthday. The qualifying time for women age 45-49 is 4:00:59. We'll see how I do in just under six weeks, but I think that I can run that time in the next couple of years.

Yup. I caught Boston Fever! The whole world seems to have had it this year. I am sure it is unbelievable in person. I was in tears watching Kara Goucher kick down the stretch. I was standing in front of my television yelling "go, go, go!!" I really wanted her to catch them. I felt really bad for her, since I know how hard she has been working.

In my world, I am doing a mini-taper week before my half marathon on Sunday. My marathon training schedule calls for six easy miles yesterday and a seven mile tempo run tomorrow. Instead, I went on a nice 16 mile bike ride along the coast yesterday. It was a wonderful way to beat the heat out by my house and save my shins a bit. I don't think I'll be doing my tempo run, since Sunday will pretty much be a tempo run. My shins are bothering me, so I may actually skip my run completely tomorrow to rest them. We'll see.

I hope everyone is having a good week. happy running.

**I am editing to throw a little credit where credit is due. I decided to write this post after reading Irish's post the other day about Boston fever. I admired that she put her goal out there and I felt like I needed to do it (ha ha ha...no pun intended) as well. Thanks for inspiring me to commit.

Frustration!

I am trying to get updates on the Boston Marathon. The live coverage on UniversalSports doesn't seem to be going yet.
I just want to see Kara run. I know there has been a ton of hype about her race, but I am buying it all. I just love her. I was thinking about her during my speed workout on Thursday. On my fastest mile, with my VO2 max at its max, I might be able to keep up with her for one mile during an easy training run. During a race? Forget about it. She would sprint away from me like I was standing still.

I am also a big fan of Ryan Hall. He just seems like such a good guy. When we stayed in Big
Bear last summer, the entire town (his home town) was in love with Ryan Hall.

Hopefully, I will be able to see the coverage soon! I did just find some updates on MarathonGuide.com. Apparently, Ryan Hall is in the lead and Kara Goucher is running in a pack. Conserving energy? They mention that the women are running very slowly.

Good luck to everyone out there running in Boston!

UPDATE: I found Universal Sports on TV! That is even better, because I can TIVO it when I leave. I also discovered that the live internet coverage doesn't work with Firefox. When I opened it in Internet Explorer, it came right up.

Western States 100 Mile Race cancelled....

Not that I have anything to do with this race by any stretch of my imagination... LOL. I read a blog of an ultra runner, Scott Dunlap, and have been following his journey toward this huge running accomplishment. The Western States Endurance Run looks like a meeting of the best of the best that challenges ultra athletes to the extreme. I am in awe of the people who train for and race in this.


Well... it has been cancelled. The wildfires in Northern California have made it unsafe to proceed with the 100 mile race. Apparently, the fires are too close for comfort and the race cuts off some critical access roads. In addition, the health risks to the runners (as well as volunteers and staff) is much too great. If you have ever been around wildfires, you know how bad the air quality can be. Last fall during the wildfires here, we couldn't go outside for a week. They closed schools simply because of the poor air quality. Even after the fires were well under control, they warned against strenuous exercise outside.

I can't imagine how disappointed these runners are. If the RNR marathon had been cancelled at the last minute, it would have taken all the wind out of my sails. Everyone was already in Tahoe for the pre-race festivities as well as acclimatization to the altitude. I doubt if any ultra trail runners read my blog, but I wanted to give them all a shout out and hope that they can utilize the hours and hours of training (Scott did the Boston Marathon as a training run) in a fun way.