I have often read different blogs comparing running and life. Lately, I have keenly felt the comparison. The other day , I was running from my house down past the schools. I felt completely in a groove; running felt effortless. Then the road flattened out and the run felt tougher. I hadn't even realized I was running downhill until it flattened out.
It hit me that one minute you're cruising along in life and everything is good and then it levels out and it seems just that much harder. Even when life is going along without too many ups and downs, it can seem tough, especially after a particularly easy time (i.e. vacation).
Once you get your rhythm on the flats, you eventually hit the uphill (because what goes down must come up). We all know how hard the hills can be. Your legs burn, your lungs burn. All you really want to do is turn around or stop completely. And hills, up or down, really work those leg muscles.
Often, when you run up hills, as much as it hurts, there is a certain kind of satisfaction in getting to the top. You climb and climb and the feeling when you crest the top is sometimes even euphoric. One of my favorite races was the La Jolla Half Marathon, which is known for its hilly course, in particular, the Torrey Pines hill. When I reached the top of Torrey Pines, I let out a cheer with other runners around me. I heard of one runner, on the other hand, who hailed the ditch bus as soon as she reached the top. It was all too much. For me, I am very proud of that race and how well I did on the hills. I am proud of the metaphorical hills I have climbed in life, as well. Getting my Master's Degree, climbing the corporate ladder and motherhood are examples of some of the hills in my life that I am proud of.
Sometimes, however, there are hills that are really, really tough. When you get to the top, you don't feel pride, you just feel relief. There is no ditch bus and there is no one you can call to pick you up. I found such a hill Sunday. I started running up the hill thinking, "holy cow... this is one steep hill." I thought the top was at the next traffic light. When I got to the light, it leveled for that street and then headed up again. It seemed to have no end! When I finally reached the top and was able to run downhill, there was no "groove" or fun in the run. I just needed to put one foot in front of the other to make it home. When the road headed up again, it was tougher than before. The hill wouldn't have been so hard if I hadn't just run over seven miles (most of which were flat or gradual uphill). The good news is that I did make it home and was no worse for the wear afterward.
That is how my life has seemed for much of this year. My family has struggled quite a bit. Just when we thought that things were leveling off, the road continued upward. It didn't seem to have an end. When the hard part ended, I didn't feel triumph, only relief. There was no payoff of a downhill section, just a leveling off of the road. And now I move forward tentatively... waiting for that next hill to take the wind out of my sails.
Throughout my life, I have had long stretches of downhill and flat terrain. An occasionally roller only helps you to get the momentum for the downhills. My very favorite race was the Carlsbad Half Marathon (which happens to be my PR). It is not super flat, but a series of rollers. In that race, the uphill portions didn't slow me down. In fact, they helped my determination and focus. The downhills gave me "free speed." Short downhills are actually easier than the long ones-- they don't kill your quads. I hope that this next chapter of my life is full of rolling hills, just like that race. It keeps the scenery changing and the run more fun.
May you all have a life of gentle rolling hills with some fun "free speed" along the way. *wink*
Showing posts with label La Jolla Half Marathon. Show all posts
Showing posts with label La Jolla Half Marathon. Show all posts
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
America's Finest City Half Marathon Race Report
All in all, it was a great day!! I had fun with my friends and reached my GOLD goal.
Pre-Race
It started VERY early. I woke up at 3:10 a.m. YIKES. I was meeting Lisa, Heather and Lyn at 4:30 to drive down to the park together. Even getting up an hour before leaving the house, I didn't quite "take care of business" like I wanted to. Damn. That means ppp*
After last year's traffic hassle, we drove a different way to the park. It was easy peasy to get to the park and find parking. We met the other Rockin' Mamas near the bus pick up. Everyone was in great spirits. I was in the best mood. A combination of caffeine on very little sleep** combined with excitement of all my friends running this race made me a tad manic.
Most of us were wearing a matching Stroller Strides tank top. It was great having matching shirts. HOWEVER, we had no idea that the race shirts would be the same color. Seriously?? How jacked up is that? Do you know how hard it is to find cranberry tank tops during the out-and-back portion of the race when thousands of people are wearing the cranberry race jersey? Next time, I need to talk everyone into wearing day-go like Alice and the Heffers.
There were ten of us, but we couldn't manage to get a picture of all of us (my friend Pham was in the bathroom when we took the big group pic).
We got on a bus to Cabrillo Monument, where the race began, which was a piece of cake. We arrived at the starting area well before 6 a.m. and used the porta potties several times.
It was chilly in the morning (chilly for Southern California standards) Heather, Lisa and Lyn shivered while Alicia danced.
The Start
We were in line for the porta potties for one last time. The line was painfully slow. After last year's debacle, I didn't want to chance it. When we got back to the rest of the group, several of them had already gone to the front. I never heard the gun go off, but suddenly the crowd started moving. I ended up crossing the starting line around seven minutes after the gun.
The first mile started out fine. I looked down at my Garmin and saw an 8:30 pace. I saw that Anne and Pham were almost at that pace. I slowed down to join them and told them how fast they were going. I didn't want them to start out too fast. I knew that Pham was much more comfortable closer to ten-minute-miles. Anne can easily do 8:30, but her goal was sub two hours and I wanted her to make that goal and not die on the hill. Then I remembered that I was running a race and not in "coach" mode. I wished them good luck and sped up a bit.
Sometime during that mile, I saw the day-glo top of AKA Alice. She looked great! Really strong. I tapped her on the shoulder and said, "hi!" I thought for a moment that she might not recognize me and would wonder who this strange woman with the manic smile was running alongside her. She smiled and said hi. I asked how she was feeling and she said she was great. She is definitely back from her injury. She ran a great race and you can read her race report here.
By the second mile, I knew that a PR was probably not in the cards. I ended up running the first mile in 8:50, between weaving around runners and "coaching" my friends. To PR, I'd have to make up that time. To PR, an 8:30 pace should feel pretty effortless. It wasn't. In fact, I was falling comfortably into around an 8:35 pace. To go faster than that would have been pushing myself. I didn't want to push too hard too early, since there is a pretty decent hill at the end. I was still on pace for a pretty decent race, however, so I wasn't ready to throw in the towel.
As I approached the first aid station, I ran right through. Afterward, I realized that I completely forgot to look for Irene. D'oh! It was crazy. The entire field was so crowded. I swear I was weaving around runners the entire race. I probably should have lined up closer to the front, but I don't have any regrets. I spent some quality time with my friends (ah... porta potty lines) instead of pushing my way up through the crowd.
The fourth mile is pretty much all downhill. I had my fastest mile of the race (8:00). I was feeling good, but not great. After that mile I thought, "maybe?" But alas...I wouldn't see another split that fast until the very end.
Miles 5 through 10--
These are the flat miles. I was feeling tired, but I enjoyed them so much more than I did last year. Harbor Island is a little spit of land that we run around. It is a bit of an out and back. Last year, it felt like it was 100 degrees. This year, while sweating like a pig, I did not feel overly hot. I looked at the crowd as I passed, hoping to find my friend, Laura. We had run this stretch during a couple of training runs. During those runs, we ran all the way to the end of Harbor Island. Imagine my delight when we turned around well before the end. I enjoyed the gorgeous view of the city and really appreciated the beauty of San Diego.
After Harbor Island, past the rental car return lot---the most boring part of the entire race-- I settled into a nice easy pace. Right around mile 10, I saw my friend Linda cheering from the sidelines. She is 36 weeks pregnant and getting to the uncomfortable stage of her pregnancy. It was so sweet of her to come out and cheer for her fellow Rockin' Mamas. She ran the race last year and I vividly remember her passing me on 6th street, looking fresh as a daisy with a spring in her step.
Miles 10-13.1 (or 13.34 if you are terrible at running tangents and weaving around slower runners)--
Here is where the hills start. I was just thrilled to death that I didn't feel as bad as I did last year at this point. I looked at the porta potties that saved me last year, thankful that I didn't need them again. The aid station right past mile 10 is a fun one. They had music blasting and were handing out cheeseburgers. They didn't sound too appetizing at the time.
By the time I turned onto A street to head uphill, the sun was out and beating full force. This was really starting to feel like work. We had run these hills several times in training and this felt the most difficult. I was already passing quite a few people, however. I wondered if they knew that it was going to get even harder. As I turned onto 6th street, I knew that I was almost done. I also knew that I had some work to do to get there.
Right before mile 12 is my friend, Anne's building. That is where we had our after-party. Several of the dads got together early to walk down to 6th street to cheer us on. I saw Kenny about a half a block before I got there. I waved at him and he gathered up the kids to be ready for me. I took the opportunity to stop for a few seconds to hug them, catch my breath and go on my way. It was great!
I found out later that my sweet hubby stayed out there and waited for all the Rockin' Mamas. He really wanted to cheer for Heather, who was about 45 minutes behind me. What a guy! Heather's husband missed her by a few minutes due to technical difficulties***, so I am so glad for her that she had friendly faces cheering for her during the hardest part of the race. She told me that it meant a lot to her to see them.
The hill was tough. I had run that hill so many times. In fact, during training runs I would run it several times. I ran with one friend and then ran back down to run up it with another friend. The hill didn't scare me at all. Maybe it should have. Where I could easily run up it near the end of fifteen miles at a 9:30 pace, on race day I ran it well over a 10 minute pace. Hmmm...
Once I got up to the top of the hill, I caught my breath and charged forward for the final portion of the race. I hit "lap" on my Garmin, so I would know how fast I ran the last part. I ended up running it at an 8:04 pace. Yeah! I just kept gaining speed and passing people like crazy. I knew exactly where the course turned and headed downhill (I know Balboa Park like the back of my hand). I knew that if I made it to the turn, I could sprint down the hill. About a hundred yards from the finish, I saw/heard my friend Vickie cheering me in.
I heard the announcer and really wanted to hear my name. I have yet to hear my name finishing a race. I took my headphones off as I sprinted into the finish. Nope. No name. I think you have to be old, young or from far away. I thought that maybe since I had a Triple Crown bib on, it might get a nod. Oh well... someday.
I finished in 1:56:13. It is eight minutes faster than I ran the same race last year. It is also 25 seconds faster than I ran La Jolla in April. I think this race felt harder. I'm not sure why, since La Jolla has the KILLER hill. Who knows why you run better one day than the other. I am thrilled that I am in a place where even when I don't have a fantastic day, I can finish with a good time. I am happy with my time, especially considering how hard the race felt. That PR is pretty close. I just need a day when I am "on." Maybe once we are settled in a new place and I am actually living in the same county as my husband, I will be able to focus on training and speedwork again. It will happen.
After the race--
I went to join Vickie to cheer in a few of the Rockin' Mamas. I found out that Anne came in a couple of minutes behind me. Had I known that, I think I would have slowed down to finish with her. It would have made that hill so much easier. I would have felt pretty much the same with a 1:58 as I did with 1:56. But there was no way of knowing that she was so close to me. I am SO impressed with her. She had a baby in April. OF. THIS. YEAR. Yup... this woman ran a sub-two hour half marathon four months after giving birth. That is awesome!!!
We took some pictures at the after party, but unfortunately, got the cameras out after some of the girls had already left. We definitely need to do it again!
*porta potty pooping *blush*
** I haven't slept well in over a week. SIGH.
***getting two young girls fed, dressed and out the door in a timely fashion.
****a few shout outs to my Rockin' Mamas: Alicia, Pham, and Lisa completed their first half marathons. Heather took 10 minutes off her time from La Jolla. Jenna and Christina (and Anne, previously mentioned) were doing their first race since having a baby. My marathon training partner, Laura, ran an impressive 1:50. Vickie, our veteran runner, killed it with a 1:43!
Pre-Race
It started VERY early. I woke up at 3:10 a.m. YIKES. I was meeting Lisa, Heather and Lyn at 4:30 to drive down to the park together. Even getting up an hour before leaving the house, I didn't quite "take care of business" like I wanted to. Damn. That means ppp*
After last year's traffic hassle, we drove a different way to the park. It was easy peasy to get to the park and find parking. We met the other Rockin' Mamas near the bus pick up. Everyone was in great spirits. I was in the best mood. A combination of caffeine on very little sleep** combined with excitement of all my friends running this race made me a tad manic.
Most of us were wearing a matching Stroller Strides tank top. It was great having matching shirts. HOWEVER, we had no idea that the race shirts would be the same color. Seriously?? How jacked up is that? Do you know how hard it is to find cranberry tank tops during the out-and-back portion of the race when thousands of people are wearing the cranberry race jersey? Next time, I need to talk everyone into wearing day-go like Alice and the Heffers.
Lisa F is ready to go!!
The other Rockin' Mamas started showing up
There were ten of us, but we couldn't manage to get a picture of all of us (my friend Pham was in the bathroom when we took the big group pic).
We got on a bus to Cabrillo Monument, where the race began, which was a piece of cake. We arrived at the starting area well before 6 a.m. and used the porta potties several times.
It was chilly in the morning (chilly for Southern California standards) Heather, Lisa and Lyn shivered while Alicia danced.
The Start
We were in line for the porta potties for one last time. The line was painfully slow. After last year's debacle, I didn't want to chance it. When we got back to the rest of the group, several of them had already gone to the front. I never heard the gun go off, but suddenly the crowd started moving. I ended up crossing the starting line around seven minutes after the gun.
The first mile started out fine. I looked down at my Garmin and saw an 8:30 pace. I saw that Anne and Pham were almost at that pace. I slowed down to join them and told them how fast they were going. I didn't want them to start out too fast. I knew that Pham was much more comfortable closer to ten-minute-miles. Anne can easily do 8:30, but her goal was sub two hours and I wanted her to make that goal and not die on the hill. Then I remembered that I was running a race and not in "coach" mode. I wished them good luck and sped up a bit.
Sometime during that mile, I saw the day-glo top of AKA Alice. She looked great! Really strong. I tapped her on the shoulder and said, "hi!" I thought for a moment that she might not recognize me and would wonder who this strange woman with the manic smile was running alongside her. She smiled and said hi. I asked how she was feeling and she said she was great. She is definitely back from her injury. She ran a great race and you can read her race report here.
By the second mile, I knew that a PR was probably not in the cards. I ended up running the first mile in 8:50, between weaving around runners and "coaching" my friends. To PR, I'd have to make up that time. To PR, an 8:30 pace should feel pretty effortless. It wasn't. In fact, I was falling comfortably into around an 8:35 pace. To go faster than that would have been pushing myself. I didn't want to push too hard too early, since there is a pretty decent hill at the end. I was still on pace for a pretty decent race, however, so I wasn't ready to throw in the towel.
As I approached the first aid station, I ran right through. Afterward, I realized that I completely forgot to look for Irene. D'oh! It was crazy. The entire field was so crowded. I swear I was weaving around runners the entire race. I probably should have lined up closer to the front, but I don't have any regrets. I spent some quality time with my friends (ah... porta potty lines) instead of pushing my way up through the crowd.
The fourth mile is pretty much all downhill. I had my fastest mile of the race (8:00). I was feeling good, but not great. After that mile I thought, "maybe?" But alas...I wouldn't see another split that fast until the very end.
Miles 5 through 10--
These are the flat miles. I was feeling tired, but I enjoyed them so much more than I did last year. Harbor Island is a little spit of land that we run around. It is a bit of an out and back. Last year, it felt like it was 100 degrees. This year, while sweating like a pig, I did not feel overly hot. I looked at the crowd as I passed, hoping to find my friend, Laura. We had run this stretch during a couple of training runs. During those runs, we ran all the way to the end of Harbor Island. Imagine my delight when we turned around well before the end. I enjoyed the gorgeous view of the city and really appreciated the beauty of San Diego.
After Harbor Island, past the rental car return lot---the most boring part of the entire race-- I settled into a nice easy pace. Right around mile 10, I saw my friend Linda cheering from the sidelines. She is 36 weeks pregnant and getting to the uncomfortable stage of her pregnancy. It was so sweet of her to come out and cheer for her fellow Rockin' Mamas. She ran the race last year and I vividly remember her passing me on 6th street, looking fresh as a daisy with a spring in her step.
Miles 10-13.1 (or 13.34 if you are terrible at running tangents and weaving around slower runners)--
Here is where the hills start. I was just thrilled to death that I didn't feel as bad as I did last year at this point. I looked at the porta potties that saved me last year, thankful that I didn't need them again. The aid station right past mile 10 is a fun one. They had music blasting and were handing out cheeseburgers. They didn't sound too appetizing at the time.
By the time I turned onto A street to head uphill, the sun was out and beating full force. This was really starting to feel like work. We had run these hills several times in training and this felt the most difficult. I was already passing quite a few people, however. I wondered if they knew that it was going to get even harder. As I turned onto 6th street, I knew that I was almost done. I also knew that I had some work to do to get there.
Right before mile 12 is my friend, Anne's building. That is where we had our after-party. Several of the dads got together early to walk down to 6th street to cheer us on. I saw Kenny about a half a block before I got there. I waved at him and he gathered up the kids to be ready for me. I took the opportunity to stop for a few seconds to hug them, catch my breath and go on my way. It was great!
I found out later that my sweet hubby stayed out there and waited for all the Rockin' Mamas. He really wanted to cheer for Heather, who was about 45 minutes behind me. What a guy! Heather's husband missed her by a few minutes due to technical difficulties***, so I am so glad for her that she had friendly faces cheering for her during the hardest part of the race. She told me that it meant a lot to her to see them.
The hill was tough. I had run that hill so many times. In fact, during training runs I would run it several times. I ran with one friend and then ran back down to run up it with another friend. The hill didn't scare me at all. Maybe it should have. Where I could easily run up it near the end of fifteen miles at a 9:30 pace, on race day I ran it well over a 10 minute pace. Hmmm...
Once I got up to the top of the hill, I caught my breath and charged forward for the final portion of the race. I hit "lap" on my Garmin, so I would know how fast I ran the last part. I ended up running it at an 8:04 pace. Yeah! I just kept gaining speed and passing people like crazy. I knew exactly where the course turned and headed downhill (I know Balboa Park like the back of my hand). I knew that if I made it to the turn, I could sprint down the hill. About a hundred yards from the finish, I saw/heard my friend Vickie cheering me in.
I heard the announcer and really wanted to hear my name. I have yet to hear my name finishing a race. I took my headphones off as I sprinted into the finish. Nope. No name. I think you have to be old, young or from far away. I thought that maybe since I had a Triple Crown bib on, it might get a nod. Oh well... someday.
I finished in 1:56:13. It is eight minutes faster than I ran the same race last year. It is also 25 seconds faster than I ran La Jolla in April. I think this race felt harder. I'm not sure why, since La Jolla has the KILLER hill. Who knows why you run better one day than the other. I am thrilled that I am in a place where even when I don't have a fantastic day, I can finish with a good time. I am happy with my time, especially considering how hard the race felt. That PR is pretty close. I just need a day when I am "on." Maybe once we are settled in a new place and I am actually living in the same county as my husband, I will be able to focus on training and speedwork again. It will happen.
After the race--
I went to join Vickie to cheer in a few of the Rockin' Mamas. I found out that Anne came in a couple of minutes behind me. Had I known that, I think I would have slowed down to finish with her. It would have made that hill so much easier. I would have felt pretty much the same with a 1:58 as I did with 1:56. But there was no way of knowing that she was so close to me. I am SO impressed with her. She had a baby in April. OF. THIS. YEAR. Yup... this woman ran a sub-two hour half marathon four months after giving birth. That is awesome!!!
After a bit, we wandered down to the finish festival area. I 
picked up my Triple Crown medal. They give you these if you complete the Carlsbad, La Jolla and America's Finest City Half Marathons in a calendar year. Honestly, it was a big factor in deciding to sign up for this race. It is some nice bling!! It is big and heavy. I think it is a brilliant marketing scheme. For a few dollars per medal, they create a goal for runners. After seeing mine, most of my friends decided to go for it next year. Heather is kicking herself for not running Carlsbad this year, since she did the other two.
We then all went back across the park to Anne's for a wonderful after party. We had quiche, casserole, fruit, bagels and MIMOSAS. It was my first time having a post run mimosa. Now I know why the Heffers enjoy them so much! Yummy. They (yes, I had more than one) hit the spot! The kids all ran around the community house and had a grand ol' time, while the moms and dads socialized. I think everyone was celebrating an accomplishment that day****. It was really the perfect way to cap off a great day.
picked up my Triple Crown medal. They give you these if you complete the Carlsbad, La Jolla and America's Finest City Half Marathons in a calendar year. Honestly, it was a big factor in deciding to sign up for this race. It is some nice bling!! It is big and heavy. I think it is a brilliant marketing scheme. For a few dollars per medal, they create a goal for runners. After seeing mine, most of my friends decided to go for it next year. Heather is kicking herself for not running Carlsbad this year, since she did the other two.We then all went back across the park to Anne's for a wonderful after party. We had quiche, casserole, fruit, bagels and MIMOSAS. It was my first time having a post run mimosa. Now I know why the Heffers enjoy them so much! Yummy. They (yes, I had more than one) hit the spot! The kids all ran around the community house and had a grand ol' time, while the moms and dads socialized. I think everyone was celebrating an accomplishment that day****. It was really the perfect way to cap off a great day.
We took some pictures at the after party, but unfortunately, got the cameras out after some of the girls had already left. We definitely need to do it again!
*porta potty pooping *blush*
** I haven't slept well in over a week. SIGH.
***getting two young girls fed, dressed and out the door in a timely fashion.
****a few shout outs to my Rockin' Mamas: Alicia, Pham, and Lisa completed their first half marathons. Heather took 10 minutes off her time from La Jolla. Jenna and Christina (and Anne, previously mentioned) were doing their first race since having a baby. My marathon training partner, Laura, ran an impressive 1:50. Vickie, our veteran runner, killed it with a 1:43!
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Goals for America's Finest City
I don't think I have shared my goals for my upcoming half marathon. I wasn't even sure I wanted to run it. After the marathon, I couldn't imagine training again so soon. But, I had raced two-thirds of the Triple Crown and it would be silly for me to give up that extra medal! When I signed up, my goal was to just run it. Then I started training and my competitive juices started flowing.
So here are my various time goals for this race:
Platinum- A PR! I ran the Carlsbad Half in 1:52:46, so a PR is a tall order. That is what I have been training for. [my double secret platinum goal is to get 1:50.... sssshhhhh]
Gold- Under 1:56:39. This was my time for the La Jolla Half. That is the hardest race of the three half marathons, so I figure I should be able to run AFC faster than La Jolla.
Silver- Under two hours. My goal last year for this race was to break two. I came close, but didn't quite make it. I know that I have the ability to finish this race well under two hours. I feel like I need to get a little redemption for last year. We'll see...
Bronze- Finishing with my friends and trainees. I have decided that if the wheels fall off and it looks like I am not going to make it under two hours, I am going to wait for my friends and finish with them. This is my last San Diego race for a while and I want to have positive memories. I would rather think of this race as a race where I finished with friends (a couple are doing their first half) than the one where I finished a few minutes shy of my goal. I have actually gone back and forth as to whether or not I want to just run the entire race with them. The reason I decided not to is because this is my first race since my certification training and I want to see my training through until the end, so I can better coach my clients. This last goal gives me a win-win outcome. In this case, missing my goal by a half an hour is way better than missing it by a few minutes.
I am really excited about the race. There are so many of my friends running it this year. As I mentioned before, some of them are running their first half marathon. Two of them are running their first 5K on Sunday. One is running four months after having a baby. And another is looking to get a PR by 10-15 minutes. It will be a big deal for everyone. It will be a fun day.
********************************************************************
Update on my running:
First of all, I want to thank everyone for the virtual slap about my whine yesterday. You are right. I am tapering. I should be taking it easy. Obsessing about one run is not going to help anything. Thanks for snapping some sense into me!
I took the kids to the track last night. After wasting a bit of their window of attention by talking with my husband on the phone, I tried to run a bit. I should have planned better. They both wanted to run with me (and both were wearing some sort of summer shoe not conducive to running). My first lap was very slow, shuffling with a three- and a five-year-old. My five-year-old experienced his very first side stitch (awww) and it was cute watching him run with his arm laying on his head (that is what works for me). That lap was my warm up. It tired the kids out enough for them to play a bit with some toys we brought.
I was able to get in a mile at an 8:05 pace. Ah, redemption! It was hard, but I didn't feel the overwhelming need to sit down afterward. I was able to get my legs moving without my lungs ending up in my throat. I ended up doing a little more than two and a half miles total. I was hoping to get in a little over three, but when kids are done, they are done. They were bored and hungry. At least I was able to run a little and it was fun!
The best news of the evening was that my five-year-old ran pretty close to a mile (with a few breaks in the middle). He did the two last laps in a row with very little stopping. He officially wants to find a one mile kids' race. I told him that he would have to train for it so that he could run a mile without stopping*. He is excited to do it!
*I am not going to push my child to run without stopping. I need him to realize that in order to run a race, he needs to practice. By telling him he needs to do it without stopping, he knows it isn't super easy.
So here are my various time goals for this race:
Platinum- A PR! I ran the Carlsbad Half in 1:52:46, so a PR is a tall order. That is what I have been training for. [my double secret platinum goal is to get 1:50.... sssshhhhh]
Gold- Under 1:56:39. This was my time for the La Jolla Half. That is the hardest race of the three half marathons, so I figure I should be able to run AFC faster than La Jolla.
Silver- Under two hours. My goal last year for this race was to break two. I came close, but didn't quite make it. I know that I have the ability to finish this race well under two hours. I feel like I need to get a little redemption for last year. We'll see...
Bronze- Finishing with my friends and trainees. I have decided that if the wheels fall off and it looks like I am not going to make it under two hours, I am going to wait for my friends and finish with them. This is my last San Diego race for a while and I want to have positive memories. I would rather think of this race as a race where I finished with friends (a couple are doing their first half) than the one where I finished a few minutes shy of my goal. I have actually gone back and forth as to whether or not I want to just run the entire race with them. The reason I decided not to is because this is my first race since my certification training and I want to see my training through until the end, so I can better coach my clients. This last goal gives me a win-win outcome. In this case, missing my goal by a half an hour is way better than missing it by a few minutes.
I am really excited about the race. There are so many of my friends running it this year. As I mentioned before, some of them are running their first half marathon. Two of them are running their first 5K on Sunday. One is running four months after having a baby. And another is looking to get a PR by 10-15 minutes. It will be a big deal for everyone. It will be a fun day.
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Update on my running:
First of all, I want to thank everyone for the virtual slap about my whine yesterday. You are right. I am tapering. I should be taking it easy. Obsessing about one run is not going to help anything. Thanks for snapping some sense into me!
I took the kids to the track last night. After wasting a bit of their window of attention by talking with my husband on the phone, I tried to run a bit. I should have planned better. They both wanted to run with me (and both were wearing some sort of summer shoe not conducive to running). My first lap was very slow, shuffling with a three- and a five-year-old. My five-year-old experienced his very first side stitch (awww) and it was cute watching him run with his arm laying on his head (that is what works for me). That lap was my warm up. It tired the kids out enough for them to play a bit with some toys we brought.
I was able to get in a mile at an 8:05 pace. Ah, redemption! It was hard, but I didn't feel the overwhelming need to sit down afterward. I was able to get my legs moving without my lungs ending up in my throat. I ended up doing a little more than two and a half miles total. I was hoping to get in a little over three, but when kids are done, they are done. They were bored and hungry. At least I was able to run a little and it was fun!
The best news of the evening was that my five-year-old ran pretty close to a mile (with a few breaks in the middle). He did the two last laps in a row with very little stopping. He officially wants to find a one mile kids' race. I told him that he would have to train for it so that he could run a mile without stopping*. He is excited to do it!
*I am not going to push my child to run without stopping. I need him to realize that in order to run a race, he needs to practice. By telling him he needs to do it without stopping, he knows it isn't super easy.
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Some thoughts on my marathon goals...
First of all... THANK YOU! I really appreciate the supportive comments on my last post. I am happy that anyone read such a whiny thing. Your words of encouragement really mean a lot. I would never have been able to objectively think about my marathon goals the way I was feeling the other day.
I am stealing an idea from a blog I read. However, for the life of me, I can't remember whose blog it was. *blush* If it was you, please let me know in the comments so I can give you plenty of credit. I have been mentally categorizing my goals. I am ready to...gulp...share them with the world. I am not sure if this will motivate me more or just make me more disappointed if I don't achieve them. Stating my goals here worked for Carlsbad and La Jolla, so I am going to give it a shot. Here goes:
Finisher's Medal-- A PR (4:30-4:53). I ran the Rock-n-Roll Marathon last year in 4:54:23. It was close to a half an hour slower than my goal of 4:30.* I ran it a full minute per mile slower than any of my training runs. No matter what, I need to finish faster than last year. Anything slower will feel almost like a DNF.**
Bronze-- 4:15-4:29 This would represent right around the ten-minute-mile pace. I wouldn't be super thrilled, but it is a huge improvement over last year.
Silver--4:00-4:14 This is not my goal, but I will be happy if this is my time. In fact, when I started this training cycle, this was my goal. It wasn't until I started having faster and faster workouts that I started believing that I can do a sub-four. This goal is probably the likeliest scenario. This time represents my pace on the vast majority of my long runs. I would make it my initial goal, but there is something in me that wants to strive for the gold. In my corporate life, this result would be equivalent to hitting bonus targets-- always a good thing. Anything better than your target puts you into "stretch" bonus. Obviously, we always wanted to hit stretch, but were very happy to hit our target goals.
Gold-- 3:51-3:59 Finishing under four hours would be AWESOME. Just thinking about it makes me giddy. Icing on the cake would be if I saw a three on the finish line clock. But even if my gun time is over four, a chip time under four would make me ecstatic. The ultimate would be if I could finish in 3:54:23, taking an hour off last year's time. Can you imagine a one hour PR??? Ah... to dream. I know that I am able to achieve a sub-four marathon. HOWEVER, it has to be one of those days when everything clicks.
Platinum (pie in the sky)-- 3:50:59 (BQ). This is one of those things that I can't really even hope for. It would be a very, very unlikely thing to happen. In fact, I don't think it is possible to achieve such a strong finish without setting out to do so. I won't let myself go out fast enough to average the right pace. However, it is fun to think that if the stars aligned, I could have some serious negative splits. Heck, I was over seven minutes faster than my goal at Carlsbad, who knows what could happen. Yeah right. I felt that my list of possible scenarios wouldn't be complete without listing the ultimate goal. Maybe next marathon??
* Ultimately, my goal was to finish and that was what I told everyone. However, deep down I had hopes of running it in 4:30.
**I know that a five hour marathon is a perfectly good time. I should be happy to finish at all. I just know myself and I know that I will be devastated to run slower than last year, after these past few months of training.
I am stealing an idea from a blog I read. However, for the life of me, I can't remember whose blog it was. *blush*
Finisher's Medal-- A PR (4:30-4:53). I ran the Rock-n-Roll Marathon last year in 4:54:23. It was close to a half an hour slower than my goal of 4:30.* I ran it a full minute per mile slower than any of my training runs. No matter what, I need to finish faster than last year. Anything slower will feel almost like a DNF.**
Bronze-- 4:15-4:29 This would represent right around the ten-minute-mile pace. I wouldn't be super thrilled, but it is a huge improvement over last year.
Silver--4:00-4:14 This is not my goal, but I will be happy if this is my time. In fact, when I started this training cycle, this was my goal. It wasn't until I started having faster and faster workouts that I started believing that I can do a sub-four. This goal is probably the likeliest scenario. This time represents my pace on the vast majority of my long runs. I would make it my initial goal, but there is something in me that wants to strive for the gold. In my corporate life, this result would be equivalent to hitting bonus targets-- always a good thing. Anything better than your target puts you into "stretch" bonus. Obviously, we always wanted to hit stretch, but were very happy to hit our target goals.
Gold-- 3:51-3:59 Finishing under four hours would be AWESOME. Just thinking about it makes me giddy. Icing on the cake would be if I saw a three on the finish line clock. But even if my gun time is over four, a chip time under four would make me ecstatic. The ultimate would be if I could finish in 3:54:23, taking an hour off last year's time. Can you imagine a one hour PR??? Ah... to dream. I know that I am able to achieve a sub-four marathon. HOWEVER, it has to be one of those days when everything clicks.
Platinum (pie in the sky)-- 3:50:59 (BQ). This is one of those things that I can't really even hope for. It would be a very, very unlikely thing to happen. In fact, I don't think it is possible to achieve such a strong finish without setting out to do so. I won't let myself go out fast enough to average the right pace. However, it is fun to think that if the stars aligned, I could have some serious negative splits. Heck, I was over seven minutes faster than my goal at Carlsbad, who knows what could happen. Yeah right. I felt that my list of possible scenarios wouldn't be complete without listing the ultimate goal. Maybe next marathon??
* Ultimately, my goal was to finish and that was what I told everyone. However, deep down I had hopes of running it in 4:30.
**I know that a five hour marathon is a perfectly good time. I should be happy to finish at all. I just know myself and I know that I will be devastated to run slower than last year, after these past few months of training.
Monday, April 27, 2009
La Jolla Half Marathon Race Report
Before the Race:
My alarm went off a little after 4. Yikes. I was very tired. For two nights in a row I have had very little sleep (I blame my cat-- and that is a completely separate post). I scrambled around trying to get everything I needed. I was suddenly getting a little nervous. I picked up Heather and headed north to the Del Mar fairgrounds.
I had a sweatshirt that I was going to throw away, but when we got out of the car, it didn't seem that cold. I had my arm warmers, so I left the sweatshirt in the car. Standing around for an hour or more, even 50 degrees starts feeling REALLY cold.
My teeth actually started to chatter (I know, I know... I am a Southern California WIMP).
My friend, Heather, was REALLY nervous. This was her first half marathon. The farthest she had run was ten miles. Her plan was to take it easy and run conservatively so she would finish for sure. Her only goal was to finish within the three hour limit.
I was thrilled when I spotted a neon green/yellow shirt and white hat. It was the famous Alice! I finally was able to meet her in person. Funny thing is that we live only a few miles from each
other. I found out that her kids have been going to the school where my son is starting in August. Small world. And she is just as funny and nice in person as you might imagine.
I was excited for the race to start. I had a plan. I knew that if I followed my plan, I would finish under two hours. I wanted to start and run the first miles around 8:45, slow down around 10 minutes/mile on the hill and then pick it up on the second half and run how I felt.
During the race:
I know I have written about the insane elevation profile of this course. Even though I ran THE HILL and trained for the race, it was actually a little harder than I expected. I was mentally prepared for two hills: the one through Torrey Pines Reserve and the one just past mile twelve right before the end. I don't think I even thought about the other ones. They took me a little by surprise.
Here is a copy of the elevation from my Garmin and a little play-by-play of the race:
a- I'm about a mile in. I feel pretty good. I broke the rules and brought my iPod*. I settled into a nice rhythm and enjoyed my music. I ran the first three miles at 8:40, 8:28 and 8:44. Hmmm.... rolling hills.
b- WHAT??!! Where did this hill come from. Nobody mentioned a steep hill this early in the race. Holy moly! It was short, but steep. That mile was 9:02.
c- As we crest the hill out of Del Mar, the ocean opened out in front of us. There is a straight stretch of highway with wetlands on one side and ocean on the other. It is a beautiful view. And there, in the distance.. is the HILL. You could see the runners like ants crawling up the trail. This picture (courtesy of westcoastroads.com) shows the view and if you look just left of center, you'll see the beginning of the HILL.
I am a little bit of a chatty runner. It is funny to see how people chat back in the beginning but not so much toward the end. As we ran down this stretch, I commented on the gorgeous view. Several runners agreed (myself included) that a view like this makes the hills worth it. That mile was 8:22.
d- OK... here we go! This hill goes for almost two miles and has a grade as steep as 15% in some places. I didn't want to kill myself on the hill. I just slowed down and took it at an easy pace. Don't get me wrong. It was hard. But I didn't push myself to keep my pace around 9. Those two splits were 10:20 and 9:30.
e- Woo hoo! We are at the top! There was a lot of whooping and hollering among the runners. I chatted with one guy for a while who said that it was all downhill from here. I told him that he was a liar. He laughed. His goal was to finish under two hours as well. We both agreed that we were in good shape and only had to make up a bit during the downhill miles. The mood among everyone was pretty high. My friend, Heather, said that when she arrived at the top, one of the women decided to hop on the sag bus. Heather tried to talk her out of it, telling her that the worst was over, but she said that she "was done." Man... what a bummer.
The next few miles were very nice. I just relaxed and ran in a groove. I ran miles eight through ten in 8:52, 8:26 and 8:48.
f- Wheeeeeeeeeeeeee.........I'm flying!
g- Ow, my knees are starting to ache a little. My quads are feeling it. I like running down hill, but it is hard to keep from going too fast. Some people blew by me on this downhill, but I really just tried to go with gravity rather than accelerate at all. I did that mile in 8:03-- flying!
h- Running along the beach at La Jolla Shores. It doesn't get better than this!! Mile 12: 8:43
i- Well... here is the last hill. No need to hold back on this one. I am pretty tired by this time, but I know we are almost through. As I passed the clock at mile marker twelve, it said 1:48. I knew I had twelve minutes to get to the finish and see the clock still have a time under two hours. The pressure was off...I could just enjoy myself (as much as you can on a steep hill in the twelfth mile of a race).
j- We are pushing up the last part of the hill. One of the spectators yelled, "you just need to get up to the light and then it is down hill!!" I pushed hard. I wasn't able to keep my pace up. That mile was 8:57. I did, however, pass quite a few people along here. That felt good!
k- Woo hoo!!! The final stretch is here. It is all downhill for the last quarter mile or so. I ran it at a 6:45 pace. The worst part of the final stretch was the uneven ground. There were cobble stones etc. and I was a bit worried about rolling my ankle. Luckily, the last few yards were on grass and I could really fly. I saw that the clock said 1:57. I threw up my arms because I was thrilled that I met my goal. I was only four minutes off my PR on a MUCH more difficult course.
After the race:
I hung out in the finish area for a while, took a finish picture, ate some bananas and oranges. I knew I had a bit of time before Heather finished so I went to the beer garden and grabbed a beer. It didn't taste as good as I had hoped. It was Budweiser... not really my favorite**. I was also standing there drinking it by myself. I felt like a dork. I didn't want to miss Heather crossing the finish line, so I left the beer garden and headed to the finish line.
I saw Alice finish strong. I screamed as she ran past, but there was a lot going on-- I don't think she heard me. She had mentioned earlier that she didn't have high hopes for the race, but she looked great and finished well ahead of three hours. Heather came in with about ten minutes to spare. 2:50! I was so proud of her. She was THRILLED. She had just completed a very difficult half marathon. She felt great afterward and started talking about how she could have gone faster. She is already planning her next half. She's hooked.
It turned out to be a fantastic day. Successful races for myself and my friends and a gorgeous San Diego day (it was sunny and 65 at the end of the race).
Happy running, everyone!!
*the race literature stated pretty specifically that iPods are not allowed. I love my music. I figured if they had a problem, I could stash it in my hydration belt. Like I suspected, plenty of other people were wearing headphones. It wasn't a problem at all.
**not like the 5K on Thanksgiving when they had Stone Brewery supplying the beer. That was a tasty treat.
My alarm went off a little after 4. Yikes. I was very tired. For two nights in a row I have had very little sleep (I blame my cat-- and that is a completely separate post). I scrambled around trying to get everything I needed. I was suddenly getting a little nervous. I picked up Heather and headed north to the Del Mar fairgrounds.
I had a sweatshirt that I was going to throw away, but when we got out of the car, it didn't seem that cold. I had my arm warmers, so I left the sweatshirt in the car. Standing around for an hour or more, even 50 degrees starts feeling REALLY cold.
My teeth actually started to chatter (I know, I know... I am a Southern California WIMP).My friend, Heather, was REALLY nervous. This was her first half marathon. The farthest she had run was ten miles. Her plan was to take it easy and run conservatively so she would finish for sure. Her only goal was to finish within the three hour limit.
I was thrilled when I spotted a neon green/yellow shirt and white hat. It was the famous Alice! I finally was able to meet her in person. Funny thing is that we live only a few miles from each
other. I found out that her kids have been going to the school where my son is starting in August. Small world. And she is just as funny and nice in person as you might imagine.I was excited for the race to start. I had a plan. I knew that if I followed my plan, I would finish under two hours. I wanted to start and run the first miles around 8:45, slow down around 10 minutes/mile on the hill and then pick it up on the second half and run how I felt.
During the race:
I know I have written about the insane elevation profile of this course. Even though I ran THE HILL and trained for the race, it was actually a little harder than I expected. I was mentally prepared for two hills: the one through Torrey Pines Reserve and the one just past mile twelve right before the end. I don't think I even thought about the other ones. They took me a little by surprise.
Here is a copy of the elevation from my Garmin and a little play-by-play of the race:
a- I'm about a mile in. I feel pretty good. I broke the rules and brought my iPod*. I settled into a nice rhythm and enjoyed my music. I ran the first three miles at 8:40, 8:28 and 8:44. Hmmm.... rolling hills.b- WHAT??!! Where did this hill come from. Nobody mentioned a steep hill this early in the race. Holy moly! It was short, but steep. That mile was 9:02.
c- As we crest the hill out of Del Mar, the ocean opened out in front of us. There is a straight stretch of highway with wetlands on one side and ocean on the other. It is a beautiful view. And there, in the distance.. is the HILL. You could see the runners like ants crawling up the trail. This picture (courtesy of westcoastroads.com) shows the view and if you look just left of center, you'll see the beginning of the HILL.
I am a little bit of a chatty runner. It is funny to see how people chat back in the beginning but not so much toward the end. As we ran down this stretch, I commented on the gorgeous view. Several runners agreed (myself included) that a view like this makes the hills worth it. That mile was 8:22.
d- OK... here we go! This hill goes for almost two miles and has a grade as steep as 15% in some places. I didn't want to kill myself on the hill. I just slowed down and took it at an easy pace. Don't get me wrong. It was hard. But I didn't push myself to keep my pace around 9. Those two splits were 10:20 and 9:30.
e- Woo hoo! We are at the top! There was a lot of whooping and hollering among the runners. I chatted with one guy for a while who said that it was all downhill from here. I told him that he was a liar. He laughed. His goal was to finish under two hours as well. We both agreed that we were in good shape and only had to make up a bit during the downhill miles. The mood among everyone was pretty high. My friend, Heather, said that when she arrived at the top, one of the women decided to hop on the sag bus. Heather tried to talk her out of it, telling her that the worst was over, but she said that she "was done." Man... what a bummer.
The next few miles were very nice. I just relaxed and ran in a groove. I ran miles eight through ten in 8:52, 8:26 and 8:48.
f- Wheeeeeeeeeeeeee.........I'm flying!
g- Ow, my knees are starting to ache a little. My quads are feeling it. I like running down hill, but it is hard to keep from going too fast. Some people blew by me on this downhill, but I really just tried to go with gravity rather than accelerate at all. I did that mile in 8:03-- flying!
h- Running along the beach at La Jolla Shores. It doesn't get better than this!! Mile 12: 8:43
i- Well... here is the last hill. No need to hold back on this one. I am pretty tired by this time, but I know we are almost through. As I passed the clock at mile marker twelve, it said 1:48. I knew I had twelve minutes to get to the finish and see the clock still have a time under two hours. The pressure was off...I could just enjoy myself (as much as you can on a steep hill in the twelfth mile of a race).
j- We are pushing up the last part of the hill. One of the spectators yelled, "you just need to get up to the light and then it is down hill!!" I pushed hard. I wasn't able to keep my pace up. That mile was 8:57. I did, however, pass quite a few people along here. That felt good!
k- Woo hoo!!! The final stretch is here. It is all downhill for the last quarter mile or so. I ran it at a 6:45 pace. The worst part of the final stretch was the uneven ground. There were cobble stones etc. and I was a bit worried about rolling my ankle. Luckily, the last few yards were on grass and I could really fly. I saw that the clock said 1:57. I threw up my arms because I was thrilled that I met my goal. I was only four minutes off my PR on a MUCH more difficult course.
After the race:
I hung out in the finish area for a while, took a finish picture, ate some bananas and oranges. I knew I had a bit of time before Heather finished so I went to the beer garden and grabbed a beer. It didn't taste as good as I had hoped. It was Budweiser... not really my favorite**. I was also standing there drinking it by myself. I felt like a dork. I didn't want to miss Heather crossing the finish line, so I left the beer garden and headed to the finish line.
I saw Alice finish strong. I screamed as she ran past, but there was a lot going on-- I don't think she heard me. She had mentioned earlier that she didn't have high hopes for the race, but she looked great and finished well ahead of three hours. Heather came in with about ten minutes to spare. 2:50! I was so proud of her. She was THRILLED. She had just completed a very difficult half marathon. She felt great afterward and started talking about how she could have gone faster. She is already planning her next half. She's hooked.
It turned out to be a fantastic day. Successful races for myself and my friends and a gorgeous San Diego day (it was sunny and 65 at the end of the race).
Happy running, everyone!!
*the race literature stated pretty specifically that iPods are not allowed. I love my music. I figured if they had a problem, I could stash it in my hydration belt. Like I suspected, plenty of other people were wearing headphones. It wasn't a problem at all.
**not like the 5K on Thanksgiving when they had Stone Brewery supplying the beer. That was a tasty treat.
Saturday, April 25, 2009
two tiring days in a row
Today I woke up bright and early to make it down to the March for Babies. I was helping with the Stroller Strides booth and was supposed to be there at 6:30 to set up (I didn't make it until after 7-- it is nearly impossible to get two children out of the house that early). We chatted, schmoozed and then went walking.
It was supposed to be five miles. I think it was actually either a 5K or we were supposed to do two laps. Either way, it was fine. I got a good walk and so did my kids. My five-year-old walked almost the entire way (he only sat in the stroller for five minutes to get a rock out of his shoe). My three-year-old ran every moment she was out of the stroller. I think she is Mommy's little runner.
After the event I had to drag my two kiddos to the race expo. They were surprisingly good considering I woke them up an hour early and marched them for miles. The expo for La Jolla Half was pretty disappointing. It was nothing like the one at Carlsbad. In fact, I am not even sure why they bother with an expo at all. There were about five or six booths. The one booth of random running supplies didn't sell Shot Blox for my friend. Lame. It was probably good because I wasn't tempted to look around.
Tomorrow I need to get up EARLY. The race starts at 7:30, runners have to be in the corrals by 7, so we're aiming to get there around 6, just to give us plenty of "oh crap" room. So I am off to bed. I am not as stressed as I was last time because I don't have a heck of a lot of pressure on myself. My only goal is to run under two hours. Running a PR would be running too hard in the middle of marathon training. I am going to try to have fun!
Happy running, everyone!!
It was supposed to be five miles. I think it was actually either a 5K or we were supposed to do two laps. Either way, it was fine. I got a good walk and so did my kids. My five-year-old walked almost the entire way (he only sat in the stroller for five minutes to get a rock out of his shoe). My three-year-old ran every moment she was out of the stroller. I think she is Mommy's little runner.
After the event I had to drag my two kiddos to the race expo. They were surprisingly good considering I woke them up an hour early and marched them for miles. The expo for La Jolla Half was pretty disappointing. It was nothing like the one at Carlsbad. In fact, I am not even sure why they bother with an expo at all. There were about five or six booths. The one booth of random running supplies didn't sell Shot Blox for my friend. Lame. It was probably good because I wasn't tempted to look around.
Tomorrow I need to get up EARLY. The race starts at 7:30, runners have to be in the corrals by 7, so we're aiming to get there around 6, just to give us plenty of "oh crap" room. So I am off to bed. I am not as stressed as I was last time because I don't have a heck of a lot of pressure on myself. My only goal is to run under two hours. Running a PR would be running too hard in the middle of marathon training. I am going to try to have fun!
Happy running, everyone!!
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
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.
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.
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Pictures from my Sunday run
I completely forgot that I had stopped several times to shoot pictures on the way back down the HILL at Torrey Pines on Sunday. I only had my phone with me, so they aren't the best, but you can understand the beauty of the area. As I said in my last post, the only good thing about the race in a few weeks is the incredible scenery. I certainly won't be stopping to take pictures on the 26th.
Enjoy!
The golf course at the top is absolutely gorgeous. You may recall that the U.S. Open was held there last year. We run right by it during the race.
While I am very nervous about the brutal race, I am also looking forward to it. For all the people who have told me that they hated it, the same number have told me that they love it. I think (hope) that I fall into the latter group. Such a challenging course with such wonderful vistas should leave me with a sense of accomplishment and wonder.
Happy running everyone!
Enjoy!
The golf course at the top is absolutely gorgeous. You may recall that the U.S. Open was held there last year. We run right by it during the race.
While I am very nervous about the brutal race, I am also looking forward to it. For all the people who have told me that they hated it, the same number have told me that they love it. I think (hope) that I fall into the latter group. Such a challenging course with such wonderful vistas should leave me with a sense of accomplishment and wonder.
Happy running everyone!
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
I ran THE HILL.
The La Jolla Half is in less than three weeks. It is known in the area as being a killer. Particularly, the hill at mile 6 is a killer. I had never been to Torrey Pines, so I thought I should check out that hill for myself. Well... it is every bit as steep as people say. I actually had thought that some had exaggerated. Not so. This is a hill that walkers struggle with. I saw people leaning over as they went up the hill for a leisurely walk. There is no way to maintain a good pace up this thing. You just have to hope only to lose a few minutes.
I found a few pictures online that demonstrate the pitch of this monster hill that goes up for over a mile.
Here is the elevation profile from my Garmin*. At one point the grade is over 15%. Yikes! What sadist put this in the middle of a half marathon. There is also a short but very steep hill around mile 12. I have heard that it is harder because it is so late in the race.
Why, you may ask, am I putting myself through such a grueling race**? Well, why do we ever run these things? But one big incentive, however, is a brilliant marketing scheme called the "Triple Crown." If you run the Carlsbad, La Jolla and America's Finest City half marathons you get an additional Triple Crown medal. Seriously, how much can those medals cost? A few bucks? There are a TON of people that wouldn't be running La Jolla if it weren't for that silly little medal. I am pretty sure that AKA Alice is one of them. It is also has spectacularly beautiful views. Much of the race is along the Pacific Ocean. I hope I can enjoy the view.
I ran with my friend, Heather, who is training for her very first half marathon. That is some hutzpah, my friends, to chose such a difficult race for your first one. I am excited for her. We started out together for about a half mile or so. The hill was at the beginning of our run and she didn't want to burn out too early, so she slowed down to conserve her energy. I wanted to see if I could run the entire thing, so I kept going. We both knew I wouldn't be running the entire thing with her anyway, since our pace is so different. I am happy to say that I ran the entire hill without stopping.
My splits were all over the place***. I ran with Heather for a while and then would run ahead on my own. In the seventh mile, I decided to push the pace a bit. It was nice to know that I could take it to a higher gear in the middle of a tough, hilly run. My pace going back down the HILL was pretty slow. Running down is almost as hard as running up. It doesn't make me feel like my lungs are going to explode, but I felt like I had to put it in a lower gear to keep from careening down and sliding on loose gravel.
I did close to ten miles. I felt good. It was freezing when we started (freezing for us...around 46 degrees) and hot when we ended, but I think it was similar to what it might be like on race day. My left shin started hurting. I had shin issues last year, so I am going to pay attention and ice, ice, ice. My friend, Heather, ran nine miles, which is the farthest she has ever run. Woo hoo!! The best news is that she felt great!
So while I had a good hill run on Sunday, yesterday I felt sluggish. As I was struggling along in my neighborhood, thinking I was kicking it into gear, I looked down at my Garmin only to see my pace hovering around 10 minutes. I put off my run until the afternoon and it was hot. I hadn't really drank much during the day, so I was thirsty throughout the entire 4.5 miles. It was the first run in a while that I didn't enjoy. It wasn't the worst run I have had, but it was definitely something that I only did because it was on the schedule. I know, by now, that I will have mediocre runs now and then. I hope that my tempo run tomorrow feels better.
*I ran an out and back (more like up and back), but the reason that the ascent and descent are not mirrored is because I ran back several times to check on my friend.
**In addition to the elevation profile, it is often hot during April here. Last year, there was record heat (temps in the 80's) and they ran out of water. Once you get in the park, you lose the ocean breeze and it is a long, hot climb.
***splits
mile 1--10:58
mile 2--9:50
mile 3--9:24
mile 4--9:48
mile 5--10:10
mile 6--9:57
mile 7--8:50
mile 8--10:13
mile 9--9:15
.90--10 minute pace
mile 1--10:58
mile 2--9:50
mile 3--9:24
mile 4--9:48
mile 5--10:10
mile 6--9:57
mile 7--8:50
mile 8--10:13
mile 9--9:15
.90--10 minute pace
Saturday, February 28, 2009
A couple of random thoughts on a Saturday night...
Random thought #1- I am starting to obsess about hills. The La Jolla Half Marathon is in eight weeks. I can't stop looking at the course map and the elevation profile*. Holy CRAP. That hill is GINORMOUS. That steep steep grade in the middle of the race is 420 feet in less than a mile! I have heard that it isn't even the worst part. Apparently the hill at mile 12 is the true killer. It is short and steep and right at the end to suck the life out of you.Luckily, I live in a very hilly neighborhood. I usually don't like to run anything longer than a couple of miles here because that is the length of the flat route. Thursday, I took on some of the hills. One of them was ridiculously steep (214 feet in .14 miles) but I ran the entire thing. I doubled over, completely out of breath at the top, but I did run the hill. The other hill I ran was a bit better. It was 78 feet in around 1/3 of a mile. I didn't have much difficulty... until I learned that the big hill in LJH is much, much steeper. sigh. Next week I am taking on yet another (bigger) hill in my neighborhood. I am going to do everything I can not to let that race get the best of me.
Random Thought #2- I have been a big fan of The Biggest Loser since the first season. I love watching these people change their lives for the better. They lose weight through hard work and eating right. It is not all about cutting calories, but fueling the body correctly.
This week's eliminated player was shown training for and completing a marathon. Kudos. They went on to say that he finished in in 3:53! Holy cow... if a guy who just lost 100 pounds could do that, surely I could, right? Hold on. I've been reading this week that not only did Dane NOT run a 3:53 marathon, he didn't FINISH the marathon. WTF? At mile 17, he got in a car (reported to be an NBC production van), was driven to mile 20 and ran the last six. He was in danger of not making the cut off of six hours and they wanted to show him crossing the finish line... AT 5:53!
I am so disappointed. This leaves a bit of a bad taste in my mouth. What else has the show lied about? I hope that they retract their report on Dane and set the record straight. I would hate to stop watching one of my favorite shows.
Random Thought #3- Good luck to all of you racing tomorrow! Terri, I know you have your four-miler. You'll do great! Irish Cream is going for a PR in a 5K! Good luck to anyone else I forgot.
Chris, I hope your race went well this morning. Did the cold temps get you moving fast?
Random Thought #4- It is after 11 p.m. and I am running fourteen miles tomorrow. What am I thinking? I really need to get to bed. I haven't run fourteen miles since before the marathon.
Nighty Night.
*Sorry for the poor quality. I couldn't seem to save the map from the website big enough to post. This image is from 2003, but it is exactly the same as what is on the website.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
yesterday's fitness fest!
I was in bed by 9 p.m. last night. I would have gone to bed earlier, but when you have two small children you still have to get them ready etc. before you can go down. Why was I such a slug? I worked my@$$ off yesterday.
9:00 a.m. -- taught a typical Stroller Strides class*.
** My run constisted of running from Balboa Park down to the convention center and back. The return trip up 6th is the same hill that kicked my booty during the AFC Half Marathon in August. I did sort of a hybrid tempo run/hill training/speed workout. Whatever you call it, I was working hard. I tried to alternate the relatively easy miles with the miles where I really pushed myself (miles 2 and 4).
9:00 a.m. -- taught a typical Stroller Strides class*.
11:00 a.m. -- Run 5.75 miles with a pretty major hill**.
3 p.m.-- Hike 3 miles. Gain of almost 1000 feet in 1.5 miles***.
*Here is what my Stroller Strides class consisted of:
station 1-
>dynamic warm-up
station 2- (We run or power walk between stations. It is 1-2.5 miles total for the class on an average day)
>Step ups onto 12 inch step (edge of a fountain)
>Step outs onto 12 inch step. Step on to step and then extend hip abductor out to side.
>Quad dips
>Static lunge with high knee lifts. Slow pace and double-time.
station 2-
>Bicep curls with resistance band anchored chest high onto a fence. Upper arms remain parallel to ground.
>Triceps kickbacks with resistance band.
station 3-
>One arm fly across chest with resistance band anchored onto fence. Add side lunge.
>One arm fly above head with resistance band anchored onto fence. Add side lunge.
>One arm fly sweeping under like an upper cut with resistance band anchored onto fence. Add side lunge.
station 4-
>Deep squats
>Static squats
>Static squats on one leg at a time
station 5-
>Abdominals (3-4 abdominal exercises with 10-20 reps each)
>Stretching
>dynamic warm-up
station 2- (We run or power walk between stations. It is 1-2.5 miles total for the class on an average day)
>Step ups onto 12 inch step (edge of a fountain)
>Step outs onto 12 inch step. Step on to step and then extend hip abductor out to side.
>Quad dips
>Static lunge with high knee lifts. Slow pace and double-time.
station 2-
>Bicep curls with resistance band anchored chest high onto a fence. Upper arms remain parallel to ground.
>Triceps kickbacks with resistance band.
station 3-
>One arm fly across chest with resistance band anchored onto fence. Add side lunge.
>One arm fly above head with resistance band anchored onto fence. Add side lunge.
>One arm fly sweeping under like an upper cut with resistance band anchored onto fence. Add side lunge.
station 4-
>Deep squats
>Static squats
>Static squats on one leg at a time
station 5-
>Abdominals (3-4 abdominal exercises with 10-20 reps each)
>Stretching
** My run constisted of running from Balboa Park down to the convention center and back. The return trip up 6th is the same hill that kicked my booty during the AFC Half Marathon in August. I did sort of a hybrid tempo run/hill training/speed workout. Whatever you call it, I was working hard. I tried to alternate the relatively easy miles with the miles where I really pushed myself (miles 2 and 4).
I am pleased to say that my second fastest mile was one with the most elevation gain. It was only 123 feet, but it sure felt like a lot. Here are my splits:
- mile 1- 9:07
- mile 2- 7:48 (this mile was completely downhill; I lost 107 feet in elevation)
- mile 3- 9:01 (elevation decrease of 52)
- mile 4- 8:34 (elevation gain of 123)
- mile 5- 9:34 (elevation gain of 40--I was getting tired by this point)
- .76- 6:49 (8:59 pace)
The good news is that I felt pretty strong. The bad news is that the La Jolla Half Marathon in April not only has a 190 foot hill, but a 420 foot mile-long hill!!! I have some work to do!
***My hubby and I hiked up Cowles Mt. to celebrate our anniversay. Other couples go out to dinner on their dates, we go hiking and mountain biking. I sure do love that guy! It is a relatively strenuous hike and my hips and hamstrings were killing me by the time we reached the top. Don't get me wrong, Kenny and I aren't all fitness and exercise. When we reached the top, we pulled out a bottle of chilled white wine and a couple of plastic wine glasses (that insulated wine carrier we received from our wedding sure does come in handy). We toasted to the eight years we have been together and the eighty years ahead of us. We ended the afternoon with an early dinner at a Thai restaurant close by. It was my kind of evening.
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Half Marathon Countdown
It is so appropriate that this week's Take It and Run (TIaRT) topic is the half marathon. I am running a half marathon on Sunday that I trained pretty hard for. I didn't run miles and miles (only about twenty miles a week), but I think I trained pretty smart adding tempo runs and speedwork.
What I like best about half marathons is the fact that it is long enough to feel like I have really accomplished something that most people would not or could not do. I feel proud just finishing it. I love getting comments like, "you ran 13.1 miles..... in a ROW?" On the flip side, it doesn't overtake your life while training for it. The long runs are a couple of hours on the weekend and some hour-long runs or shorter mid-week. I don't have to pay a babysitter, my husband still has a wife and I feel like my life is not really affected negatively.
I have only run one half marathon and it was hard. I actually ran a marathon before running a half. During my marathon training there was only one half marathon that I could have done. The La Jolla Half Marathon was in April and we considered it. We decided against it for two reasons 1) it is difficult and hilly and none of us wanted to get injured and 2) it is difficult and hilly and none of us wanted to lose our confidence. When I ran the AFC in August, I think I was relying a lot on my residual fitness from the marathon. The Carlsbad this weekend is a race I trained specifically for and I am looking forward to it.
Since I am relatively new to this distance (although I am pretty sure it will be my favorite in the long run), I don't have a ton of advice. I will share my approach to Sunday's race: train smart and try to have fun. In the end, it isn't worth it if I don't enjoy myself.*
*I have been sort of obsessing over my sub-two-hour goal and I am trying to focus these last days on having fun. I need to trust in my fitness and training... :-)
What I like best about half marathons is the fact that it is long enough to feel like I have really accomplished something that most people would not or could not do. I feel proud just finishing it. I love getting comments like, "you ran 13.1 miles..... in a ROW?" On the flip side, it doesn't overtake your life while training for it. The long runs are a couple of hours on the weekend and some hour-long runs or shorter mid-week. I don't have to pay a babysitter, my husband still has a wife and I feel like my life is not really affected negatively.
I have only run one half marathon and it was hard. I actually ran a marathon before running a half. During my marathon training there was only one half marathon that I could have done. The La Jolla Half Marathon was in April and we considered it. We decided against it for two reasons 1) it is difficult and hilly and none of us wanted to get injured and 2) it is difficult and hilly and none of us wanted to lose our confidence. When I ran the AFC in August, I think I was relying a lot on my residual fitness from the marathon. The Carlsbad this weekend is a race I trained specifically for and I am looking forward to it.
Since I am relatively new to this distance (although I am pretty sure it will be my favorite in the long run), I don't have a ton of advice. I will share my approach to Sunday's race: train smart and try to have fun. In the end, it isn't worth it if I don't enjoy myself.*
*I have been sort of obsessing over my sub-two-hour goal and I am trying to focus these last days on having fun. I need to trust in my fitness and training... :-)
Sunday, January 4, 2009
What's in store for 2009?
I don't do resolutions. I am of the mind that if I want to change something, I shouldn't wait until January 1. I don't want to resolve to make a change, I just do it. That said, the beginning of the year is a good time to look forward to the year and think about what might be in store.
I am obsessed with getting a PR every time I run a race. I am pretty sure that this next year I will get as fast as I am going to get. Most people get slower as they get older, don't they? We'll see. Obviously, I would like to break the two hour mark in the half. That is my number one running goal of the year. I would also like to run the marathon faster than 4:30. Other than that I haven't thought that much about the other distances. I suppose a 24-minute 5K would be nice.
I have also toyed around with the idea of running in a race every month. I think it is pretty achievable. This year the cost of all those races is actually a factor.* I don't get massages or pedicures (much), so this can be my splurge.
Here are some of the races I am thinking about:
I am obsessed with getting a PR every time I run a race. I am pretty sure that this next year I will get as fast as I am going to get. Most people get slower as they get older, don't they? We'll see. Obviously, I would like to break the two hour mark in the half. That is my number one running goal of the year. I would also like to run the marathon faster than 4:30. Other than that I haven't thought that much about the other distances. I suppose a 24-minute 5K would be nice.
I have also toyed around with the idea of running in a race every month. I think it is pretty achievable. This year the cost of all those races is actually a factor.* I don't get massages or pedicures (much), so this can be my splurge.
Here are some of the races I am thinking about:
- January-- Carlsbad Half Marathon. I am already registered for this one. That is good since it sold out the first week of December. goal: sub-2 hours.
- February-- Xterra Trail Race at Mission Gorge. There is a 5K or 15K option. I haven't decided which one I will do. The problem is that the 15K course looks REALLY hard while the 5K course looks relatively easy. I don't want to come in last in the 15K. Kenny thinks I should do the hard one. Hmmmm... goal: to finish
- March--There is another trail race at Black Mountain. They don't have the maps posted yet, but just knowing the area I would say that the first one is more challenging. There is also a St. Patrick's Day 10K, but that is the weekend before my daughter's birthday and I am not sure when her party will be. goal: ?
- April-- La Jolla Half Marathon. This is the granddaddy of local half marathons. Everyone says how difficult it is. It is the second leg of the Triple Crown (Carlsbad, La Jolla and America's Finest City). That is a medal I definitely want! goal: to finish feeling strong.
- May-- The Rock-n-Roll Marathon part deux! I am going to run it again! Laura and Jen have both said they want to do it with me. We are going to train smarter this time. Rather than just getting the miles in, each run will have specific purpose (speed training, hills etc.) goal: 4:30
- June-- Camp Pendleton's World Famous Mud Run. This one looks like a BLAST. I just hope I have recovered from the marathon by then. goal: to get a team together and have as much fun as possible.
- July-- I will probably do the Coronado 15K again. goal: 1:20??
- August-- The third leg of the half marathon Triple Crown, America's Finest City. goal: to break 2 hours, but not necessarity PR (depending on how I do at Carlsbad)
- September-- ?
- October-- ?
- November-- Father Joe's 5K and/or Race for the Cure 5K
- December-- ?
It is definitely a different year in terms of my running. A year ago, I never would have dreamed that I would have completed a marathon. Heck, the furthest I had run a year ago was 10K. The idea of a half marathon was a vague idea that I discussed with friends. I definitely didn't consider myself a "runner." I am definitely a runner this year. I need to make sure I maintain a balance between my training and my roles other than running (wife, mother, friend...).
It should be a good year. Happy running!
*The economy has hit our household and my dear hubby is facing a salary cut. I will be looking for additional income. Anyone who knows of part time work that I can do at night or during preschool hours let me know. I am not ready to go back to being an executive with the long hours that comes with it.
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
congratulations to all the 3-Day Walkers over the weekend!
I wanted to shout out to all those women (and men) who walked sixty miles over the weekend here in San Diego. Laura and I saw the group on their final leg on Sunday and everyone looked to be in good spirits. As we ran past them we smiled and said "way to go" and "good job." That is definitely something I want to do someday. The fundraising is the only thing that gives me pause. I see how much some of you TNT runners struggled to raise money. It would have been easier when I was working-- more contacts with disposable money. Hmmm.... we'll see. I am definitely impressed by all those people out there making that kind of commitment to fight breast cancer. Hopefully, my daughter won't have to worry about it...
Laura and I ran eight on Sunday down at Mission Bay. We started right as the 3-Day'ers were getting going for the day and quickly ran ahead of them. At the end of the loop, we had to run on Mission Bay road instead of the path, since there was a sea of pink that would have been difficult to navigate through. Thank goodness I had a running partner yesterday. I felt pretty darn sluggish. My time was pretty good for feeling so heavy and slow. It really helped having Laura there to keep me from slowing down (she offered, but my ego wouldn't let me). Also, it was so nice to chat. The time flew by. Neither of us touched our iPods. Even though I felt like my legs were lead, I looked at our splits and we ran much faster than I thought. The overall pace was around 9:20 (there is some question because I had to switch the Garmin from cycling to running after 1.3 miles *oops*). That is faster than last week's run and I was chatting the entire time. Plus, the very last 3/4 mile was run under a 9-minute mile pace. Woo hoo!
So... I have pretty much decided NOT to go to Las Vegas. :-( It is not good timing. We have a lot going on in the weeks leading up to Christmas. Plus, spending extra money right now is not the wisest decision. We spent a freakin' fortune on plane tickets flying up to Portland for Christmas; not to mention the floors.... It is time to be responsible. If I was in tip-top shape and poised for a big PR, however, I think I would be sure to justify running the half marathon. But alas... I don't think it is in the cards (ha ha).
So... I registered for the Carlsbad Half Marathon here in San Diego in January. I have printed up a training schedule from Runnersworld and am promising myself to actually run more than once a week. I really want to get the Triple Crown medal this year. It means running Carlsbad, La Jolla and AFC.
Question: When a training plan tells you to run at a slower pace than you normally do, how important is it to follow the plan. On my RW plan, the tempo runs are suggested between 8:53 and 8:59, so it looks like it is prepping me for a sub-two-hour half. The suggestion for long runs is a 10:23 pace. If I run faster than that am I risking over-training?? Do you all follow those training plans closely or do you use them as a general guideline??
Thanks! And everyone have a GREAT Thanksgiving! I know there are a lot of us running races (I am running a 5K myself). Good luck and happy running!!!
Laura and I ran eight on Sunday down at Mission Bay. We started right as the 3-Day'ers were getting going for the day and quickly ran ahead of them. At the end of the loop, we had to run on Mission Bay road instead of the path, since there was a sea of pink that would have been difficult to navigate through. Thank goodness I had a running partner yesterday. I felt pretty darn sluggish. My time was pretty good for feeling so heavy and slow. It really helped having Laura there to keep me from slowing down (she offered, but my ego wouldn't let me). Also, it was so nice to chat. The time flew by. Neither of us touched our iPods. Even though I felt like my legs were lead, I looked at our splits and we ran much faster than I thought. The overall pace was around 9:20 (there is some question because I had to switch the Garmin from cycling to running after 1.3 miles *oops*). That is faster than last week's run and I was chatting the entire time. Plus, the very last 3/4 mile was run under a 9-minute mile pace. Woo hoo!
So... I have pretty much decided NOT to go to Las Vegas. :-( It is not good timing. We have a lot going on in the weeks leading up to Christmas. Plus, spending extra money right now is not the wisest decision. We spent a freakin' fortune on plane tickets flying up to Portland for Christmas; not to mention the floors.... It is time to be responsible. If I was in tip-top shape and poised for a big PR, however, I think I would be sure to justify running the half marathon. But alas... I don't think it is in the cards (ha ha).
So... I registered for the Carlsbad Half Marathon here in San Diego in January. I have printed up a training schedule from Runnersworld and am promising myself to actually run more than once a week. I really want to get the Triple Crown medal this year. It means running Carlsbad, La Jolla and AFC.
Question: When a training plan tells you to run at a slower pace than you normally do, how important is it to follow the plan. On my RW plan, the tempo runs are suggested between 8:53 and 8:59, so it looks like it is prepping me for a sub-two-hour half. The suggestion for long runs is a 10:23 pace. If I run faster than that am I risking over-training?? Do you all follow those training plans closely or do you use them as a general guideline??
Thanks! And everyone have a GREAT Thanksgiving! I know there are a lot of us running races (I am running a 5K myself). Good luck and happy running!!!
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