What do I have to prove?

Upon hearing that I signed up for another marathon, one of my friends asked another friend, "what does she have to prove?"*  Hmmm.... what DO I have to prove?  Honestly, I don't know.  Once I have done one marathon, why do I need to do more and more?

Well, let's look at that question.  I find that I need a training plan to help motivate me to get out there and run.  Running makes me feel good.  Healthy.  Alive.  It is too easy to sleep in every day and say I'll exercise tomorrow.  When I have a race on the horizon, I have a schedule and I have a plan on what I should be running.  It works for me.

So why not a half marathon or 10K?  Well, I guess I am a bit of an overachiever.  I like to push myself.  It gives me a certain pleasure to accomplish something that not too many people can do (or would even attempt).  I'm too cautious to climb Mt. Everest--besides... who has that kind of extra money, time and craziness lying around?  I'm not saying that a half marathon isn't pushing myself.  It is.  But there is something about the marathon that draws me.

Being a runner has become as much a part of my identity as being a mom.  I used to be an executive.  I had a powerful job in a pretty tough industry and I was proud of my position.  I traded all that to be a full-time mom (a decision I have never regretted).  As wonderful as it is to have that as an identity, I didn't really feel completely satisfied in this new role until I also became a runner.  A running mom.  And I am in very good company.  There are a lot of running moms out there and every time I meet one, we automatically seem to connect.  We have so much in common and have other things to talk about besides diapers, preschools and timeouts. Now, not only am I a runner, but I am a marathoner.  A year or so ago, my sister introduced me to someone by saying, "this is my sister... she runs marathons."  At the time, I had only run one marathon.  But I liked the sound of someone who "runs marathons."  It made me feel pretty  proud.  Now I really am someone who runs marathons.  Go me.

And honestly... I do need to prove something to myself.  I know what my body can do and it hasn't done it in either marathon I have run.  I ran a twenty-two mile training run averaging around 9-minute miles, but was wiped out by mile 13 on race day after running the same pace.  This is not as much a physical test any more.  It is a mental one.  I need to run smart and stick to my race plan.  I am looking at Surf City as redemption for me.  My first two marathons had my number; they owned me.  I am hoping that this next one I can run on my terms.  I am going to be more conservative with my expectations and goals.  I also think I have a better training plan.  My mileage per week is significantly higher than it was before the Rock-n-Roll.  I hope that this does a lot to improve my ability get to the finish line stronger and faster than before.  What I really want is to have FUN.

What?  Fun in a marathon?  Never.  But I know it is possible.  I have had fun on twenty mile runs, why can't I at least have fun for twenty miles of a marathon?  I recently started following a blogger, Danica,  who lives in this area.  Ironically, she had a miserable time in the Rock-n-Roll as well.  She had her redemption last month in Long Beach and her race report is my inspiration for Surf City.   I WILL smile throughout the race, just like I did during the Carlsbad Half Marathon last year.

So what do I have to prove?  I'm pretty sure that I have proven that I am a runner.  I've proven that I am a marathoner.  By continuing to run marathons, I continually prove to myself that I CAN.

___________________________________________________________________

On the running front, I ran 36 miles last week.  I ended my week with not one, but two long runs.  On Saturday, I ran ten miles with my new running friends.  I had originally scheduled eight miles on Saturdays in order to run with them.  Then, I talked them into running a half marathon in January and wrote them a training plan to get them there.  What that means is that they are going to be running a lot more than eight miles, but not enough to keep up with my long runs, which means two long runs.  Too bad there is not a Goofy challenge** around here, because I am training for one!  Our ten mile run had quite a few hills, so we kept the pace pretty easy.  That was good, since I had an even longer run on the schedule for Sunday.

I had originally had fourteen miles on my schedule, but I thought that might be too aggressive in my second week of high mileage running.  I decided to run twelve.  The first nine miles were pretty flat (with some easy inclines/declines along the way).  I kept my pace at a nice easy pace.  I have been listening to books on tape on my long runs, which keeps me nice and slow.  The last few miles were pretty steep.  I found a nice shady horse trail that cut up through a neighborhood.  I am really starting to enjoy running around here.  When living in San Diego, I had to drive to many of the cool running places.  Here, I can get to cool routes right out my front door.  I think next week I might run with a camera to prove that inland Orange County is a pretty place to run! 

I ran twenty-two miles over two days and I was ready to rest today and sleep in past 5:30 a.m.  Back to the dawn patrol tomorrow.  I'm looking forward to a nice easy recovery run to start out another week of running.

* After reading some of the comments, I wanted to clarify that this particular friend said this in jest and with plenty of love and respect.  I'm pretty sure she does get it, but the comment did spark a thought process in me... hence this post.

**running a half marathon on one day and then a full marathon the next.

A much needed good run...

Today was one of those runs I desperately needed. My life continues to cause me a lot of stress and my running seems to be the only thing going well (other than my sweet kids, loving husband, family and friends. of course*). I ran and lost myself in music and forgot about all the things that keep me up at night. It was great.

I decided to try using my heart rate monitor instead of pace to keep my training intensity where it should be. I checked my handy dandy chart and found that I should run a 10+ mile run around 142 beats per minute, based on my age. It was nice running by feel, although it was a little annoying to constantly check my heart rate monitor.**

My pace was a bit faster than what the recommended pace was. The chart suggests I run a 10+ mile run at 10:26 average pace. My pace for the twelve miles averaged just under 10:00 minute miles. I was very good at keeping my heartrate right at 142 or 143. I was able to lower it pretty quickly when it crept up toward 150 through my breathing or slowing down a bit.

I can really tell how economy changes during a run. When a good song came on my iPod, where I just zoned out and got into a nice groove, my heart rate would be right where it needed to be, yet my pace was faster than it had been (closer to 9:40). When my brain would start thinking about some of the crap going on in our lives and my heart rate would go up while my pace went down. If I took a deep breath, relaxed and just ran with the music, my heart rate dropped a beat or two and my pace leveled out.

It started out a bit chilly (low 60's feels chilly to me). I wore a short sleeve tech shirt that kept me relatively warm. It didn't take long for the sun to come out. It warmed up to the high 70's and the humidity seemed pretty high as well. I looked at the run as training for the AFC, since it is in August and was really hot last year. One thing I notice on sticky runs is that my face and head sweats more than anywhere else. My shirt doesn't get wet, but my face and pony tail are soaked. Does this happen to anyone else?

I was a bad girl at the end of the run. It did teach me something about coaching, however. I decided that the last mile I would bump up the intensity. I noticed on my pulse chart that the marathon heart rate for my age is listed around 157. I decided to run at that level for the last mile. That ended up being around a 9:15 pace.*** What it taught me about coaching is that if I can't follow my own simple advice, how will my clients? I think I am going to give clients a little bit of speed as an option, just to help them get it out of their system. It goes against some of my training, but I think that a little boost for a runner's confidence is a good thing. I would rather allow a little wiggle room than have them toss the training plan out completely.

Here are my stats for the run:
distance- 12.25 miles
time- 2:00:59
average pace- 9:52

It was my best run of the week. I feel better than I did before the run. Hooray for mental health runs.

Happy Running.


*We are actually pretty blessed in this regard. I can't imagine what we would do without the love and support we have received.
**I have the Garmin 205, which doesn't have the heart rate monitor. I already had one before purchasing the Garmin and thought it would be redundant to get the 305. In retrospect, I think it would have been nice to splurge on the 305 (which is on sale at Costco right now, btw) so I didn't have to wear two different bulky watches. Oh well...
***That is not very good news for a sub-four marathon. However, it is still only two weeks since the RNR and this was my first long run since then.

RnR after some RnR

Thanks, everyone, for the wonderful encouragement. Five days later, I feel MUCH better about Sunday. As a matter of fact, I am damn proud of my 4:16! I am ready to train for another marathon (depending on our financial situation, logistics etc.) and this time I will have much more conservative goals. I know I'll get that four hour (or faster) brass ring someday, but in the meantime, I want to have a race where I feel strong and well-trained. For the next couple of months, I am going to get ready for America's Finest City Half Marathon in August. Right now, I don't plan on going for a PR. I really want to have fun. I have a lot of friends running it and several doing their first half marathon.

I feel pretty much healed physically. I was pretty sore (especially my quads) on Monday and even more so on Tuesday. You should have seen me walking up and down the stairs. I actually walked down the stairs backwards because it was easier. But today I feel great. I even did my dreaded "squat o' rama"* at Stroller Strides today and my quads felt strong. I would have run yesterday or today, but I was SO tired when I woke up. I didn't feel any pressure to get out there and run.... so I didn't.

Here are some pictures from the race:

Right at the beginning


At mile 21.... I fake it pretty well.


If you look closely, you can tell I am TIRED.



Here I am at the end. I am so glad that I am running and look pretty strong.


I even have a smile on my face.



You would never know that Laura and I both felt like we wanted to throw up.


If you check out http://www.rnrmarathon.com/elite/webcast/sd/archive.html and type in my bib: 6053, you can see me finish. I am pretty much in the middle of the screen crossing at 4:17:53. I am amazed at how many people were coming across at that time! I am also amazed how slow we all look. You can see me put my hands on my hips and hobble a bit. I do look tired as I walk out of sight.

Well... I am off to learn all about running and coaching. I am driving up to my brother's house in Orange County and then going up to Pasadena tomorrow for my training. I am excited to learn more about running and how to help myself and others get better. I'll be sure to report when I get back!


*Squat o' rama-- static squat with thighs parallel to the ground and arms out in front of you (like tucking a ski run). Hold it for about 10 counts or longer, with slight bouncing. Then we lean over and put all our weight on one leg for 10 counts and then the other. Back to center for 10 counts. Do 10 full range squats, pulling your arms back as you move up and down. Do the entire set again. Burn, baby, burn!

Rock 'N'Roll Marathon Race Report

***warning: this post may not be as upbeat and inspiring as I'd like it. It may even contain some whining. After I am done, however, I'll shake it off and move on. Oh... and in true Lisa fashion, it's a long one***

It was hard. It was painful. It was a true test of my determination.

After all the dust has settled, I am much happier with my time. A 4:16 is a pretty good time. I am proud of that. I think what has had me down today is not missing my time goal, but missing much of my other goals. I didn't sing and dance. I barely noticed anything in the second half of the race. I really didn't have all that much fun. After looking forward to it for so long, it was really quite a letdown.

I started out the morning in a fabulous mood. I was probably annoying Heather and Laura with my bubblyness (I'm pretty sure that is not a word). We avoided a minor catastrophe. Heather, our angel of the morning, got up bright and early to bring Laura and I to the starting line. This is something that saves, literally, hours of stress. She dropped us off in record time using the southern route that had NO traffic and headed down to the airport authority to park and catch the trolley to her relay leg a couple of hours later. A few minutes later I realized that I had left my iPod in her car!!! My heart stopped. Could I survive without music for four hours? I didn't want to find out. I called her and she turned around and drove up Laurel which was bumper-to-bumper and straight up hill in a stick shift. She saved me!!!! It really added time to her trip and I felt bad. She is a true friend!

I was really excited. I felt great. I felt well-prepared. I was ready to go. Luckily, I got some pre-race woo hoo's in. However, Alice, I didn't get to moo. Being in corral 4 is different than last year's corral 10. Not as many moo'ers. I sure did think about it though (although we were really only in the corral for a minute or two). In retrospect, maybe I should have just moo'd and taken advantage of my good mood.

We started out and felt really relaxed. We had a great pace (so I thought). We were a little faster than we had planned, but it really felt good. Our first three miles were: 8:51, 8:53, and 8:51*. We both discussed that we felt comfortable--a very conversational pace.

As the road started going downhill, we sped up a bit. I got a little worried, but still felt good. It was around this time that Paul (I think that's his name... Irene, Alice?), from San Diego Track club was yelling some great words of wisdom through his bull horn (I love that guy).** One of the things he said really hits home to me now. He said, "while tempted to go faster down this hill, hold back; there's a lot of race ahead of you." Hmmm.... that mile was 8:29. Oops.

We hit the 10k mark averaging under 9 minutes per mile and I felt we had a nice little "bank" of time and we could slow down a bit as we headed up hill a bit and then onto the freeway. After mile 7, I decided to slow a bit. Laura kept going. I thought I might catch her after the 163, but I think I knew at that point that I wouldn't see her again until the finish.

Between miles 7 and 8, my legs started feeling pretty heavy. The mist had cleared up and there wasn't much of a breeze downtown and I realized that I was sweating more than I thought I would. I thought that my sluggish legs would bounce back and I would hit my second wind (as I often did on long runs). I even mentally composed wording for this blog about how I had a couple of slower miles and then came back strong. I slowed to 9:01 and 9:17 for the seventh and eighth miles.

As I was running on the 163 freeway, I experienced the first of many side stitches. I was really having a hard time breathing. I tried to put my arm on my head, breathe deeply through my nose etc. My legs started to hurt and show some early signs of cramping. I had been drinking sports drink and taking Gu every four miles, but I was already starting to feel some pretty major muscle fatigue. I also really noticed the slant of the freeway (I didn't notice it so much last year), by the time I got to Friars, my IT band was starting to bug me.

I don't do a lot of stopping when I run. I like to take small sips from my hydration belt as I go and run right through the water stops. About midway through the freeway section, I decided to stop and take a couple of Tylenol before my legs started hurting more. I also felt like I needed to catch my breath. I had never felt like this before.

The freeway is a pretty long uphill section. I slowed it down and took my time. I knew I still had banked time. I think I stopped somewhere again around mile 10. I was telling myself to rest a few seconds, shake it off and mentally imagine myself starting a brand new sixteen mile run. I can do a sixteen mile run on any given day easy. Ok. New run. New start. Miles 9 and 10 were: 9:26 and 9:55. I thought those miles would be my slowest. I knew then, however, that sub-four was going to be very hard.

Mile 11 is mostly downhill. I wanted to make up a little time, but I really couldn't. I got a pretty bad stitch and the faster I ran downhill, the more it hurt. I kept it pretty easy. 8:59. By the time I hit the half marathon mark, I was still within my goal (1:58). But could I keep up that pace for that long again? I was beginning to doubt it. A time of 4:05 or so was starting to sound pretty good. I was ok with it, wasn't I? I needed to take the pressure off. There was a small hill after the half marathon. It was here that I realized that I was really starting to hurt. Everywhere.***

I ran by the second relay transition point (mile 13.4) and saw my friend Heather. She was all smiles and was cheering for me. By this time, my bubblyness had worn off and I was feeling pretty drained. I knew that the rest of the race was going to be a struggle. I should have just waved to Heather and smiled. But I wanted someone to know how I was feeling (doesn't misery love company?). I was a little lonely out there. I gave her the thumbs down sign and indicated that I wasn't having a great run. I feel bad. She was so happy to see me and excited for her relay leg and I am afraid that I brought her down a bit. I know that she was worried about me.

Then I saw my family. It was great. My dad and husband were riding bikes and towing the kids in a trailer. I tried to put on a brave face, but I ended up telling them that I was struggling. They told me later that I looked tired. My wonderful husband put on his coach's hat. He said, "Lisa, the 4 hour pace group is right there [I hadn't realized that they had passed me]. Keep him in sight and you'll be fine. You'll be able to catch him at the end." I didn't tell my biggest cheerleaders that there was a small part of me that was wondering if I would even make it to the end. They rode along side of me for a while. The kids honked a horn and rang a cow bell.**** After a while they turned and rode toward Friars to go find a second spot to see me in the latter miles. As soon as they were out of sight, I stopped and walked for a bit.
They took some pictures of me around mile 14.

The next miles are a bit of a blur. I would run a while and then walk a few feet. The fun had stopped. I would smile meekly at people as they yelled my name. I thanked everyone who cheered for me. I would find some energy and push it for a mile and then shuffle or walk. I was really hoping to average ten minute miles, but I don't think I did. It was during these miles that quitting actually crossed my mind. But it never really was an option. It was only a momentary flicker. My splits were all over the place:
mile 15- 9:52
mile 16- 10:33
mile 17- 9:28
mile 18- 11:08
mile 19- 10:49

I saw my former running partner, Jen, with her kids. I hugged her and started to cry (although I don't think I had any tears). I told her that I was really struggling. She ran next to me for a bit while her son (my son's best friend) rode his bike by me. I told her that she saved me. She was so supportive and told me how awesome I was doing. In a painful twist of irony... in my excitement at seeing Jen and the kids, I may have missed my own family. It turns out that My dad, Kenny and the kids were looking for me very near that spot, on the other side of Ingraham. Honestly, I don't know how they missed Jen screaming my name as she saw me. At least my kids were having fun!

mile 20- 10:05
mile 21- 11:07
mile 22- 10:28
mile 23- 10:33
mile 24- 11:04

While I was feeling sorry for myself, I was resigned to the fact that the wheels fell off the bus. I was doing some math and decided I wanted to try for 4:15. I passed a couple of guys who were wearing tags from earlier pacing groups. One had a 3:30 sign on his back. I knew he was feeling worse than I was. As I passed him, I said, "we're almost there... we'll make it." He nodded. I sometimes wonder if I sound condescending when I say something like that. I suppose that I take that chance. I also take the chance of giving him just the boost he needs. Right? Right around mile 21, Coach Paul was there again thanking us for making his day. I love that guy.

I pushed pretty hard the last couple of miles. I wanted to walk more than anything. But I knew that I would be done soon and could rest then.

mile 25-9:30
mile 26-9:26

As I turned into MCRD, I had forgotten how far it is from the entrance to the actual finish line. I expected to see the finish line around every corner. I really tried to push. At the actual final stretch, I really didn't have much of anything left. When I crossed the finish line, the only thing I felt was relief. I wasn't happy. I wasn't sad. I was just glad to be done.

Laura soon found me. It turns out that she didn't have such a good race either. She finished in 4:07:57. Apparently, she was still on pace to break four hours up through mile 20 where she hit a serious wall. She and I hobbled through the finish area, grabbed our drop bags and sat down on the pavement in pain. Before she took off we congratulated each other, even though we were both feeling a little down.

Laura was feeling pretty bad physically and didn't want to hang out, so she took off to meet her hubby. I went to find my friends who ran the relay and my family. I went and drank my free beer and relaxed.


What went wrong? Well, that is probably the subject of another post. I have my suspicions, but I also think that sometimes it just isn't your day. I am sure I will ramble a bit more before the week is done. I do feel pretty good with my overall time, especially considering how difficult it was to come by. I am torn between never subjecting myself to that misery again and signing up for another right away so I can try to finish one of these things on my terms. Vegas anyone?

**********************************************************************************
*miles according to my Garmin. We were running the course miles a bit slower than this, since it was nearly impossible to run the tangents well. According to Garmin, I ran 26.61 miles total. Yikes.
**I have been considering joining the SDTC for a while now. Between fun runners like the Heffer crew, organized runs and an inspiring coach like Paul I think it might be something I have to do.
***except my shins, of course. The part of my body that kept me from several runs during the week felt fabulous the entire race. Every other part of my body seemed to hurt. My shins still feel fine. Strange.
****I had no idea about this skit before this weekend. As the kids rang the cowbell, I heard people say "more cowbell." Kenny said that everyone said it as they ran by. Even Alice mentioned it on her blog. Finally, my brother said it the other night and we asked him about it. LOL. I wish I had seen this skit before so I could have laughed then...

Additional goals for Rock-n-Roll 2009

Last week, I wrote about my goals for the marathon. These goals focused on time and results. I had an epiphany on my run yesterday morning. This is my second marathon and I know a bit about what to expect. I have done the training and will run what my body can handle that day. I have decided to try to not obsess about time and to focus on enjoying myself. If I have fun, the time goals are secondary and won't consume me.

Here is a list of some goals for Sunday:

• Smile
• Inspire at least two other people to smile
• Thank at least one volunteer at each water/aid station
• Strike up a conversation with at least one other runner (this might prove a little harder than last year, since we were at such a slower pace last year)
• High five at least ten kids along the route
• Think about my kids any time I feel negativity sneaking in (just thinking of my daughter asking me every run if I am running a marathon makes me smile)
  
• Sing along to at least part of one song (either on my iPod or from one of the bands)
• Dance a little (especially if a band plays"YMCA" or something equally as cheesy)
• Say "woo hoo" (or something equally as cheery) at least twice (ok... these last few are pretty silly, but I want to make sure I don't become too serious through all this)

Happy Running everyone!!

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'd only run if someone were chasing me!"

That is a comment I have heard from people when I have told them that I run long distances. Thursday's Take It and Run Thursday topic (I know... I know... I am a couple days late) is to explain why we run the marathon. So many people can't understand why we would punish our bodies for months on end to end up running four or five hours in one go. Not so long ago I could be heard saying, "I couldn't watch a five hour epic movie, let alone RUN for that long." So why in the world did I decide a year ago to run 26.2 miles.... in. a. row.


After two years as a stay-at-home-mom, I was still loving my role. After many years in the business world I was (and still am) enjoying the change of focus. I was finding, however, that I was being defined more and more by my children rather than who I was. I wasn't even sure who I was anymore. My hobbies were centered around a preschooler and a toddler. I was, however, enjoying my Stroller Strides classes that combined a fitness element for me and interaction, games and songs for my kids. I had run a 10K and it felt great. So when Jen and Laura announced in our class that they were training for the Rock-n-Roll Marathon, a light went on. That was it. That was what I was looking for. Training for something BIG like that would help me define who I wanted to be.


As the training progressed, the little accomplishments started to build. Every time we ran our furthest distance, it felt like a huge achievement. Seven miles. Ten miles (the double digits felt great!). Sixteen miles. TWENTY miles. Each time was a milestone that I felt proud of. This running thing was agreeing with me. Not only was I a mom, a wife, a former executive... but now I was a RUNNER. It felt great.




So if I signed up for that first marathon to help discover who I was, why am I going to go through all that again? Well... now I am a runner. While last year was about training and finishing something that only a small percentage of the world can say they have done, this year is about running a good race. I don't need to build up my mileage little by little this year. I have a strong base and can train smarter. I am really looking forward to seeing what I can do. Can I take 30 minutes off last year's time? I am pretty sure that I can. I might even (if the stars align) be able to get close to that four hour mark, which is 54 minutes faster than I did last year. I know I can run that distance. Now it is about pushing myself just a little bit further.

So why do I choose to run a marathon*? Because I am no longer content with resting on my laurels. It is about constantly pushing myself to see just how far (or fast) I can go.


*hopefully, that will be plural in about 17 weeks.

random thoughts on race eve...

Attention cyber-stalkers out there: My bib number is 5096. I have no idea if they have instant results and splits but here is the website for the race: http://www.carlsbadmarathon.com/Home_28.htm

I went to the expo yesterday. Since dear hubby is currently without a job, I am able to leave my little one with him while I wander aimlessly through the expo instead of grabbing my bib and chasing an almost-three-year-old through a crowd of people. There are some benefits to unemployment, right?

It was a nice relaxing way to spend and hour or so. I love going to booths of cool races and fantasize about doing them. I talked to the guy from Big Sur. He confirmed that it is, indeed, a very difficult course. BUT... it is exceptionally beautiful. He said to add 30-40 minutes on to my time to run it. No thank you. I don't think I could stay on my feet that long. They have a two mile hill in the middle of the course that nearly everyone WALKS. But it is nice to fantasize that someday I might be strong enough to run this race. I also talked to the woman at Elite about the San Diego Rock-n-Roll. I was tempted to sign up then and there to get a really cool t-shirt, but I didn't. The woman was trying to talk me into running both the San Diego AND the Seattle RNR. Seattle is three weeks after San Diego. THAT would be truly crazy. I am actually considering it! That is one thing about a race expo... it makes you believe you are a real runner who can do things like that.

Today, after taking my kids to a birthday party, I am going to try to relax. I need to stretch quite a bit today. I taught a Stroller Strides class yesterday and kicked my own butt. I did some killer power squats. If I am sore, I feel sorry for some of my clients. They may not be moving so well today. Oh well... isn't that what they are paying for? *evil grin* I am going to try to eat my big meal as early as possible and try to avoid my tummy issues that haunted me in both the marathon and the AFC half. Then I am going to bed early.

The weather report is fantastic for tomorrow! Here is what it says right now

Hi: 60°
Mostly cloudy in the morning...becoming
partly cloudy.
Slight chance of showers. Highs 56 to 61. Light winds. Chance
of measurable
precipitation 20 percent.

I would say that is perfect running weather! Now I just have to figure out what I am wearing. I was hoping to wear a running skirt, but I think I may be opting for capris. My only issue is that I have never run a long run in these capris. I am not sure I want to risk it. Hmmmm....

Sorry for the random, disjointed post. I started out just posting my bib number and then the rambling ensued.

Have a great weekend and happy running....

p.s. Good luck to my blogging buddies AKA Alice and Penny. I hope to see them at the race!

Race Report Part II (Miles 1 through 14...mostly good)

*Mile 1-- What an incredible rush! Laura didn't waste any time pulling ahead of us. Good for her. She finished 22 minutes ahead of me and actually could have done better than that, but started feeling ill in the later miles.

There were so many people. For much of the time, I was just keeping an eye out for a little pod of space and I would dart to it like a rabbit. It didn't keep me in a very straight line, but I didn't feel like I was going to step on heels (or be stepped on). As I bumped into people or vice verse. Everyone seemed very friendly and it was an upbeat atmosphere. The one bad thing about so many people is that I never really fell into a good running rhythm. My stride was a bit short and I didn't feel like I was really relaxed. Although, we were relaxed enough to chat every now and then...

One of the oddest things in those first few miles was the heat. The weather was still cool. But as we ran, we would run through pockets of warm air, almost as if we were running by a heater vent. We figured that it was the masses of people. While it was sunny at the end of the race and started feeling pretty hot, the warmth in those first two miles seemed more noticeable. I don't sweat that much and I was already sweating by the time we turned onto Park Blvd. Once we got closer to the water, near Petco Park, we could feel a nice breeze.

We ran past our first fans during the first couple of miles. Christina, from Stroller Strides was there as well as one of Lisa's friends. Seeing familiar faces is REALLY cool.

*Miles 2-4, Park Blvd.-- I actually had a lot of fun on Park. I was feeling pretty good. There were still a LOT of people all around and you really had to watch where you were going. Lisa was right next to me and suddenly, she FELL DOWN! Oh no! My heart stopped for her. I thought that her marathon journey might end because of tripping on a silly pile of hardened asphalt. I think I actually screamed a little. There were people all around us helping her to stand up. She had skinned both her knees, but she said she was fine and we trudged on. After that we all pointed out various hazards along the way- trolley tracks, lone water cups etc.

At one point along the way, one of the bands asked us if we feel good. A cheer rose up from the runners. They started playing "I feel good."
It was fun!

We were joking around with people and making friends. At one point, a very tall black guy with dreadlocks was manuevering through a group of people and almost ran into me. I said to this tower of a guy in a good-natured tone, "hey, big guy...you know it would hurt if you stepped on someone..." He laughed and said that he needs to watch it because there might be retribution at mile 24 when he wouldn't be able to defend himself. I ran into him after the finish near the medals and we shook hands and congratulated each other on our runs. I like running in the middle of the pack. I doubt if people running 6- or 7-minute miles get to have as much fun as we do. :-)

*10 K-- I was feeling ok; not fantastic, but not bad either. I looked at our time (1:07) and did the math wrong and thought we were on track for our finish time of 4:30. By 7 miles, I figured out that we were averaging 11-minute miles. By the time we got on the 163, I knew that the goal time was out the window. There was no sense dwelling on it, though... it was time to just focus on the main goal-- FINISHING.

*Miles 7.8-11.5, The 163 Freeway-- I was really looking forward to this part. They CLOSE THE FREEWAY for us to run on. For some reason, that just seems like the coolest thing. A good portion of the freeway runs uphill, so this was a pretty tough part of the race. That hill was a death knoll for Jen. She was struggling up the hill. She would be behind us for a while, catch up and then fall back again. She made a comment about it kicking her butt. She tells me now that she wasn't the same after that hill. It sapped her energy.

We ran into Tara again and she seemed to be having fun. I was having fun, too. A guy asked Lisa and I what a "Rockin' Mama" was. All four of us were wearing our great Rockin' Mama logo that Lisa designed. Jen, Lisa and I were also wearing our names (Laura was a little less anxious to have strangers know her name). We told him that we are a group of moms who came together to train. We met through our moms group. He thought that it was great and he congratulated us for getting out and doing this. I felt pretty proud.

*Miles 12-13.75-- We ran by the Fashion Valley Mall. I didn't even think about stopping in at Nordstrom to go shopping. I was focused on my running. :-) We saw Laura's husband--well, Lisa saw him and I tried but he was behind people when I looked so I yelled a quick hello. Unfortunately, Laura never saw him (she was probably a half hour ahead of us). The huge bummer for Laura was that she didn't carry any Gu or other calories with her and was relying on him to give it to her when he saw her. By the time she hit the Powerbar Gel station at 17.6 miles, she was nauseous and couldn't eat any of it. She actually ran the entire race without a single gel. Holy cow. Imagine how well she would have done with calories! (she finished at 4:32, btw)

Once I passed the halfway point, I really started feeling it. I was ok with my half marathon split time (2:22) and thought to myself that I was looking forward to running a half marathon later this summer. I started getting pretty tired around 13.5 miles. Lisa told me that she wanted to stop and stretch at the next water stop and I was all for it. Jen was behind us and for the first time in the race, I couldn't see her.

When we got to the water stop (around 13.75 miles), we stretched and I called Jen. We were through the water stop and had been there a minute or two. She told me that she wasn't at the stop yet, but she could see it. At this point, my legs were starting to feel heavier and heavier. I was afraid that I wouldn't be able to get going again if I waited much longer. I think Lisa felt the same. We hoped that Jen would catch up with us, but we needed to start running again. I was also excited because I knew that my family was right around the corner.

*Mile 14, my FAVORITE part of the race (pictures coming up!)--My favorite people in the world- my husband and kids- were waiting for me at mile marker 14. Some of my other favorite people were there, as well; my dad, my brother and our friend Sean. Kenny had the bikes from work-- a quad bike (see my other blog for more on that) and The Ride and they were quite a sight to see. My hubby (in the hat), my dad and my 4-year-old son were riding the quad (our friend Sean hopped on the quad later). How cool is the double-sided flag??? My two-year-old is in the bike trailer with her cousin and my brother towed them with the cool Ride bike.

When I saw them, I screamed and ran toward them.

I was able to give my son a BIG hug. They rode alongside me for a half mile or so. My brother took a picture of me waving to Amelia who started crying when she saw me-- I think she wanted me to go to her. She calmed down once she saw the Mama was running! :-)
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Even Lisa got a bit of a boost of energy from seeing my clan.

I expended a lot of energy seeing them. But it was worth it. It gave me more energy for the miles to come.

I will write about the last part of the race later. Damn! It is taking me longer to write about the race than it actually took to run it! Sorry for all the details, but I want to document everything so I can remember it later. If one of my kids ever comes to me and wants to run their first marathon, I can let them read this.....