Kaiser Permanente Southern California Half Marathon Race Report—January 8, 2011

It wasn’t a bad race.  I didn’t set any PR’s, nor did I improve my time from the same race.  However,  Saturday’s race was more about my running buddies than it was about my own accomplishment or lack thereof.  It still goes down as one of my favorite race days.

We all met at 6:20 at Rod and Lori’s.  It was our entire running group except for Caitlyn, who is injured.  The weather was cold, but looked like it would be perfect for running.  We were parked and walking to the starting area just after 7.  We had plenty of time to pick up gear*, use the porta potty and get psyched up for start of the race at 8.**

Rod, Kelly, Shannon, Stacey, Sandra, Me, Odessa and Lori before the race.

 Me, Stacey and Shannon before the race

The race was definitely bigger than last year.  But I think it felt bigger because we were pretty far back in the pack.  The first couple of miles were pretty crowded.  There was a lot of weaving during that first mile.  Rod, Kelly, Stacey and I started together.  Shannon, Sandra, Lori and Odessa started out more slowly.  I knew within the first couple of miles that it wasn’t going to be a PR kind of day.  I debated whether I should just get comfortable and stay with Stacey or Kelly throughout the race.  Both of them told me to run my own pace.  I decided that since I paid for this race, I would see what I could do—PR or no PR.  I was hoping to run it close to the pace that I ran it last year (1:49) After a mile or so, Stacey decided to pull back into a more comfortable pace.  We had been running under 9 minute miles and were starting to speed up a bit (the second mile was 8:17).

A little later, Kelly fell behind.  As Rod looked back to see where she was, Kelly yelled, “don’t look back for me, run your race!!!”  We had our marching orders.  Kelly fell further and further behind us.

Kelly is “running happy”

This race is a series of out-and-backs.  I enjoy out-and-backs when I am running with a group of friends.  I was able to see everyone at least once.  There is a long stretch where we ran on a bike path along the river, crossed over a bridge and then back along the other side.  I was able to see all my friends.  The course isn’t particularly scenic, so I doubt I would ever want to run it by myself.  But with a group, it is a nice distraction to look for all your buddies.

The crowds on either side of the river

All the out-and-backs made it a perfect race for spectators.  Mine and Stacey’s husbands decided to ride their bikes down to the race and take some pictures of us.  Our kids spent the night with relatives and Kenny and Alex started their twenty mile bike ride just after we left for the race.  They arrived just before the beginning of the race.  In fact, they were getting off their bikes as the starting horn sounded, so they didn’t have time to film us at the start.  However, they were able to get some great pictures during the race.

He was able to get a great shot of Stacey.  I played around with the color and got a pretty cool picture.

  It was great having my hubby there.  He doesn’t get a chance to see many of my races.  It is just too hard with the kids.  This course also allowed me to see him four or five times. 

Around the half way point, my stomach started bugging me.  Oh no…not again.  Soon, it was apparent that I would have to stop in a porta potty.  Rod starting pulling away from me.  I struggled keeping my pace up.  My pace went from 8:09 in mile 5 to 8:15 in mile 6, 8:24 in mile 7 and 8:29 in mile 8.  In the ninth mile, I found some porta potties.  I spent TWO MINUTES in the porta potty.  Not a good thing.***  Once I got back on the road, I really struggled to get back up to speed.  That mile was 10:40—ugh.

The next miles were a struggle.  I knew that my sub-1:50 was gone, I debated with myself if I should stop and wait for one of my friends and finish with her.  I wasn’t sure if Kelly was in front of me or behind me. At the next turn-around, I saw that she was several minutes behind me.  I knew that she would be angry with me if I stopped and waited for me.  I saw Kenny.  He told me that Rod was two and a half minutes ahead of me and urged me to push it.  I decided to see if I could pull out a decent time.

I finished with a pretty good time.  Despite spending two minutes in the porta potty and feeling sluggish for the last four miles, I was able to finish in my half marathon “sweet spot”—1:54.  Since my first sub-two half marathon of 1:52 in January 2009, most of my half marathons have been between 1:53 and 1:56.  I was pretty happy with my time, considering how crappy I felt physically. It didn't really matter because I still had fun.

I quickly found Rod (who finished in an outstanding 1:47!), Kenny and Alex (Stacey’s husband) to wait for the others.  We were watching for Kelly, but I missed her!  She finished three minutes after me.  This was her second half marathon and she took eight minutes off her last time.  She finished with an incredible 1:57!!  I am so proud of how far she has come. 

Stacey was the next one to come down the finish lane.  She looked intense.  She looked down at her (new) Garmin and I yelled, “don’t look at your watch, just RUN!”  She didn’t hear me.  She was listening to music and focused on the finish.  She finished in 2:09, which is five minutes faster than her first half marathon in October. 

Sandra came in next at 2:25.  This was Sandra’s very first half marathon.  She finished strong and with a huge smile on her face.  I was so happy for her; she was thrilled with her experience.  I am so happy to help yet another first timer successfully cross the finish line!

Sandra told us that Shannon’s knees were bothering her.  We were watching closely for her to round the corner.  I had made Shannon a 2:30 pace band and I was hoping that she would make her goal.  She came down the stretch and looked like she was ready to be done.  Stacey, Sandra and I ran out into the road to join her.  At first, she waved us off.  But we cheered and yelled her name.  The four of us ran across the finish line together and it was so much fun.  She told us later that our running with her gave her a huge high that she will never forget.

Finally, Lori and Odessa finished.  Rod had run back about a mile and came in with them.  We all cheered them in and had a great time afterward.  The food situation was pretty goofy though.  Runners queued up in a line and went through like a cafeteria.  They took one of everything and even had boxes and bags to put it in.  I just wanted an orange and a banana.  I didn't want to wait in the silly line.  So I walked up to the box of bananas, reached between two people, grabbed the banana and walked away.  Done.  There didn't need to be a line.  If everyone did that, everyone would get food after the race.  Plus, the food area was separate from the finish area, so it was being used by spectators as well as runners.  Their selection was great (cookies, muffins, fruit etc.), but the line thing was annoying.

I’m bummed Shannon had to leave before we took this picture

This was such a fun race.  One friend ran her first half and three others had significant PRs.  I am so proud of everyone and feel privileged to run with these ladies (and Rod too).  Even though I didn’t have my best race, I will always remember this race as one about my friends and their accomplishments.

Happy Running…

*Stacey’s husband had picked up our bibs and shirts for us, but the rest of the group had to get theirs.  Stacey and I both exchanged our shirts for smaller sizes.
**It turns out that we should have moved into the starting area earlier.  The first mile was very crowded and we had to weave around slow runners and walkers.
***I did my normal morning routine.  I went to the bathroom the magic number of three times.  This is exactly what happened in the Long Beach Marathon, America’s Finest City 2008 and Rock ‘n Roll 2008.  I may start experimenting with Immodium. Does anyone out there take Immodium before races?  If so, how much and when?  Also, I usually eat an English muffin before a race and I realized that they are whole grain.  That might be the problem.  I think I might also switch to bananas before long runs.

Kaiser Permanente Southern California Half Marathon Race Report

Gun Time:1:50:41.4
Chip Time: 1:49:48.6 (PR... woo hoo!)
Pace: 8:23
Overall Place: 552/3830
Gender Place: 104/?
Age Division: 6/95  

Not bad for a race I wasn't even sure I was going to run.  When my friends asked me before the race what my goals were, I didn't even know how to answer.   I knew that I wanted to run it at 1:56 or under.  That is around the time that I ran La Jolla and AFC and seems to be my "sweet spot."  I knew I could probably come close to my PR (1:52:46), which is an 8:37 pace.  My secret desire was to run under 1:50, but I wasn't sure this was the time or the place.  This was just a way station on the path to my key race in four weeks.  If I pushed super hard in this race, then I might have difficulty getting back into training for the marathon on February 7.

So... my loose race plan was to start out around an 8:30 pace and see how I feel.  An 8:30 pace would give me a PR and I had run some tempo runs at that pace pretty comfortably.  I knew that it would give me room to speed up or slow down as the race progressed in order to finish strong.  The other part of my race plan was to stay relaxed and focus on running the tangents.  I usually tack on at least .1 or .2 miles (or more) due to weaving and taking turns too wide.

Heidi and Odessa were running their first half marathons.  Neither one had trained as much as they would have liked and were a bit nervous.  Heidi was hoping to finish under 2:45 and Odessa in 2:30.  They both had good race plans that included some walk breaks.  Odessa's step-father, Rod, who I often run with on Saturday mornings, was running with them.  I was really excited for them and briefly considered running with them, but opted against it.  I was running this in lieu of a sixteen mile progression run, so I wanted it to be a high quality run for me.

 

Heidi and I with the start in the background.  The longest run Heidi had ever done was ten miles, and that was in November!

The Start
I had set out a long sleeved top and capris to wear, but when I woke up, my computer said it was already close to 60 (instead of the upper 40's I was expecting). I quickly switched to shorts and a short-sleeved shirt.  When we arrived to the race, it felt colder than it did at home (closer to the ocean?).  I threw on my arm warmers and was good to go.  I love those things!*

It was a smaller race than I had run, but still a decent size.  There were around 4000 runners and we ended up lining up near the middle.  I was happy that they had chips.  Apparently, this year was the first year for chip timing.  There was quite a bit of weaving, but not as bad as other races I have run.  It opened up rather quickly and I felt like I was getting into a groove.  I started enjoying my music and running really easily.    That mile was 8:24.

The next two miles felt effortless.  My feet barely hit the ground and I was feeling strong.  My music was good and it was a beautiful day.  I was pretty sure that I couldn't keep that up for the entire 13.1 miles.  I decided to slow it down a bit and keep it to my 8:30 pace.  Miles 2 and 3 were 8:17 and 8:14.

The race was a series of out-and-backs.  Also, we would run onto a bike path along the river, up across a bridge and then along the same portion on the other side.  Around mile three, I was looking across the river for my friends and I saw Rod and Odessa.  Heidi saw me and waved and yelled my name, I heard her, but didn't see her.  She was wearing a white t-shirt and black shorts-- hard to distinguish her from other runners.  Rod and Odessa were wearing colors and were easier to see. At that point, I think they were around ten minutes behind me.

The Middle
I ran the next few miles at my planned pace.  Miles 4-10 were all just under 8:30.  I started to get a bit tired during some of the middle miles.  I was actually a little bored.  Usually I like to strike up a conversation with runners around me and everyone seemed pretty focused.  Then I met Richard.

Richard is 74 years old.  He struck up a conversation somewhere around mile 7.  I said that it was a beautiful day for a run. He flirted a bit with me.  In fact, if he was 30 years younger, it would have been creepy, but he was charming.  He stopped for some water and we parted ways.  Soon, however, he zipped past me gesturing for me to follow.  Ironically, my energy level was low at that point and seeing a smiling face encouraging me to speed up a bit was just what I needed.  If a 74 year old man can keep up that pace, I certainly could!  He was ahead of me for quite a while and whenever I spotted him, it motivated to keep going.  Thanks, Richard!  It turns out that we finished right around the same time (and he won his age group!).

Besides the 74 year old man, I had another motivator during the race.  Sometime in those middle miles, I passed a woman wearing Crocs.  Yes, you read correctly... CROCS--the ugly plastic shower shoes that really only look good on children under 10.  Hers were pink with Mickey Mouse holes.  I marveled at how they stayed on her feet.  Don't they flip off?  I was going to ask her about it, but when we made eye contact, I got the feeling that she wouldn't appreciate questions.  Heck, if I was running a half marathon in pink Crocs, I'd be bragging to everyone; "yup, they're pink!  I'm awesome!"  LOL.  Looking back, I wish I would have struck up a conversation with her.  I might have learned a thing or two.  But then again, I might not have been as motivated to beat her.

Well... she and I went back and forth for a while.  I passed her and then she passed me.  I swear I would look over my shoulder and there she was.  It was like she picked out my coral t-shirt and made me her motivation. I just couldn't let a woman in Crocs beat me.  I'd be pretty impressed, but it would hit my ego a bit.  I couldn't seem to shake her.  When I started feeling myself slow down, there she was.  It was enough to motivate me to keep going.  I think the last time I saw those pink sandals/slippers was around mile 11.  That was when I turned it on.  I am sure she came in some time just after me.  I am actually pretty impressed**.

The End
Mile 11 started out a bit sluggish.  As I tried to do some math in my head, I realized that I probably needed to speed up a bit.  Also, I was determined to catch up to 74-year-old Richard and to beat Croc-lady.  I definitely picked it up during the second half of that mile.  When I ran past the mile marker, the clock said 1:33 and change.  I had less than 17 minutes to make it under 1:50.

I knew that I was going to come pretty close to completing 13.1 miles, since I had been pretty good at running the tangents.  But you never know how the last couple miles are going to go.  I figured that I should run closer to 8-minute-miles to make it.  I was a woman with a mission.  Mile 12 felt good.  Mile 13, on the other hand, started to hurt.  For the first time during the race, I felt pain.  The last 3/4 of a mile hurt pretty good.  I ran mile 12 in 8:02 and Mile 13 in 8:08.  The last .18***  was a 6:52 pace!  I was thrilled that I was able to finish so strong.

I ran across the finish line with 1:50:xx on the clock.  I stopped my Garmin at 1:49:51.  I was thrilled beyond belief.  My friend, Lori, was there and said that she was surprised to see me so soon.  I didn't give her the impression that I was going to go for a fast time.  She expected me a few minutes later.

She and I found a nice spot along the finish straight-away to wait for Rod, Odessa and Heidi.  Odessa had a goal of 2:30 and Heidi's goal was 2:45, so I left Lori for a few minutes to grab some food.  The spread for this race was pretty great.  There were the standard bananas, oranges and plain bagels.  They also had yummy cookies, some jalapeno bagels with some flavor, and hummus!  While I normally love hummus, it didn't sound super appealing.  I scarfed down on the oranges and cookies.  Mmmmm.... carbs.  I went back a little later and ate a jalapeno bagel.

Right around 2:30 (2:28:39 to be exact), Odessa and Rod finished.  She looked great.  It was her first half, so I screamed like a crazy woman.  I was excited for her.  At 10:15 (the race started at 8), Heidi texted me a simple "11" letting me know she had hit the 11 mile marker.  I knew that there was no way that she would be finishing the last two miles in 15 minutes, so we relaxed a bit to wait for her.   She made her goal of running it under 2:45 (2:44:23)! I was really proud of her!

Heidi on the home stretch****

It was a great race.  I didn't have high expectations.  It is not a well-known race like the Triple Crown races in San Diego.  Rod has run it several times and told me that it wasn't the most scenic race and they didn't give medals.  I was pleasantly surprised, however.  I think the scenery was enhanced by the beautiful weather.  We ran along a dry river bed and some roads in a somewhat industrial part of town (there seemed to be a lot of warehouse type businesses).   But there was a lot of landscaping, making it nice.  And they gave out medals!  They were small medals, but medals nonetheless.  Score!  I suppose I will have a soft spot in my heart for this race since it is now the site of my half marathon PR.

I am very happy with my performance.  I didn't do any speedwork to speak of.  I did one or two tempo runs and a couple of speedy laps around the track, but no real speed sessions.  When I told my husband how fast I ran my last two miles, he suggested that I left a bit out on the course; that I could have probably run it faster.  I think that I probably could have, but I have no regrets.  I ran it exactly the way I wanted to.  Maybe after I run this marathon, I'll train for a half marathon to go for a faster time.  Maybe not.  I think getting a PR unexpectedly is way better than training for one and barely getting it or missing it altogether.  I hate the pressure.

I have four weeks until the Surf City Marathon.  My confidence level is much higher than it was a week ago.  I still have a long way to go.  I need to get in another LONG run (22 miles) and stay healthy.  I am starting to get excited.

Happy Running.

*It was warm enough that I took them off by mile four.  I just tied them to my hydration belt.

**Through the magic of internet cyber-stalking, I think I found my Croc-lady.  If I am correct, she finished just under two minutes behind me (and third in her age group!).  Here she is: http://crocrunner.blogspot.com/2008/03/thanks-to-crocs-i-can-run-again.html.   I wish she were still blogging.

***somehow I picked up .08 mile in the last two miles.
****I stole this picture from Odessa's facebook page.  I would have posted the picture of her finish, but I haven't really asked her permission to post her picture.  I posted the one with me in it because... well... it was taken with my phone and I'm in it.  ;-)

Taking my fall back week to the extreme...

...or I could call it a 'super taper.'    Whatever you call it, my running was pretty nonexistent this week.  On one hand, I am disappointed in myself, on the other hand, I am proud of my restraint and willingness to step back and realize what is important.

Saturday night, after my twenty miler, I was sitting at my desk and suddenly, I had excruciating pain on the top of my foot.  It was sudden and intense.  I assumed it was a cramp, but I had never had a cramp on the top of my foot before.   When the pain subsided a little, I discovered that it hurt a lot to walk.  I iced it right away.  The pain turned to a dull throbbing.

I was terrified.  The only thing that came to mind was "stress fracture."  I uncharacteristically avoided Google, because I was afraid of what I might find.  I didn't post it on facebook because I was afraid to say it out loud.  I less than five weeks out from Surf City.  I am looking forward to it and have been really enjoying my training.  The thought of losing all that to injury was more than I was ready to face.

My foot felt better the next morning, but I could still feel the pain.  It definitely wasn't intense like it had been, but it was there.  I felt it more if I flexed my foot.   I probably could have run my scheduled eight miles, but decided to rest and ice.  I remember hearing my coaches in certification training say, "better to take one week off running than to push it and be out for six." 

I rested Sunday, Monday and Tuesday, just to be safe.  On Wednesday I decided to do an easy run.  I ran an easy three miles and didn't have any pain during the run.  Thank God!  It hurt a little bit afterward, however.  It was then I decided to check Google.

Of course, one of the first things that came up was a stress fracture.  The pictures, however, showed pain much closer to the toes.  My pain is right in the center of the top of my foot, directly underneath where I tie my shoe.  I assume that if I had a fracture, it would hurt during running, not necessarily after.  There are two other possibilities: tendonitis and nerve entrapment.  The first one is likely caused by hill running (trails?) or poor footwear and the second by falling arches or poor footwear.  My shoes are the same shoes I have run in for two years.  They only have a couple hundred miles on them.  I did run my twenty miler in my trail shoes, so maybe they aren't the best thing for the long runs.  The treatment is the same for both: rest and ice. 

Yesterday, I planned on running again.  I woke up at 5:30 and just before I headed out the door just after 6, my husband informed me that he had to leave for work early.  He didn't come home until after I was in bed the night before, so we caught up for a few minutes.  I then realized that I could only realistically get two miles in before he had to leave... so I skipped it.   I thought I could give my foot another day to rest.  Excuses, excuses.

Today, I was all set to go out for an easy six miles or so.  My hubby was up and we started to talk about stuff (his work, the kids, etc.) and suddenly I realized that I was out of time again.  I didn't feel as bad today.  Kenny has been working insane hours lately and I really miss him.  If the only time we get quality time to catch up is 45 minutes before he goes to work, that is worth missing my run.   It is all a matter of balance.

So here I am on the eve of a planned half marathon.  My foot feels good.  I still feel it, but I don't have any pain.  I hadn't registered for tomorrow's race because I never really committed to it.  I will need to register in the morning.  I'm not keyed up for the race, but I feel I should run it, especially since I only ran three miles all week..  I am feeling less than motivated, so it might be the only way I get in a decent run.  Part of me wants to treat it as any other training run.  Hmmm... $50 for a training run?  I think it is more likely that I will push my self, just a little.   Do I think I can get a PR?  I'm not sure.   I'm not sure I want to push that hard.  I have a sixteen mile progression run on the schedule.  I figured that a half marathon would be equivalent.

So I am hopeful that I feel 100% in the morning.  I am hopeful that my foot doesn't get re-injured.  I am hopeful that I feel strong and confident and finish the race knowing that I could easily have done it twice.



Before I go get my running stuff set out, I wanted to give a shout out to Irish.  She is running the first half of the Goofy Challenge tomorrow in frigid temperatures.  She is running a half marathon tomorrow and then a full marathon on Sunday.  Wow, what a stud.  Good luck!!!  I know you will do great!

I also wanted to give a shout out to my friend Angela's husband, Matthew.  He is running the Disney Marathon on Sunday as well.  Matthew ran his first marathon not long after I ran mine.  I believe he has caught the bug as much as I have.  Good luck, Matthew!  I hope that your wife and son can be there to see you cross the finish line! 

Happy Running, everyone....