Summer Chaos

I'm not one of those moms who looks forward to school being out for the summer.  Just the five of us at home, relaxing in the summer sun?  Doesn't happen.  The crazy nature of our life kicks into overdrive somehow and every year I say this is the craziest, busiest summer EVER.  And it's true ~ they seem to get more hectic as time goes by. 

I will spare you my scheduling nightmare, but between medical, dental, eye and various follow up appointments 45 minutes away for all 4 children, three trips a week to Corvallis, a surgery, a camping trip, hosting a national conference, blah blah blah... I'm exhausted.  Seriously tired.  I got sick this week and I'm sure it was all the stress coming to a head.

Simplify!, you say.  And it sounds good.  I like the concept.  I'm a believer, really.  But then I look at the calendar and it all stays.  Football, horseback riding, weightlifting... we're in a busy phase of life. 

So in all of this I've been doing my best to keep on running.  I was doing quite well until one child had surgery and needed nursing for a week, followed immediately by a week in the woods camping, followed immediately by sluggish lack of desire to run for a week (hey, I'm just sayin').  Boom ~ three weeks off.  Ack.

So I'm back at it, very much looking forward to Hood to Coast and very much terrified all at the same time. 

When does school start, again? 

Helvetia Half Marathon (aka... Massive Hills Half)

Way back in December, my sister in law invited me to run the Helvetia Half Marathon with her.  It was well before my Surf City Marathon date and I kind of thought I would still be in top shape by then, ready to run.  After all, how hard is a half after a full, right?  Wrong.  A half is a long, long way to run and that top shape I envisioned... well... anyway. 

Today was the big day, and the first sunny day in what felt like weeks.  George and I drove to the Hillsboro Stadium for the start of the race, meeting up there with Lis, Connie and several of their other friends.  I kind of knew the course was going to be hilly ~ I just decided to ignore that fact. 

Nearly 5,000 people ran the 10k and the half today, several wearing "Find Kyron" signs pinned to their backs.  Not only is a majority of the state concerned for our little missing man, but we were also running in the general vicinity of the search.  My prayers are with them and I sure hope they find the little guy.

With a big group wave to the helicopter flying over our heads, we took off from the stadium on lightly rolling hills for a few miles.  The start was pretty crowded but we weren't trying to set any speed records on this thing so we just made our way along.  I didn't expect to stay with Connie and Lis, I just decided to see how long I could hang with them.  We ran across the overpass on Hwy 26 and out into the countryside.  After a couple of miles of rolling hills, we hit the big nasties.  Lots of them. Up and down, up and down.  We ran quite a bit of those hills, but took a few walk breaks on them, too.  Connie had just run the Newport Marathon last weekend, so she was taking it easy and me, well, I just like to take it easy.  ;)  Not that it was.  Sheesh ~ did I mention up and down, up and down.  I hung with them, though.  There was one uphill where I stopped for a little walk break and realized this was the point where I was going to let them go, or I had to catch up and stay there.  I decided to catch up.  (pat on the back, thankyouverymuch). 

I was surprised when we ran past Roloff Farms.  The Roloffs are the subjects of TLC's reality show, Little People, Big World . I knew their farm was out there somewhere.  I just didn't realize we would run right past.  If I were a Roloff I would've set up a a little lemonade stand out there and cheered us on, but hey.  I'm just sayin'.

According to the elevation map I'd glanced at, I thought the hills would be behind us at mile 8.  I kept focusing on making it to mile 8 and the smooth sailing that would follow.  That would have been great if it were true.  However, it was not.  Yes, the big hills were behind us, but there's not much out there that's flat.  It rolled along for the next 5 miles in a series of small but torturous hills.  It was hot out there.  Turns out the 4-bottle nerd pack was a smart idea as I sucked down all 40 ounces of liquid and munched my way through lots of Sport Beans and such.

Somewhere around mile 10 Connie checked her Garmin and told me if I went hard the rest of the way I could likely set a new PR.  I had no idea I could even come close to that on this run and wasn't remotely trying for it.  Oh man, that was tempting, but I knew our final push took us uphill (again) onto the overpass and then up a gradual incline nearly all the way in, so I decided to stick with Lis and Connie and leave the PR for another day.  I had already done so much better than I thought I would, I was proud of myself.

The finish was inside the stadium  ~ there was a loudspeaker calling our names, a crowd cheering, George and my nieces and nephews just inside taking our picture, my brother in law a little farther down doing the same, and my 11 year old niece chased us hard to the finish line.  As always, the very best part of the race is having it behind you.  :)

We collected medals, posed for pictures, then climbed the stadium steps (whose idea was that?!?) to get our Jamba Juice and hamburgers.  I chatted with my 5 year old nephew about Elmo and aliens and showed off the giant blister on my toe. 

 Such a great day.  :)   

oh... and I missed my PR by 4 minutes.  Not too bad considering those hills!

Sarah Runs, Too. (sort of )

Today was my 11 year old Sarah's first 5k. 

She's been interested in my running since I started a few years ago and has dabbled a little tiny bit here and there.  She talks about the mile training they're doing in P.E., she asks me about my runs, and she even ran a 1k at a race last fall.  Her big focus has been on her outfit.  The girl is a self-proclaimed fashionista and when asked if she wanted to run that 1k, her first question was, "Will you buy me running pants?"  (thank you, Target, for stocking girls size athletic gear).

So today, in her little spandex shorts, her tech tee and her sunglasses, we headed out to her first 5k.  The race of choice was the New Balance Girls on the Run 5k in Corvallis.  It was the perfect race because while plenty of fast and serious runners turn out, it's also packed full of girls of all shapes and sizes who participate in the Girls on the Run program.  Sarah was excited, and a little nervous.  I was happy we were going to run together, and her dad came along to cheer for her and take pictures. 

At the start signal we began to run.  Sarah was wearing an interval timer on her wrist, which I had set to run 3 minutes and walk 1.  I thought that was probably conservative, but better to start easy.  As soon as the crowd cleared out, Sarah took off sprinting.  I hollered at her to slow down, save her energy.  We went through a few cycles of walk/run, each time with me telling her to slow down.  Finally I said, "You're getting annoyed when I say that, aren't you?"  YES.  Okay, fine.  I won't say that anymore.  So we run along, then we walk.  Pretty soon she's getting cranky.  I'm feeling her out ~ trying to decide if she chatting will help or not.  Judging by the growling responses, I'm thinking not.  By the first mile marker she is scowling and complaining she's hot.  We're no longer running on our 3/1 plan ~ we're reduced to running to the next tree.

At about mile 1.5 she growls at me, "Mom ~ I am SWEATING!"  I replied, "You're supposed to sweat.  You're exercising and it's a sunny day.  Everyone is sweating."  She snarls back, "It is NOT ATTRACTIVE."  lol  At this point her crankiness is getting humorous. 

Around the 2 mile mark she is growling at the watch every time it beeps an interval and finally starts trying to rip it off.  "Do you want me to wear it?"  I ask.  "YES!"  No friendly inflection there, by the way.  So I take the beeping watch while she is muttering about that dumb thing.  The girl is cracking me up.  She's generally quite the trooper and pretty amiable ~ I really wasn't expecting the attitude. 

The last mile is pure misery.  She's sweating, she's snarky, she's cranky and she wants to walk.  We get to a downhill and I make her run ~ "let the gravity do the work" ~ "I don't WANT to let the gravity do the work." 

So finally after what seemed like an eternity the 3 mile mark appeared and she took off at a sprint.  I think she wanted that sucker over NOW.  It was all I could do to keep up with her.  We crossed the finish line where they immediately handed her a hot pink water bottle full of ice water.  She took a big drink, then turned to me and said, "I have to give this back, right?"  I said, "Nope, you get to keep it.  Now you have a t-shirt AND a water bottle."  And the spark returned. 

The shopping queen began to recover her good humor as she discovered there was a treasure trove of goodies to collect.  Armed with her new reusable shopping bag, she happily spent an hour collecting goodies.  By the time we left she was a happy thing, proud of her first 5k, but really more thrilled with her grocery bag, her t-shirt, her water bottle, her chapstick, her can of Amp, her energy gum, and her coupon for a free Jamba Juice. 

Sarah, girl, you made me laugh today.  Running with you was not exactly what I expected, Miss Snarky, but it was a lot of fun and yes, you will do it again.  Think of the goodies at the end! 

Hippie Chick 2010

Hippie Chick was SO MUCH FUN.  Seriously, I think that was one of the best times I've had at a run.  I wasn't ready to run the half marathon, so I had switched to the quarter marathon at the last minute and it was a great decision. 

George drove with me out to Champoeg Park for the run.  It was such a gorgeous day ~ blue skies, puffy white clouds and the park was lush and green.  So many friends were there ~ Julie who trained like a champ for the half marathon, her Mom, Debbie, Blanca, plus I saw so many girls I knew ~ Tricia, Michelle, Trenda, etc.  It was just a lot of fun. 

There was a little mini expo set up under the trees ~ they were giving away Luna Bars, Luna Chocolate Mint Lip Balm (yum!), Jamba Juice, Mini Cupcakes ~ plus setting up for the post-race breakfast.  I shopped a little at the Moxie Metals booth and ordered a Surf City charm for my running necklace.  As race time approached I lined up with Debbie and Blanca for one last trip to the port a potties.  Remember, 900 women.  Take a look at the line for the bathroom.  Ha!  Nothing like women waiting in line for bathrooms.

I ran my entire 6.something miles with Debbie and Blanca, who had both trained for their first half marathon.  The course made two loops, so I was able to run the first full loop with them. The first couple of miles were in and out of the sun, but about 4 miles were in the dappled shade under the gorgeous trees.  We ran along a paved foot trail that was fairly narrow, but no one seemed to mind.  There were plenty of aid stations handing out drinks, they were giving away entire packages of Shot Bloks at almost every station, and after a decent climb up and over a hill, there was a giant bowl of chocolate chips at the bottom of the hill.  SCORE!  I scooped up a little handful and munched happily for awhile. 

When the lead runner came through (dang, that girl was flying), everyone cheered for her as she zipped past and we just kept plugging along.  There were lots of 'go girl' and 'woo hoo' along the path as we doubled back and had people going in both directions.  So fun. 

I felt really good through the whole run.  After slacking so much since Surf City I was kind of scared how I'd feel, but I felt great.  Being out there was amazing and when it was time to peel off from Debbie and Blanca I didn't want to.  I wanted to keep on going and do the half after all.  (I got over that feeling very quickly, however.  lol).  Maybe half a mile from my finish I kicked it up and ran hard all the way to the finish line.  I had taken it slow and easy, so I had plenty left to give.  At the finish line they handed me my finisher's necklace from Moxie and I felt like I could keep on running. 

After I was finished George and I walked over to pick up a Jamba Juice and a plate of hot pancakes.  I munched on those as we walked back to look for Julie, Debbie and Blanca.  Julie was flying ~ the girl is amazingly strong and fast.  Her goal was to finish in sub-10 minute miles and she ended up with 9:39,  I think.  So impressive!  Debbie and Blanca came in soon after, looking so strong!  First half marathons for all 3 of them ~ and they all rocked it. 

We stayed up until midnight last October to register for Hippie Chick, which is always sold out by morning.  Now I understand why.  Such a great time ~ I loved every minute of it.  :)

Love this quote...

I run because it's so symbolic of life. You have to drive yourself to overcome the obstacles. You might feel that you can't. But then you find your inner strength, and realize you're capable of so much more than you thought.

-Arthur Blank

Arthur Blank, American businessman and a co-founder of Home Depot

Trotting Along... Hippie Chick in sight

I've been doing a wee little bit of running lately, which is mentally a relief.  I have the impressive ability to pack on the pounds quickly, so a few weeks off road is a bad thing for me!  I haven't done any runs farther than 3 miles, but I've been walking evenings with the hubster as well. 

I've been facing a dilemma, which is I'm registered for the Hippie Chick Half and totally not trained to run it.  I really, sincerely thought having it looming over my head after Surf City would be my motivation to keep on running, but clearly not.  I debated just losing the registration fee and skipping it, but the Hippie Chick is a tough race to get into... I stayed up till midnight to register and by 3:00 a.m. or something crazy like that it was completely sold out.  Plus, the name is cool.  I mean, come on... Hippie Chick?  Way cool.  I'm a little bummed they're doing medals instead of necklaces this year, but still...

So I've decided to stay in.  Probably I shouldn't mention this out loud as I know it's relatively stupid, but the first half marathon I ever ran I did with zero training (I call it my Accidental Half), so how bad can this be?!?  I'm running a little and intend to continue that.  I'm planning to sneak in a few 5's between now and then, too.  Race day plan is to wing it.  Yep, wing it.  Clearly I can't hope to set a new PR, but I can get out there, enjoy the day and finish the race one way or the other.  I'll do a walk/run combo with the emphasis on the walk (yeah, right) and see what happens. 

Giving Yourself the Willies

Know how to do it?  Peel your toenails off... that will do it. 

This morning my first two post-marathon nails came off.  OH MY GOSH.  Gross.  :P  Big toenails are still in place, but the #2 toes on both feet are now nail-less.  So disgusting.  At first I got the serious willies, then I thought it was kind of cool, then I picked the cuticles off the toenails sitting in my palm.  Once that was through I promptly started grossing out as many of my children as possible.  haha ~ that was fun!  :)  George, Mr. Former Army Medic, refused to be grossed out, but the kids were quite satisfying. 

On a more encouraging note, I went for a little 3 mile run in the sunshine with my cousin Windy this morning.  She was here from Denver for a few days with her family and so out we went.  The weather was gorgeous and it was good to have someone drag me out the door. 

Loved running with you, Win.  Never thought I'd be doing that!

Pushing the Restart Button

When I was training for my marathon I knew I would experience some burn out after it was over.  I tried to put a couple of safeguards in place beforehand to help me over the hump afterward, thinking that might make a difference.  Here I am, 5 weeks post-marathon and I am definitely still in burn out. 

I tried to run alone~ torture.  Feels like I'm dragging the weight of the world behind me.  I tried to run with Blanca and with Julie, and that was definitely better.  Still, my motivation is so, so low.  Honestly, I just don't want to do it!  Julie is plowing through her Hippie Chick training, stronger than ever and full of motivation.  Blanca and Debbie are likewise training with a group and getting stronger by the minute.  Meanwhile, I am wallowing a bit, trying to stay out of the brownies and feeling guilty and stressed about it.  There are 8 weeks till the half marathon.  I don't have TIME to be wallowing.

So what's a girl to do?  I decided this weekend to quit beating myself up about it, for one thing.  I knew I would struggle, and I am.  In an effort to not go completely belly up I am meeting Kirsten at the gym, doing weights and a bit of cardio.  I've tried to do some food journaling to get my eating under control, but I keep crashing and burning on that, too.  I keep climbing back on the wagon and then tumbling off again.

There's not much point to this post, I guess, other than to say that life is real and sometimes real means I must confess that I don't want to do it.  So there. 

Don't worry, I'll figure this out.

Hippie Chick Countdown

Today I officially began my training for the Hippie Chick Half Marathon on May 8th. I've added last year's logo because I can't find one for this year and I think it's kind of cute, anyway. 

Wow, it feels good to have a long run be 6 miles and not 16 miles!

Julie and I ran from the Pill Box out into the countryside and back again. There was a medium rain falling, but it was pretty warm. The first two miles I felt like I was struggling to keep up ~ I've learned to ignore it when I feel sluggish for the most part ~ but it sure is nice when you break through into feeling good again.

I enjoyed having a chance to tell Julie my marathon story and she listened very graciously. :)

Back at it, little bunny

One marathon training over + One race successfully run + Six nasty toes + One slight cold + One gray sky that never goes away = A Good Old Fashioned Funk.

Fortunately, funks do not have to last forever and the sun does eventually come out to shine.

I've been working on dragging myself out of the depths for the last week or so, occasionally sure that my bootstraps were stuck deep in quicksand.  I think I'm finally coming around, though.  The sunshine this week is an enormous help.  Saturday we got out into the yard for a little yard work.  Something about chopping down dead things to make way for spring is very therapeutic.  Then Sunday George and I went for a short 2 mile run at the track.  It was slow and easy and although I was pretty cranky about it, it broke the ice for me.  Sunday late afternoon and evening we drove to the beach with friends and I just soaked up the spectacular colors and some big, impressive surf.  Just what the doctor ordered. 

I am scheduled to run Tuesday morning with Julie for the first time in weeks, so after a rather sleepless night decided I deserved a rest day today.  I dropped the kids at school, came home and went straight to nap position on the couch.  I was just getting nice and cozy with a kitty curled up on my feet when Blanca sent me a text... "Want to run today?"  Hm.  Not good.  See, now the dilemma kicks in.  I don't want Blanca to think I'm avoiding her (we are running Hood to Coast together this summer), plus the sun is shining one more time before the rain returns, plus the 4 miles would be good for me.  *sigh*

So off the couch I went ~ with a nasty look from my cat who did not appreciate the upset ~ got dressed and off to Blanca's.  We ran 4 miles in the crisp sunshine and it felt really, really good.  I thanked her for kicking me off the couch when it was over. 

I guess this means I'm not allowed my funk anymore, huh? 

Recovering

It's hard to believe I just ran the marathon last Sunday.  Today is Thursday, so I'm on my fourth day out.  Immediately after the race I was pretty creaky.  Everything tightened up pretty fast and my feet were hurting so I was a slow moving girl that day.

Monday I was pretty sore.  I hobbled around like a little old lady and kept my toes covered with loose socks so as not to look at them.  I stayed indoors most of that day, with the exception of a trip to In-n-Out for lunch with Heidi and Jake.  Climbing in and out of Heidi's Range Rover was a bit of a challenge and I certainly looked a little wounded shuffling around the restaurant.  I still had to sleep with my feet sticking out of the covers at the end of the bed because of my toes. 

Tuesday I was decidedly less sore.  Still somewhat creaky and shuffley, but moving much better.  My toes were still hurting pretty much all the time, but I could take the socks off and not gross myself out, so that was progress.  Heidi and I went to lunch at Bob's Big Boy that day and moving around was definitely improved.  Tuesday afternoon Heidi and Jake dropped me off at John Wayne Airport and I actually had to walk a bit to check in, get through security, and make my way to my gate.  Thank goodness I wasn't flying out of a massive airport like LAX as my poor toes were really feeling it as I walked more.  I had to hurry to my connecting flight in Oakland and by the time I made it home to Portland my toes were pretty throbby.  Again, I had to sleep with the covers pulled up above my feet.

Wednesday I woke up with almost no muscle soreness whatsoever.  I was pretty surprised, as I really expected it to take a lot longer than that.  If it weren't for my toes I could have gone for a short run that day.  None of my usual hot spots were hurting, either.  I finally took my toenail polish off Wednesday... very, very delicately.  That's the last time I run a long distance in toenail polish.  I managed to get it off and yuck, those toes aren't too attractive.  I think my original prediction was correct ~ I'd guess I'm going to lose four nails.  Walking around for too long still makes them ache, but they don't hurt constantly anymore.  Still no real shoes, although last night I slept part of the night under covers as long as my feet were turned sideways and not pointed up. 

Overall, I'm pretty pleased with how the recovery is going.  I've learned over the period of doing my long training runs and now the marathon that I really enjoy the healing process.  In the past I would've used tylenol or ibuprofen while healing from something painful, but somewhere along the way I stopped doing that.  It's a fascinating thing to actually feel your body heal itself day by day.  I'm not against the use of over the counters ~ I'll still use one if I need to, but this is a rewarding way to heal as well. 

Things are going well.  I'm looking forward to my toes feeling better and getting back into real shoes to go for a little run. 

Surf City Marathon - Feb 7, 2010

Yesterday I ran a marathon.

I am in Orange County at Heidi and Mark's house, limping around and resting before I fly home tomorrow.  I'm at the table looking at a cheerful, sunny bouquet and a happy 'Congratulations' balloon which were handed to me by my 91 year old Grandma, Gigi, and my little cousin Jake yesterday when I got home.  On the wall across from me Heidi and Windy taped up 3 big signs they made secretly and held up at various points along the course.  The signs are double sided so there were actually 6 different versions.  My family has done such an incredible job of making me feel loved and supported here this week.  Everyone even painted a thumbnail Surf City blue for me ~ including the men.  :)  I'm so thankful I did this here, with these people.  George, Mark, Kyle, Windy and Heidi.... thank you from the bottom of my heart.  Oh, and Jordan... thanks for being so willing to give up your comfy bed.  ;-)

Yesterday morning we got up at 3:30 a.m. for our 4:30 departure.  We piled into two cars and drove in the dark to Huntington Beach from the Schmidts' house in Orange.  Several days of crazy rain seemed to be behind us, but the wind was blowing like mad when they dropped me off close to the starting line and went to park.  The palm trees were whipping back and forth in the glow from the streetlamps and it was cold.  I was prepared for rain, but my one hope had been to avoid a strong wind so I was feeling some serious dread.

While I waited for start time I used the port a potties as often as possible and hid out in a service tent with a couple from Portland to avoid the wind.  Over 20,000 people were running at Surf City from all 50 states and 13 foreign countries.  There were people everywhere.  Finally it was time, so I checked my warm layer of clothes and made my way to the starting line.  When I got there I was surprised to see Team Darcy with their big, encouraging signs and their blue thumbnails.  I thought I might possibly see them in the 5k holding area as I ran past, but having them at the start was a special surprise.  I looked for the 5 hour pace group, too, but I couldn't find them.  My plan had been to try to stay with them the first half of the race, so I was disappointed when it appeared they weren't there.  The 4:45 group was there, but I knew I couldn't pace with them.

The race started at 6:30 a.m. and after waiting for the second wave start, we were off.  Thankfully, sometime before 6:30 the wind had died down and it was nearly calm.  The first 2.5 miles were on Pacific Coast Highway (PCH), lined on one side with the ocean and the other with shops and row houses.  The California architecture is so unique and so... well, so Californian... that I just focused on enjoying it.  I knew I had plenty of hours to enjoy the ocean view, so I picked out which row house I wanted to live in as I ran along.

At 2.5 miles we turned east and ran up a long, gradual hill into a residential area.  I picked a few people to focus on up there.  Blue Shirt girl was out in front of me a bit.  She was running about my speed, so we leap frogged a bit.  Gina was another ~ she and I chatted for a bit.  We kept losing and then catching each other.  From the residential areas we ran into Huntington  Beach Central Park and wound our way past duck ponds, playgrounds, open fields and under canopies of Eucalyptus trees.  The smell of them reminded me of the San Diego Zoo, which is a happy smell for me.  The park was full of children, all parked along the course to cheer us on.  They were calling out our names off our bibs, high fiving, and generally being loud.  It was fun.  There was a middle school band in the park playing Surfin' USA and other Beach Boys tunes, too.

I emerged from the park around mile 8 and had to climb one heckuva hill to get back into the residential area on top off the bluff.  The first hill I ran, but I walked most of this second one because I just didn't want to waste the energy on running it.  Gina and I were still playing leap frog, and I still had my eye on Blue Shirt girl, although she was consistently staying ahead of me now.  When I got to the top of the hill, the half marathoners were joining the marathoners, blending into us as the road turned to the west.  I don't know how many were ahead of us, but there were thousands of half marathoners with and behind us.  I was shocked at how many there were.  (Later I found out there were 11,000 of them!)  I looked for Mark, who was running the half as a casual Sunday run, but didn't see him.  The rest of that first chunk of run took us downhill along a bluff overlooking the ocean and through the residential areas back to Pacific Coast Highway.

Just before mile 10 we turned north onto PCH and ran until about mile 12.5.  In my head that was a short little piece and I just needed to knock it out without thinking about it much.  I focused on the crowd, looking for Mark the whole time.  The San Bernadino Mountains were off to my right and beautiful, and the weather was absolutely perfect.  There was a slight cool breeze, the sky was blue... I was loving it.

At 12.5 the course made its first u-turn and ran south on the other side of PCH for the next 4-ish miles.  After I turned the breeze disappeared and the sun was shining right on my face.  I began to get hot, so at water stations I would pour cups of water down the back of my shirt and over my arms.  I was drinking quite a bit, too, so I started taking cups of water and refilling my fuel belt bottles for later.  Good thing I did that, as I really needed them later.  I listened to my iPod a little during that time as it helped distract me from the fact that I had been out there a long time.  During that section of the run I was cheered to discover there was, in fact, a 5 hour pace group and I was, in fact, very close to them.  That really made me happy because I thought I could run with them the first half and I had, even though I didn't know where they were.

At mile 16, I made another u-turn onto the boardwalk along the ocean and was on my way north again. The breeze was back and blessed relief it was.  I hadn't seen either Blue Shirt girl or Gina in awhile ~ I suspected Blue Shirt girl had left me in the dust, but thought Gina was behind me somewhere.  I hung out with another woman for a mile or two on the journey north, which helped.  I was tired, but feeling pretty good, considering.  The girl I was running with was on her first marathon as well, so we talked about how well it was going and how glad we were to be out here.  For sure I was feeling tired and various things were sore, but I expected that and it wasn't unbearable.  Running friend peeled off at a potty stop after awhile, so I was on my own again.

I ran all the way to mile 20 on that northern stretch.  I had taken my first Gu packet at about mile 16 and took another around mile 19.  I started my mind games to keep myself focused and relaxed, but it was becoming more of a struggle for sure.  Somewhere before mile 20 I spotted George off to the side of the course, looking for me.  I was so glad to see him ~ it was right at the point where I was flagging and needed a boost.  He called Heidi and reported in that he had found me, then told me they were all at the last turn around waiting for me and that Mark was going to run me in from there.  God bless them ~ seriously, I needed them so much.  Windy and Heidi had signs to cheer me on and I was so thankful for Mark, who had already run the half marathon and was picking up another 5 miles to help me out.

The last turn south was the section I expected to be pretty easy ~ it was the home stretch.  6 more miles and I'm done, beautiful views, woo hoo.  Nope.  It was a turn away from the breeze and into the hot sun again.  My feet were hurting, my knees which never hurt were hurting, my quads were loudly announcing their discomfort, and I was just plain exhausted.  Mark was an absolute angel.  Within a half mile of the turn my head started getting tingly.  I think I was overheating and it freaked me out for a minute, but I made the conscious decision not to panic.  Knowing Mark was there calmed me a lot.  I doused myself in water at the next stop again, did some deep breathing, drank more water and gradually it went away.  Another mile or so down the road I started feeling nauseous and my stomach was upset.  We passed a guy puking along the side of the course which didn't help. I made a run into a bathroom for a quick pit stop, but my stomach held up and I kept on.  I took my third Gu shot around mile 22.

Every one of those miles between 20 and 25 were an eternity.  I did discover both Blue Shirt girl and Gina were far behind me at the end as I passed them going north while I was going south toward the finish line.  I'm just shallow enough to admit I was happy about that.  Mark started running out ahead of me a few feet here and there.  My body was doggedly trying to catch him while my mind was screaming STOP RUNNING AHEAD!  I actually got a little mad at one point, all of which helped successfully distract me from my misery.

We ran past Fred's Mexican Grill as we came back into town.  I remember becoming very obsessed by the fact that a Mexican Grill should not be called Fred's.  I also remember passing the Huntington Beach Pier, and I remember trying to relax by staring at the waves rolling onto shore from the ocean.  I remember realizing I was running hunched over like a turtle and straightening up and relaxing my hips and my shoulders.  Most of that section is a blur of feet hurting, quads hurting, trying to catch Mark and desperately hoping the next mile marker would appear.  I remember being desperately disappointed that the mile marker I'd been watching for was actually 24 instead of 25.  That was a blow.

Finally 25 appeared and I knew I could make it.  I'm not sure how far Mark ran that mile before he peeled off, but I gave him my fuel belt and my ear buds when he did.  I wanted to cry when he left because I was so grateful to him, but I held it in.  The finish line finally appeared.  I remember hearing the announcer call my name and then I was a sobbing mess.  I remember getting my medal, seeing Kyle, I remember hugging George and everyone else, but it's all fuzzy in my head.  My relief at finishing was incredible.

I really didn't want to hang around after the race as long as I thought I would.  I was pretty done and my legs weren't working very well.  I kept wanting to sit down, but no one would let me.  I think they knew if I went down I wouldn't come back up.  Mark and Heidi took off to get the car and arranged to meet us at a particular corner.  When Windy, Kyle, George and I got to the corner I laid down in the wet grass.  I sat up to take off my shoes after a bit and discovered that yes, Virginia, my toes were trashed.  At least four are a mess, possibly more.  They're still painted Surf City blue, and I'm not attempting to take it off for a few days.  They look bad enough around the edges... I don't want to see what's underneath just yet.

We drove home to Mark and Heidi's where we were greeted by Jake, Jordan, Aunt Evie, Uncle Mont and my Grandma, Gigi.  Jake handed me flowers and Gigi my balloon, which was the sweetest thing ever.  I showered and then spent the afternoon sitting on the couch next to my Grandma, answering her questions about my run.  She was dutifully impressed and told me it was something she would like to have tried in her day.  I loved that.  :)  I wanted to eat, but felt pretty nauseous.  The Superbowl was on, but I couldn't focus on that well, either.  Kyle drove Windy to the airport that evening as she had an evening flight back to Denver, and Uncle Mont, Aunt Evie and Gigi drove back to San Diego.  When it was over and everyone had gone home I went straight to bed.

At 5:00 this morning Mark drove George and Kyle to the airport for their early morning flights to Portland and Denver, and I slept in, with the covers pulled up above my feet so my sad little toes wouldn't touch the blankets.  Now it's mostly Heidi, Jake and I having a quiet day with Jordan popping in every now and then.  I have covered my toes with a loose pair of Mark's socks ~ ignorance is bliss at this point.  If I don't look at them, maybe they'll be okay.

Heidi asked me if I was realizing the huge accomplishment yet, and after thinking about it I decided what I feel is actually a sense of profound gratefulness.  Yes, I ran the 26.2 yesterday, but I truly couldn't have done it without the help, love and support of so many people.  It feels like a gift that was given to me and I am extremely thankful.

When I get home I will post pictures and maybe add more details as they come to me.  I have to get cleaned up now as I'm limping into In-n-Out for the double double burger I didn't eat yesterday.  I finished the race in 5:34:33.  My overall pace was 12:46, which I'm happy with.  I desperately didn't want to finish last, but out of 2300 marathoners, about 300 finished behind me.  Please don't ask me if I'm going to do another one... I can't answer that question quite yet.

Daily Doubles

Tomorrow is my last long run day before Surf City.  Can I hear a big HOORAY?!?  Seriously, so so glad about that. 

I registered to run the Cascade Half Marathon long before I knew I would need to run 22 miles tomorrow, so I'm going to run the Half at 8:00 a.m. and then another 8 miles at 2:00 with Julie.  Strangely, I'm not too stressed about it.   The 13 miles won't be easy, but it won't kill me either.  I've packed a whole extra running outfit to change to as soon as the race is over, along with a towel because the forecast calls for wet, wet, wet.  So I'll run the 13, change, eat, and then have a little rest time before I meet Julie for a slow, easy 8 miles through town.  I tend to tighten up pretty fast after long runs, so I'm going to cross the 8 bridge when I get to it.  One run at a time.

Looking forward to seeing friends tomorrow ~ Annette, Connie, Debbie, Blanca, Tricia and Jason.  Not sure if anyone else will be there?  Should be a fun morning. 

Bits and Pieces

The countdown is officially on ~ less than a month till Surf City.  Every time I think about that my stomach flips over.  I've been doing short runs and a short long run (7 miles), icing my sore leg and working on the mental prep. 

The holiday eating frenzy was managed decently, I guess.  I had a few bad days in there, but overall did better than I have in years past.  My birthday (the big 4-0) just passed, too, and I have probably eaten quite a bit more cake this week than I needed to eat.  haha.  It was all good, but when I rolled out for a short 3 miler the morning after my party I felt like a giant slug rolling down the road.  Maybe time to lay off the cake and pull myself together again. 

My goals for this week are to run a litttle, rest a lot and get my eating in line.  I'm running the Cascade Half Marathon on Sunday morning, then coming home to meet Julie for 8 more miles, so I really need to have my act together. 

20 Miles on New Years Eve

That's certainly not something I ever expected to type or to accomplish.  I ran 20 miles on Thursday... roll that around on your tongue... feels pretty good.

Julie and I planned our 20 for 7:00 a.m. on New Years Eve.  We never run that early, but we were both feeling the strong desire to Get. It. Over. With.  So 7:00 it was. 

The day before the run, Wednesday, I tried to eat meticulously.  I was oh-so-careful and drank water like a fish, to boot.  Drove the route ahead of time to get a good look at it and hid a 32 oz bottle of Powerade for Julie and one for me under a bush somewhere along the return.  It was a bit muddy getting to the bush and I sort of stood back and tossed them under, calling it good.  

A storm front was expected to roll in overnight on Wednesday bringing heavy rain and wind, so after assembling my collection of goods I went to bed hoping the weatherman would be wrong again.   Nope.  How many times this winter has he completely missed the mark?  Too many to count!  But this one time I needed him to be wrong, he was right.  It was pouring.  And dark.  Apparently it is at 7, but I wouldn't know since I try hard not to get up that early.

I got up at 5 to give myself time to wake up and eat some breakfast.  Ultimately I dressed in long pants, long sleeves, my rain jacket, an ear wrap, a visor to keep the rain out of my eyes and for good geeky measure added a Dollar Store poncho over the top.  Oh, and my fuel belt with 40 ounces of Powerade.  And snacks stuffed in my pockets.  Can't forget those.  Basically, I was a walking Army Tank, ready to roll.  Oh, wait!  Can't forget the blinking yellow safety strap on the front of my fuel belt and the glo stick dangling off the back, slapping me in the behind with every step.  I really am the coolest person I know. 

Our 7:00 start was very, very wet and very, very dark.  There was some leftover slush on the ground from the little snow we had earlier in the week, so we had a slow start.  We made our way off into the darkness, no turning back.  Our route took us up and down all the side roads along the way to Monmouth, out to the highway and back several times.  The first half went well.  Our Cool Girl Ponchos kept us relatively dry and we ran along slowly sipping our blue Powerade and munching on our never ending supply of Peach Tea Sharkies.  We ran in the back road to Western Oregon University for the first time ever, and up through campus.  By that point we probably 8 miles in and looking for a bathroom.  We found a blessedly warm one in the Student Center on campus, where we tracked a whole lot of water into the building and took a quick stop.  Back on the road, we continued through campus, past Main Street and into the neighborhoods behind.  We eventually made our way back to the Burgerville intersection where we wisely decided one more pit stop before leaving town was a good idea.  I shot off a quick "I'm alive" text, felt slightly bad about forcing the clerk to mop up our rivers of rain after we left, and back out we went to face the second half.

Our first stop on the way home was to dig our extra Powerade out of the bush I had tossed it under the day before.  Two things had changed, however.  The first was that the slight mud of the day before had become the Wow mud of today, so I hopped from clump of grass to clump of grass.  The second was that I had failed to realize that tossing bottles on Wednesday would require crawling under to get them on Thursday.  That would've been okay if I'd chosen a hydrangea bush, but no ~ I chose some sort of thorny bush, a fact I didn't notice while tossing from a distance.  It all worked out... we definitely needed the Powerade refill by that point, and on we ran.

Did I mention it was raining?  And pouring?  It never let up, not even once.  I would reach up to adjust the bill of my visor and water would roll in a river down the inside of my sleeve, right through my armpit and down my side.  If one of us would lean forward, water would pour off our ponchos.  The ponchos worked well to keep us dry for a few miles, but after that the water was just too much for them.  It wicked up from our legs and ran down our necks and poured off our hats.  We were soaked all the way through.  There really wasn't anywhere to ditch the ponchos and they were lightweight, so we just left them on. 

I never hit the wall on this run.  I did start to tire around mile 16, but I never felt like I couldn't make it.  Mentally I stayed strong and physically I did pretty well.  We saved our Gu power bursts to take at about 17 miles, which seemed to work well.  We had one last startling moment when we discovered both of us had fingers swollen up like sausages around mile 18.  Kind of scared both of us, so we worked on keeping our hands up a bit to help with blood flow.   We worked our way back to town and slowly made our way back to The Pill Box.  There was such an amazing feeling of relief and accomplishment... we shared a big, wet hug, walked around the block to cool down, I munched on a Clif Bar and we headed home.  20 miles.  20 FREAKING miles. 

That night I was in quite a bit of discomfort... felt like I'd been slammed between two cars, actually.  The next day was a bit better and the day after better yet.  20 miles feels really huge in my head.  I feel like even if I were never able to run a marathon I would feel like I had reached a huge milestone of accomplishment with this run.  Running it without hitting the wall was huge, too.

I am so incredibly relieved to not have to do that again unless I want to.