She Runs

tara.alber

2011-12-19T12:56:00.001-08:00

Dear Colleague,
http://cell-net.net/image/uvbuhn.php?muktop=5

Mon, 19 Dec 2011 21:56:48
____________
"Down went Dwights pole, in a moment; David, too, shut his knife, and put it in his pocket, and off they went to see the squirrel." (c) Sethaniel wah43aa

Surf City Half Marathon... The best of times and the worst of times...

2011-02-11T00:09:00.000-08:00

On Thursday afternoon last week I flew to Orange County to run the Surf City Half with my cousin Windy. Windy, Heidi and I had planned a girls weekend for nearly a year and Windy was set to run her first half marathon. She trained like a beast for months and was counting on the fact that we would run it together ~ I loved that idea and I was all in.

Heidi landed shortly after I did, so we went down to baggage claim to wait for Windy. While we were sitting on a bench, I got a phone call from a wrestling mom at home in Oregon. My son Caleb's team had a match in Silverton that night and I thought she might be calling to tell me how he did. Instead, I picked up the phone to hear crying. She was trying hard to tell me through her tears that something had gone terribly wrong in the match after Caleb's. Charley, Caleb's teammate and friend, was in crisis. At first there was chaos and nobody knew what had happened. Alicia thought maybe he was injured, but told me they were intubating him as we spoke. She told me to find my husband and get him there as all the boys were crying and it was chaos.

And just like that, everything changed. Life is funny that way, isn't it?

The next reports were from Caleb... he thought Charley had maybe had a seizure. George suggested it could be cardiac. Unfortunately, George was right. Big, strong, funny, kind Charley Engelfried died on the wrestling mat at Silverton of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. If you are reading this and have not had your children screened, please do. Mine have all been screened and one needed follow up. You just never know. Read about Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy

So there I was, newly landed in California and not due to fly home for four days. An impossible place to find yourself. I was in complete shock that first night, but I didn't want to ruin the girls weekend for my cousins. We went to eat and although I hadn't eaten in hours I could hardly get anything down. Everything in me wanted to get on a plane and fly home. I truly felt like no matter what decision I made, it was the wrong one. Fly home and disappoint Windy who had trained so hard and so long to run this with me? Impossible. Stay in California and let my son, my family and my community go through a major crisis without me? Impossible. In shock, I decided to sleep on it

By the next morning I was hearing reports of how Caleb's wrestling coach was handling our boys and some of the things he was saying to them. Although not one bit at peace with my decision, I knew between his Dad and his coach, Caleb was in good hands. So I stayed.

People ask me if I had a good trip. Did I have fun? Such a hard to question to answer. The truth is that yes, I did. My cousins and I shopped for flip flops, ate out, sat in the sand and watched the sunset over the Pacific, got 8 hours of sleep every night... what's not to love? But at the same time it was hard and I kept finding myself just overcome with grief. It was a bit surreal at times.

Windy and I ran the half marathon on Sunday morning while Heidi cheered us on. We had such a good run ~ I can honestly say I was so glad to not be running the full marathon. On top of that I would say this was my most enjoyable half marathon yet. Windy is one trooper of a partner, as I knew she would be, and she was way beyond thrilled to finish a full 23 minutes faster than she thought she could. We crossed the finish line holding hands, held high in the air, and it was a beautiful moment. Life is good, and rich, and full, and it's for living every moment. We collected our way cool surfboard medals, took off our shoes and walked straight out onto the sand and down to the ocean. How many times can you do that after a race? Not too many! We soaked our feet in the ocean and then laid our sweaty selves down in the sand and just rested and soaked up the sunshine.

I flew home the next day and hit the ground running. My community is in crisis and so is my family and there is a lot of work to be done. Oh, and by the way... I'm losing another toenail. :P

Ready or Not, Here I Come

2011-02-01T00:22:00.000-08:00

I am in soooo much trouble. Honestly. Yes, I tend to be a slacker trainer. Yes, I struggle to EVER feel like I've trained "enough". But this time takes the cake.

Coming off my Hood to Coast slump, I didn't run one single bit for several months. Not a step. Maybe to chase the dog, but that's it. Finally my darling cousin Windy, all set to run the half marathon at Surf City with me, kicked my rear in gear. She was training for her first half and the sudden realization that I might let her down scared me into running. When we were little kids we used to fight about things like whether we would sleep with the light on at night (she wanted it on, I wanted if off), but I adore my cousins and I didn't want to let her down.

For the next couple of months I sort of, mostly, almost trained for the half. Really. And I was feeling sort of, mostly, almost ready, too. Kudos to me! Pats on the back! (not) Now here I am, 6 days from the big race and I am struggling to get over a very nasty flu-ish/coldish virus that womped me down.

I certainly am good at getting myself into running messes, aren't I?

So on Thursday I am flying to John Wayne Airport in Orange County (where I hear they have a strange thing in the sky called "the sun") and I am running (?) a half marathon with my cousin Win and the flu.

Love it.

Stay tuned.

The Recap - Hood to Coast 2010

2011-01-18T17:31:00.000-08:00

I never blogged about Hood to Coast last year. It took a whole six months out of me ~ haha.   Such an amazing experience deserves to be recorded, though, and someday I'll wish I had written it down. So here goes.

Our team was from all over the country. From Dallas: myself, Debbie, Blanca, and Tracy. From Salem: Joe and Dean. From Wilsonville: Tony and Patrice. From Portland: Leslie. From New Jersey: Leslie's sister Janice. From Montana: Debbie's niece Courtney and last but most certainly not least, from Arizona, Debbie's nephew Brandon (AKA The Flash). We were a motley crew. Joe, Dean and Tony are strong runners, experienced Hood to Coasters whose regular team missed the lottery this year and joined us instead. The rest of us were all first timers with various levels of experience and speed (although several of us had walked Portland to Coast).

Hood to Coast really splits the group in two with each van becoming its own microcosm in the bigger scheme of a team. Two halves of a whole ~ separate but together. My van was Tracy, Joe, Dean, Leslie, Janice and myself. We turned out to mesh beautifully and I was so thankful for my van.

We started at Timberline Lodge on Mt Hood fairly early on Friday morning. Tracy was first out of the shoot and it was so exciting to see her off and running. She's number 698 in the picture below. Looking good, Trace! It was bitter cold up on the mountain at that hour on an August morning, but we warmed up soon enough.

My first leg was Leg 3, still running down off the mountain. I took the baton (okay, it's really a wrist-slapper bracelet thingy, but let's call it a baton, shall we?) from Leslie, and off I went. I had worked on downhill form and relaxing to just let myself go. I loved every minute of that leg. The morning was beautiful. I let gravity do as much of the work as I could and managed to set a Darcy-World-Record pace on my first leg of something like 8:32 miles. I'm an 11 minute girl at heart, so I was feeling like the queen of the world.   I walked away from that leg energized and happy. Don't I look happy here? I was!

Our van continued through our legs, eventually ending up at the Fred Meyer store in Sandy? Maybe. So much of the relay is a blur and not because six months have gone by. It was a blur even then. Anyway, we handed off to Van 2 at that Fred Meyer store and spent some time in line buying sandwiches and wandering the party that was the parking lot. It was wall to wall Hood to Coast teams and the energy was so high.

As Van 2 started running, we drove into downtown Portland and found a parking spot under one of the bridges to take a nap and wait for the Exchange. We all got out and walked a bit. At one point Joe asked Leslie if it was okay to shut the back door of the Suburban and we all went on our merry way. Imagine our surprise when we discovered we had locked the keys in the car. lol So not funny. We tried lots of things ~ called a locksmith and didn't want to pay his rates, Janice tried calling AAA in New Jersey to see if they would help, this helpful fireman on the left came over from the nearby station to try to unlock it. Nothing worked. Finally Leslie had to have her husband leave work and drive to meet us with an extra set of keys. There was nothing we could do so we took a little nap in the grass under the bridge. After we were unlocked and back inside we sent Debbie a text telling her what we had done. No one wanted to tell her until it was all fixed.

We exchanged with Van 2 under the bridge awhile later and were off again.   My next leg was a long one ~ over 7 miles, I think, along Highway 30 and going up and down hills. It got dark while I was out there and boy was I glad to finish. Running alone in the dark along a highway is kind of weird and those rolling hills were less than pleasant. I did okay, though. Not such a high as Leg 1, but still felt pretty good and my time wasn't bad.

Somewhere out there we saw George at his volunteer station. I can't even remember where or when we saw him, but we rolled the window down as we pulled up next to him directing traffic in a dusty dirt parking lot down in a pit off the side of the road. The very first thing he said was, "This job really sucks!" Poor George, our fearless volunteer. I may have to twist his arm to get him to do it again next year. I promise to get you a better assignment, love!

As it got darker and deeper into the night, we headed up into the west hills and parked in a field in the town of Mist. Such a romantic name for such a miserable little part of my life. haha. It was COLD that night. I mean bone-chilling, icy cold. I bet it was in the high 30's. It felt like 15. We parked the van in Mist, put out a blue plastic crinkly tarp, and threw our sleeping bags on top of it. By then I was decidedly miserable. Nothing in me wanted to try to sleep in that field, but my alternative was sitting up in the van, so I climbed into my sleeping bag and sealed it shut over the top of my freezing head. I did manage to sleep maybe 2 or 3 hours before it was time to roll again, but when I woke up I completely fell apart.

In hindsight, I didn't prepare nearly enough for the cold. I should've had winter gear for that night, but who'd have thought we'd need that the end of August? I'm also not a morning person~ waking up is hard to do in my world and it takes me a bit of peace, quiet and coffee to slowly adjust to the world. Wake me up at 4:00 a.m. in a freezing dew-covered field with no coffee and I'm a mess. I was colder than I can remember being in a long, long time. The kind of cold that makes your very bones feeling like they're shivering. My jaw was chattering, my mind was in a sleep-deprived fog, and I officially melted down. It was a quiet meltdown, I wasn't crying or anything, but I was in shut down mode. I think my whole van was worried about my ability to finish my 3rd leg, which was due to begin around 5:00 a.m. in the middle of who-knows-where. Leslie even offered to trade legs so I could wait a little longer.

My one goal when I started was to carry my own weight on the team. I didn't want to let the team down. That conscious goal and thought were the one thing that got me out of that van. I can be a pretty tough cookie when I need to be. I did the hand off and took off running, 100% purely miserable and hating every second of where I was.   I held off the weepy in front of my team, but once I was out of sight I couldn't hold it back.   Shortly into my run a girl ran up next to me and said something benign like, "It's our last leg ~ we're almost done!" and I almost started crying. I could hardly answer her and after she ran on I worked on choking back sobs. It sounds so pathetic now as I type it, but it was one of the hardest points of my life. It ranked right up there with natural childbirth. Only worse.

I managed to finish my leg in what I would call a successful run. I was no speed demon, but I ran most of it and finished with my head held high. It was such an emotional moment ~ I had climbed such a mental mountain. Dean walked me back to the van ahead of the rest of the group and when he told me I had done a good job, I burst into tears. Big, nasty, sobbing tears. Poor Dean. lol. We had been strangers a few hours before, and now I was sobbing. He stayed very calm (he's a Chi runner ~ and it shows in the very best of ways) and handled me very well, but later he told Joe, "She burst into tears and I didn't know what to do." haha. I'm smiling while I type it because even then I could see the humor of the whole thing.

So I made it. My van went on to finish the rest of our legs and then got stuck in a line of traffic several miles long somewhere in the mountains. We were afraid we weren't going to be there when our last runner finished, so Leslie got out and ran with hundreds of other people about a mile and a half to the exhange.

As Van 2 took over to run their last legs, we were finished. We drove into a little strip mall south of Astoria and went into Starbucks. I have never been so happy to see Starbucks in my life. After coffee we took showers at the middle school in Seaside, where very smart fundraisers were selling showers for a few bucks. Coffeed up, showered and changed, I was starting to feel human again. Out there in the mountains you really lose touch with time and civilization. It's a very bizarre mental experience. Anyway, we made our way to the beach at Seaside to wait for Van 2. Here we are at the beach: Leslie, Tracy, Joe, Me, Dean and Janice.

Our team all crossed the finish line together, Crazier by the Dozen. I swore I would never do it again.

But it turns out I am.

Because I am crazy.

Summer Chaos

2010-08-03T10:15:00.000-07:00

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)

2010-06-12T23:02:00.000-07:00

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 )

2010-06-05T19:15:00.000-07:00

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

2010-05-10T09:40:00.000-07:00

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...

2010-05-04T22:48:00.000-07:00

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

2010-04-21T10:57:00.000-07:00

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

2010-03-20T14:39:00.000-07:00

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

2010-03-15T11:29:00.000-07:00

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

2010-02-26T10:52:00.000-08:00

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

2010-02-22T11:00:00.000-08:00

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

2010-02-11T09:20:00.000-08:00

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

2010-02-08T13:02:00.000-08:00

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

2010-01-16T22:33:00.000-08:00

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

2010-01-12T09:10:00.000-08:00

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

2010-01-04T15:38:00.000-08:00

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.

Super Woman Blue

2009-12-30T17:43:00.000-08:00

I painted my nails Super Woman Blue today, also called Surf City Blue. For some reason it gave me a little mental boost and every time I look at them I smile. I'm imagining they are radioactive and leeching super powers into my body through my fingernails. haha. I am a dork.

I've researched and queried the heck out of the 18 trying to figure out what went wrong and I've come to a few conclusions. My number one guess for the primary problem is that I just plain wasn't well nourished or hydrated. I think I hit a big, fat crash as a result. Can someone tell me why I always seem to learn best by the crash and burn method? Would a little common sense be a good idea, maybe? Shaking my head at myself. Hopefully I've got that under better control for this week.

I'm also nursing a sore left leg, which has been a bit worrisome. Hopefully it will get some of those radioactive fingernail polish thingys in time for the run.

Tomorrow morning we hit the 20 and I'm feeling the excitement of it being my last official long run before the marathon. I intend to run 22 in two weeks, but that will be a split so it feels different. I've been treating this run like a dress rehearsal ~ trying to do everything possible to have a successful last run. We shall see how it goes.

Moving On

2009-12-26T22:20:00.000-08:00

Julie and I ran 7.4 today ~ our short long run. After three days of eating much more than I should of all the wrong things, it felt great to get out there. I think it was a very successful run for both of us ~ we felt pretty good, had a good talk, finished strong. After last week's miserable 18 it was nice to feel good about it again.

I've come to the conclusion that my left leg is probably going to be at various stages of sore from now until the marathon. It's just tight. When I'm up and moving around a bit it feels almost fine and when I'm on ibuprofen it's 100%, but when I've been sitting awhile and stand up, I creak along for a bit. My goal is to get through the next 6 weeks without an injury. Sore muscles, okay. Injury, no thanks.

Planning has begun for the 20. We're going to run it on New Years Eve morning. 20 miles on the last day of 2009. If you'd told me I would do that at this time last year, I would never have believed you in a million years. I'm working hard on my research and planning to improve this run. I can only go up from that awful 18, so I have lots of room of for improvement. I'm going to switch up my hydration and nutrition on the run, working on some mental help, and going to work hard this week to give myself every possible advantage in terms of taking care of myself. I'll spell out the plan another day, still tweaking as I plan.

I've also started reviewing the marathon course more closely, beginning to mentally move through it and plan for how I'll feel and strategize how to succeed. It's getting closer!

Eighteen Really Stunk

2009-12-20T20:44:00.000-08:00

Geez Louise, eighteen really sucked. There's honestly no other way to say it. Well, actually, there are a few other ways that would adequately express how miserable that was, but I'll stick with sucked.

I have never been that sore and miserable in my life. I would rather give birth. Or possibly chop off my thumb.

In hindsight, I think I've hit the dreaded "Wall" right about 13 miles the last two long runs. The difference between the two was that during the 16 mile run I only had a little bit of run left. During the 18 mile run this week, I had a whole lot more. It was worse this week. I went from feeling pretty tired and sore to feeling like there was no way I could take another step. Not one more. There was nothing in me that even cared that I couldn't take another step. I had no idea why I was doing this and only wanted to get home. I think I scared Julie a little bit, for good reason. I scared myself, too. She told me later she considered suggesting a short cut home, but decided "no, we have to finish." I'm so glad you made that decision, Julie.

If Julie hadn't been with me, I would have plopped my rear down on the corner of Riddell Road and Monmouth Cut Off and cried. Then I would have called George, said "Come get me" and dropped out of the marathon. I'd have run the half. Honestly. But Julie has been a gift to me and she didn't let that happen. She helped me keep on going when I didn't think I could and because of her I finished the 18.

I was pretty deep in despair about the whole thing last night. I attempted my first ice bath because I was hurting so badly, but I just couldn't do it. My shower felt good, though, and thanks to Rachel the pharmacist I took 4 ibuprofen (I never take more than 2) and started to feel a bit better. I woke up so thirsty in the night and got up to eat peanut butter in the wee morning hours because my stomach was growling madly, but this morning I was much less sore than I expected to be. I took another round of 3 ibuprofen this morning and I've felt pretty decent all day.

I'm not ready to think about the next long run yet, but I know there will be a 20. I couldn't have said that yesterday.

We had a couple of humorous moments on our run yesterday. Once we were running along the highway toward Monmouth when a weird, metallic sound sort of "clinked" behind us. For a split second I thought something metal had fallen from a tree and hit something metal on the ground. Both Julie and I turned around to look over our shoulders at the same moment, and both of us jumped and screamed. I think we scared the poor kid on the bicycle who was trying to pass us and had rung his bike bell at us. lol

A few miles later, out on Riddell Road, I sort of yelled, "Oh gosh! Look! It's a bald eagle!" I got all excited and was feeling like this was about to be a beautiful moment when we got a little closer and I realized the bald eagle on the fence post was made of wood. Not such a beautiful moment.

I'm going to work on recovering a bit and then I'll start to think about the next one. I'm going to be very, very glad to have this thing over with.

Twas the Night Before Eighteen and All Through the House...

2009-12-18T20:17:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow is the big 18. I must say, the longer the runs, the more I question my own sanity. Why on earth am I going out to run 18 miles on a rainy, cold Saturday afternoon in December? That wasn't a rhetorical question. I really need to know the answer!

Here's a couple of reasons off the top of my head in my very own Pep Talk To Self On The Eve of Eighteen:

1. My calf muscles are now killer.
2. My quads are now killer.
3. I now have great hamstrings. (I see a pattern developing here.)
4. I think there might be muscles developing in my stomach. Maybe.
5. Ten pounds lost on the scale since September.
6. Eating Christmas candy with less guilt than usual.
7. New excuse for why my feet look so beat up. Never mind that my feet have always looked beat up. Now I have a reason.
8. Making friends with Julie, who is strong and encouraging and determined. So thankful for your roll in this journey, Julie!
9. No more skinny, sharp shin bones. I used to think I was born with them. Now I know they were just lacking muscle to fill them out.
10. Ninja outfits. Oh yeah, baby,

I thought at least some of my reasons would be spiritual and enlightening, but there you have it ~ straight off the top. Shallow and passing. lol There are deeper reasons, of course, but we'll save that for another day.

Wish me luck tomorrow.

17 degrees

2009-12-11T11:39:00.000-08:00

I am a mild temperatures girl. I've lived all my life in the three west coast states where mild is the word of the day. We've been in a cold snap all week and haven't been above freezing in what feels like forever, so today I finally gave up and ran in it anyway.

Julie and I ran 7 miles, all bundled up like the woosey girls we probably are. Gloves, ear wraps, cold gear, vests, jackets ~ Julie even had a scarf wrapped around her face. I bet we looked pretty goofy out there. Turns out it was a great day for a run, even at 17 degrees. Took me a bit to get used to breathing that super frigid air, but after I adjusted I was good to go. I eventually took my gloves off and unzipped my jacket, but other than that I felt perfectly dressed. My Powerade got colder and colder as we ran, which I had forgotten would happen. By the end it almost felt like it was a bit slushy. If we'd been out there much longer I think it would've iced up a bit.

Seven miles down, seriously enjoyed the run and the sunshine and the cold.

Beaver Fun Run 2009

2009-12-05T16:27:00.000-08:00

Beaver Fun Run 2008: 34:13 nearly killing myself.
Beaver Fun Run 2009: 31:01 running a nice easy pace. YAY!

This was a very big day for me. It's the one year anniversary of my first official running event and it's also the first time one of my family members has done a run with me. My 10 year has set the bar for the rest of the family. Pretty good day. :)

Sixteen Candles. Nope, Sixteen Miles.

2009-12-03T14:32:00.000-08:00

That's kind of how I start talking toward the end of a long run. Think I better start salting.

I just got home from my sixteen mile run with Julie and I don't think I've ever been this tired in my life. Okay, maybe delivering babies, but that's it. I told Julie I couldn't sit down before showering or I'd never get up, but I landed in this chair and now I'm in trouble. Might as well write this down while I still can't feel my feet.

Today is the most beautiful day for a long run ~ it's sunny and currently 47 degrees. Perfect. I met Julie at Whitworth and the plan was to run to Burgerville in the next town and back. We were both feeling pretty confident, I think. Nervous but excited and ready to roll. The first few miles felt chilly, but we warmed up nicely as we headed out into the countryside. Traffic was heavy today and about 3 miles out we passed a tree trimming crew set up with guys controlling traffic and a bucket truck. Neither of the traffic guys paid us much notice.

Our run to Burgerville went very well. We felt strong and were discussing foolish things like how 26 miles is starting to seem attainable, and how it was so warm it almost felt like summer. These were ignorant conversations, soon to be regretted.

We ran into Burgerville at the halfway point and took a quick bathroom break, then back out onto the road. Whoa! Seems we ran the first half with a pretty strong wind at our back as we were now running dead on into a good old headwind. We had both choked and gagged down a Gu packet at the halfway point, so we had a little pep for a bit, but that wind really dragged us down fast. We spent about the next 5 miles running slightly uphill and into the wind. Everything got louder, colder, harder, slower. Oh yes, we were having fun now.

Before long things that never hurt were hurting. Finally at around mile 12 or 13 we made a 90 degree turn out of the headwind and got a bit of relief from it. The noise level dropped, the temperature felt warmer and thank the good Lord that wind wasn't in our faces. Still, we had run through some tough stuff and were hurting more than normal at that point, so we struggled on.

With maybe 2.5 miles to go we were closing in on that tree trimming crew again. As we ran toward the first traffic guy he yelled something like, "ARE YOU RUNNING ALL THE WAY TO TOWN???" and we hollered back at him. After we passed by he was yelling and swearing, over and over, "HOT D*MN! LOOK AT YOU GO!" etc. We were fist pumping and hollering back and I'm telling you it was the first time I've ever been so happy to have someone swearing at me! We were both so energized! I think it lasted all of a quarter mile before we remembered how much pain we were in. lol

We limped our last couple of miles back the cars. This was certainly not a glory run. In fact, the last half really kind of stunk. I'm hobbling pretty bad right now and this is going to hurt for awhile. It's done, though, and thankfully I don't have to think about facing the next one for awhile. We finished our sixteen in 3 hours, 16 minutes. That includes between 4 - 6 minutes at Burgerville to use the bathrooms. Not bad, considering.

Long Run Leap Frog

2009-11-28T12:22:00.000-08:00

My training plan has been loosely following Jeff Galloway's plan for running your first marathon. I like what he has to say about not overtraining, taking walk breaks, and generally making it as easy on yourself as possible. Anything to make this easier! lol Anyway, at around mile 14 or 15 his training plan stops adding a mile a week to the long run and starts playing leap frog. It goes something like: 14 miles this week, 7 miles next week, 16 miles the week following.

Julie and I have discussed trying that, but I think we were both afraid of losing momentum or losing endurance or something. Last week I had a good chance to talk to both of my running sisters in law about it, and they both encouraged me to try it. I needed that little confirmation that it would be okay, so we decided to go for it.

This being Thanksgiving week, schedules were a little crazy so it seemed like the perfect opportunity. Last week's 14 mile burrito run is behind us, so today instead of 15 we ran 7. Talk about a relief! It was so nice to back off a little today and run a shorter distance. (Since when did 7 miles become a shorter distance, by the way? Craziness.) We upped our intervals to 10/1 and had a good run. Finished in a nice comfortable 79 minutes (fast people, please pretend I just said 49 minutes) and we're done.

Next week we'll jump to 16. Hopefully that will be a good, strong run and not a day of reckoning for running 7 this week.

Fourteen

2009-11-28T12:12:00.000-08:00

It seems that the story of my long runs usually begins a few days prior to the run. The stories begin with things like "I got lots of sleep this week so I felt well rested on my run". Or maybe "I should've had more water this week as I felt a bit dehydrated on my run." Unfortunately, the story of my 14 mile run begins with, "I ate a giant burrito on Wednesday."

It was a delicious burrito ~ quite possibly the best I've ever had. It was so good, in fact, that I ate the whole thing. I bet it weighed 3 pounds. Did I mention the rice and beans were to-die-for good, too? Yep, I ate all of those, too. It was heaven, but before the last bite urped its way down, I realized this could be a problem for Friday's run. I shook off the nagging thought, unbuttoned my jeans (okay, not really, but I felt like it), and continued on my way.

Without getting too graphic let me tell you that I should not have eaten the whole thing. Bad, bad idea. A few miles into our 14 mile run I was knocking of the door of the Lavendar Farm out of the highway, hoping beyond hope they would let me in. Thankfully, the office was open and they let us make a little pit stop.

Lesson learned. Giant burritos + Long runs = Bad, bad, bad

Uh huh, I'm Cool

2009-11-13T12:00:00.000-08:00

I dressed in my favorite ninja outfit for my short run today, including all my new winter doodads. Put on my UnderArmour cold gear top, my Nike Pro winter weight running tights, my new headwrap-because-I-hate-hats, gloves... the whole 9 yards. Before adding the jacket I was Ninja Girl, ready to conquer the universe. I was feeling mighty fine... even took a picture of myself. Once I added the jacket and my iPod I was some serious bad mama.

You know how they say you learn something new every day? Well today I learned that when you drop enough weight from running, your pants will no longer stay up. Thank goodness I added my I'm-Bad jacket or I'd have been in serious trouble. While I have certainly been losing weight and getting more fit from all this crazy running, my Four Babies in Six Years stomach does not ever again deserve to see the light of day. As I was running along, I started noticing slippage of pants right away. Another half mile and my not so tights were down around my hipbones, while my top was slowly traveling north. I decided to ignore it, because my jacket would cover all, but another half mile and I knew I was going to have to do something, lest I become a penguin runner. So now I'm running and hiking up pants, running and hiking up pants. I'd give them a good tug, then put up with the slippage until I entered the danger zone, then tug again.

This was all moderately tolerable until I started to warm up. I ditched the gloves first and got them zipped into my pockets. Next I unzipped my jacket as far as I could without exposing myself. Meanwhile I'm running and hiking, running and hiking. Imagine the graceful, Ninja image I presented as I hitched my gitalong down the road. On the last hill back up to my house I finally decided to try wrapping the jacket around my waist because I was just plain hot by that point. First I tied it tight, but slippage was still at risky levels above and below the knot. Next I tried loosening the jacket's knot, thinking it could ride a bit lower and cover the unacceptable stomach. Nope. Now my pants are slipping and so is my jacket.

Finally I just plain gave up and walked the rest of the way up the hill. Some things are just not meant to be.

Half Marathon... halfway there!

2009-11-11T12:57:00.000-08:00

May 3rd, 2009: Eugene Half Marathon, my accidental and unintentional half, completed in 2:44.
Nov 10, 2009: Training Half, this one intentional, completed in 2:26. So maybe training really does make a difference. haha!

Julie and I ran our 13 miles yesterday just 3 days after our 12. Not ideal, certainly, but necessary due to crazy schedules this week. All in all, I think it went really well. We both started out stiff and slow (well, actually we're always slow... so maybe we started out extra slow) and had sore muscles and achy things for the first 3 or 4 miles. Once we left town and headed out into the countryside we finally started to find our groove. Mental preparation is making a huge difference for me ~ I'm trying to be very conscious of what I'm saying to myself in my head about all of this. I think it helped avoid the nasty wall I hit last time we ran this route.

We were both very happy with our time. I don't know yet whether I can sustain this pace for 26 miles, but if I could I would complete the marathon in around 5 hours. I would be thrilled to finish with that time, so I'm feeling pretty good right now.

The biggest difference I noticed with only a three day break between long runs is that I am incredibly stiff and sore today. Hobbling along a little, but super pleased with yesterday. I'm going to rest up for a few days before heading out for a short run.

Bad Ideas

2009-11-10T10:46:00.000-08:00

1. Running out of Shot Bloks and sports drinks before a 13 mile run. No problem ~ quick trip to the bike shop which is the only place in town that carries sport products. Discover they are closed Tuesdays. Thank goodness for running partners who are well stocked and Safeway which is now carrying PowerAde Ion.

2. Trying to hem new winter weight running pants at the last second with double sided fabric tape and running out of tape halfway through.

3. Pulling and tugging at the sports bra trying to figure out why it doesn't feel right, only to discover you are wearing it inside out.

4. Scheduling your 13 mile run right up against dentist appointments for your kids and realizing you cannot take it slow and easy. Must. Run. Fast.

This should be an interesting run.

Velly Intellesting

2009-11-09T14:53:00.000-08:00

I am not a fortune cookie follower. Not. That said, I opened this cookie on November 7th. Guess what day I run my marathon? Yep, February 7th. Talk about weird coincidences!

Twelve

2009-11-06T15:57:00.000-08:00

Julie and I have been doing our long runs as soon as the kids go to school ~ around 8:20. We've been working on our attitudes about it all week ~ mini pep assembly for both of us. Our 12 miler was scheduled for Friday morning, today.

Yesterday was a busy day for me (yes, I have a point, hang with me). I got up, got the kids out the door, took Sarah to school, dropped off Booster Club stuff, took the cat to the vet, drove an hour north to return something at the outlet mall, waited for the mall to open, did a little shopping, drove to downtown Portland, found a parking garage, got my car settled, walked almost in the door of NikeTown when I got a text. I stopped to read it and it was from Julie. It read: "Good news. We will be getting done at this time tomorrow. :-)" Stopped me in my tracks. I had done SO much that morning already and traveled pretty far from home. To realize all that could be accomplished during my run today was very intimidating!

So anyway... we met at 8:20 this morning at The Pill Box and ran down Miller, out to the highway, down the highway to the green Victorian farmhouse, and all the way back. Figuring out how to dress was tricky. The forecast was rain and cold, the ground was soaked, but the sky was partly blue. First I dressed in all my cold gear, then I changed into lighter weight fare. I finally ended up in running pants and a t-shirt with a long sleeved shirt over the top. I packed Shot Bloks, a Clif Bar, and a big old jug of Gatorade. Sure enough, it was pretty warm out there. I ditched the long sleeves at the church where we made a pit stop and ran in short sleeves. Oregon weather is so unpredictable.

Our run was good... the fear of a very tough run like last week motivated lots of good behavior this week (except for the Candy Pumpkin Incident, but we won't dwell on that...). We were well hydrated, better rested, good attitudes, ready to roll. We have been doing 5/1 intervals for the long runs, but today tried out 6/1. We popped Shot Bloks, hydrated, and ran hard. (Please don't ask me to define that. It was hard, trust me). We spent a couple of miles running into a headwind which was tricky, but on the way home we also had the wind at our back for a few miles. The sky was spectacular most of the way ~ blue sky, puffy white clouds with black clouds in the distance, autumn colors, a big flock of birds migrating overhead, and even a rainbow set against a black cloud.

The last two miles we finally ran into the rain. The sky got black and opened up one heckuva cold, pounding wet on us. Thank goodness it waited until the end and it was good motivation to hurry up and finish the last two miles without intervals. We finished the 12 miles in 2 hours and 16 minutes and were extremely happy with that considering we ran the Terrible 11 in 2 hours and 13 minutes.

Another one down!

11 Down

2009-11-01T22:12:00.000-08:00

Julie and I ran 11 miles on Thursday morning and man it was tough from the get go. We had skipped a long run the week before due to illness but had run several shorter runs. Still I was nervous about 11 ~ more nervous than I had been about 10 for some reason. We were scheduled to meet at 8 a.m. and when I woke up it was pitch black outside, pouring rain and the wind was blowing. So not good. I whipped off a text that went something like "Are we seriously going to do this?!?" After a bit of back and forth discussion about our options for rescheduling, we decided just to go for it.

We had decided to mix up the route of our usual long runs, so we met at Julie's instead of the The Pill Box. I have a 6 mile loop mapped out through town from Julie's which turns around and heads back at one of the elementary schools, out past The Pill Box. Our plan for mixing up the 11 miles was to run the 6 mile town loop, but at the turn around keep running out and then back another 2.5, giving us the 5 extra miles.

I think the run was going pretty well until we got the the normal turn around spot. Having to run another 5 miles there was mentally a kicker and suddenly things got harder. The extra 5 also heads out into open farm land, where the wind was getting intense. The last half mile before we turned around felt like we were laying forward into a headwind and pushing through. Not fun! The turn around was a relief, as was having that killer wind at our backs, but still the run felt tough. We both popped a Shot Blok hoping for a little relief, but I'm not sure how much it offered. Do stale Shot Bloks leftover from Portland to Coast last August still work? lol

We pushed through, both believing things would get better once we had passed The Pill Box. Getting past that was definitely tough as it's our normal ending point on long runs. We made it past, though, and finally started to get a bit of a second wind in the last 3 miles. We finished strong, both of us immensely relieved we had done the run and not put it off, and immensely relieved it was over. I was fighting a bit of a panicky feeling about how much farther our long runs will take us in the near future, but tried hard to squash that down.

I am so thankful for Julie, who is crazy enough to be out there running these nutso runs with me, with no immediate training goals of her own. I want a marathon plan for you, Julie! You're so strong, you need to do one.

So, 11 behind me. On to 12.

Hood to Coast 2010!

2009-10-28T22:34:00.000-07:00

We're in! My team got a spot to run Hood to Coast ~ WOO HOO!

Vaccine?

2009-10-27T09:16:00.000-07:00

My kids have all been rotating through the flu this month, so when I was at Kaiser with one of them awhile back, I spontaneously got the flu mist vaccine. I've never had the flu shot, which my husband swears by, but all those sick kids must've scared me into it. I'm wondering, nearly 2 weeks later, if that could possibly be the reason I've been feeling so sluggish and bleh for the last two weeks? Maybe not, I don't know. I haven't ever been sick like shoot me now, but I've been sort of achy, sort of exhausted, sort of lethargic... and it just occured to me yesterday it may be the vaccine. Right or wrong, I'm hopeful that's what it is because I should be bouncing out of that soon.

Ran 3 miles yesterday ~ had to drag myself out the door in the early afternoon ~ and felt like every step was just hard. I finished the run and did it pretty fast (for me), but it was tough. Running again today with Julie, and then 11 miles on Thursday.

Rough Week

2009-10-24T09:03:00.000-07:00

As the title says, it's been a rough week. We've had the flu around here, and my schedule has been upended for most of the month. I haven't been fully sick myself, but I also haven't felt my best ~ probably a cycle that I just had a hard time escaping ~ not feeling great so I didn't run, didn't run so now I don't feel great. Vicious! I could go on about my woes, but blah blah blah, really.

So yesterday Julie and I ran 3 miles in the morning. We had planned 5, but I ended up with a doctor's appointment that crowded our time. It was a good 3 miles ~ felt so good to be back out there after a bad week. We discussed a *maybe* run for today.

Late last night I got a text from Julie asking me ~prepare yourself~ if I could run at 7:00 a.m. because her day was filling up fast. I considered hyperventilating for a moment, then I considered a big fat ARE YOU NUTS?, but in the end I said yes. Such a pushover. lol

It was pitch black when I got up and left my sleeping family this morning, but thankfully not raining. We met at Julie's and did a 6 mile loop through town, turning around at Whitworth and running back through the park. I'm really glad I said yes and got it done, but honestly it was tough. My body felt sluggish and heavy, like I had to really work for it. I know that's a result of my sloppy week, so I'll be more focused this week.

Glad I did it, but glad this week is over. Here's to a better week ahead.

10 miles - Big Day!

2009-10-17T12:33:00.000-07:00

Double digits! Julie and I ran 10 miles this morning and it felt great. In the back of my mind I keep waiting for these long runs to be *too* hard, but so far they really feel good. Of course there are moments out there where I'm pretty tired and moments when it's harder than others, but overall it's going great.

This morning we slept in a bit and met at the Pill Box at 9. Little did we know sleeping in was going to change the run completely. lol It was the perfect temperature this morning - cool, but not too cold, a little misty, but not too wet, a bit of a breeze, but not blowing hard. It didn't stay that way, however.

We took off running, right into the face of a storm. We trotted along, chatting about The Biggest Loser and Tracy the psycho contestant, when the raindrops began. Soon it wasn't just drops, it was a good old rain. Around 4 miles we turned and were running south, straight into the wind which was no longer a nice breeze. Headwind... not so good. We only had about a mile on that road and then we were on our way back to town, now soaking wet. Our shoes were starting to squish and water was running down our faces.

Mile 6 brought the lightening and thunder. The first few flashes were to the south of us with a few seconds between flashes and rolls of thunder, but before long the lightening would flash over our heads and the thunder would peal right behind it. We joked about having to lie down in the ditch, but jumped out of our skins when the next one crashed. I think we both forgot we were supposed to be tired from running ~ adrenaline, big time!

By mile 8 the lightening and thunder had continued north while we ran to the west, but the rain kept pouring. We ran back into town, soggy and dripping, but laughing and happy, too. That 10 miler went by fast! Our time was pretty good, too. It was our longest run, but our time was better than some of our shorter runs. I think every time the thunder rolled we ran faster! lol

I got home and posed for a few pictures, but really you cannot tell how completely drenched we were. I wrung out my socks on the front porch and it seemed like buckets of water came out. By the time I made it to the shower there were rivers of water pouring down my legs. I can't imagine how long it's going to take my shoes to dry out.

That was seriously fun. :)

10k this morning

2009-10-10T12:29:00.000-07:00

I ran a 10k this morning - the Marion County Domestic Violence Awareness run. I learned a few things:

1. I can run alone and have a fabulous time.
2. I am stronger than I used to be. I shaved 8 minutes off my first 10k time from last January.
3. I might not need my intervals as much as I thought I did.
4. I am not very good at drinking out of dixie cups while running. I sloshed water down my chin, up my nose, onto my shirt, and got precious little into my mouth.

Any day you learn something is a good day.

9 miles and counting

2009-10-08T12:02:00.000-07:00

Today was my long run - 9 miles this week. Other than my accidental half marathon, I'm way up into new distances. The 8 went well last week, so I wasn't really nervous until yesterday. There's something about knowing a big distance is looming out there in 24 hours that just creates tension!

I met Julie at the Pill Box down by the hospital with the plan of running down Miller, out to Highway 99 and back to the Pill Box. We spent the first mile with me messing with my new watch. I haven't gone the GPS route at this point, but I happily bought a Timex Ironman Triathlon because of the two interval timers. I tried to set it for the first time in a hurry this morning, apparently without success. Finally I had to just start watching the clock for intervals, got to fix that thing at home I guess.

I think we had a good, solid run all the way out to the highway, so 4.5 miles. At about mile 4 I was thinking I could just run forever. Funny, though, once we turned around and started back it all just seemed so hard. The very slight incline didn't help, but for about a mile and a half or two miles we slogged along just a bit. Around mile 6 both of us were feeling better and at mile 7.5 decided to run it all the way in without intervals. I love how that feels - like you're kicking those miles right in the rear with a good HA!

So now I'm trying not to think about 10.

foggy baby

2009-10-05T10:25:00.000-07:00

This morning I was due for a short run and headed out alone. Up till now it's been sunny and mostly nice weather as I've been training... this morning was 38 degrees and foggy. Definitely not a let's go run morning in my book ~ more like a curl up on the couch and drink more coffee morning. I know I'm looking at 4 more months of this weather, though, so staying home was not an option. I pulled out long sleeves, long pants and my neon pink running gloves for the first time this fall and took off from my house. I ran down the long hill, over to the elementary school, then back around a couple of loops of neighborhoods before heading back up the long hill. By mile 2 I was no longer cold ~ neon pink had to go into my pockets. Discovered a couple of things this morning: 1. Dang, I breathe loud. I left my ipod behind this morning and all I could hear was me sucking wind. 2. Jumping onto the caps of acorns while running past them produces a very satisfying crunch.

So there you have it. Now, back to the couch...

8 miles

2009-10-04T17:03:00.000-07:00

I've been doing my long runs on Saturday mornings up to this point, reluctantly. Of course that hasn't too many runs yet ~ I think I started at 5 miles, so I've done 6, 7 and this week 8. I decided to try the long run on Friday morning, hopeful that sleeping in on Saturday would feel like heaven. I was so right.

Julie ran 6 miles with me two weeks ago and we've been doing a once a week 3 miler together, too. We agreed to meet Friday morning to run 8. Our run started at the high school tennis courts where there is a conveniently placed port a potty. We stretched a little, chuckled nervously over the insanity of attempting to run 8 miles, walked a lap around the block, then took off running.

My 7 mile run the week before had been rough, so I wasn't sure how this would go. Of course prior to my 7 miler I had stayed up past midnight, eaten an enormous pile of cheese (who can resist smoked gouda?), and had about zero water to drink all day. Oh yes, I was in fine form to run 7 miles. The run was as good as my preparation, but I had a good time with Christi and was thankful to have that week behind me.

In an attempt to learn from my mistake, I got a lot more sleep for the 8 mile, hydrated more carefully and refrained from large piles of gouda the night before. I set my intervals for 5:1, thinking we could back off if we needed to.

I think to both Julie's and my surprise, the run went great! We ran down Miller, out past the railroad tracks, through the farm fields and all the way to Highway 99, our turn around point. The whole time we were chatting and occasionally snacking on little bites of the Clif Bar I had torn into chunks and tucked into the zipper pouch on my water belt. I'm not sure if the Clif Bars bites help, but at least they give me something to look forward to.

Julie and I turned around at the highway and headed back, both realizing we were feeling good. We continued our 5:1 run/walk intervals until about mile 6, when we decided to run the rest of the way in without the walk breaks. It was so great to realize we could not only accomplish the 8 miles, but finish strong! Such a high! I came home and used my energy to clean house.

Since I started marathon training the beginning of September I've been constantly squishing down the thought that I'm not really sure I'm capable of pulling this off. Out there around mile 7 this week I had the glorious thought that maybe I really AM capable of this. I feel an excitement about the weeks ahead ~ somebody remind me of that when I need it, please.

Shamrock Nerves

2009-03-10T00:08:00.000-07:00

Just once I'd like to feel ready for a race. Unfortunately, I'm staring down the barrel of the Shamrock Run this Sunday wondering why on earth I talked myself into this!?! I've been on exactly two runs in a month. The first was my little two miler, the second was about 4 and involved a lot of huffing and puffing. The Shamrock is 4.9. WHY didn't I sign up for the 5k? Ack! In addition to my runs I've been doing a lot of walking in prep for walking the Eugene Half Marathon in May, but how much does walking really help for running a race? I'm guessing not much. I've been comforting myself with the idea that I can always walk part of the race if I really need to, but in looking over the website tonight I see that no walkers are allowed. I'm really hoping that doesn't mean the Leprechauns blow whistles at you and point if you need a breather, because if it does I might as well go straight to the Beer Garden and skip that pesky running altogether. I don't even like beer, but hey. Once again, I am so over my head. All I really wanted was the sweatshirt!

She's back

2009-03-04T21:23:00.000-08:00

I feel like I lost an entire month of this year to sickness. One after the next we were sick in my house and this darn bug is hard to shake. This week I finally woke up and felt like I had the strength to go for a run. For most people this would result in putting on shoes, lacing them up, and having a nice little jog in the spring sunshine. Unfortunately, this is not how my disfunctional brain normally operates.

Even though I wanted to run, I didn't. Please don't ask me why. If I could figure that part of me out I would be fit, thin and my house would always be neat. My children would always put the lid on the toothpaste and I would have systematically taught them self discipline so that no one ever fails to clean up after themselves. The reality is that I'm a bit lazy and I struggle against it constantly. Well, actually that's not true. A lot of the time I just give in to it. haha!

So anyway, I spent all morning yesterday trying like mad to talk myself into going for a run. I had just about given up when *ding dong* the doorbell rang. It was Tricia, my running partner and great encouragement. She brought me a half marathon training plan, pulled from a magazine, and off she went. It was exactly what I needed. I stood there in my messy, oversized pajama pants and a giant t-shirt, hair every which way and zero makeup and thought, what the heck am I doing?!? So I threw on some running pants and my shoes, yanked my hair into a pony tail and hit the road. I ran 2 miles and felt like the queen of the world. 2 miles isn't much, but it was perfect for my first day out all month. I didn't have to walk, I found my groove, and I felt so darn good when I was finished.

Why do I fight myself so hard sometimes? It's like I have a self destruct mode or something, I don't know. I guess the important thing is that I keep picking myself up and dusting myself back off.

Winter is not so fun for running

2009-02-11T21:17:00.000-08:00

I thought I was going to be the tough! one who ran outside all winter long, but it seems I'm the wimpy one who avoids going out there when it's wet and cold. I have these really cool running gloves that I've only worn twice, too. Bummer. Gotta break those babies in!

I've been walking some, once outdoors but mostly on the treadmill where it's warm and there are people to chat with. Today I schlepped along for an hour at a pretty good clip. I'm trying to figure out how to mix walking training into my running. I don't want to give up running to train for the Portland to Coast, but I definitely need to train for it. I need to come up with a plan, but for now I just keep going where the wind takes me. I have to really kind of get inside my own head when I walk ~ mind over matter type deal ~ as I find the walking a bit yawnish. I'm working at it, though.

So I'm signed up for several things, all of which are way over my head and I better get crackin' on the training. March 15 I'm running the Shamrock Run 8k in downtown Portland. Something about it just really appeals to me ~ looks like a party in the streets. The only problem with said party is the running 8k part. haha. I really need to be training for this because of that shin splint thing. I need a kick in the pants, though, as I keep thinking about training but not really doing it.

A quiz

2009-02-02T13:53:00.000-08:00

What do you get when you combine steep hills, freezing temperatures, tippy parking spots and gorgeous views? The Zena Road Races!

I followed my friend Christi and her daughter out to the Spring Valley Community Center on Sunday morning in 32 degree temperatures. The skies were clear and blue, but baby it was coooold outside. Parking was along the road with not much shoulder before the gravel dropped off into ditches, so we pretty much parked at an uncomfortably steep angle. The good news is that my car did not roll over into the field below.

I went to this run with two goals: 1) to finish. and 2) to come home without shin splints. The finishing part I thought would be a breeze because I had elected to run the 3 mile race rather than the 6 or the 9. I knew it would be hilly, but I was pretty surprised by the reality of those hills. Not once did I wish I had done the 6 mile ~ 3 was just fine by me! Christi, Amanda and I stayed together through most of the race, although Amanda left us in the dust as she cheerfully zipped to the finish line without looking winded (little turkey).

I was pretty happy with my finish time. They clocked me at 33:11:3. 11:04/mile. Considering those hills, I'm perfectly happy with that. Out there mid-race and halfway up a hill I thought to myself, "You know, a 14 minute mile would be okay on this!" So obviously 11:04 was a happy surprise. :)

No shin splints ~ this is good, but the best part of the day for me was seeing my friend Annette and hanging out with her a little. It was a lot of fun ~ hope to do it again!

Portland to Coast

2009-01-28T11:21:00.000-08:00

I just registered this morning for the Portland to Coast Relay and I'm partly very excited and partly very terrifed. If you had told me two years ago that I'd be doing this I'd have thought you were insane, but here I am.

Most PTC teams have 12 members. Ours has 8. Why? I'm convinced it's because we're nuts, that's why. Honestly, I don't know. Gluttons for punishment? As a result of the smaller group, we each walk 3 legs of the race rather than two. I've been given the go-easy-on-her legs of the race and I'm not complaining one bit about that.

My first leg is 5.69 miles and very flat and easy. My second leg is 3.75 miles and also easy. My last leg (why'd it have to be the last one?) is 7.72 miles and described as "hard". It's up and down the whole way, but no huge hills to climb, just lots of rolling stuff.

I've got a lot of training to do!

Shin Splints

2009-01-24T13:21:00.000-08:00

I knew going into the 10k that I wasn't as prepared as I should be. I had only run 6 miles once before with considerable soreness afterward. My 10k went really well, but I was so sore that week! As the pain subsided I did a little research and I really think I have shin splints. Darn it. It's my own fault ~ I think I'm the classic "too much too soon" scenario. I tried to run about 5 days after the race, thinking I could work out the soreness, but it actually was pretty painful. Since then I've been sidelined, trying to let myself recover fully this time. I think I'm just about all better and I've come out the other side with a new commitment to stretching, not pushing myself quite so hard (don't like that one a bit), and hydrating more. I'm not going to beat myself up about this, just learn from it and move forward. I've been anxious to get back out on the road, so hopefully this week I can venture out a little.

I'm supposed to run a hilly 5k next weekend at the Zena Road Runs and I'm really hoping I'll be ready for that. I may have to force myself to walk parts of it, which really burns me, but I know I have to be smart. I'll see how this week goes.

Great Book

2009-01-13T09:38:00.000-08:00

I'm not even remotely seriously considering a marathon at this point, but I picked up this book based on the reviews and really loved it. I'm not recommending it as a training guide ~ goodness knows I'm not qualified to do that ~ but it's a great read. You know how they say you ought to laugh so many minutes per day? This will help.

Cascade 10k

2009-01-12T09:43:00.000-08:00

I was completely terrified yesterday morning, so nervous that I actually tossed my cookies before we left the house. I was so relieved to get to the race and find out Running Partner's friend had tossed hers as well. She was telling the story to a man at the race wearing a Boston Marathon jacket and he said that was good, he'd thrown up before his first 9 marathons. Oh boy.

My husband went with me to this event, which somehow scared me. It was like what I was doing suddenly became real and public, not hidden and private. Made me nervous, but I wanted him there. I met my RP and her friend at the race, but we weren't planning to run together. We hung out, though, excited and nervous. My sister in law and her friend also were there, but they were running the half marathon. Since I was on my own they invited me to run the first half of the 10k with them, an offer I gratefully accepted.

I was so happy with how this race turned out for me. I rested hard to prepare, drank a ton of water, ate my carbs like a good girl, and got a lot of sleep. I knew I was going to need every little help I could get after Monday's pretty disastrous 6 mile run. I'm not sure if any one thing paid off, or if all of my efforts combined made a difference, but I felt really strong at Cascade.

The first 3.2 miles I ran with my sister in law and her friend. They were running 5 minutes, walking 30 seconds, running 5 minutes. I knew that would be a smart move for me and that on my own I wouldn't do intervals. It turned out to be a good plan because by the time I turned around at the halfway mark and headed back without them, I was still feeling good and knew I could finish okay.

When I turned around and headed back on my own, I picked out RP's friend out of the crowd ahead of me. She was in bright blue and easy to spot, and she was also a long way ahead of me. I don't know if you'd call this a strength or a weakness, but I really hate to lose. At the 5k I was 3rd of the three of us running and I was determined not to be this time. My goal? Overtake RP's friend and soundly beat her. She was a long way off, so I just kept my eyes on her. Instead of periods where I'd slow down, I added hurry-it-up sections. I did walk for a few seconds a couple of times, but not because I was desperate to stop, just because I knew it would help me later.

It took me all the way to the last mile marker, but I caught up to her. I wasn't trying to run with her, I was trying to pass her, but she stayed with me all the way to the last 1/4 mile. I was trying to reconcile coming in behind her after all when she took off at a sprint I just didn't have in me. She only sprinted a few feet and then she dropped almost to a walk, at which point I took off with everything I had. I ended up beating her by 11 seconds. It's amazing how good 11 seconds can feel!

Hubby ran over, gave me a huge hug, and the first thing I said to him was, "I just beat RP's friend ~ did you see that? I beat her!" LOL Does that make me a real runner, or just sort of sad? :)

I finished the race in 1:07:49, a 10:56 mile. I was #139 out of 211 and I'm pretty darn happy. Today I can hardly walk, but I'm online looking for my races to run. How did this happen to me?

Backwards

2009-01-08T21:31:00.000-08:00

That's how I feel with these races I seem to be getting myself into. I keep pinching myself to make sure it's really me doing this, and yep, it is. Actually the pinching isn't necessary today because I have enough aches and pains to prove it's really me.

I do feel like I'm doing things a bit backwards, though. I really, really wanted to run my first 5k last spring at the Keizer Iris Festival, but it just didn't work out. After that fell through I slacked off on my running, just focusing more on weight training and trying like heck not to put on poundage. That being quite unsuccessful, I really wasn't physically ready to be running yet when I found my running partner. I knew it was a good match, though, so I threw myself back into it, no doubt faster than I should have. In hindsight I'm lucky I didn't have a massive coronary on that first 3 mile run up and over the top of a very steep hill!

When I finally did run my first 5k, I hadn't ever actually run 3 miles without stopping. I'd done interval work up to 4 or 5 miles at that point, I think, but no straight 3 milers. The whole way into the race I really was feeling like I was way out of my league and totally unprepared. I did manage to meet my goal, which was to run the entire thing, no walking, but I didn't have a sense of being well trained.

So now I'm staring down the barrel of a 10k (ack!) wondering, once again, how the heck this happened! I feel completely unprepared. I haven't been training for a 10k ~ I was thinking a few more 5k's and I'd feel like a runner. I'm still hobbling from my first ever 6 mile run this week and wondering if I'll even be recovered enough by Sunday to run the race. I really feel way over my head.

I guess there's no point to this post, except to say that I don't feel ready. I'm mentally wading through the muck trying to get to the toughness.

My first 6-miler

2009-01-06T16:08:00.000-08:00

Having been talked into running a 10k this Sunday with my running partner, and having never actually run that far in my life, I decided it was time. Today was the day. I honestly had no idea what to expect and my hopes were not high. Glass was not looking half full to me one bit. Gotta work on that. Up to today, the farthest I had ever run without stopping was 3 miles. I've done interval work up to 5 miles, but nothing over.

My RP (running partner) and I met at the hospital, fiddled with our Nike+ 's for a few, then set off running. We've discovered that running from the hospital is good, first because there are no log trucks trying to wipe us out as there were on our other route, plus if we pass out we're close to the hospital. Seriously.

RP ran a full 6 miles last Saturday without me, so she knew she could do it. I felt decently good until about the 2.5 mile mark, at which point I was struggling to keep up with RP. She was just booking today! I wanted to check our pace on my iPod, but it was tucked into a pocket on my rear and awkward to get out. I finally told her I really had to walk for a minute (note: at the farthest point from the hospital, not good). We walked for a few seconds and then tweaked our running ~ tried to slow our pace, but lengthen our stride. She always has to remind me to get my arms out of my armpits, too, as I tend to tuck them higher and higher as I run. So, arms down, close to body, longer stride, slower pace. This worked pretty well as we headed back toward town. Miles 4 and 5 were doable. We walked one more time because it was that or roll me off the edge of the road into the ditch, but when I tried to wimp out and walk again a half mile later, RP wouldn't let me. I started to focus on the next tree, then the next mailbox, then the blue truck, etc, until we finally made it.

All in all it was pretty successful, I think. I was miserable in the middle ~ miserable! I kept wondering why on earth I was doing this and how the heck did I ever get tricked into thinking I like to run? But the end... oh, it was so worth it! Even with the spurts of walking and the adjusted pace, I set a new mile record for myself of 10.39/mile AND I burned like 800 calories. Par-tay!

Nike Plus

2008-12-31T10:21:00.000-08:00

I didn't know I was a gadget girl, but it turns out I am. I've been wanting the Nike+ iPod for awhile, but I didn't necessarily want the Nike running shoes that go with them, so I've just pined over it a bit. Before Christmas I did some googling and discovered there are plenty of options for using the sensor without the shoes ~ bingo! I'll try the shoes on next time I need running shoes, but I love my Mizuno's so not expecting to switch. Anyway...

This thing is so cool. I used double sided fabric tape to adhere it to the tongue of my shoe under the laces and so far that's working well. It works with either the iPod Nano or the iTouch. I'm using the iTouch, so all I do is click on the little icon and select the type of run I'm doing. Today I clicked on a 4 mile run and when we started running I pushed 'start'. I tucked the iTouch into the pocket in my leggings, put one earbud in my ear, and off we went. I chose the no music option since I was with my running partner, so it was just silent most of the time. At the one mile mark a voice told me in my earbud that we had just passed one mile, then two, then three, and in the final half mile it counted me down by 100 meter marks until we finished.

After the run it shows me our distance, total time, pace per mile and calories burned. It also does an automatic calibration of my stride to give a more accurate assessment. When I sync my iTouch it automatically uploads my workout to NikePlus.com, which keeps track of my total distance for the year and other fun things.

So far, I love this thing.

I've done it now

2008-12-29T12:33:00.000-08:00

My running partner talked me into signing up to run the Cascade 10k with her on January 11. I'm insane! Ack. She doesn't want to go alone, and I'm intrigued by the challenge, I guess. We made a deal (again) that we don't have to stick together. She has full permission to leave me in the dust. Oh boy, I hope I'm not nuts. We're going to focus our training for the next two weeks and just see what we can do.

This morning we ran 4.5 miles on the treadmill after a hiatus of several weeks due to ice, wind and fudge. We were going to run outside, but it was really nasty out there when I got up so we switched gears. I thought the 4.5 miles would be too much my first day back, but I actually felt pretty good! That's a good sign for tackling this 10k, I guess. Oh gosh, can't believe I signed up.

First 5K Ever

2008-12-07T14:04:00.001-08:00

I woke up about 7 this morning, took a shower, put on a little makeup and did my hair. I know that's serious overkill and I put my hair in a ponytail as soon as I got to the race, but I needed all the confidence I could muster and the makeup and hair helped. I drank about half my usual amount of coffee, ate a Kashi bar, and I was off.

I picked up two friends and we were on our way to Corvallis by 8:00 a.m. Registration opened at 9:00, the 5k ran at 10:00. I don't know if I was driving fast or the traffic was light or what, but we drove up to the parking lot at Reser Stadium by 8:30. I'm guessing I will not be one who sets the departure time next race. haha. Since we were so early, we drove to a Dutch Brothers on the other side of campus and sipped on Americanos while we waited.

We checked in on the field at Reser Stadium about 9:40 and it was c.o.l.d. down there. After I picked up my race shirt and number, I changed into the race shirt as it was warmer than what I had shown up in. (Plus, I really wanted to wear it! I did this whole thing for the shirt, you know) We lined up near the middle of the pack at the starting line and off we went.

We weren't really sure what would happen as far as staying together, but the three of us ran together the whole way. T set her watch for 6/1 intervals and we decided to just see how we felt at the end of the first 6 minutes. Turned out we all felt good so we kept on running. We tried to take our pace pretty slow the first mile. None of the people behind us were really passing us much, but we were slowly picking people off in front of us. Mile one wasn't bad, but I didn't really feel like I had a groove. Kept finding my arms practically tucked up under my armpits and had to keep remembering to relax.

By mile two I had found my groove and felt pretty good. We were making our way through campus which, of course, is beautiful even in late fall like this. About the time we hit mile 3, we decided to intentionally pick off a few people. Lady in blue hat: overtaken. Lady with long blonde hair: history. After that, way up ahead of us, Trish spotted someone from her running clinic and we decided to overtake her. She was aways out, but we focused on her and happily waved to her as we passed her by.

The last half of the last mile was getting tough. I was feeling pretty tired, but no way we were slowing down at that point. We came around the back side of the stadium, rounded the giant football sculpture out front and then headed for the stadium entrance. The finish line was down the stadium entrance, around one of the goal posts, then all the way across the football field about 80 yards, ending under a giant Beaver Believer inflatable arch at the 20 yard line.

As we entered the stadium and then rounded the goal post, I was distracted by the fact that we had made it and was busy mentally congratulating myself when I looked up and noticed T and C were sprinting like mad fools, all out for the finish line. I took off sprinting, trying with all my might to catch them, but they had the jump on me. Watching them try to beat each other was funny since they just met today, but I had to focus on my running as I thought I might just have a heart attack and croak right there at the 50 yard line of Reser Stadium. The thought flashed through my mind that if I had to go, at least the men in my life would be proud that I went on the 50 yard line.

I sprinted all the way to the finish to the cheers of the finishers ahead of me. It was so fantastic! The good news is that I, obviously, survived, and I felt like a million bucks. I made the girls get their picture taken with me and Benny Beaver, we ate snacks, wandered around, cheered on the 1k finishers who ran after we did, and checked our times. My finish time was 34:13, which is my new personal best.

I did it, I loved it, and I can't wait to do it again!

One day and counting

2008-12-06T14:11:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow's the big 5k and I'm nervous! It's been a crazy busy week and I've only run twice, one of which was today. I'm not sure running 3 miles the day before my first 5k was smart, but I needed it mentally and if I pay for it tomorrow, oh well.

I actually ran on the treadmill today for the first time in quite awhile. Last spring when I first started running it was all treadmill, but I've been outside with my running partner all fall. Anyway, I ran my 3 miles and I was amazed at how much stronger I feel than before. I used to have to play mental games with myself to get me a little farther and a little farther. Not this time, I felt strong! It's great to see some noticeable progress.

So tomorrow's the big day...

Fastest 3 miles ever

2008-12-02T17:25:00.000-08:00

This morning my partner couldn't run, but my fear of the upcoming 5k got me out the door anyway. I dropped my oldest at the high school and then drove out 1.5 miles and parked the car. My intention was to run from the car all the way back to my house (1.5 miles) and then back to the car. That's my little trick to keep myself going when I'm alone... must retrieve car, might as well run. Anyway, there's a pretty long hill leading up to my house. I managed to run all the way to the top, walked probably 100 feet at the top, then turned around and ran back down the hill and to the car. I was working hard, no doubt, but when I climbed into the car I was amazed at how much time I had managed to shave off my previous 3 mile trips. I was confused, but whatever... guess I'm faster than I realized. I spent the day slightly suspicious that something had gone awry, so when I had a chance this afternoon I drove the route again. I don't know if I had a brain lapse or what, but it was only a 2 mile run, not 3! No wonder I was super speedy. Duh. Oh well, 2 miles is better than nothing and I through in the hill for good measure.

First Turkey Run

2008-11-30T23:35:00.000-08:00

I ran my first Turkey Trot this year, and it happened to be my first group run as well. Prior to this I'd only ever run alone or with my running partner, so the group dynamic was brand new. I was nervous ~ in fact, I had trouble sleeping the night before. I kept waking up thinking I should cancel, but I knew I had to push through.

My running partner picked me up at 7:50 Thanksgiving morning and we drove to Minto Brown Park where we met the group from her running clinic at Gallagher's. It was an open run, not for clinic members only, and they were planning to run 3.1 miles through the park at an easy pace. I felt a bit awkward at first, but people were warm and welcoming and within minutes I felt right at home.

We set off through the park at a nice, easy pace. They were running 3:1 intervals, which I didn't expect, so after 3 minutes we walked 1. I'd never been to the park before ~ it's very nice, parts of the trail run along the river, parts through fields and part wooded. I wouldn't want to run there alone, but with a partner it would be great.

The run felt longer than 3 miles to me, which I think may be because it was a new location and I was nervous to start, plus didn't sleep well. I didn't have any problem finishing, but I was thinking it felt looong.

Getting through my first group thing was big for me. I'm signed up for my first official 5k next week, so I'm glad I got to break the ice ahead of time.