Love, Live, Run

2015 Bandit 50K - Race Recap!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 20 Feb 2015 22:26:00 +0000

Well, I am not sure how or where to start but I can say without a doubt after running both the 30K and the 50K distances, this is my favorite race event. Randy and Sarita Shoemaker are excellent race directors. They know JUST what trail runners need to have a successful race, and provide knowledgeable and experienced volunteers and aid stations at least every 5 miles. In no other event do I feel more taken care of or cared about by the volunteers.

The morning of the race, I woke up with an odd sense of calm and focus. Strangely (for me, at least), I had gotten a decent night’s sleep. That hardly ever happens to me before a big race. I really was feeling prepared for the course. Months of training with my running partner, lots of time on the mountain we’d be climbing, an effective taper leaving me with fresh-feeling legs… I just had a good feeling that I’d done everything possible to have a good race experience. This was going to be my 2nd 50K!

My friend and I arrived at Corriganville Park about 45 minutes before our 7:00am start time. We’d picked up our bibs the day before so there was no rush to get to packet pick up. We hung out near the start, took some pictures and stared at the 50K course map, taking note of aid station locations and in particular, how much further we’d have to go to get to the Finish once we left the final aid station. Don’t get me wrong, we’d both obsessed over the route many times before. We were just taking final inventory at this stage!

Soon it was time to line up at the Start. I was anxious but focused. We had a strategy and now it was time to execute it. I don’t remember if there was a countdown or a gun or a beep, but it was time to hit it! We make the first loop through the park and then quickly start the steep climb to the Rocky Peak trail out of Corriganville. My friend and I were both pleasantly surprised at how much easier it was feeling on our legs compared to our practice run up this same trail just a few weeks ago. Another sign the taper did its job! Before we know it, we have already put nearly 6 miles behind us and we hit the aid station at the top of the Chumash trail. The sun is already feeling hot and it’s not even 9am.

We happily trot down Chumash, pausing for a few short walk breaks but running continuously downhill for the most part. It wasn’t long before we hit the Marrland aid station (just before mile 10). Coming into this station was like coming up on a mini-party. Volunteers were proactively asking what we needed and what could they do for us. The assortment of fuel and hydration options seemed endless: boiled potatoes, Red Vines, chips and other salty snacks, Coke, ice, water, electrolytes, Ginger Ale….the list goes on! This would also be our mile 20 aid station after a challenging 10 mile out-n-back (5 miles from here to Tapo Canyon Rd where there would be another aid station). This was the only part of the course that was unknown to us. We’d run about 1.5 miles of this stretch a few weeks ago, but we had never followed the trail all the way out to Tapo Canyon.

Hot Dog hill was tough – no shade and very steep. The decent on the other side was single-track and there were a lot of roots sticking up from the trail. Both my friend and I fell once on this section. We got down onto the flatter fire road, heading West towards Tapo Canyon, where there is very little to no shade again. I can hear my friend’s breathing pick up and I’m sensing she’s struggling a bit –
which is very unusual. At one point, she urges me to run ahead but I’m not ready to do that yet. We just need to get to the next aid station. We are slowing down, walking more than usual, but we make it the mile 15 aid station.

Within 30 seconds of us standing there, my friend shares with me that she’s not sure she’s got it in her to finish. As soon as I ask her some questions about how she’s feeling physically in an attempt to help figure out what I can do to help her, we have 2 aid station volunteers on her almost immediately. They were amazing. They get her some wet towels that were soaking in ice water, pull a chair up in the shade and get her to sit down. I told them about her unusually labored breathing and when it started. They're telling her to not think about anything but making it to the next aid station at this point; to not let the miles remaining overwhelm her. They gave her a shot of pickle juice and pretzels, and we filled her pack with ice. We spent about 5 minutes there. Just getting her cooled off and relaxed somewhat was all she needed to want to continue back to Marrland. She was not having any physical difficulties (other than red skin) - no dizziness, no disorientation. She’s ready to go.

Once we left the aid station though, the conversation turned back to the possibility of separating. I was hesitant, but I understood where she was coming from. She wanted to walk for a while and I wanted to run. So it was here that we parted. And for the first time that day, it was just me and the trail in front of me. I got into a great groove, even passed 4 or 5 runners. After a couple miles, the course was looking really unfamiliar. Too much sand and some other landmarks that I thought surely I would have seen on the way in. I realize I'm way too close to a road (Cottonwood!) and that this just isn't right. But I see another runner ahead of me and it occurs to me that maybe I wasn’t paying close enough attention on the way here and that I just wasn’t remembering this section.

All of the sudden, my right foot catches on a huge root sticking up and I hit the ground really hard. So hard my bib rips off one of the safety pins. I picked myself up, checked for blood and as I'm fixing my bib, this other runner comes back around the corner and says "is this the right way?" and I say "no, this isn't right. I'm going back". I turned around, took two steps, and my left foot catches on the same damned root and I'm on the ground again. A flurry of expletives come to mind but getting mad and frustrated isn’t going to help me find the course.

As I'm running back to find where I missed the course route, a few thoughts start creeping in about whether or not I'm going to be able to do this. What if I can't find the course marker, what if I'm so far off course that I'm in last place and I can't make the cutoff, I should take this as a sign that I should quit... blah blah blah. It was short-lived. As soon as I got close to the turn that I missed, all of that disappeared because I could see other runners up on the mountain in front of me and I knew I could catch up. I could even see my running partner up there (she was wearing a bright pink top) and I made it my goal to catch up to her. I was feeling like me getting off course and having those 2 hard falls happened because I left her. If I'd stayed with her, I'd be where she was now. Karma really bites sometimes! On the other hand, I was sort of glad that I was going to be able to check in on her and make sure she was going to make it back to Marrland safely.

Once I got back on the course, I was feeling good again. I powered up the trail well. Passed the same runners I'd passed before getting off course. They were probably wondered what the hell I'd been doing all that time. One girl looked really tired. I later learned from my running partner that this other young woman had missed the mile 15 aid station all together. It sounded like she made a loop at a point where she should have continued going West - and it meant she likely missed at least 2 miles of the course - but missing that aid station meant she had run out of water. Luckily, my friend had just filled her pack and practically forced her to take some of it.

I caught up to my friend around mile 18.5 (20 for me at this point), told her what happened and then she scolded me for thinking I'd gotten off course because I left her. ;-) I kept running and made it Marrland where I saw my friend’s hubby and her daughters. I gave him a quick run-down on what had happened and then let the volunteers take care of me for a few minutes. My friend came in a few minutes later and after touching base with her family, she came up to me and with heavy sadness, said that she was done for the day. We shared a big teary-eyed hug and I told her how proud I was of her for sticking it for those 20 miles. It was hard to leave but I knew she was making the right decision. We’ve all been there. It was just not her day.

I was eating potatoes with salt at every aid station. I hardly ever think about having salt, but on this day, it was on the top of my list (along with ice). I started dunking my buff in ice water at every station starting at mile 20. I was also filling my pack with ice and a little water. It was so hot that the ice was melting fast and the cold water felt sooooooo good. The stretch between Marrland and the Chumash aid stations (mile 26) is the hardest part of this course. I was really surprised at how good I was feeling when I left the Marrland station. Maybe it was because I knew my friend was safe and with her family... whatever the reason, I kept pushing forward. The air was feeling so hot. I sent a quick text to my hubby as I was leaving Marrland to let him know that I had missed a turn and tacked on an extra 1.5 miles so my ETA was about 3 hours from whatever time it was. He replied with the some encouraging words that I heard many times in my head on my way back up the mountain.

Taken from: http://banditultratrailrun.com/

I ran where ever I could, being cautious of letting my HR get too high. I was able to run until about mile 23 (mile 24.5 for me) where the course gets really steep. There was water, ice and salt tablets at the top of Shells, one of the steepest climbs of the course (about 1 mile before the Chumash aid
station). There were a couple of other 50Kers taking a break here. I stopped for about a minute to dunk my buff in ice water and throw back a couple salt tabs. From here, I was able to run most of the mile to Chumash. From Chumash, it's about 5 miles to the Finish. The aid station volunteers were pumping us all up for the home stretch. Someone had asked me if I'd fallen because I was so dirty and my arm was banged up. They offered me a beer when they heard my story about getting off course and falling on my ass twice. :-D The next aid station was only 3 miles from here.

I passed a few more runners in this next stretch and was passed by one. I would not let myself think about being 1.5 miles ahead of the mileage. I know that the same 50K training plan I use is also recommended for 50 milers so an extra 1.5 miles was really just a drop in the bucket. A slight breeze had picked up and that felt good in a few spots. The descent back down in Corriganville was nothing short of brutal on the quads. There were several of us who were struggling. I expected it to hurt after the tough 28 miles behind me, but damn! I helped a woman get down one really steep part....then I sort of fell/slid a few feet not too long after that. I really had to concentrate on my footing. It took longer to get down that part than I thought it would but maybe I shouldn't have been surprised. I saw some volunteers helping another runner get down a really steep portion near the end of this section and they let him finish on his own once they got down on flat land in Corriganville park. Another awesome display of helpfulness by the volunteers!

Once I was in the park and off that crazy descent, I was ready to be done! There were a few people in the park cheering as I ran by, reminding me that I was almost done. ;-) The Finish is a little deceiving but we had learned our lesson last year that you don't just run straight into the Finish when you get back to Race Central. The course loops around the main area. As I'm entering the loop, I hear my friend yelling my name and I can’t believe she came back to see me finish. I start getting choked up but I don't want to cry. Her youngest daughter has climbed up onto the course about 150 meters from the finish line and she's yelling for me. I am just so emotional at this point that I'm almost numb.

About 50 feet from the Finish, I can hear my hubby calling my name and I catch a glimpse of him.

From hubby's phone

Ahead of me, I can see the race director, Randy, holding out my medal, just behind the Finish banner.

His wife, Sarita, is on the PA system, calling out my name and says something about how I brought my own cheering section (my friend and her daughter had made their way down to the Finish line as I was coming around the corner). Randy says to me "that was a long day of a lot of hard work - you did it!". I started crying immediately.

Local photographer and new Ultra runner Jesse Luna captured these 3 pics of my finish!

The Medal!

I drank and fueled more often that I wanted to or thought I should - and I think that really paid off. I never felt under-fueled or thirsty. No cramping. Not a lot of negative thoughts. Knowing the last 11 miles of the course so well from being out there often helped me a lot. That backside is hot, barren and freaking steep. I just kept telling myself that this was the hardest section. Embrace it. Get through it. Just make it back to Chumash and you're golden.

This was one of the hardest and most gratifying experiences in my running career. I’d do it again in a heartbeat! (As soon as my quads recover, of course).

Born To Run 50K Recap - My First Ultra!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 26 May 2014 19:14:00 +0000

I finally did it - I finished my first Ultra marathon! After a half-hearted, failed attempt at a 51K a few years ago, I am so proud to have crossed the Born To Run 50K Finish feeling strong and smiling all the way to the end.

Biggest Lesson Learned: Follow a training plan intended for Ultras
The training plan was tough. Really tough at times. I used the 50-mile/week plan laid out in Byron Powell's Relentless Forward Progress. There is also a 70-mile/week plan for 50K training but since my marathon training programs have typically maxed out at about 45 miles/week, a max of 50 miles/week sounded about right for me. There were back-to-back long run weekends that I wasn't sure I'd get through but I stayed faithful and confident that I would....and I did. I wasn't perfect. I cut a couple of miles off a few long runs here and there. I raced a marathon and PR'd when the book specifically told me not to the weekend of the 26 mile training run. Not perfect by any means.

I think the biggest difference in my success this time around versus the DNF a few years ago had to do with mental toughness and the resolve to finish. For my last attempt, I just used a basic marathon training plan where my last long run was a hilly 26 miles in the heat. I was barely putting in consistent 35-40 mile weeks and only had 4 or 5 runs longer than 18 miles in the 2 months leading up to the race. The 51K started at midnight, at elevation (4500 ft) and the first 13 miles was like one long hill. I'd had very little sleep during the day, didn't eat right and just felt like crap in general for 20 miles before calling it quits. This time around, I used a genuine Ultra training schedule. One that had me running eight 18-26 milers usually followed the next day by a medium-to-long run of 5-14 miles. I realize now that I needed those big weekends to develop the mental strength it takes to run an Ultra. My biggest weekend was 20 miles Sat + 14 miles Sun. I had no idea I would ever be the type of runner who could handle that - but I did it. A couple of weeks later I ran a tough 24 miles in 20+ mph winds and could hardly walk afterwards. I doubted I would be able to get through the 5 miles I was scheduled for the next day but instead of questioning my ability to do it, I woke up the next day, put on my shoes and hit the TM - putting faith in my training and in the plan itself - and I finished it with relative ease. With each of these big weekends behind me, I was in awe of my ability to get through them. I believed it and felt proud, but at the same time, I didn't know who I was... almost like having an out of body experience every week. How is it possible that I am doing this? But I had faith in the plan and thus in my ability to get through each workout, and it worked.

Tapering and Pre-Race Hoopla: Believe in Yourself

I hate tapering. I hate is so much that I've blogged incessantly about how much I hate it. I can't stop eating, I feel tired and lazy and anxious and cranky. To add to the challenge of the taper for the 50K, we were in a heat wave the week leading into the race. 100F+ degrees on Wednesday & Thursday. A week before the race, race day temps were predicted to be in the mid-to-high 90's. I panicked. Why even try? I'm not going to be able to run farther than I've ever run before in that kind of heat. Quit before you start - avoid the DNF. Even though these thoughts were short-lived, I still had them and it scared me that my brain would even go there. I spent the week drinking lots of water, reviewing my training journal and reminding myself that I was a stronger runner now than I ever have been in my life - mentally and physically. Dismiss the doubt. Trust the training plan. The schedule had me down for a 31 mile run on Saturday so that meant I could do it! It had been right all along. This weekend would be no different! Just slow down, walk more, drink more water, have some ice... You're going to be just fine... no, more than fine! Get ready to impress yourself again!

I'd been having a little aching in my R heel for a few weeks before the race but I wasn't focused on it or worried. I mean, when you're training longer and harder than you ever have, it's reasonable to expect a few body parts to complain here and there without it having a negative impact on your training or

overall health. That was true until the Wednesday before the race. I ran an easy 3 in my Hoka Bondi's that day. I bought these Hoka's about 6 weeks ago thinking they might be a nice recovery shoe to use once a week or so with all these high miles I was putting in. They have exactly the same heel drop (4mm) and weight (9oz) as my usual trainers (Pearl Izumi M3) so it didn't seem like that much of a stretch to introduce the Bondi's. As it turns out, the extra cushioning in the Bondi's was in fact too much of a stretch (no pun intended!) for my R Achilles tendon. After only 40 miles in the Bondi's, a short 3 mile run in those shoes just 3 days before the Ultra pushed it over the edge. I was in so much pain the next day, I couldn't walk without a limp. I remember stepping out of bed that Thursday, sick to stomach as soon as my R foot hit the floor and a jolt of pain shot up through my Achilles. I iced, wore KT tape and compression socks all day and all night Thursday and Friday. By Friday night, it was still sore but my gait was no longer compromised. My heel was still swollen, but not as bad as it had been on Thursday. "You've just got to get through one more run and then you take all the recovery time you need", I pleaded with myself. Lesson learned: don't fix what ain't broke and don't change up your shoes in the middle of a heavy training cycle. DUH!

Race Day Eve
The Born To Run Ultra is a good old-fashioned, hippy-ish running event on a private working cattle ranch in Los Olivos, CA (just outside Solvang, north of Santa Barbara). No frills, no muss, no fuss. You come for the run, not for PRs or bling. There is no course map. The course itself is a figure-8. Each loop in the "8" is 10 miles and you pass through Main Camp at the end of each loop (so every 10 miles you're coming through camp). The elevation gain for the entire figure-8 was estimated to be about 2200ft. Nothing extreme by any means. I'd just run the Bandit 30K in February that had about 4500ft of ascent work and had been keeping up with some medium distance hill work since then. I was not worried about hills at all. Lots of people camped overnight, some for several nights. Camping and sleeping on the ground the night before a 31 mile run did not sound like a good idea for me personally so we opted for a real bed and 15 minute drive to the Start ("Main Camp") on race morning. Hubby and I stayed at the historic Pea Soup Anderson's Inn in nearby Buellton.

General shenanigans at Pea Soup Anderson's restaurant

We arrived Friday afternoon, picked up my bib and shirt, paid our camp dues for the weekend, and hung around the Main Camp area for about half an hour, just getting a feel for everything.

Shot of Main Camp from the Pink Loop (aka Loops 1 & 3 for me).

Everyone we ran into was super friendly. Although I felt like an outsider, we were certainly not treated that way. There was supposed to be a trail debriefing a 1pm but by 1:20 there were no signs of a debriefing about to take place, so we hopped back in the car and checked into the hotel. We needed to be back at Main Camp no later than 5am on Saturday.

Back at the hotel, I had a hard time sleeping. I was excited and nervous. By about 10pm, I just wanted to get started already! I tossed and turned...wondering how the run was going to go. It's been a long time since I ran 'further than I've ever run before'. What would I be like at mile 28, mile 29, mile 30, mile 31..... Tick tock tick tock. Damn I wish it was time to leave already!

After about 4 hours of what resembled sleep, I pop out of bed just before 4, have a quick shower, a small cup of coffee, a couple of mini homemade gluten-free pumpkin oat muffins and we're off for Camp! Hubby dropped me off and would be back in a few hours so he could sleep a little more and check out of the hotel. I'd see him again at Mile 20.

Camp was already buzzing with runners and smelled just like I remember mornings camping with my parents as a kid. The air was even a bit chilly! I made my way up the road towards the Start. The main stage was lit up. Runners were starting to congregate. The Race Director gets up on stage about every 10-15 minutes starting at 5:15, warning everyone that they need to be up and dressed like a distance runner by 5:45. Race time was 6am sharp!

Almost go-time!

We hear a few last minute instructions and reminders, including the fact that we needed to track our own loops. No one else was going to know which loop we were on so don't ask! We also raised our right had and recited the following oath: "If I get hurt, lost or die....It's my own damm fault!". Fair enough! And with that, we were off!

In Mile 1.

For the first couple of miles, my heel was really aching. On parts of the trail where the path was uneven, I could feel the unsteadiness stressing and stretching my Achilles. "If I have to deal with this for 31 miles, it's going to be a long freakin' day" I thought. I know how to solve that problem - put it out of your head completely and you won't have to deal with it at all! I dealt with severe IT pain halfway through my first full marathon in 2010 and was able to dismiss that pain for last 13 miles. I've been in this position before....I can manage it!

We came up on the first aid station about 2 miles into the run. I wasn't expecting one until mile 5 based on the race instructions. Bonus! I didn't need anything at that point so I continued on. My heel was warmed up now and the road was more like a flat fire road so it was easier to not think about the soreness and just focus on my surroundings and the run itself. The air is still cool and we even hit a little fog in a valley near mile 4:

Walking the steeper/longer hills early in the race. Save your legs for later!

By mile 5, I had pee....badly. But there was no aid station (with a porta potty) at mile 5 like I was expecting....so I used a tree instead. :-) I really had no sense of where we were which was kind of fun in a way. There were some long rolling hills but they didn't feel hard. I was keeping a slow pace and making sure I wasn't breathing hard. After a couple of steeper hills in Miles 5 & 6, we end up on the main gravel road that leads into Main Camp but we're going in the opposite direction. At Mile 7, we come up on the 2nd aid station. The sun is starting to come out and it's already feeling hot. I'd heard some water sloshing in my tummy earlier and backed off on drinking water. I stopped briefly to fill up the 20-oz handheld bottle I was running with. One of the volunteers is drilling holes in coconuts and giving out fresh coconut water and the "meat" to anyone who wants it. I'm not a fan of coconut but I do grab some dried fruit. There is also a huge spread of every kind of fuel and electrolyte-supplement a runner could ask for. Good to know since I'd be back here around Mile 27!!

We also passed this station around Mile 12.5 on the Yellow Loop.

There is a very long climb coming out of this aid station on the Pink Loop. Almost everyone I can remember is walking up the hill. I notice some runners coming back down the route and I realize here that the Yellow loop (Loop 2) must double-back here out of camp. After a nice long descent, we're back at Main Camp. "Just 1 loop to go and hubby will be here - and then I'll only have 1 more loop to do!"

We're directed by volunteers to pass through the timing gate on the other side of Camp (at our original Start) and loop back through Main Camp to hit the Yellow Loop. There are lots of people at their cars and campsites along the route here. Clapping, cheering..it's awesome and encouraging. I wasn't sure how I'd feel about the loops and coming through the ultimate Finish area like this, but I liked it!

I make my way back through Camp to the start of the Yellow Loop. Another steep climb awaits in Mile 10. Some of my patience for walking the hills is weaning and now that my Achilles isn't distracting me, I run more of the hills in this loop (initially).

It doesn't take long before I notice that the Yellow loop is much more challenging than the Pink loop. And it's getting freaking hot... but it is beautiful out here. We have a couple of long steep climbs that weave in and out of shade but some of the trail is very exposed to the sun and you just can't escape the heat. We even get a little single-track work in this loop and the views from the peak are fabulous:

After this single-track section, we traverse a steep descent and I realize we have somehow dropped down onto the Pink loop and we're coming up on the first aid station we passed at Mile 2.5. Oh good - there's a porta-potty there and in addition to needing water again, I need to pee! (I guess there's no need to question whether I was hydrated for this race!). I stop for several minutes here. I need salt and carbs. I grab some boiled potatoes and dunk them in salt. It tastes soooo goooood. I also grab a small square of a quartered peanut butter & jelly sandwich. With an empty bladder and a happy tummy, I set off in the opposite direction from when I'd left this area on the Pink Loop. It looked like a very long, sloping ascent in front of me. It was A LOT longer than I could have imagined. I wondered when it would end. I ran as much as I could and walked when I felt like I was breathing too hard. I remember a young woman passing me, looking so strong as she trotted up the sloping road. "Great job!" she said as passed. We were all encouraging each other at this point. Every person I passed or that passed me gave a shout or some signal of support. It was tough. There was a photographer at the end the climb. I joked with him that he needed a sign that said "You made it!". He laughed and said something about how he didn't know how we were all making it up there. :-) I look at my Garmin see I'm almost at mile 18. Only 2 miles to go to get back to Main Camp where Hubby would be waiting. Then I'd "only" have to get through the now-familiar Pink Loop and I'd be in the Home Stretch! We again double-back on the Pink Loop and take the familiar-looking long descent back into Main Camp. As I come around the corner, I go into high alert and instantly start looking for our car. Hubby is RIGHT at the start of the line of cars and supporters. Woo hoo!!!

This is such a landmark moment - one I've been waiting all morning for. He has fuel, water and Gatorade for me. I hang here for a few minutes telling him how much harder that Yellow Loop was. I let him know I'm feeling good but it's hot and this Pink Loop is probably going to take me more than 2 hours to finish. He reminds me not to rush - to enjoy every minute. RIGHT! I sip some Gatorade, he zips a Lara Bar into my fuel belt for me and I'm off for my last loop. There are already a few sections I'm recalling from the early morning on this loop that I'm not looking forward to - but I AM looking forward to finishing!

Running towards that first aid station we had come up on at Mile 2.5 was my next landmark. I was focusing on small segments at this point. Just get to the aid station. Then you think about getting to the next aid station at Mile 7. Then you'll only have about 4 miles to go! The hilly sections felt much different this time through. And at some points, it felt like a completely different course. What a difference 20 miles and the hot sun can make! I stopped at the aid station, had a little more food, filled my bottle with ice and water, threw a handful of ice down my sports bra and headed towards the next aid station.

Damn it was hot. I started struggling physically and mentally. Miles 21-24 were really really tough. I walked a lot. Then my Achilles started yapping at me. I pass a couple of runners, then a few pass me. Some of us are see-sawing with each up the long sloping sections as we "run when we can, walk when we have to". But we are all encouraging and checking in on each other.

I tried to relax as much as I could, reminding myself that it was normal for me to struggle mentally until about mile 24. Once I made it out onto the main road again, I knew I was close to that aid station that would signal my final approach into Main Camp was about to begin.....but that also meant a monster hill awaited me too. I took my time at that aid station. I was so hungry it was almost hard not to eat more...but I didn't want to have a tummy ache for that last 4 miles either! This time, when I climbed that big hill, I got my camera out and took a pic of both the ascent and a selfie:

Just as I'm starting to fret and obsess about my time and how much further I had to go, my Garmin dies from a low battery. I don't let it bother me. In fact, I take it as a sign I'm not supposed to be thinking about that right now. I've been on the descent part of the course twice now since both the Pink and Yellow loops merge as we come in Main Camp. I know that I just need to make it to the top of this climb and I'll be heading down to Camp, Hubby and the Finish!

The total ascent work for the 50K was about 1,000ft more than expected

Possibly due to anticipation of the Finish, I got a 3rd wind in descent to camp. I walked for almost 0.75 miles out of the aid station and my legs were ready to run now. I picked up the pace around mile 28 and didn't stop until I saw hubby again in Main Camp. I still had about 1.5 miles to go. "Husband!" I called out as a I rounded the corner. I couldn't believe how good I was feeling. I stopped just for a second to say "I think I'm just going to keep going". There was a 50K turnaround flag on the Pink Loop about 0.5 mile from the timing gate outside of Main Camp that I was anxious to get to! We agree to meet at the Finish and I'm off for that flag! I have butterflies in my stomach as a I round a corner and finally see it:

Only 0.6-ish to go!!!

I took one more walk break after circling the flag, just to be sure I would be able to run all the way into Camp and through the timing gate one last time. I feel emotional and tear up but the shock of finishing is almost too much to actually cry.

I pass by a few cars and campsites. They know based on the direction I'm headed in that I'm just about to Finish. More cheers and words of encouragement from other runners and spectators. Where is that damned finish line?!? Then I see it....the timing gate and hubby waiting for me. Holy shit. I did it....I'm doing it....this is IT!!!!! There's a volunteer with a cowbell cheering me into the timing gate so I don't pass it. YAY!!! I'm DONE!!!

The amulet around my neck is the homemade Finishers "medal"!

This is one of my favorite race experiences of all time and although the timing won't work out for me in 2015, I'm planning on coming back in 2016! Who knows...maybe I'll be ready for the 100K?!

2014 LA Marathon Recap - It's a PR!!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 15 Mar 2014 22:47:00 +0000

For all my Beginner Runners, I should start this recap out by saying, "Do as I say not as I do". I PR'd on a day when I "shouldn't" have... no rest day the day before the race, no taper, in the heat [82F at the Finish], in the middle of a 50K training plan and at the end of a high mileage week [46 miles]. Despite all of it, I showed up energized and excited like I've never felt before a full marathon before. I knew it was going to be unusually hot this year (the last few years have ranged from stormy and rainy to overcast and humid) and with no taper, I was extra cautious about hydration and pre-loading on potassium and sodium in the 48 hours leading in to race day. I watched my pace and checked in with myself frequently as the heat rose. Am I drinking enough? Do I need more fuel? Is it time for electrolytes?

Everything went "right" on a day almost everything could have gone wrong. After finishing 12 marathons now (14 attempts overall), I know when it comes to the Marathon, you have to respect the distance. No matter how well you trained, no matter how strong you feel at the Start, everything can change within a short time but if you know how to push the risks just right, you might find yourself with a pleasantly unexpected (but well-deserved) PR!

Let's get to the race!
______________________________________

This year, the LA Marathon fell on the same day Daylight Savings Time began. Let's face it, as bad as it may sound to have one less hour of sleep the night before a race, for many runners it simply means one less hour of tossing and turning on a night we aren't really sleeping much anyway. The event organizers did a phenomenal job of reminding us via emails and signs at the Expo exit. I think there were additional reminders in the race program too. Come Saturday night, I wasn't concerned about setting clocks ahead because I was using my cell phone alarm and that would be updated overnight by the satellites or whatever magic happens with our electronic devices. I set the alarm for 2:45a giving me one hour before hubby and I needed to be in the car and on our way to Santa Monica. Our shuttle time to Dodger's Stadium [race start location] was 5am.

I tossed and turned all night as usual, not wanting to look at the clock, at the same time wondering how much more time I had until the alarm went off. At one point, one of our cats wakes me up with his cute little face pressing into my cheek. Hubby is already up. Maybe I should check the time. 1:46a. Still another hour to go.... But wait. 1:46a. That means it's really 2:46a, right? Why isn't my alarm going off? Why hasn't the clock jumped forward.... Then it hits me. Guess which hour of the day doesn't exist every year? 2-3am on the night Daylight Savings Time starts. My alarm wouldn't be going off until Monday morning at 2:45a. Time to get up! Just as all these space-time quantum physics anomalies are aligning in my sleep-deprived, pre-marathon brain, hubby comes walking in and says "Are you up?" Me: "Yep. Shelby just woke me up". Hubby [laughing]: "You know what I just figured out?" Me: "That 2:45a was never going to happen tonight?" Now we're both laughing.....

I make some coffee and a bagel with homemade cashew cheese. My gear check bag is already packed. By 3:50a, we're off to the shuttle pick up location. We make it to Santa Monica by 4:30am but it takes another 25-30 minutes to actually get to the parking lot because the off-ramp and city streets were jammed (for this race, you pre-pay for parking online a couple of weeks before race day). We were in no rush. Of course, in true Vera style, I had to pee already. There were plenty of porta-potties near the shuttle pick up spot on Main St and no line. From there, we jump in the Shuttle line. There are more buses lining the street than I can see or count. The line moves quickly and within 5-10 minutes, we're on a bus to Dodger's Stadium. Weather-wise, it was already feeling warm. It was 65F when we left the house and 58F in Santa Monica at 5:00am. The expected high in Santa Monica was 82 in the mid-day sun.

We arrive at Dodger's Stadium just before 6am. Hubby and I start snapping photos as soon as we exit the shuttle and a photographer grabs another of the 2 of us:

Arriving at Dodger's Stadium

Me and hubs

Of course, it was time for me to use the porta-potty again so we head of for sea of Porta-Johns just outside the Stadium. The ballpark is open and a lot of runners hang out in the park before it's time to be in the corrals. I was meeting up with a friend at 6:45 so we didn't head for the stadium this year. Opting instead to stay in the parking lot. The lines for the porta-potties were still short so I was in and out and pretty quickly. There are bagels, bananas and water available for everyone and I grabbed some extras for hubby to eat and for me to throw in my gear check bag so I'd have them at the Finish. I eat a banana, have a few sips of water and it's almost time to head for the corrals. I drop my gear check bag off at the UPS truck, take one last porta-potty stop (yes that's 3 now for the morning - hello coffee and nerves!), a good luck kiss for hubby and I'm off to find my race buddy for the day by the NutriBullet stage.

The corrals were closing at 7am so my friend and I tuck into Corral E (the last seeded corral) which wasn't very full. Within just a few minutes of the corrals closing, they let the unseeded corrals in from the back. Many of them just pushed and shoved their way past us to get up ahead as far as they could. I really don't see the point of having the seeded corrals if they aren't going to be enforced 15 minutes before the gun time.

On a brighter note, the sunrise was spectacular. "Everyone" had their phones and cameras out taking pictures. Here's the one I snapped:

The little speck in the sky near the center is a local news station helicopter.
The orange banner in the distance is the official Start.

By now, the Elite women have already started and the men are soon to follow (I think the women's lead time was 17 minutes and change). Our official start time was 7:25. The Mayor comes out to say a few words of encouragement, including his excitement about the 2016 Marathon Olympic Trials that will take place at this event in 2016 (I can't wait for that either!). The horn goes off and we slowly move forward. It only takes a few minutes to get to the Start mats and we're off!

I had a race plan to stick with based partly on a strong finish I had here last year where I was able to run the last 5K straight through at a slightly faster pace than the first 23 miles. My goal was to feel just as good at 23 miles this year as I did in 2013. Here was my plan:

Run the first 13 miles at a 10:45 pace using 3 min run/ 1 min walk intervals
Run the next 10 miles (@ 10:45 min/mile) by walking 1 min at each mile marker (run 1 mile / walk 1 min)
Run the last 5K straight through at a 9:30-9:45 pace (or whatever I could handle)

My friend and I decided to run through the first mile without walk breaks because it was pretty crowded and we were running at slower pace. There are a few steep downhills early on here and you want to be careful not to overload your quads by speeding down hill. I turned on my interval timer just after Mile 1 and we stuck to our 3:1 intervals through Mile 5, holding a pretty consistent albeit slightly faster than planned pace at about a 10:30 min/mile. Somewhere between Miles 5-6, we started dropping every other walk break so now our intervals are 7 min run/ 1 min walk. There are a couple of steep hills between miles 5-7 so our pace slows a little and there are a couple times when we revert back to the 3:1 intervals but by Mile 8, our pace is back to a consistent 10:30 min/mile.

Early miles - maybe Mile 3 or 4? I can tell because I'm still holding the water bottle I had at the Start.

The first 10 miles have gone by pretty quickly. Somehow we were managing to escape the sunshine thanks to a light cloud cover but that would soon fade as we approached Hollywood. And I have to pee again. The lines for the porta-potties have been at least 8-10 runners deep along the course so far...too many for me to want to stop. I spot a row in Hollywood just after mile 11 that few runners have noticed and there's no line! I let my race buddy know I gotta go and he waits on the sidelines for me. I'm in and out in less than 90 seconds but it drops our Mile 11 pace to 11:47 overall. I'm not worried. We're still on track for a 4:45 finish. At Mile 13, we change up the intervals to 1 mile run/1 min walk. Somewhere close to Mile 14, my friend tells me his lower back is bugging him and he needs to walk and stretch for a bit, and probably slow down for the rest of the race. I check in with him to make sure he's going to be okay on his own (he just ran his first 50-miler 4 weeks ago - woo hoo for that!). He assures me he doesn't need me to stay with him. I'm on my own to face the last half of the course and the looming heat.

By this point, I've had a few fuel sources. A Honey Stinger gel around mile 5 and 3 Margarita Cliff Shot Blocks (because they have 3x sodium) around mile 10 I think. I started alternating water and Gatorade at the aid stations around mile 10 - the sun started breaking through the clouds in Hollywood and by the time we hit West Hollywood, the heat had arrived. I grabbed a few pretzels and downed some water at the Mile 15 (or 16?) aid station and pressed on.

While there is a nice downhill stretch coming out of West Hollywood, I know there is a long climb coming up between Beverly Hills (Mile 16-17) and Century City (Miles 18-19) with very little shade. Here's the elevation changes so far:

I started to get in my head a little through Beverly Hills. The 1 mile run/1 min walk intervals are feeling fine but I'm fighting "feeling" the heat. The asphalt is heating up and it is radiating back up on my face. I've seen a couple of runners down on the course already, people are starting to breath heavy and I'm losing focus. This is no time to fall apart, Vera. You've still got a climb coming in Mile 18 that is going to be really hot in Century City and the VA Center after that. Keep it together, girl!

Mile 17
(Asics "Support Your Marathoner" board in the background)

So... ya....it is effing hot and shade is non-existent. I think a few spectators and groups saved me through Century City. Pretzels, oranges, more water.... I even saw one group of kids with a Mom pouring Gatorade into runner's water bottles. Some groups had ice. It was tough to get through. I wanted to walk more and did when I knew I should have more water or sugar (mostly in the form of oranges and pretzels at this point). Although it seems like I'm slowing down, my watch is telling me otherwise. I'm right on target. My slowest mile between 17-20 is 10:40 min/mile. The struggle I'm having isn't physical, it's mental.

For some reason, I decide to grab a caffeinated Mocha Cliff Shot at the aid station just before Mile 20. My marathon brain thought it could use the caffeine to boost my mental state. I didn't have all of it...more like 3/4 of it. Firemen had turned on a fire hydrant just after Mile 20 and I made a b-line for the spray as soon as I saw. Damn that water felt cold and SO GOOD. More of that, please! There's a group that is always handing out beer shots just before the VA center. I see and hear their enthusiastic cheering and I know the last of the hills is right in front of me. Hang in there Vera...stay strong. 2 more miles with hills and it's time to cruise to the ocean.

The VA Center is about what I expect it to be. Heat, hills, groaning from other runners (and the voice in my head), lots of support from vets and the staff along the route which is such an inspiring sight. A couple of people are at the base of the last steep hill with spray bottles of cool water and a reminder that this is the last big hill. Finally I'm up and out of the VA, turning the corner into beautiful (but HOT) Brentwood with it's tree-lined, shaded streets. Unfortunately, the trees weren't providing much relief from the sun directly overhead but it did feel good not to be in the direct sunlight at times.

My face is really on fire here and I'm doing everything I can mentally to ignore it. That caffeinated Cliff Shot is not sitting well and I'm having a little GI distress. Nothing you can't manage (or ignore!) Vera. One more mile until you get to 23 and it's only a 5K from there. Focus. Focus. Focus. There are a lot of runners walking now. I'm tired but I'm still strong, passing more people than are passing me. Miles 22-24 are on a straight-away for the most part (San Vicente Blvd) but there are a couple of slightly rolling hills until you get to 23.5 miles. I can feel that it's not time to push hard yet. I slow for water. I'm feeling thirsty which is unusual for me and I'm not taking any chances of getting dehydrated when I'm so close to the Finish.

I reach the Mile 23 marker and I'm ready to try to push to the Finish.....even if I need to take a couple of short unplanned walk breaks for water or Gatorade. I stick with the plan to speed up and drop the regular walk breaks. My Garmin is nearly 1/2 a mile ahead of the mile markers by now but I can see the Mile Markers in the distance. Just push to the Mile Marker and walk for a 15 sec if you need to. Don't give up. You're on track to PR! I make it to 24 but I'm barely holding onto my planned race pace.

I pick up the pace again. My left hamstring is not happy with me for slowing down and it takes me a couple of minutes to shake it loose. Let's go Vera - it REALLY is "all downhill from here"! The crowds are out in full force. I see a couple more runners down in the middle of the road being attended to by Medical teams with what appeared to be cramps and heat exhaustion. I silently thank my hamstrings and calves and pat myself on the back for doing a good job with my hydration plan. The GI discomfort has subsided and I'm getting a 2nd (maybe 3rd or 4th?!?!) wind. I hear a couple of spectators yelling out to us that we're only a few blocks from the ocean. I remember thinking "When is it going to cool off already???"! The adrenaline rush drops my pace even further and I'm managing to hold a sub-10 pace through the Mile 25 marker.

At Mile 25, we're on a downhill slope and the Pacific Ocean is in view. NOW it's time to push - GO! My breathing is getting more rapid and heavy than I've ever heard it during a marathon but it doesn't feel unmanageable or like I can't handle it. My pace pops from 9:30 min/mile to 8:30 as I open up my stride and allow myself to surge ahead. The Finish line comes into sight with just 1/2 a mile to go.

I manage to push a little harder in the final quarter mile to an 8:20 pace and hit the Finish mat with an official time of 4:42:32 - a 5 minute PR!!!

Damn that was a great race! I've PR'd here the last 2 years in a row. The course really is amazing...probably in my Top 3 of marathons I've run so far, 2nd only to New York. My race buddy stayed strong and was able to finish...and so did Hubby!

Hubs with his medal

I know we'll be back year after year for this race. With a Start at Dodger's Stadium and a Finish at the Santa Monica Pier, how can we say no?

2013 ING NY Marathon Part 3 - The Race Recap!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 29 Nov 2013 16:14:00 +0000

I parsed my NY Marathon experience into a 3-part series. This is only the race recap (Part 3).

To read Part 1 (The Expo and Marathon Eve Dinner), click here.
To read Part 2 (Getting to the Start on Race Day), click here.

This recap is going to be a little different than the way I've presented race recaps previously. Most of the story is told in pictures interspersed with my thoughts as opposed to a play-by-play narrative. So if it seems like I'm jumping around a little, I probably am! I've tried to capture the highlights as best I could. :-)

Before I start, I had some hamstring weirdness on Thursday before we left CA. To the point where I almost had to end my final taper run after only 20 minutes because of the pain. I decided there would be no running Fri or Sat for me and tried to put it out of my head. The last thing I needed to worry about was some random taper pain BS.

Race Strategy: I usually use 3 min run/1 min walk intervals when I run marathons, but on race day, I had this strong desire to RUN (plus it was freaking freezing). I didn't question it. This was my NY experience - just go with it! I ran straight through the first 3 miles although I slowed considerably a few times depending on the density of runners around me and some short purposeful slow downs to keep my pace in check. Hamstrings were cold and cramping right from the Start. There was a moment around mile 5 where I thought I might not get through the first 10K because of the pain, but it was really just a fear I was having. I kept working with it. Staying positive. Reminding myself to stay relaxed. Once the water stops started appearing in Brooklyn near mile 3, I slowed to a walk for 30-45 seconds every mile (which is how often there were water/Gatorade stops on the course). Around mile 8 or 9, I had a little freak out about how little walking I was doing and thinking maybe I was just asking for trouble later on but I didn't let those thoughts bother me. Whatever Vera. Look around you..... you're running the NY marathon!

"You don't have to train tomorrow".

I really want to take a moment to acknowledge the spectators! The crowds were absolutely amazing. They were 3-4 people deep for miles and miles and miles. They don't care that you don't know them. You're running and loving the city they live in with pride! Woo hoo! I saw some really funny spectator posters. Many of which ended up on this hilarious post from BuzzFeed: The 35 Best Signs From the NY Marathon. I wish I would have seen the Breaking Bad ones! I distinctly remember the Poops Only sign (#23 on the list) because it was early in the race, around mile 4 I think (I remember thinking "oh it's going to be one these kinds of crowds - GOOD!" I felt old when I saw all the Ryan Gosling posters and thought "why would anyone care about that guy?" Haha.

It's been hard for me to describe to people who ask just how much energy and power the NY crowds were giving out to marathoners that day. It's nothing like I've ever experienced in my life, race course or other setting. There is a sense of togetherness or maybe it's oneness and the most unbelievably inspiring and joyous spirit. Like everyone is there to hug the runners as they move through the crowds. Seriously. There is nothing like it.

Something I was not prepared for was the impact of the long straightaways on 4th St through Brooklyn and 1st Ave (Upper East Side to Harlem). Endless mass of runners for miles in front of you. It really wears on you to run straight for soooo long. It's funny because I didn't give it any thought or consideration. Lesson learned! :-)

Brooklyn here we come!

View of Manhattan (left) from Verrazano Bridge

Coming into Brooklyn was amazing! I can't wipe the smile off my face and I'm already choking back tears. There are cheering crowds EVERYWHERE! Live bands are playing in several locations along 4th Ave. Security was so so so heavy. There must have been at least 4 or 5 police officials every block or so. All of the side streets are taped off and the intersections are loaded with security.

Brooklyn, Near Mile 3 at 87th St/4th Ave.

A random memory I have of running through here: Girl in front of me asking a street cop where we were. "Brooklyn Heights" he says in a classic Brooklyn accent. I remember hearing the subway from the street. The brown median in the pic below here covers the subway. It just struck me as something different that I definitely don't hear on a regular basis. Probably not even a second thought for people who live here! :-)

Near 4th Ave & Atlantic Ave in Brooklyn (just before mile 8)

Mile Marker 9.

There were quite a few porta-potties just before the halfway point (Pulaski Bridge) so I took a quick 90 second break here.This bridge crosses over the Long Island Expy, landing us in Long Island City.

Mle 13. Pulaski Bridge towards Queens. Halfway done already????

47th/Vernon in Queens, approaching mile 14.

Hitting Mile 16 on the Queensboro Bridge.

The Queensboro Bridge was tough. Asphalt is pretty tore up. A bit of an empty feel to it made more difficult by the fact we'd been running through with thousands of spectators cheering us on for 15 miles by this point. Runners are starting to get tired and breath heavy. Lots of people walking here. Runners stopping to take pics of the East River. It was a gorgeous view to the South, but my phone and my camera were almost dead and I wanted to be sure I had enough juice for a few pics through Central Park and maybe a couple more at other places closer to mile 20. I wondered if I might regret not taking pics for the blog and maybe I do a little but I really just wanted to get off the bridge. I could feel it draining me mentally.

This is one of those unexpectedly taxing long turn-less stretches I mentioned. You can literally see the sea of runners for 3 miles ahead of you from here (1st Ave). Fuel stop along this stretch around mile 18.

1st Ave in Manhattan, coming up on the Upper East Side

The spectators along 1st Ave give no indication of letting up or even that they've been standing there longer than 30 minutes. I'm in awe. You guys are out here just to cheer on the runners? F*ck yeah, Spectator Supporters! Maybe that's the sign I'll run with from now on!

Random memory: Couple with shirts announcing they are running in celebration of their 50th wedding anniversary at the end of the Willis Ave Bridge as we were entering the Bronx. This was also my first sighting of a runner down. I also overhead a cop encouraging a woman to continue. "You've gone 20 miles already! Ya' gotta keep goin' now." Agreed!

Jumbo screen at Mile 20.

I typically struggle between miles 19-22. This race was no different. My legs were feeling pretty tired so I kicked on my interval timer and started using 3 min run/ 1 min walk intervals regularly. I knew it would help my physical and mental state to start taking regular walk breaks. There are no pics of Harlem but I thought the parts we ran through were beautiful. The volunteers and spectators were super friendly and supportive through this section. There was a small choir singing for us at the corner of 138th St/5th Ave as we were coming off the Madison Ave bridge. The wind was really starting to kick up as we ran up 5th Ave through Harlem towards Central Park.

Overhead a runner near here yell out "I can smell the horses. That means we're almost there!" LOL. She was right. It did smell like horse manure all of a sudden. So if you find yourself running the NY Marathon and you smell horse crap, the end is near! ;-)

I turned my phone back on at Mile 24(I had to turn it off to save the battery around mile 8) to see if Hubby made it to the Finish. I had a text from him earlier that said no one was being allowed near the Finish so he was going to try and find a place along the course where he could see me. Our original agreement was that I would text him at mile 25 so he would know when to look for me. His newest message said he thought he was at Mile 25. I get to Mile 25 and I don't see him. My spirits drop a little. Damn. What if I missed him? I keep scanning the crowds, hoping to catch him. Finally, after what seems like 3 miles but was really only 1/2 a mile, I see him, yelling out enthusiastically to runners as they passed by him. He doesn't see me yet (but I know he's looking for me in a yellow shirt and I never got rid of my red long-sleeved shirt). "HEY" I yelled out as I ran up to him. "You're so busy yelling at everyone else, you're going to miss your wife!". He finally sees me. Our eyes lock and I'm instantly in tears. I want him to run the rest of the way with me but that is obviously not possible. And I have no idea how long it's going to be until I see him again since I don't really know what's waiting at the Finish. A quick kiss and I'm off.

And now the moment I've been waiting for for 4 long years.... The Big Finish!!! The camera battery was basically dead by this point so I was frantically trying to snap as many shots as I could. Only a couple came out with any clarity but here it is!!!!

I snapped this selfie once I crossed. I promise I did not actually carry that woman in pink in my hat for the whole race. ;-)

And here's my submission for cheesiest freaking post-race picture ever in the history of finisher photos. LOL I distinctly remember thinking "Vera, don't crinkle up your face. Hold back and take a normal picture". As you can clearly see, there was no holding back here. It just wasn't physically possible to contain my happiness and excitement.

Getting out of the Finishers area is a LONG HAUL. We were given a pretty nice recovery bag with fuel and hydration and a mylar blanket to help keep us warm but damn, I was SO COLD. So now my muscles are tired, I'm shivering like crazy and my feet hurt so bad all I can think about is getting to Hubby and getting off my feet.

While the Finish line is at 67th St in Central Park, we had to walk all the way down to 77th before we were permitted out of the Park (runners with checked bags had to walk even further). Runners who chose the No Baggage option had pink bracelets we were told to wear on race day so Race Officials knew to let us out of the Finish area "early". Much to my displeasure/dismay, "Early" did not mean "Soon". By the time we got to 77th where we could exit out onto Central Park West, I had already stopped to sit down for about 5 minutes. I had to get off my feet. This meant sitting on the ground because there was no place for us to sit. Hubby was at the Family Meeting area which started at 67th St so I knew I had almost another mile to go before I'd get to see him.

Once we were on Central Park W heading back towards the Family Meeting Area, I was hearing volunteers announcing something about warm parkas up ahead. Then I saw some other runners wearing these big orange things. My first thought was "I didn't see anything about those during registration so I probably don't get one because I know I didn't pay extra for it". Luckily, these parkas were being given to all the Finishers (I just wish they could have been handing them out earlier in the Exiting process). I saw the tables where they were handing out the jackets, walking up to a volunteer who was so so so sweet....she wrapped me up tight and secured to velcro for me and pulled up the hood. Instant warmth. OMG. This is exactly what I needed. I think I stopped at a bench to sit down for a couple more minutes. Hubby was texting me to just take my time but I just really wanted to get to him so I didn't let myself sit for too long.

Image Credit

Finally, I get to the 67th.....but the Family Meeting Area starts here with the letter Z. Hubby is standing at L. I told him later that night that had a I known they were going to go backwards with the alphabet that I would have asked him to stand at Z! I'm not sure how much farther down I had to go, but seeing the "L" sign was like finding Nirvana. Our journey of course was not over because we still had to take the subway and walk back to the hotel!!

We snapped a quick pic in the Subway station before the train got there. It was fun to see all the other runners walking around the city that night in their bright orange parkas!

The walk back to the hotel from the subway station was long and cold but we made it. And enjoyed a vegetarian version of our first ever NY Pizza!

So there you have it! My first NY Marathon experience. All I can say is.... I LOVE NY!

2013 ING NY Marathon Part 2 - Getting to the Start on Race Day!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 23 Nov 2013 15:45:00 +0000

If you missed Part 1 (the Expo and Marathon Eve Dinner in Central Park), click here! I decided to separate my journey to the Start from the race recap because getting to the Start is a marathon all on it's own! :-)

Once we were back in the hotel room Saturday night, I laid out all my gear and packed plenty of snacks/fluids to take with me to the Start Village. I chose the "No Baggage" option so I would be able to exit the Finish area sooner. We were given special clear plastic bags we were allowed to pack our personal items in but that bag would not be transported to the Finish. Since Hubby was meeting me at the Finish (and I know myself well enough that I would only be focused on getting to him as soon as possible when I was done), there was no reason to check anything. Everything I brought with me would either be donated, carried with me on the course, or eaten.

Since it was going to be close to 40F that morning (and windy!!!), I wore a fitted short-sleeved shirt to keep my core warm, 2 long-sleeved shirts, shorts and an old pair of sweats I didn't mind tossing into the donation pile! I also had gloves, a hat and a BondiBand to cover my ears. For snacks and hydration, I packed water, Gatorade, and a Cliff Bar and a Balance Bar (not knowing that would be plenty of opportunities to buy food and fluids on my journey to the Start Village). I also had a hand-held water bottle and my fuel belt that I would take with me on the course itself. NYRR does not allow Hydration packs or vests on their courses since the Boston bombing earlier this year. Not to worry - there would be water stops every mile on the course after mile 3.

Okay, I'm packed and ready to go. Time for bed.

I tossed and turned, watching TV until about midnight. It was the excitement and thoughts about being a part of it all that kept me up. "I'm running the NY marathon tomorrow. I'm actually here. This is happening. I'm running the NY marathon tomorrow". Over and over and over these thoughts were running through my head. I wasn't nervous about not finishing or my time. Since this was my first NY marathon, my first time running around the city and because I'd run a 7 hour marathon with a beginner from our Galloway group just 3 weeks prior, I had to take the time pressure off of myself. My only goal for this race: Enjoy the Hell Out of Yourself.

Once I fell asleep, I was able to stay asleep for the most part. Set two alarms to go off at 5:30. Showered, dressed, kissed the hubby (while fighting back tears) and made my way to the Subway station. NYRR strongly recommends using official marathon transportation to get to the Start on Staten Island. Getting the most out of this experience was really important to me so I chose to take the Ferry from the Whitehall terminal in Manhattan. Boy was I glad I did! What a unique way to get to the Start!

The subway ride would only be 20 minutes but what a hilarious ride it turned out to be. The station I got onto the train from was only about 5 or 6 stops from the ferry terminal so there was already standing-room-only when I boarded. Within a few stops, we were packed in like sardines with more and more runners jamming themselves onto the train. I heard several jokes about needing "shovers" like they have in Japan. Haha. I'm not sure it would have helped. I've never been up close and personal with so many stranger's armpits in my life. Thank goodness everyone seemed to have taken a shower that morning! As it turns out, only the first 5 cars can fit in the Whitehall terminal station so anyone who wasn't in the first 5 cars before we approached the terminal wouldn't be able to get out. The train operator was great about making it very clear that you needed to de-board and move up to one of the first 5 cars. I think everyone made it. Luckily, I was already in one of those cars so I didn't have to try to fit in anywhere else.

We arrive at the Whitehall terminal just before 7am. My ferry time was 7:30a. My Wave start was not until 10:55a. Plenty of time! I was elated to see the Ferry coffee shops were open and there were plenty of places to sit (and bathrooms - the line got a little crazy at one point but not too bad overall). I had a feeling I should take advantage of opportunities to sit where and whenever I could. I grabbed a coffee, plopped myself down in a chair, ate my Cliff Bar and took in as much of the energy as I could. Security was present, but not scary or overwhelming. The ferry boarding process was easy and organized. I watched the 7am group board, then the 7:15 crowd..... my group is up next!

Boarding the Ferry. Security presence is getting heavier now.

I knew the Ferry ride was going to be about 30 minutes but I wasn't sure what to expect when we got to Staten Island. I decided to stand so I could take pics along the way. The Statue of Liberty was visible the entire trip. We had 2 boat escorts: the police and the Coast Guard. The Coast Guard boat was the scariest because it had a huge upright machine gun on the bow.

Viewing highlights from the ferry:

Whitehall terminal

Coast Guard escort

Statue of Liberty as seen from the Ferry ride

It is much colder and very windy on Staten Island. Runners who did not have to be at the Start early were hanging out in the terminal here to keep out of the cold. Even though I'm on Staten Island now, I still have no idea where the actual Start is relative to where we are or how we're going to get there but at least I'm surrounded by other runners! Most if not all of the smaller restaurants and delis were open. Runners were sitting anywhere there was open space it seemed.

Unloading from the Ferry. I was wondering when and where the crowds would start assembling!

This didn't last long. NYPD and Homeland Security came through and asked most everyone to stand up.

I'm starting to feel like maybe I could use the restroom before leaving here. There must be a regular bathroom....where could it be? Oh I know. Looks for a big ass line. The line starts off looking like it's a straight shot into the restroom but no..... first you have to pass it, then make a U-turn....then you're facing the right direction again.

Bathroom lines in the Staten Island ferry terminal

Since it was only about 8:15a at this point, I still have plenty of time to hang out and stay warm. I think I waited in line for about 45 minutes. By the time I got out, the women's line was even longer. Maybe an hour.

Okay, on to the next step! Where the hell is this Start Village anyway? I follow my fellow runners out the door and see another line leading to an endless line of buses. More standing. More waiting. And it's f-f-f-f-freezing! Thank goodness I brought a mylar blanket with me. Despite the layers I had on, the gloves and the ear cover, the mylar blanket shielded me from the wind perfectly. The wait to board the buses was about 20 min. I think it was about a 20 min drive from here to the Start Village.

Line forming for the buses that take us to the Start Village. Buses are lined up along the street.

De-boarding the buses near the Start Village:

NYPD is lining the street here (everyone in dark colors on the far left)

Bag searches and metal detectors. A sign of the times in this post-Boston era. :-(

Making our way to the Start Village - finally!!

Approaching the Start Village.

As we approached the Start Village, I could see the Wave 3 runners heading out across the Verrazano bridge but I still couldn't see exactly where the Start was. There were quite a few tents set up in the Start Village so I wandered over to see what was happening there. Dunkin Donuts was handing out orange/pink beanies, maybe donuts and coffee too? There was a bagel tent (it was 10am now so I grabbed one to eat since I was feeling a little hungry and just one hour from my start time!). I also saw tents giving out Gatorade, water, tea and coffee.

View of the Verrazano Bridge from the Start Village

Just as I'm starting to wonder when I should head for the Orange flags (this was my Wave color), a voice comes across the very loud PA system. It's time.......

Since I wasn't exactly sure what the corrals would be like, I decided to dump the personal belongings I wasn't going to be running with which included leaving my sweats in an assumed donation pile. I make my way down a side street lined with Orange flags. The excitement and anticipation I'm feeling is almost indescribable. Don't cry Vera....Keep it together! This is it!!

Walking to the Orange wave corrals/staging area

Orange wave corral staging area.

Entrance to the Orange corrals, organized by bib number.

Once we stepped beyond this entrance, we were actually in the corral which was looking this!:

We start moving forward, make a left towards the bridge.....almost there now.

Last reminder of the course in case you've forgotten by now?!?

There were buses scattered all over the place here. I'm assuming this was for both security and runner wave organization purposes. There is a helicopter flying overhead continuously and spotters on raised platforms.

Stepping onto the bridge now!!!! (That's the toll booth in the background. $14/car? Yikes.)

I'm still not 100% sure where the actual Start is here but all of the sudden, we swing out to the left and BAM! We made it!:

By this point, friends and family are sending me texts. I'm so overwhelmed by the whole thing and that I'm finally standing at the Start of the ING NYC Marathon, I almost don't want to the start-cannon to go off (which we were warned about several times as being loud and completely normal!) because I just want to sit in this energy for a little while longer.

Okay runners...... last chance for gear and wardrobe adjustments. 3....2...1..... GO!

To Be Continued in Part 3 - The Race Recap is coming soon!

2013 ING NY Marathon Part 1 - Expo & Marathon Eve Dinner

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 19 Nov 2013 18:42:00 +0000

Yikes. How does time pass so quickly? It's hard to believe the NY Marathon was over 2 weeks ago already! I guess it's time to get these recaps posted before the memories completely escape this aging brain of mine. :-)

I was accepted into the 2013 ING NY Marathon on Guaranteed Entry through the lottery system. I first entered the lottery back in 2010, the same year I ran my first marathon at Walt Disney World. I knew this race was a big deal in the running community back then but only from an observer's point of view. Each year, the marathon came and went, and each year, I was not accepted. When this event was cancelled in 2012 due to Hurricane Sandy, it never even occurred to me that the New York Road Runners would be able to accommodate 2012 and 2013 participants with the 2013 event. In fact, after 3 years of trying to get into the race, I didn't even apply for 2013. I was shocked when NYRR emailed me in May to find out if I would be registering under the Guaranteed Entry program. Uh..... YES!!!! And so my journey to the Start began.

Hubby and I arrived in NY Friday night (race day was Sunday). I've been to the City one other time in my life. It was a whirlwind 36 hour business trip that left me hungry to come back. This would be hubby's first time here. Our hotel was on the outskirts of Korea Town, just a stones throw from Madison Square Garden and the infamous Macy's on 34th St. Here's a view of the Hotel Stanford from a double-decker bus tour we ended up taking later in the trip. How funny that the tour drove right by it!

The Expo was a short 15 minute walk from our hotel. I was totally unprepared for the crowds or the line to get in!

I was so excited to pick up my race packet. As soon as I stepped inside, a rush of emotions washed over me and it was all I could do to keep from crying. I almost didn't let hubby take this pic of me holding my bib because I thought I was going to lose it right there on the Expo floor.

After packet pickup, we hit the Asics booth to see what kind of race merchandise was still available. Of course, since it was nearly noon and the Expo would be over in 5 hours, there was hardly anything left for Women that wasn't an XS. Here are a few other highlights from our brief time at the Expo.

Hubby and Summer Sanders at the RW booth

Me and Bart Yasso at the RW booth

Hubby (in red) at the FDNY and Burn Center booth.
The retired firefighter on the left was on the cover of a magazine, standing with former Pres G.W. Bush right after 9/11.

We headed back to the hotel so I could rest up before the big Marathon Eve dinner in Central Park near the Finish line. I have made mistakes in the past when traveling for races where we have walked around waaaay too much in the days leading up to the event!

Going to the dinner would serve as a dress rehearsal for Hubby since he would be meeting me at the Finish after the race. NYRR sent out a link to a public transportation website where you can enter your Start and End location and it will provide you with several options (subway, bus, etc) and approximate travel times. We were less than a 10 min subway ride from Central Park! Of course, we had to take pics since this was our first ride on a NY subway together!

When we first arrived, the line to get into the tent was humongous and we almost bailed on it completely. If not for the fact we paid $40/ea ahead of time, we probably would have found someplace else to eat. But I'm SO glad we hung around. We got in line, stood there (moderately frustrated with pre-race anxiety!!!) for about 10-15 minutes when a couple randomly walks up to Hubby and me to tell us they have VIP tickets we can use to just walk right up to the front of the line and skip the waiting. Whoa. Really? We thanked them profusely and headed to the main dinner tent.

The tent was hopping with loud music and energized runners! Security was tight of course. Everyone and their belongings were being searched before we could enter. Once we were inside, enthusiastic volunteers served us some salty but otherwise delicious salad and a couple of pasta varieties. Four other runners joined our table - two of whom we learned had never run a marathon before; NY would be their first!

Marathon Eve dinner tent in Central Park

After exchanging marathon and training stories with our dinner buddies, we headed back to the hotel, snapping more "marathon support" pics around the city including a big banner across the Macy's building on 34th St and the Empire State building that was bathed in orange and blue lights that night in honor of the race!

With my body and mind fueled by the spirit of the marathoners at dinner and the city, I knew I was as ready as I was going to be. Time for sleep. Tomorrow is going to be one of the biggest days of my running life!

To Be Continued.......

2013 R.A.D 10 Miler with Race Guards!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 08 Oct 2013 23:48:00 +0000

I have wanted to run this local race for several years but it just never worked into my schedule quite right. I lived about 7 miles from the park where the Start/Finish is traditionally held for 7 or 8 years. In fact, this is basically where I got my start becoming a distance runner back in 2007. It's also in the same city where our very first Galloway half marathon group ran their first half marathon together in early 2011.

When I saw that I had an opportunity to experience the course as a Race Guard, I knew this was the year I'd been waiting for all along. The Santa Monica Mountains and Malibu Hills, while extraordinarily beautiful, include some extraordinarily tough hills. This time of year is also typically very warm and dry, made even more intense by the infamous Santa Ana winds. Let's see - big hills, heat and strong gusts of wind - yep, I want to be there to help!

Long story short, the race directors pulled off an amazing, last-minute relocation of the Start/Finish due to the government shutdown. This race is usually based out of Paramount Ranch (a National park). This year, it started and ended at Malibu Creek State Park and the course was slightly adjusted to accommodate the change.

I took a shuttle from the Agoura/Calabasas community center to the Start just before 6:30am. Parking was a breeze and the shuttle ride was short and sweet. I arrived early to meet up with the Race Guards team but I was supposed to meet them at the Finish, which none of the park staff or volunteers could direct me to from the Start.

An unassuming and calm Start (1 hour before race time)

After a few minutes of panic and a quick conversation with another runner who did know approximately where the Finish was in relation to the Start, I finally headed off to find the Race Guards tent. I've run 4 races with this organization this year and they really are an exceptional group of runners and triathletes! Since this was a small event (both in attendance and the fact that the 10K route was just a shortened version of the 10 mile route), we had a smaller team than usual. How awesome is that backdrop?!?!

2013 RAD Race Guards Team

After a group meeting to review emergency procedures, potential runner issues and course hazards, we all headed back up to the Start where the runners were already lined up and ready to go!

Here's the course we were in for! Check out those first 3 miles. Yowza!

Good thing I've been doing some regular long distance trail running these last few months. I was pleasantly surprised at how great I felt on the hills. Granted, this is a completely different race experience. I'm focused on other runners when I run with Race Guards - I listen to their breathing, watch their facial expressions and body movements.....always on the lookout for signs of trouble or just signs that someone could use a mental boost. "You look awesome on this hill!" "Almost to the top - you can do it!".

Just before the race started, the announcer reminded everyone running the 10-miler about the Outlaw Mountain Showdown. This was a contest to see who could run up Outlaw Mountain (extending between Mile 1 and Mile 2 markers) in the fastest time, per age group. The prize was a "commemorative shirt". Seemed like a good way to encourage people to blow out in the first 2 miles but I also understand the intent which was to provide some extra motivation to get up that big incline! We're runners..... anything for a t-shirt, right? :-)

The first quarter of a mile was mostly flat as we headed out of the park and onto Las Virgenes Rd before making a quick left on Mulholland Highway. We wouldn't see anything resembling a flat road again until Mile 9 when we were almost back in the park.

"Outlaw Mountain" between Miles 1 and 2

While the 10K runners turned back at Mile 3, the 10 mile route continued West towards Malibou Lake (yes Malibou, not Malibu!). The Pacific Half Marathon course runs around this lake so I have had the privilege of running through this area a couple of times in the last 5 years. It was as beautiful as ever, despite that nasty headwind at Mile 5. I do want to mention how much course support was out there in addition to us Race Guards who were running the course! Plenty of water stops, awesome and encouraging volunteers and at least 1 Sheriff every couple of miles. Impressive!

Malibou Lake - In Mile 5

Some small sections of the course were shaded but for the most part, we were baking in the sun from about 2.5 miles in.

On the way down, over looking the Finish. Nearly at Mile 8.

In Mile 8 on the way back down Mulholland.

The last mile of the course took us onto a hard-packed dirt trail. Nothing narrow or technical but it did have a short steep hill that I paused on to make sure the runners around were doing okay. By this point, we'd been running for nearly 2 hours in very dry and hot conditions. I'd already walked with a couple of different runners and walkers by this point who were tired and just seemed to need a little encouragement to finish strong.

And now for the big Finish!:

So there you have it. This really was a great event!!

Happy Racing!

Ending the Streak on a High Note

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 17 Sep 2013 22:05:00 +0000

My 2nd run streak (112 days!!!) officially came to an end on Sunday, following Saturday's amazing 7 hour 26.5 mile run up and down the Southern California coast between Pacific Palisades and El Segundo (and back!) with an incredible group of women training for their very first marathon. The decision to end the streak weighed heavy on me yesterday - but the need to recover from what turned out to be the longest run (from a total time perspective and almost in total distance) I've had in my running career thus far, weighed even heavier. This streak began on Memorial Day as part of the Runner's World 2013 Summer Challenge but instead of ending on 4th of July, I challenged myself to make it longer than 50 days, then 100 days, then the "#RunTillFall" challenge came around.... I was really trying to continue the streak through the first day of Fall on 9/22. But alas, I ended it a week earlier. I recently posted a blog on The Art of Streaking. One of the major points I made in that post had to do with knowing when to say when. Specifically, "be willing to end it at any time". I knew the hardest part about this streak would be deciding when to stop. I wanted it to be a decision not a 'must' because of an injury. The streak was meant to keep my love for running alive - to get into the habit of doing it every single day....for a finite period of time. Surely I would get a sign from something or someone - and I needed to stay open to that idea so I didn't miss it and wind up hurt for days, weeks or even months because I just HAD to run 1 silly mile on a day when I knew my body wasn't up for it.

Saturday marked the last long run for our remaining Galloway group marathon members - 26 miles! I know what you're going to say: "Why do you ask beginners to run 26 miles before race day? Isn't 20 miles the 'normal' last long distance run before a marathon?" In short, yes, 20 miles is typically the longest run most beginners will do before tapering 2-3 weeks prior to race day. In the Galloway programs, we have members run 17, 20, 23 and 26 miles, with 3 weeks of recovery (via 6-7 milers) between each of these distances. I know it seems like a lot to ask but with ample recovery time between the long runs, we see tremendous growth in our runners' confidence levels.

Image credit

The experience they gain on these days (physical, mental, nutritional) goes such a long way on race day. At first, there is apprehension and uncertainty - and by the end of the 26 mile training run, there is joy, confidence and excitement about race day!! I am so very proud of 3 women who have hung on through this 30 week training program - including one of our amazing pace group leaders who not a year ago said to me "marathon? me? no way." She finished her longest distance ever with us on Saturday, all while supporting another beginner marathon along the way - imagine THAT!

Since we were doing an out-n-back on the Marvin Braude Bike Trail, I gave our group the option of running the full marathon distance by adding 0.2 miles to the planned 26. That was met with a resounding Yes! In the

Image Credit

end, we ran even further than that - 26.48 miles total. Lots of crowd weaving on the way back as the Venice Boardwalk and Santa Monica pier pathways were filled with people, many of whom were likely enjoying the foggy, misty cloud-covered day, escaping the 95+ degree valley heat that day. We couldn't have asked for a more perfect running day. The sun came out in the early morning hours, perfect for lighting our early start. As soon as we turned around in El Segundo, the fog we'd seen off in the distance over the ocean rolled in and brought a heavy mist with it. Just what we needed for the last half of our run! We really did have an awesome morning and afternoon out there. Yes it took us 7 hours but we all finished with big smiles on our faces! Of course, we threw our shoes off and walked out in the cold ocean for a natural ice bath before heading home. What a day!!

I've thought about wearing different shoes when I know I'm going to be running much slower (in this case, more than 5 min/mile slower than my marathon race pace) because I don't think my Pearl Izumi Streaks are intended for a 7 hour run, no matter what the distance is. They have a comparatively low heel toe drop and because I have to change my gait to slow down and I'm walking a lot more (this is a 1 min run/1 min walk group), these long slow group runs can take their toll on my body. Specifically my hips, calves and lower back. I was pretty sore after sitting in the car for the 50 minute drive back home. I didn't do much for the rest of the afternoon or evening. Sleeping on Saturday night wasn't fun. Not only is it freaking hot around here, my body was becoming increasingly sore and even turning over in bed was difficult. By the time I rolled out of bed Sunday morning, I was pretty miserable. My lower back was going into random spasms. I couldn't push off from from toes on my right foot because of outer calf pain. All the while, I'm thinking to myself "I still have to keep the streak alive".... or do I?

Runner Confession Ahead: This might be a good time to add that I completely missed the 23 mile training run with this group because it fell the weekend before the Disneyland Half. Hubby and I split the distance between us that day - I ended up running the last 10.5 miles with them. This means I ran 26.5 miles six weeks after running 20 miles (too long in between long runs!) and only 13 days after PRing at the Disneyland Half (1:47) - and I had been running every single day for 111 days leading up to this 26 miler. And I'm transitioning into the new Pearl Izumi EM Road M3 shoe which has only a 4mm heel toe drop. That's a pretty big difference from the 10mm drop in my Izumi Streaks and while the transition is going well, I've been feeling it in my calves.

I couldn't get the streak out of my head all day Sunday. Should I? Shouldn't I? Just give it shot Vera. What if you start running and all your discomfort goes away? What if it goes away for 1 mile but in the aftermath you're out with an injured back for a month? What if you can't run with your group for the first marathon? What if you can't run the NY marathon because you just HAD to run a mile today? It was those last 2 questions I was really focused on. All this training, all this time - I've been trying to get into NY for 4 years! Yes I could still show up to the Long Beach marathon and show my support for our Galloway members but that really isn't good enough for me. I want to be IN it with them - experiencing every mile.

Hubby was great about it of course. He watched me have this internal debate/mental implosion all day....even offering to take me out and help me get through the mile after the sun went down if that's what it would take to keep me going. A huge part of me was saying "just do it! you've got the support - just go!". But honestly, in the 112 days leading up that moment, there was NEVER a moment where I didn't want to run. On this day, I almost hated running. Not. Good. Still waiting for a sign Vera? THIS IS IT.

2013 Disneyland Half Marathon Race Recap

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 04 Sep 2013 00:06:00 +0000

Another Labor Day weekend, another Disneyland Half Marathon in the books! Our race weekend started on Friday this year. I took the afternoon off so hubby and I could drive down to the Expo a day earlier than we usually do... only to be SO SO SO disappointed in the enormous crowds. We could barely move beyond the front doors because the line for race merchandise was weaving all around the entryways. Ridiculous. It was as if all 20K runners decided to show up at the same time. Someone told me the line got up to 3 hours. To buy a shirt????

Clearly, Disney did not account for the 8K+ runners and their families who had certainly arrived a day earlier for the 10K or Dumbo Double Dare challenge. I was instantly regretting not buying something with "Coast-to-Coast" on it back in January at the Disneyworld Marathon Expo. Hubby and I decided we would come back the next day after we checked into our hotel to see what was left. I'll spare you the suspense.... there was NOTHING left late Saturday afternoon except some Disneyland Half Marathon shirts. Thanks. I've got plenty of those! We did have a nice lunch in Downtown Disney Friday afternoon and even saw Jeff Galloway hurrying by the cafe where we were sitting. Hubby yelled out to him and he slowed to yell Hi back.

Our race day alarm went off at 3:15a Sunday morning. I rolled out of bed and got myself into the shower. We wanted to be out the door at 4:15 so we could be in the corrals by 5am. I made it into Corral A this year and my corral would be off and running at 5:30a. A little coffee, a mini pumpkin oat muffin (I'd made a fresh batch on Saturday and brought them to the hotel with us)....and we were off to meet my sis-in-law at the race tents before we all retreated to our respective corrals.

Me and hubby - Pre Race

Me and sis-in-law, Erika - Pre Race

And with that, we all wished each other a great race, said our good-byes and headed off to the corrals. Corrals A and B were barely filling in. C looked like it was getting crowded already when I walked by. I walked through B, feeling like people were staring at me, wondering who the hell put me with the "real" runners in A. Ah, Self Doubt - rearing it's ugly head 30 minutes before the Start. Nice.

I step into Corral A and now I'm wondering who the hell put me in here with these "real" runners. I can see the 1:50 and 1:40 Clif pace groups forming a little ahead of me. I thought about positioning myself in between the two pace groups since my goal was 1:45 so I could use them as a gauge along the course of how I was doing but that seemed like more pressure.

View of the Start from Corral A

Hubby was in Corral C which was looking like this before the Start:

Hubby's view from Corral C

I heard from other runners after the race that the later corrals (D-G) were overflowing with participants. So much so that they were being forced into other corrals because there wasn't enough room. I'm sure Disney will get this figured out before the 2014 race. They never cease to amaze me with how well they adapt organization plans to fit the crowds. The first year of any new race is bound to present unforeseen challenges and I think that's just what was happening this year with the Inaugural Dumbo Double Dare.

The Disney race announcers come out on stage. Local celebs who are running the race get up and say a few words of encouragement to everyone. Corral A was pretty quiet - except for the 2 girls next to me who were screaming "'N Sync forever!" and "I'm coming for you Joey" when Joey Fatone was on stage. That got some good laughs but I think we all just wanted to get going already. Now I'm definitely noticing it's hot and sticky but I don't even want to go there in my head.... Time to move!

National Anthem, fireworks, countdown.... 3...2...1... GO! And we're off.....

Joey Fatone Image credit

About 3 or 4 minutes in, I see Joey Fatone immediately to my right. He was putting an earphone back in. I hollered "Go Joey" as I passed by. People seemed to be leaving him alone. I think he had a couple of people running on either side of him to keep him isolated from the masses. One of the announcers had asked him what was harder: training for Dumbo Double Dare or keeping the 'N Sync Reunion on the VMAs a secret. He laughed, hesitated a little and then admitted keeping the reunion a secret was harder. lol

As usual, the first 5K goes by way too fast. I'm feeling pressure not to take my walk breaks even though I'd practiced and planned on using 4 min run/ 0:25 sec walk right from the Start. We are all going so fast and are right on top of each other for these first few miles. As I pass the 1:50 pace group on Katella Ave, I hear the leader saying "I can respect people who want to walk, but they shouldn't be starting in this Corral". A little part of me wanted to whip my head around and say "Oh really, it's okay that I can maintain an 8 min/mile pace while walking every 4 minutes, but it's not okay for me to start in the same corral as you because I don't accomplish the time goal in the exact same way you do?" Since I was already in my head about all the "real runners" around me, I kept my mouth shut and my spirits up. I'll show him - "watch me finish this race before you WHILE WALKING."

Because I wanted to stay with the flow of runners and not have to pull way over to the side, I decided just to slow to a jog for those 0:25 sec breaks for the first few miles through the parks. Once we got out on the streets, I could break away from the crowds much more easily and feel more like I was able to do my own thing.

Park highlights: The World of Color lights and the music were amazing...almost peaceful in a way. I still haven't seen that show! Cars Land was so awesome with the backlighting on the mountain and all the neon signs that I actually yelled out "Awesome" as it came into view. Last year, my friend Charlene and I ran through here together, oooh-ing and aaah-ing at the scene. I was really wishing she was there with me again in that moment! Hubby snapped a pic with his phone (it was much darker when I went through):

Entering Cars Land in CA Adventure

From CA Adventure, we run into Disneyland, up Main Street, hang a left into Adventureland, then through Sleeping Beauty's castle, another left into Tomorrowland and within a very short time, we're back on the streets of Anaheim.

I hit Mile 4 on Disneyland Drive, just outside of the park. So far, my Garmin and the Mile Markers have been almost dead on with each other. Now that we're on streets, I'm focusing on settling into a manageable pace once I'm on the other side of the freeway overpass just ahead. It's time to start taking regular walk breaks. My breathing is a little heavier than I wanted at that point and I know I need to find a way to relax a little now that I have some room around me! It's good to get out of the parks from a heat perspective. The narrow pathways with high walls in the parks traps in body heat and makes it harder to breathe.

Miles 4-8 are filled with spectators, cheerleaders, marching bands and classic cars. All wonderful! What isn't wonderful are the boring streets with the looming sun threatening to break through the thin layer of clouds. Stay focused. Stay focused. Push. Push. Push. These are the things I'm saying to myself. A few times when I'm walking, other runners are encouraging me to run. I know they don't know these are planned walk breaks so I smile and thank them. :-) I thought about having a fuel at 5 miles (45 min), then at 6 miles... but I don't have anything because I'm not feeling like my tummy can handle it. "Bah, you don't need it. You had Honey Stingers before you started. Just keep going". Uhhhhh... okay, whatever. This should have been my first clue I might have been working a little too hard in that heat.

At mile 8, we're in the Honda Center parking lot. I think there were more classic cars here but I might not be remembering that correctly. What I do remember back from about mile 7 or so are all the classic car owners and their spouses, friends and family members. Everyone was SO NICE and extremely supportive. THANK YOU for coming out! What a treat!!! :-) Anyway, back to mile 8 - I know we're about to hit that damn Santa Ana trail/bike path. I really do wish there was some other way to get us to Angel's Stadium from the Honda parking lot. Now I know I really need to have that Gu because once we're off the trail, we'll be at the Stadium, which means the home stretch is almost here! Not to mention, I'm starting to think negatively and I'm struggling to maintain my pace. These are both huge signs that I need fuel. I decide to just have a little bit at first to see how it sits. I seem to do okay with it so I continue to consume little portions over about a 6 minute period. At least it's giving me something to focus on other than how much I freaking hate this part of the course. There was a small section with loose, chunky gravel that was tough to get traction. The path is super narrow and isn't closed to the public. It feels like a big unnecessary crowded mess every year and this year was no exception.

The good news is we were really close to Angel's Stadium as soon as we popped out of the trail. After a
short distance through the parking lot, we hit the 15K mat just outside the ball field. Then for some reason, I decided to do something different and hit the Lap button on my Garmin. In that moment, I was thinking I wanted to see what happened with my pace and mental state since we were A) about to hit the baseball field and a cheering crowd and B) I'd had that Gu w/ 20mg of caffeine about 6-7 minutes earlier). The crowd inside the stadium was bigger and louder than ever. I had chills running down my arms and legs as I ran by thousands of Scouts (girls and boys) and their families yelling and screaming for all of us from the stands. The Angels announcer was on the field, reading off some of the runners names and their hometowns over the loudspeaker. The Jumbo Tron was on but I forgot to look for myself - I was too distracted by that awesome crowd! One thing I did hear the announcer say: "Mile 10 is just outside - you're almost there!" YES!!!!!

The sun was out and these last few miles are mostly out on the streets again as we head back towards the parks and the big Finish, close to the Disneyland hotel. Although it's early in the morning, that sun is feeling HOT. I'd been drinking a little water at every other water stop, pouring half of it over my head to keep cool. I grab more water just outside the stadium and try to get myself focused on my plan for the Finish. I know I am close to my PR time and that I'm within striking distance of beating it, but not by the 3.5 minutes I'd hoped and trained so hard for. I didn't care - I just wanted to PR at that point. "Even if you hit the same time as last year, it would be an improvement with this heat". Stop making excuses and RUN Vera. You can still beat that time! Don't quit. Don't give up.

I love brain tug-o-wars in the middle of a race.

I hear my Garmin beep and without even thinking to look at it, I assume that means I'm at mile 11 already and start to speed up. I hear this voice in my head saying "wow that last mile went by so fast!" - again, not looking at my Garmin. My breathing is getting too heavy and too rapid - and where is that damn Mile 11 marker? I finally look at my watch and notice that I'm at 10.66 miles. DAMN. Hitting the Lap button at the 15K mat threw everything off. I kicked too early. I slowed to a walk... it would be the second to last walk break I'd take until the Finish line.

For the next 2 miles I am trying to throw in short surges as my legs would allow it, but looking back at my Garmin data, it looks like those surges were really just keeping me around a 7:45 min/mile pace. With a quarter of a mile left to go, I'm at 1:45 and I know I can cross close to 1:47 if I can just hold this pace a little longer. LET'S GO Vera - what are you waiting for????? I give it one last kick at mile 13 to a 6:40 min/mile pace. I can see the official clock is close to 1:48, but I'm not sure how far off my chip time is. I barely remember that final stretch - the only thing clear is seeing the finish line and knowing I was going to PR. I crossed with a minute to spare: 1:47:32. I was happy but a little disappointed too. I worked so hard for 1:45 and it just wasn't going to happen that day. I didn't realize how completely soaked with sweat I was until I started wringing out my running skirt to keep it from sticking to my legs. Gross.

These were my official splits and results:

Place	Name	Bib	Age	Div Place	Gender Place	5k Split	10k Split	15k Split	Clock Time	Net Time	Hometown
464	VERA LORDAN	503	40	18	107	25:13	50:17	1:16:13	1:48:32	1:47:32	SIMI VALLEY, CA

A post race/PR selfie

I looked up my 2012 results (F 35-39) to see how they compared to this year (F 40-44) since I turned the big 4-0 in February. I did improve my overall stats:

2013 results: 1:47:32; 18/1,354 AG; 107/10,008 G; 464/15,847 Overall
2012 results: 1:48:39; 22/1,242 AG; 171/9,340 G; 689/14,825 Overall

I was so happy to be able to spend time with my buddy Charlene in the Finish area while we were waiting for our hubbies. She ran all 3 races (5K, 10K, Half Marathon) and walked away with some major bling - 4 medals! Hubby and I ran Goofy's Challenge earlier this year so we also received an extra medal for completing the Coast-To-Coast challenge!

Disney knows how to bling!

On a side note, the dropout rate seemed particularly high this year. I don't know if it was the heat or too many over-zealous runners and walkers???

From the results page: 15,847 finishers (10,008 F/5,839 M) which means 2K runners who were registered for the Half did not cross the finish line. Whoa. My sis in law, who started in corral F and finished around 9:45am, said it was literally as if people were passing out all around her. I finished close to 7:20a I think, with a 5:30a Start. Runners in the last couple of corrals wouldn't start until 6am or later. In 80 degree weather.

Lastly, here are some other fun facts about this year's event and a link to runDisney TV's video recap!

http:

2013 Disneyland Half Marathon Weekend By The Numbers

Registration

5,300 are registered for Dumbo Double Dare

8,400 are registered for the 10K (includes 5,300 in Dumbo Double Dare)

5,000 are registered for the 5K

1,500 are registered for Kids Races

Celebration

17,800 Runners are registered for the half marathon

14 is the age of the youngest runners in Dumbo Double Dare and the Half Marathon

81 is the age of the oldest female running Dumbo Double Dare (and oldest runner for the overall weekend). The oldest male is 80 years of age.

460 Legacy runners in the Disneyland Half Marathon

4,700+ Running for their Coast-to-Coast Medal

- See more at: http://disneysportsnews.com/2013/08/26/2013-disneyland-half-marathon-weekend-by-the-number/#sthash.PrhtesEM.dpuf

Yummy Vegan Summer Salads!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 28 Aug 2013 15:44:00 +0000

This past weekend I tried a couple of new recipes from the Vegan Mainstream Cookbook Club I've been participating with for a few weeks. There is already a new recipe challenge posted for this week but I haven't gotten to it yet!

Last week, Ricki Heller was the featured chef for the Google+ Hangout Live Chat. One of the recipes posted was a Roasted Potato Salad with Avocado Pesto. I didn't have every item the recipe required but I think my substitutions worked well - hubby and I ate the whole batch over a 2.5 day period!

These were my substitutions and revisions (Note: this is not the entire recipe - only my additions/revisions!):

Salad:
2 sweet potatoes (recipe only called for 1)
2 c. cubed celeriac (instead of adding 2 red potatoes - lower carb option )
1/2 medium white onion (I didn't have green onions)

Dressing:
1/2 avocado (instead of a whole avocado - lower fat option)
2 tsp dried basil (I didn't have enough fresh basil)
2 T fresh parsley
1 T cashew 'cheese' (homemade by me - add to increase the creaminess of the dressing since I wasn't using a very soft avocado and only used 1/2 the recommended amount)

This is what the dish looked like in the end:

The next salad I tried really blew my mind from a food pairing perspective: Grilled Peach, Courgette & Walnut Salad. First I had to look up what a courgette was because, from the picture, it looked like a regular 'ole zucchini. And it was! :-) Easy to find...and even easier to cook!

For color, I added some yellow squash. I didn't measure the parsley and mint exactly. I used closer to 1/4 c of the parsley and 3 T. of fresh mint. I also added 2-3 T of cilantro. I just loved how the texture of the peaches and zucchini went together and let me tell you how wonderful those grilled peaches tasted. YUM! I think I'll try adding a little more fresh mint to this recipe next time (but I really love mint - this may be plenty for most cooks!).

Our Sunday lunch was now complete!!!:

I'm already looking forward to making both of these salads again!

6 Days 'Till Disney!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 26 Aug 2013 22:38:00 +0000

I can't believe race day is so close now.... just 6 days until the Disneyland Half. This was my very first half marathon back in 2007 and I've run it every year since then. Historically, this has been a good course for me to PR on. I know it can be very crowded in the first few miles - this is especially true if you are starting in Corral D or later. But in my experience here, as long as you're in C or higher, you've got an awesome shot at PRing on this very flat and fun course! For the first time, I was placed in Corral A which means we'll be crossing the Start very close to 5:30am - and done by 7:15; well before the sun is out in full force. Our weather has been heating up these last few days but if I believe the weather reports, we are looking at 80F tops on Sunday and maybe even seeing a little cloud cover. YES!!! Now if I can get the stars and the moon to align just right, we're 'all systems go' for a possible PR! :-)

To Do: Freaking Chill Out!

Work stress has been over-riding my PR stress the last week. I don't know if that's necessarily a good thing but it's taken my mind off the PR pressure a little and maybe given me some perspective too. I'm taking the afternoon off on Friday to drive down to the Expo a day earlier than usual. I need a new runDisney hat since I lost my mine and since we usually wait until Saturday afternoon to pick up our packets & bibs, the good stuff is pretty much gone. Hubby is going to drive down with me and we'll find a spot to have lunch in Downtown Disney, take in the sights and enjoy some people watching. Like I told him, I just want to go down there and relax in that environment before race day. Soak up the excitement but chill out and get ready to get my head in the game too. It's going to be an awesome weekend!

We have several members in our Galloway program training for the Long Beach Marathon and they had a 23 mile training run this past Saturday.Since hubby and I are both racing the DLand Half, we decided to split the miles up between us. He ran with the group for miles 1-12.5. I met them at mile 10 with fluids and then again at mile 12.5 with more fluids and fuel. Hubby took the support vehicle home and I stayed with everyone through a very hot hot hot end to a very long long long run! I am happy to report though that everyone made it the entire distance and I couldn't be prouder! One more long run of 26 miles in a few weeks and they'll start their taper. Exciting!!!

During this 10.5 miles, I tested out a new pair of Pearl Izumi's: the EM ROAD M3. Now granted, I was running about 4-5 min/mile slower than when I run on my own but it was still a good test distance. It seems like PI has stopped making the Streak available and this new Project E Motion series is their next big line. I have such fantastic luck with PI shoes that I knew I had to try them. The run went really well and my initial impressions are nothing short of positive and optimistic. I'll post a review once I get about 100 miles on them. That seems to be the mileage when my body tells me to accept or reject a new model via strange aches and pains or bruising. I did get a raw spot on the base of my big toe on my left foot but that might have been the result of a) running a long-ish run in brand new shoes and/or b) compromised foot fall or form from running/walking much slower than usual.

On Sunday, I noticed my calves were a little sore and that is definitely not normal for me, especially after a slow 10 miles. When I checked the PI website, I found the culprit: this shoe only has a 4mm heel drop compared my PI Streaks which have a 10mm heel drop. I'm so glad to know this early on so I can be careful about how I transition into this new model. I don't want to blow out my achilles or cause other issues by trying to run too far or too fast or too often in these low heel drop shoes before my body is ready for it. I have learned this transition lesson a few times in my running career: Proceed with caution!!!

When Speed, Distance and Cauliflower Collide

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 19 Aug 2013 22:32:00 +0000

You know that week on your training schedule that you look at weeks or months ahead of time and think "how am I going to be able to do that"? That was last week for me. The final week of my peak training cycle before tapering for the Disneyland Half. In addition to keeping the run streak alive, I had my last true speed work session and a long run planned. Over the last 2 months, I've been building on my 800's. Starting with 6 x 800 in June, adding 2 additional repeats every couple of weeks until the max 12 x 800 session scheduled for last Thursday.

I realized just how tired my legs were after nearly falling on my face 2 or 3 times on the 9 mile, 2000 ft ascent trail run I brilliantly concluded would be a great addition to my last big training week of the summer. Instead of kicking off the week feeling refreshed and ready to tackle the week, I barely eeked out 1 mile on Monday (the big trail run had been on Sunday). Tuesday was a little better: I managed to hold a 9:30 pace for an hour. I tried to stick to my plan of running 5 miles on Wednesday but cut it short at 3 miles. My hips were still pretty tight and my quads weren't feeling as light and loose as I'd hoped the day before the 800's!

I was super anxious about the speed work. The 10 x 800 workout was very difficult.With a 1:44:30 time goal (7:48 pace) for the Disneyland Half, I have been running my 800's in 3:45 (7:30 pace). My brain tried to convince me to quit after the first 4. "You'll never make it to 10". But I did make it even though I thought I might fly off the back of the treadmill near the end. But that didn't happen. I also didn't puke or die which
were on my list of things to fear about this workout too. So when I stepped onto that 'mill last Thursday, I was ready for anything. Come on Brain, bring it. I've got an arsenal of mental tricks ready for the counter-attack. As it turns out, I didn't really need those tricks. The first 4 went by pretty quickly. Before I knew it, I only had 4 left. Something new I've found about myself through this challenging speed work, I grunt when I'm pushing really hard for an extended period of time. Loudly. And my internal Coach voice makes herself externally audible as well. "Come on Vera!" "Push!" It's always a good sign when you can still talk during the workout, right? Anyway, I was happy when the workout was over and proud too. Not only was it the hardest speed work I'd ever done, it also marked the highest mileage I've ever done before work - 10.75 mi!

I had planned on taking Friday as another rest day (ie. "only" 1 mile for the streak) but when hubby asked if I wanted to run with him Friday night after seeing the new Wolverine movie, how could I say no? While I enjoyed the time with him immensely, it was the longest 3 miles of my life. My inner thighs were sooo fatigued. I couldn't believe how little energy my legs had in general. With 15 miles on the schedule for Saturday, I decided after that Friday night run to cut the Saturday long run back to 12 miles. Boy was I glad I did. The final few miles on Saturday were pretty tough. Thank goodness I was running with some of our Galloway program members who carried me through the distance! Now I can focus on some shorter distances, one more day on the trail, one more 11.5 miler with our group on Saturday and then I coast into race day on 9/1. I'm ready (almost)!

On the cooking front, I tried out some new recipes last night. I had planned on making Lentil Walnut burgers out of Dreena Burton's Let Them Eat Vegan cookbook but had to make a few substitutions when I realized I had no lentils. In lieu of lentils, I added mushrooms and 3/4 of a Gala apple. I also added about 1/4 c. more rolled oats than the recipe called for. Mushrooms are such a great meat alternative. They add just the right amount of texture and density to meatless burgers. I added the apple on a whim because I thought the sweetness would accompany the real star of our meal last night: Hot Cauliflower "Wings". I had been wanting to try a similar recipe that my sister sent to me a few months back but put it off when I saw that the cauliflower had to be deep-fried in oil.

The recipe I used from Evolve Vegan used a 2-step baking process and it was very easy to do! The one caveat I'll throw in here is the Wing sauce I used. Hubby and I made a trip to Whole Foods earlier than day (if I'd only known I was out of lentils!) and were unable to find a vegan option for wing sauce. The only Wing Time sauces they had included a little Parmesan. As hubby pointed out, there's probably not a big market for vegan wing sauce considering wings are from animals! D'oh! I guess I'm on the hunt for a vegan wing sauce recipe now - or maybe I'll just make one up. In any case, these cauliflower "wings" are THE BOMB. You must make them today. Right now even. Seriously.

The meal turned out fantastic and sooooo delicious. We topped our mushroom/walnut/apple burgers with a piece of Daiya swiss cheese and a couple of slices of an heirloom tomato. Of course, we couldn't forget the Ranch dressing for our "wings" ! I made this vegan & raw-friendly version. And yes, it tastes exactly like Ranch dressing.

Happy Meatless Monday!

Recipe Challenge: Dreena's Lemony-Cashew Basil Pesto

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 14 Aug 2013 14:49:00 +0000

So last night was the 2nd live online chat/Google Hangout for the Vegan Mainstream Cookbook Club. I was looking forward to this night in particular because Dreena Burton was the featured chef. Dreena is one of the professional chefs whose cookbooks inspired me to become a better and more diverse vegan cook. It was a really fun 40-ish minutes. The main theme was sauces and dips (in addition to herbs which is the overall August theme). She is very passionate about hummus - not just hummus, GOOD hummus. I learned that you can freeze hummus for several months. I don't know why I don't think about making bigger batches of these meals. Maybe it's because I'm enjoying the cooking aspect and the fact that everything is so fresh. There's something about freezing food that is unappealing to me (with the exception of chocolate and almond ice cream of course!). :-) I'm sure I'll get over it once the "newness" of this cooking-from-scratch thing is over - maybe......

Earlier in the day, the site posted her Lemony-Cashew Basil Pesto recipe for everyone to try. The live hangout starts at 5:30p Pacific time so I wasn't ready to start dinner yet but I did give the recipe a try that night since I had all the ingredients at home already. I regularly keep Cashew "cheese" (I guess some would say it's Cashew butter) in the fridge and that made this fast & easy recipe even easier! I included the full recipe from the Google+ site below.

I used about 1/2 c. of the cashew cheese I had in the fridge. This already had some lemon and garlic in it (which are also in this pesto recipe) but I did add more lemon juice, about 2 Tbl. I didn't have any dry mustard so I added 1/2 tsp of Dijon into the food processor with the other pesto ingredients. **Note: I excluded the oil completely. You can easily substitute water or even an equivalent amount of fresh lemon juice if more lemon is what you desire!

After about 1 minute in the food processor, it looks like this:

Just about any kind of pasta will go great with this pesto. I used tri-color veggie pasta. The picture posted with Dreena's recipe is more like spaghetti or linguine. I prefer to use pasta that will hold a little more of the sauce. :-)

Yesterday was also CSA pick up day so I quickly sauteed some delicious fresh yellow wax beans we received. And here's the final dish!:

Ready to give it a go for yourself? Here's the full recipe! If you don't have a high powered blender like a Vita Mix or a Blend Tec, you can either soak the raw cashews overnight (8+ hours) or you can boil them for about an hour. The idea is get to them as soft as possible before they go into your blender or food processor.

Happy Healthy Cooking!

Lemony-Cashew Basil Pesto (recipe and photo from +Dreena Burton's eat, drink & be vegan http://amzn.to/16yx1rR)

Traditional pesto takes on new life with this recipe. Cashews provide a buttery, creamy contrast to the tangy lemon juice and intense fresh basil. When basil is abundant, make double or triple batches, since this pesto freezes wonderfully.

•3–3½ tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
•1 large clove garlic
•¾ tsp dry mustard
•¾ tsp sea salt
•freshly ground black pepper to taste
•1 tbsp water
•2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil (optional, for oil-free version add 1-2 tbsp extra water)
•1 cup + 1–2 tbsp raw cashews (see note)
•2½–2¾ cups (packed) fresh basil leaves and tender stems
•½–¾ lb (225–340 g) dry pasta of choice (see note)
•olive oil (for finishing, optional)

In a food processor, combine lemon juice, garlic, mustard, salt, pepper, oil, and water, and purée until fairly smooth, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Add cashews and basil and purée until fairly smooth (may leave some texture). Cook pasta according to package directions. When almost done, remove about 1/2 cup of pasta water and reserve. Drain pasta (do not rinse) and toss with pesto, using as much pesto as desired (see note). If pasta seems too dry, add some pasta water, 1 tbsp at a time, until moistened to preference. Season with additional salt and pepper if desired, and finish with a drizzle of olive oil.

Cooking Notes from Dreena:

1) Use brown rice, quinoa, or other gluten-free pasta for a gf dish; use spelt, kamut, or other wheat-free pasta for a wheat-free dish.

2) Raw almonds may be substituted in part or entirely for cashews, just add extra water or oil to moisten when puréeing.

3) You can make this pesto in advance and refrigerate in a sealed container until you’re ready to cook the pasta.

4) This pesto also makes a dynamite sandwich spread or pizza sauce (or dollop on pesto as a pizza topping).

5) I like a lot of sauce on my pastas, but you may prefer less; use up to1 lb (450 g) pasta and add extra cooking water or oil to help distribute the pesto through the pasta.

Dear Diary 8/13

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 13 Aug 2013 17:29:00 +0000

Today marked Day 80 of the run streak! Wow. In some ways, it doesn't seem possible that 2.5 months have gone by already but there are parts of my body that would tell you "WE'RE FEELING IT". There is no doubt I am pushing outside my comfort zone but with less than a week to go before I start the taper for the Disneyland Half, I'm not letting up. One more speed work session of 12 x 800's on the schedule for Thursday, followed by a 2 part 15 miler on Saturday. As usual, I'm anxious about the 800's. I just have to keep reminding myself that when I did 8 of them, I wondered how the heck I was going to do 10. When I did 10 x 800s, I wanted to quit soooo badly after only 4, but I held on, kept believing in myself and my training program - and I did it! I know I can make it through 12 repeats but what I may not live through is the anticipation! :-)

Over the past weekend, my trail running partner and I hit a local 9+ mile route we hadn't done before. This route had us climbing 2,000 feet over the first 6 miles. It was spectacular! We didn't see another human until about an hour or so into our run.

Green Smoothie recipe of the week:

Looking for a great "Breakfast for Two"? Try this kale, mango, strawberry smoothie!

10 oz unsweetened vanilla almond milk

2 handfuls fresh kale

1 c frozen mango

2 c fresh strawberries

2 T ground flaxseed

1 c ice

I like to blend the kale and the almond milk together in my Blend Tec first and then add the remaining ingredients. Otherwise, the kale takes up too much room in the jar.

I'm excited for the 2nd meeting of the Vegan Mainstream Cookbook Club tonight in a Google+ hangout. Dreena Burton is the featured chef and she'll be talking about fresh herbs (the theme for August), spreads and sauces. YUM!

Winning!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 07 Aug 2013 21:42:00 +0000

Last night, while I was cooking dinner, I participated in a FitFluential #BeAmazing Twitter chat that was sponsored by Women's Running Series. Over the course of 1 hour, readers/Tweeters were encouraged to respond to 10 questions. As a result of my participation, I won a free entry to any 2013/2014 Women's Running Series events!! WOO HOO!! :-D I chose the February Half Marathon in San Diego because it is the closest to me geographically.

What was I cooking? A stir fry with these delicious morsels: http://www.traderjoes.com/fearless-flyer/article.asp?article_id=381 and a little brown rice, fresh bok choy and a purple bell pepper right out of my weekly CSA box. Tuesday is our weekly pick up day. YUM!

On the subject of our local CSA program..... I was interviewed on camera yesterday by the coordinator when I arrived to pick up our box. Underwood Farms is putting together a little documentary/promotional video for their CSA program and I wanted to show my support! After all, I did switch to this program after a disappointing trial period with Farm Fresh to You. Not only is the produce fresher with Underwood, it is truly supporting a LOCAL farming program. One of the farms I visit is quite literally a 15 minute drive from my house. Yes, Farm Fresh to You delivered to our doorstep but I'm so much happier with the variety and quality from Underwood that I think I can handle driving less than a mile to the home where our local pick up location is! I'm not very comfortable being on camera and I almost bailed out of it completely but I'm so glad I did it. If I have a way of posting the final video here when it's released, I will!

In other cooking news, I also participated in my very first Google Hangout last night. This is a once a week, 30 minute "hangout" for the Vegan Mainstream Cookbook Club community. It was awesome! I'm so excited to learn and share recipes with other home cooks. There are also professionals spotlighted and in attendance each week. Next Tuesday, Dreena Burton, will be the guest chef. I really love her cookbook "Let Them Eat Vegan". This week's Hangout was a Kick Off session. Only the 2 moderators were on camera. The remaining 300+ community members in attendance communicated via live chat by posting comments. The theme for the month is Fresh Herbs and for this week, every one is sharing their favorite smoothie recipe. Some chefs include herbs like rosemary and basil in their smoothies. Sounds delicious! I can't wait to try some new recipes this week!

My legs have been feeling pretty trashed this week and I've been frustrated with the slow recovery from our 20-miler last Saturday. Rather than try to run for a 3rd day in a row today (aside from 1-mile to keep the run streak going of course!), I tried a new online spinning workout from Spark People. One of my Dailymile friends turned me on to the site. I bought a spin bike about 18 months ago and while I like to jump on and do my own thing, I find that with activities other than running, I like to be a Follower! It seems more motivating to me. Does anyone else experience this too? Anyway, I tried the 25 minute "Stationary Biking Intervals" for beginners. The intermediate and advanced programs are similar in structure, but higher in intensity and longer in duration. Let me tell you, sweat was dripping off my face like a running water faucet after the first 10 minutes. I loved every second. I followed it up with 40 push-ups and was ready to start my work day! I'd really like to fit in 2 of these sessions every week. I think it will be easier to motivate myself to do it now that I have some help with the workout structure from Spark People. Cool!!

Happy Cooking, Happy Training, Happy Life!
Vera :-)

The Art of Streaking

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 05 Aug 2013 20:45:00 +0000

Today was Day 72 of my summer run streak - a continuation of the Runner's World 2013 Summer Run Streak. I'd seen lots of other runners on Dailymile and Twitter participating in run streaks but it wasn't until Thanksgiving of last year that I tried it out for myself. [Hmmm. Something just occurred to me. I obviously like to kick off new lifestyle habits around Thanksgiving. I went vegetarian the day after Thanksgiving in 2011.] The Runner's World Holiday Run Streak challenges athletes everywhere to run at least 1 mile every day between Thanksgiving and New Year's Day. I completed the challenge and actually hung on a few extra days, ending on Day 50 with an almost midnight run in Orlando, FL the night we arrived at our hotel in Disney World, 2 days before we started Goofy's Challenge. I didn't have any expectations or goals with the streak other than to listen to my body and give myself the flexibility to stop whenever it seemed "right". It happened on Day 50 the last time. I'm hoping to make it to at least 100 days this time around.

The first sign my current streak was in jeopardy came yesterday in the first half mile of a planned "easy 3-5 miles". We headed out to the beach with some of our Galloway marathon training members the day before (Saturday). It was a very slow 20 miles as I was running with our 1 min run/1 min walk group. It's a lot more walking than my body is used to and our overall pace was about 4.5 minutes/mile slower than my personal LSD pace. Runners often ask me how I can run so much slower for such a long time - and my answer is simple: these training runs aren't about me, they are for our members! My focus is their journey and their success. My role is one of support and motivation (ie. leave your ego in the car!!). A few of us cooled our legs and feet off in the cold Pacific Ocean afterwards. That feels SO incredibly good after a long run! I was tired, like anyone would be who covered 20 miles in 5 hours on their own two feet. A little lower back pain, a creaky IT band and some general stiffness but nothing alarming.

I didn't rush to jump on the treadmill for the easy 3-5 miles Sunday morning. I slept in past 5:30 (woo hoo!), had my coffee and cruised the Internet for a while. The stiffness was subsiding but running for 30+ minutes wasn't sounding like such a great idea. Just get on the TM and see how the first mile goes - that's the whole point of this streaking thing, isn't it? - I told myself. I walked for about 2 minutes and bumped my pace up to 5.5mph. I took the incline down to 0.0% (from my normal 1%) because it felt instantly tiring to be on any kind of incline. I stayed mentally flexible with the plan and decided to try walking for 30-45 seconds after every 0.25 miles run. After about 0.5 mile, my left hip joint started aching. Almost like I could feel the inflammation of tendons or ligaments. I slowed down my walking speed so I wasn't talking big steps that would over-stretch my hips. I hit STOP as soon as I made it to 1 mile. I know better than to push it (and sometimes I even know when to listen to myself!).

I had some fleeting thoughts I could run for an hour this morning since I "lost" a couple of miles yesterday, but thought better of it and held myself to a relaxed 4 miler at a 10 min/mile pace. I'm coming off 2 40-mile weeks in a row, not to mention I've been running a series of 800's for the last 5-6 weeks in preparation for a PR attempt at the Disneyland Half Marathon on 9/1/13. I was ready to pull the plug on the streak today if my run today was uncomfortable but alas, it was pain free and I actually wanted to keep going! I may push for a tempo pace on Wednesday but I'll play it by ear.

Is Streaking Right For You?
There is a delicate balance between keeping a run-streak going and training hard for a race. My advice is to WAIT to try your first streak until:

1) you have been running consistently for 4-5 days/week for at least 6 months;
2) run "only" 1 mile on every 3rd or 4th day
3) you know how your body reacts to over training;
4) you are willing to end the streak at any time.

A couple of thoughts I remind myself in the middle of a streak: No streak is worth an injury or missing a race goal over. The best thing about a run streak is that you can always start over or set a new streak goal. After all, it's YOUR streak and YOUR goals!

Happy Streaking!
Vera :-)

You're Vegan Now?

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 29 Jul 2013 16:13:00 +0000

....What on Earth Do I Eat? Any thing that grows from the Earth! :-) As part of my blog reboot, I'm going to be writing a lot more about food and cooking!

Over the past year, I've been doing A LOT of reading and research about the health and environmental benefits of following a vegan lifestyle. If you've spent any time reading food labels, finding real, natural, whole foods can be a bit of a challenge, Yes it can be time consuming but just like with any new skill, you spend more time in the beginning, learning the basic techniques, before it starts to feel like less work!
Most grocery store food products have a ton of preservatives, chemicals and animal products so I became a smarter consumer and chef - vowing to make the majority of our meals from scratch (even burger buns!).

At Christmas, my sis gave me a copy of Chloe Coscarelli's Chloe's Kitchen book. That really kicked my vegan cooking skills into high gear. Last night, I made her "Best-Ever Mac-n-Cheese". It's a very simple recipe with mmmmm-mmmmmmm cheesy goodness! I added some smoky tempeh (about 1/2 package) and topped it with broccoli. The "cheese" flavor comes from nutritional yeast. For a gluten-free option, I used brown rice pasta.

Here's the final product (enough for hubby and I for multiple meals!):

These Pumpkin Oat muffins have become a staple for hubby and I. The basic recipe is from Dreena Burton's Let Them Eat Vegan. She calls for equal parts Spelt and Oat flour. Depending on what I have around the house, I have also used Quinoa and Whole-Wheat flour. For gluten-free options, any non-wheat based flour will work but I have noticed the quinoa flour increases the density of the muffins a bit. This recipe has a little too much oil in my opinion - 3 T of neutral oil. I substitute 2 T of delicious pumpkin butter that I pick up at a local farm (it's non-fat!) and only use 1 T of grapeseed oil in the entire recipe. I can make about 48 mini-muffins from one batch!

These were a great treat following an amazing Sunday morning trail un. One of our Galloway pace group leaders, Elizabeth, (did I mention she's an awesome running partner too?!?) has been joining me about once a week on this local trail. With nearly 1,400 ft of climbing, almost all in the first 2.6 miles, parts of it can be a little brutal but we're making progress with our pace and leg strength! The fog made for some spectacular views yesterday:

Elizabeth in the final steps of our run on the Chumash trail.

Happy Running, Happy Cooking = Happy Life!

I'm Baaa...aaack!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 26 Jul 2013 19:36:00 +0000

"Everybody needs a little time away".... sang Chicago in 1982. Almost as long as ago as my last post!

The last year or so has been full of so many life changes for me. Last April, I went for and was offered a promotion at work. I gained a huge team. Then the re-org'ing started and life became very very stressful. I've had 4 bosses in the last 12 months and changed departments just as many times. I thought I was going to lose my job every other week. I was able to keep up with my training schedule but blogging was feeling like a chore, not the fun, positive outlet it started out to be.

In February of 2012, I stopped eating dairy on regular basis. Hubby and I both went vegetarian the day after Thanksgiving in 2011. My final straw was a giant turkey leg at Disneyland on Thanksgiving. Eating animals just flat out stopped feeling "right"...although, I don't know if it ever felt "right" to me, looking back. Sure I wanted to stop eating meat in the 6th grade when I found out Michael Jackson was a vegetarian but that lasted all of about 6 hours, I'm sure.

As of today, I consider myself to be 85% vegan when it comes to food choices. I've gained 12 pounds in the process but I'm working on that. When you go from a diet of nutritionless, processed CRAP to eating real, whole foods, there is a calorie consideration. I would have never eaten as many nuts and oils before; opting instead for "fat free" processed crackers, chips or 100-calorie snack packs loaded with preservatives and not-so natural flavors. No more. I cook almost every meal at home from scratch. I bought a Blend Tec and even make my own ketchup and cashew cheese!

Some of my running accomplishments over these last 12 months have included:

Me&Charlene- 2013 LAM

2012 Nike Women's Marathon PR - 4:56
2012 Disneyland Half PR - 1:48!
2012 Say No To Drugs Universal Studios Backlot 10K - 1st place AG (2nd yr in a row!)
First run streak - 50 Days! From 2012 Thanksgiving until our first night in Orlando, FL for the 2013 Goofy's Challenge at Disney World.
Goofy's Challenge 2013
Surf City Marathon PR - 4:50 - just 3 weeks after running Goofy
LA Marathon PR -4:47 - my 3rd marathon in 62 days. I had the privilege of running with a great coach and friend Charlene (at FAB Running with Charlene). She helped me push harder in that last 5K than I thought I was capable of. We're planning on running 2014 LAM together and trying to qualify for Boston in the next couple of years so we can experience Boston together too! YES!!
Marathon Maniacs Qualifier/Member - "Bronze Level - 3 in 90 days" - Disney World (1/13/13), Surf City (2/3/13), LA Marathon (3/17/13)

Don't get me wrong, it hasn't all been roses and daisies. I tried to run my first 50K Ultra but a terrible combination of a midnight start, elevation and a host of hotel issues caused me to drop out at mile 20. I've put my Ultra plans on hold until Fall 2014 so I can focus on speed for the next 6-8 months.

In other news, my handsome nephew graduated from high school AND we welcomed his new baby brother into our family just a few weeks prior!

Our Galloway group is still going strong and growing! Fewer things in life give me greater pleasure than helping people achieve their fitness and running goals. Here's a pic from our "Run For Boston" earlier this year:

So that it's in a nutshell. I'm looking forward to getting back to blogging regularly!

2012 Grandma's Marathon Race Recap: From DNF to Redemption

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 25 Jun 2012 21:49:00 +0000

If there was ever a doubt in my mind that I was just making up a bunch of excuses for why I had to drop out of the 2011 Grandma's Marathon in Mile 22, that doubt was washed away after a completely different experience this year - and not just because I made it to the finish line. From the minute I woke up on race day morning, to the train ride we took to the Start again, to my journey along the course - this experience was further confirmation for me that running is, without a doubt, a mirror of your life.

THE TAPER

Tapering for this race was like nails on a chalkboard for the first week. I usually try to get up to at least 22-24 miles before a marathon but because of my hectic schedule, I was only able to get up to 20 miles 2 weeks before race day. I was nervous about being undertrained (even though my weekly mileage stayed relatively stable at about 35 miles/week), but as a coach, I understand the concept of "Undertrain consistently and consistently undertrain". By the end of the first week of tapering, I was so antsy I could hardly stand it. My anxiety and excitement were equally difficult to contain. I just wanted to get to the Start and GO already!!

Little did I know that much like last year, I would not run at all in the week leading up to the race (except this year it wasn't because I was so overtrained that I physically was not able to get myself to run at all). A terrible 2-day migraine + stomach flu not only kept me from running for 3 days, it kept me from eating and drinking. While I wanted to try and sneak in a couple of short runs the Wed and Thurs before the race, I knew my body would be more prepared for the race if I concentrated on re-fueling, replenishing my glycogen stores and hydrating. Attempting to shove in short runs while I was under-fueled and dehydrated could have been far more damaging than not running at all - and that was not a risk I was willing to take. Not this year. Not this time. I didn't beat myself up about it. My only goal was to finish and ~~erase~~ neutralize the DNF from 2011. To think I could erase it would be naive, ignorant and well, stupid. The lessons resulting from the DNF are too important to erase the experience. My guess is that I will, at some point in the future, battle demons during a race where the DNF lessons will help me push on. With my first Ultra (ET 51K) coming up quickly in August, I'm prepping myself for some serious mental work in those final 6 miles. Luckily, I'm running it with a former club member and friend, Robb. I ran with him through his first marathon earlier this year at the 2012 LA Marathon. It seems fitting we run our first Ultra together. We have good energy between us and I know we'll be crossing that Finish line because of our supportive nature and belief in each other (and in ourselves).

Race Day
So let's get to it already! Again this year, we spent the weekend at a BFF's parents' farm, about a 45 minute drive from the DECC (Duluth Entertainment Convention Center) - which was the location for both the Expo and runner drop off. Half marathoners were bused to their Start. Marathoners could either take the train (Yes we did!) or be bused to their Start. Unlike last year, I felt excited about the race from the minute I woke up. I actually ate food before heading to the DECC and I didn't fall asleep on the train ride to the Start. Despite 2 or 3 emails in the days leading up to the race that warned all runners about Red and possibly Black flag conditions due to the heat and humidity, race day morning conditions were good. We could see the Green flags posted along the course from the train. What a relief! We could see some of the elites warming up as we moved along the train track. All I can remember thinking is "look at those legs"! :-)

The Start was just like I remember. A gazillion porta potties, masses of people sort of in line but with so many bodies trying to make it into a stall with just 20-25 minutes before the gun, it seemed to be more like a free-for-all. I managed to find a short line and was in and out of there by 7:20. As Grandma's Marathon was host to the US Half Marathon Championships this year, both the Half Marathon and Marathon times were delayed 15 minutes so the Elites could get a head start. Kara Goucher, a Duluth native, not only won the Women's title, she came in 70 seconds faster than the 2nd place finisher with an official time of 1:09:46 AND set a course record. To break things up a little, here are a couple of pictures our BFFs snapped of Kara coming down the Finisher's chute. She is AMAZING!

As exciting as all this was, the marathoners, in my opinion, paid a little bit of a price when it came to the delayed start: 7:45am. If it had been a really hot and humid day, the last 6-8 miles could have been absolutely brutal.

I felt so different standing in the Start chute this year. I was excited. I wanted to be there. I didn't feel any performance pressure. I knew I would finish - and that was my only goal. Not only did I have the mental hurdle to jump in Mile 22, it was critical that I not push myself too hard since my Ultra training will continue through mid-July. My plan was to use 2:30run/1:00walk intervals and maintain an 11:15-11:30 min/mile pace the whole way through. For the most part, the first 16 miles felt great. I used Hammer Endurolytes to ward off any potential electrolyte issues from the humidity. I had Gu, Roctane, Honey Stinger Waffles and Sports Beans with me in my Nathan hydrapack. I had one fuel serving every hour with 1 Endurolyte capsule - regardless of whether I felt like I needed it or not. I wasn't willing to take any chances.

The first 10 miles flew by. Last year, I didn't even feel like I was "in it" until Mile 7 (and I hadn't eaten anything all morning). I remembered the exact place on the course where I ingested my first fuel source at mile 7 last year. I can't believe I went that long without having anything by this point in 2011 - and I was running about 30-45 sec/mile faster last year too!! I planned on stopping at the Half Marathon Start to use the porta potties there instead of waiting to see if I would need to go later in the race. You can see in Mile 14 where my overall pace drops just a little. I was in and out in a flash.

For the most part, I held my pace well through mile 18 where I suddenly picked it up for no reason what-so-ever that I can think of. Maybe it was nervous anticipation of the approaching "2011 DNF spot", maybe it had to do with the weather. By mile 10, I was so hot, I considered taking off my shirt. It was already soaked with sweat, ice and cold water from sponges that were being offered by volunteers at the water stops. That all changed by about mile 16 or 17 (I think) when storm clouds started rolling in and the breeze off Lake Superior got stronger. Brrrrr.

All was good going into mile 20. There wasn't nearly the party going on here that there was last year. The residents who were out to cheer us on were fabulous. I press on. Mile 21 passes. My calves are cramping now. A thought flashes through me "oh no, not again". No way Vera. Think about something else. It wasn't easy. I thought of all my friends and family who had been so supportive and encouraging in the months and weeks leading up to this day. Believe in yourself. You can do it. My pace is starting to slip, but I'm not fighting it (too much). I know Mile 22 is coming up quick. A very wise friend from Dailymile gave me great advice beforehand. "You're running 2 races. The first is to get the DNF spot and the second is to get to the finish". I relied on her voice in my head several times. Thank you Charlene!!

I make a turn and see the big LED sign with the same message ("You've only got 4 miles to go!!") I couldn't get to last year, but nothing around me looks familiar. Nothing. It occurred to me later that I must have really been out of it in 2011. How could I not remember this?? As I approached the LED sign, I felt a huge sigh of relief. Now onto the 2nd part of this race - getting my ass to the Finish line. I decide to have one last Hammer Gel to get me through those last 3.7 miles. My pace continued to slip and my calves once again are complaining. I bailed on my run/walk intervals and just ran and walked for however long I wanted. Since running wasn't stretching my calves out as much as walking was, I ran more and walked less (albeit a much much slower running pace). Just as I pass Mile 24, I have to use the porta potty - NOW. I look to my left as we start to run into Downtown. Out of nowhere, 3 porta-potties suddenly appear. I make a break for it. Sitting down felt gooooooooooooooood. I decide to give myself a little extra time to collect my thoughts and relax. I feel like I've already run 35 miles mentally and I know it's affecting me physically in these last miles. After about a minute, I find I'm convincing myself it's time to get up and out of here so I can FINISH!

Miles 24 and 25 were TOUGH. I'm mentally and physically exhausted, trying to stay positive. I know I'm so close but my calves are freaking killing me and now the terrain has changed to brick. Ugh. I ran most of the last mile and half with very few walk breaks, but my running speed felt more like a fast walk. Just keep moving. Spectators are cheering and emphatically yelling out that the Finish is just up ahead. (Not that I hadn't been hearing that since Mile 18!)

After a couple of turns in the road (which is back to asphalt now), I can finally see the Finish. I know my BFFs are somewhere in that crowd. It doesn't take long before I can hear them yelling for me over everyone else cheering for the Finishers, and I spot them immediately. Fighting tears, I use their energy to pick up my pace just a little. Finish strong, I tell myself! They were able to grab this shot as I passed by:

That's me in the green sleeveless shirt with a pack on.

I did grab a couple shots of me on the course and at the Finish. And of course I added that watermark because I needed "Proof" I finished, didn't I? I tried to smile at every photographer, no matter how tired or sore I was. It gave me a lift when I needed it, and these photos are even further proof that a positive and happy attitude are critical to getting you through tough times, whether it's during a marathon, or the last mile of a 5K when you're pushing yourself harder than you ever have. The more you relax, the better you'll feel - and with that, your possibilities are endless!

Hubby ran again this year too. His 2nd finish at Grandma's! Unfortunately, it started raining pretty hard when he came in, but as you can see, his spirits weren't dampened in the slightest. Way to go baby!

Now that I've conquered this demon, time to turn my focus to the 51K Ultra. 40 days and counting.....

The May Round Up

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 02 Jun 2012 23:33:00 +0000

Here am I again this year - going over a month without posting! I did the best I could with the WEGO Health Activist's Writer's Challenge to write everyday in April, hoping that would kick me back into blogging more often but alas...... With a new Galloway 10K Training Program ongoing and my Ultra training, I haven't made the time to write; and I miss it terribly.

My next personal race is Grandma's Marathon in Duluth, MN (touted as being the 13th largest marathon in the U.S.), coming up in just 2 weeks. After posting my first DNF at this race last year, falling out at between miles 22-23 from cramps and a weak heartbeat, I am definitely feeling some anxiety; despite having completed 2 marathons since that time - one of which was the very challenging 2011 Nike Women's Marathon through the hilly streets of San Francisco. Grandma's is a flat, fast course. Both Kara Goucher and Abdi Abdirahman are participating in the Half marathon (officially titled The Gary Bjorklund Half) as this race is also where the USA Half Marathon Championships are taking place this year (click here to read the press release). I hope we catch a glimpse of them, but with the Half and Full marathoners starting in different locations at different times, our chances are pretty slim. It will be fun for me to know that I'll be running those final 13.1 miles on the same course that the Half Marathon Championship racers ran on earlier in the day though! Hubby and I can't wait to get out to MN since we'll be spending that time with our BFFs who live there - and also run. :-)

I'm doing my best to work with my race anxiety. I visualize myself being completely relaxed, not going for a PR but with a goal to finish, as crossing the finish line this year will be such a significant mental victory. Another way I'm dealing with feelings of internal pressure and anxiety is to remember that this race is just a training run for me (I'm running my first Ultra on Aug 4th). I'll be running most if at my LSD pace, picking it up in the end, only if I'm feeling extremely strong around mile 22. I typically struggle emotionally between 22-23, and this is the time where the coach in my head is the loudest, pushing me to keep going; reminding me how strong I am. I had a 24-miler scheduled for last weekend, but I was having motivation issues (likely fueled by my race anxiety and jet lag after spending 3 days in OH late in the week for work - which meant a 3 hour time difference for me). With just 2 weeks to go, tomorrow is the day - then I can go into my taper, relax and have fun with my Galloway club!

Back to the Nike Women's Marathon - our group was lucky enough to be chosen from the lottery again this year!! I'm thrilled that my sister-in-law, a couple of my pace group leaders and one of our Galloway club members registered with our group code too. What an awesome experience it's going to be - and completely different from last year since I won't be running alone. I'll be running alongside one of my group leaders as she's a bit apprehensive about those SF hills. I have no doubt that we will all finish and be sporting our new Tiffany necklaces within minutes of crossing that Finish line!

In other fun news, I recently attended a Road Runners Club of America (RRCA) coaching certification course in Vegas. We had 30 days to take the online exam after we returned home. I admittedly delayed taking the exam after hearing about several class members who were failing with scores below 70%. I studied and studied, reading the course book again, the supplemental material, practicing use of the pace charts, etc. The RRCA has a little higher standard for passing the exam with a minimum score of 80%. I'm so very excited to announce that I passed on my first try! My last step is to complete a First Aid/CPR course (hubby and I are signed up for a class tomorrow). Once I submit the cards, I'll receive my official certification in the mail and I'm ready for business! I am definitely ready to coach non-run/walkers. I understand that the run/walk method is not for everyone. With both my education and experience, the transition to being an "all running" coach seems natural. I will not however, for ethical reasons, be individually training Galloway members on the side if they are currently enrolled in that program. These training methods are completely different and I stand behind both Jeff's training methodology and that of my own, based on the RRCA guidelines. Different styles, different types of runners.... I'm excited to start this new chapter in my running career!

I've been reading Relentless Forward Progress: A Guide to Running Ultramarathons by Byron Powell. What an amazing resource this highly recommended book is. I'll be posting a review of it, hopefully before the ET 51K race in August. I know that finishing this race is going to give me an even greater boost of confidence - and I'm going to need it with my first Goofy's Challenge coming up in January 2013.

I think that about covers my running life for the past month or so!

Vera :-)

My Health Madlib - Spiritual Shoe's Spiritual Shoes #HAWMC Day 21 @wegohealth

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 22 Apr 2012 01:12:00 +0000

Daily prompt. Health Madlib Poem. Fun with parts of speech! Today’s prompt is inspired by the classic game – and poetry – put together. A website I love to visit for writing prompts (when I want to push myself to be creative) is Language is a Virus. They have a few fun tools – one of which is a poem generator: http://languageisavirus.com/cgi-bin/madlibs.pl. You enter any words you want and they automatically fill the words into a classic poem.

With a little help from ESLDesk.com (because it's hard to come up with 21 verbs, 25 nouns, 9 adverbs and 3 adjectives at 5:00am!). Here is the "raw" poem, as it was auto-generated by the website, with no editing from me. Can I just say up front that I fell in love with the title immediately?!?! Are you kidding me? I want that to be the title of my autobiography when I grow up. :-)

spiritual Shoes's spiritual Shoes

affectionately i have never Running, believably beyond
any Feet, your Runners have their peaceful:
in your most active Street are things which Inspire me,
or which i cannot Accentuate because they are too enthusiastically

your pink look remarkably will unBalance me
though i have Refocus myself as Race,
you Smooth always Ocean by Ocean myself as Friend Visualize
(Simulateing safely, wondrously) her changeable Spouse

or if your Love be to Accept me, i and
my Belief will Walking very joyfully, optimistically,
as when the Brain of this Feet Cooking
the Thoughts mindfully everywhere Talkinging;

nothing which we are to Moving in this Flowers Eating
the Trail of your enthusiastic Shirt: whose phone
Drinking me with the cat of its Internet,
Awakeing Magazine and Vegetarians with each Rideing

(i do not Play what it is about you that Overtake
and Motivate; only something in me Sleep
the Pen of your Runners is satisfying than all Friend)
Paper, not even the Music, has such kind Sun

- Vera & e.e. cummings

I love it, love it, love it! With today's prompt, it was also suggested that while Madlibs aren't necessarily made to make sense, we can edit the poem to sound more like "me" and maybe add or a subtract a word or two. I don't want to do too much editing because the way it is now, it leaves so much room for interpretation; seeming completely nonsensical but in a philanthropic sort of way?

I mean, honestly, "In your most active street are things which inspire me"? My theme for each of my posts for this writer's challenge has been about inspiration. About being the example. About getting healthy and bringing others along for the ride. I relate that specific phrase to our Galloway running group. We create active streets every Saturday morning and our members are in the inspiration, to each other and to those who see them from their cars, front porches and restaurant tables. Now for the slightly edited version:

Spiritual Shoes's Spiritual Shoes

Affectionately I have never attempted running, Believably beyond
any feet, your runners have their peaceful stride:
in your most active street are things which inspire me,
or which I cannot accentuate because they are enthusiastically moving

your pink look remarkably will unbalance me
though i have to refocus myself as I would to succeed,
you tranquil, always ocean by ocean, myself as your friend, visualize
(Simulateing safely, wondrously) her changeable ways

or if your love be to accept me, I and
my belief will walk very joyfully, optimistically,
as when the thought of this feat infused
the thoughts mindfully everywhere talking;

all which we are moving in this oasis
the trail of your enthusiastic shirt: whose call
follows me with each step I take,
Awakening Mind and Souls with each step

(i do not say what it is about you that overtakes
and motivates; only something in me
the imprint of your runners is satisfying than all others )
Listen, not even the music, has such a kind sun

- Vera & e.e. cummings

I think I could sit here and drive myself crazy trying to get this poem to make sense, but it is supposed to be a Madlib, so here's where my editing ends... and my Saturday night begins!

Happy Training!

Dinner Party for 5 - My Guest List #HAWMC Day 19 @wegohealth

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 00:55:00 +0000

Daily prompt. 5 Dinner Guests. Who are 5 people you’d love to have dinner with (living or deceased) and why? What five people would you want to have dinner with if you could? They can be living or deceased, famous politician or your best friend. They could be an expert in your condition or not know the first thing about health or wellness.

My Dinner Party Guest Theme: People who inspire others to do good for themselves, be the example and affect change in those around them.

Jared Leto - besides the MAJOR crush I have on him and being the lead singer of one of my all time favorite bands, Jared is much more than a singer and actor - he is also a true humanitarian. And actually, he played the role of legendary track star and Olympian Steve Prefontaine in the movie "Prefontaine". If you're a runner and you haven't seen this movie, I highly recommend it - not only for Jared's portrayal of "Pre", but that of R. Lee Ermy as Bill Bowerman, a 24-year track coach for the University of Oregon who designed and made his own shoes for his athletes. Shoes that would eventually become a little-known brand called Nike. :-)

But back to Jared's love of people worldwide.... he is (like me) a vegetarian, but much more strict - a vegan! It's something I'm striving for but I know it will take a little more time for me to get there. He made a short film for Amnesty International in support of human rights and supports the Art of Elysium which encourages musicians, artists and actors to dedicate their time and talent to children battling serious medical illnesses and conditions. In addition to the work he's done work for Habitat for Humanity, he and his band raised just over $100K for Haitain relief efforts after the big earthquake hit in 2010. You can help the continued relief efforts in Haiti by purchasing Jared's Haiti Photo book, of which 100% of net proceeds go directly to those in need.

John Sarno, MD - the man is brilliant. He is the author of The Divided Mind: The Epidemic of Mindbody Disorders and the #1 New York Times Bestselling Author of Healing Back Pain: The Mind-Body Connection. I strongly believe that much of our physical pains are tied directly to our brain (specifically the Ego) and that with practice, you can teach your brain to overcome these pains. This is the basic idea behind mindbody disorders. Runners are great examples of this theory. We endure hours of high impact activity on a long run. Yes, pains creep in every now and then, but you can learn to dismiss them and enjoy those remaining miles pain-free. Jeff Galloway wrote an entire book on mental training for runners. I posted a review here. While Dr. Sarno's books can be a little scientific, the fundamental concepts are clear and well-stated. I would encourage anyone with chronic or acute pain issues to read The Divided Mind. You will be amazed at what you can control physically by controlling your Ego.

Dean Karnazes - what can I say about this amazing Ultra Marathoner. Ultra Marathoner isn't even a big enough phrase to describe what an incredible athlete and runner he is. Talk about inspirational. He ran across the United States with a mission to inspire others. He has written a multitude of books on running, including a contributing author of Chicken Soup for the Soul: Runners: 101 Inspirational Stories of Energy, Endurance and Endorphins. He continues to use his talents and gifts to inspire others to live happy, healthy lives. He is a living legend in the running community, not just for his unbelievable feats in distance running, but for his commitment to the health of this nation and others.

Nancy Clark, MS, RD, CSSD - Since my early college days, I have read many publications written by Nancy Clark and attended a few conferences where she was a featured presenter. She is a renowned expert in nutrition, with a specialty in sports dietetics. Through personal consultations, books, Powerpoint presentations and a plethora of valuable resources, Nancy is quite literally an open book who obviously wants to affect change in as many people as she can reach and help them achieve their health goals.

Lastly, I want my nearly 17-year old nephew who just ran his first marathon (I hope the first of many to come in his life!!) to come to the table....even if he says nothing. Why? Because he is the next generation of adults. I would absolutely LOVE for him to hear about all the different ways he can affect change in himself and his friends; that he does have control of his thoughts and learn how those thoughts affect his physical body and motivation. I want him to hear from experts that it's okay to set big goals for yourself, expect some challenges along the way, and know that you don't have to play into the idea that you are a victim of your body or your environment. And maybe most importantly, that sharing your knowledge and passion inspires hope in others and quite possibly the motivation to take control of their lives, regardless of their situation, and pass it on and on and on.....

Be the example. Be the inspiration. Be, as Ghandi said "...the change you wish to see in the world".

Open Book Quote - #HAWMC Day 18 @wegohealth

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 23:44:00 +0000

Open Book. For today’s post, open the nearest book (or find your favorite and open that!) to a random page and point to a word or phrase on that page. Using that phrase or word as your inspiration, free-write for 20 minutes – to be sure, set a timer and see what you’ve come up with.

Book Choice: Running Within by Jerry Lynch and Warren Scott; pp 113:

"Whatever you wish to concentrate on, create a way to become more attracted to it".

I really love this quote. I swear I wasn't searching for one that would be easy for me to write about. As it relates to running and my desire to be a smarter and stronger runner (ie. what I wish to concentrate on), I found a way to LOVE running because running a marathon before 40 had been a goal of mine for over 10 years before I found the courage to get my butt in gear!

I thought using a "couch to half marathon in 6 months" program was just the ticket. The program used run/walk intervals, with increasing running segments relative to the walking segments as I progressed week-to-week. The program proved to be too much for me and I ran my first half marathon with leg and back pain from about mile 8 to the finish. While I did get to the finish, I had to take several months off to recover , go to PT for weeks, and to heal a badly ingrown toenail. I was bound and determined to find another way to keep moving forward as a distance runner.

I created a way to become more attracted to it through research of the multitude of training programs and advice from every resource I could think of....and more that I found through my initial research. This is the time when I discovered Jeff Galloway's run/walk/run method. His run/walk intervals started me at 2 minutes running/1 minute walking. Before I knew it, I was back up and running some good distances again all while continuing to heal from my previous injuries. It took a lot of patience and time, but I loved how I felt at the end of each training session. I felt confident, successful and proud of my accomplishments with every passing week. The next year, I ran the same half marathon and cut 25 minutes off my first half marathon time. I was elated!

I still use the Galloway training method and yes, I do run/walk all my races too. Every year I get faster and stronger. I found a way to love running and to keep loving it because this method works for me. I don't get injured anymore (well, at least not from running....I'm an absolute klutz sometimes!) AND I started an official Galloway training program in Simi Valley, CA so I could give this gift of "how to love running and keep doing it" to anyone who will listen.

I truly believe that, especially when it comes to making good healthy decisions for yourself, if you don't find a way to like or even love what you're doing or how it makes you feel, the change or decision you wanted to make won't "stick".

Figure out what you want and then find a way to fit it into your life in a way that draws you towards it!!! It exists....I promise. But it's up to you to find it. :-)

Learning the Hard Way - Make it Count! #HAWMC Day 17 @wegohealth

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 15:24:00 +0000

I guess it's obvious now that I fell out of the WEGO Health Activists Writers Challenge after only a week. I'm proud of myself for trying at least. I made it 6 days! It was a lot of fun, but sometimes stressful too. I definitely learned that my issues with perfectionism get in the way of my writing. In that short time, I came to realize that I don't need to write a thesis every time I sit down to write a blog. I can have a single idea and write for 15 minutes about it. I can post an inspirational quote that is hitting home with me on any given day and relate it to what is happening in my life. The writers challenge is still ongoing of course - today is only April 17th and I hope to at least jump back in for a few days a week.

At the end of the first week of this writer's challenge, I was promoted to a management position at work and one of my cats, Mollie (13.5 years old) was getting very sick. My brain was such a mish-mash of excitement for my promotion/accomplishment, fear and worrying about how to help my poor Mollie who was in more pain than I ever care to witness any of my pets in EVER again, topped off with guilt from not staying committed to the writer's challenge. My focus for the last week has been on adjusting to my new role at work, carrying for Mollie who was diagnosed with Spondylitis and requires medication twice daily (talk about stressful!!!), racing (more to come in another blog soon) and getting ready for our Galloway program's very first 10K training program kick off!

Today's WEGO writer's challenge topic is to write for 15 minutes about a lesson you learned the hard way. I am learning a lot about my writing style and how to open myself up to presenting information differently through this writer's challenge; but not in a "hard way" per se.

Daily prompt: Learned the Hard Way. Let’s take a look back as we seek to go forward. Some of the beliefs we hold play a significant role in our lives today because we learned them the hard way. According to human nature, we will make mistakes throughout our lifetime. However, more important than the mistake itself is what we do when we realize we have stumbled. Sometimes, it is tough to address our slip-ups and move ahead. But it’s necessary in life. So for today’s prompt – what’s a lesson you learned the hard way? Write about it for 15 today. Was it challenging to revisit mistakes you have made? Does the lesson you learned then, help to explain some of your actions today?

My first and hopefully only "Did Not Finish" at last year's 2011 Grandma's Marathon in Duluth, MN is a biggie for me. And yes, it still sits in the back of my mind, even though I've completed 2 full marathons and several half marathons since then. It was the first full marathon that I attempted to "race". I had an aggressive time goal. I trained harder than I ever had in my life for many months. And it all backfired in mile 21. When I dropped out with less than 4 miles to go to the finish, I was a physical and emotional wreck. I knew (and felt) from the minute I woke up that morning that something about me was "off". I didn't feel like eating before we left for the train that would take us up to the Start. What's worse is that I shrugged it off! Who does that before a marathon when PRing is a goal?!?! Me. In hindsight, I had too much going on in other areas of my life and did not appreciate just how much it was all impacting me. I couldn't even run a mile the week leading into the race because of my low energy and total lack of motivation - and I STILL didn't let myself adjust my race day plan. Stubborn. Stubborn. Stubborn.

Despite these warning signs, I went out too fast, failed to adapt to how I was feeling that morning, and ended up in a military medic truck in mile 22, crying, barely able to walk on my own with a faint, irregular heart beat. I blogged about the whole experience and included a lessons learned section. This is one of my major purposes for writing the race recaps. It's not all about celebrating successes, it's about taking a hard look at your race day strategy. Did I prepare enough? Was it too much? Did I stick to my race day plan? What worked? What didn't work? How can I use this race experience to better myself for the next one?

Each race is a learning experience. No course is the same. No race on the same course is the same. This is part of the beauty of running and racing. The journey is one of strategy, learning about and listening to your body and staying flexible (and confident) enough to make adaptations to your plan when you're feeling AWESOME and also when you're feeling not-so-awesome.

While it is sometimes difficult to look back at these mistakes, without exploring the outcomes, the experience is, in my opinion, wasted. The lessons I learned absolutely explain some of my actions today. I fuel up before a long run - even if I don't feel like I need it - and I share this with our running club members. I've learned to back off during a run and even throw in an unplanned rest day at the expense of not meeting my weekly mileage goal if my energy level is dipping too low. No more forcing workouts when I could just be enjoying a run! After all, if I can't get to the Start feeling strong and healthy, I haven't prepared myself to run the race I showed up to run.

Ultimately, learning lessons "the hard way" is, for me, often times a sign that I'm extending myself beyond my limits....or at least what I perceive to be limits (self-imposed, you could say). I want to push harder, but that plan was too aggressive or maybe not aggressive enough. If I'm not not stumbling or making mistakes, I'm staying in my comfort zone. And while I think that is okay for a while, I must bust out of that zone to make forward progress - it's not always going to be pretty, or smooth or even consistent. But from each try will come a lesson. And with each lesson, there is growth.

I'll end with this fitting quote from Thomas Edison:

Health Haiku #HAWMC Day 6 @wegohealth

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 23:37:00 +0000

Daily prompt: Health Haiku. Let’s switch up the writing style a bit for today’s posts! As you probably know, a haiku is a “miniature Japanese poem consisting of 17 syllables – five syllables in first line, seven in second, and five in the last. No rhyme or meter scheme is employed when writing haiku. The aim of the haiku is to create something greater than the sum of the parts.” Traditionally, haiku poems were written about nature and aim to capture the essence of the aspect of nature that is being described. So let’s go with this but, of course, make it about our health focus....

This is definitely a first for me. Although, it would not surprise me to learn this was a writing exercise we had to do in high school English class! So the first thing I did of course was Google "funny haiku images". Here's a few Funny Friday Haiku poems to get us going:

Image Credit

In staying true to my health status focus for this monthly writer's challenge, here are the two that I came up with today:

Happy Happy Weekend!!