TRIng to Survive

Back to the white board

2012-08-21T19:56:00.000-07:00

This week marks the beginning of my 6th year teaching, Yes, I said SIX YEARS! I can't even believe I have lived in Northern California that long much less teaching high school. Now I think doing a marathon or a half ironman is hard, but I have to say my first two years of teaching high school were pretty killer. Yes, I get 10 weeks off for the summer (although I only got 8 off this summer due to a change in calendar), but teaching is a lot more work than most people think, and also the main reason why it is hard for me to stick to triathlon training schedules religiously.

The first week of school is tough mostly because I'm not used to being on my feet for 6 hours, talking for 6 hours, or having a hard time sleeping because of the devilish student nightmares I have. I have been very lucky in the past few years because my kids have been pretty fantastic. I do have my share of pain in the butt students, but overall I really enjoy interacting with my teenagers. There are also some students that are irreplaceable for various reasons. People say that you'll never forget teachers that made a big difference on your life, but I've found teachers have certain students they will never forget for the same reasons. As I drag myself to work for the first week of school I wonder who will inspire me next.

The Rut

2012-08-18T15:54:00.000-07:00

Sadly, I have not had much happen in my world of training. This is not to say I haven't been training, but I just haven't been training toward anything specific. Which is a bit of a bummer because I planned on running CIM this year in hopes to erase 32 seconds off my marathon time. I am registered for CIM, but I am about 90% sure I'm not going to be running it for the second year in a row.

I still have not gotten past this achilles tendonitis/tendonosis that I have. I feel like I've tried almost every remedy anyone has told me to end up with the same result. I never stopped running until now because every doctor told me I could continue running just don't put in too many miles at once stick to 10%. I took months off from speed work, hills, and long runs only to still have the issue. I've rested, massaged, acupunctured, lifted, rolled, iced, heated, elevated, and cross-trained to the point where I just don't know that it is going away. I finally decided when I crossed the finish line at Vineman I would take time off completely from running. Hence this is where I'm at. I've been good about working out, but I'm just not excited about anything right now with this issue.

Right now I'm 31 days of 42 without running or tae bo or boot camp and I'm not feeling much of a change. I just don't know what to do at this point. I'm frustrated and bummed out, especially since I was accepted into a masters program and I know that means I probably won't have much marathon training time come the winter. I love cycling, but sometimes I just want to do some running and jumping, especially if I have a forced off season.

I survived 70.3...Vineman!

2012-07-15T20:23:00.002-07:00

Today, July 15th, marked the annual 70.3/half ironman in Guerneville, Ca. When I signed up for this back in November I was pretty scared about the idea of having to do all 3 sports at this distance, and although the swim is only 400meters further than an olympic, the idea of swimming that far didn't sit right with me. As the year went on I was plagued by an awful injury that I'm still trying to get past, "achilles tendonitis." I do still have piriformis syndrome, but I can deal with that one and it only flares up occasionally, although I don't always have problems with my achilles when it hurts it hurts something awful. I told myself I was going to do this race even if it kills me and I'll give my body as much time off as it wants after.

Well I trained, but I do have to admit I skipped some swims...and some long bike rides...and I only ran 10 miles tops before doing this not to mention I haven't been able to do speed work since Wildflower (If you can't tell I didn't have a whole lot of confidence in my run time). So I went into this race thinking I'd just have fun and finish (I knew I could I just didn't know what the outcome would be). My goal was to try for under 6 and I wanted a decent bike time (at least 17mph avg. for 56 miles). I am amazed with how I did today...

The story goes...

4:45 Wake-up call: got my act together, ate, headed out

6ish a.m.: Drop off bike and stuff at Transition, bathroom, socialize, sunscreen, triglide

7:02 a.m.: The guys start their wave, my friend Nicki and I wished her husband and my boyfriend good luck and watched them head out

7:32 a.m.: Nicki and I stand around and wait for the guys to get out of the water, cheering them on as they came out with some great times (YES! this is how much time we had before our waves started)

8:05 a.m.: Finally my turn, in the water waiting for the go ahead, so glad I had Nicki to keep me company for the hour wait before one of the longest events of my life (a century ride takes me a little longer)

8:06 a.m: We're off....

The swim: for Vineman the swimmers swim upstream for the first half and then back downstream. I of course started my swim with goggles filled with water. I was going to stop and fix them so I just dealt with it which wasn't too bad. The water was warm and pretty ideal conditions, except that so many people had been in the water by the time I started that it was a bit choppy and toward the end a bit crowded. The water in the Russian River is so shallow in some parts that people can literally stand up and walk parts of the swim. I'd never swam the full 1900 straight through in open water before, only olympic distance, and even then it had been a while. I think I kinda took my time and then I also think I kinda suck at swimming, but once I saw the finish I punched it as best I could with an ending time of 39:17. I was a little sad that no one was going to be at the swim finish to cheer me on, but my friend Aron called my name which made me feel so much better as I rushed into transition.

T1: So normally I'm pretty fast at transitions, but I had to shove my wetsuit and all other items into a bag to be transported to the finish, and then, once I had my act together I went the wrong way and had to turn around and dodge people to get out of transition (in my defense they started breaking down bike racks and changed where people left from transition as other waves left)

The bike: this course is gorgeous, but it didn't start off well. I was a bit stiff as I got used to the bike, but the bad part was that I ran over someone's race sticker and it was stuck to my wheel all 56 miles. This was like having a card in my spokes making a loud annoying sound. I ended up slowing down to try and get it off, but no luck so I continued on. I knew I wanted to have a fairly even bike ride, but I knew to try and take it easy the first half. I pushed myself at 18.3 mph avg. all 56 miles, but tried not to push to hard I still had the 13.1 miles in the heat to deal with. I saw so many cool tri bikes, aero helmets, and wheels but my road bike with tri bars worked just fine, I can't say I wasn't envious though. The wineries were glorious and made me want to stop and taste instead of do this thing, but I love riding so I really enjoyed my time on the bike. I wanted to avg. at least 17 or faster and I did! As I knew I was nearing the end I tried to get my last burst of energy into the bike and take in a bit more nutrition.

T2: decided to go with running shoes and didn't change the laces beforehand, so it took me a bit longer to put on socks and tie my shoes (can't do 13.1 in racing flats, my feet would come up with some other injury if I did). Then I was off, as the USAT lady yelled at me to move my bib to the front while I tried to juggle 2 ice waters.

The run: I didn't wear my garmin I figured I could just feel that I was taking it slow. I guess I was wrong because I was avg. 7:24 by the first check point. My achilles and piriformis felt awful. I walked the uphills since they cause more pain and problems for me. I took ice at every aid station and stuffed it in my bra in hopes of keeping my body cool. I took 30 second walk breaks, and by some miracle I ran a 1:44 half marathon. I was so bummed out about the run before I started, I didn't think it would be anything impressive and then bam 8:01 avg., my marathon avg. is 8:10. I totally impressed myself. This run was brutal and pretty hilly in my opinion, I guess pedialyte, coconut water, and coke are a good combination.

The finish: I crossed the line, with no idea as to my time since I started more than an hour after the pros, but I knew one thing, I was under 6 hours, WOOHOO!
The results are: 5:34:09
(On a side note: I also managed not to get sunburned, chafe, and I have all my toenails)

Hope all my friends that raced enjoyed themselves, I tried to cheer for as many of you as I saw while I was out there.

Wildflower...the official butt kicker of triathlons

2012-05-07T14:50:00.001-07:00

Last year Wildflower was my first Olympic Triathlon EVER... of course leave it to me to pick one of the most difficult triathlons in the nation as my first. Although it hit me where it hurts last year I couldn't resist taking the beating once again. I had high hopes for this race when I signed up, but unfortunately I've been plagued by a whirlwind of injuries so I figured I'd just try to go out there and have a good time (I did get the all clear from the Physical Therapist beforehand).

Everything about this race is so much fun...I love the camping, the lake, the athletes, the cheerleaders, the Cal Poly volunteers (best source of entertainment), course support, and yes I even have a love for the agonizing hills, the heat, and the cold showers. This event should be on EVERYONE's race calendar to do at least once, even if you decide to relay it or do the short mountain bike course.

I headed down with friends on Friday morning to get ourselves set up, settled in, and to jump into the refreshing Lake San Antonio. I only had one open water swim session prior to the event and my shoulders don't tend to agree with my wetsuit early on in the season. The rest of Friday consisted of packet pick-up where I once again was labeled powder blue (sadly I will leave powder blue behind if I do this event next year). Then we did some shopping, relaxed, I went searching for a few friends, ate, stretched and slept.

Saturday morning is race day for all the Long Course males and females. Since we got up a bit late we raced to eat breakfast and run down the hill to try and catch the pros as they jumped in the water. 2000 meters and 21 minutes later they were out of the water and off on the bike. Since 56 miles takes a while to finish, even for pro-athletes, we waited around to see the age groupers jump in the water one by one. I had a few friends competing in different age groups so I tried to catch all of them on the bike transition as they headed out. Once all the waves were off we headed back to camp and parked ourselves at mile 7 of the run. Here we enjoyed the entertainment of Cal Poly volunteers as they danced with their super soakers and sang along at the top of their longs to the tune of Ingrid Michaelson's "Maybe." To add to this already hilarious image, our Cal Poly aid station entertainers wore their most fashionable bathing suit attire all decked out in neon colors with matching sombreros. I tried to stay and watch all my friends come by, but the heat got the best of me so it was off to nap and try and regain some energy for the next morning. The day was almost over, but not until I got a 20 minute shake out ride and 10 minute run in, congratulated my studly friends and carbo loaded for the next day.

The kids next to us decided it was time we wake up at 6a.m. so since our lovely alarm clock would not shut up we started the a.m. B routine breakfast, bowel movements, bikes and backpacks. Time to set-up transition and begin the morning butt kicking...

My wave doesn't start until 10:10 so I spent a good half hour sweating my butt off in my wetsuit before my wave was off. The guys were already in the water so I tried to cheer them on as they came out and headed off on the bike.

The Swim: I tried for this not to look like drowning 101, I was successful at first, but getting toward the final bouys the water got a bit choppy and my arms got a bit sore, but I kept coaching myself: "1,2,3,4, sight." I got out of the water finishing the swim in about 30 minutes.

T1: I am proud to report I was top 5 in my age group for T1... I grabbed my bike and ran out

The Bike: Lynch hill felt like nothing which was amazing which felt like a sign of a good ride. I headed out trying not to hold back on the downhills. I was doing awesome on my way out taking my time on the uphills and racing down the downhills, but then came the turn around. All of a sudden my body went south a bit. I popped a Gu in hopes it would pep me up. My legs felt sore and heavy, my arms even felt sore. I kept pushing through as best I could, but it just wasn't what I'd hoped for. I am happy to say I broke even, but I will be taking revenge on the bike course even if it isn't for a few years.

T2: 1:41 minutes I got through transition...fast, but could be faster

The Run: I was super excited about this. I started off sore and uneasy about my achilles and my knees. My only goal for this race was no more breakage. After the first couple steps I could feel my heel, but it was not bad so I thought I was just adjusting to the impact, and luckily I was right. I started to feel great! Yes, it was hot, but I did not feel nearly as awful as I did the year before and I had a smile on the face my whole way. I cheered on people around me and I took it slow and easy. I told myself that if I had to walk I would and in some spots I did, but I made rules. I was only allowed to walk for 30 seconds at the most at a time and I had to run for over 60 seconds in order to be able to walk again. I found that I would actually pass all the people who had just passed me even if I stopped to walk for a bit. I finished with a time that was 3 minutes faster from the year before.

I WAS SO EXCITED that everything felt great going down Lynch hill and that it was almost over. As I approached the finish I looked at the clock and saw I was going to manage to be 1 minute faster than last year. I never thought I'd be so excited over a minute. Especially since it isn't a PR overall, just a PR for Wildflower. This did give me a confidence boost toward Vineman which I really needed, especially since I've been so depressed over my training after my achilles issues and needing to take a break from training.

Congrats to all my FOMO racing friends...other friends...and to MEGA MEG (who took 1st place overall)!

Core Focused: my battle with injuries

2012-05-03T09:48:00.000-07:00

After the Napa Marathon I was plagued with yet another injury, and a serious one at that. I was struggling to get through achilles tendonitis. I actually decided to consult the doctor on this one after reading about the seriousness that is this injury. Luckily I had just changed insurances and was very pleased with my doctor's diagnosis and recommendation for physical therapy.

Upon attending physical therapy I found out that almost every problem whether it be runner's knee, ITBS, piriformis syndrome, achilles issues, patellar tendonitis, etc. often stem from a weakness in ones core. I always felt like I had a pretty strong core since I usually get through core workouts and pilates sessions with very little complaints and squirms, but that may stem from a high pain tolerance more so than as a ruler to measure the strength of my core, plus I realized how little I really had been doing pilates lately. I also was surprised to find that your core is not just your 6-pack abish muscles, but includes your whole abdomen region including glutes, hips, etc. Which makes sense, but I always just focused on my abs. This is why the physical therapist said crunches and sit-ups just won't cut it!

I was given homework to perform several ab exercises to help improve my alignment and balance, and I've always been good at doing my homework. I was so pleasantly surprised to find it actually works! I haven't had knee pain when running, I've had fewer issues with my piriformis, and my achilles is getting much better, I may even get to start increasing my mileage soon pending how Wildflower goes this weekend.

I thought I should share my homework for those plagued with injuries: (You will need a stop watch and a set of bands, I got mine at SB, but some gyms already have them for public use)

1) Bridges: tie a stretch band around your legs and then lift your pelvis into a bridge. You are to try and force the band out a bit as you hold. Lift up one leg and then hold that leg for 15 seconds, then switch legs. You are to hold the bridge switching legs for 10 x15 seconds.

2) The squat: My knees turn in when I squat so I have to tie a band around my thighs and do a traditional squat focusing on my knees pushing out toward my middle toes. You can always add weight to this exercise or do it on a bosu ball
to add difficulty to this. I really had to focus on form, because I do boot camp classes, weight classes, and even running downhill involves a squat and all this time I hit my knees at the wrong spot which makes for some uncomfortable runs

The clam

The Plank

3) The clam: So there are 2 kinds of clams, one you do stationary on the floor, but I got the added bonus of the side plank while doing clams. I couldn't find a picture of both, but I have to put the 2 together for 90 seconds on each side with a band tied around my thighs. They started out real shaky, but I'm getting real good at them.

4) the plank: I don't get to do traditional planks, I get to do planks with leg lifts. I plank making sure I have good form, meaning get my butt down. Then I get to alternate legs for 90 seconds.

These were just to start, yesterday I got a whole new set of fun exercises to torture myself with. I'll let you know about those after I have tried them.

For my achilles:
1) Heel lifts: lift both heels at the same time 20 times 2 to 3 times a day
2) single leg heel lifts: lift one leg off the ground and then lift the heel still remaining on the ground 20 times then switch
3) Stretch, Stretch, Stretch...

Happy Training everyone...off to Wildflower

Dearest Achilles...

2012-04-11T15:44:00.000-07:00

First of all I want to thank you for all of your hard work and support that has gotten me through countless events with finishing times I only dreamed about, but with that being said I have a few issues I'd like to talk to you about.

I know relationships are hard and they all have their ups and downs, but you are keeping me from getting through all my ups and downs (climbing hills that is). I feel as though I have treated you well both pre-and post-marathon. I only ran 3 days a week giving you days of swimming, cycling, and stretching to recover. I iced, rolled, and stretched like crazy so as not to make you mad, and I even took it easy at the Oakland half despite your throwing a tantrum at mile 5/6. But, I have been devastated devastated since you decided to turn on me and throw tendonitis in my face. I know it was just a mild fight, but these relationship issues need to be resolved so I may add some run, bike, tae bo, and zumba to my routine.

If you don't set aside our differences for me then do it for my track friends, who have had to pick up the slack for me in my absence rounding the track. Or do it for my few cycling friends who want to get outdoors and enjoy the sun as we train for 70.3 this summer.

I have already made accommodations towards reconciling, I just need you to meet me half way. I've spent a full week in the pool and have been working hard to have my arms take on some of the burden you've had to bare. I even visited the chiropractor and went for a massage to give you some extra recovery help. I've iced, stretched, and even did heel lifts like the doctor asked me to. I feel I have been more than reasonable, and I have every intention of visiting the physical therapist on Friday. I'm begging you, please be happy, Wildflower is less than 4 weeks away and I although I'm willing to compromise on a relay I still would feel better if you are in working order so I can slowly progress toward Vineman.

Running through downtown Oakland...half marathon #10 #

2012-03-25T19:18:00.001-07:00

2 years ago I decide to take my chances at the first annual Oakland half marathon and today I challenged the city once again. Back in August, my friends and I passed around an uber deal of a discount code for the Oakland half marathon. At the time I thought I'd try to PR not realizing that I'd take my chances with the Napa Marathon just 3 weeks prior to this race.

I decided going into this marathon I would take it as steady as I could and try not to injure myself. I thought a 1:45 was realistic since I ran most of my marathon at 8 minute pace, but I wasn't really thinking too hard about it. Success! I ran a 1:45 chip time, which is not a PR, but around what I thought I'd do, and I managed to end up with NO STOMACH PROBLEMS, which is the biggest success I've had with ANY race.

Now when people think of Oakland they don't usually have too many positive thoughts, but I actually think Oakland is a pretty awesome city! Unfortunately, I was not able to enjoy the course too much because I was having some major achilles issues/pain, but I still made it to the finish line.

This is how it all broke down:

Mile 1: I started off slow, but a little speedy since we headed downhill for the first mile. I planned to run with my friends Kristin and Amy, but this proved to be an epic FAIL by mile 2 or 3 when we all got separated in the crowd with the twists and turns.
I managed an 8:14 for the first mile as we winded past the Paramount Theater

Mile 2: We made some more twists and turns through Oakland heading into what seems like a Chinatown district. The course was pretty flat here, but I tried to stay as close to the corners as possible.
8:02

Mile 3: This is where I tried to slow down and find my friends, but sadly I'd lost them so I headed on trying maintain a steady pace 7:55

Mile 4: So many spectators out to cheer us on!!! We reached the first water station and since I was feeling pretty good I ventured on with no H20 break. However, this is where my time got a bit off, we headed through a tunnel where my garmin lost signal which explains the 7:28 mile.

Mile 5: This is where the trouble with my achilles began, and I contemplated a DNF, but managed to push to the end. This is also where we encountered the Raider fans decked out in their black and silver, greeting us with high-5s. 8:01

Mile 6: With the pain in my leg and the scenery becoming very industrial I started to stop paying attention to the sights and start focusing on finishing. I kept looking around for friends, or maybe even a way to cut back to the start, but no luck. 7:55

Mile 7: Half way through this mile we met up with the Marathoners, this was uplifting, because whatever pain I was facing they were hitting their rough and tough 18 mile mark. 8:09

Mile 8: This is where I ran into a few familiar faces. Apparently I wasn't the only one struggling to the finish. I had a few friends having some aches and pains of their own, but we cheered each other on and kept pushing toward the finish. I finally took in some water and I'm pretty sure this is the mile with the fire cave, by the fire arts building which is always a cool sight to see. 8:11

Mile 9: From this mile I could see the sights of Lake Merritt. We winded back through down town passing the HUGE Amtrak station and headed toward our last miles around the lake. We headed over a little bump of a hill passing the beautiful civic auditorium. 8:11

Mile 10: Yay! only 3 more to go. I was really struggling with my achilles by now, but I knew I only had to make it around the lake and I would be home free. I was feeling pretty good in terms of nutrition so I kept pushing on toward the lake with the final few twists and turns of the course. 7:52

Mile 11: We had to climb a tiny hill here, but I was pushing a bit harder since the park was just across the water. Although I don't want to swim in Lake Merritt anytime soon, being by the water has some kind of serenity to it, but maybe that is because my favorite races are close to the ocean. 8:05

Mile 12: The countdown continues as I push toward the finish. I started to pick up the pace a bit more passing the rowing club and other scenery surrounding the lake. 7:47

Mile 13: We wound past Lake Chalet, and since we had done a shake out run the day before around the lake I knew we were almost to the finish line, plus the mile 13 sign helped. I used my garmin to coach me to the finish running a 7:26 mile

Mile .17: The last bit was up a small roller so I pushed up the little incline relieved I was so close to the finish...I stopped my garmin reading 1:44:35. Crossing the finish line marked the end of running season for me and the start of tri season heading toward Wildflower and eventually VINEMAN 70.3.

Today was a beautiful day in Oakland for a race, and then we headed off to eat and celebrate a friend's birthday!

This week in Laziness...

2012-03-11T16:14:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday I walked across the finish line at the Napa Marathon and then I did a lot of walking, but after that I did a whole lot of nothing this week. I hate taking time off, but I'm so incredibly injury prone that I knew it was best if I really take it easy. I'm a little nervous going into Wildflower training that I haven't done enough up to this point which really makes me want to make up for lost time, but I didn't and I actually kind of enjoyed myself, but I am still overwhelmed with exhaustion.

Monday: TO practice
My students have this class competition called Trojan Olympics every year and monday marked the first week of practice until 9:30pm. Although I was sore, I felt pretty good considering some of my friends were having trouble walking

Tuesday: Lululemon
I left my running shoes at home, but I did lace up my new balance minimus shoes and went for a walk to the weekly lululemon run. I brought Nick clothes to change into so he could participate and I enjoyed the latest edition of runners world and a cup of tea while others got their miles in. This was followed by post-run dollar tacos with friends.

Wednesday: To work-out or not to work-out
I thought I might go to the pool and make use of the swim bouy, but Nick came down with a bad cold so I opted for an episode of Fringe, dinner, and sitting on my butt.

Thursday: Back at it
I hit the track, but not for a track workout. My training plan called for a 30 minute run so I cheered on my track friends, did some drills and got 3 miles in at an easy pace and it actually felt pretty easy. Being on the track made me really think about how close I was to Boston and so... I registered for Marathon #3: California International Marathon. There is no guarantee I will get there, but I can't quit knowing I was so close.

Friday: Lack of rest caught up with me
I planned all day to swim after work, but as I headed to the pool I just had nothing in me so the car made it's way home and I made my way to the couch. It was probably for the best or I would have been cranky and anti-social for a friend's birthday party.

Saturday: Cautious saturday ride
I made plans to go for a short ride with Laney and other friends. The route was close to 30 miles, but I ended up only riding 11 miles before I was having a few twinges of pain in my knee and unfortunately Gabby's bicycle chain broke. I ended up heading home and being an absolute bum for the rest of the day until I met up with my friend Mel and her husband Nick to try out some new places in San Francisco and catch-up.

Sunday: run...well then again
I woke-up just drained and I know I have a long week ahead and plans to start my tri training back up so I have been keeping the couch company. I rarely act this lazy, but somehow I feel I really needed it. Now onward to make some progress one Marathon down now to make it through a half marathon, olympic triathlon and 70.3.

Napa Marathon the Recap

2012-03-08T14:27:00.001-08:00

This past Sunday I ran the second marathon of my running career, the Napa Valley Marathon.
Nick and I headed to Napa at about 1p.m. on Saturday to get checked in and stop by the expo to pick up my schwag, bib, and t-shirt. I didn't know this when registering, but the Napa Marathon gives GREAT schwag! I not only received a duffel bag in my favorite color (green), but I was presented with a plethora of samples and coupons.

After the excitement that was the expo, Nick and i headed to the hotel to nap, eat, and rest for the rest of the evening. I placed all my clothes, trigger point roller, food, water bottle, and breakfast out on the table in the hotel ready for the 4a.m. wake-up call. I was so excited, nervous, and worried that I woke up at 3a.m., but managed to force myself back to sleep until 4.

After getting myself together, eating a small breakfast, and heading to the finish line buses I was off. The bus started at Vintage high school and drove us to the start line in Calistoga. It is here where I would take care of bathroom business, meet my fellow fomo friends, and try to get some of my anxiety out of my system.

Then it was TIME...dun, dun, dun. I just kept saying,"start slow, start slow." We headed off and I trotted my way through the start line and tapped my garmin to start. Illiana joined me for the first two miles chit chatting as I tried to get warmed up so I wouldn't blow up. At mile 1.5/2ish I started to push and with each mile I started counting down in my head. Now the Napa marathon is a NO HEADPHONES course, which was a huge challenge for me, and I thank all the spectators that brought music to the road it really kept me moving.

It was a gorgeous morning winding through the wineries, but at first the shade made it a bit hard to get warm. We went up the first hill around mile 2 which I took pretty well. I finished my first mile at 8:42, my second at 8:12 and then my third at 8:06. I picked up the pace even more going downhill, but the one problem with the Napa Marathon is that the road is banked almost the whole way. It either leans heavily to the right or heavily to the left so it is very difficult to cut the corners real tight and avoid my knees aching. My legs felt good, but not great so I was a bit concerned, but I kept going mile 3 at 8:06, mile 4 at 8:02, mile 5 at 8:14, mile 6 at 8:16.

I popped a gu at mile 7 and even though my stomach had some problems with gu through my training I decided to stick with gu, but stick with flavors I've had good luck with in the past. I brought 3 faithful vanilla flavors and one 2x caffeine orange vanilla roctane. I pushed on 8:17, and mile 8 at 8:14. My legs started to feel real heavy and I was overjoyed when I was greeted and passed by Ms. Amy Streeter. I chased her orange shorts trying not to push too hard in fear of blowing up. Mile 9 at 8:03, mile 10 at 8:08, mile 11 at 7:59, mile 12 at 7:59.

By this time I'd been greeted and cheered on by Ms. Kim Cooke twice and her enthusiasm really pushed me on. I felt like I had an runner and a quitter on each shoulder telling me to keep going and the other to give up. At this point Ms. MaryAnn Holland was pushing herself through a boston training run in the opposite direction cheering Amy and myself on.

Mile 13 went 7:56, mile 14 at 8:10, mile 15 at 7:54, mile 16 at 8:15, mile 17 at 8:04

At mile 18 my water bottle was empty so I was ready to be done carrying it. I hoped I would see someone I could drop it off with and I did. Mr. Ryan Fitzpatrick rode up on his bicycle and then Mr. Eric Miller, Mr. Jason Cooke, Mr. Malcom Deseyes, and Mr. Chris Eichorn. I gave Ryan my water bottle which he kindly filled up and continued on my way to miles 19 and beyond. As I came closer to the finish I found more and more friends out running or cheering in support. Diane captured this shot of me around mile 23. Nick found me on his bicycle around mile 22 when I really needed support.

Mile 18 at 7:54, mile 19 at 7:47, mile 20 at 8:06, mile 21 at 8:03, mile 22 at 8:38, mile 23 at 8:31, mile 24 at 8:32

This is where I started doing the math on my finishing time and I realized I was on the verge of Boston. I didn't even think I could come close to this so I started to push, but I needed help and this is when Nick came around again coaching me through it mile 25 at 8:31, mile 26 at 8:09, and .38 miles at the end at 7:27 pace. I finished at 3:35:32 a 39 minute PR from San Diego in 2010, but just 32 seconds shy of Boston. There are many factors I could say caused my 32 second lag, I held back a little too much, the course was long, I didn't cut corners tight enough, but it doesn't matter I felt great, I did great, and I almost cried at the end that I exceeded what I thought I could do. I've never been an athlete and THIS was an athlete's marathon time (or at least in my mind). I also was so excited I didn't feel like crap. I am actually exited to work my butt off and do it all over again, well after tri season of course.

Could not be more excited...and a tiny bit sad

2012-03-05T22:44:00.000-08:00

2011 finished off as a bit of a disappointment for me as I walked away from a marathon I really wanted and had trained hard to run. My last long run left me with an awful bout of patellar tendonitis which did not go away prior to the scheduled marathon date. I was crushed, I cried, but then I got over the marathon that never was and set my sights on a new goal. I really was not sure what to do...focus on triathon? Plan another marathon? Take some time off? So I sought the advice of some wise and experienced endurance athletes.
All signs pointed to a marathon, but with reduced mileage and increased cross training. Everything was riding on one successful track workout 5x1000. I made it through all 5 with no pain so…I grabbed my credit card and signed up for the Napa Valley Marathon, I searched for a lower mileage plan, and I got my calculator and created “THE PLAN," 12 weeks to NVM.

I worked hard to get all my miles in while rolling, stretching, and icing. I incorporated weights, tae bo, yoga, pilates, swimming, and cycling. I was a little concerned not putting too many miles on my feet might make it hard to reach the finish, but I followed through with my plan as best I could.

I even created my own track workout on Thursday evenings because I couldn’t make it to anyone else’s track session and I don’t like being lonely on the track (even though I still did my workout even if no one showed)

On Sunday I ran the Napa Valley Marathon. Knowing my last marathon was 4:14:41 with piriformis syndrome (I still have this plus patellar tendonitis), I had 3 goals

1) finish, work hard, don’t walk, and don’t feel like crap (realistic)

2) Run a 3:40 (8:23 avg.) (somewhat realistic)

3) Boston 3:35:00 (8:13 avg.) (Not likely, but why not?)

I didn’t really plan on Boston I just knew my half marathon and interval times were there, and maybe just maybe I could use every ounce of energy I had to push to get there if I could.

AND…

I ran faster than I thought possible, I pushed myself as hard as I could, I took it easy the first two miles like I told myself I should, I carbo-loaded for days and didn’t try anything new. I put salt in my water and drank my pedialyte days before.

In the end I PR’ed! I ran 39 minutes faster than my previous marathon finishing at a 3:35:32 (8:14avg.) At the end of it all I felt GREAT! The course was gorgeous, the hills were hard, but I pushed through the whole course, chasing after my friend Amy (you definitely kept me going). Plus, I did all 26.2 WITHOUT MUSIC! This was the biggest mental battle I had, I was in my head the whole way, well except the last 1.5 miles where Nick rode along side me coaching me toward the finish.

I signed up like Simon told me I should

I believed in myself and thought I could do it like Scott kept saying I would

I rolled in the morning like Carrie said I should

I went to track week after week knowing Jason, Diane and Joe would whip my butt into shape

I kept my miles low, but my cardio high like Laney says she does

I busted my butt through the pain like Nicki told me to

I had the support of great friends and family to get me to the finish, especially Nick (who went to 2 different places for pasta to make sure my stomach didn’t get upset)

Although I was a bit sad to walk away 32 seconds shy of a Boston qualifying time, even if I didn’t realistically have my sights set on it at this marathon. I know I’ll never have a PR like this again and that is something to be proud of.

Next Event: Oakland Half

(Napa race report soon to come)

Cleansing my system...a little too much

2012-02-21T15:11:00.001-08:00

I have a lot of stomach problems when I run so I thought I'd give the/a cleanse a try. I feel like a huge hypocrite because I really do feel carbs give me the energy I need to get through all my endurance training and I don't really believe in cleansing the system since the body is pretty advanced and efficient, but something about how I was currently eating just wasn't sitting well with my stomach so at this point I figured I would try anything. So what happened?

The program I cleansed with was a no dairy, no gluten, no refined sugars, low glycemic index foods, no caffeine, and no booze. I really didn't think I would struggle too much with most of these, except the whole sugar dilemma, see I love sweets, and sweets are often rewards for big accomplishments for me. Marathon training offers a lot of big accomplishments, like surviving 20 mile runs or making it through all 10 intervals of yasso 800s. I'm not a big ice cream person, but I LOVE cupcakes. Luckily I have to go out of my way to buy cupcakes so it was something I could somewhat avoid.

Well I started off strong, feeling pretty good with protein shakes regularly adding fiber and fat to all meal shakes and being sure to have an extra shake for recovery after exercise. I do think the protein shakes made me recover faster and I found I felt better after long workouts. I was surprised with how I felt, but I did encounter problems. Often this energy was short lived, I would feel great at the start of my run or ride, but often my legs would turn sour after about 10 miles or so. I also continued to have stomach problems and one week I even managed to top off my stomach problems by vomiting at starbucks at the end of my 18 miles. I tried to improve this by having wild rice, lentils, or other low glycemic and complex carbohydrates. I feel this helped, but the high fiber mixed with the added fiber to the shakes I think caused some mid run pit stops which I don't usually have. I think fiber is good for my diet, but I'm rethinking adding fiber pre-long run or speed session.

I did increase my fruit and veggie intake which was never really low, but I did focus on this more, but unfortunately I didn't feel a whole lot of difference with this. My weight did decrease, but I was also running 30 to 40 miles a week and doing other workouts.

Although I did not see much of a difference in cleansing and eating more protein and less carbs. I have found I don't really have any cravings for dairy or caffeine (but I've never been a coffee drinker). I have returned to sweets, but I've experimented with low glycemic sweets which actually aren't too bad in terms of flavor, Nick even liked the low-glycemic dark chocolate frosting I made better than other frostings. I really enjoyed how much almond butter I could consume and I've found almond butter to become a staple in my diet. I've kept up with the protein shakes post hour workout or longer. I still have some days where I feel like crap though, but I guess that is just overtraining or wearing my body down. I'm not so sure how I feel about the low-carb. diet for endurance athletes, but I'm still experimenting with some of the cleanseworthy recipes which are tastier than I thought they'd be. If you are wondering if a diet or cleanse really works then go ahead and try it out, you may find different results. It was worth the experimentation, but I'm not sure that it is for me.

TRIng to stay balanced and marathon train...2 weeks

2012-02-20T20:14:00.001-08:00

I have decided that I don't want to sacrifice much of my triathlon training to my marathon training. My real "A" race if I have to say I have one is Vineman 70.3, which means although Napa is important to me and my training has been tough my real goal is surviving my first half ironman. This doesn't mean I'm going to jump back into everything post Marathon (I'm trying to prevent being injured not cause it), but this does mean that I'm not sacrificing my cycle and swim(?) workouts to my taper regimen. I felt like a real slacker this week, I guess this taper stuff is going to my head.

Monday: Trail run
This was a rainy day and I was going to hit the pool, but Nick suggested trail running around diablo, and I do miss trail running (can't wait for dirt dogs to be on mondays again) so I decided to tackle the mountain. Trail running in the rain is tough, mud cakes to your feet like you are wearing huge ankle weights. We made it 2 miles in when we decided to turn back with the mud caked on our shoes. I'll be back soon enough though Diablo I just need to survive a marathon first.

Tuesday: Lululemon
Usually I wake up and get in an interval set, but there was no getting me out of bed this morning. I decided I would just get a few miles in before lulu. That didn't happen either, so I tried to punch out a steady 6. 8:37, 8:12, 7:49, 8:17, 8:19, 8:22. Then headed off to post-sweat chinese dinner with Nick.

Wednesday: Tae Bo, Spin, legs
Although I love to swim, bike and run I do always want to change it up, plus I need to trick myself into strength training so that's what I did. I jumped, punched, and kicked my way through Tae Bo and headed to what seemed like it was going to be an awful spin session. However, my legs loosened up and I felt great, not to mention we did some hill repeats in the middle which I love! Lastly, upstairs for some squats, lunges, and other stuff.

Thursday: Track
I cancelled my track session due to another event going on with my tri club, but Nick wanted to hit the track so I went anyway. My workout was 6-8x1000@HMP with a bit longer recovery 2:05 mins. I wanted to get in 8, but the gloriousness that is my stomach started to take a toll on me, and I still needed to run back home. I was pretty proud of my set and I stayed pretty consistent 4:51, 4:45, 4:41, 4:41, 4:47, 4:41, 4:38.

Friday: Rest
I was relieved to have this rest day my legs felt like they had been through a pretty rough week after last weekend and this week.

Saturday: Ride w/ Nicki then brick run
My friend Nicki came by at 9 for us to head out on a 3.5 hour ride. I was excited to be out on my bike, but a little scared to head out and do the Collier Canyon loop through Livermore. Livermore is notorious for its butt kicking wind, and yes this was a WINDY day! Nicki and I forged through the battle winds of livermore and after 55 miles made it back to the house. Then we went for a 2 mile brick where my legs felt surprisingly awesome even though they were dreading the brick run as I put on my running shoes. Then I ate and ate and ate and took a nap...the life of an endurance athlete

Sunday: Long run
My running buddies were heading out on Saturday and I just did not have it in me to do an early morning so I figured I'd fly solo. The plan was 12-16 miles and pick up the pace for the last 6. I felt pretty slow as I started and just took my time. I finally started to loosen up around mile 4 and started picking up the pace around miles 6-8. I did have a few knee issues so I punched out a few miles on the track and then headed to the house to shower, eat, and MASSAGE!

Total Miles: 35
Next Event: Napa Marathon March 4

All downhill from here...well until the marathon that is

2012-02-14T15:35:00.000-08:00

Last week was the last week in my build phase for the Napa Marathon. Now it's time to taper...well kinda. I have a triathlon in 13 weeks which means I'll be cutting back my running and cutting back my workouts come race week, but I still need to get my cycle and swim workouts in. I had a few more nutrition problems this week, which means my focus for the next few weeks is trying to make my nutrition work for me so I don't have an awful episode come race day. This is how the week went.

Monday: Swim/arms/abs
In hopes of recovering from my trail run I hit the pool. I took today off to get in a few more hours with my mom so I was able to get in a pretty long set before meeting friends to do weights upstairs. I made it through 2550yards, surprisingly, and then headed to do arms and abs.

Tuesday: Tempo/Lulu
I had a long set so I planned on going to the gym in hopes of running 3x3@MP. I only made it through 2 sets before I had to head for work and then I finished off a tempo set later at lulu. I have been surprised at how we'll I've done at lulu in the evening when I push the pace. 8:09, 8:12, 8:13, 8:11, 8:05, 7:54, 7:37, 7:10, 7:05, 8:03

Wednesday: Rest
I had big plans for this day running through my head, but I got stuck at work longer than I'd hoped so I lost my motivation and was overwhelmed with exhaustion. The couch won this round.

Thursday: Track
I planned on getting my Yasso 800s in even though I planned a different workout for other track folk. I thought I'd get started early in hopes of doing 10, but when I stopped to do drills with Mercedes my stomach started getting ideas. I pushed myself through 8 and I think I bonked around there where I just didn't have anything left. I averaged 3:29 on my sets, even with taking less than recommended recovery and I was happy with that.

Friday: Spin
Usually i rest on fridays, but I decided to get at least 1 spin workout in. There are no spin classes on friday mornings so I brought my own workout and pushed myself through the interval and hill sets. After 46 minutes I was done and I felt pretty good.

Saturday: Long Run/ Spin for ALS
I woke up and got my act together for a 22 mile run. I decided I would run and meet Amy and Scott at the park and ride so we could be on our way. I felt great at first, even though we were climbing some long steady hills and then we got to some downhill and the tide turned. Usually, I can push my way through downhill, but something was not agreeing with me. I thought it might be lack of food so i took down a gel with caffeine, but I still was just feeling awful all over almost feverish, even my knees started to ache. I bid Scott and Amy farewell at mile 15 and headed back toward the house just in case. I stopped at the track thinking maybe I could finish a few miles at the track and then head home, because there is water and a bathroom, but no luck. After one lap I still was feeling awful. I made it to 17, stopped at Safeway for a Pedialyte, and walked back to the house. I was determined to get in 22. I thought I'd let my stomach settle and try again later. I didn't feel much better later, but I suited up and headed out pushing through 5.36 miles, pleased I had finished, saddened it wasn't consecutively.
If 22 miles wasn't enough, I had signed up to participate in the FRMC annual cycle for ALS spin-a-thon. I signed up for my friend Laney's class and figured I'd spin easy. I made it through the full hour and fifteen minutes feeling good, and I even pushed out a few big intervals. I was exhausted and starving by then so it was out to dinner and off to bed

Sunday: Rest
I wanted to get up and yoga or swim so I looked up all the times for yoga or pilates and I got my clothes together to get ready, but then I sat down and never really got the energy to get up again. I guess I'm ready to taper, I just hope I don't get too lazy and it doesn't get the best of me.

I Gotta Get Thru This...4 weeks to go

2012-02-08T11:00:00.000-08:00

I didn't manage to get a weekly report last week since I was trying to get on top of all my work and I found myself a bit exhausted, but I'm back for 2 weeks of recap. My training is going well and I am crossing my fingers that I will stay healthy to the finish.

Monday: swim/tae bo
I recovered from my bout of food poisoning and hit the pool. I started out with 200sw, 200k, 200pu, and then I went through my drills feeling sluggish focusing on my form. I closed out my set with some speed (12x50) and then headed up to the gym.
I felt ambitious and kicked some butt with friends in Tae Bo, always fun to add a new workout to the mix

Tuesday: Tempo and Lulu
I thought I would feel awful, but I felt great! My workout was 3x2@ tempo, but I only had time for 2 sets in the morning and finished off my last set at lululemon in the afternoon.
7:50, 7:47, 7:45, 7:39, 7:41, 7:28...for the most part a NEGATIVE SPLIT! YAY!

Wednesday: The pool/trainer
I loved the pool today it felt so relaxing and I did a set to focus on form (1900yrds). I really wish there was not only one right way to swim because I would love swimming if I didn't know my technique was all off.
I met up with Nick and Eric to sit on the trainer as they did their FTP test. First back to back swim/cycle and my legs weren't liking it so much, but I pushed through an hour on the trainer and then abed it up while the guys finished.

Thursday: Track
I hit the track planning on 1mile, 2miles, 1 mile. Unfortunately, my stomach was not a fan of the 2 miles so I called it quits after my 2 mile interval.
7:24, 7:38, 7:25...Love my track peeps!

Friday: Rest
Mentally prepared myself for 20 miles in Napa testing out the course.

Saturday: long run
Headed up to Napa with Jason and Scott to test drive the Napa course and get my long run in. My friend Amy met us up there and the kind Malcolm drove us to the "start line." I wanted to test out my nutrition so I planned on pedialyte and gu for the road. I felt pretty good from the start, we started off easy and as close to the shoulder as possible since people drive so fast and crazy on the road. I took in a gu at about mile 6 or 7 and then kept on going. I started to push as best I could around mile 10 and I felt pretty good until my stomach started to get questionable around mile 16. I still pushed through and got all 20 in and surprisingly at a 8:27 pace. Nick came and picked me up and we headed off for a fun filled day of food and a bit of wine tasting. There are a lot of false flats and hills on this course, I'm glad I'm mentally preparing.

Sunday: Walk
I was exhausted and planned on meeting up with my good friend Mel who just moved back from London. We ate breakfast and walked along Crissy Field chatting and catching up the whole way. I'm so excited she is back!

Last week

Monday: Swim
I had a cut back week so I headed to the pool to get in a short, but speedy set. After a 600 warm-up I planned 14x50 so I pushed myself through the set and headed upstairs.
My legs were still a bit stiff so I went for the eliptical instead of the treadmill or spin bike (I am super nervous w/ workouts after a 20 miler, that's how I got hurt last time). After 3 miles I worked out my upper body and did some abs and headed home.

Tuesday: Intervals/Lululemon
My schedule called for 5x2@MP which is a real long workout for me to get in during the morning and still have energy for work. So I settled on getting 3 sets in before work and 2 sets at lululemon. I felt real guilty about breaking them up, but time is just not my friend. My splits ended up being pretty good, I was surprised after the 20 miler: 8:10, 8:07, 8:05, 7;59, 8:03, 7:55, 7:54, 7:23, 7:27, 7:50.

Wednesday: Spin
I wasn't too excited about spinning since I felt exhausted, but I knew it needed to get done. I was pleasantly surprised at how well my legs did after punching it the day before, but I pushed as hard as I could. We were doing mile repeats at a negative split followed by .5 mile repeats with increased wattage and negative split. I killed every one, I was so surprised and excited, YAY!

Thursday: Track, NOT!
I went to track like I usually do, but I was exhausted and not feeling the workout, plus my knees were sore from 2 hard days and a 20 miler. I did my slow 2 mile warm-up to have no one show up. I was actually relieved for once. I headed home after waiting a bit and decided to interval on the treadmill in the morning after a good nights rest

Friday: Treadmill intervals
I meant to do 8, but the treadmill crapped out on me come 6. I still did pretty well for my 6 even though starting on the treadmill was sluggish and rough. I like that I can force myself to negative split on the treadmill, but I think it often makes me hold back a bit. I ended up with a 3:31 average pace, this week I'll be Yassoing so we'll see how that goes

Saturday: Spin
I planned to ride, but I only needed 59 minutes and I was too lazy to suit up for an outdoor ride, plus we don't have many short routes around here. I went to spin and although I felt like crap at the start I managed to push pretty hard and do pretty well during tabata intervals (20secs. speed, 10 secs rest 8x2sets, 45 rest between sets). I thought about hitting the pool, but I was beat so I showered and walked downtown to run some errands.

Sunday: Trail run!
My mom came into town on Saturday night. My sister, her boyfriend, my boyfriend and I all met up with her in the city and went out for some awesome Chinese cuisine and drinks. I knew I planned on running so I tried to hold back, which I did successfully, unfortunately my stomach thought my drink was too sweet so I did have a bit of an issue making through all 11 miles around diablo, but I felt pretty good at the finish. I really was planning on getting in 16 miles, but I figured trail running kicks my butt so much more than a slow 16 that I would be okay, and be recovered in time for my scary 22 this weekend. Napa is slowly approaching just 4 more weeks.

NEXT EVENT: NAPA MARATHON

Lauren-3 Stomach-3 hoping to win the next one

2012-01-22T16:54:00.000-08:00

I started off the week of tri training super strong and feeling great, but unfortunately all good things must come to an end and I came down with what I think is food poisoning in the middle of the night Wednesday and was down for the count for 2 days. This, unfortunately, killed the rest of my workout week, but I'm holding my head high and moving on. I've been getting a bit discouraged because my stomach has had so many problems during this training cycle.

Monday: Holiday=day off: spin/swim
Laney, Gabby and I headed to clubsport bright and early to get in a morning spin session. My legs felt great and we practiced some form drills which I feel I need. Then we headed to the pool where we got a short set in and headed home

Tuesday: Tempo run
My schedule read 3x2@Marathon pace. I figured I was tired of the cold weather and would get my miles in on the treadmill with .5 incline. I warmed up a mile (usually I do 2) and then I started my 2 mile intervals: 8:12, 8:07, 8:07, 8:00, 7:55. I had to skip one since I told Laney I would make it to Lululemon to run. I decided to punch it a bit at Lulu and get 4 in so 8:25, 7:53, 8:37, 7:59.
11 miles total, Yay!

Wednesday: Spin and strengthen
Nick wanted to try out the new spin bikes at my gym since they have power meters and luckily it was another class to work on my form called road cycle. I pushed it as hard as I could and then went upstairs to do arms, hip abductors, abs, and spend a bit of time on the stairmaster.

Thursday: Forced Rest
I planned on swimming and doing my track session, but my body had other plans for me. Instead I logged in some major couch time praying I would feel better tomorrow.

Friday: Forced Rest/Rest
I pretty much had planned to rest, but I was in no shape to do anything anyway.

Saturday: Spin
I planned to ride outdoors with a friend, but after being so sick I figured I was better off sitting on the bike indoors, plus the weather was not looking too good. I had hoped to sit through back to back classes but I had nothing in me so I showered and headed home.

Sunday: Waterfront 10 miler
I had planned on doing this as a fitness test when I signed up for it, but after being sick there wasn't going to be much fitness about it so I planned to take it easy. I pushed myself a bit, but my legs felt awful from the beginning. I feel like this was good mental training for the marathon and I didn't do as bad of a time as I thought I would and I averaged 8:09. Then I headed to my sister's for a shower and breakfast.

Next Event: Napa Marathon
6 weeks down 6 to go! Yay!

A bit of a cliche

2012-01-20T19:38:00.000-08:00

I don't know why, but lately I feel like my life is like one of those posters that says you know you're a ___________ when... Since I have been plagued with what I am pretty sure is food poisoning I've had some time to write mine down.

You know you are a triathlete when...
You calculate how fast you should be running every interval pace to try and perform at your goal pace
You have at least one toenail missing or a black toenail, otherwise you just aren't working hard enough
You can't just own one pair of running shoes because there are shoes for trails, shoes for the track, shoes to alternate between so they don't get too many miles, shoes for the gym, cycling shoes, fins
You begin to calculate your calories in liquid, powder or gel form
You plan your routes based on where there is a port-o-potty or water fountain just in case
You decide whether you are going out or staying in based on how many miles your training schedule says you should run, swim, or bike
You spend most/all of your fashion allowance on workout attire
You trick yourself into running further by promising yourself some fatty reward (CUPCAKES are always worth a few more miles no matter the pain)
You think 8a.m. is sleeping in and 9a.m. is just wasting the day away
Your best friend is a stick of anti-chafe or a tube of chamois butter
You often shower 2 or even 3 times a day pending your workout schedule
You are outdoors in shorts when it is 60 degrees or colder outside because once you warm-up you know you'll overheat
You think of hitting the pool in terms of laps instead of cannonballs or pina coladas
You understand a new language made up of scull, drag, pace, cadence, fartlek, etc.
You pride yourself on skills like how fast you can change a tire or how quick you put your running shoes on in transition
You sometimes feel as though rest day is just a suggestion instead of part of your training plan
You have nightmares about forgetting your race day gear at home, getting sick race week, or getting a flat tire
Sometimes your sick days conveniently follow race days....

There are probably many I have forgotten, but this is what I think when I think triathlon season, and I'm EXCITED!

So what did I forget?

Moving into Week 7 and week 1 at the same time

2012-01-15T20:13:00.000-08:00

This week has been a rough week for me in terms of training. My stomach has had it's way with me and with this week being finals week for my students I've run myself down to nothing trying to get everything graded in time, but with the help and support of great friends, family and my boyfriend I've survived and am on my way to a new semester and week 7.
Monday: Spin
After doing some hip abductor exercises for my knees and spending some time on the stairmaster I headed to my FAVORITE spin instructor's class. I worked my butt off and surprisingly hit the 20 mile mark by the end of the class (the new Clubsport bikes are great).

Tuesday: Tempo
I intended to get up for weights, but I just didn't sleep well so I decided to tempo after work. I needed to do 3x2miles at MP, and although my stomach wasn't too happy with this run I actually did okay. After my run I went to lululemon run for a short and slow 3 miles. My tempo was...8:02, 7:54, 7:59, 7:58, 8:02, 7:48.

Wednesday: Easy day
Tried to get some weights in, especially for my knees so I hit the gym with some easy cycling and a bit of time on the stairmaster and then I headed home.

Thursday: Track
Had some new track peeps and enjoyed the company of my usual track friends. We had a long, but fun, set to do 3x(800, 600, 400, 200) with a 200 between intervals and 600 between sets. My last set was a little lonely, but I made it through all 3:32, 2:43, 1:46, :51; 3:26, 2:37, 1:44, :54, 3:34, 2:42, 1:45, :50.

Friday: Rest
After a long day I was relieved to relax on the couch

Saturday: 18 mile progressive/not so progressive long run
Planned on running with the group and I was going to try and keep up with Scott and Amy, but unfortunately I couldn't keep up and I got a little lost on the route. The problem was I couldn't find my turn at mile 10 so it ended up being an out and back (this doesn't add up to 18 by the way). I started running the uphill back to my car and I got an awful feeling deep in my stomach. I had been running real well up until mile 13 which is where I planned to pick up the pace, but my stomach was a no go and at mile 15 I stopped at the port-o-potty behind SRV High. I mentally and physically pushed myself through the last 3 grueling miles, I was determined to finish. At 18 I walked the last two to the car feeling worse and worse with each step. My stomach decided it was spent and so upon reaching starbucks I threw-up (in the toilet luckily), but I was eager to make it home. I was useless for the rest of the day.

Sunday: Tae Bo/Hike
I planned on riding, I actually even asked my friend Nicki if she would change days on her training schedule so we could ride Sunday, but after my incident on Saturday, sunday ride was not looking like such a good idea. Instead I ended up trying out a class at the gym with Laney which was a lot of fun. After Tae Bo we headed to Sports Basement and then joined her friend Cameo to hike the Lafayette Reservoir.

Now I'm tired, and ready to gear up for WEEK1 of Wildflower Triathlon Training!
Next Event: Waterfront 10Miler

Year End Report...the rundown

2012-01-10T20:44:00.000-08:00

I use the website dailymile to record my workouts and every week I get a weekly report of my mileage and every year I get a yearly report and it's here! I got the e-mail today and this is how I faired
January: 496 miles
February: 312 miles
March: 429 miles
April: 306 miles
May: 176 miles
June: 241 miles
July: 339 miles
August: 256 miles
September: 169 miles
October: 214 miles
November: 142 miles
December: 161 miles

The higher mileage months had more cycling whereas the lower mileage months were more run focused, or maybe more celebration focused since 30th birthday parties, going away parties, and other celebrations nearly killed my training this year.

This brings my total to...3242 miles total for the year and this doesn't count weight classes, pilates or yoga. Can you tell I spend a lot of hours addicted to working out. I've gotten off to a strong start this year so I'll have to compare my results come 2013.

Back in the saddle again...training week 9

2012-01-08T19:20:00.000-08:00

I wasn't all that great at sticking to my workouts this week, but probably not in the way you think. I ran a lot more than I should of and I didn't do so much of the weight training, cross training, and yoga that I should have, which caused my long run today to suck, but at least it is a recovery week. With finals quickly approaching for my students I was boggled down by grading which wore me out and caused an extra impromptu rest day. The New Year has still gotten off to a great start, but if teachers have a busy season this is mine!

Monday: 9 mile tempo
Even though I had the day off I got up early to run with my friends Amy and Scott and another fellow fomo runner, Mark. I wanted to get my tempo in since usually I like to start out the first day of the work week early (I want to make sure no one threw a wrench in my plan for the week). The set was 3x2@Marathon pace. I went off my half marathon pace which recommended 8:10s so my splits were 8:10, 7:56, 7:54, 7:48, 7:55, and 7:52. Always great to have great company in the morning!

Tuesday: 5 miles lululemon
I usually try to run on tuesdays not mondays, but I had already committed to Tuesday so I decided to stick with the plan and do an easy 5. The easy 5 ended up being a fast 3 and an easy 2, but I enjoyed chatting with Laney and Katie.

Wednesday: Rest
I got stuck in a meeting at work and I had been up most of the night picking up my boyfriend and 2 other friends from the airports so I just didn't have the energy to work out. I ended up picking up some soup and enjoying soup and grilled cheese with an ill boyfriend.

Thursday: Track 3-4x1mile
My stomach was having some problems all day so I was a little concerned with hitting the track. I was so excited when I had a larger showing this week and even a guest appearance from awesome athlete coach Carrie Chavez of FOMO tuesday morning track. I had intended to do 4, but after 3 my stomach wasn't doing too hot. I decided I would do the last one, but break it up into 2x800, I'm glad I did because my shoe came untied so I would have had to stop anyway or run the last 800 with my laces untied. My splits were 7:03, 7:14, 7:17, 3:42, 3:37.

Friday: Rest
I thought about doing some weights or yoga, but I was worn out and I knew I had 3 hours of riding planned with my friend Nicki on Sat. so I relaxed and went to the movies to see Mission Impossible 3 with Nick.

Saturday: 3 hour ride
Nicki and I met around 9:30 and headed out to do the Collier Canyon Loop according to the FOMO route sheet. As we were riding I thought the route would be a bit longer than we planned on going so we wound through the gorgeous wineries of Livermore and headed back through Pleasanton. The wind made the ride tough, but a fantastic 47 mile ride with great company!

Nick wanted to head out for a short run when he got back from a mountain bike ride so I went running with him. We got 4 miles into our run at about an 8-8:20 pace until my stomach started to hurt. We ended up finishing with a walk home, especially since I'd put in more miles than I needed to.

Sunday: long run
I had intended to run about 10 to 12 since it is a recovery week, but everything seemed to be wrong with me today. I met up with Laney in the morning to head out to Lafayette and back. We headed out at an easy pace, catching up on the week and everything else. My knees were aching, my stomach was feeling miserable, my body felt exhausted. I had planned on leaving Laney at 8 miles, but I decided it would be best if I listened to my body and just head home.

This weeks challenge will be to keep with my workouts and get everything graded during finals week! Plus, my tempo partner is out of town so I need to push myself through tempo Ahhh!

Total Miles: Running: 34
Cycling: 46.88

Next Event: Waterfront 10 Miler

3 down 9 to go...Napa training

2012-01-01T19:37:00.000-08:00

I picked up the training in the spin room this week. I have about 2 weeks before I start leaning toward tri season and 6 weeks before I need to start taking tri training seriously. I also ventured back out on the trails twice. All in all a great week and now back to the grind

Monday: Spin and brick run
Headed to the gym with Laney. I got in a quick warm-up, some stretching and headed to the spin room. Pushed myself through the class and 54 minutes later I was 15.9 miles deep (the new spin bikes are surprisingly accurate). Then a short stint on the treadmill and a few reps on the abductor machine.

Tuesday: Track w/ Ralph and Angel and lululemon
Since I'm not working this week I didn't really want to have to host afternoon track on Thursday, especially since most people are out of town and lights are questionable. I started out strong and then had to push through some stomach cramps...2x(4x800), 3:30, 3:32, 3:35, 3:33, 3:28, 3:32, 3:38, 3:35
Followed by a stretch and relax class at the gym and the grading of papers
Lululemon run: just put in 3 and picked up the pace more than I thought I would
10.14 miles total

Wednesday: Hike w/ Laney and Cameo
Headed to Mt. Diablo open space and went for a 3 mile hike with 6 impromptu hill repeats. A beautiful day on the mountain.

Thursday: Tempo Run
My tempo partner was out of town for the second week in a row so I mentally prepared myself for 4@tempo pace. After a 2 mile warm-up I cranked out 7:41 and 7:45 uphill and then 7:27 and 7:28 downhill

Friday: yoga
Didn't want to push my legs the day before my first trail half so I was a yogi for the day stretching it all out.

Saturday: Brazen New Years Eve Half
Woke up bright and early, beautiful but cold morning. I survived all 1,600ish ft of climbing and finished in 2:06:25, 5th in my AG. I was pretty proud of myself considering I haven't been trail running lately so I was a little scared about it.
14.21 total

Sunday: New Years Spin and Pilates
I thought about running the Brazen NYD half or 10k and I thought about getting up to cycle, but I chose to sleep in an hour and head to the gym with my favorite instructor. After a 1 mile warm-up on the treadmill I had my butt kicked! Cut out 5 mins. early to do a grueling ab workout at Pilates.
1 mile run/17.6 spin/ 1 hour pilates

Total miles this week: 72
Running: 33
Hiking: 3
Cycling: 33

A Brazen good time...new years eve half

2011-12-31T21:02:00.000-08:00

My boyfriend was going out of town, my mom is in so cal as are many of my friends and although I could travel I have TONS of papers to grade and kittens to hang out with. I was browsing through active.com and saw a new years eve race and thought, why not? I don't have anything else going on and I need to get in 15. But, I haven't been on the trails in a while (other than hiking) so I was a little nervous as to how my legs/knees would deal with the climbing.

The start

Joe heading out on the paved trail

I woke up at 6 to get my act together and take my boyfriend and a few friends to the airport. Since the race was real close to the airport I went directly to the race location where I had about an hour to warm-up, use the restroom, and freeze my butt off. I waited patiently for some familiar faces to arrive and as I waited I figured out that I needed to pick up my timing chip (thank goodness I was being observant). I guess I was a little too prepared for how much time I had.

Jason and some fellow FOMOs on the trail

After a mile warm-up with friends I realized I needed to decide on my final race outfit. I was freezing so I played it safe with ear warmers, arm warmers, and leggings. I don't think I ever actually warmed up either since I wore them almost the whole race.

Aron, Kim and I getting started

We started lining up and then the horn sounded. I planned on starting with my friends Kim and Aron and so I did. I enjoyed chatting with them for the first four miles as we winded through the small rollers and around the lake. Then into mile 4 there is this huge hill and not only is it huge, but steep and difficult. I was trying not to walk, although I figured I would eventually have to, so I pushed myself running up the first portion of the hill, then I walked for a little while, and then pushed again. Although I did walk I was proud of how much I managed to run and that I limited myself to only very steep portions. After the initial massive hill I ran the rest of the way, YAY!

Almost finished

I had gotten a bit ahead of my friends so I decided to push on because I was still freezing cold. I Made it through some pretty tough and harsh downhills shortly after I reached the top. These downhills wound through a very shady and green area with sticky mud that reminded me of my favorite trails in Skyline. I was worried about my knees with all the downhill so I tried to just let my body go on the downhill since I figured holding back might do more damage (downhill running is really something I've been working on). I made it around the whole lake and over some steep rolling hills without stopping and down to the finish line. Yay! I finished my first official trail race at 2:06:25 5th in my age group after 1,629 ft of climbing. After a wonderful morning run I was done freezing and headed home to enjoy a big guilt free breakfast.

If you ever have the opportunity to run a Brazen race I would highly recommend it, I really enjoyed myself and the scenery.
Happy New Year everyone!

Surviving 2011...the last workout

2011-12-31T13:52:00.000-08:00

This year has been quite an adventure for me. I don't tend to make resolutions, but I usually try to set some goals, and although I grew exponentially as an athlete I did have some failures along the way. So here is the review:

Goal #1: A half marathon PR: The Surf City half marathon
Although I did not plan on trying to PR at this race I was putting in my speed sessions. Then somehow my more relaxed outlook on this race helped me to successfully crank out a huge time for me...1:41:57

Goal#2: (this is actually 2 in one)An olympic triathlon: Wildflower
Ever since I was in college I always admired the wildflower athlete. I made it through the difficult course and even managed to slide in right below the 3 hour mark.

Goal #3: A more focused approach to my training
Before this year I really just ran, swam or cycled. I never really followed a training plan even though I did use training plans to guide me. I have to say I didn't exactly succeed at this one. There are many weeks where I pushed myself a lot further than my training plan asked of me and many weeks where I just didn't feel like doing anything and couldn't push myself through. Not to mention California International Triathlon, Folsom Sprint, and Nike half came after bouts of laziness and 30th birthday parties. I also strayed away from my training plan for CIM and ended up injured. I think this also means I need to take my off season seriously no matter how tempting a race may be.

Goal #4: Marathon #2 going sub 4: CIM
I had to pull out of this event after I developed patellar tendonitis, I was bummed, depressed, and annoyed, but I'll be back to tackle this goal in 2012 and maybe at CIM again some year soon.

Goal #5: Improve my lessons and teaching strategies
I really love teaching, but sometimes I feel as though I am falling short. I took some classes this summer and I reevaluated some of my past lessons to modify and adjust. I feel as though I started strong at the beginning, faltered, then started strong at the start of a new year, and leveled out going again into the new school year. This is a reoccurring goal of mine, so hopefully what I was disappointed with this year I'll manage to fix in 2012.

So I finished off the year with an awesome trail half marathon (my first one)! I enjoyed every minute of it and I'm thinking this may need to be a New Years Eve tradition. Race report soon to come

Of course now comes my goals for 2012:
Goal #1: Going sub 4 this time at the Napa Marathon, I'm being very careful with my training this time and really hoping my hard work will get me through

Goal #2: Wildflower: I would like to get faster, but I know the elements were really in my favor next year so along with staying sub 3 hours I'd like to make a point of running the whole run course

Goal #3: The half Ironman: I signed up for Vineman and my goal is just to finish

Goal #4: A more focused approach to my training: I've learned from my injury so I'm planning on being better about this

Goal #5: A half marathon PR: I'm thinking sub 1:40, I don't know what course, or when, but I really want this. It may mean losing a few lbs., but I'm working at this.

Goal #6: Trail Running! Ms. Kim Cooke got me into trail running this summer and now I really want to push myself to trail more often and in more places

Goal #7: Push myself harder: this is more mental than physical, but it does need work.

Personal Goals:
Goal #8: Improve my lessons and teaching strategies: always ongoing

Goal #9: Positive attitude: I can be real negative and maybe even a b#*$?! at times, I've gotten better at this, but I still can use some work

Goal #10: Lay off the cupcakes: I need to focus more on my health in terms of nutrition this year. I eat pretty healthy, but I tend to indulge when the opportunity presents itself. My focus is balance.

Happy New Year everyone! Here I come 2012!

Events on my calendar:
Waterfront 10 miler
Napa Marathon
Oakland Half Marathon
Wildflower Olympic
Vineman 70.3 Half Ironman

Mi Familia...Napa 2 weeks down 10 to go...

2011-12-26T15:22:00.000-08:00

This week is always a tough week to get my act together. I have the whole week off work so I really have to push myself to get outside in the cold, not to mention everything that will make me sluggish on a run is out in the open and ready for me to indulge in. However, I managed to get through and enjoy some family festivities and last minute shopping along the way

Monday: Epic fail at the gym
So I tried to get in a zumba class, but it got cancelled and then I tried to swim, but my arms were heavy and just not feeling it, so I settled for a lame workout that I hoped would make my legs a little peppy to tempo the next day. Then I was off to finish my shopping and avoid foods that wouldn't agree with me while in tempo.

Tuesday: 2x2 miles
I got up at 7a.m. (yes this is sleeping in) to head out the door and hit the trail. I got in a 2 mile warm-up and then jumped into my tempo intervals. I made it through the first interval with a 7:35 and a 7:26 mile then on to my second interval which my legs were agonizing over (guess avoiding crap didn't work so well for me). I pushed myself to do the second set, but this went a little slower (especially the uphill 2nd mile) 7:30, 7:46. Then I headed off to Bikram yoga to try and stretch it all out, hoping my legs would not give out since my balance is so awful.

Wednesday: Bikram and Hike
I met up with Laney and Andrea for a 8:30a.m. Bikram session. I faired better today since my legs weren't entirely fatigued. After I was stretched out I met up with Laney, one of her clients, and a few of her client's co-workers to go for a hike along the Mt. Diablo ridge. I'm sure you know how much I LOVE Mt. Diablo, despite it trying to kill me occasionally, plus, lately the weather has been brisk but sunny which is oh so awesome (I like rain but it really limits my activities). After lots of talk, laughs, and about 4 or 5 miles we came back to the cars and headed our separate ways. Sometimes I think walking is harder than running because my legs were stiff after this.

Thursday: 16 mile run
I needed to go pick up my students to head out to SF and look at prom venues, but I also knew I needed to fit in 16 miles before 11a.m. I layered up and headed out, hoping to negative split along the way. Usually this is my track day, but since I was unsure as to when I would be back I cancelled track and switched my days. My legs felt awful, again, but I pushed through managing to negative split for most of the run (I was out of gas the last 3 miles). Laney joined me for a few which helped me push toward my goal pace. Then off to the city where we looked at some awesome venues! The kids were still making their final decision, but it is already seeming pretty awesome!

Friday: Rest day
I had plans to get up and do something, but my body just wouldn't let me. I was exhausted, sore, and wanted just another hour. I wanted to head out to my grandparents so I opted to rest. Then I spent the evening catching up with my mom and grandparents, and enjoying MENUDO, one of the wonderful holiday traditions!

Saturday: 8x800
I had a few interval options, so I opted for this one. Very determined I headed to grandpa's treadmill and cranked out my intervals. I started by a 2 mile warm-up and then the 8 went something like this 3:48, 3:43, 3:42, 3:36, 3:34, 3:34, 3:32, 3:26. Then I was off to eat grandma's fantastic tamales, rice, beans, and of course potato salad! The food was great, the family was even better. We enjoyed all the great food while playing Lotaria (mexican bingo) and apples to apples. I tried to get the right margarita ratio for everyone and I helped my mom experiment in creating chocolate martinis. I ate so much and so many desserts. We opened up presents my family is oh so generous, thank you everyone for everything, especially my North Face Jacket! I was deeply depressed over losing my old one.

Sunday: Rest
Although I wanted to do something today I was just too excited for more food, more presents, and more family. Although we usually do movies on Christmas day I headed out too early to partake and went to visit Nick's family and enjoy his mother's fantastic Prime Rib. If you can't tell I indulged quite a bit this week.

I made it to 31 miles this week running now on to week #3
HAPPY HOLIDAYS EVERYONE!!!

Next Event: Brazen New Years Eve trail half marathon

Napa week 1...building without breaking

2011-12-18T21:12:00.000-08:00

After the injury that was CIM and four weeks rest I reevaluated my training plans for this year. Originally I planned on trying to PR at the Oakland half marathon because it would give me plenty of recovery time after CIM, but with no CIM I really wanted to put my miles to use. I decided to jump on the Napa bandwagon with many forward motion friends and runners. So I came up with a 12 week plan to Napa and this marked week one.
Day 1: Monday
I decided to revamp my training to 3 quality days a week unless I felt great so today was a swim/cycle day. I decided to get my heart rate up and get a quality short set in so I started with a nice warm-up of (200+25x4 DIP)x2 followed by 50x12 w/ evens easy and odds hard. Although I only ended up with 1250 yds. I felt pretty good. Then I headed to do some abs, leg lifts, and finally spin. I felt twinges of pain and the Dr. told me to build slowly so I called it quits after 42 minutes and then vigorously rolled and stretched and headed home.

Day 2: Tuesday
I needed to get a tempo in which means 5a.m. work-outs to get to work on time. My friend Scott and my headlamp joined me for a 1.5 warm-up followed by 1.5x3 w/ a half mile slow recovery on the iron horse trail @tempo pace. It was cold, but I made it through my first tempo run of this cycle.

I was not so sure that I should run lululemon after a tough 7 miles in the morning, but I did and the planned route was a bit much in terms of concrete so I rerouted and ran a sluggish 4 miles

Day 3: Wednesday
Rest: I had planned on bootcamp in the morning or yoga in the evening, but I bailed on both. I felt sore and figured I would take a impromptu day off.

Day 4: Thursday
I moved my track session to 6p.m. and headed out early to get in a long warm-up (2 miles) and to stretch out my knee before a long set. The run was 3x2000 w/ a 3 minute recovery which I called a real slow 400. My splits were 8:56, 8:54, 9:01. After my 6.6 miles I headed to finish getting my T.A.s Christmas gifts together and go to bed.

Day 5: Friday
I planned on getting up early for weights, but I've had a hard time getting up in the morning lately with winter break starting today so I grabbed my bathing suit in hopes I would push myself to the gym later. I DID! 2200yds later, followed by abs and leg lifts I was off to the first x-mas party of the weekend.

Day 6: Saturday
I met up with Scott to get 13-15 miles in. This is my longest run since before CIM and I had a couple drinks the night before. I actually felt great until about mile 10 where the two drinks and all the junk food I've eaten started hating me. I made it through 12 before stomach cramps got the best of me. I'm glad I made it to the double digits, but bummed I wasn't feeling so well.

Day 7: Sunday
I meant to get in some workout today besides running, but I had little to no energy and although I woke up at 8 I went back to sleep around 10 and didn't get up until 1. I guess my body needed some more rest this week. Since I've been trying not to aggravate my leg I decided an extra rest day today was okay.

Despite the extra rest day I feel it was a pretty successful and fun week...now to catch up on grading! Everyone have a safe, fun, and blessed holiday, I'll be reporting again soon.

Upcoming events: Brazen New Year's Half (My first trail half marathon)
Napa Marathon
Oakland Half Marathon
Wildflower Olympic (I'll be signing up this week)
Vineman half ironman

How I'm dealing with the Marathon that never was...

2011-12-12T21:39:00.000-08:00

After months of training and making it through every single long run, and every single track workout I woke up with a nasty feeling in my knee.
On day 1 of my injury I was in pain and struggling to walk. I thought just a rest day or two might do the trick, I just might have some real soreness.
On day 2 I was still having a hard time walking, but I did feel better and was relieved that there was no swelling.
On day 3 of pain I read forum after forum as to what it could be and if it could heal in time for my marathon and as to whether I should consult the Dr. (I am not a huge fan of my Dr. he prescribes pain meds. and has told me in the past to just quit running, I know I should change, but I'm switching my insurance to right now I figured what's the point?). I narrowed it down to patellar tendonitis or runners knee, both unfortunate overuse injuries common amongst runners.
On day 4 I tried to run, and this is the day where I broke down and cried. After all my hard work I was starting to realize I might not be able to run this thing. I immediately called the chiropractor who I trust more than my dr. after the miracle he has performed on my piriformis.
After a few visits, more rest days, a few yoga sessions, and pushing myself into the pool, finally, I felt okay to walk, but I feared running. Dr. Johnson wanted me to run so I tested it out, but I felt pain and I wasn't going to push it. The next test run was slow and had a funny feeling to it, not pain, but some sort of weakness. It was then marathon week and I had to decide what to do. I sought advice from many friends, but the decision was mine. So I made it, I did not run CIM.
It is one thing to not be prepared for a race or to pull out because of a conflict, but it is quite another to have to skip an event due to injury. It was sad to watch it on TV and know I couldn't be there and I did cry a few more times over my knee, but I had to move on.
However, all hope is not lost! I waited one more week after CIM to get back in action and then I slowly started running again. I am still not 100%, but I'm hoping I will get there, and after test driving my knee on a few great short runs I decided to take the plunge and sign up for Napa. Now I know I've read forums that it may never go away or that you really need to take a lot of time off, but so far I've been told to go ahead just gradually get into it, so I'm taking a lower mileage approach to this round. I'm really trying to be good about icing, stretching, and rolling right now, and I've decided to stay away from the high heels at work for the time being. I know I can tri to survive through this whole thing I just need a bit of confidence and maybe some rock tape.