trail toe runner

Sometimes you never know.

2012-01-29T20:34:00.000-08:00

Hamlin Park, Shoreline

This past week started out tough. I woke each morning early and planning on getting in a longer run with a workout (some intervals). Each morning, I had to bail on the workout portion of the run and just run easy miles.

One morning, I was so draggy that I couldn't have run fast if someone had paid me.
The next morning I tried an interval and realized that something was off in my gait. I had no power to run fast. I kept the miles short and went home to roll my low back and glutes out with a foam roller and tennis ball and found my calf muscles really tight.
The third day, I woke even earlier before my alarm clock and could not get back to sleep because of some GI issues and the pouring rain. Never mind. I got up and planned to run (commute) home.

I never did get in that workout but ended the running week with a really nice long run (13 miles) and a pleasant recovery run on trails. That makes 36 miles for the week with some strength training in there as well. I'd call that a success. I would've been happy to get that workout in but just getting the miles in smartly is best.

Marked XC Course

I did have to talk myself into going for that recovery run today. It was windy and rainy and I wasn't looking forward to the rain. I knew I wanted to run on trails but didn't want to drive too far so I visited Hamlin Park in Shoreline. It's a few miles north of us and not too big (80 acres) but with a variety of trails up and down the hillsides of a small ravine. The rain stopped and the wind wasn't noticeable in the trees. I saw just a few people out walking their dogs and enjoyed roaming around just looking to put some easy miles in.

There is a marked XC (cross country) course in this park. Two loops of the course makes a 5k, I believe. They've been doing a fair bit of work in this park too. A rocky wash has been replaced by a graveled stair with large rock treads. There are some new stairs of wood down one hillside, some wooden bridge footpaths and to my surprise they've put in a paved road through one area. I could've done without that actually.

This park is heavily used and it makes me wonder if some of the unofficial trails will need to be closed or walled off somehow to let the understory of the forest recovery. I was sad to see some rather large sections of english ivy which is an invasive species here in the Northwest. In other sections, they have soft barricaded areas and have planted native shrubs and plants. This is good to see.

These mean STEEP.

And then you come to red triangle marked posts with numbers. I've yet to google my way to figuring out what these are or if there is a map associated with them. If you see one of these posts, you can bet there is a very steep hill right around somewhere.

Wait scratch that! Orienteering! Aha. I did find a map and a little booklet published by Cascade Orienteering. From the booklet: "the object of orienteering is to find your way to the markers in the assigned order using the map." I'm not sure about that one. My object would by running around identifying them all but not necessarily in order but at least now I know. But I guess they are not associated with a steep hill. Ha! I guess Hamline Park just has so many hills to choose from that's where the markers ended up.

Anyway, good times and a chance just to check out and run with no care about pace or where I am going. It was a peaceful end to the week and I'm thankful that there are so many interesting places to run.

Gratuitous Keswick photo - tissue paper is really fun.

Snow Break and setting up for a good 2012

2012-01-22T20:19:00.000-08:00

And did we have snow! We had a few inches sticking to the roads the sunday after Nookachamps. Monday and Tuesday stayed cold and then Wednesday, we got a few more inches. it iced overnight and then we recieved a lovely mix of ice and snow, turning to mostly snow Thursday. Winter roared in reminding us that nature can do whatever the hell it wants. I measured 7" on Thursday and this was after a lot of it had compacted down. I know we had more. It's a lot for hilly, hilly seattle without a lot of snow removal equipment.

it's pretty unusual for snow to stick around for more than a few days here in the Seattle lowlands. This snow stuck and even stuck around downtown. I don't fuss with snow when training since I do not belong to a gym. I count it as a rest week and don't worry about getting running workouts in. I did go out and do a couple of short but really fun snow runs from our house on the hill. all the kids with their sleds were out, i saw people cross country skiing and just tons of smiles on faces. Sure i had to go to work everyday and I did except for the day when the ice exceeded my limit and I stayed put and worked from home. Generally I can run on the waterfront trail along Downtown Seattle but this storm, even Downtown was affected. I rode on the trainer a couple times for a short bit and just enjoyed looking out the window. We even went and had wine and played scrabble with the neighbors. Fun snow stuff!

It came at a great time too. Nookachamps, the goal race, was a bust. What next? well I am signed up for a couple upcoming races (both trail and road) but I haven't really set the next goal. I did take a closer look at why I think Nookachamps would've been tough to run well even if the weather had cooperated. I really feel like I need to bump up my overall mileage and I need to look at my weight. These two do go hand in hand to some extent (if i ran more, i'd lose a bit) but it's not that simple.

I looked back to see what I weighed when I was racing and running my best. The number shocked me as it seems so much less than what I weigh now. Really? I know I have more muscle on me than when I set those running PRs. I've worked hard to build strength in my upper body, core, glutes and that strength has helped me stay injury free (knock down the tree!) and makes me a better trail runner. This is just a couple instances of why better strength is good.

I didn't get into running for weight loss. It was something I thought I could do and would be enjoyable and keep me fit. And it certainly did that and more and as a bonus, I lost some weight. But recently as I hit middle age and my female body is creeping towards change, I've noticed some gradual weight gain over the past couple years. I didn't think much of it.

However there is now a bit of a tummy that doesn't want to go away and a bit of extra padding which I'm pretty certain wasn't there a few years ago. I came through the holidays with the extra pound or two gain which honestly is just fine to me. I like to celebrate with family and friends and that often means eating and there is nothing wrong with that. At some point, I have to draw the line and realize the extra pounds slow me down and will keep adding on. what to do?

I usually go back to what worked when I initially needed to control my diet back when I'd joined a gym but wasn't a runner. I cut out snacking at work except for what I bring. I make sure I'm getting fruits/veggies with every meal and start measuring portions of things like rice and pasta. I don't cut out wine or alcohol or sweets but do limit them to a few times a week. This has generally worked without much fuss.

And now? I'm finding this harder to do when training as an endurance athlete. I still gradually lose weight but struggle to eat enough at times and deal with hunger and wonder if my training suffers. And all this showed in my lead up to Nookachamps Half Marathon (turned 10k) I think. Nookachamps is challenging because of the weather but also the time of year. I enjoyed my egg nog a lot this holiday season and my weight is up. If you know me, you probably can't necessarily tell. It helps that I'm a taller person and can hide some extra weight. I can tell you though that I am tired of carrying the extra weight up hills.

I am not one who thinks I can successfully carry out a diet which limits or eliminates a lot of foods. I like meat. I like veggies, carbs, fruits and wine. I love cheese and milk and full fat ice cream and homemade baked goods. I'm the best omnivore I know! Ok, I fail miserably at eating mushrooms (ick!) and seafood (mostly ick!) but I make do. I've looked at diets like vegan or vegetarian or paleo or clean eating and there is no way that i could sustain that happily except for a short time. I am very happy that i have not been forced to change my diet because of food sensitivities or gut issues.

I came across a book which has really gotten me thinking about things like appetite, hunger, training versus racing weight, diet quality and balancing energy sources (fat, protein, carbohydrates) for an endurance athlete.

Racing Weight: How to Get Lean for Peak Performances by Matt Fitzgerald had me enthralled on the bus. I had to take out my phone with calculator and start figuring my optimal performance weight. This book is very technical to begin with and i can just imagine someone who has a lot of weight to lose could find it discouraging. I did find a lot of references to what to aim for if that is the case. Some simple changes include adding in more fruits and veggies (higher diet quality), portion control, nutrient timing and rethinking things like managing appetite instead of trying to control something you need. I have one of those fancy scales to measure body fat percentage. I hadn't done much but notice that yes as I peaked for races, my body fat would subtly decrease while weight would stay about the same. I didn't track this or compare it to anything however.

This book lets me do that and gives me a reasonable body fat goal to aim for while losing a couple pounds. I know what I weighed when I raced my best. I know I have more muscle than i did then so that weight may not be optimal now. I really liked the discussion about balancing energy sources (ie how much fat, protein, carbs should I eat). As a runner, I hear a lot about making sure to fuel a run by eating carbohydrates but then don't forget to eat protein to build muscle. I'm sure you've heard this too and it isn't quite as simple as that nor in the case of protein building muscle even true.

Note that this book is not really about what to eat when working out. As Coach Lesley was quick to point out, everyone has different energy requirements when working out. I know I burn fuel quickly when running a more moderate pace and have to fuel accordingly and often higher than someone else will. but those higher carb diets overall make me hungry and cranky and prone to gorging on fatty stuff. I was interested to see that higher levels of protein and fat is (probably) called for when you are NOT training at a high level. I don't train at a high level. I normally train about 5 hours a week consistently and if i plug in the recommended carb intake for that level of training, it is about what I get naturally. If my training time goes up (ie my mileage is higher or I add a lot more biking) than I naturally start adding in snacks like whole grain cereal and other high quality carbohydrates.

The timing of nutrient intake makes a difference too. when you eat and what you eat can either go to restock fuel sources, power muscle work, power immediate energy needs or get stored in adipose tissue making you fatter. I like all the options but that last one. How 'bout you I like tracking food and activities because it really shows me how wildly I swing between undereating and overeating depending on my activity level. I know that after a busy weekend of running, I can get to work on Monday and I'm starving all day long and do eat knowing that i need the calories. Nutrient intake timing FAIL! ha! I should've eaten a lot more over the weekend but i was too busy having fun. what is my body doing with that extra calories now? Hmmm.

No my body's energy requirements are not the same throughout the day nor every day and I often try to eat the same amount every day. Athletes who do a better job of matching calorie intake with calorie needs throughout the day were leaner. This means i probably need to bring even more food to work for snacks. Sigh. I also plan on adding a quick snack before longer midweek runs to help.

The author does a great job of debunking a lot of myths and pointing out design flaws in studies. What works for this elite athlete may not work for this other elite athlete in another country and may not work for you or me (definitely non-elite!). This book was published in 2009. I just noticed that the author has a new one out (Racing Weight Quick Start Guide). I've requested that one from the library and I'm curious to see what's different. Like I said, the edition I'm reviewing here is pretty technical which the geek/nerd side of me loves! Please, poke holes in studies and tell those nuanced shades of gray! I don't believe the black and white. I hate news stories which flash: Drink 12 gallons of mustard sauce to lose weight, build brain health and cure cancer!

I don't think food is cure for things. I like to eat and I like to run. I know that by making some subtle changes and bringing my weight down a smidge for training and then a bit more for a short time for racing, I'll run better. AND I'll continue sailing into middle age happy about my body and what it can do. It takes some effort on my part and that is ok. It's the only body I have.

And that's a wrap!

2012-01-15T21:38:00.000-08:00

Trees around Maple Leaf after snow.

The goal race was this weekend. We've had an extremely mild winter so far. What are the chances that winter is going to show up on that weekend I have a goal race? After many years of lucking out, the Nookachamps Winter Run Events got weathered!

I was all prepared to run a half marathon, really I was. I knew what pace I planned to go out at and what I was aiming for overall. A front was moving through with a mix of cold rain/slushy snow and temps in the mid-30s. Drizzle and temps under 40 I can handle. Drenching rain in those lower temps? I had my doubts.

There was a large group of us from CoachLesley.com plus friends of friends and that was fun! It was great to see/meet everyone including one very new runner who was going to be running her first 10k. I met up with EC who I did a lot of marathon training with last year. We went out for a warm-up together and the rain was awful. And as we turned back towards the start, I realized there was a pretty good wind coming from the south. Really?

The start was even more chaotic than usual with this race. All three races (5k, 10k and half) start at the same time with no helpful hints from anyone that slower paced runners and walkers should move to the back. I couldn't hear anything with the heavy rain. And without warning, I realized those in front of me were moving! I guess the race had started.

My goal was to go out at 8:10 for the first mile and keep it feeling easy. This is a crowded start and as usual, i did see someone trip and go down. Careful! I hit 8:09 and realized my shoes were completely soaked. Hmm. And oh yes, i was still really chilled even with a tailwind. the second mile has a long sweeping downhill and I kept it easy (7:45) and was even colder. And I was soaked. I could feel the crosswind and knew we'd be turning into it after another mile.

And here is where this course is perfect. At just over 2 miles, the 10k turns off and goes up a hill. There was no question, I made the turn off and ran a 10k. It's a really hilly 10k (more hills than in the half i think) adn I didn't worry about pace at this point. I just wanted to keep it steady and not have a repeat of last year were i fell apart the last mile and realized I had some running form work to do. Much better this year and I kept even splits even with all the hills. That last mile on the squishy trail wasn't easy but I held it together. I was a minute faster this year. If I'd been aiming for the 10k, I'd have started faster too so I'm happy about that.

What was the big challenge with this race? Taper! Coach really wanted me to do a proper taper for this half marathon. I was a little doubtful about how it would play out but decided to go ahead and follow it. What did I learn?

I completely see the need to cut miles although I doubt I need to cut quite so many miles if I am not running that many overall. I have been typically running about 30-35 miles per week with either 1 or 2 rest days erring on the side of caution (and weather!). Coach wanted me to cut about 25% of my miles and keep more rest days. Now she gave me the option of doing some cross training (bike or row) but as I've had some odd little back issues, I was hesitant to add that in when I haven't been doing much. And, I got so ridiculously stiff that it got hard to run. I'm not kidding.

I'm on my feet a fair bit at work (going up stairs and walking around) and we debated how much of an impact that has on training recovery. personally, I think it is a great thing because when I get tired of sitting and need a stretch, I can get up and attend to some other duties. Coach has been concerned that the extra time on feet takes a toll and I need the strict taper with full rest days for this reason as well. Again, I have my doubts that this is the case. I am very used to being on my feet a bit more than the average office worker.

And then race day, after two weeks of dealing with this, my low back was grumpy and tight the morning of the race. This never bodes well for having any sort of power on the hills and my hamstrings always feel tight if this happens. So lesson learned. I'm "challenging" with taper so obviously we'll be playing with this.

So the race itself was disappointing from the standpoint of I was looking forward to racing a half marathon. Both weather and taper challenges meant running a hard 10k was a better choice. Overall it's been a great year though and I've learned a lot. After that awesome 12k where I was a LOT faster than I expected and held that race pace, I know good things are happening. I'm looking forward to the coming year for a lot of reasons.

And as usual the beer and burger at Skagit River Brewery with even more running friends was wonderful. We came home and the next day, SNOW! Woohoo! Winter, finally.

Staying Busy

2012-01-08T19:58:00.000-08:00

Along Bus Trail - Lake Tradition Plateau

WARNING: I'm going to whine. Taper. I hate it. After all the hard training, the hardest part comes right before the goal event. Taper refers to cutting training load so that your body has a chance to heal, recover and rest. Tapering doesn't just work with running. it applies to a lot of sports before a big event.

I'm finding tapering particularly challenging before a half marathon. With marathon training, I am only too ready to take the 2-3 week break. I'm tired mentally and physically and it's nice to have the couple weeks to attend to rest of my life. Half marathon training isn't as demanding with no long runs. The workouts can be challenging but I recover from them quicker. So what d'ya mean I gotta cut back running? I'm feeling so good! Once I cut back running and take more rest days I just get stiff and sore.

The cure for whining is, of course, a nice and easy and short trail run out at Lake Tradition (see photo top). I still found it challenging to slow down on some of the non-technical/non-hilly sections but just getting out to somewhere besides the normal running route is always good.

K spent a couple days of his winter break replacing the lights in our kitchen. They look great! The holes from the old fixtures needed to be patched and painted. It has been 12 years since we remodeled the kitchen from the studs out and I've wanted to repaint the walls and ceiling anyway. All patching and painting is done! It's like having a new kitchen as the new lights are so much better. LED technology has certainly come far.

Knitting is always a good thing. I got to meet a new baby last week. And that was the perfect excuse to knit baby leg warmers. They are done and I will send them off tomorrow. The only model I have is Keswick the Cat and these leg warmers are a little big for him but you get the idea. Cuteness!

We went off to the Seattle Asian Art Museum today for a small exhibit of "Painting Seattle: Tokita and Nomura" who were well known Japanese-American artists before World War II. It's a very small but a well done exhibit when ends mid-February. See it if you can.

And driving out of volunteer park we came across the Conservatory. How did I not know about this little gem in the middle of Seattle? I had no idea that such a place existed and was quite delighted with the lovely room progression. On one of those freezing February days where you just cannot get warm, go here!

And to prove that taper only increases the thinking about running, as we were driving from Volunteer Park we saw a very nice little lookout park that would make a very nice running route addition with some serious hills. Gotta look at that map!

Starting the year out right!

2012-01-02T21:01:00.000-08:00

Volunteering at a race is a great way to start the new year. The next best great way to start the new year is to explore a new trail! That's what LM and I did this morning. I'd known about Lake Boren Park from a favorite loop running road course through Newcastle and Issaquah. Sadly the traffic on some of those roads means that loop isn't real safe to run anymore and I haven't been over there in some years. There was one section along SE May Valley Road that I knew is still runnable and could easily connect with some other areas.

Poking around and looking for trails in the area, I came across a great website, Newcastletrails.org which documented the trails in and around Lake Boren Park. I've biked and ran on roads in the Newcastle area and I'd seen the signs marking trails. I was impressed to see the great work they are doing to link trails (see video below). There was a map with very clearly marked roads and trails on the website. Add in the current information updating the trail work they've done recently, and I was ready to go to figure out a loop on trails starting from Lake Boren.

It was fantastic. We set out with maps and iphones and garmins and easily found the trails. Some are not maintained but are in good shape. You can tell the system is still under construction as there are signs at the beginning and ends of trails but no signs in the middle. So we did some outs and backs and sometimes couldn't find a particular path. With patience and a bit of tenacity though, you can usually figure out where the trail comes out and backtrack it that way. I really like figuring out how the trails all fit together with the roads we cross firmly set in my mind. It's like an interesting jigsaw puzzle and I have to put it together.

Finally we got to the trail I'd wanted to try for some years. The West May Creek Valley Trail is just a short section but quite pleasant. It's wide, flat and follows the path of the old Seattle and Walla Walla Railroad along the ravine of the May Creek. I knew that they had been working on the EAST May Creek Valley Trail which was going to a connector between the existing trail and Coal Creek Parkway. LM and I found the road which should've led to a trail down by the creek but it got too steep and mucky and blackberries. Where is this trail? Hmmm.

Ok, so we then looped around via roads to where the trail was supposed to come out and found and followed the trail. It's not done yet but still easily passable and absolutely delightful. There is a new bridge across Boren Creek and great views of the two creeks. We followed the trail back up to where we'd been hunting for it. Yep, that used to be a road as there were two abandoned vehicles along the trail! I love this sort of stuff and shouted "Car!" when I first saw it. LM assumed that a car was driving along like what you'd yell back to runners and bikers when a car is approaching. No, this car (milk truck?) shown above isn't going anywhere.

All that backtracking and exploring added time and miles and that meant that we weren't able to add on the extension road and then connection to the Cougar Mountain trail system but that is the goal. Keeping running fresh and fun is always my goal and exploring new trails and finding new and interesting routes to run is a great way to do this. Mission accomplished today! And meanwhile, thanks Roland for the connector. I think the trail should be renamed as East May Valley Trail doesn't have such a great ring as Roland's Trail or Eagle Scout Trail. What do you think?

And here comes 2012!

2012-01-01T15:46:00.000-08:00

It's a bit odd because my goal event (Nookachamps Half Marathon) is in two weeks so I don't feel like I'm quite to the end of the year. Still it's always nice to acknowledge the year and those accomplishments and look at what is the next goal and areas to work on.

First I ran 1616 miles for the year and averaged 31 miles per week. I never set mileage goals for the year and this is just over 150 less than last year's all time high. I never had any forced downtime because of injury though. That is my main mileage goal and I achieved it.

I had some nice bike rides during the spring and summer and like usual that cross training fell by the wayside as running intensity increased and the light/warmth of summer left. I have been very consistent with strength training and I'm pretty happy with the real increases I've seen in that. I definitely plan to be mindful of not just focusing on running when that is appropriate. I always like the mix and that keeps running fresh.

Last year I did not have any standout races and still did not feel done with that marathon demon. So earlier this year I did finally run one more marathon and felt better about it. It was still a bit of a slog the last miles but less of a slog than I've had.

I then dropped back the distance and focused on faster running. I finally hit well under 1:50 for a half marathon in June and then ran really strongly at the Ragnar Relay in July. I also added captain's duties for managing the relay and really enjoyed myself. I thought to capitalize on the distance training I'd had, add trails and try for my first 50k. But stress at work precipitated an illness the day before the race. I finished half the distance and both enjoyed myself and was disappointed. At that point, I knew I needed to focus on shorter events with the occasional longer road or trail run. and in the build up to my goal half marathon, I've had some real surprises. I never expected to run so fast at the hilly 12k two weeks ago. Hills like that have typically been my undoing in races but for that race, everything finally worked.

What have I learned this year then? In training, I need to work a lot harder in that speed and tempo work. Quite often I cannot hit the intensity I need to hit to really be able to hold the feeling of discomfort in a race. And I've learned that if I don't monitor and control my form when I'm starting to feel the race, everything can fall apart. So this year I was able to run quite a few races and practice these lessons. Between volunteering and getting some comped race entries and having a great and inexpensive monthly race series plus some fantastic trail races in the area, I ran in 20 races!

5 - 5ks all on road
1 - 5 miler on trails
5 - 10ks all on road except 1
1 - 12k on roads - Personal Record (PR) for this distance
1 - 10 miler on roads - PR at this distance
3 - 25ks all on trails (also a PR but those are less meaningful for different trail races)
2 - half marathons with one on roads and one on trails
1 - marathon on roads
1 - 2 day relay

Like I said, I'm not sure what 2012 holds as I'm waiting to see how the upcoming half marathon turns out. 2011 really was a year to regain my confidence and focus on figuring out what works for me. Those goals were definitely achieved and I am really looking forward to 2012.

12ks of Christmas

2011-12-18T18:16:00.000-08:00

As we are rushing towards the end of the year, time to look at some goals and being thankful for all the running this year. Last year I started out with volunteering at a local 5k and had a blast. Volunteering more at events was definitely a goal this year and I was happy to volunteer at a handful of events (5k packet pickup, sprint triathlon course monitor, 50k trail run course sweep, and marathon packet pick up). Really I am happy to give back to the sport I enjoy so much. And there is a bonus involved with volunteering. Some events will give you a credit towards racing a event as a thank you for coming out to help. Racing fees can add up and I do appreciate this little perk. I aim to continue volunteering when I can in 2012.

It's been the season for parties and seasonal baked goods and I've been feeling like I've been partaking in those seasonal goodies too much of late. the parties have all been fun stuff though. Running friends turned regular friends can't be beat. Another fun party saturday night and it was just too much good nibblies and wine to resist. Oh yeah, I'm racing the next morning though.

I wasn't sure what to expect. I've wanted to run the Kirkland 12K's of Christmas for a few years but just never could quite get it on the schedule. This was the year! I was one week out from the Deception Pass 25k trail run but had recovered from the non-race effort quickly. I'd hoped to come in around 8 flat for this very hilly 12k (long course - more like 7.6 miles instead of 7.4) but was thinking I'd be more like 8:15 overall. I'd peeked at the elevation chart and knew this course was basically a flat first couple miles (some up at the start and then down at the 2nd mile) and then rose steadily in mile 3 and 4 to a nice downhill with some subtle up the last miles. My goal was to go out at 8:00, stay under 8:30 for the uphill miles and then just run paying attention to feel and form.

It was crowded! There is a 5k that starts just before the 12k. That start was delayed and so was our start. Not a big deal but it did start drizzling a little heavily and I started to chill. I placed myself firmly in the "jogger" pace and waited for the start. Within the first quarter mile, i'd passed a gal with a dog and was very careful about all the traffic. 7:57 for that first mile was perfect and I felt good.

And then I just raced. I stayed steady on the uphill and was pleased to hit mile 3 in 8:24 and then mile 4 in 8:13. It wasn't as uphill as I'd anticipated yet I still worked on those lessons hard learned in hill repeats last week and earlier this year. I gradually passed people throughout and felt I was in control.

The 5k mark cracked me up. There was a group of earnest carolers singing the Twelve Days of Christmas with a LOT of enthusiasm. I couldn't help but smile and gave Hi-5s to all the kids at that station. That was a nice touch. Woo! and let the downhill begin. Ok, I'm a good downhill runner and I was passing quite a few people. Lean forward, land lightly with no breaking and keep the legs moving. It seemed to go on for quite a while with a few flatter sections. Finally we turned onto Lake Washington Blvd which I knew would be gradually uphill.

This is it. Focus. Breathe. Form. You've worked very hard to get to this point and stay with it. Now, I always start pretending that various training partners are with me and that works very well. No way will I stop now. I got passed by a few guys and passed a few in turn but didn't really see any women around. I'd passed one gal on the downhill around mile 5. Just keep working. I felt like I was slowing and legs were turning to sludge. Finally we hit the final turn and all of a sudden two women are charging past. Oh no! One was the gal I'd passed at 5. I'm happy to report I did beat her to the line. Done!

And what was I concerned about? My cubemate at work (we've sat next to each other for a couple years now) started running earlier this year. She's now done a couple 10ks and a half marathon as has her college-aged daughter who also started running at the same time. I walked quickly until I could run again and started slowly trotting back along the course. I saw K and cheered. I saw RPD and cheered and I saw the friend's daughter and cheered. Where is the coworker?

coworker working hard!

This was a big deal. She's done a few races now but mentioned that when I was planning on doing this that she'd never had anyone cheer for her in a race. I can so help her out with this! We all know how important the community support we get from fellow runners can be. Finally, I see her. She's evidently coming down with a cold but the first thing she says to me is that she's not walked at all on the hills. Wow! Those hills were something and I know as a new runner racing, I'd definitely walked.

She gave me a big smile and took off! We still had a half mile so she kept at it and soon enough we were at the finish. Fantastic! She's already planning her next event and it makes me so happy that she enjoys the racing/running scene.

I had no idea what pace I'd run my own race overall. I knew I'd run well and was pretty certain I'd hit my goal of 8 flat but was more focused on getting back out there. I got back home and checked my garmin. I'd read it wrong at first and was shocked to realize that I'd come in well under my goal 8 flat pace. And I'd run this smart and well paced and did not die on the uphill. Final time was 58:26 for 7:50 pace according to the race officials. my garmin watch had it at 7:45 pace overall. I so did not expect that especially post 25k and while in the midst of holiday festivities. Bring on Nookachamps!

And if you ever need a great way to re-energize your running, volunteer and help out or pace a new runners. It is a wonderful feeling seeing them achieve their goals as well.

Deception Pass 25k

2011-12-11T18:47:00.000-08:00

It's been a busy holiday season so far. Vacation, holidays, fun parties, christmas lights, basement cleaning. Why not add a trail running event and take a quick night and day out of the city?

JT had been interested in Rainshadow Running's newest event. The Deception Pass 25k was a great way to end the end the trail running year after starting it with the Orcas Island 25k. It was a great gift of trails.

JT picked me up after work Friday evening and we made the quick drive to Oak Harbor and a hotel just about 15 minutes from the park where we'd start in the morning. Yes, we could've just driven in that morning before the race but this was a nice leisurely way to do it and I'd do it again. We were out of the hotel by 7 am and onto North Beach at Deception Pass State Park with a whole bunch of other excited trail runners.

The talk beforehand was amusing. "be careful" was repeated multiple times. Falling off of cliffs was not allowed nor was falling off bridges. no passing people on the bridge as it is too narrow and if there are any tourists walking or stopped, we must walk around them. This course was a series of lollipops, this meant we'd see runners coming and going quite a bit. faster runners had the right of way.

and we are off only a little late. 1 mile on the road by cranberry lake. very pretty. I had to stop and tie my shoe. Then onto a trail back towards the beach we started from. hey, i could drop my mittens here so perfect. Soon we got onto the north beach trail which was pretty rooty/up and down rollercoastery and very technical. and it had the most amazing views.

oh screw this. I stop to take photos and that is how it went. as we were doing the series of lollipops you could see all the faster 50k/25k runners and would really have to wait since the trails were so narrow. no biggie. I stopped to take more photos. the bridge was fun to run across. JT caught up to me around mile 3.5 because i was stopping so much. so we were together for a mile or so in here and then i pulled away again. really gorgeous trails once in the woods although i really cannot get enough of those trails that go along the water. so beautiful.

on to mile 5.5 (mile 5 by my watch) and you hit the aid station the first time. out to rosario head which had the most windswept remote feel. some very rough trail over there too. then back to that same aid station (mile 7.3 by their measurement, mile 6.6 by my watch) and i was feeling quite good in here and just steadily running. eating a gel every 3 miles. At the aid station teh second time i had half a peanut butter sammich and a couple of pieces of boiled potato dipped in salt and some coke. i knew my watch was reading short so i kept nutrition/gels every 3 miles. So 3, 6, 9, 12 plus the stuff from the aid station.

JT had been in mexico for a few weeks and didn't run at all in november as there was just no way to get it in. she went out and ran 10 miles last week and decided to come start this race but she did decide to drop at the aid station at mile 7.3. good choice as all the bigger hills came after that.

It was a very long loop out to Pass Lake with a very long climb in here. It seemed to go up and up and then by this point i was completely alone. I never saw anyone coming back and no one behind me. I kept trotting along. the downhill then off this was pretty runnable so i enjoyed that. but i did manage to slightly roll that ankle again dammit. my current trail shoes (Saucony ProGrid Peregrine) come loose plus they are slightly wider so i have to wear thicker socks. That combined with a lower heel and more minimal feel means I want to roll an ankle. Sadly I think these shoes are off my list. I dislike that they have no rock protection either. I had to stop 2 and 3 times for each shoe to retie. I finally double knotted and it stayed but that does start to give me some numb toes. i think the ankle is fine though. a bit crunchy feeling when i rolled it.

Finally as i'm coming back towards the pass i start seeing and passing people. i stopped to get some good shots of the bridge. we run across it again and then take a trail which takes us under it. It's a very pretty forested along the pass (it's goose rock perimeter trail). I pass a couple more people and then start the goose rock summit trail. This is straight UP and I'm not kidding. calf burner. i pass some more people and really wonder if the leaders can actually run this? I cannot! we finally come to the top where it is bald/meadowy and there are these strange flat sloping smooth rocks. it's flat and think i should be running. Wrong! the rocks up here are not wet but my shoes do not grip on those rocks. And down i go. grrr. One bruised hand and bruised front of one leg. It could've been worse. we start then some very significant downhill which hurts at this point. My legs are aching. hmm. I must need more food and how did I already make it to 12 miles by my garmin?! These miles are going so quick. so i take another gel. that helps.

I come to the turn off for 25k runners. Phew! I do NOT want to run the 50k today! :D it's pretty good running in here although slightly uphill on a wide trail. i pass a few more people in here who are walking. Finally we duck back under this little trail which takes us under SR 20 (sneaky trails all through this area) and we are back on the north beach trail which is significantly harder now on tired legs. It's not as bad as those last couple miles finishing at orcas but it was still pretty technical. no falling! and finally back to the beach, i pass a couple gals coming in and I'm done!

JT had already gotten a ride back to the finish and is happy. they had an amazing spread of food and i realize i'm quite hungry. eat and chat a bit and we are on the road by about 12:30. she knew this little coffee shop/store on a different bypass road around mount vernon. They had very tasty coffee. I was home by about 2:30 which was much sooner than i expected and ready for the big holiday party that evening.

I would totally do this one again. Really the variety of trails/scenery was amazing. Single track springy forested trails, the beach, road, grass, cliff hugging trails. awesome.

The day after, I am tight from a long run but that is all. A fun run was the right way to approach this run and it makes me really happy that at any point I feel ready to tackle a 15 mile technical trail with significant elevation changes.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-25T08:17:00.000-08:00

Running along the C&O Canal Towpath in Georgetown.

Our vacation last week reminded me of how many things we have to be thankful for. We have great friends and family and I'm so happy that we get a chance to go and see them and this beautiful country. After the quick trip to South Carolina we made our way to Washington DC and visited with lots of different friends some of whom we've not seen in years and years.

Korean War Memorial

In shirt sleeve weather, we spent one morning walking along the tidal basin and taking in all the monuments. We'd been up to the top of the Washington Monument last year which was good because it is closed this year because of earthquake damage. And last year we saw the reflection pool at sunset from the Lincoln memorial. this year, the reflection pool is a big construction dirt field as they begin renovations. The Korean War Memorial was quite a surprise. A small intimate setting with a contemplative yet strong impact. Beautiful and touching.

And FDR's memorial which I'd never even heard of was so relevant today too.

"No country, however rich, can afford the waste of its human resources.
Demoralization caused by vast unemployment is our greatest extravagance. Morally, it is the greatest menace to our social order." FDR

We'd been to DC last year during high tourist season in a heat wave. It was relaxed and mellow visiting the sites this year and I'm glad we got another chance.

A Whole New World

2011-11-19T21:25:00.000-08:00

We raced the perfect distance to still be able to explore Charleston. We were only there for 2 full days and most of one other and managed to see a lot. There turned out to be a lot more to do in the Charleston area than either of us expected and part of that was the great location we were staying in Folly Beach at our friends' house. Run 1.3 miles and we were on the beach. So of course, each day after the race, I HAD to do this and it was wonderful. there were lots of locals walking their dogs and lots of shells to examine. And this blue crab was on the beach and no, we did not take this shell home. Every morning we'd wake up to perfect weather and go sit on their outside screened porch with beautiful marsh view to have our coffee. It was a little bit of perfection each day to start.

My main draws to Charleston were seeing a plantation, seeing charleston and Fort Sumter. the plantation we chose was much more spectacular than I expected. Honestly, it was stunningly beautiful with a well thought out self-guided tour of the grounds with some extra features as in a demo farm (tanning, black smithing, basket weaving etc). The marsh and the old trees draped in southern moss never ceased to draw exclamations of beauty. The forest was so different looking than what we've seen of forests of washington, California and New Mexico. However the fact that this was a plantation and ran on slave labor really hit home for us.

We got a chance to walk around Charleston and took a harbor cruise out to Fort Sumter. Charleston runs on tourism and it shows yet it is a beautiful city with much to offer. We ran out of time to see some other sites because of limited off-season hours so we hope to be back. It was great to visit with our hosts who we've not seen in some time.

South Carolina Sun or the Folly Beach 10 Mile Race

2011-11-13T18:24:00.000-08:00

Seattle is very far away from Charleston. The multiple flights are long. We left early Friday and arrived late Friday in Charleston to visit long time friends. Neither of us have been to Charleston nor even to the south. K did some research and found that there was a 10 mile race just a mile away from where we were staying. Perfect!

the locals were all complaining of the cold. That would include the friends we were visiting. They have acclimated to the weather for certain. We woke the next morning (race day) and were pleasantly surprised to find perfect conditions for racing. 40 degrees, sunny and no wind. the sun alone feels so much warmer that I was glad it was colder than expected. By the time the race started, the sun was well up and it felt a lot warmer (probably mid-50s).

the Folly Beach 10 mile race is a very low key and local event. It starts just a block off the beach and is run in the streets of Folly Beach. No need to close the course to traffic, at this time of year and day there isn't that much. There were volunteers at every turn and the local emergency services (PO-leese, fire) helping hold traffic at the main street. Everyone was very friendly and soon enough we were started on the 5 mile loop we'd run twice. The race director even led the runners on bike. Yeah, low key and local.

Honestly I had no idea what pace to expect to run a 10 mile race. I've done 1 other some years ago. What would slightly faster than half marathon pace be for me now? This race wasn't a goal race either. I've not really started any serious tempo running yet. I've been keeping my mileage up and getting trails in plus some easy quicker stuff just to keep things fresh. based on the 5k a couple weeks ago and long run pace, I thought 8:00-8:05 would be possible. If I was able to come under 1:20 I was going to be delighted but I thought that would be a reach.

Immediately once we started I was running comfortably 7:50 pace. EEKS! what have I done? I felt great though even after the all day flight. My heart rate was low for the pace and I just decided to stay with it. Worst that would happen is that I'd slow quite a bit the last half. I knew I was racing in the south when within the first half mile I heard someone say "baby jesus sure did give us good weather." Yeah, this is a bit different.

I ticked of 5 miles right about 7:48-7:50 pace. Solid and I felt good. I'd not been passed after the first mile, and gradually passed people as I was running. I'd run with a guy from Germany (but originally from Charleston) and chatted with him and an older local gentleman. the Germany guy was dressed in full tights and long sleeved zip for almost 60 degrees. After about 4 miles, he stopped at a house. Really? Sure enough, i saw him at the finish and he'd obviously stopped to drop off his clothes.

By mile 5 after the first loop, I was running by myself. I figured it would start to get much harder here but I kept the same pace and still pulled closer to someone I could see far ahead. I took water at mile 7 which I needed but then started to get a side stitch. that threatened to get a lot worse and here is where I slowed. Still I feared I'd really slow but kept to about 8:05 pace. One more mile at that where I needed to start concentrating on my form. The course was sooooo flat that my tendency to lean back and look ahead was starting to tighten my lower back (that and all the airplane travel). I kept my gaze down and that helped. one more mile (in 7:50) and as I approached the finish i could see the clock was well under 1:19!

1:18:46 by my watch! I jogged back just over a quarter of a mile to the last turn of the course to wait for K. There was a couple volunteering here who'd we'd seen parking right by us before the start. We thought they were running but nope they were just volunteering for this race. We chatted while waiting for K while I gushed about what a nice event this was and how wonderful the weather was coming from Seattle at this time of year. Friendly folk. That's what I'd heard about SC and it seems to be true. K came through and I tried to keep up as he howled about how hard this was (you are racing K!) and we were both done.
Most people had finished when they started age group awards. Yep this was a small race and I placed first in mine. As they were doing the awards, the second in my AG came through. Everyone cheered for her. Our friend came out and we went to a local cafe for some more southern experience. Yes, i had pancakes as usual but also had some biscuits and gravy and a taste of K's grits. That is some tasty stuff especially after a huge PR and such a great day to be out running.

Random, but not really.

2011-11-05T15:05:00.000-07:00

I did it! I finished the final exterior painting on the house this year! Woohoo! We put up the last bit of siding too on the back of the house and that officially makes this approximately 10 year project done. It started with getting a new roof which meant we needed new fascia and soffit boards. Then the old siding (two layers) came off the house in sections and we put up new sheathing and then painted clear cedar siding. We ended up getting windows replaced (best thing ever!) and built a new back deck and finally had the sagging, broken and rotting porch footing rebuilt. We payed to have the roof done, windows redone and paid to have the porch rebuilt otherwise all other labor was done by us and K's father. Phew! I'm very proud of the work we've done. it's our house and it shows. We do good work.

And I do good knitting. I got my first commissioned knit piece this past week. A friend at work who is a knitter (beginning and slow) really wants a knit piece for a friend's b-day. She loved an easy knit cowl I did and would like me to knit one for her. She paid for the yarn and she'll give a bit of spending money for me just as a bonus. I get to knit and get paid! No the amount of time I'll spend knitting doesn't end up paying me for my time really but since I just enjoy knitting, this is a bonus. I'm casting on that project today. And it will be a well knit lovely piece of knitwear which I'll be proud of.

My mom and I had tickets to watch studio rehearsal of the Pacific Northwest Ballet's "Love Stories" the other day. This is always a real treat! We usually see the pieces where they are still working out staging and details and where they are still getting into performance fit (or at least that's how I think of it). Why do I say that? Well we are sitting very close to the athletes (dancers) and you can see the effort and fatigue start to play out towards the end of the sections they are rehearsing. The guys' legs shake and sweat pours off. The women's legs and arms shake with the effort. The most amazing part of this process is seeing the absolute control they have over their expression and finishing what they are doing. Towards the end of pieces, both men and women are breathing like they are at the end of a 5k yet they are holding a precise pose with a smile on their face.

After watching them rehearse, I feel like a wimp! I took this thought into the 5k last week and it helped. It doesn't matter that I'm feeling the fatigue, my lungs are on fire and my legs feel like lead. Keep at it! Move and take pride in being able to run at all. This is what I've worked for and gotten up at 5 am to run in the dark and rain. Push through and enjoy it. And I did and I do.

And tomorrow a good friend is racing her first marathon in New York. I've seen her at the beginning of her running career when she was able to have a huge breakthrough race. She's trained and pushed through for this event. She's had the lows and the highs and she is ready and is proud about how far she's come. I'm really proud to have played a small role in this and I'm so excited for her.

A Busy Running Weekend

2011-11-01T05:23:00.000-07:00

A busy running weekend is always a good one.

The Pumpkin Push 5k is a favorite of mine. The challenge every year is to find a good (read clever and cheap) costume that I can race in and not overheat. K was game this year so we went as The Wonder Twins. Instantly recognizable to a certain generation (ours). This ended up being a great costume to run in. What made the costume work was K wearing a hilarious black wig. I raced and finished the run and then immediately jogged back to K and we came through the finish line together doing the "wonder twin powers activate" pose. it got a good laugh. k was recovering from a cold and running easily. This would not have worked if he was racing as he's gotten much faster. I would not have been able to get back to him in time!

The race itself was fantastic. After a longer warm up, I made it back to the start with just a minute or two to spare. This race always starts a bit late though so that works. Coach Lesley was lined up ahead of me but I thought it would be better to go back a bit and that was smart. We started and immediately I was at a good pace, not too fast or slow. First mile in 7:10 and that's what I'd hoped for.

I can never remember where that dang hill comes in and soon enough we were there. My goal was just to stay with it and concentrate on form. And it worked! I stayed right with people around me and didn't get passed. And I could recover once over the top. I stayed steady in the rollers and didn't go too crazy on the downhill section. Truthfully I was a bit nervous about that last flat bit into the wind.

However, I held it and finished well. I think that is the best I've ever run this course. 23:14 and I was second in my age group. "That was a good run" as Lesley said as I came in after her. yes it was! Typically it takes me a bit to get in the 5k racing mentality so this was excellent. Strangely not all the fast people showed up so I was second in my age group. I'll take it!

The next day I was mildly sore in my quads for my efforts but ready for the next challenge. Northwest Trail Runs was hosting a first time 50k on Cougar Mountain. Now I wasn't up to the 50k on such crazy trails but they'd asked for volunteers to "sweep" a section of the course and I was happy to do it. It turns out I'd be sweeping a section on Squak Mountain that I'd never been on before. Perfect!

I got there around 11:00 am and waited until I could go. Since I could not leave until the last runner had been through the aid station, I wasn't sure when this would be. turns out no one else did either. They had the count of runners at the start but no one had good enough cell phone coverage to relay this information. Eventually a race director showed up and after a bit of a think about timing for when the entire course would close, he sent me on my way.

I had a rope loop over my shoulder to pick up clothes pin confidence streamers (easily visible by runners as a check that yes they are on the right trail) and a pvc tube used to carry the pin flags and turn signs. Evidently you can get the tube to fit into your running backpack and just stick out the top. This makes for easy access and carrying. Well that didn't work for me so I tucked it under my arm and through my backpack strap. Not the easiest way to carry things but it worked. And I ran.

It was wet and drippy but not too cold. The trails are just starting to soften up with rain so it was muddy and slippery with newly downed fall leaves. I wanted to stay moving but I really wasn't in any hurry. The run starts with a mile climb and eventually turns onto the East trail which I've been on before. Then onto some different trails I'd never been on before. I never saw anyone and just enjoyed the trails. Steeper and narrower than on cougar and obviously less traveled.

After a long and easily runnable access road, I came to the next aid station and let them know they were done! That was welcome news for them as it was just starting to rain more. And then I started back up the mountain. I felt like I was just hiking so much that I had to figure out a way to do more running.

And then I got it! count steps. this works when I'm road running and flagging with focus and wanting to stop. I started counting steps for 100 and then would hike for 50. I think that interval is a little too long and will try more like 50 run/25 walk or 75 run/25 walk next time. If footing didn't feel comfortable or was too steep, I'd walk and run again when I could. Of course, I'd not been on some of these trails and they were stupid steep. Straight up and I am not kidding! My calves were burning and I was just slowly hiking.

It took forever to get down off the mountain as they'd put up a lot more tags and tied them to branches. Sorry about all the twig trimming but i could not get them off any other way. I was told it would probably be around 9 miles and it turned out to be more like 11 but that was just fine. I'd do this again especially given the chance to explore some new trails. And I learned a new running trick. Yep, it was an excellent running weekend!

Trail Rich

2011-10-16T19:33:00.000-07:00

I know I've mentioned this before but here in Seattle, we are really lucky to have so many great trails accessible year round for running (ok and hiking too). It doesn't take too long to drive from where we live just north of downtown Seattle (still Seattle) and get to fabulous single track through forest. Even within city limits there are what many people would call trails like Hamlin Park, Woodland Park, Discovery Park and many more.

As trail running gets more popular, we've also been lucky to have three different organizations which put on well run and fun trail run thoughout the area.

Rainshadow Running puts on a growing number of tough trail runs of 25k and 50k distance. They always go up and down various mountains. Really fun and low key events, the terrain and distance demands a certain level of fitness and confidence. This year I ran two of the 25k distances (so far) and definitely plan for more of these runs. The trails that they have picked are really stunning.

Evergreen Trail Runs does a variety of venues and distances. Last year, i ran a half marathon they had around the flat Lake Sammamish and this year got out for a really fun event at Grand Ridge Trails out in Issaquah. Again really nice low key and fun events. I like that they are expanding their venues and although I didn't get a chance to run some events, I am definitely eying some for next year. There are some trails I've been very curious about and have never been on which are local. I can't wait to get out there.

Northwest Trail Runs seems to have been around a little longer. I first ran one of their events in 2009 at Soaring Eagle and fell in love with that trail system. This year they took over the well known Cougar Mountain Trail Running series from Scott McCoubrey and did a great job that I could see at the half marathon event this past August. Again like all these groups, these are well run events with a cheerful feel. I always get the sense that all these groups just love getting people out onto the great trails around here.

This morning I talked RPD into joining me at a 10k at St Edwards State Park for a Harvest 10k with Northwest Trail Runs. This was a blast! Small group running the 10k and there was also a half marathon. This is the first time they've done this event at this location and I'm glad to hear that they are planning to be back. It was gorgeous technical trails through lush forests, challenging descents and obscene uphills with a fair bit of running on grass.

I did a nice warm up with RPD and got to the start just as they were describing the course. I'd looked at the map online and it hadn't made a lot of sense but as expected and promised, the course was really well marked and I had no trouble. We walked over towards a couple pumpkins, the race director cajoled people to actually come to the start line (everyone was afraid!) and we were off.

Immediately the course went onto fairly wide, slightly downhill easy trail. It was a good start to get people going and string out the field. I'd expected an easier start and was feeling good so stayed with the harder pace. I felt great really. It got pretty technical once going down towards the Lake Washington waterfront. I passed a few people in here and then was right behind another gal (who'd passed me on one uphill section) and I was really happy with how this was going. I felt good and strong, still able to talk but at a good effort. I knew the uphill was going to be tough but I was leaving that for when it came.

then, i took a slight slip and rolled an ankle hard. OUCH! I could barely put weight on it once I popped back up with it. And since I was about as far away from help as possible I thought i better just start gimping along. If it was a serious injury, i still needed to get moving to get off the course. gimp. curse. gimp. This was right where the course started straight uphill so it didn't matter that I was walking because everyone else was too. It took probably a few minutes if not more before i felt like i was getting more function with my ankle. eventually i could start running again and I felt such relief. phew! I had some odd feeling twinges during the rest of the race but no pain. It helped that we didn't really have any more technical downhill or I'd have been a bit too leary of rolling the ankle again.

After the killer climb, I could just see a few people ahead of me and I worked to keep in contact with them. They'd passed me when I'd gimped along. All of a sudden we popped out onto the field which surrounds the seminary and were winding over the grass. Back to the forest and we hit a very long wide and good surfaced graveled trail. Oooh this was good for me. I passed a couple people and really enjoyed myself. Let the uphill begin again! And it did. This second climb was not as long so it didn't seem as bad and was in pretty rough shape with trail wash out. It was so narrow in places that I was really glad we were going up and not down. Finally we were up off the ridge and with a mile to go we wound around on a trail which follows the edge of the forest. One quick little loop down and up on technical trails and more grass and done!

Good times! I immediately started an easy jog around and managed to catch RPD coming along. He was looking good and had also enjoyed himself immensely. We hung around a bit and chatted with fellow runners. I was able to get an ankle wrap as it was starting to swell just a bit and I thought it would be prudent to keep it tightly wrapped. Best of all they had hot chicken noodle soup. Salty goodness!

Too bad about the fall, but i am delighted with this run. The ankle is a little sore and a little swollen but not bad at all. Super fun trails on a very challenging course. Northwest Trail Runs has delivered another fantastic event.

Distance runner?

2011-09-27T20:03:00.000-07:00

Trees at Cougar Mountain

The nice thing about hiking/running 18 miles is that you recover from it quick. I'd planned on an easy week post-Cle Elum and mostly kept that promise. It was nice to run the hilly perimeter trail at Lake Youngs the strongest I've ever run it and then still go out the next day for a lovely trail run at Cougar Mountain.

What's next? I've been pondering this for a while actually. And basically have come to the conclusion that I'm not really meant to be a distance runner. Oh sure, I like running longer but it doesn't necessarily like me. I'm good for one or two very good long runs and then that's it. The rest (say in a marathon training cycle + marathon) tend to turn into slog fests.

To get in multiple long runs, I need to start protecting myself and that means my mid-week runs suffer. After about 2.5 hours of running, I start to have lung issues and foot/hip issues. So I'm done fighting against this and plan on focusing on shorter distances for a while now. I'll be the first to admit I love half marathons (I've done over 15 of them now) and really enjoy shorter distances like 5ks and 10ks.

And some things will never change. I love running (longer even) on trails. We are very lucky in the Seattle area as there are three different groups which are putting on various distances of trail runs and I plan on fitting these in judiciously. I was asked if I wanted to attempt another 50k at the end of October and I was happy and satisfied to say no. I'm very happy with my decision and that means it is the right one. I'll work on keeping my mileage higher overall during the week and get in the speedwork that I enjoy and throw in a longer run (16 or so) on either roads or trails every once in a while and I know it'll be good. I've learned that with running you can never say "never" so I won't say I won't ever do a marathon again but it just is not going to be my main focus.

A Running Anniversary

2011-09-18T19:01:00.000-07:00

September 2001 has many horrific memories for a lot of people including me. However there is one thing that happened September 2011 which changed my life for the better.

September 23, 2001
I'd joined a team at work and on this day after training a bit, I walked (yes walked) my very first 5k the Susan Komen Race for the Cure. I was astounded to take part in the event and had a great and memorable experience. The most eye opening part for me was the huge variety of people (men, women, big, small, young, old) who were running. I'd always been fairly active with gardening, walking and had biked some. Running baffled me though. It didn't look or feel fun but this event made me want to try running.

And after much sweat and learning (and injuries including the first round of physical therapy), I made it to the start line of the 2002 Susan Komen Race for the Cure (now moved to June) and ran every step of the way in a blistering 33 minutes. And I felt great. It took two years until i ran my first half marathon and six years until i ran my first marathon. Ten years later I define myself confidently as an athlete. both my husband and i are happier and healthier for this random discovery. I've made countless friends near and far. Any time we take a trip, I run and make more memories and usually more friends. It's been a great ten years!

How to celebrate this? I knew at some point I'd want to run a trail 50k. There are a lot of great events around here and earlier this year I ran a 25k on trails. Coach Lesley, of course, got behind this venture. JT was the inspiration of choice for the particular race. Cle Elum Ridge run was supposed to happen in June (right when i was rocking the seattle Rock n Roll half marathon) but the horrendous spring flooded the course and it got moved to September. Perfect. Training was mainly building on my fitness from earlier marathon training this year and Ragnar NW Passage and adding in longer trail runs. I came in feeling a undertrained and very nervous but ready for the challenge. I was in this to finish and to have fun. JT and SJ planned on running the 25k distance. Coach Lesley and TC would run the 50k distance with me. EA was along for cheering. Wow. I was looking forward to this weekend.

And then like every runner knows, life happens. The weekend before the event, a coworker had a massive stroke at work and died the next day. I'd known this gal casually for years and as an avid hiker and only in her mid-50s, i was shocked and saddened by her death. I still cannot believe it (do you know the symptoms of a stroke?). A friend's husband was fired. Our sewer line broke. And there was a deadline at work with extras and I stressed about getting everything done. To say it was an awful week is an understatement.

Wednesday I was super achy and tired in the evening. I thought i was just tired from it all and achy from a (great!) workout the day before. The next morning I woke feeling better but still very off. By that afternoon, I was running a low-grade temp, had a rash, my lungs hurt and I felt even achier everywhere including my feet. Ugh. I got into the doc because I wanted the rash which i'd had before checked out. She cleared me to run as long as nothing got worse.

That night (friday morning) I woke up at 2 am and felt super hot and shivery. And my temperature had spiked to 102º. I drank some water and went right back to bed. Fortunately by the time I'd woken up the fever had broken by itself, the rash had mostly disappeared as usual and i felt better. No cough or congestion so I was pretty certain this was some weird viral thing and I doubted I was contagious. I'd woken up very hungry every morning since I'd been sick but had a hard time eating anything more than what I'd usually eat. Things tasted a bit off and my stomach was vaguely off as well. I knew I needed to get more calories in but it was a struggle. The plan changed to just get to Cle Elum and see what happened. Maybe I'd make it to the start line or maybe I'd volunteer.

Well it was a blast going to Cle Elum with such great people. I started the 50k as planned but from the start I felt winded and dead legged. I'd hoped that would get better once I loosened up and got going but it didn't. I struggled with the decision but made the turn to the 25k course and started back. At this point, I was just out for a hike and to enjoy the trails. I definitely had some moments of pity party but it was just one of those things. The trails? They were gorgeous. The creek trail was so pretty with lots of bridge crossings and lots of evidence of blow downs and water damange. I ran a bit here and there, took photos and went along in no hurry since the others had continued on the 50k.

It wasn't the day I wanted at all for running but it was still a really fun day and a great way to celebrate 10 years of running. I ended up covering about 18 miles (the "25k" was 17 miles plus the addition of a 50k start) and had fun hanging out at the finish line chatting with everyone on a last day of summer. Thanks to all who made this happen whether you were there or not. The support in the running community never fails to astound me and I wouldn't be the runner I am today without all the experiences and wisdom I've been exposed to over the years.

Whose house is this?

2011-09-11T17:01:00.000-07:00

It looks like a whole new house!

Ours! Goodbye old porch.

With the end of the summer, we are working hard on getting this last bit of awfulness gone. I look at this old picture and cringe! Wow that looked bad. Last summer we had a contractor redo the cement footing. This summer we had Ballard Ornamental Ironworks make something custom for the porch. It was installed while we on the cruise!

It took us a while to decide on the final panel and railing design but I'm really happy with the tulip motif I came up with as a happy compromise. We wanted something a bit different yet simple and which would work with our old house. Ballard Ironworks was very easy to work with in this regard. They came in took measurements and let us know what we needed to do for code. I gave some sample sketches and voila! We've gotten complements from neighbors all up and down our street. The final boards which were missing from the underside of the porch roof are up today. Final caulking, nail set/filling and then final painting still needs to happen. My plan is to have this DONE by mid-October. I've started a bit of work with re-grading around the porch and plantings can't happen until that is decided.

We are still missing one piece of siding on the back of the house. Other than that our decade-long redo of the exterior of the our old house is done. It is probably time to paint it again!

Soaring Eagle Trail Marathon

2011-09-05T16:28:00.000-07:00

NW Passage Trail at Soaring Eagle

I need another long run. Actually the plan called for a long run followed by a 10 mile trail run the next day. Problem is that I want a run-free day for the holiday weekend. And the long run would end up being in-city. Sometimes an in-city run on a glorious summer day is torture for me and I really felt like i needed some more trail running before the event in just two weeks.

A quick search revealed Northwest Trail Runs was putting on a trail run at Soaring Eagle. Yes my favorite place to run trails and it was supposed to be gorgeous and there was a 10 mile or marathon distance. OK! So how to approach this then? Run a few on friday and then run about 4 hours on Saturday paying attention to fueling and hydration and make sure not to beat up the legs. I signed up for the trail marathon. Not only are NW trail runs on great trails but they are inexpensive too. I love that they do trail maintenance and trim back the vegetation on courses as well.

I always forget how much slower the Soaring Eagle trails are. It's deceptive because overall they are much more runnable than Cougar or Tiger because nothing is as steep. BUT they are constantly turning and winding and slight ups and downs with some rocks and roots to keep it interesting. An easy pace on these trails is a couple minutes over my normal road pace at least.

I got over there easily and was immediately annoyed because it turns out there was an early start allowed but there was no mention of this on the website. I would've been happy to start earlier because it was going to be a long day. oh well. But then the pre-race briefing didn't start until about 8:30 when the race was supposed to start. They were trying out a new timing system and it was having a few glitches I suspect. So 15 minutes late we start. Actually that was amusing. The race director said "Go!" and no one wanted to move forward. Haha! I was one of those standing towards the front and no way I wanted to get out in the front. I was just out for a run remember?

Anyway, after listening carefully to the race directions, we were back at the start after a 1.2 mile loop (hey i thought we were supposed to do the 5 mile loop first?), i went back out to start the 10 mile loop and got lost with a bunch of other people as well. No, we weren't lost but we skipped a portion of the course. I realized this pretty soon and decided that it really was a good thing for me. Instead of having to decide about finishing the race as intended or not, I could just run for time as long as I felt good.

The new plan based on chatting with coach was just to run about 4 hours. I could go longer as long as I didn't feel beat up. Turns out that wasn't an issue at all. By about 2 hours, I was feeling beat up and by 2.5, I was stumbling. Yeah no. No reason to continue with this and I cut out across trails to get back to the start sooner and turned in my chip. I had just run over 13 miles so pretty slow but that also includes closely questioning the race directors during hte middle of the race about where I was supposed to go, some general group consults with fellow runners and figuring my way across the trail system when I decided I was done. Trail running always has some of this!

I guess I should've had a clue when I went out for my run the day before and made it 3/4s of a mile before I turned around. I was just not in the mood to run and feeling off. I felt fine enough trail running and got into a good rhythm at times.

I figured out what I'd eaten during the race and it was just barely enough per general guidelines for carb consumption during endurance events (40-60 g of carbohydrates is recommended). I thought i was eating enough but evidently not. Here's my intake over the almost three hours:

food	calories	carbs (g)
fig newton	45	11
potato piece	30	3
potato chips (about 3)	32	3
mike n ike (5)	28	5
mint choc gu	100	20
coke (1/4 cup)	24	7
accel gel choc	100	20
1.5 my energy bars	221	33
	580	102

Mike and Ike's candies don't count nearly enough carbs considering they take a bit of time to eat! The potato piece dipped in salt tasted really good but I just had a little piece so I'll have to try more of that. It's also that time of the month so I often need more food not to mention that general malaise. Oh well. I enjoy the mix of foods offered at these long trail events but probably just need to supplement gels/my energy bars instead of grazing instead of eating my planned food like I did. I never felt hungry but the stumbling I was doing towards the end indicates low fuel. If I figure out what I'd had up until around 2 hours15, it was quite low for what it should've been and I started having trouble directly after that. I felt rather wiped from the effort the rest of the day but perked up by the evening and felt fine the next day so that's good news.

And like usual, any day running on trails is always good!

Beach Interlude

2011-09-02T18:18:00.000-07:00

That week of easy segued into a San Diego beach interlude. I highly recommend this to all! Oh yes, I did go to San Diego having run 10 miles Thursday morning, 9.6 miles Friday evening and 12 miles Saturday morning before hopping on an airplane.

It was a weekend full of sun and warmth and friends. Actually i'd call them family by this time since I've known these friends now 30 years. The big draw of the weekend is visiting two little boys who are growing bigger by the minute.

I did get a great run in with a couple of miles at tempo pace on monday. I was shocked that my legs felt great and of course i loved the running venue. One mile away is Florida Canyon and Morley Field. Florida Canyon is just a simple canyon intersected by a road in Balboa Park. As I trotted along (7:40-7:50 pace yes!) I breathed in lovely scented eucalyptus and coastal sage scrub. Ahhh, that was wonderful.

Even better, we had a beach day at La Jolla. White sands and little waves in that water temp which feels cold at first but then just right. I alternated between building a Sand Castle Complex with adjacent lake and teaching a gaggle of kids about jumping just when the wave hits and watching for those "sneak" waves. You know, the one that comes right behind another wave when you aren't expecting it. I did also get a chance to get completely in the water and try and catch a wave body surfing. It's been a long time. The waves were poor and I am out of practice and that was just fine.

Next up...did I really just sign up for a trail marathon as a way to get in a long run before the upcoming 50k? Yes, yes I did. and I signed up for this trail marathon practically the day before the event. That's a new one!

Scott Cougar Mountain Trail Run - 13 miler

2011-08-15T18:25:00.000-07:00

So the thing about getting off a cruise boat is that it is really had to readjust to reality. I had done a 19 mile run sunday after getting off the boat and went into the week tired. I think that was my complaint for the rest of the week. Tired. July was busy! Out of town to Chelan, Ragnar planning and then Ragnar, vacation and covering a lot of things at work. I think it was catching up to me this week.

I did what I could. Tried to go to bed earlier. When I went out for a run and realized I was so tired, i cut that run short. Legs felt fine but I was just not feeling it. I hoped all would settle down because training now turns to a mid-September trail event. I need trail miles and this weekend was the 13 mile Cougar Mountain trail run. Of course I signed up. What a few hours of running when you are tired?

Quite a bit, it turns out.

I was excited about this event. I really like the trails and I'm not worried about time for this one. I really haven't had a lot of really steep technical trails this summer and need to get my legs and mind used to them again. This course delivers. Straight up and down for 13 miles with a lot of rocks and roots. it would be good to practice taking in more liquids and electrolytes and see if that helps the lungs last longer in these endurance events.

I last did this event in 2009 after having done all the previous distances in the series plus Ragnar. In 2009, I came into this event at probably the fastest I've been and well trained for trails. Could I approach that same time? I wasn't sure but hoped that with better food/water management I could. In 2009, I'd run out of water and had some hamstring cramping issues at the end. the strikes against me? Did I mention I was tired? And I hadn't exactly been tapering last week when i ran 3.5 hours on easier trails.

I got there about 30 minutes before race start and picked up my bib. I was really surprised to see so many uber-fit looking people. Honestly I felt like a poser next to some of these people. yeah, this race is a USATF championship event and I was asked if I was a member and thus eligible for some prizes. Uh no. I'm a poser! And see my ipod loaded with Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone as read by Stephan Fry (the British version is my favourite!) and I planned to use it which is against the rules of USATF.

Talk talk talk and we were off 'round the field, to Clay Pit Road and onto Coyote Creek. This is when you are surrounded by other people and there is some pleasant chatter. I really just wanted to go out easily and get warmed up and just enjoy myself. We started up Lost Beagle and really I just didn't feel good at all. Hungry and tired and grumpy. Dang. Already? It was going to be a long run with that attitude.

I tried to shake it off and was really grumpy about how hard this felt. Finally we hit the top and started down. I did pass people as usual on the downhill as I'm better downhill but really wanted to keep it easier so tried not to speed up. I had a strict routine for liquids and food:
Every 15 minutes - water
Every 30 minutes - gel or my energy bar with an electrolyte capsule and more water

This did seem to work. I was never hungry again after the initial hunger within first starting. Two electrolyte capsules per hour is about double my typical rated. I was really sweaty and could tell I needed both more water and electrolytes. Did the lungs do better? Debatable. I still stopped around mile 11, about 3 hours after last using inhaler to use the inhaler again.

After the climb up Wilderness inwardly snickering at people's reactions to the ongoing and forever climb, I'd turned on good ol' Harry Potter and just started to feel much better about the whole thing. The trouble with knowing the trails pretty well is understanding how to bail out early if I really wanted to. Did I want to DNF? No, I did not. This really was a good training run for something else. I needed the more technical trail experience and I was getting it so get on with it.

After that, I felt better and just started enjoying myself. I took in the gorgeous scenery and just tried to stay steady. I honestly didn't have a lot of oomph uphill at all. Oh well. Just keep going. The course was very well marked which was great because from about 7.5 on, i really saw very few people on the course and you did have to make those turns on the course yourself.

I seldom get to run over on De Leo Wall and Marshall's Hill Trail which is too bad. It was really pretty over there and the weather was perfect for this run. I managed to avoid getting stung by a wasp this year although I think i was close to one. I do remember at one point going by an area where there were some buzzing creatures. I could feel something land on my ankle, i swatted at it and took off. Phew.

I came up to the last aid station (around mile 10) and called hello. She was alone and sitting reading. Hopped up and asked what I'd like. I really love these low key trail events. Something salty please. And of course there were potato chips. Munch munch. She offered some coke and dang if that didn't sound good then. I haven't had soda in some years (no really, years!) and slurped some down. Tasty! I'll have to remember that for these long events as it will give me something to look forward to.

the trails were more runnable in here and I kept at it. And then finally I made the turn onto Quarry Trail. This is it. The last long uphill climb. Get through this One Mile Climb and that was it. Flat or downhill and very well known trails to the finish. I could do this! Trudge, trudge trudge. I was happy to see that there were some more people around me now. I was catching up a bit to some others and then, kersplat! I hooked a toe on a rock and down I went. I was so mad and stunned. I was flat out on the trail for a bit and couldn't believe it. It really was vaguely uphill on this section and wide open. Dumb. I hate falls like that. A guy quarter mile behind me called "you ok?! as I was standing up and leaning over in shock. My first reaction was to burst into tears. it was the knee jerk upset reaction when tired, really. I controlled that, said i was just fine and needed a minute. He ran on (not stopping which i was glad of). I did take that minute and then trotted off.

Shoulder sore, knee bleeding and just mad at myself. Finally I hit Fred's and just steadily started running. Bypass to Old Man's trail and I passed about 4 people in this section. Done!

2:48 and my garmin read just under 13 miles
In 2009, I ran this in 2:40 and my same garmin and same course read 13.3 miles. Results are up and distance is marked at 13.7 miles. Haha! I love trail races.

The sense of accomplishment of finishing this punishing course is sky high. After realizing I've been fighting tired all week and feeling so dead on this run, I'm taking this week as an easy week. I love road races but there is something special about being able to do these tough trail runs.

More photos.

2011-08-13T16:09:00.000-07:00

Skagway view.

One week post vacation and I'm still thinking of our trip. It was also really hard to settle back into work and life. That's always a sign of a good vacation.

Onto Glacier Bay

Marjorie Glacier

John Hancock Glacier and well wrapped for viewing.


tide had gone out and left chunks.

The Vacation

2011-08-10T19:23:00.000-07:00

July was pretty busy with fun events. The month ended with a week long cruise to Alaska with family. I heard from a lot of active people that they had a lot of doubts about a cruise but they all admitted to curiosity. This was my second cruise to Alaska and I really enjoyed it!

Now, as an active person, I made some pretty good choices about the timing of this cruise. We were coordinating six people's schedules but were eventually able to pick the first week of august. This was perfect from my point of view. I'd be post-Ragnar and rather in-between events. There'd be no need to stress about trying to get a lot of running miles in while on the boat. I'd still run, of course, but it could be more of a run when you feel like it and for however long which would be perfect one week post Ragnar.

And it was great! It's rather a different mentality sort of a vacation. Internet and phone service is available but for a high price. So cut that right out. I brought a lot of books loaded onto my nook and picked a few different knitting projects in case I got bored with what I was working on. I planned to take in some of the events on the boat, hang out with family, take in the sights and nap.

We'd deliberately picked this cruise line because it went to Glacier Bay, Skagway and started/ended in Seattle. good choice overall. Logistics were extremely easy boarding the boat at Pier 91. We had one complete day cruising north and it was a good time to figure out the layout of the boat. The cruise ships can be big and overwhelming and the best way to deal with that is to just explore. the staff was unfailingly friendly and helpful. I enjoyed quite a few of the talks they had on board like National Park Rangers in Glacier Bay, Libby Riddles and random things like a galley tour. Mostly though, it was pleasant just to sit and hang out.

I was less interested in the little towns the boats stop in except I decided I'd try to get in a trail run in port at least in Juneau and maybe Skagway. That was a great decision! I've been to Juneau before on a cruise and couldn't remember a thing about it. This time, I found a good looking and easy to find trail, talked K into joining me and off we went. It was raining pretty hard but it wasn't cold. The town by where the cruise ships dock is full of little touristy shops but quickly climbs towards the steep hills. Soon we were beyond the tourist boundaries and it was gorgeous! It was an easy trail to follow and to run. One concern was that part of the section of the trail (seen in the above picture) had collapsed! We'd not seen this but heard it from a couple who were hiking back down. Yikes! We went quickly through this area. The other concern? Bears. Juneau can have a lot of them evidently and we saw evidence of the bears on the trail but managed to avoid seeing one.

Skagway was the next little town. We'd booked a train ride on the White Pass & Yukon Railway but had the whole day in port. I'd heard from a outdoorsman on the cruise ship about trails in skagway and even gotten a map. Lower Dewey Lake and uppper Dewey Lake trails would be less running but promised a very good workout and some nice views of the town. These trails did not disappoint in either regard. Just a half mile away from our dock, the trail went straight up. Lower Dewey Lake was a very pretty tranquil area. K continued on around the lake. I wanted the harder trail (in prep for an event next month) up to Upper Dewey Lake. Round trip the run would be six miles but since I knew it was very steep, i still didn't think I'd make it to the second lake. And I did not. I turned around at an agreed upon time. It was a very enjoyable time though and I'm glad I got out there. The train was just as spectacular although the diesel fumes were pretty bad on the descent! Blargh.

Glacier Bay was my goal for this trip and it did not disappoint. The weather was perfect. Cloudy but still with the clouds mostly lifted. We had excellent viewing conditions for Marjorie, Lamplugh and John Hopkins Glacier. Really, they were spectacular. I still get chills thinking of the huge chunk of ice which calved off of Marjorie. The sound of calving is amazing. We also watched for whales as we were leaving Glacier Bay and saw quite a bit of activity including a humpback breaching.

After a week, I was ready to get off the boat but I still rather miss the leisure and relaxed mentality. It was a lovely experience visiting with family for the week and not having any responsibilities. I really miss my nap schedule!

Ragnar Random

2011-07-29T20:53:00.000-07:00

A couple stories which stand out for me:

I finished my 4th leg and was delighted. I'd run strongly and finished well. I was done and even better, we only had two more legs to go and then we were done as a team. And everyone had run well. After I finished I walked around for a bit and then realized that there were actual bathrooms at this exchange site. I went into to dunk my head under the sink since I was hot and disgusting really.

And saw an older runner I passed being helped towards the exchange by his teammates. I'd passed him on the downhill. He was running but had a bit of a limp/hitch to his gait. That's not too unusual to see at the end of a relay. My favorite from last year was seeing a young fit looking guy running his last leg at Reach the Beach Relay and he was carrying The Stick in case of need. People are well trained and not for this type of relay and dehydration/fueling/sleep issues all play a part in how a runner will run. it's not unusual to see people struggling their last leg.

This older gentleman had fallen evidently. His team members went over to help him "run" his last leg in. Honestly I was very teary watching this. I get it. It was important to finish. After the next runner took off (would that be hard or what?!), they brought him to a shaded area with a chair and I saw a volunteer talking on her radio. Soon we could hear the aid car coming. Dehydration and heat exhaustion? Probably. Spirit? Definitely.

I was chatting with a coworker the following day at work. I had asked him to join the team when we had the team member come down with strep but he was already on a team. This was his first relay. And? What did he think of it? He described a real sense of accomplishment and as I described a satisfying afterglow. It seems simple, take a group of people and some challenges and run from point A to Point B. Try it. You won't be disappointed.

Ragnar Northwest Passage Relay - The Runner's Version Part 2

2011-07-29T20:40:00.000-07:00

I always find it rather odd to be in some neighborhood in some little town and so focused on what we are doing in a relay. We run by people who are in their beds asleep and will wake up to a normal saturday. How to explain what we are doing and why it is so fun? Well, I can't. But everyone who I've talked to who has done one of these relays finds it a real accomplishment and walk about with a feeling of pride and fairly glow about the experience.

But after you've just run your second leg in a 24 hour period, you are not glowing. You are tired and it's easy to question your sanity and ask yourself, "what the hell am I doing here." THat is the time to eat and have some liquids with electrolytes and cheer for the other runs in your van and out on the course. And that is what I did. Honestly though, I was pretty up from such an awesome run for quite a while. EVentually our last runner of the van was out and running towards Deception Pass and we would be done soon.

Deception Pass Park is where the next major exchange is and I was disappointed to see that they seemed to have fewer items available for runners here than in years past. Actually I felt that was true overall. yes there were things available to buy but all I wanted sometimes was a cup of hot water so I could add some starbucks via. Fortunately I had come prepared and was much better stocked for food than I have been. That made the complete difference in how well I ran. I had foods which appealed to me and I could eat easily even when I didn't always feel like it.

What did I bring? buttermilk pancakes (made without the butter) with peanut or almond butter taste really good and are much easier for me to eat than the typical pbj made on bread. I even had pancakes with a chocolate mint gu at one point. I had a made a very big vat of a chicken pasta cold salad with feta, olives (love the SALT!), peppers and cucumbers with just a bit of chopped red onion. I dislike a lot of the commercial dressings people tend to use for this type of salad, so just used balsamic vinegar and olive oil. Tasty and filling with a nice mix of carbs, protein and fat. I brought my usual chocolate milk. I had bananas and water laced with nuun. I was never too hungry and never had any gi problems when running.

After handing off to the next van, we made it to Coupeville High School for the next major exchange. All we could think about was lying down. The high school was packed and sleeping on the hard gym floor was not an option. My back and hips will not take that. We found a field behind the school and tucked ourselves into a corner. The grass was really wet but at least the ground was soft and there was a cherry tree over us. I think I did actually sleep a bit even though my throat got sore and ears plugged up again. Then the fog rolled in and the cherry tree started dripping. Argh! yes, lightest sleeper ever. That drip kept me awake. Oh well, again, just lying down flat made a big difference. And eventually we could hear some sort of alarm going off in the high school. Yeah, that would be annoying.

Ragnar races have local teams provide volunteers for each team who will work on course. Our teams' three volunteers were at this major exchange and it was a great boost to see them. The manned the team number calling and recording. In fact, they seemed like a nice bit of normal in the midst of all the race craziness. With this leg, Van 1 was done! They were off to the finish and to wait for us to arrive.

And we were off. Fog had come up and runners were required to wear reflective vests again. Our first runner (who had been educated on the term "roadkill" and then did his best to get as much of this as he could) was running on the most spectacular section. With no warning, we'd dropped down onto a beach road and found wind tortured trees looming in the fog. It was amazing. Runner 1 was too busy counting roadkill to notice. Ha.

Leg 3: The main goal for this 4.8 hilly leg which climbed for 2.5 miles and then went down 2.5 miles was to stay steady and strong on the uphill without blowing up and then use the downhill wisely. I wanted 8;30 pace overall but wasn't sure if that was possible. And? I nailed it perfectly.   it was warm and sunny with a breeze. I carried water and just kept at it and soon I was in. I did get passed by Van 1 here and it was a nice pick me up. they said I looked good and I wasn't even wearing a tutu on this leg. garmin tract

Now normally, I'd be estactic and jumping around here. I'd be done. Not this time. A runner in our van was just returning to running after a stress fracture. She'd run her first two legs and we'd always planned for me to run her last leg. She just didn't have the miles, it had some steep downhill and it just wasn't going to be a good idea. She really struggled with this but eventually saw the wisdom of it and only packed two sets of running clothing. so instead of eating like I was done, i just had more water and a gel and pancake and tried to get out of the van and walk around whenever I could. I had an hour in between legs to stay loose.

Soon enough, the runner I'd handed off to was back at the exchange and I took off. No warm up other than just walking around and I felt pretty good considering. Right away the course started uphill and i just kept at it. I'd still pass people here and there and I made sure to say the usual "good job" but by this point it seemed like most were wearing their music and not much into responding. Oh well. I had my tutu and my water and I was good. The worst part of this course was seeing a huge looking hill a couple miles ahead on a perfectly straight road. I could see vans on the other side of the road and knew I'd be climbing it. Well that was not for now, so just keep running and I did. 4th leg garmin connect

And eventually I hit that hill and it was great to see all the vans cheering everyone. I continually passed people here and got lots of cheers. Someone even had spray bottle which felt great. it was getting warm.   As I passed people another van shouted out "tutu good" and that made me really laugh and look back at that van in delight. Yes, i love relays.

I did get passed by one guy but he really didn't pull too much farther ahead. EVentually we hit a second uphill section right before the start and then a great downhill. I blasted down this and I could hear my teammates cheering for me (orange clothing and a tutu REALLY stands out) and I was done! woohoo! Only a couple more runners and we were into the finish for a reunion with the other van. Oh everyone was happy and up and I was so happy that everyone had enjoyed themselves.

And even better, everyone is thinking of next year. Yep. it was good.

As a team we averaged a 9:00 pace. Fantastic and just what I'd hoped for.

I ran 4 legs, 19.5 miles total at an 8:31 pace overall. I am delighted! And I did this while I was getting a cold. Yeah, that's what the sore throat and plugged ears meant every time I lay down. after having done this event this year as captain, I feel much better about it for next year. No stress, right!

Ragnar Northwest Passage Relay - The Runner's Version 2011

2011-07-26T20:35:00.000-07:00

CoachLesley.com Orange Ogres Van TuTu

Actually though, unless I was actually out running, I never felt that I could take of my Captain's hat (see photo for what that hat looked like). And even when running, I'd be thinking of things which needed to happen next. since my brain tends to work this way generally, it was not a big deal, but i was surprised at the added effort.

We all got up to Bellingham for Van 2 start in good time. I was extremely fearful that the prediction spreadsheet used to predict when to expect each runner would be very slow compared to how everyone would actually run. Would we miss them?! Turns out I did a great job at predicting overall pace for the team. I predicted we'd finish between 1:16 pm and 1:32 pm depending on whether one runner in Van 1 was able to complete her legs. She ended up just sensibly running two legs and we came in at 1:19. Dang that was satisfying!

For me, I wanted to run strongly but I was going to have an added challenge of running 4 legs instead of 3. And instead of putting legs back to back, I was going to run what was supposed to be my last leg, then wait for the next runner to go and then run my 4th and final leg. I wasn't sure how my body would respond and it turns out I needn't have worried.

I was runner number 2 in the second van. Our first runner was a young guy who was a relatively new runner but fast. He was great! he kept it easy but still belted out a blistering pace and made it look like cake. it was wonderful to finally be running on such a pretty day. Since I'd never been in Van TuTu before in this event and it was neat to see some different areas.

Leg 1: Only 2.8 miles but straight uphill and then downhill to the next exchange. However, I never got any warm up and forgot to use my inhaler before the run. I felt awful on the uphill portion of the run and both could not acquire satellites nor remembered to turn on my watch at the beginning of the run. Oy. Yeah, i was distracted by captainly duties for sure!

No worries though. After about 10 minutes, I started to feel a bit more warmed up but then realized it felt really warm and humid and i was running into a ferocious headwind at times. Don't think just run and just catch those ahead. I think finally i was hitting my stride and feeling better and...I was done! The best part of this? We'd made tutus for all van members and I wore mine for this run (with my orange shirt - we are the orange ogres after all) and got a lot of honking and support from other teams. Yep, it's the details which make this event even more fun.

Everyone ran so well their first legs. It was a beautiful evening in Western Washington and I was happy to hand off the running mantle to the next van. Off we tromped to the major exchange. I chowed down (pasta, chicken with feta, olives, cucumbers, peppers in a bit of olive oil and balsamic vinegar - perfect!) and brought out my sleeping bag and rested. We knew we had a couple hours and i desperately tried to sleep. My throat got so sore and my ears plugged up once I was lying down and a dear vanmate started snoring on the ground next to me. The sore throat and the plugged ears was weird. the snoring? typical. I am the lightest sleeper ever. It was really nice to stretch out and relax. after a bit I started getting texts from Lesley and got people up and we tromped back to the van to get ready to start again.

Overall, the course was very well marked for directions and safety for both runners and vans. Leaving Pioneer Park at La Connor though had some problems. We could not figure out where to go based on the directions. Turns out the directions were only how the runner was leaving the exchange and not how the van would leave the exchange. We had to come back to the exchange and ask a volunteer for help. He was able to pull up a gps program on his phone and walk us through where we needed to go. Thanks un-named volunteer directing traffic for helping us find our way at after mid-night when we were not at our sharpest!

By midnight, temps had dropped to comfortable running weather. I debated longer sleeves like I saw many other runners departing the next exchange but ultimately decided to go with short sleeves and gloves. I'd hoped to run this next leg pretty hard and if I did, I'd get pretty warm. It was a good choice. My second leg was 7.7 miles from headed towards Anacortes. It had some bumps in it but ended on a long flat over an amazing trail which used to be a railway trestle out OVER the water in Fidalgo Bay. I'd heard about this trail but never seen it. I'd not done any warm-up except just trying to walk about. But right away I felt good partly because I'd used my inhaler. I started off fast and settled and then just worked my way up the hill. i saw no one at all associated with the race which worried me a bit. Was I going the right way? Were we as a team very far behind (this is a captain's worry!). No matter, I just kept at it and eventually got along a long straight road where I could see flashing blinkies ahead of me.

Perfect! I gradually reeled in a few and was happy to see cop cars patrolling the area as well. THAT really did make me feel better. I got passed by one gal who then seemed to stop and get water and I never saw her pass me back again. We went by the refineries up towards anacortes but I didn't pay much attention. I just ran. And finally, I made the turn onto the Tommy Thompson Trail and was just amazed. I didn't need a light here even though it was dark. It was flat and fenced and there was only one way to go. I could see a blinkie a fair bit ahead and made it my mission to catch this person. After about halfway across the trail, the fencing which had been on either side disappeared and there was just rocks and open water. That was very disorienting and I felt like I was going to pitch right into the black water on either side.

With just a half mile to go, I finally caught up with the blinkie which had been ahead of me. He had been running well and stopped to walk. I yelled as I came close, "allright?" and got a "no." I yelled back "just half a mile" and he started running again. I really had not been paying attention to what pace I was running and finally peeked towards the end. Hot damn! 8:16 by garmin. That was faster than I had expected. Maybe I'd pay for this later but it was worth it. garmin connect link

continued...

Ragnar Northwest Passage Relay - The Captain's Version

2011-07-24T20:29:00.000-07:00

I love the large running relays. You take 12 people, 2 vans and 200 miles or so and run a few times through generally beautiful scenery overnight. No sleeping, weird eating and desperate attempts to stay hydrated and arrive at the end delighted with your team and the shared experience. There is nothing quite like it. It's about the running but it's also about the challenge of getting 12 runners and 2 vans and what seems like endless amount of gear all pointed in the right direction on race day.

I've done 4 of these relays over the years (twice at Ragnar NW and twice at Reach the Beach in New Hampshire). After two years with the Reach the Beach team, I bowed out. K and I had managed to combine my love of relays with some great vacations on the east coast but it was time to vacation elsewhere this year.

So what to do? I need to do another relay and Ragnar Northwest Passage Relay is a great event at a good time of the year. I could put myself onto a team by putting my name on the runners' board of those who were looking for teams. However, I really like having some people I already know on the team. Cue Coach Lesley. I needed help recruiting 11 other runners. Quickly we had a roster of 7 team members and signed up with me as captain to handle registration details and van rental.

With Lesley's contacts, we were able to come up with three volunteers who would provide some sort of course support at the event. This was a big deal. If we did not provide volunteers, we would have to pay a lot or be disqualified. After a while we came up with 2 more team members. I did get onto the ragnar runner board and found a runner who seemed to be a good fit and she recruited another former teammate from a previous relay team. One more found and we had 11. Ah, this is doable and I didn't think much of the relay.

Then it was a five weeks out. Hmm. Better start doing something about this relay. A member was able to recruit her niece and we were golden. 12 runners. Team start times were going to be set soon so I sent a request for runners to update their 10k times, asked for phone contact and safety item talley and checked in with some of our unknown runners about what they could handle mileage-wise for the relay. With Lesley's help, we set runner order and had a start time.

We had some new relayers to our team plus safety rules had changed for this relay. I sent out an email detailing runner order, how relays work, basic safety requirements and thinking about packing food and gear for a relay. I got some nice responses back and a lot of good questions. We had a very responsive group. I knew this was going to be good.

We were the Orange Ogres so we started pulling in fun gear for the relay. These are things I've always wished I'd had on previous relays but had never done anything about it. As captain, well, I felt obligated to pull out some tricks and fun for this relay. I didn't have to fly across country with glow bracelets, orange tutus and window paint and I found fun items online in time to have them shipped. I figured out a cute, cute adorable Orange Ogre and we had t-shirts and magnets made. It's fun stuff and it's the little details which add to the experience.

I'd been fretting that the van rental (done back in May for this late July race) was just a hoax. So I called to confirm and felt better. With two weeks to go and knowing we were going to be out of town the weekend before Ragnar, I sent some more final emails to both the running team and our volunteer team.

Getting 6 people into a van and up to Blaine, Washington for the start of the race required some figuring. And then I got to do it again for Van 2. I sent out final race day logistics, a final packing list and the race time predictions for each runner. I tried not to nag about don't forget your reflective vest! I sent a reminder to our volunteers and figured logistics for them too.

And then I got the first heart stopping moment as captain. One of our volunteers had forgotten about the event and was going to be unable to attend. ACK! There was much frantic figuring and pleas to find another volunteer. Fortunately we were able to have someone else jump in and I could breathe again. At least we had 12 runners ready to go...cue foreshadowing.

Five days before the race, a team member seemed to have possible strep throat. Uh oh! If it was strep and they could get antibiotics, they would be able to run IF necessary. This was an experienced relayer and knew how hard it would be to find a replacement. She offered to stay on the team but as it got closer and closer and i started thinking about her situation; I knew it would be better to get a replacement. I'd be so worried about her out there running when I knew she'd had a busy and exciting previous weekend, had two young kids (one who had been sick too) and still would have to travel again to get to the event and still be recovering and on antibiotics.

And as luck would have it, someone who'd we asked to join the team before had a previous conflict clear and could do it. This was tuesday, three days before the relay could begin. I breathed easier again. Wow, I'd figured out how we could run with just 11 members but that would put a strain on one runner who was already going in planning on running just two legs (instead of three). if we were down a runner, she'd have to complete all legs. I sighed a huge sigh of relief and tried not to turn an ankle anytime I walked around.

I sent out the final email and was so dang excited! I took the day off from work and did some final cooking (pancakes, chicken pasta salad), shopping (ice) and picked up some equipment we were borrowing from a team member who lived in Kirkland. Les and I got together to sort piles of things into two discrete containers and then off to pick up the van. Finally, my last great fear of not having vans was laid to rest. Of course picking up the vans took forever and a day though and was quite aggravating. Paying for an extra day and an easier pick up place might just be worth the added expense.

after all that though, I was maybe too excited. I could not at all sleep the night before the relay. K was in the first van and since I'd be awake anyway, i went to meet Van 1 and help them get packed and on the road. Basically that involved getting my bossy voice out and cramming things in. I went home and tried to nap. After 45 minutes I gave up adn got up. Oh well, who needed sleep?

Finally, it was time to go meet my van and we were off. Ragnar, here we come!

Redmond Derby Days Dash

2011-07-11T21:00:00.000-07:00

The thing about racing is that a good race can help you achieve that next better race. The Seattle Rock n Roll Half two weeks ago showed me that I have not been able to achieve race pace in longer race efforts in years. Why? Breathing issues, biomechanical issues, ferritin issues all conspired to make me think mentally I couldn't push hard in races. and dealing with all those issues, I could not. Finally through much figuring and effort and help from CoachLesley.com, I've started to feel so much stronger and my training reflects that. It all came together for the half marathon and I hit a time I've not seen in years. AND I recovered quickly from that effort and felt great.

Now I'd signed up for the half marathon a year before and raced it but the main goal this year was to race the Ragnar Northwest Passage Relay. I love relays and this year I'm captain of coachlesley.com Orange Ogres. Details. Details. Details. Relays are all about the details and having had great experiences with relays, I know what is needed to pull together 12 people and 2 vans. I hope. it'll be proved in less than two weeks.

But there is the running too. It's two weeks until relay time and I know I need a short harder effort and K does too. I looked around and found Redmond Derby Days Dash. a small 5k with a nice course, well organized and low key. Best of all, 100% of race fees when to the sponsoring Pancreatic Cancer Foundation. Now my legs were tired after 12 awesome (!) trail miles but it didn't matter. Relay running is all about running on tired legs when you think you can't run one step more.

We got over to Redmond Town Center in good time even with the Highway 520 closure. The race starts just over by the Sammamish River Trail. It's a very pretty setting and the river is beautiful. We watched a heron catch a fish just about as big as it was when on our warm-up miles. VERY impressive!

I lined up towards the the front 50 people or so as I'd seen what results were like for last year. It's a narrow path we were going to start on and I saw people (families really) who should NOT be lined up at the start line. Fortunately race organizers sent volunteers with paper signs and pace guidelines out just before the race and that sent people back.

If you are asking me what those signs mean, that means you should be farther back in the pack of runners and walkers. I stayed where I was and chatted with an older Japanese gentleman and younger fast dude. Younger fast dude wanted to pace under 7 flat and I said i'd be going out slower than that. Older Japanese guy wondered where the turn around was and I said 1.5 miles that way. Like I said, it was a nice low-key event.

and with the blast of an air horn, we were off. That sub-7 pace for the first quarter mile I just expect now. And then I settled and I felt great. 7:13 pace for the first mile and it felt good. I'd passed older Japanese guy and younger fast dude and truthfully expected to be passed back later in the race. Soon I saw the race leaders coming back. I meant to check to see how many other women were coming back but before I knew it, I was at the turn around.

and then I was keeping my eye out for K! Ok, this is the time to focus. At 1.75 miles there were two women ahead of me. 7:22 second mile. Great. Focus on pulling up to and passing those women. Tank top gal had the same idea and we passed young gal at about the same time. I pulled up even to tank top gal but she pulled ahead. Fine. Pull me in!

I never looked at pace here and I'm sorry I did not as I did slow. I was pacing directly with tank top gal thinking we were staying steady but in reality we slowed. I was doubting my legs a bit as I could feel those trail miles and my breathing was a bit off. Stay with it! I pretended I was back at a track workout and just following NA the new runner who is cracking me up lately.

Finally we hit the final little bridge, a quick down and a quick up and I know the finish is just around the corner. I never quite caught up to tank top gal but was shocked to see the clock counting UNDER 23 minutes. And in I went with a chip time of 22:50. AMAZING!

Turns out I'd beat Japanese guy and young fast dude. Japanese guy said I was "best pacer." I think I could've done it a bit better (K came out with even splits and a PR!) but compared to his way too fast start, I did pretty well. Best of all, I took a chance. I've consistently hit 23:30 or so for 5ks all last year and I knew I was faster. I went out hard even on tired legs and still managed to come in faster than expected. This course was a good course for that and it helped that it was marked exactly as a 5k instead of a lot longer as some courses can be.

Tank top gal came immediately over to me and we both thanked each other for the great effort. It definitely helped to chase. A nice cool down mile, a quick stretch session being stretched by the trainers they had and K and I were off to celebrate mutual PRs at Victor's Coffee Shop in Redmond.

8th female and 2nd in 10 year age groups. I will take it!

Ragnar, here we come!

I live in an amazing place.

2011-07-10T18:31:00.000-07:00

PuddleThumper with Downtown Seattle in background.

And the great thing about it is that there are still many more amazing places which are local to me to discover. We've been in Seattle since 1996 and I can say I've been on Bainbridge Island (just a 30 minute ferry ride away from Downtown Seattle blocks from where I work) maybe a handful of times.

Last year I had an enjoyable trail run with a client and friend of my coach and she told me all about the trails that she runs on daily while on Bainbridge Island in the summer. Finally a year and some later, we were able to work out a time to make this trail run happen.

I took the day off from work and Coach Lesley (CL) and I hopped an early ferry to Bainbridge Island. TC picked us up at the other side and took us to Gazzam Lake trail head. Easy peasy. I had no idea what to expect but was prepared for 10-12 miles over a mix of hiking trails, single track and road. I carried my running pack with salt tabs, my energy bars and my camera, of course. The smile on my face was permanently in place as well.

And we were off. Now CL has said that TC is very hard to get back over to Seattle for group runs or rides or events and having run her trails, I can see why. It is trail bliss over there. Gazzam Lake trails were nice wide hiking trails. We made our way onto Peters Trail (please turn off your cell phones said the sign) and popped out onto a road around Lynwood. TC knew the bathrooms were open here and so we took a break while TC chatted with someone she knows.

We made it down to Fort Ward State park trails and then back north towards Blakely Harbor Park. And I so understand why TC is such a great runner. she has been running on these trails for half of her life and each trail had a story about who owned it or some funny story which had happened. We ran on knee high grassy access roads and the stinging nettles had their way with us and I just marveled that TC never had to think about where to turn or where to go. She just knew.

The best part came with teh single track trail with huge trees back towards a point where TC lives. She was busy pointing out the huge trees while CL and I complained that we were too busy staring fixedly at the trail ahead of us to even look. It was great running! We came out to an open field with great views of the Puget Sound and continued onto a stunning viewpoint towards Seattle. Then on to the horse barn and meeting TC's horses. 12 miles. Done. A quick lunch on the deck with dogs and dog-like cat and we were headed back to to the ferry for a ride home.

It was a mini running vacation and I am still thinking about it days later. yes, there will be another one! Thanks CL and TC for making this happen.

Trail Bouncy

2011-07-03T15:21:00.000-07:00

After a fabulous trail run yesterday morning, I bounced into the kitchen where K was slaving away over lemon french macaroons. "Still Trail Bouncy?" he asked.

Why yes!

Summer is finally here. It is better late than never. Soaring Eagle has such nice trails. yes the stinging nettles are stinging, the trail was full of spider webs and there are some angry wasps out there again. Yet how could you not love this:

Seattle Rock n Roll Half Marathon

2011-06-26T14:12:00.000-07:00

You can tell this race is coming up by the buzz in the air. With 26000+ athletes running and walking it not to mention all the cheering and set up and road closures, it dominates the running scene of Seattle. It seems like everyone and their mother are running it and I think that is wonderful thing!

Ragnar team prep is kicking into high gear and this was a wonderful distraction to the lead up to this race. I've been enjoying my workouts and feeling good. What was the goal for this race? I wanted to finish under 1:50 and finish strongly.

To facilitate all the major road closures, this race starts dang early down in Tukwilla. Thanks to JB for driving myself and a couple of other runner friends to the start. JB had planned on racing herself but had to bow out at the last minute. As we all know a DNS (do not start) while always done for the right reasons is not the easiest thing to do mentally.

We made it to the start by the secret back door (although the race officials seem to have a better handle on those secret back doors) in good time and I was off to find a port o potty line (found it!) and bag check. Holy sea of humanity. I'd mostly avoided all of that over the past couple years but had to wade through on my way to the UPS trucks used for bag check. With 30 minutes to go, I started my mile very easy warm-up. I'm glad I did because I realized I had to go the bathroom again. Those lines were ridiculous so I found a convenient bush. Believe me I was not alone. And then I roamed up to the starting corrals as I knew it would take a bit to get into them.

And I was ready. This course is flat to vaguely downhill the first couple miles. I planned on 8:10 pace, take it easy on the short hill at 3 and longer hill at mile 4. I was planning on carrying a little bottle of water for the first few miles to avoid water stops and would ditch it when appropriate.

In short order we were off! And I was very happy that the 8:09 pace I hit for the first two miles felt easy. The weather was perfect 50 degrees and cloudy but not drizzly. I wore short compression shorts and a sleeveless shirt. the miles ticked along pretty quickly and suddenly I realized we were on the hill starting to climb at mile 4. And I felt crappy all of a sudden. Hmm. Heart was up too high and it was time to eat. At the next water stop, I walked through to get a gel and an electrolyte pill. Even though it was cool, I was sweating pretty heavily so knew I needed to monitor fluids closely.

Right about here I spotted Tommy the UPS guy manning a water stop. I see him often at work and he is the nicest guy. He volunteered his time to drive a truck chock full of supplies (water and tables). He shouted out his usual greeting to me (my name at the top of his voice) and that made me smile and all those around me too. What a nice boost.

The downhill to the lake was pleasant and like usual I was amused by runner reactions of shock when we hit the very steep short downhill right at Seward Park. Here I started to see CoachLesley support signs which made me smile. The best one for me? "whose idea was this anyway?" Haha! It was a good reminder to stay in the moment.

I started having some hamstring twinges around mile 7 or 8 which did not make me happy. I'd ditched my water bottle by this point and made sure to walk right before the hills started again at 9. That way i'd get in more water and rest hip/hamstring. This worked. And I had a talk with myself about how you are supposed to feel around mile 8 or 9 of a half marathon. I'd looked at heart rate data for successful halves in the past and was very surprised at how high it was for the entire time. I wasn't used to effort for long races anymore. It was ok to feel like I was working hard. I knew I had the strength to hold the last few miles.

At 10k, I'd been on a steady 8:08 pace even with the hill and a walk break. From 6.2 to the 9 mile mat, I was a 8:42 pace for those less than 3 miles. That takes into account walk breaks and the short, steep up to the I90 express lanes and the refocusing issues (ha). Last year that short hill had been my undoing. Everything felt awful after that and I limped through the tunnel.

This year, I got into the tunnel and started passing people and felt so much stronger. It was wonderful. I was taking manual splits with my garmin (as it doesn't work in the tunnel) and completely missed a mile in here. We hit 2nd avenue and I enjoyed all the crowds. I was sooooo thirsty by this point though. I couldn't help it. At mile 11-12 I took one more walk break to get in some water. And then we were down Columbia to the viaduct and I was shocked to see I just had one more mile. Last year the steep down had jacked up everything but this time, I was ready. I had been continually monitoring my form and I came to the realization that I am running differently now. I doubt I look any different running but I feel different. I use my hip/butt muscles more (hill repeats work!) and I work to keep my gaze down just a bit so I don't sit back. that sitting back when I get tired puts strain on my low back and hips.

Stay with it! Focus! Strong! These were all going through my head as we finally made the turn off the Viaduct and then north to the finish line. WHOOO! I could see a clock now and realized I was going to be under 1:50. I wasn't sure by how much.

1:47:41 Chip time - 8:13 pace overall! Those last 4 miles I covered in 8:00 flat pace. I'd call that a strong finish! In 2009, I ran this race in 1:47:42. Haha! It has been a long and bumpy road to get back to this point and I am delighted. Thanks to Coach Lesley for helping me figure it all out.

Twin Falls

2011-06-19T17:21:00.000-07:00

It doesn't seem like it will ever stop raining. But when you get these views when off trail running, it's ok. This view is from the bridge looking away from Twin Falls down the South Fork of the Snoqualmie River.

Seattle Rock n Roll Half marathon is coming up next week. Then Ragnar Northwest Passage in July. What is the goal after that? Well, i have something brewing.

My debut as a Triathlete...

2011-06-09T20:31:00.000-07:00

Volunteer!

No way I'm getting in a lake. Uh no.

but the call came out for volunteers needed at the Issaquah Sprint Triathlon as CoachLesley.com is a title sponsor. I was free and looking forward to helping out especially since the day was supposed to be a spectacular 70 degrees. Yay for NOT standing around in rain at dawn.

I woke up late. Oops. But in record time, I was over to Lake Sammamish Park for volunteer check in only a few minutes late. I quickly found other friends who were volunteering and just hung out. We were all working the transition area and it was quite entertaining to watch all the athletes setting up their transition area.

I could feel the nervous energy. I did know quite a few people who were competing though so it was fun to say hello to them and wish them well and snicker silently about the obvious race jitters. Hey, we've all been there and it's good!

Someone who seemed to be associated with the race came over to tell us what we'd be doing. Basically I'd be standing at the "bike out" portion of the transition area and yelling at people to run/walk their bike over the chip mat and then mount their bikes over by a sign. It was important that people didn't get on their bikes until they were closer to the sign (it was an area about 30 feet long) because otherwise people could bunch up too much. Uh hunh. Ok. This seemed to make sense.

The duathlon started (bike/run) and it was fun to see the wide variety of abilities and bikes. Soon enough the first sprint triathletes came in and it was amazing to see them in and out so quickly. And the instructions I'd been given made a lot more sense especially since I watched many athletes struggle to get going on their bikes. A couple fell over and one guy who was very quick out of the water, REALLY struggled to get clipped in. More practice or an equipment issue? Who knows.

There was a steady stream and I got to cheer for various friends as well. It was fun clapping and cheering and yelling at people "mount at the sign!" Because if you did not yell this, people would stop immediately after the chip mat and block others coming through. Another volunteer helped me realize that the athletes needed their helmets on too! One guy forgot his and had to go running back for it. I caught a few who had it on but not buckled and they had a surprised look as I pointed it out. Oh yeah! There are a lot of details to remember in a triathlon.

I could see the athletes coming back on their bikes and soon got pulled over to that area to yell at the athletes to slow down and get ready to dismount. They were so focused and the dismount area was hard to distinguish so you really had to get their attention. Basically volunteering at a triathlon is a lot of yelling. Ha! And everyone is thankful. Nice.

I'm really glad I got to do this. it was fun and it's nice to give back. And I reiterated to myself that I really have no interest in triathlons. I love swimming but not here in the Pacific NW and I don't have time for it. Biking is great fun and I've been doing a lot of it but seeing the biking skills demonstrated on the course just makes me nervous! And there are so many rules and so much equipment. I really admire those who do these but it's not for me and it's good to remember that.

Trail Ready!

2011-06-05T21:00:00.000-07:00

Meanwhile, something is going right. I've been feeling really good lately.

Ah yes, iron supplementing. Hmm. I can't say for sure but overall I think it might be helping. the low of the cycle was much easier this time and that was even with marathon recovery in there. I'm looking forward to getting in longer runs to see what that is like. As is usual with adding in a lot of bike commuting suddenly and lots of gardening, my low back has been talking to me a bit. But the usual hip/leg issues aren't there. And before I get too cocky, I do have an appointment scheduled with the voodoo physical therapist to help sort out the low back thing.

Nice!

So more formal run training restarted this week and I was really pleased that I felt fast and strong. I did a track workout on Tuesday. Now I did that track workout with the intention of keeping it fun and relatively easy but still tiring out the legs a bit in preparation for a mid-week trail race. Yep. How brilliant is that? Evergreen Trail Runs put on a mid-week trail race celebrating National Running Day and the solstice with our really long days.

Grand Ridge Park is an easily accessible trail system off of I-90 or the Issaquah Highlands. I've done various runs there over the years and always enjoyed the trails. This was a 5 mile or 10 mile lollipop type of course with some pretty good elevation changes. RPD was, of course, game and he picked me up after work and we were off. We'd had some pretty good rain that day but it stopped in time for the race. It felt a balmy 55-60 degrees as we picked up our bibs and hung out waiting for the race to start.

I'm not in trail shape. I'm not in trail shape. I just did a track workout. I just did a track workout. That was my mantra as we started. And it did help. It's a narrow start for half mile on the graveled service road to the straight up trail. Once on the trail, every one was polite and it was easy enough to pass with a continual "on your left." I felt like I kept it steady and I kept it moving. Once to the top we started a loop. I'd been on a section of the loop but not the whole thing. After all that climbing, we went down and down and down. It was a very runnable trail which meant that unlike usual, I couldn't quite easily pass people. I had to work at it but pass people I did.

And then, we were climbing again. We followed one section of trail under power lines which was super mucky. I had to stop to tie both (BOTH!) shoes as the muck had untied them and threatened to suck them off. I was practically giggling because I was having so much. It was glorious out there.

I got back to the turn off to the 5 miler and back down and just felt great! Really? I'm not in trail shape and I did a track workout. On the last hill back down, I got behind a small group which were going at a good pace. It was going to be pretty difficult to pass them all on that terrain so I sat back and enjoyed myself. Of course the trail looked completely different going down than coming back up. We got to the last flat (but gradually uphill actually) trail and I just went. I passed about 5 people in here who looked done in. Sure, I was working but it was GREAT to have so much in the tank. Done!

Not too much longer, RPD comes in with just as big a grin on his face as I had on mine. What a wonderful way to spend an evening. I really hope Evergreen puts on some more of these mid-week races. It was like having a little vacation mid-week.

And I'm delighted that I came in 30th overall (about 100 total) and 11th female. It was great to get the feet and legs ready for some more trail running. I'm not sure when but I can't wait.

Marathon Recovery

2011-06-04T17:58:00.000-07:00

It sure was different this time.

After Eugene in 2008, I ended up in the doctor's office getting a nebulizer treatment because I could not breathe. I went on a course of steroids to help the lungs and realized I had never been able to fully breathe in forever and some (approximately). This time, I still really noticed my lungs for a few days but the daily inhaler I am on plus the rescue inhaler worked. After a few days, I stopped noticing.

My legs were sore for a few days but nothing too bad. And since I hadn't had any serious injury-type issues (unlike at the Seattle Marathon) and hadn't been on my feet an hour longer than expected, I felt pretty good. I did make sure to keep running miles minimal for a couple weeks. Pounding is pounding and I'm not exactly used to running 26 miles.

And I was smack dab in the middle of Bike to Work month! I'd signed up for the team at work. With 2000 miles as the team's goal and work matching that amount in donation to the local food bank, I really wanted to get in consistent riding. We made our 2000 mile goal and I road 100 miles in the month biking to work (actually rode a bit more since I've been doing some longer weekend rides). Considering I ran a marathon in there, I am happy.

What's next? Hopefully the dreadfully cold spring has moved past and we can get some better weather. I see more biking and trail running and I'm co-captaining a RAGNAR Northwest Passage Team. Awesome. Bring on summer!

My Own Private Marathon - The Race

2011-05-11T08:36:00.002-07:00

Lesley had asked what my goal pace was and I honestly couldn't say. EC, my running partner for a lot of long runs and hard tempo runs, had Boston Qualified at Eugene marathon with an astounding 3:38. That 8:20 pace overall was what Les kept saying I was trained for but I just couldn't fathom it. 8:20 for 26 miles when 8 at 9:15 seemed hard sometimes?

No. What was my goal? In all three previous marathons, I'd started out pretty well. In both sub-4 marathons (in 2006 & 2008), I'd stayed strong until around 15 or 16 and then fell apart. I'd walked more of those runs than seemed possible. I had no idea how I'd pulled sub-4s out for those races. Obviously the Seattle Marathon last fall this was an even bigger disaster. I started feeling off early and never ever got back to consistent running. I was barely slogging and felt horribly mentally and physically.

With these experiences behind me, I just wanted to start out comfortably and finish the marathon running. Honestly it wasn't about a particular time. I just needed to feel like I was fighting successfully through how you feel at the end of a marathon.

Lesley and I started out. She on a bike and guiding me onto the trail at the north end of Marymoor Park. And we discussed pace a bit. I wasn't sure what pace would feel comfortable but soon was just under 9. Good enough. I honestly never looked at my watch again for pace. I'd check to see distance so I could get a gel or salt as needed but ignored pace. There was no point. As long as I felt comfortable for the first half I was good.

5k 27:10 8:48 pace
10k 54:53 8:54 elapsed pace

K traded off with Les on the bike. I wasn't too interested in chatting so K rode along companionably handing over a water bottle or gel as requested. the rolling hills started in here and I looked forward to them. Nothing is too steep or too long and just enough to keep it interesting. There was a fair bit of traffic along the road but this shoulder is wide and painted for both biking and pedestrian lanes. Cars are used to bike/pedestrian traffic and are very polite. The miles just seemed to tick off. Around 8 or 9, I had the first hamstring twinge and got worried. I knew there would be two longish climbs and decided that if needed, I would walk for a very short bit on those uphills to stretch hips a bit. I'd seen so many runners dong that at Yakima River Canyon Marathon and honestly would tend to walk shortly in races because of water stops so it made sense. It did help as did the rolling hills. I never noticed the hamstring on that side again.

15k 1:22:39 8:57 elapsed pace
20k 1:51:54 9:26 elapsed pace

I'd planned on gels every 4 miles with one electrolyte capsule every 6 miles. Around mile 11 I realized I was starting to feel like I needed another gel and took one earlier at 11.5. Through the rest of the race, i felt like I was blowing through fuel much faster and jumped to a gel every 3 miles. Seriously that is a lot of gels! I am fortunate that they do not bother me at all especially when coupled with the extra salt.

I knew at about mile 12, T would join me for her long run. That was perfect. T can tell stories of her three adorable kids which just make me laugh. She is much faster than I so I felt rather badly that I was going so slowly but she kept me moving. It was still too early to think of the finish and Lesley and T chatting kept me entertained and distracted. It was perfect. I was starting to feel like my low back/hips were getting tight and that really worried me. I shared that info with coach and she told me some really helpful things.

1. My form in particular needs some additional tweaking. I needed to lean forward a bit through the shoulders which would help take some pressure off the low back/hips. Now in that befuddled state, i couldn't quite figure out what she meant. Eventually I just put my gaze down to closer in front of me and that was enough to give me more of a lean and immediately, my low back felt less tense. As I got tired later, I could tell I'd bring my head up to a much more upright stance. This is obviously something to work on!

2. Change up your gait. It was flat at this point and that can take a toll as well when running. No one in Seattle is used to completely flat! So change up your gait. Try to take some longer strides. Take shorter strides, picking your feet up more. I could do this at first but towards the end, I could not really change my gait at all. I think this is something to practice when running randomly now. Change it up!

25k 2:21:02 9:24 elapsed pace

30k 2:40:23 9:09 elapsed pace

The best surprise was coming around the south end of the lake and seeing that A & G, good running friends of mine, had come out to cheer. I was so shocked and touched. they'd even remembered a cowbell! Ha!

The miles still ticked along. We got onto the graveled path which is the east side of lake sammamish. It really is beautiful and peaceful. Most of the time there is enough of a bend so you don't see a long stretch ahead of you and that really helps. A quick check showed that everything was feeling pretty good. I always think I should feel better at mile 13 or 14 but maybe that is just wishful thinking? But by mile 16, I knew I was starting to feel my lungs. Uh oh. That's no good. Sure enough, I couldn't take a deep breath. The rescue inhaler helps with this and I used it around mile 16.5 but I was disappointed that I needed it at all. The daily inhaler I am on has mostly eliminated rescue inhaler use. Darnit. I ended up needing the inhaler again towards mile 23.

discussing this with Coach afterward, she suggested that research she's seen is that dehydration in distance athletes with asthma plays a big roll in symptoms. If I have gels more often, I will tend to drink more but still no where near the levels they say you should. Again, something to play with. All I know is that it started to become harder to move. I promised myself that at mile 20 I'd get a reward walking break and stretch hips a bit. Ahhh. that did feel good. I think I kept it longer than Lesley would've liked but she wasn't on the bike at that point. Shh. Don't tell. I needed to retie my shoe as well. I walked very shortly a few miles later mostly to use the inhaler and one last hip stretch.

35k 3:21:15 10:17 elapsed time

40k 3:54:04 10:35 elapsed time

Lesley got off the bike and met us to run for the last couple miles. That was a treat. I was fighting for it at that point and fighting hard. Keep moving! No stopping. Keep going. And I did.

26.3 4:08:51 10:33 elapsed time

overall pace 9:30

I had my cheering crew at Marymoor and Lesley had had a finisher's medal made. I was shocked and surprised by that. Wow. What an amazing adventure for me. Check, check, check.

Start out comfortably and keep moving. Running. the last half of the race, I took just 3 or 4 walk breaks which is so much less than any previous marathon. Most importantly, I never had the really bad lows which have happened in every marathon. Those lows were hard to recover from previously. This time I'd get those voices starting up and resolutely focused on something else. Those last 4 miles, "fighting" became my mantra because that's what I was doing.

I had someone mention to me that doing the distance this way by myself would be much harder than in a race situation. Yes and no. for shorter races, it's true that there is nothing that will get me going harder than a true race environment. I will push it and use fellow racers, the event and the finish line to get me moving a lot faster than I often believe I can go. For this type of distance race, I know that if I don't stay with it mentally it really doesn't matter what is going on around me. I will lose it especially if physically things are falling apart. Fortunately that was not the case this time!

Being the numbers geek I am, I was also able to look at half pace splits for all of these marathons. And with all the more successful ones (seattle is out), the difference in pace between the first half and second half is about a minute. I was just under that for this marathon. At some point, I'd like to run a true even split marathon. I believe I'm closer to that now. I'm not sure what is on tap for running for the year besides some bigger events (Ragnar!) but I am well content with this experience. it was memorable on so many levels.

My Own Private Marathon - The Lead up

2011-05-11T08:18:00.000-07:00

Yep, that's right. DNS at Eugene but I was trained up for a marathon and it was shame to let that training go to waste. There are a couple marathons in the area two weeks later but we had prior engagements one evening (Spokane would require an overnight stay) and i didn't want a hilly marathon (sorry Capitol City). I honestly felt that if I didn't get in a marathon distance run now, I never would again.

So I had the crazy idea just to run my own marathon. I knew the course I'd do. The run/ride around Lake Sammamish is 22 miles and I really love the run which I've done in sections over the years. the first 12 miles are rolling which is good and nothing is too steep. And as I most recently ran the East Lake Trail as part of the Lake Samammish Half last fall, I knew that section was flat. I'd need some help though to manage water and supplies. cue coach Lesley and K.

Taper went pretty well. As we are in the middle of Bike to Work month, I've started biking again which was a nice alternative to running. I'd last done a 20 miler at Yakima River Marathon the first of April and then a 15 miler about 3 weeks out. I'd had some good tempo racing at the Earth Day 10k and the Top Pot 5k. Hip and back issues were minimal as I've been good about keeping on top of things.

overall however, I never felt all that much faster on just my easy pace. I'd still go out and slog 9:15 or so which is what I'm always doing my easy runs at. Honestly I'd hoped to get out of that 9:15 rut and see a bit more speed on easy runs. I know those runs are easier as heart rate was much lower for pace but there was never any oomph. Oh sure, I could crank out a good tempo run, track work and even marathon pace with no problems. But the no added easy speed worried me. I did have my annual doc appointment (which comes every two years for me since I have so few issues!) and got iron results back.

My ferritin levels tested at 15 ng/ml. That was non-fasting blood work and I'd had prime rib the day before. Ha! That is considered normal but since the range is 13-150(!), 15 is obviously low. and now that I've been reading more about this(here and here with low ferritin levels), runners should have a range of 20-30 and women distance runners should be higher. Me with my very short, heavy cycle? Yeah, that's probably too low. So i went right out to get those nasty, nasty iron supplements. I can't add any more beef into my diet 'cause I already eat some weekly. So this is good to know. does it explain some of the running issues? I have no idea.

I arranged for some days off from work and Lesley offered Tad as a pacer for the latter section of miles. I jumped on that knowing having someone to run with would really help. K offered to do bike support and as it happened, Lesley had her mountain bike ready for bike support too. The weather was perfect! No rain and it was in the high 40's at the start. There was maybe a bit of a slight breeze but it was negligible. I wore shorts which I've not worn since last fall. Sadly I couldn't remember which shorts wouldn't chafe on a longer run and did have some problems with that. I started with arm warmers, gloves and headband but gradually was able to shed these as I warmed up. Ready!

Sproing.

2011-05-08T17:40:00.000-07:00

Forget-me-Nots in the garden.

Finally Spring has come to the Northwest. Oh it's still pretty wet and has been chilly but overall, temps are warmer and everything is blooming.

Aaah Choo! Yes, allergies are up but it's worth it.

As usual, I feel like I'm being pulled in a bazillion directions. There is much to do in the yard. Our much neglected backyard is crying out for some work too. Oy. That's a lot of yard. I spent some hours removing the plants lost to hard winter frosts and weeding. The front is looking better and I've seen what has survived and have some ideas about moving things about. We got some plants at the annual Olympic View Elementary Plant sale as well.

I've been knitting quite a bit. Fun stuff and quite rewarding. I like the brain stretch that it provides when figuring out something in a pattern or a technique.

We've had an initial meeting with an iron worker about getting some wrought iron for our front porch. It's pretty exciting to see what the possibilities can be. any time I bike or run or drive or ride a bus in Seattle, I am looking at wrought iron porch possibilities. We've got some ideas now and just need to finalize them.

There are still the small-ish projects going on in the house. Stair and railing painting, picture railing in the bedroom and I fully understand the need for spring cleaning. Where did all the dust and cat fur come from? I'm looking at you Kes and York!

Well we know what they think of that!

It's bike to work month and I'm on a team at work. it has been fun to get back on my bike. Marathon training sure is good for bike conditioning. It's not been much of a big deal commuting. As usual, I turn into some sort of polka-dotted mountain climbing fool when on my bike and MUST PASS people climbing the various hills around here. I honestly don't know what comes over me but it sure is fun. I really do try to keep it easy.

And running? Stay tuned.

A Decision

2011-04-27T19:52:00.000-07:00

There was a very good web only article about running and menstruation on RunningTimes.com recently. Sadly, I identified quite a few issues that I'd suspected were affected by my cycle. I kept trying to pretend that those issues didn't affect me but as my cycle has started to change recently because of The Change, it's been harder and harder to ignore.

The breathing issue and decreased lactate threshold certainly dominates running the last week of my cycle. I can still get in shorter harder efforts but forget about longer runs. Running "easy" is about all I'm good for. Basically this article suggest training in the luteal phase of your cycle is chancy at best. For me that's about 14 days out of 24 days as I have a short cycle. I discussed this with my coach and she brought up the interesting idea that in reality out of 24 days, I have about 10 days of solid training. those other two weeks are always hit or miss. Over the past couple years this has become more of an issue.

And when will Eugene Marathon fall on my cycle? Yes, the worst possibly time and I came to the decision that it was not worth driving to Eugene for a slog of a marathon. I just can't take it physically or mentally. So I will be a sensible DNS. It doesn't mean i'm happy about it as I'm missing seeing some friends who are traveling to Eugene from Texas and K and I are putting aside our plans to see the Oregon Coast.

That Earth Day 10k I ran? That race felt on the best days and I felt great on every level. I know I am in great shape but I have to pick those longer races carefully. I did have things checked out with my doctor and I'm debating some options. As a woman who has always been pretty lucky with her cycle (very regular with minimal symptoms) I feel pretty strange blaming things on my cycle. But that is where I am and I'm ok with it.

Meanwhile, I'm debating options for other marathons or even just a half. Stay tuned.

Dig Deep

2011-04-19T21:37:00.000-07:00

wet and muddy spring

It's about now that I'd like to pick some sun and warmth. It's been just a miserably cold and wet spring. The fuzzy spring green trees are late this year. The forsythia bloomed late march/early april and often it can bloom late February. It's late. fortunately all the weeds are doing just fine. Sigh.

It's getting pretty close to May and Eugene. There is still some good training that has to happen. I signed up on the spur of the moment for a 10k this past weekend. I know I needed a good hard effort of a race and still wanted to get a medium long run in and it went really well.

I've done the 2-mile Winter Grand Prix Series which takes place at Magnuson Park. They also put on a low-key monthly series with either a 5k, 10k, 15k and sometimes a half marathon to choose from. The course is about what you'd expect at Magnuson with lots of turns, a small hill and some odd conditions but for $15 and a pretty good turn out, it's perfect.

I was feeling pretty good for lots of reasons and was hoping to come in under 50 minutes. I planned to start around 8 flat. Mainly I just wanted a hard, solid effort and knew the race environment would help me with that. And, of course, with these little races it is easier to get sucked out faster. I clocked 7:40 for that first mile even with the hill.

Uh oops.

Slow down or you will die a horrible death, my brain said. But the body was thinking different and hit the next mile at the same pace. And I was feeling good. I was with a few guys around me and could see some other women ahead but thought they were probably running the 5k. The last mile of the course had some really ankle deep mucky section. It was very short but very surprising. I nearly lost a shoe and watched those around me mince about and practically stop. This is where PuddleThumper shines through and puts that trail running to use. I just charged through. After a nasty and narrow hair pin turn, we were back at the 5k finish and onto the next loop. I'd lost some time with that muck.

No worries. i stayed with it and even stayed strong on the next round of the kite hill. I was dreading the next round through the muck though. Surprisingly, they'd rerouted the course onto some grass which was just as mucky. this really took it out of me here at the end of the race and I could feel myself really fighting my form trying to hold on. That last hair pin turn? I nearly fell over.

As I approached the clock, I could see i was solidly in the 48:XX and was delighted to come in under well under 49 minutes. Woohoo! Sub 8. I waited and watched AR and GY and then K come in. the sun even came out although by that time we were all hoping it would stay in for the run as what runner here in Seattle is used to sun now?

Various runners planting saplings after the race.

As this was the Earth Day Run, we were given little saplings at the end of the race. We could take them home if we wished but there was also the option to plant them in an area just off the finish/start line. We were given a little trowel and quick tree planting instructions and just like that, a sapling was in the ground. How nifty is that? considering all the races I do at magnuson, I hope to watch that little tree grow for some time.

Check that off the list.

2011-04-09T15:19:00.000-07:00

Yes, that's right. Before each of my previous three marathons, I have taken a spill and fallen while out running generally in the week before the marathon. It happened this week and I am one month out from Eugene. I am hopeful that this fall will count and I can check that off my marathon check list:

gu (6)
electrolyte capsules and baggies
body glide
chocolate milk
~~fall on training run~~

Oh I was so mad. Turns out those yellow bumpy things that you see on curb edges are not traction devices as I (and it turns out most others) had thought. No, these are "detectable warning devices" and are put at curbs to denote a street for those with visual disabilities. They provide a contrast to the sidewalk (yellow here) and a tactile contrast (bumpies). And I now think they make them extra slippery just for fun and kicks. I was out for an easy run and and put my foot down just wrong and whoa! I rolled. I think. It was early and there was no one about. I gimped about a bit, assessed various appendages and completed my run knowing that i'd be sore the next day and I'd either have to skip a run or keep it shorter than planned.

I was lucky. One scraped, bruised knee, one sore shoulder (same one as always dammit!) and a scraped elbow and ankle. the worst part is that just as I was running, I was realizing that although I am tired from marathon training, I am not having the typical for me nagging almost injury. And then BOOM! My hip and hamstring haven't been too happy since this fall but the magical Physical Therapist will fix it soon. My advice? Do NOT step on those death traps.

After two weekends in a row with 20 milers, I was pretty tired this week. That tiredness coincided with the hormonal low of the month and a lot of doubts about long runs in general. I know I am much stronger and fitter. I had a track workout thursday and by myself had no trouble hitting the workout (I did cut it a bit short because of the fall). I was shocked that i had to slow myself down to hit the proper pace.

Yet, I still am having a hard time wrapping my head around that whole 26 mile thing. Again. I'm fine until about 14 or 16 and then I want to settle into a what I call a trudge. It happened at Yakima and has for a couple of long runs. I've upped calories and electrolytes and that's helped and I just have to have faith about taper.

I heard this podcast this week and it really struck a nerve for me. It was lovely to hear the breathing/footfall pattern of this amazing ultra runner. Taper, taper and taper and then continue to think about footfall and cadence. I know I start to drag when I get tired. Don't think, just run. It does work.

Radiolab podcast - In the Running (17:40)

Meanwhile I'm off to do my little exercise to keep the hips aligned until the magical PT guy can fix it all. And soon, I know spring will eventually show up here in the Northwest. We had the sun in Ellensburg and it was glorious.

Mercer Island 10k / Yakima River Canyon Marathon

2011-04-03T19:39:00.000-07:00

Busy season, yard work and marathon training are conspiring against me and keeping me off of blogging for a bit and lots of things have been happening. Lots of things required some thinking about too which is the surprising part of running training.

Mercer Island has a series of events in March which kicks off the racing season here in Seattle. The Half marathon is the big draw and brings out the speedsters. It's a tough, hilly course and the weather is usually passable. Last year I ran the half but this year thought the 10k would be better. It would give me a chance to work on hills and pacing and holding a hard effort. I had no idea what to expect for a reasonable time but was hoping to hit around 50 minutes (I ran just under 49 minutes last summer in a flat 10k).

I admit that the hills had me very nervous. I did NOT want a crash and burn like what had happened at Nookachamps earlier this year. And this was a tough course in that the first half mile starts downhill. Mile 2 is about the only flat mile and then a series of hills begins. The finish is uphill too just for fun. I got out at a good start (not too fast) and felt very comfortable for the first couple miles. As the hills started, I stayed even with those around me and would still pass people on the downhill. The last mile uphill, I managed to stay at 8 flat which I am very pleased with. For the uphill at the end of a race, this is real progress. 50:22 chip time and I was 6th in my age group. Not bad at all.

Even better, I was not at all sore from this race and went into the heaviest mileage of my training so far. I've been able to hit speed workouts well and have had better long runs. I was chatting with DRS a few days after the race. DRS also ran the 10k and was very disappointed with the race. I'd been disappointed with the time but knew the effort was right for where I am in my training. Maybe I could've gone faster but mentally and physically, I wouldn't have been happy to have a slog into the end. This course is brutal for that and I watched many people blowing up on the course. It's tough. No doubt about that. I've been thinking of the 10k as one more stepping stone onto that marathon in Eugene.

This past weekend was another stepping stone. We drove over to Ellensburg Friday night for the Yakima River Canyon Marathon (YRCM). Ok, I'd not do that drive over Snoqualmie Pass again at night at this time of year. Yikes! That was a little hair-raising. No snow but it was rainy and very hard to see. it was great to get to Ellensburg and realize it was dry. yes!

The YRCM is a fantastic event. It's pretty small and laid-back but they do know how to put on a good event. The course starts in Ellensburg and does a little loop before starting down the Yakima River Canyon to Selah. I do mean down. Overall this course drops but there are some nasty hills later in the course. I am not sure if this would be a PR course or not? Probably but that downhill hurt after a while.

My plan was just to do this a training run. I'd originally wanted to run the entire event very easily but coach was quite concerned that 26 miles would be too much. I had to agree. I'm not a high mileage runner and I'd run 20 miles last week for a long run. So I planned to run 20 and then start walking, aiming to be picked up by course officials and taken to the finish where K would meet me. And it worked.

It was sunny, windy and cool at 40 degrees when we got started. I opted to dress a little warmly with the idea I need some heat acclimatizing for Eugene. I figured it would warm up once the sun got up and it did but for the wind. Mostly we had a tailwind through the canyon but at times, the head wind or cross wind would be ferocious! I was aiming for marathon pace for a chunk of my 20 mile run and trying to hold MP when into the wind even downhill was impossible.

I carried a small water bottle and refilled at aid stations. I guess my only complaint with this course and the conditions is that there needed to be more aid stations. If I had not carried water, I'd have been hurting. Otherwise, I loved the event. Friendly and helpful volunteers and while the road is not officially closed, traffic is encouraged to go elsewhere. it was not a problem running on either side of the road. Sometimes i found the cant of the 2-lane road a bit severe.

I did have fun chatting with runners around me. From about mile 12-15 I ran with a gal from BC. She's running Boston in 2 weeks and just keeping it easy (better her than me!). Then I saw the guy who hated being chicked on a training run a few weeks ago.

That's right. A few weeks ago on the Snoqualmie Valey Trail, EC and I were doing an easy run and ran into a group of Team in Training runners doing their long run. Turned out that they were aiming for YRVM. We generally and gradually passed most of these runners except for one guy who as soon as we were within passing on the uphill, sped up to stay ahead of us. We both rolled our eyes at each other. he eventually stopped and then came charging past us later. Again stopping to fix a shoe or some such thing. I just wanted to yell at him to run his own training run.

This guy had a distinctive stride with one foot that turned out. Around mile 16 once I'd slowed again after my marathon paced miles, I saw him! And started chatting with him. He was a nice guy out for his third and he said last marathon. I'd say he was at least running his own marathon and it was nice to have company for some miles.

And mile 20 ticked over and I started walking. half a mile later, I hit an aid station and told the radio operator that I'd like to drop and that was it. It took a bit to arrange a ride with the medic and another runner who'd dropped at teh previous aid station. That poor runner was hideously embarrassed to drop out of the race even though he could barely walk with a quad strain.

it was a good experience and I"m glad I did it especially since the course was just beautiful. My legs were tired from the training miles and my feet were really starting to hurt. yeah, I could've walked/jogged another 6 miles but to what point? This way, I got back to the finish in good time and we got back to Ellensburg to do some tourists activities. It was a very good day in the sunshine.

Then we went and drove the course so K could see it. It was a short weekend getaway and I'm tired but it was worth it for the experience and the sun! And taking a break from it all was really pleasant.

Crazy making.

2011-03-13T19:54:00.000-07:00

Marathon training can drive you bonkers. I know this yet I still fall for it every time. After that great track workout and generally feeling much stronger, I had a long run last week which had me questioning everything. It was 17 hilly miles with some at a tempo pace. Now granted I'm not really used to doing long runs with some tempo miles (at marathon pace) too often. This was going to be a hard workout. make no mistake about that.

It was a very cold morning (low 20s!) but fortunately dry. EC and I met as planned at Gas Works park and headed off towards Discover Park and some hills. It was a nice easy warm up. We then met up with the group at Discovery Park and did an easy 3 on the loop trail. Easy yet those hills force a more moderate feel which we expected. I was carrying a small container of water and planned on a three gels although I brought 4.

And it was a good run overall. The Magnolia Loop is one of my favorites for both running and biking and the views never disappoint. Once we start the rolling loop course, we sped up to planned tempo pace and it felt good. It was a little hard to tell what pace to aim for with some of the downhills and I was dreading the mile climb back up to Discovery Park. My hip started to creak a bit and my feet were starting to feel a bit sore. We were at 13 miles with 4 left to go mostly downhill and I just felt like I was out of gas even though I was going downhill. The last little bump of an uphill dragged me right down and I had some pretty low moments thinking about the disasterous Seattle marathon of last year.

I was holding EC back. She of the cheerful and perky demeanor even at mile 15. But she's not from the area so once we were to an area she knew, I sent her on ahead and trudged on. Blah. Eventually I made it back to the car and checked in with EC (sending her off with some banana bread actually!) and went on with my day.

And looking at the run, I honestly didn't slow down as much as I thought but there was no denying the lack of any oomph at the end. the next morning though I went out for an easy run fully prepared to turn right around if I felt at all off. And? I felt great. Not stiff or sore and well paced with a low heart rate. What? Crazy making, I tell ya.

Now this past week, I've managed to duplicate that same challenging track workout and have it feel easier plus nailed a tempo workout midweek. What gives? During the last marathon training cycle, I never really had any good long runs. Is this cycle going to be the same even though I am handling more quality workouts in general and feel much stronger?

So discussing this with Coach, she really wants me to up my caloric intake on long runs. I had 3 gels. I tend to hit them early enough but then fall off taking them during the middle miles. Could that be it? On that long run I also hadn't had much water over 13 miles, just 10 oz. Running at the general pace I do, that's two hours. Ten ounces just doesn't seem enough. The recommended carb intake is about 40-70 grams per hour. Each gel has about 100 calories and 25 grams. Running at a harder pace will tend to burn the fuel faster so she wants me to try having a gel about every 4 miles. Ok, that's a lot of gels! And then that means I need to take in a bit more water plus I'll tend to add an electrolyte capsule in there.

and then I kept reading and found some studies which show distance runners tend not to eat enough in general to support their activities. I can vouch for an increased appetite but I often forget to increase portion sizes and bring other snacks. I tend to eat the same quantities day in and day out. My weight is the same but I've noticed that the fancy scale I have has shown my muscle percentage has grown while fat has decreased. That's good really but calls for a re-evaluation of what I'm eating.

Saturday rolls around again and it's time for another long run. Granted, we (EC and I are delighted that we have ended up so well matched for pace!) were just out for an easy long run this week. No tempo miles and on an easier course but still a bit challenging in it's own way.

I carried water again and refilled as needed. I had gels at 4, 7, 11.5 and 15. I was tired at the end of the run but I didn't have any trouble keeping up with the general easy pace we were going and I didn't have nearly the desire to stop as often happens. Often I feel like I have to stop to dig at a sore hip or stretch a hamstring. I was still having some little tweaks but not as big of a deal and EC was not chomping on the bit to go any faster either. Hey, I wasn't holding her back.

Overall, I call this a success. Next week is the Mercer Island 10k and a needed and desired cut back week. The following week is another at pace long run and I'll be curious to see how it goes.

I've always wanted to have fewer gels in general partly because of cost and partly because I've heard of many runners who really don't need that many calories. It just goes to show we are all an experiment of one and it's important to find out what works (and does not work) for you.

On the track.

2011-03-03T12:55:00.000-08:00

The workout: 4 x 1 mile at 7:30 pace.

I'd seen this on my schedule a couple weeks ago and resolutely ignored it. It was better not to think about it because oh man that was going to be impossible in my mind.

And then finally this workout was here and yet it had been transformed to 4 x 1 mile at 7:20 - 7:30 pace. Wha?! I'd at best hoped to hit 7:40 inching down to 7:35.

The weather for this track workout was going to be not so lovely. Late winter is hitting Seattle hard this year. Snow! Record breaking low temps and highs well below average. Evidently February had 22 days of rain if that gives you an idea. It rained most of the day and as we headed to the track I was afraid the cinder track would be so mucky that it would be impossible to use. And actually for long repeats like this I do not mind doing them on a path instead. But the group consensus was that while mucky, the track was not ankle sucking like it can be if we've had a lot of continuous heavy rain. And it was nice to have the lights on the field.

There were four of us gals with the same workout. One we know is much faster and tends to blast through workouts. We started as a group and sure enough she is out and gone. I'd expected that. DRS was leading the first one and doing a great job. She's been struggling with an achilles injury and was trying for this workout knowing it might be just a bit too fast.

One interval down at about 7:25 (I think, I messed my watch up for this one). And it felt good! I started the next one and got sucked into a bit with some of the other people running on the track. 7:15. Yikes! but again, it felt good. DRS had dropped back so it was just EC and I.

EC needs some practice taking turns leading these intervals so she was up next. It was getting tough but the next one was 7:22. Amazing really. The rain was picking up and it was getting a bit colder.

One more. By myself, I would've talked myself out of it. I'm not even sure I'd have made it through the third one. Did it feel that bad? Not really. I was working hard no doubt. My low back and hamstrings and (finally!) glutes were getting that rubbery working hard feeling towards the end of the 3rd repeat. My breathing was actually ok. One more.

EC once again led. Seriously, I didn't feel like I had the mental capacity for that. 2 laps down and we are a bit slow. Backseat driver (me) says "pick it up a bit." And we do. I'm glued to EC's back not thinking much at all. One more lap.

EC: How's this feel? (meaning pace)
Me: (literally) terrible
EC: :o (not sure how to take this)
EC: Speed up?
me: no, it really feels terrible but we are good.

Yes, it felt terrible but we did it. Last one at 7:27.

4 repeats all under 7:30. We were both amazed although Coach Lesley was not. Run with the fast kids and don't think about it. The marathon may be just 8 weeks away (I finally counted it out) and the long runs start in ernest. Each training cycle seems to be an experiment and so far I'm enjoying this one.

Ramp it up...

2011-02-27T18:09:00.000-08:00

Here we go. Eugene is not that far away. I refuse to count how many weeks because that will alarm me. It's close and therefore my miles are going up and I'm enjoying that. The workouts have been challenging and I'm mostly hitting them. That's a big change. Before, I'd always hit them no problem.

What has been even more challenging is the weather. Snow and ice and freezing cold temps. I still can get the miles in as long as it isn't icy downtown but it sure isn't fun. I have spent quite a few workouts this week wondering if I'm hardcore or crazy. Yes. That is usually the answer I come up with by the end of the workout.

And last weekend we redid our tub surround. Try fitting in two workouts a day without a shower. Yeah. That won't happen. Fortunately we were able to use our neighbors' shower as they were out of town and we cat sit for them. This weekend I finished final caulking and painting and it looks like we have a new bathroom. Love it!

And after all the running and house projects this weekend, i thought I better spend some time sitting too. So I knit a cat toy for the neighbors' cats. The pattern is from Clara Parkes "the Knitter's book of Yarn" and it was a quick and easy knit which took about 3 hours. It does have the toe of a sock stuffed with catnip in there as well.

I made sure it was cat approved. York and Keswick think it is pretty interesting. They will have their own soon.

Recovery?

2011-02-13T19:06:00.000-08:00

Photo by Glenn Tachiyama

Wow. That downhill from the Orcas Island 25k did a number on my legs. My legs finally felt back to normal Thursday. And I was constantly hungry. It really was a great event and I highly recommend it. I'm looking at other events produced by Rainshadow Running and am pretty seriously considering the 50k for next year. It really was an outstanding weekend.

And I was delighted to find that Glenn Tachiyama was at the event photographing runners. I've seen his photographs in a Tribute to the Trails running calendar which I've had up at my work cubicle for a couple years now and love his views. Those pictures whisper "trails" to me every day and always bring a smile when I think of the trail running adventures I've had over the years. Best of all, these calendars support the local Washington Trail Association. That's a win-win!

finally, i was at an event that Glenn was at and I jumped at the chance to get one of his photographs. He was well placed in this event. We'd just come out of the forest to a spectacular view and then turn the corner and there he is. I still had a grin on my face from the view and notice that it was a spot where you had to watch your footing.

I took it pretty easy this week as I recovered. 15 miles on those sorts of trails definitely took it out of me but I was pretty happy that I didn't feel too challenged. yes, I was sore and respected my muscles yelling at me but nothing hurt.

With some bonus money from work, I finally got a rower for home use this week. When I took that learn to row class a couple years ago, I found I really enjoyed rowing. When I belonged to a gym, i would use one consistently. I haven't belonged to a gym in quite a while now so I was missing that component. It's a great warm-up for core and a nice complement to biking. I've used the rower twice so far this week for just a short time and I am just happy to have it.

and once I was certain legs were feeling good although still a bit tired, I went ahead and raced a 5k this weekend. The Love' em or Leave 'em 5k Valentine's Day Race at Green Lake has grown! They were predicting 3000 runners this year. I don't think they got quite that many but there were a lot. I had a good warm-up and went out at a planned 7:30 pace. I really wasn't sure what to expect but was happy to stay pretty even. My splits: 7:29, 7:27, 7:24. that last mile was into the wind too. Chip time was 23:30 which was the same as last year but mentally this was a much better race.

Training for the Eugene marathon begins in earnest. I've been working harder in training and I'm able to take more quality workouts. We are past the worst of the winter darkness and Spring is around the corner. I can't wait!

Orcas Island 25k Trail Run

2011-02-06T19:46:00.000-08:00

A group of us had signed up for the 25k in late September of last year as this race sold out early. One intrepid soul even signed up for this as his first 50k organized trail race. I've done one other longer trail race of 13 miles in 2009 and was just expecting this to be a very long and tough fun run/hike. Add in the incredible setting with a bunk house filled with friends and this became a most memorable weekend. For some reason I never looked all that closely at the elevation chart. Somehow I missed that it started at 500 feet and went to a climb topping out at 2300 feet and honestly, I think it was better that way.

There are a lot of logistics involved in getting 8 people and all their gear onto a ferry and then an island camp with limited (but perfectly acceptable) facilities. A bed for two nights was just 40 dollars and really you can't beat that. Camp Moran fit perfectly with this well organized but low-key event. There was a lot of info at the event website but I kept missing important pieces. As is the way with planning for long term running events, life happens so not everyone who had been planning on running this race was able to come. We figured out carpooling and food and sleeping arrangements and it all worked out just as I knew it would.

We arrived in good time to rearrange cabins so we could all be together and then prepped for the community potluck. As long as I had a pile of pasta and few veggies with some protein (another friend had brought very tasty cooked chicken), I was happy. The camp houses slept anywhere from 8-15 people and we had 8 in our 12-bed house. The bathroom house was a quick walk down teh hill and clean with very nice hot showers. I didn't expect to sleep well in a room with 7 other people and I did not but that really wasn't going to matter. It was fun and very handy to the race start/finish. I'd do this again.

the best part of all the logistics was that it kept me very distracted from the actual race. Oh yeah, that whole elevation thing. Straight up and straight down. It was just over 15 miles on very good trails except for the last few miles which had the most challenging technical trails of the whole race. Ouch! Those hurt.

I'd done a few 10 milers on trails and felt ready enough. And really, I think that was the right attitude. I wanted to go into this race and enjoy myself, take in the views and trails and finish feeling strong. And I did. this was not a goal race but just a fun, tasty piece of the training pie.

How'd I do it? The 25k and 50k started concurrently on a road for not quite a half mile. It was a downhill start and I positioned myself in the middle and just trotted off with everyone. Once we got to the turnoff for the trail there was a wait to get onto the trail going up. Perfect! No reason to try and go out too hard. Just start walking up and taking in the clean, fresh smelling forest. It had rained the day before but Saturday morning was cloudy and relatively warm (40 degrees probably?). It never rained a drop during the race.

Almost immediately I wanted to stop and take out my camera to start taking pictures but it was just too crowded on the trails and I didn't want to hold anyone up. Eventually it opened up and you could start running. I felt great and just enjoyed myself and listened to the chatter around me. I had put my garmin watch onto a screen which just showed me elapsed time and elevation. Really this race was not going to be about pace. My plan was to gel/eat about every 25-30 minutes and take sips of water in between that. I started with 30 oz of water and expected to refill but never did (more about that later).

We'd studied the maps on the ferry ride over because we were all concerned about getting lost but the trail was very well marked. That was a big relief. I came to the water stop at mile 3 along Mountain Lake and was ready for the climb up to Mount Constitution. And what a climb that was! I think the only way to prepare for that climb would be climbing stairs at work. Fortunately I do things like that every day at work and I just kept it steady. I would very gradually catch up adn pass people on this climb. And while we were climbing, I'd chat with various people and hear some stories. Note: Men, when you get passed in races it really is better if you don't quickly mention that you've been injured this year and that's why you are slow. Silly.

I was pretty happy with how I'd dressed. Capri tights, short-sleeved shirt and arm warmers plus mittens I'd take on and off depending on my temp. Many people were quite overdressed for the climbs and probably would chill for the downhill. The trails were really amazing. We saw the full mix of deep, dark woods interspersed with glowing green mossy/ferny luxuriousness. Climb a bit and turn a corner and it would look completely different. The trails were very soft and well maintained and not at all rooty or rocky for the majority of the run.

Eventually after a calf and quad-burning climb, we started getting the incredible views. Everyone would exclaim and chatter excitedly as we came to those views. Yep, it was worth it! The trail seemed to cling to the edge and suddenly became much more runnable. Seriously, it started to trigger a bit of woozy vertigo and I kept my eyes strictly on the trail except when i'd deliberately stop to take a photo. Beautiful. it was great running in here and I made sure to eat and drink and soon enough we'd made the climb to Mount Constitution at 6 miles.

A friend was volunteering here but i never saw him. I got over to the aid station got a salt tablet and took a cup of nuun and was off. That was a mistake. I should've taken more time to add water to my pack but honestly I just didn't want to hang out with all the people and the busy atmosphere. Off I went to the first quad pounding switch-backed downhill. Once again it was quiet and I was running by myself. It was rocky at times and very steep and I was careful. Like on the climbs, I'd occasionally get passed on the downhill but mostly I'd catch up to people ahead of me and pass them. It was just over a mile of downhill and about 1k of elevation loss. I ate (my energy bar) more once we started the climb up that not so Hidden Ridge but started worrying about running out of water. I drank but was starting to get thirsty and hungry. That wasn't so great with a long downhill ahead. Oh well. I told myself to run smartly on the downhill and don't get carried away.

Turns out the downhill was so long and so steep that this was not a problem! I was not expecting two miles of downhill with lots of switchbacks. It was a constant down and I started running out of fuel. I had slightly crampy feet and and calves. My elbows really started to hurt as well and I knew I needed to eat more but didn't want to stop to eat at this point as I knew it would throw me right off. Careful and steady. It was at this point last may that I took a bad spill on a trail run and jacked my shoulder. There would be NO repeat of this. The best part of this downhill section was running with all women mostly. That was a nice and companionable part of this race. And looking at race results there were not quite twice as many women in the 25k than men (that was reversed for the 50k). Fun and different than most trail races I've done.

Finally we reached a section of downhill where you could actually run. I had another gel and more water and immediately felt better. My trick had been for the first 6 miles to tell myself that I still had 10 more miles no matter where I was. Garmin readings are all over the map for this "25k" so I really wasn't sure how long we'd be running. Once down to Cascade Lake, I thought it was a couple miles around to the finish but I wasn't sure. So I just kept telling myself one more mile no matter how far I thought I'd gone. Just keep moving!

And here is where it got really tough. I (and it sounds like many people) were not expecting the very tough and technical, rocky/rooty trail along the lake. That was super hard and I was tired. Tripping is not allowed so close to the end and I was careful. It also goes slightly uphill the last mile. Evil! I wanted more food and water but didn't want to stop (just 1 more mile remember!) and truthfully I stopped being able to open my water valve to drink. I was getting too tired and had no strength to open the valve with either my teeth or my hands. One more mile, one more mile.

And then we hit that road and I knew it was less than half a mile. Here I started passing a bunch of people and was delighted to be soooo close! yippee! done! K had been concerned that I was taking so long and people had been looking done in but I was happy and excited as could be. yep, I'd worked hard but finished well and felt strong.

Quickly I went off to shower and realized I was a bit shakey/wobbly. I drank my trusty chocolate milk, showered and got into warm clothes and felt so much better. I had time to get some food (blech - chicken noodle soup with mushrooms or bland veggie chile) and waited for everyone to finish. It was great to see their exhilarated faces as they charged for the finish line. And we waited for DC to finish his first 50k. Wow. Would that be a tough one or what? he did great though.

We had lots of time to hangout in the main community area and chat with some other runners. Everyone was very friendly and chatty. My favorite moment was watching a 50k'er finish with his two young kids. The runner behind him waited for him to gather up both kids to make the run to the finish line. Sweet.

Everybody rested up and we went off to town for dinner and stories. We heard about the volunteer experience on top of Mount Constitution. It sounds like it was harder work than running truthfully! thanks to all who made this event possible. It was a super fun experience and I'd gladly do the event again especially with such a great group of people. Congrats to all!

Final time: 3:27
Garmin connect track: link
gels: 4
PuddleThumper's energy bars: 2
water: 30 oz
beers: .5 (at finish)
wine: 2
sampled cocktails: 3 (lemon drop, sunrise and gin & tonic)

Ready. Set....DONE!

2011-01-26T19:41:00.000-08:00

I think that is the best way to describe a two mile race. Never having run when I was a kid, I've never run a shorter race than two-miles and that's what it feels like to me.

I always need a longer warm-up than I think. This time I didn't have time to do some of the dynamic stretches nor hill bounding that I've done in the past to warm up. Oh well. I've done the Winter Grand Prix series Super Jock n Jill offers the past couple years but this year I could only make it to this weekend's past race. bummer. It is just a lot of fun and 2-miles hard is not a big deal. Quick recovery and I can usually still get a pretty good long run in the next day. In fact see photo of Coal Creek Falls in full falls. Fantastic 10 miles on trails.

The weather was good albeit warm for January. I wore shorts for the first time running in quite a while. that didn't mean the course wasn't a bit sloppy in places however. We've had a lot of rain and there were some good and muddy puddles. I stomped through like usual and made some time. I always like living up the PuddleThumper status.

I'm listening to some coaching going on around me as we wait for the starting gun.

"Get out and run hard. See what you feel like at the mile mark and either push it or just steady on in."

Seems reasonable. and better than some of the comments of parents shouting to their kids running in the race.

Go!

And before I knew it, I was pulled out at a 6:15 pace. Ooops! No worries, settle down and this race is so short that it'll be fine and it was. Before the mile mark, I passed my usual running reference point. My running reference point is a well known local running star who is in her mid-60's and I am always happy when I finish usually just ahead of her.

She stuck with me though and just finished a few seconds behind me. Hey! Maybe she was using me as a reference point. Ha!

14:39 watch time which is a fair bit slower than last year's race of 13:58. With that race, I was a month past a hard 5k effort and had done some appropriate speed work. I've chatted with my coach and am testing faster paces in workouts lately and sure enough, i can run a lot harder. Somehow I forgot that over the past year. I do my easy runs so easily and that's great but there is a time to push it. I'm looking forward to this too.

The day after...

2011-01-17T16:56:00.000-08:00

I was pretty mentally raw about the 10k the next day. Physically, quads and hamstrings were sore with the effort and like usual, it was hard to sleep after a race effort. my legs always feel hot and it's hard to get to sleep. And we were getting lots of rain and a lot of wind which was rather loud.

So what to do the next morning? go run on trails for 10 miles, of course!

yes, trail running is the perfect cure for a frustrated race. I've been managing to live up to the blog name lately. With all the rain the trails are deeply muddy and wet and my toes are sadly muddy looking even after much scrubbing in the shower.

We did have a small group who was out running but no one was quite at my slow and careful pace. I knew I was sore and it would be easy to trip so I kept it really easy. I knew I wanted to run longer too so that dictated a gentle pace.

RPD was often a ways ahead or a ways behind depending on the status of shoe laces (innov8's shoelaces do not seem to stay tied), stopping to get food or check trail or whatever. It was a wonderful contemplative and companionable run. AT some point we were running close together and came to a sign for Doughty Falls. I'd never been there and by the map it was just a quick out and back to see them. With all the rain, we figured the falls would be good and they were. I'm really glad we stopped.

After that I decided that I did feel good enough to do the full 10 miles and really wanted to add a long descent and ascent in prep for Orcas. I knew I'd be slow especially climbing but that was fine. And it was. Legs felt pretty good considering the busy weekend and I was glad to get the opportunity to do both activities.

Plus with all the rain, it was teh perfect excuse to stay inside and finally finish a big knitted piece I have been working on for quite a while. Yeah! I learned a lot about knitting to gauge, measuring for the pattern and finish work while doing this pattern and I'm pleased with the results.

Busy Weekend

2011-01-17T16:40:00.000-08:00

It's one of the best races in the area at a time when there is not much else going on. Nookachamps Winter Runs has a race distance for everyone from a 5k, a 10k and a Half marathon. The Half is the big draw and I've run it the past couple of years. This year, I wanted a shorter harder effort and K was going to be back to an organized running event after 3.5 years. Wow!

Quite a few friends were running in the events so it was fun to see everyone and we got a good group together to go for the obligatory lunch and beer stop at Skagit Brewery in Mount Vernon. That hamburger after the race always hits the spot.

The weather was amazing again this year. It's been pouring but for that morning, the rain stopped. It is unseasonably warm around 50 degrees and the day of the race, we had some pretty good wind which was noticeable. Actually, since it was so warm, I welcomed the wind to cool myself off when I was running.

The race itself? I feel like I ran a great 5 mile race. The only problem was that the course was 6 miles. What happened? It's a hilly course. I got out at just the right pace (8:17) and felt relaxed and comfortable. Mile two has a long downhill which I used but didn't push on (7:50). Mile 3 is a pretty good climb. I stayed focused on form and kept it in control (8:42). I did manage to pass one gal but got passed by two others. Hey, that's better on hills than I have been. This is an amusing mile also because you go a by a dairy farm. All the cows are right next to the road staring at you in bemusement. The urge to "moo" is great.

Mile 4 is rolling and like usual for a race, I had to stay focused in the middle to keep pace up (8:24). Mile 5? It drops for half a mile and then climbs culminating in a short sharp uphill ((8:44). I managed to stay with my little group on the uphill which I was pleased about. I'd normally get dropped. And then? I knew this race went onto a woodchipped trail for almost the entire last mile. The last half mile is a gradual grind uphill. All in all, the worst possible combination for me. The short sharp uphill followed by a downhill on an uneven surface messed me up! Almost immediately I got a side stitch which got worse and worse. No good. I had to walk and was really, really mad about it.

Oh well. So it goes. I'm used to trails but I didn't apply that knowledge when I hit the trails after that hard uphill when I was tired. My form fell apart, I probably was leaning back and not running with correct form and it does not surprise me that I got such a side stitch. Ouch! I used to get those a lot and still can with the right circumstances.

Lots of other people had very good races and I was happy about that. K got his nookachamps hoody after two years! We all got showers (best part of this race) and hoptailed to the brewery. Tasty! This race is certainly something to think about and reminds me yet again that I really do need to race more often. Even train a bit harder I think. I'd been thinking this before the race and still believe that I never really get out of my comfort level for key workouts. How do I expect to handle that when racing? Something to ponder a bit more obviously.

Trailblazer!

2011-01-09T20:06:00.000-08:00

Orcas Island 25k is coming up disturbingly quick. I wanted a longer effort on trails but the group run as scheduled was going to be at Tiger Mountain.

Meh. that is my reaction to Tiger Mountain. Either boringly flat around Lake Tradition or straight up and straight down. there isn't much running as hiking and I honestly just hate it. Take me to cougar mountain and I'll be fine. But remember that other trail running haven?

Soaring Eagle Regional Park in Sammamish is my idea of trail running heaven. It's not too steep. the trails constantly go up and down and twist and turn. Some rocks and some roots and lots of mud. the trails jsut feel great to me. it's easy to get out too fast and think oh, I've only run 4 miles. when you stop and think about it you realize all that constant adjustment for such technical RUNNABLE trails is working you like a dog and you are hungry!

I LOVE IT!

So I begged and got the group run moved there if I'd mark a course of a short distance (4 to 5 miles is reasonable for our walkers) where no one would get lost. I admit I was nervous the night before. There are a lot of intersections with mountain bike traffic so marks can get lost easily. We'd gotten a lot of rain and in my limited experience I knew some trails could be underwater. No really. RPD and I found a lake over a trail here and there. I love that stuff but a lot of people do not. It could be ankle deep mud and a lot of people don't like getting their shoes wet or dirty.

I helped put in lots of warning into the group run description and was delighted to have some company marking the course. None had been to these trails and it was a great workout with great people. 2 hours and 8 miles later, we were done and everybody had big grins on their faces.

We found deep mud (see shoes above) and a deep water over some of those trails. We laughed and I hear that some almost cried. It was trail running at it's best.

Success! I know we will be back to that park and I cannot wait.

1790

2011-01-02T18:38:00.000-08:00

Last year's running was an odd mix for me. The biggest surprise was adding up mileage and realizing I'd hit an all time yearly high of 1790. That is almost 35 miles per week average for the year and much higher than I was expecting. I never had any forced injury time besides just a reduction of miles mid-summer when the hip blew up. I did take it very easy after both the Reach the Beach Relay in September and the marathon in late november. I do think that helped with recovery and motivation.

I ran in 13 events which is much lower (as planned) from last year. Two relays, 3 short races, 2 10ks, 5 half marathons and 1 marathon. And when I look at them all together (I keep a spreadsheet but athlinks.com is also a handy site), I'm a bit dismayed to see how there was no real outstanding race. All were similar effort and the times reflect that. I'd hoped to work on getting a new half marathon pr but all 5 of them were consistent times (1:53-1:56). I still think I have a pr in that distance left in me but it'll be tough to get the right mix of training and get the right course. This year? Maybe.

I wanted to run a 3rd marathon in 2010. I did finish one and it was most unsatisfying. I had a lot of people ask me if maybe I should just focus on shorter distances. I really like running longer though. So I've had some thinking done and coach consultation and am looking for 2011. Eugene 2011 here I come. I've registered and that will be the goal race at this point. It took me many halves until I hit a good half marathon race where everything came together so I need to remember that for the marathon distance.

I maintained very consistent running last year and I'm very pleased with that. I ended up dropping biking and only have just started back up. For a while, I thought biking was bothering the hip and I just didn't have that much time. I really do enjoy a mix of training so back to the bike I go and I hope to get a rower for home use soon. I've wanted an rowing machine for years. I think it's a great all body workout and I really enjoyed it when I took that learn to row class a few years ago. And through much hard work, K has really gotten our extra room so it's usable now and could hold a rower. Nice!

I'm going to race (hard effort) the 10k at Nookachamps in two weeks. It'll give me an indication of where I am and get me the hard longer effort I need. I hope it's not icy! After that is Orcas Island 25k on February 5th. Its an uber hilly trail run and I'm just looking to finish and have fun. I started the new year of running off right by going out to Cougar Mountain this morning for a 7 mile trail run on frozen mud. I'm not sure there is anything that is going to prepare me for the Orcas Island run (see elevation chart) but it sure is wonderful to be back on trails!

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!

2011-01-01T19:15:00.000-08:00

I do plan on sitting down and looking at 2010's running adventures. But today I started out the new year right!

Nope. That's right, I didn't run. In fact, I ran my long run (9 miles ha) yesterday morning in 25 degree temps before work so I could volunteer this morning at the Resolution Run and Polar Bear Dip. I'd planned on volunteering at a race last year and didn't manage that. I'm happy to have that checked off my list.

I showed up bright and early to the above view and joined other volunteers in handing out packets at race day packet pick up. It was under 30 degrees so I was well dressed with small chemical hand warmers tucked into my shoes and gloves. I was a little cold towards the end but not too bad. Two hours went really quick and it was quite enjoyable to see various friends who were running and the happy, cheerful runners.

I can let you know that as a volunteer at packet pick up, please speak clearly and remember your bib number. No really. If you looked up the bib number 25 yards away, remember it definitively when you come to tell me! And I know the shirts don't fit everyone but pick a size and move along. Overall, everyone was very friendly though. I liked seeing those obviously new to races out there too!

My service done, I wandered over to the dip part of this run. Yep, at the end of the 5k there is the optional dip into 41 degree Lake Washington. I ran this race a couple of years ago and I have to say that I enjoyed watching the dipping and volunteering much more than dipping in the lake! It was great fun watching the various methods of preparing for the lake.

Most of the leaders of the race just dove in headfirst with a maniacal grin! Some runners had a look of dread as they approached the water but most looked happy with a what-the-hell attitude. Quite a few stopped to strip off most clothing and shoes before heading into the water. Some opted out all together and ducked over to the non-dip finish line.

As a new twist, this year we've had air temps below freezing for a few days now. The ground was frozen so after a hundred or so runners dipped in the lake and emerged dripping, the water hitting the ground started freezing. It's not like your legs work well after going in the water so that added some fun.

Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-26T18:45:00.000-08:00

I felt like I had gotten a lump of coal in the form of a bad cold but fortunately I was feeling better by Christmas Day. I had a couple of extra holidays off from work and was glad 1. I wasn't at work when I was feeling poorly and 2. It was so gross outside might as well be sitting on the couch instead of running.

I looked it up and the last time I was sick with a bad cold was a year ago. Ok, that puts it into perspective. I'd rather just get the crud out of the way! I'm still hacking up chunks of lung and expect that to linger on for another week but at least I feel much better.

I finished knitting a pair of reading mitts as a (late) Christmas present for a friend. Fun and easy pattern which is very quick to knit. Pair? Why are there three mitts in the picture? Evidently it is so easy that I wasn't paying attention and messed up the pattern so the two mitts didn't match! I had to knit one more to match (late explained). I'll keep the other and knit a matching pair for that altered pattern. That'll teach me to pay attention!

As a different take on Christmas, we decided to do a Christmas Eve dinner with the family and wanted to make Posole. Posole is a holiday tradition in New Mexico. It's a stew made of maize (hominy - picture) and pork braised in red chile. Delicious! It takes some hours to prepare not because it is difficult but because it takes that long for the pork to become fork tender. Serve this with a dollop of sour cream and avocado (blech) and it's a wonderful treat. Both K and his brother were reminiscing about setting up luminarias on Christmas Eve and then coming in for a bowl of posole for dinner. This was good and we'll do it again! We have set up luminarias before in Seattle but the chances are they'll get washed out and this year that would've happened again.

I'd planned on getting out to trails on one of my days off from work but with the sickies that didn't happen. Today, I was feeling better and RPD was feeling game so off we went to Cougar with his pup. I am still hacking so thought it best to keep the run pretty short (3 miles). It was enough to try out the new shoes and have some fun. Mission accomplished. Da pup came back muddy and tired.

the innov8 shoes were great! usually for a first time wearing a new pair of shoes (especially a model I've never worn), I'm always aware of them feeling new or different. This was not the case with these! I wasn't even aware of them and enjoyed flying down the hills (gasping and hacking sure!) and reminded myself to be careful as I wasn't used to how they handled on mud and bumps. I can't wait to take them out again.

And then I got a chance to work on the one project I really wanted to do this weekend. I need daylight and an un-achy head so today was the day. I have a knit cardigan which needed to be seamed together. It's not something I've done before and I was really nervous about it. But all seems to be going well and I should be able to finish that now in the evenings.

PuddleThumper's Posole

Makes 8-10 servings, serve with garnish of sour cream and avocado and a warmed tortilla. I use frozen red chile which can be found even in Seattle at Whole Foods although they only carry mild and I prefer hot. We bring back the corn (hominy) frozen from New Mexico but dried or canned could be used. Dried would need to be soaked over night.

1 onion, chopped
3-4 cloves of garlic, minced
3 pound pork shoulder butt, cut into stew sized pieces. remove fat as you can.
bay leaf
dried oregano
1 14 oz tub of frozen red chile (hot)
1 pound frozen posole (2-3 cups)
3 14 oz cans of chicken broth

Add onion and garlic to large dutch oven and saute over medium heat. Once softened, add pork and brown. Add spices, red chile, posole and chicken broth. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat. Simmer partially covered for 3 hours or until pork is fork tender.

Recovery and change...

2010-12-19T18:38:00.000-08:00

I've been feeling better towards the end of this week. It's amazing. They say three to four weeks for marathon recovery and yep, that's about right. All of a sudden I was really wanting to run again and really looking forward to it. Hip felt better and legs felt looser.

AND I had a trail run planned. Yippee! It's been since the summer since I've been on a technical trail and I couldn't wait! there was a wind event expected for saturday morning and it was a little crazy feeling going on one of the floating bridges over to Cougar Mountain. As expected, it wasn't as windy once on cougar except at the top of the hills. I've run in windier conditions but there was still some branches down and a fairly large tree to scramble over.

Still it was doing a mix of ice pellets and snow and rain and I knew since this was my first trail run in forever that I'd better keep it to the shorter distance which was a 5 mile loop. I started off and immediately felt so clunky. Well, whatever. it's an uphill start from Red Town Trailhead over rocky access road. It leveled out and I still felt a bit clunky but maybe it's just taking a while to warm up. At 1.5 mile begins the climb up Shy Bear Trail and I was feeling nicely strong powering up the hill with better form.

And then I realized my trail shoes were driving me crazy! They felt hugely big and my feet felt like they were landing oddly. I stopped to tighten my shoes and that felt a bit better. Soon after, hip started to bother me and my foot where I was getting lace bite. Oh I was annoyed! Well no reason to go back as I was halfway through the loop and there was no shortcut back. Just continue on and enjoy the scenery. It was surprisingly dry on the trails considering how much rain we've had. But you could tell there was a lot of rain as all the streams and creeks were running much higher and louder than I've ever heard. It was really peaceful out there and I did enjoy that.

I hit Sky country Trailhead and then headed down Clay Pit Road to Military Trail. The road is where I knew that the shoes were completely wrong for me. I felt like I was landing on the outside of my feet and that the too much support was kicking my feet out strangely on the extension. That clunky feeling was still very much there, feet and hip were killing me. GAH!

I'd struggled with these shoes a bit (see post here, scroll down) and hadn't planned on re-buying them but I didn't think they were that bad. Now? Wow. Coach Lesley said my mechanics have changed. Interesting that what was feeling just fine some months ago feels so completely wrong now.

So? Of course I had to go buy some new trail shoes. Inov8 268. Again they are slightly too wide for me in the forefoot but have a better capacity to tighten. They are very, very comfy and fit like a glove and aren't as stiff as other trail shoes. it's nice to see they are getting away from the brick clunkers they used to have. I can't wait to try them and with some extra days off with the holiday, I plan on doing just that. Orcas island 25k is right around the corner!

A Nice Break!

2010-12-13T20:16:00.000-08:00

Albuquerque in December is so nice! It was sunny and 60 degrees during the day. And actually, that was warmer than typical. We soaked it up after the snow Seattle had the week before.

We went and did some touristy stuff even. In all my years visiting Abq, I'd never been to the Petroglyph National Monument. K had last been as a child. With perfect weather, we had a great time hiking over the volcanic debris and looking for petroglyphs. It's an amazing setting and if you get a chance, go!

We had a really nice visit with K's parents and did a lot of good eating at favorite restaurants as usual. Mmmm... Green Chile! As is typical, I got a lot of sleep. I read a lot and knit a lot. Really, after a marathon is the perfect time to visit ABQ.

K's parents do belong to a local Y and they go three times a week for a strength/stretch class. good for them in staying active! K and I would tag along and it was nice to do a little rowing and biking and then some easy stretching/core work. I did go for a run as usual and was hard pressed to figure out what hurt more. Was it my legs from the marathon or lungs from the altitude!

the aftermath..

2010-11-30T20:30:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was rough. Mentally and physically, I was down and no wonder. 26.2 miles is rather far even for me to drive!

I do know how important the immediate days after a big event are for recovery. I could barely eat immediately after the marathon. Those that know me understand how unusual this is! The chicken bouillon was excellent at the marathon and the hot chocolate milk I had in my ice bath afterward was perfect. I had a chance to comiserate with friends later that night at a local brew pub for the traditional post event moo and brew (hamburger and beer).

But still. There is just an incredible deficit the next day. Possibly it would be better to take the day off from work but I really like that work forces a fair bit of walking around and interaction with people.

That really put everything into perspective. Most inquired after holiday events. Very few knew that I was running a marathon. And those that did aren't runners themselves so don't quite understand the whole mental and physical investment which goes into a marathon. The typical reaction when they find out? "You finished? That's amazing! congratulations!" "how far is that? Really? I can't imagine!" And for a gal who has run a marathon who when I moaned a bit at how long it took me to finish? "That's my PR!"

I was sore yesterday but still could go up and down stairs with no problems. I was moving a bit slower than usual and felt a bit achy in odd places. I think I had at least 8 separate meals yesterday (plus dessert) and still went to bed slightly hungry.

Today? Much, much better. Legs feel, well, not 100% but not nearly as sore. My brain isn't foggy. I do have a spot on a foot which got sorer and sorer yesterday while I was having to run all about at work. That is requiring some TLC and it will appreciate some time off my feet in a few days.

the race itself? I'm still rather shocked how it all played out. it's something to ponder and think about but not obsess about. yes, I'm glad I finished. I'm happy to take a bit of time off from running now. The rain and wind we are having now is only making sitting on the couch that much better!

And to those who gave much needed words of encouragement yesterday? thank you.

It Takes a Village….The 2010 Seattle Marathon.

2010-11-28T20:19:00.000-08:00

I swore I’d never run the Seattle Marathon in November. It’s in November. In Seattle. The course (like most of Seattle) is ridiculously hilly. Did I mention the whole November thing?

What does this marathon have going for it? Location, location, location. I can sleep in my own bed. I know the course well and I am used to running hills. It’s not too big and it’s not too small. It’s well organized with good volunteer support in often perfect (for a northwesterner) temps. After the DNF to the half distance in the Lincoln, Nebraska marathon in May, I came back hoping to run a late 2010 marathon. I just wasn’t sure which one and gradually realized the weather was going to be a major issue if I tried for a marathon in the south. Last week we had SnOMG in Seattle. The city was paralyzed by inches of snow and sub-freezing temps. Any temps above 50 would feel hot to me at this time of year so I’m glad Seattle won out.

I’d had some ongoing hip issues which are rather complicated. After taking some easy weeks and finding a good PT, I was back to running well. Reach the Beach was a success and I ran some good 5ks/10ks this summer. Marathon training also went well although I played it conservatively knowing my hip would probably start acting up with too many miles too soon. I also didn’t feel the need to do a lot of long runs for this same reason. So I finished training tired and with some seemingly minor tweaks but feeling good about the work I’d done. Sure I’d had some tough runs but haven’t we all?

And then I tapered. And everything felt worse and worse. I’d had a little tweak on the back of my knee. After some days off and the extra rest, that started to feel fine but my hamstring started to get really sore. Really? Then the SnOMG hit and I knew running on snow/ice was just stupid at that point so I ran even less.

Having the race on the Sunday after Thanksgiving is actually really nice. I got a lot of sleep and enjoyed the downtime. There was lots going on too which kept me nicely distracted. Of course, the day before hit and I was extremely nervous. Eventually I decided I’d go ahead and go out at race pace and come what may, I’d finish as long as nothing felt like it was going to be injured. Temps and weather ended up being great. 40 degrees and perfect.

People were asking what pace I’d planned on going out and I kept it pretty close. I really wasn’t too ready to discuss it. But I let a few people know. DH was dropping off and picking up only so I thought. I carried a small handheld water bottle as I find it just easier to avoid water stops and those pesky paper cups. Short sleeves with arm panties, half tights and calf panties (for warmth actually). I was comfortable the whole race.

The Race (you knew there was one here right?):

1^st 5k – I hit the first three miles perfectly at 8:47, 8:33 (downhill), 9:00 (uphill) and felt good and looking forward to the rest of the race.

2^nd 5k – I noticed heart rate was up. Yes, I was going uphill but it still seemed higher than it should be. 8:47, 8:27 (big downhill and in a tunnel so no wind at all), 9:19. This is where I started thinking of all the people in my life who have helped me and persevered themselves. This was Gramma’s 5k. A tough as nails woman who married 3 times, went through Indian schools, the depression and wars. She was my savior during my childhood. She died when I was in college and would be really worried about women running, I’m sure. But I kept thinking about how tough it must’ve been for her and smiled when running.

3^rd 5k – This part is on a floating bridge and wasn’t as bad as I was expecting. 9:01, 9:47, 9:22. Hmmm. On the floating bridge, the road is canted. Between the cant and the bit of a breeze, I was having trouble staying where I wanted to be. I kept drifting off into the gutter (certifiable = :p). Hamstring/hip were a bit tight but nothing was hurting. Why can’t I control my leg? This 5k was for mom. A single mom since I was born. How did she do it? Life was tough with her in many ways when I was growing up and now as an adult I appreciate what she did on so many levels. She can be focused and relentless sometimes and I understand why and how I got some of those same characteristics from her. I really wonder what type of runner she’d have been if given a chance?

4^th 5k – well the legs just aren’t working very well. I just can’t get any oomph in them and I’m already slogging. Mile 11? Really? I’d hope if it came to this, it would come later. And the surprise at mile 11ish, DH is there! I didn’t expect to see him and he needs some work on cheering because I nearly didn’t hear him. I was shocked! And quickly handed him my empty water bottle to refill. I said I’d see him on the back from Seward Park. And then I started to walk and knew it was going to get tough. I did debate getting a ride from DH at this point. But my worries of a pulled hamstring or a serious limp hadn’t happened yet. Onward. My childhood friends? I was thinking of you this 5k. School was a tough experience in a lot of ways and we made it through and are still friends. I’m a much better person because of you all and I always remember that when we are able to get together in person.

5^th 5k – I see DH here again and ask him to warn those waiting for me down the line that things are not going so well. He’s his usual cheerful self in the face of obvious disappointment. Team 3 from marathons running board, this 5k is for you. I think of SuperRon a lot and even met him a few years ago. Speedy Smurf, Golden_monkey (nee Hermit crab), davidk, Linda, Dusty, barkeep, foggydoggy, BobS, gonadsgo, rtodd (I know I’m leaving out people) all saw me through my first two marathons and the very new runner I was when I joined the boards in 2004. I wouldn’t be the runner I am now without that support.

6^th 5k – DH had let slip that JCB would be meeting me at some point to help run me in. Last year at the seattle half marathon I paced JCB to a PR of under 2 half marathon. I was so proud of her PR and the work she’d done this year to just get stronger and faster from there. EO was also there cheering and joined us running. It made the miles go much quicker. I’d walk at times so the hip/hamstring/adductor would loosen and then run for a while all the while listening to JCB’s stories. Marathon forum? This is your 5k. We’ve had those tough runs, great runs, tough moments in life and joyous moments in life and I treasure them all.

7^th 5k – The hills start along in here and really, at this point, it didn’t matter. Downhill hurt so might as well go uphill. CL joined us right at the Madison hill. A numerous ironman finisher/kona qualifier and my coach, she knows what it’s like when it is tough out there. The stories and subtle encouragement continued. I do like this part of the course and know it pretty well. My legs just ached. There was no way around that but I might as well finish now. Can I come in under 5 hours? Probably. JCB peeled off to her car with much thanks. Ya wanna do a marathon now, JCB? Ha! My local running group and now friends get this 5k shout out. Wow. What a great bunch of people who continually amaze me with the support that comes (in many forms!) to any who needs it. I feel honored to be a part of it all. Here’s to more good times in 2011!

8^th 5k – Another good friend RPD and Dh are waiting at mile 22. Yippee! This part of the course is my favorite and very pretty and it was a boost seeing them. I’ve been on relay teams with RPD and have cheered at other races and mocked him for his lack of cheering abilities. I am pleased to report, he shouted loud enough for me to hear him from far away! Woohoo! Cheering is hard work as we all know and he’s got it down. Glad I could help. This 5k? DH, of course. I am certain he cannot quite figure out what happened when he offered to go running with me when I first thought about running a 5k. There is just too much to say here so I won’t.

To the finish – well I’m really struggling. The leg just doesn’t work very well and my foot really slaps down at times. Both feet are killing me anyway. I usually then have to walk a bit when that happens as I just don’t think it’s a good thing as it just gets worse and worse unless I let things rest a bit. CL is her usual encouraging self and the miles pass quickly enough. I can’t quite believe I’m going to set a PW by an hour but there it is.

4:56 chip time.

I did put the finish-another-marathon demon to rest. I’m happy about that. Physically this was much harder than mentally and that is a switch for me. I’ve always struggled more mentally. Is this good or bad? I cannot tell. I don’t feel injured so hopefully this is just another one of those odd hip/leg things which will settle down now with some rest. It’s back to the PT for sure.

And of course, I am disappointed and not a little teary about things. It is what it is. I’m not sure what is next except the crazy trail 25k I’m signed up for in February. The marathon demon is alive and well but I’m not sure when that one will be addressed.

Thanks for reading and thanks for all the support. I couldn’t have done it without everyone and that is for certain.

I'm dreaming of a white Thanksgiving?

2010-11-25T07:55:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving!

It's snowing right now in Seattle and all week we've had unseasonable low temps. How low? We saw 19 on our thermometer. The temps dropped on Monday, we got dumped on in blizzard-like conditions and the temps have stayed below freezing since. Today the snow will transition to rain and that is just fine. Our street on top of a hill becomes a snow-packed skating rink. We can walk down the hill to get to buses and still get to work but driving is out (for me at least). With the hills and inexperienced drivers (I include myself in that), it can be bumper cars out on the streets.

It really is a forced taper! There is no way I'd go run in this unless I could easily get to the path around Green Lake. Snow running (in screw shoes) is great fun as long as you don't have to watch for hidden curbs/potholes and the disturbingly stupid SUV drivers. So there has been lots of sitting on the couch with cats and they are very thankful for this weather! Do you see how smug and content Keswick looks?

Oh Taper, how I love thee. Let me count the ways.

2010-11-21T17:55:00.000-08:00

My legs are tight and stiff and I feel blah.

How can I run a marathon on these legs?

It was SNOWING today and the forecast is for the high not to be above FREEZING the next couple of days.

Why am I running a marathon in Seattle in late November?

Every ache I've had over this training cycle seems to be amplified right now. 26.2 miles? Really?

It's time to get outta my head and not worry about it. Time to trust the training AND the taper.

The most telling item for me is that I took a spill on my run tuesday morning. I was trying to hurry to get out of the way of a car which wasn't going to see me and misjudged a curb and splat. down I went. I was afraid I'd broken my wrist at first but i just have a nice big bruise. I didn't land all too hard on my hip/outside of knee as it was on grass. Still I have a very colorful bruise on the outside of my knee. It's a mild fall. I was sore from it for a couple days but not bad.

before each of my previous two marathons, I have also taken a fall in the week before the marathon. Before Eugene, the fall was bad enough for my knee to swell up and I couldn't run for a few days as it was so sore and swollen. Hey! Things are better now. I fell over a week before the marathon and it wasn't too bad.

Why do I fall at this point? I've had to think about it a bit. Training is done. I have to cut back miles and take the time to rest. I relax. It's that feeling of relaxing and training is done which prompts the inattention. And boom. Down I go.

Everyone has been asking me what pace I'm aiming for and I'm am not even willing to discuss it. Nope. it's too early. I'll know the day off the race. Meanwhile, I'll relax and not fall and I won't be doing anymore runs in the dark because of the days off coming with the Thanksgiving holiday. I know not to worry about how my legs feel before a race. Feeling blah doesn't predict anything.

I am very excited about the marathon and it's time to just focus on that. So I will.

Seattle Marathon random musings.

2010-11-16T20:48:00.000-08:00

Even with the threat of a winter storm in the Cascades pending, I'm realizing that training, taper and marathon recovery fits well for me with the Seattle Marathon in late November.

It was a bit tough to get up for those early morning runs once it got so dark but it did stay warmer this fall. Yeah, it's been wet but I never find the rain all that bad. And here it doesn't typically rain that hard or for that long. Now as I approach the marathon (less than two weeks!), it is a pleasure not getting up in the dark to go for a run. Ha! And I'm sure after the marathon, I'll happily take it easy with all the holiday fuss and weather issues.

I've tested out what I want to wear for the marathon and I'm prepared for it all. The worst possible weather I could have would be temps over 50 degrees. fortunately, that is pretty unlikely here at this time! I feel like I should go light some candles to the running gods with that statement however. No heat wave in November, please!

I looked back at what I've done for taper for the past two marathons and realized it was probably way too much. I can see that now with some experience. After a bit of discussion with my coach, I'm planning on about 25 miles this week (60% of weekly mileage) with some shorter and faster stuff (800s at half marathon pace with full recoveries). I got a massage and really need to focus on staying loose. next week, I'll just run 10-12 miles in the week before with a couple at just below marathon pace 3-4 days out from the marathon.

It's tough to go from running so much to barely running at all. I get really stiff and that can pull hips/back out of alignment for me. I've got a slightly annoyed hamstring/adductor which should settle down with rest and some TLC. I'll continue to do some easy core/weights on a regular basis and my daily yoga. Keswick as you can see above really enjoys these sessions!

I really hope it just pours this coming week. I'll be inside knitting.

No sign of Taper Madness. yet.

Giving Thanks!

2010-11-13T21:18:00.000-08:00

I made it to taper! Oh it was getting close there. I've been consistently hitting workouts although it's been tough the past 10 days as I was definitely getting tired. I opted for a two week taper knowing with my overall lower mileage, taking too much of a cut was going to leave my legs feeling a bit lost. I am definitely looking forward to some rest. Two weeks tomorrow, I'll be lining up at Seattle Center for marathon number three. I can't wait! I already have the pub picked out where I want a hamburger and beer (race tradition!).

Between getting in the miles (thankful I'm healthy enough to have gotten through all workouts), busy work (thankful for a well-paying job I enjoy) and various house projects, it's been very full weeks lately.

K's parents are in town visiting and we will host Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow evening. I'm really looking forward to them visiting and having everyone (my mom and K's brother included) over for a nice afternoon. Last year we ended up doing this as well. K's parents ended up staying with us as his brother was sick with a bad flu at the time and they didn't want to be exposed. it worked out well as we were just back from England and dealing with a terminally ill Dexter the Cat. While we were at work, they were able to hang out with him at home and made this very social cat content.

I still really miss Dexter and Legos. Looking at photos of Dex still causes a tearing up though of course we have new felines who are near and dear to our hearts now. Keswick (black) and York (orange) are a year and a half old and goofy, affectionate, friendly, active... Basically they are just wonderful. Keswick is already a lap cat and just requires a look. He'll then fall over and let you scritch his belly. York is orange cat cool. He's busy and into his toys yet affectionate and sweet. It's not uncommon to have both cats on your lap snoozing.

I did spend many weekends and evening working on painting trim, walls and ceiling of our new room off the kitchen. We are calling it the Blue Room 'cause of the blue painted walls. This room was formally known as the Awkward Addition off the Kitchen (AAK) because it was just awful looking and this former garage had been converted to a room long ago. It's amazing to have the last room of the house renovated. Finally! Once I'd painted that room, I realized the kitchen needed a new coat of paint as it's been over 10 years since we remodeled.

That meant painting over one last very visible reminder of Dexter. He'd walked through paint and left his very clear pawprint on the corner of the windowsill in the kitchen (white paw print) York, continuing Orange Cat Tradition, could not stay out of the windowsill while paint dried. yep, he too managed to track paint over counter and floor.

The Long Run

2010-11-07T18:43:00.000-08:00

Three weeks from the Seattle Marathon.

I've had some very good workouts lately and have been feeling very strong. The half marathon (done in the middle of 17 miles) with 6 at goal marathon pace (8:45) and three at go for it pace (8:15) confirm for me that I'm stronger than ever.

I had one of those workouts that I was nervous about this past week. 10 miles with 6 @ 8:20. it was a little tough to get to sleep the night before. I was that keyed up about it. Why? I'd done 5 at 8:19 the week before while recovering from the above mentioned half marathon/long run the week before. That one had been so tough. I'd done it and I knew I could do it again.

And I did. And I even ran that last mile uphill and was only 10 seconds off pace (for an overall pace of 8:12 for those miles). It had felt easier than last week and heart rate was lower.

So 20 miles on the schedule this week. This is the longest I'll go and it more of a mental check than anything. I'd done a very thorough core/glute workout thursday evening and was sore the next day at work. Then my low back tightened up at work too. I was careful with lifting at work and made it through the day with no damage. I quick and gentle yoga session helped. I woke saturday morning and back was better but still a bit touchy.

20 miles. I don't even drive 20 miles in a week. The first 11 were at a very easy pace helping mark a running course for a group run for the Coach Lesley group. I like marking courses. It forces an easy pace as you have to stop and pretend you have no idea where you are going and then draw chalk arrows on the ground. run, run, run and chalk again. I happened to be running with a couple gals so the chatter helped. They'd keep running while I chalked and I'd slowly catch back up.

11 miles over some pretty good hills and I was not feeling great. Everything felt tight and even a bit achy but nothing was hurting. I talked myself out of 20 miles again and again but finally decided I NEEDED this run mentally more than anything. So at 11, I filled my water bottle again and set off this time on my own. The other gals weren't doing any thing as silly as training for a marathon (at this point).

9 miles. It really helped to break it up. I only had 9 miles. heck, I'd run 10 mid-week. Again everything was achy and tight but nothing really hurt so onward. I stopped for another gel and more water and to turn on some music and just continued on. The miles ticked off quickly enough. I started to have some math/thinking problems as I figured out how long I had to go out and back to arrange to end at a particular place where K would meet me and we'd have breakfast.

I felt like I was totally slogging on but pace was just typical long run pace if not a touch faster. Mentally though, it took every ounce of control to keep running. I have no idea why this was so tough but it was.

20 miles done. Physically I feel fine the next day and had a great 4 miler where I actively had to slow myself down. Mentally? That was EXACTLY the workout I needed. And I'm grateful for it.

3 weeks. One more pretty serious workout this friday with a long run to follow. Taper begins in earnest then.

Pumpkin Push 2010

2010-11-03T19:01:00.000-07:00

Pumpkin Push 5k number 5 for me I believe. I've not done another race for so many years. The first time I ran a 5k here in 2004, I set a 5-minute 5k PR (personal record) so this race has some fond memories. usually it's freezing. Sometimes, it rains. No, there is no pumpkin pushing and i always try to wear a costume.

Good times! The Wicked Witch of the East was a great costume. You remember, right? Dorothy's house lands on the Wicked Witch of the East and Glenda the Good Witch puts the ruby shoes onto Dorothy's feet? I got a lot of laughs. It was fun listening to people working out what the costume as I ran past. It would usually elicit a snort of laughter.

And it wasn't too bad running with the box on my head. it was a little hard to see and I was worried about the start which is a little crowded. No troubles though as I lined up in the right area and I had two other gals with me who ran ahead of me for the first quarter mile. They ran interference and I could just follow. That was helpful.

The last mile, I could feel my neck and shoulders getting tense from holding the box but then i was done. There was even a costume contest and I was cheered to one of three winners. Nice!

And I got a solid workout in and still was able to get my long run in the next day.

If you've never done it, I highly recommend running a race in costume. The smiles and the laughter are good for everyone!

Lake Sammamish Half Marathon

2010-10-29T18:34:00.000-07:00

Recovery went well after the relay much to my delight. So that opened up the possibility of still running a marathon in 2010. I debated and dithered and fretted some more about it and finally decided that I'd register for the Seattle Marathon which is the Sunday after Thanksgiving.

I know. I think I'd mentioned before i'd never run the full at Seattle but there were a lot of reasons to go ahead and do this race. Location, Location, Location. No hotel, no airport, no driving for hours which means no chance for travel to take a toll. The weather is what it is. I'm used to running in cooler temps. If it's 35 degrees and raining. Well, I do know how to dress. If it's a perfect crisp 38 then that is still better than any temps over 60 degrees.

Training has been going well. I decided to get a bit of help with figuring out a training plan and asked Coach Lesley for that help. I really don't think long runs over 18 miles are of much help for me. They just break me down so I'm not planning on doing one. I really like back to back longer runs so I am planning for that. We shall see what happens. I'm excited.

Meanwhile, back in the summer I'd heard about this new event which was both a full and half marathon along the East Lake Sammamish Trail. This event was going to be capped and sure enough it sold out (400 total) but not before I got a spot. The weather was predicted to be wet and it did rain at the very beginning of the race but then it stopped and cleared. And it was gorgeous! the lake was still and the fall colors were glowing.

I'd debated racing versus using this event as a long run. the long run won out for various reasons. We got bused to the start of the race in Issaquah and then had a long wait for the start. I got very cold waiting and just decided to do a longer warm-up. After 2.5 miles, I got to the start on Tibbets Beach with 300 other people and off we went.

It was a very narrow and crowded start. I was glad I was not concerned with pace at this point as it would've been very frustrating trying to dodge through the crowd. After an easy mile, I settled a bit quicker than I wanted for longer run pace but wasn't too concerned. I was feeling pretty good and enjoying myself and enjoyed listening to the runners about me. it seemed like there were quite a few who were doing their very first half.

At mile 4 in the race, I sped up to goal marathon pace. It was great to stride out and start passing people. I'd forgotten to bring any water figuring there would be a water fountain at the start (wrong) so by mile 4 of the race (mile 6.5 for me) I was really thirsty. I managed to suck down the small cup of water and a gel without slowing down at all. Hey! I am getting better at that.

The miles ticked off but around mile 7of the race (mile 9.5 for me) I started to feel really awful. My breathing felt off, my hip was bugging me and the pace felt hard. I slowed a bit (5 seconds) and debated just slowing back to long run pace. I kept it up though and focused on form and once at the next water stop (at 8.5) walked to take in two cups of water and another gel. That was it! I immediately felt better and had no troubles. I even kept the same goal marathon pace even with the walking.

I was always gradually catching up and passing people and had my eye on a gal who'd passed me very early but had a nice strong stride, a distinctive colored shirt and a long braid. I very gradually caught up to her and then realized she must've slowed a bit as we were now going the same pace. I was all set to just tuck in behind her when all of a sudden she just pulled up and was walking. I checked to see where she finished and it was 10 minutes behind me which was a surprise considering how she'd been running so strongly. Oh well. Blow ups happen. I've been there as well.

At mile 10 of the race, I sped up to half marathon pace. This was it and I was ready to be done. I felt strong and enjoyed myself as we went on some trails into Marymoor Park which I'd not been on before. I passed another gal I'd been gradually catching up to around mile 11. she must've stuck right behind me though as at 12.5 or so she passed me. D'oh! I could not keep up but was happy to finish with a very strong last mile. Done!

this was a low key sort of race. No chip timing and no medals. There was a person sitting at the finish line with a clipboard writing down numbers and clock times. They had a really nice spread of food at the finish including pizza! That would've been great but I still wanted to finish my long run. So I went and ran another 1.5 miles very slowly for 17 miles total. That was a good run.

Good event with a really nice friendly feel. I think the half was a bit short but I'd do it again or even the full. The course was completely flat on a graveled trail for 2/3 of the course. Flat in the Seattle area is amazing.

alright, enough already...

2010-10-28T18:45:00.000-07:00

One last post about WA DC. Didn't I tell you that J was the host extraordinaire? I'd not heard we could get into the Senate and House of Rep chambers if we asked at our senator's offices for tickets. J calls these the Willy Wonka Gold Tickets and I have to agree.

There were numerous other places we'd not have known to visit without J's knowledge. The Alexander Calder Room in the Smithsonian Hirshorn Museum didn't appear on any maps. We knew about it and could find it because J drew a map for us so we knew to go to the lower level and into the corner. What a hidden treasure. No thanks to the museum that we found it or even knew to look for it.

It's been almost a month since we got back from DC and I'm still fondly thinking of the experiences. I'd totally go back to that Korean restaurant or have some of those tacos from that hole in the wall around the corner (sorry still don't want to try the beef tongues however) and look forward to another run taking in the sites and the history. Now THAT was a vacation!

Of course there was running.

2010-10-24T09:54:00.000-07:00

While in DC, I was post-relay and definitely recovering from that effort. Add in lots and lots of walking, museum shuffling, a different bed than I'm used to and running was just low on the list of priorities.

However, everyone on the Reach the Beach teams (most live on the East Coast and some even in the DC area) said I had to get out and run as there was such a nice running there.

And they were so right.

Our hosts live within a mile of the Rock Creek Park. It's a wonderful paved trail running alongside Rock Creek. I didn't explore too far but even found a trail which required scrambling up rocks and roots. I took a little detour to see if I could check out an interesting old cemetery and saw some deer in the stream one morning.

The weather was perfect when we first arrived in DC but by the end of the week, temps had risen to highs in the mid-90s with high humidity. Of course by our last day in DC (when the temps were supposed to be highest) I really wanted to go on a longer run. M was game and a good sport and took me down Rock Creek trail to the trail which runs along the Potomac. We left early before sunrise but temps were still 70 degrees with 85% humidity. Perfect for an easy, site seeing run.

We crossed the Arlington Bridge and stopped to take in the sunrise over the Mall. I was loving it! There were quite a few other runners out and about. We crossed back to DC and into Georgetown and M took me along the historic C&O Towpath. It starts here at Rock Creek in Georgetown and continues 184 miles north along the Potomac. Amazing.

Thanks M! That was a yet another highlight of the trip for me.

No really...

2010-10-23T17:33:00.000-07:00

It was the first time visiting "the other Washington" for both of us. It was more beautiful and more stirring than I expected. So much to see and do and we did it all plus ate and drank very well.

The Supreme Court tour gave us both chills. I hadn't really thought of how many ways my life has been touched by Supreme Court rulings. Often through many tours, I felt a sense of the underlying power of the US government for right or wrong. That power is there and it is chilling and inspiring and awing.

This building of the Smithsonian American Art Museum recently underwent renovation and enclosed their old and dated courtyard with a lovely enclosed and soaring space reminiscent of the my favorite the British Museums' enclosed Great Courtyard. We enjoyed roaming through the various spaces of this museum and saw the enjoyable exhibit of Norman Rockwell paintings and drawings.

Since being home I've had to read about the history of how Washington DC became our capital. Slave labor and epidemics and wishful thinking all played their part in placing The Capitol on the banks of unnavigable river (George was wishful) and yet, here we are today.

We saw all the highlights and still missed some things we wanted to see. And to be able to take the time to go through some exhibits would be delightful. Next time!

It really was incredible...

2010-10-19T19:49:00.000-07:00

Washington DC

2010-10-05T06:13:00.000-07:00

Great place to visit! I felt like we did it all. Day 1 was recovery from way too much fun with H & P. Does the monument look like it might be swaying a bit? No matter.

Reach the Beach Year 2 - 2010

2010-09-25T19:39:00.000-07:00

I really consider myself lucky in a lot of ways. That came clear to me yet again as I packed my bags to get ready for Reach the Beach Year 2. I was healthy, i had the means and the support to fly across the country to New Hampshire and run a crazy race with 11 other people I've met online.

Really. Try explaining this to non-running folks. Oh yes, I'm going on vacation and first I'm heading to New Hampshire and running this race through the state. it's 12 people with 6 people in each van and everyone takes a turn running and then you do it again and then one more time. yes. you run at night on dark deserted roads in NH. You are tired and stinky and hungry and uncomfortable and don't think that you'll be able to run that last leg. but then you do it and your face hurts from smiling so much and things get very silly at 2:00 am in the middle of New Hampshire.

On the flight from Chicago to Manchester, I generally spent the whole time knitting and reading a magazine. Towards the end, I took out the Reach the Beach handbook for this year to peruse the changes and got all emotionally sappy reading about the support that the local communities give to this race. A portion of the race fees are donated to the local groups as well as the NH state parks. A young guy in the seat across the aisle asked if I was running in the race as he was too. He was heading in from NH from Phoenix and was just as excited as I was to be returning to such a great event.

I got picked up at the airport by my vanmates of Team WIMP (Weird Internet Marathon People) and we headed up towards the start of the race. It had been quite pleasant in Manchester but as we headed north it got rainy. Dang. I so didn't want to be running in a lot of rain. After a delicious dinner with the team (they have half plates at the restaurant!) we went back to the hotel and I could not believe how hard it started raining. I had originally planned on a short run to shake off the travel blahs but never mind.

The next morning was pretty nice fortunately. We loaded up the vans after presenting Alison with her team gift and had our picture taken by the german new balance team. Nice group. We bought yet more food and went up to the start at Cannon Mountain. The ground was a soggy mess after all the rain we'd had but I still managed to do some RTB gear shopping and was thankful the rain was done. Another team where we know all of the vanmates showed up and all was good.

Race on!

As a van two-er that meant we got to go to lunch and relax. Lunch was pretty good and made better by other Van 2 joining us. It was great to chat but soon enough we headed off to the Attitash Ski area where I'd be the first of van 2 to run. The weather had cleared and it was gorgeous.

Leg 1
I was runner #7 last year and this leg was the same. After dealing with a cranky hip early in the summer, I have not had a lot of longer runs but recently felt like I was getting stronger and faster. I'd originally expected to run around 8:30 pace but knew I'd be faster. Last year I ran this in 8 flat. Could I do it again? SK (runner #6) got into a dead sprint with a guy at the end of his leg :awesome: and while I waited in fear for my life as two guys were hauling ass directly at me, I took off like a shot but then immediately reigned it in. It's a rolling course with a pretty good hill midway through but net downhill. The roads were immediately so canted that my bad hip was complaining. I ignored it and as the road leveled felt better and was happily maintaining a good pace which felt comfortable. I did get passed by quite a few people including 3 women which was a bit demoralizing. I did pass a few people back and kept my focus. Surprisingly I remembered basically nothing about this leg from last year so finally as I hit close to 7 miles, I could see the transition area ahead and started to hear my name being called.

7.3 miles - (gain 208, loss 325) - 58:25 - 8:00 pace. Woohoo! This really surprises me as 7 miles hard like this is about my limit based on my mileage of late. I'm delighted! Roadkill 3, killed by 7.

Interlude: I managed to NOT lose my wallet this year at transition 9. The same volunteers were there at the transition and I thanked them profusely. We finished in good time and zoomed to the next van transition area where all I could think of was lying down somewhere. I didn't want to go into the college as it was too loud and the floor was just too hard. I'd brought something waterproof, put on all my warm clothing and grabbed my blanket and just went to lie down in the grass. I didn't expect to sleep but it sure was relaxing. Just when I was getting cold and really needed a bathroom, I rolled over and saw a shooting star.

Leg 2 (#19) - This was the same leg as last year. Same pitch black and some hills with a screaming downhill. I'd run this very well last year and didn't really expect to hit that same pace. I just knew I wanted to be solidly under 8. After the first half mile of cursing my legs, I got in a groove and felt pretty good. Not real speedy but solidly and evenly paced even up the hill which made me happy.

4.4 miles - gain 181/loss 268 - 34:30 - 7:49 pace - Roadkill 11/killed 3

Interlude: Sunrise was gorgeous. There were some tough legs in this set for the van and I was very glad mine had not been one of them. Ha! We had a fair bit of time hanging out at some of the transition areas once the sun was up. I managed to find a van which had a foam roller and put that to good use. I'm not ashamed to beg. Soon enough AR (runner 12) came in and we were done. All of us were desperate to get to the next van transition area but got stuck in the worst traffic ever. It was agonizing since I'd needed a bathroom before we got in the van. At least the new van transition area was nice and there was a lot of space to find a quiet area. Just about as soon as I was drifting off, I got a text not from Captain A (who would let me know when we had about an hour out), but from my husband who was traveling to DC that day. His flight had a mechanical and was delayed and he'd forgotten to program the DC friends' numbers into his phone. He asked me to send the phone numbers. My brain was so fried that I could not even remember the first 3 numbers of a telephone number long enough to type it! he eventually got on an airplane though as the texting stopped. That was good 'cause I wanted to doze but ended up just chatting with everyone. It was sunny and gorgeous out and everyone was in a good mood.

Leg 3 (#33) - This was a new leg this year and much, much shorter. Before the race I had really been looking forward to ripping through this run but as the run approached I knew my hamstrings were not gonna be capable of a 5k pace. I honestly wasn't sure I'd be able to do much more than a jog at first but as I warmed up, I felt a bit better. SK came in looking delighted that he was DONE and I was off. After more than half a mile, I finally felt warmed up. I got passed by three guys almost immediately but they really never pulled away and I managed to stay in sight contact. It did mean that I sped up which was nice to see.

2.43 - gain 13/loss 33 - 18:34 - 7:38 - Roadkilled 8?/killed 3

I was so glad to be done and enjoyed watching everyone else finish their last legs. The traffic as we approach the beach was so bad that we knew there was a good chance our runner would beat us. Even though we left as soon as our last runner started, we missed her finish and it was very disappointing. I realized that I never got into the water this year but I did have some very tasty food they had set up at the end. We went back to our hotel, i had the best shower ever and we went out for more food. WE all got to compare running and other stories and it was great to hear how well everyone had run. Van 1 had even had a flat tire during one of their set of legs but had managed to get the tire changed and back to the transition area in time! Back to the hotel and i think I slept 9 hours uninterrupted and woke confused as to where I was.

Once again, I feel so lucky that I can do these types of events and got to hang out with some amazing people. I'm not planning on running this event again next year as it is just too far and rather at an inconvenient time. I'll not forget the friendly communities, the gorgeous scenery and most of all those crazy fun with a bunch of like-minded people. Ragnar anyone?

Photos

Iron Girl 5k

2010-09-13T19:55:00.000-07:00

Reach the Beach Relay is days away and Iron Girl 5k is 5 days before the relay. Should I do it? This race has some nice memories for me. In 2008, I was dealing with a lot of injury problems and that whole undiagnosed stress fracture (I guess stress fractures are supposed to normally hurt a lot more) and ran this race pacing someone to a 5k PR. I love pacing so that was fun. Last year, I walked this race with my mom who tore up the 75-79 female age group! Mom has a knee issue right now so wasn't up to the walk again. It's a race just a couple miles from my house on a course I run practically every day and I had a group discount.

Hmmm. Well the general consensus was go ahead and race, recovery should be quick. And yes, I've been hitting speedwork well lately and recovering fast from it. Why not race and get my legs moving quicker in preparation for the relay?

I arrived close to the start early to pick up my bib and deliver some kale seedlings to a friend. It was a nice morning at mid-50's, cloudy with a bit of a breeze. I jogged over to a group photo opportunity at Coach Lesley's house with other friends. it was a cheerful bunch and fun to hang out for a bit before an easy jog back to the start. last year, it was so crowded I was worried about lining up. It took a bit of weaving through the crowd but I got up to the front with some running buds.

Female only race note: It's different lining up for a race that has women only. No one wants to get in front! Generally I'd seed myself behind the chunk of men at the front. With no men to reference, it was different being so close to the front.

The race got off to a late start after some inspiring announcements. It starts over a grassy area and with the start gets a little crazy even if I was toward the front. I was worried about tripping as the grassy area is very uneven. We were on the road very quickly and heading off. The start was pretty slow so I started working to get to my goal first mile pace (7:30), my running buds were right with me I believe at this point.

At about half a mile, I saw some Coach Lesley friends cheering for us. it was great to see them turning out even if they weren't running. I started to feel warmed up and better in here and gradually pulled away from those running buds I'd started with. I really hoped they wouldn't pass me later.

Mile 1 - 7:27

Nice! And I'm feeling good. So at this point in a short race, I generally start looking around at the people around me. I saw a woman ahead of me with a nice stride and a brightly colored shirt and thought, well, I'll just stay even and hopefully manage to finish around her. I kept running and gradually would catch up. So then what? I guess I have to pass her. And then I did this again, and again. Mile 2 just flew by which is very unusual for me for a 5k. I'm usually having to argue with myself to keep running!

Mile 2 - 7:20

I'll admit that I saw mile 2 had a garmin-measured 7:15 pace attached to it at first and it freaked me out. I slowed down deliberately because I was afraid that I'd not be able to hold the pace. This is where the core and strength work I've been doing is paying off I think. I"m stronger and better able to hold the pace.

female only race point: Generally I'm surrounded by men in a race with a few women here and there. I generally expect that the men are going to be faster than me. Running this race with only women helped me focus on seeing who was ahead of me and passing her. I listened to how they were breathing and generally thought, hunh, she's working harder than I am and would pass.

The last mile was on the road and it was wide open. There were women scattered about and I continued to pass here and there. I just worked on maintaining my running form and moving my arms and not looking at my watch. I didn't want to see what pace I was running and certainly didn't want to see a lot more distance to go. We came around the last turn and the stretch towards where I normally start my daily runs was in view. This is it!

Mile 3: 7:20

i shouted out to my previous running coach who was standing here and caught his startled glance and a shout out to "go get 'em." That made me snort a bit and made others around him laugh. It was funny. A turn and onto the grass and try not to fall and I was done!

23:14! Yippee! And I felt great. 25th overall and 5th in my age group. I waited around to cheer those coming in and generally was just delighted. I felt so strong and I've never had a 5k go so quickly. No this isn't a PR (but it's pretty close) but mentally this just felt so much easier.

I learned something about some of the limits I'm imposing on myself too. I assumed I'd not be able to hold a particular pace. I assumed I'd not be able to pass those ahead of me. Interesting and something to remember. Check those assumptions and race, dammit! Reach the Beach is going to be good and more importantly, i'm feeling very good about where I am right now. It's a GREAT place to be.