It Was Bound to Happen!

I suppose it was going to happen eventually.  Don't most half marathoners jump the shark & start swimming with the full marathoners? I've already read 3 books about the non-runner's guide to marathon. Now the actual application and resolution has begun. My friend suggested the Carlsbad Marathon in 2013.  She said this way you can train during the winter months and wouldn't be as bad as training during the summer months.  Registration starts for this April 1, 2012 : http://www.carlsbadmarathon.com/Home.htm .  So it's one day at a time. Let's see how my body holds up to more days running. I'll keep posting!

Inaugural San Diego Chocolate 15k

Wow! Wow! Wow! Amazing course and I'm not just saying that because I got a sugar rush from all the chocolate! 
My friend & I arrived early, 6:00am, to ensure we had enough time for potty breaks.  Race time was 7:15am. There were already vendors set up with a hospitality tent! Unbelievable right?! Inside the tent, there was hot chocolate & coffee available in a plastic recyclable cups; self serve. Chips, danishes, & bananas were also available.  I am new to the race circuits, but have never seen this kind of set up. The folding chairs were even padded! There were a lot of porta potties with little to no lines. No kidding. I know the race was only a 5k/15k but there were over 2,000 people there. 
The start line started on a hill going up beside Petco Stadium. If I hadn't already geeked out over the course & elevation charts, I would have thought this was strange, but this was just a small sample of what laid ahead.  Mile 1 through 2 took you up rolling hills through downtown San Diego around Balboa Stadium.  Heading into Mile 2 hill was steep and push up around into the backside of Naval Hospital Balboa.  Here, at mile 3,  we steadily paced up hill with little flats helping me stretch out the back of my legs. Before the race, my friend gave me some great advised because I struggle on hill running. She told me to drop my arms down & relax my shoulders allow my legs to do all the work. This changed my pace and my endurance in the hills and paid off. Mile 4, we continued up hill coming quickly down into Morely Field Dog Park. It's very beautiful through here!  So lovely and a lot more flat than what we had already ran.  Mile 5 is very strange. Ram Racing helped set up the course and this mile seems to be one that said, "oh hey we need more hills and the runners haven't quite reached the very top peak of San Diego, so let's throw in another ass whooping steep hill"! Wow! Coming off mile 5 into mile 6 was a crazy long downhill, the kind that can jog calcium deposits off your teeth!  I had seen the elevation chart of this course.  I knew in order to have a chance of finishing this race in 1hr 40min, my goal, I had to push it here, because the I-ate-all-the-other-hills-for-breakfast-hill was coming up at mile 7! I left my friend for awhile pulling ahead at mile 6, but knew she'd catch up on mile 7.  I really cooled off coming down mile 6 & did a mental check preparing for....
Mile 7, crazy, curvey, steep, sweat-pouring hill!  I pushed myself to keep from walking.  This is where I swore we couldn't get any higher in San Diego.  It just had to go down eventually.  My friend ran passed me almost 1/2 way up the hill.  She's amazing!  I caught up with her coming down into 8th mile.  About quarter of mile before the 9 mile there was another steep hill.  Of coarse! I mentally kept telling myself, you can keep up, but backed off as headed into the 9th mile.  My friend pulled ahead and I reviewed this race in my head. We had started out slow at 10:18minute pace at the 1st mile marker. We picked up speed at the 6 mile on.  I sorta did a body check & figured a had a little more in me to pick up the pace in the last 1/2 mile. I wasn't able to catch up with my friend & was a few second behind her at the finish line. My snazzy Timex read 1:32:49.  My official time was:
1hr 32min 07 sec
pace: 09min 53sec
overall: 1167 of 2675
age group: 98 of 278
sex: 743 of 2017

Thanks San Diego for the races!  It's been fantastic month!

All I Want for Christmas is a....Garmin!

Yesterday, driving home from work, I started to have a migraine. I took some medicine to get rid of it, but not before the nausea set in. Tomorrow, I'll be running a 15k race and last night, needed to finish up the short runs for the week with a 3 miler. Funny, I knew if I didn't do the 3 miles, it wouldn't make a difference, but it just wouldn't stop nagging me!

 It's 8:00 pm, I'm feeling better, although a little stressed watching KU play N.Carolina.  Rock Chalk KU! Giving into the nagging, I get ready for a quick run.  During this run, for the first time, I thought I would have thrown up. You see, I ate 4 slices of frozen pepperoni pizza about an hour before the run.  I knew it would haunt me.  My metablosim came to a screeching hault a long time ago & it takes me many hours to digest food. Pizza burping is nasty even on a short run. 

Rounding the corner into our culdasac, I hit the stop button on my snazzy Timex watch. Hey, it has a light too!  In the dark pushing back my sleeve, I see that I ran 3 miles in 39 minutes! Wow! I was really dogging it!  The run didn't feel that slow, but I'm still doped up on medicine & pizza, so what do I know?
Earlier, I was texting my friend who's running with me tomorrow, about running safey.  She thinks I should carry something with me since I run in the dark on heavily traffic, lit roads. Entering into my kitchen, I find my phone and begin telling her I'm alive and how disappointed I was because I've ran 3 miles faster. As I text her, I pull back my sleeve & see 29:39! Holy crap, I really do need a Garmin!  The Garmin Forerunner 110 or 405, I can't decide.   I've been giggling about this since last night.  What's your thoughts?

Expo San Diego's Sweetest Race Inaugural Hot Chocolate 15k 2012

I took the day off today to run many errands.  One of them was to drive down to Carlsbad, California, at Road Runner Sports, to the San Diego's Inaugural Hot Chocolate 15k/5k expo to pick up bib/goodie bag.  The expo started at 10:00am & was going to held at the Carlsbad Road Runner location today and Friday.  On Saturday it was doing to be at the San Diego location. 
I arrived at 10:38am & it appeared the sponsors were still setting up.  My daughter came along again.  There were two cartoony blow up air decorations blocking the sidewalk & entrance into the Road Runner. The race website http://www.hotchocolate15k.com/sandiego/ suggested you print out confirmation email form to help sponsors find your bib packet easier & it was.  This race even allowed you to pick up family & friends bib/goodie bag as long as you had copy of their confirmation email & a written consent from them. The sponsors directed you to go outside to pick up your goodie bag. The jacket is windbreaker material. I am literally wrinkling my nose.  I think I would have rather had a t-shirt. There's stretch elastic around the neck area & the wrist.  Wonder how it will do in rain? No hoodie attachment. 
Outside beside a large moving truck with the Hot Chocolate logo on the side, I was given my goodie bag & advised to try on the jacket to see if it would fit.  If it didn't, I would be allow to exchange it for one that did.  The expo had one vendor, Ghirardelli passing out dixie cups of hot chocolate & small squares of their chocolate. We had stopped by Starbucks on the way down & passed on the hot chocolate.
I like the map with parking information on it.  That's a nice feature. It comes with safety pins & the timer is located on the bib. 

From the map, it appears I'll be familiar running haunts, two weekend past, because the race is starting & finishing around Petco Park San Diego! I'm laughing now.  Instead of going west, we go east through Balboa Park.  The elevation changes appear to happen right out of the gate with elevation from 40 ft to 150 within the first mile.  My friend is going to this race again with me.  She said, "Patty let's aim for a 1:40 finish!"  I'm literally laughing again.  Have a great time & see y'all there!

Summer Races SoCal Wine Country Women's Half Marathon 2012

As much as I don't like to run in 30 degree weather, the same goes for 90 to 100 degree weather.  I have already said out loud, many times, I am not going to do any races during the summer.  It's too hot! What I am really saying is that I don't like to carry water.  Half marathon water stations, for me, are just a place to get a quick sip. 
 I work full time, I'm a mother full time, & I run to stay fit.  Consuming water is something I need to improve on.  I know that dehydration lowers your blood volume making it harder for your heart to deliver oxygen to your muscles.  Dehydration can cause you to body to slow down.
During training days I don't hydrate before a run, but do after the run. On the week before a race, I push fluids for the first 3 days & slow down just a little before race day.  My biggest drawl back on drinking during a race, is having stop to go to the bathroom.  I would love to hear anyone opinion hydrating during a run & how much this has helped your race.
  I will begin looking for various ways to begin hydrating during a race.  I think this will improve my stamina and conditioning.  With that said, I am considering the  SoCal Wine Country Women’s Half Marathon Justin 23, 2012, Vail Lake Temecula, California.  Any suggestions about hydration during a run?

hehehe I just read this on their website:

Wine tasting is available for as long as the bottles last…how’s that for a little motivation for a PR?

Inaugural San Diego Half Marathon 2012

This is the first half marathon I made the option to have the my bib sent in the mail.  Yesterday's expo was approximately an hour from where I live.  My girlfriend did attend the expo and surprisingly it was really small.  She guessed it was because it was only a half marathon verses both full and half marathons.  I was excited to go to a race & actually know someone there!

The cost of parking was $10 in all the parking lots.  The lines to the porta-potties were super long.

Since I had someone to talk too, it was a fantastic time!  I got to experience a different kind of race & I definitely liked it better.  I can see why people join running groups.
The weather was forecast to be in the 40's but it turned out to be in the low 50's today. I wore, long running pants & a light, long sleeved, running shirt.  The sky stayed overcast throughout the race.  San Diego volunteers did a great job directing people.  The set up was very easy to maneuver.  The standard markings for the wave groups were clearly marked.  Due to day light saving time, we started the race in the dark. 
I got a new phone last weekend & hadn't learn to load music without having to stream it. Sorry no pictures of race, because I didn't carry my phone. I used my old ipod for this race.
The beginning of the course was very flat and wounded through the Gas Lamp district.  My friend & I had about a 10 minute mile pace going.   At mile 4, we saw our first mile marker & not again until mile 6 & 7.  At mile 4 my ipod died. What's a girl to do?  Just run!

There were timers stations marking split times.  I really like this feature.  I saw the first hill at mile 5.  Heading into mile 7 was a small but very steep hill.  For the first time, since I've started running, I've had to stop & walk up for a few steps. Silly, but I got a little bother & choked up about walking!  Through mile 7 heading into mile 8 appeared that was entered into Thunder Dome.  I half expected to see Mad Max go running by me!  There were a lot of people outside a building called "old town recycling" that appeared they hadn't bathed ever!  I ran faster here.  I took a Blok while rounding the corner into mile 9 and almost choked on it because of what I saw!  Laid before us was a hill that went straight up, Up, UP!  It never seemed to end.  My friend took off up the hill like a fricken gazelle, while I jogged behind.  It felt like I was climbing a tree!  The 15k timer marker was half way up the hill.  I did walk once on this hill, but yelled at myself to get back to jogging.  There were a lot of people cheering us on telling us it was going to be down hill after this knee, ladder climbing hill!  Pfffffftttttttt liar pants on fires!   As I reached the top, we had reached Hillcrest, mile 10.  Please take note of the name.  It's not called Flatcrest.  Yippee, smaller hills!  I caught glimpses of my friend as she rounded a curve way ahead of me  I knew I had fallen way off my pace of 10 minute miles.  

Split Times: 5 Km: 30:36 Pace: 9:55

3.7 mi: 37.01 Pace: 10:01

10 Km: 1:02:14 Pace: 10:01

15 Km: 1:36:28 Pace: 10:21

Mile 11.  Oh glorious mile 11 how I love you!  Down hill had arrived!  I could really pick up my pace now & was hoping to make up for lost time.  Half way through mile 11, I caught up to my friend.  I asked her how many mile was had left, she said 1.6!  Through the race, I told her I usually try to pick up the last couple of mile of the race.  Since it was downhill, why not?  I motioned for her  and sped up the pace.  I swore I could hear her breathing behind me, but as I looked back, I realized she wasn't there.  She did catch up with me and told me she felt like throwing up.  We could see Petco Park at this time.  She pointed to a banner hanging & asked me if that was the finish line?   I told her, " I think so".  It wasn't.  We turned to go into Petco Park Stadium with lots of people cheering us on!  I heard someone say, "you almost there you only have two more miles!"  We didn't.
 I said, "where's the finish line?"  My friend said, "it's close" & as we turned onto the track, there was the finish line!  My friend told me we were going to throw our arms up in the air for victory, we did! Fantastic Race! 
As we walked around the track, about a quarter of a mile, there wasn't anyone handing out water.  Plain & simple, this sucked.  Hope they fix this next year.  The Navy & Marine Corps were passing out the finisher medals.  How cool is that!  We were herded to stairs & climbed to the upper level of the stadium.  This is where the water, bananas, more water, coconut water (don't drink this!  Just take my word, it's truly awful ), oranges, & Moo milk were offered.  We felt like were were at the grocery store!  We kept walking & found on the other side of the upper level, you guessed it, more stairs!  This time we went down.  Some runners were walking down them backwards.  My friend said it's because they are having calf muscle pain. 
The race was challenging for me and the scenery was amazing through miles 2 & 3.  The rest of the course kept you busy with some pretty tight turns.  I didn't set a personal best, but I am so happy I was able to make up time in the end!
Results:

Overall:	3133 out of 5436
Women:	1460 out of 3091
F 40-44:	208 out of 418
Age/Grade:	51.92% Place: 2384
Finish:	2:14:52 Pace: 10:18
Tag Time:	2:14:52
Gun Time:	2:24:04