Keeping My Eye on Malibu

I've been geeking out about the Malibu Marathon, viewing videos, reading blogs, looking at maps of the course, then transition markers on to maps & viewing terrain, satellite (google earth is the best) & elevation charts. Hahahahahaha go ahead and laugh!   I can't tell you how many times I've wanted to drive to the courses I was about to run. I have to draw the line some where right? If I decide to do this one,to the best of my internet abilities, I will know of every hill in the race. I take less time choosing an outfit than I do researching a potiential race. My poor friend Ann, who has become a great mentor to me, has her phone blown up with a dozen text messages about the race course. It's as though I've gonna coco for cocopuffs! Don't even get me started on the weather!

Ice Bath

For my birthday, my sister got me a subscription to Running Times. One of the articles in my first issue was about Lauren Fleshman a professional athlete, plagued by reoccurring injuries, an over achiever, & has a excellent shot of being an Olympian at the age of 30. Fleshman uses a nearby river to sit in to reduce swelling.
 Since I began blogging, I've read about icing post runs. In fact, I implied I would never ever EVER do it.  Until last weekend when I finally made up my mind to attempt a full marathon.  I figure I had better do somethings a lot different to try to prevent injuries. After all I'm not 30 and post long run icing would be a good start.
My first attempt at an ice bath, I used 4 trays of ice with cold water in the tub. The ice melted straight away. As I sat in the tub wearing shorts, feeling sorta bummed.  I knew this process should be a lot colder &  I should stay in it for 10 minutes to get any therapeutic effect.  So I sat contemplating going to the grocery store to get a large bag of ice to do it right the next time. Rubbing my cold fingers up and down on my face, it hit me. "hey stupid, there's a big giant cement pond in your back yard full of icy cold water!
Today, I over slep and didn't get out of bed until 8 a.m.  It's been a cold week with highs only in the 60's.  I dressed wearing my long under armour pants, tshirt, & long sleeve thick shirt. Outside, I should have turned around and changed clothes. The temperature was already in the 60's.  It was hot, but I was pissy because I was getting a late start.  After a mile, the long sleeve shirt came off! I got a kick out of an elder man walking his little dog down the hill I was going up, cheering "GO GO GO"! Thank you so much for the encouragement!
I'm in the third week of training for a full marathon. Last Wednesday, I came home and quickly looked at my training schedule and went out to do 5 miles. Today I realized I had looked at the fourth week's schedule in error and was only suppose to do 4 miles. Oh well!
 At first the training seemed a little less than what I do for a half marathon training, but I see by the fifth week, that will all changes.  I had a little anxiety attack on last Thursday during a short run, thinking "holy crap what the hell am I thinking?!!! Are you high?!!!"  I think I actually said this out loud as I turned the corner to head home!  This is going to be a lot of running.  Calling myself crazy, I chastized myself for actually doing what of the stupid non-marathon runner's guide, suggesting I tell people I'm running a marathon.  I did tell people.  Lots of people! After i got into the house, it was over. Back to being a mom and chatting it up with my daughter about her day. Life goes on with ease and grace.
So, after today's hot sweaty hot ass long run, I headed for the pool, climbed in and relaxed.  I'm going to take this moment to moment.

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?