It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Saturday's song:
Another Christmas Song - Steven Colbert - Barbie2be

PEACE

Another Christmas Song

It just wouldn't be the holiday season at my house without something needing repair. *SIGH*

We had every intention of joining the track club for the last run of the year. The route looked like a lot of fun, as the route ventured through Christmas Card Lane, and it was only a 5 miler -- very doable, and I think my calf could of handled a very slow run.

It was not to be.

We spent our entire morning figuring out what was wrong with the washing machine. The washing machine wasn't cycling through the spin cycle or draining. Michael thought it might be clogged, but when he took the pump out, the culprit was a quarter lodge inside the pump, and it thrashed the pump. We found a parts place in town, but the part won't be here for three weeks.



This means we'll either be lugging our laundry to our in-law's house or finding a near by laundromat. Of course, this is happening right before Michael and I leave for our two week trip to Mexico.

We're looking ahead. That's all we can do.

There is a warm and fuzzy Christmas edge this post.

On Wednesday we took Evan to the annual Rotarian Christmas party. Santa happened to make a guest appearance with gifts.


Evan was about to burst with excitement. Santa happened to know that Evan is 6 years old and loves cars. Evan was amazed that Santa knew so much about him.

Santa even knew exactly what Evan wanted.

A remote control monster truck!

Sweet!

Last Friday's song:
Continuum - Jaco Pastorius

PEACE

Continuum

Las Vegas Rock 'n' Roll Marathon/Half Marathon Event - Part 2

Still with me?

Back to the souvenir shop...

Renata and I stayed somewhat warm for a while, but I wanted to find the medical tent for a couple of Tylenol and ice for my calf. The medical tent was somewhat hard to find. It was way across the venue, on the other side of a huge trailer, tucked away in a corner. Not good. My calf was cramping, but not that bad, but it was still far away, and I couldn't imagine what it would have been like for someone who was really hurting. Yikes. Renata stayed in the souvenir shop to wait for her husband, Gil. Once I found the medical tent, received some Tylenol and ice for my calf and a little rest, I felt better and got up to look for Michael. He finished his race in 2:42. He was just a couple of tents over with a few San Diego Track Club members. We managed a quick photo op with them and one of the running Elvi:

Me, Donna, a running Elvis, Kelly , Michael.

We made our way to the beer, saw more RU people, then started towards the gear check area. It was about that time we found Dawn. She was slowly making her way into the vendor area, looking for the medical tent. She was hurting and needed some attention. We helped her make her way to the medical tent, which was WAY across the venue.

Thumbs up! We made it to the medical tent!

Once Dawn was settled, Michael and I made our way back to the gear check, which took some time, gathered our belongings and made our way back to the medical tent to check on Dawn. I guess she must have been OK because she was gone by the time we got back. Sometimes a little rest, Tylenol and ice is all you need just to get up and going.

By this time my phone was chiming that I had a few text messages. I just missed AKA Alice. She had finished a while ago and was already settling down somewhere for some breakfast. Renata texted me that she found her husband and they were also sitting in one of the hotel bars to keep warm. I guess that was our cue to take off, too. We walked through Mandalay Bay to get back to Luxor (the hotels are connected), and while passing by one of the bars, we ran into Mitch and Doreen from the track club.

Mitch, Doreen, Michael, Me.

After chatting for a while, we all decided to grab some lunch at a deli near by within the Mandalay Bay hotel. Hot soup and a hot pastrami sandwich never tasted so good. It was great catching up with Mitch and Doreen as we talked about our future race plans and Las Vegas happenings.

Some place between Mandalay Bay and Luxor was this huge Christmas tree. We decided it would be a good spot for a photo :

Christmas card potential?

We finally made our way back to our room to crash. I really couldn't sleep but I just showered, iced my left leg/foot and rested. (Our room didn't have a bathtub, so I couldn't fill the tub with ice.) We needed to rest since we had plans with everyone from RU for dinner and dancing.

Yeah, dancing...

I thought I was going to over pack, but it was quite the contrary. I under packed the going out clothes. 3 pairs of pants but no dressy tops. I had a dress I could easily accessorize with some bling, but I forgot the bling. I had planned on wearing black tights with short boots with that dress, but when I went to put on the tights, they were a child's size. *GAH* The package was mislabeled. No back ups.* No dressy tops. I couldn't go without tights or hose because my left leg was so bruised up. Did I mention it was cold???? Well, it was COLD. Michael of San Diego found a Fredrick's of Hollywood within the confines of Mandalay Bay and bought me some black hose. Those almost didn't fit right, the waistband kept slipping down, but they had to work. I could no longer wear the boots, so I wore the heels I brought. (At the time, being on heels didn't feel all that bad.) Luckily, we made it down to the bar and found some of our group looking rather sharp, and we joined them for a martini:



Eventually, the entire group made it to the lobby, all dressed up and ready to go out. There were about 20 of us all together, and took a couple of limos to the restaurant and night club.



Other people were taking pictures at dinner, so we didn't get too many dinner shots. We sat across from people who happened to know a few of our neighbors from our previous address, and even attended the same high school as Michael, just several years apart. Someone pointed out that the breakfast menu had waffles, but breakfast was not being served. Waffles sounded delicious, but I was so hungry that a crummy little mint seemed like a delicious confection.

The night club was in the same area as the restaurant, and we were supposedly on some list, but come to find out we were not, and we were supposed to wait in line behind the infamous velvet rope. Someone in our group, a very smart, pretty, leggy blond said something to the bouncer and, somehow, we all got in. I'm not very savvy at that kind of thing, so I was rather surprised that all 20 of us got in. Michael snagged a few photos of us at the night club, which soon became very crowded.

The lady in the middle jumped in between the two blonds (who were with our group) and started dancing with them. It was awesome.

Michael took a lot of random shots like this one...
Don't know the guy on the left, but that's me, Renata, Gil, and Bryan in the front.

After a while it was kind of tight in there.

You know the saying "What happens in Vegas stays it Vegas?" It should be changed to "What happens in Vegas shows up on Facebook."

Michael and I left about 12:30 am, and I heard that everyone else left around 1 am...

By the time we made it back to our room, it was probably about 1 am. I happened to look down at my feet and noticed that I was now donning cankles -- calves and ankles become one. Yikes. I needed ice. Luckily, our room was right near the ice machine. I don't remember too much about what happened after icing the feet, but I'm sure sleep was involved.

Monday 12/7

THE NEXT MORNING

I had only two drinks the entire night, therefore, no hangover to deal with. My feet, or I should say my left foot in particular, was still rather swollen. Getting out of bed was interesting. My feet didn't want to cooperate. (Remind me why I thought wearing heels after running a half marathon with an already injured calf would be a good idea.) I downed a lot of water and a couple of naproxen and put my feet up for as long as possible while Michael made some calls to the office and followed up with clients. I was craving breakfast in a big way. (Remember, at dinner the night before, someone saw waffles on the menu, but it was the breakfast menu.) I woke up craving waffles. I had to have waffles. We eventually made it down to the buffet, where there was only about 30 minutes left for breakfast. As we made our way through the line, the staff was already replacing the breakfast with lunch items. *Panic* Luckily, for me, there were still plenty of breakfast foods still out, including waffles... fluffy Belgian waffles... with butter and maple syrup... Whew.

As Michael and I were enjoying our breakfast, Justin, his girlfriend and their friends came down for breakfast. They were looking a little sleep deprived and planning to drive back home right after eating. We briefly talked about the trip, the run, the night out, shared some of the photos from the night before, and went our separate ways.

For us it was more rest, some shopping at the outlet mall (which did nothing to help my calf and feet), and dinner back at the buffet. Michael originally wanted to walk up and down the strip that evening, but it was raining, plus my swollen calf. The outlet mall was all I could deal with. I know. We're in Vegas opting NOT to go out.

Tuesday 12/8

It was actually nice to have that Monday to putz around. Once we arrived home on Tuesday, it was back to business for Michael, and for me it was attending my office holiday party, and getting out all of the Christmas decorations. (Evan requested decorating the house many times. I had to oblige, even though I wasn't planning on putting up the big tree this year, just the small one.)

How can Evan escape childhood without making a star out of cardboard, pasta and foil? Evan was really excited to create this star with me. The star now resides a top the rock pine outside, next to our front door.

The left calf is still sore and the left foot is dealing with water retention due to the calf injury. All I can do a this point is RICE, stretch and massage. I go back into RU next Wednesday. I thought about posting pictures of my calf and ankle/foot, but the swelling has gone down since Las Vegas, and most of the discoloration is gone. My ankle was about the size of a grapefruit. I just didn't think to take pictures of it when it was at it's most "ripe."

Before I forget, we stayed on the 13th floor. I didn't think hotels in the USA had 13th floors, which are normally reserved as a utility floor. Superstitions, I guess. I had no problem with 13. We were running a half marathon, 13.1 miles.

Other happenings...

Michael and I celebrated our 27th wedding anniversary on Friday, 12/11. I looked up what the traditional and/or modern gift would be. For 27 it's furniture. I never knew that. It doesn't look like I'll be seeing any new furniture soon, but I was surprised with the roses Michael brought me, even though we agreed on no gifts this year since we went to Las Vegas. We kept the day simple and went out for sushi at our favorite place in our neighborhood. Cheers.

We still have our trip to Guanajuato, Mexico. Our friend, Sam, is thrilled to be taking us to his home town and brought us several brochures and maps of the area. We'll be staying with his family for most of the trip. We're keeping everything no-frills and packing as light as possible. He even mapped out routes for us to run on, if that's what we decide to do.

Saturday's song:
Loose in Las Vegas - Monty Byrom & David Neuhauser - From the "Deal" soundtrack


PEACE

PS: Do you know how many times I've edited this post due to glitches and minor typos? *sigh*

* Where was Tim Gunn When I needed him? It wasn't in the budget to buy an outfit just to go out for one evening, otherwise, I would have trekked to Macy's for some sort of ensemble, or at least some inexpensive bling/accessories.

Loose in Las Vegas

Las Vegas Rock 'n' Roll Marathon/Half Maraton Event - Part 1

It has to be in two parts, mostly because of pictures, but the day of the event felt like three days rolled into one. I guess waking up at 4 am and going to bed at 1 am the next day had something to do with it.

I'm still not rested, but I've unpacked. Life has been busy since returning from Las Vegas, so I'll update as best as I can.

Friday 12/4

Made it to Vegas with little to no problems. Our flight was delayed for about a half hour, due to weather delays in the Midwest.

After checking into our hotel room at Luxor, and figuring out the elevator, we walked over to Mandalay Bay to pick up our race numbers and swag.


After a few times around the expo and scoring on some free Pearl Izumi socks, a red knit cap (came in handy), Elvis sunglasses and a ton of other non-essential items, we finally connected with AKA Alice:


She looked so put together and ready to go out. I looked like I needed an early bedtime! I don't know if it was the dry Las Vegas air or the smoky casinos, but my eyes puffed up almost the minute we arrived in Las Vegas. Oh yeah, I even met "Walter." I wasn't thinking, otherwise I would have gotten pictures of AKA Alice and Walter together.

After the expo, Michael and I went in search of some place to eat. It turns out that a sushi bar in Mandalay Bay had happy hour prices on select types of sushi and sake. We were there just in time to take advantage of happy hour.

Back at Luxor - Checking out the swag...

Nothings says "Merry Christmas" like Vanilla Gingerbread Gu. No, I haven't tried it yet.

After a walk down the strip, a brief stop in Walgreens, and a snack at McDonalds, we called it a night.


Saturday 12/5

We actually slept in. I've been waking up at home about 5 am without an alarm, so it felt weird to wake up at 8 am. After a coffee at Starbucks, we were back at the expo to look for more friends. I don't know why we spent more time milling around at the expo, it was kind of a waste, but we did see a few people from the Rehab United group, and walked up and down the strip with them. A long 4 mile walk was probably not the best idea but it was nice to get some fresh air. We also stopped inside a high end mall that just opened that weekend, just to see what it was all about.

Renata, Jessica and Me getting in a stretch. Those cylinders were illuminated ice. Security told us to get our feet off the display.

No trip to Las Vegas would be complete with a few architectural photos from Michael.

We parted ways with our friends and went back to the sushi place for our carb load dinner. We had the same happy hour meal, just left out the sake, and added a huge bowl of rice. We spent the evening in our room and rented a movie and snacked on pretzels filled with peanut butter. I know, not real exciting, but with the race the next morning and an early wake up time, we needed to keep things simple.

Sunday 12/6

Race day! We woke up at 4 am because we needed to meet the RU group down in the lobby at 5:15 am. I'm glad I had the where-with-all to purchase bottled mocha frappachinos at Starbucks and a couple of pastries the night before because that place was PACKED first thing in the morning. We kept the frapps cold in the ice bucket. It worked well!

Down in the lobby, we saw a couple of the RU people and then waited for everyone else to trickle in. As we were waiting, we noticed SEVERAL people starting to come back in from a night on the town, still all dressed up and blingy. I'm not quite sure if it was the "walk of shame" or they were still party-ing. Someone jokingly commented "gee, I wonder if they're running today?" My PT Bryan showed up, then eventually Justin and everyone else was there. It felt like we were about to go skiing, more than running. It was so cold. We all went outside to do some warm up stretches and then have a photo op:

Click photo to embiggen

I'm sort of on the left middle, with the reflective strips on my shoulders blaring. The guy right below me to the left with his tongue sticking out is Bryan, and guy at the front far left on the bottom row is Justin. Renata and her husband Gil are donning the white trash bags. Everyone else is either a part of the Run Fit program or RU staff. Photo credit to Michael.

After the warm up, we all went and dropped off our gear and waited in our numbered corrals. I was in #17. I couldn't get Lucy to cooperate, so I scanned the crowd for someone with my kind of Garmin. A guy was kind enough to show me what I was doing wrong. I had the right sequence down, I was just trying to hurry myself and missed a step. It really isn't that hard, but when you're half asleep and freezing, things just don't fall into place as they normally would. I called AKA Alice, but she ws still trying to get to the gear check area, which wasn't close, so we never hooked up. There were pre-race fireworks, the National Anthem, and then we were off, sort of. I started the run with Renata and Kristen. It took us about a half hour plus to get to the start line, since they were letting people go in waves. It was cool that the jumbotron at Mandalay Bay showed the runners.


I ran about the first two miles with Renata and Kirsten, but my calf was still tight, and I felt their need to go ahead of me, so I told them to just go ahead. I kept a relatively steady pace through the entire race. I was allowing myself some walking if I needed to, but it never got to that point.

Somewhere around mile 6, I think, maybe after the 10K point, I came upon Dawn, blogger Running Pink Chick. She came with a group from Canada. In the huge sea of people, I was so happy to see her. Since my camera went kaput on me right after the start of the run, she whipped out her camera and too this shot:


We ran together for a short while, but I had to keep my pace so my calf wouldn't lock up. It really lifted my spirits to run with Dawn.

I kept scanning for AKA Alice and her day-glow green race shirt, but no such luck.

After the turn-around that took us through a little neighborhood then back down the strip, I saw Renata waiting in line at the restrooms. Amazingly she caught up to me around mile 9, and we ran about 2 miles together. She pulled slightly ahead of me, but I always had her in sight. Around mile 1o.5, maybe 11, this Chippendale's dancer guy ran in front of me. He was wearing nothing more than the starched white collar, cuffs and bowtie, and black briefs, oh -- and running shoes. That's it. I kept thinking this guy had to be freezing or he was going to freeze something off...

As I approached mile 12, my left calf started to complain. It was stiff for the whole race, but it started to pinch and nag. I told myself that it's not a marathon, and I could manage 1.1 more miles. I did have the Zensah's on, which were a tremendous help. I don't think I could have run the entire HM without those. As I rounded the corner at mile 13, a huge group from RU waiting were there at the corner and yelled my name. One of the guys had a camera and I stopped and posed real quick for a photo,then ran my last .1 mile. I'll post the photo if I can get it.

Ran through the finish line! According to Lucy it was 2:30:00. Official time was 2:29:57. It felt good to squeak by in just under 2:30. It was my slowest half marathon, but with the calf issue, I felt quite satisfied. I ran the whole way.

Finished!

We got the bling!

After the race, and gathering up post-race eats like bananas and oranges, etc, Renata and I decided it would be a good idea to hang out in the souvenir tent because it might be warmer. It was probably a whole 10 degrees warmer, but it made a difference.

To be continued...

Tuesday's song:
Leaving Las Vegas - Sherly Crow - Southbay Girl - Planet Ynnep Running

PEACE

Leaving Las Vegas

Back from Las Vegas...

Official results:

Distance HALF MAR
Clock Time 3:01:07
Chip Time 2:29:57
Overall Place 9882 / 17827
Gender Place 5326 / 11322
Division Place 264 / 814
Age Grade 51.1%
Pace 11:27
Ttlrace 17827
Ttldiv 814
Ttlsex 11322
5 Km 35:23
10 Km 1:09:23
10 Mi 1:53:24

This was my slowest half marathon ever, but considering I blew out my left calf just 5 days prior, it was FRIGGING COLD, and I couldn't feel my limbs, I'm happy with my time. I was going to be OK with 3 hours running with an injury, and squeaking by just under 2:30 by seconds feels (in a way) like a PR, even though it really isn't.

Once I'm rested and unpacked I'll post a full on trip and race report, complete with photos, or maybe not. What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas? We'll see.

Thursday's song:
Every Body Hurts - REM - Mel - 2nd Chances

PEACE

Everybody Hurts

...sometimes.

Last night was the last group workout for the RU Las Vegas Rock 'n' Roll Marathon/Half Marathon event. We retested our pull-ups, push-ups and med ball tosses. I was able to improve on everything. After that we did some fun group exercises. With about 10 minutes left, I was feeling pretty good, no major aches, I didn't push myself, and having a grand ol' time, until something in my left calf suddenly and unexpectedly popped.

Insert your favorite cuss word here_________.

If I didn't say it, I was thinking it.

Pain, pain, pain, PAIN.

I yelled over to our fearless leader, Justin, and I hopped on one foot, the right foot - the one with PF, to the stretching cage, just to have something to hold onto. Justin had one of the assistants ask me about what hurt and had me attempt a simple calf stretch.

Insert another favorite cuss word here_________.

On a pain scale of 1 to 10, 10 being the worst, it was a 9.

Once the class was over Justin came over and asked me all the standard questions, had me attempt a few more simple stretches then massaged my calf and leg a bit. I'm glad I've remembered all of those Lamaze childbirth class breathing techniques from 20 something years ago *cough*, because I really needed to focus my attention off my calf. Once that was done I was at least able to walk, then I iced the calf and went home.

First thing this morning I went back into RU and Justin worked on my calf. There was immediate relief and it wasn't as painful as it was last night, yet it's still sore. It's now about a 4 or 5 on the pain scale, which is a major improvement. We can't figure out, exactly, what caused my calf to cramp/spasm so badly. Stuff like that just happens, and any athlete is bound to have some sort of injury. I'm just surprised that I wasn't doing anything strenuous when the cramp/spasm occurred. He thought the compression calf sleeves would be a good idea, so after my RU visit, I trekked out to Road Runner Sports and bought a pair of blue Zensahs. These things rock. The relief was immediate and I wished I had a pair ages ago. Ah well.

I think I have about 4 hours in which to finish the half marathon. No need for speed and I think I can finish it in just under 3 hours. I had a good HM time at Silver Strand just a couple of weeks ago. I can cruise LV and do things like take pictures and actually stop at the hydration stations. I'm looking forward to it! My husband may actually come in ahead of me for a change.

Tuesday's song:
I'm OK - Christina Aguilera - Katiefeldmom

PEACE

THIS JUST IN... GARMIN OWNER FOUND! SHE WAS ABLE TO IDENTIFY THE GARMIN BY HER PERSONAL INFO EXACTLY! SHE WAS SO HAPPY AND GAVE ME A HUGE HUG!

I'm OK

The computer is up and running! I'm not sure what was wrong, but my husband ran some tests last night and this morning, and it hasn't shut off yet, and it's been longer than 3 minutes.

Speaking of up and running, now I get to figure out a few things, like Lucy. I can post links direct from Garmin, but I'm still working on posting pictures of maps and such. I am not very techy, and I know a lot of this is probably elementary to most people, but I've learned my computer skillz on the sly. ("Hey, what does this button do?") It will take me a while to get it together, but once I do, those maps and such will be everywhere. Yes, a computer course is in my near future and is on my list of things to do in 2010, right next to acquiring full time employment. Any how, here's a link of this morning's run from the Garmin site:

Garmin Connect - Activity Details for Crown Point

I'm ready as I'll ever be for the Las Vegas RNRHM, sore foot included. Oh yeah, I have plantar fasciitis. Go me. It's not that bad, just a minor annoyance. I thought it was just the toe, but the toe ache is a a part of it all. Going for a PR is no longer in my mind, but I know I can go the distance, and thank goodness it isn't a whole marathon. Bryan has worked on my foot a few times and I've been icing it, rolling over a frozen bottle of water, wearing comfy shoes, and taking naproxen. I can't do ibuprofen - my lips swell up bigger than Angelina Jolie's - really - and it does nothing for me in that respect. I plan on taking a couple of weeks off from running after Las Vegas.

I haven't looked at my Google Reader yet, but I'm guessing it's rather full. It may take me a while to catch up on everyone's happenings, not unless I hit "mark as read" for everything and just start from scratch. I'll try not to do that.

By the way, we had some pretty good rain the day after Thanksgiving. We just need a little more.

Friday's song:
A Day Without Rain - Enya - Planet Ynnep Running


PEACE

A Day Without Rain

Happy Belated Thanksgiving!

No 5k Turkey Trots.
I thought about, but with my toe still sensitive and Las Vegas looming, it was better to sleep in this year.

No computer.
I'm stealing a few moments on my son's computer just to catch up on a few e-mails and blog reading. Sorry about not visiting your blog and commenting. I miss my daily does of catching up with everyone. My computer is rebooting every 3 minutes with an error message. We just shut it off and hope that our daughter's computer tech-y boyfriend can fix it.

No Black Friday Sales.
I worked too many years in retail where I had to open or close on Black Friday. I avoid the malls on Black Friday unless I absolutely need something.

No Rain.
It has been well over 100 days without measurable precipitation. Normally, a sunny day is a good thing, but it's so dry and the threat of fire is looming. Rumor has it that we might see rain over the weekend. I hope so.

However...
I am thankful that I was able to spend the holiday with my family, and that, in spite of things way beyond our control, we are happy. You just can't buy a day like that.

Tuesday's song:
Lost and Found - Taking Back Sunday - Run-DMZ

PEACE

Lost and Found

I took Lucy for a test run today, a two miler. It took me a while to remember where all the applications were, such as turning on the GPS, hitting start and locking the bezel. She's pretty sweet and I don't need reading glasses to read her face. I didn't think about using the heart rate monitor, which is supposed to give me a more accurate caloric burn number, but I'll try it next time.

I was walking back to my car and found a Garmin just laying there in the middle of the parking lot. No one was around or even looking for it, so I brought it home. I sent an e-mail to Garmin with the serial number, so that the rightful owner MIGHT be found. I only hope the owner of this Garmin registered their serial number. I know I would want to be contacted if someone found my Garmin. Unless you're swimming in money, they aren't cheap. I thought about posting A "FOUND GARMIN" sign out at the park with a temporary e-mail address for contact info, but I'm going to wait to hear back from Garmin first before I post any signs. I don't want to risk being contacted by a bunch of weirdos wanting a freebie. I'm not posting pictures of it or saying which kind of Garmin it is, since it can be identified by the serial number. I will say that I found it out at Mission Bay Park.

Monday's song:
I Should Have Known Better - The Beatles - She Do Run Run

PEACE

I Should Have Known Better

With some underlying paranoia about my foot, I sent an e-mail to Justin at RU (Bryan was out of town) with my concerns and if there were anything else I should be doing. I really shouldn't be surprised, but he said I should be keeping up my cardio (recumbent bike and/or swimming) plus lunge and squat matrices. I should have known. It seems like that's the fix it for everything. I'm not kidding. If I said my eye hurt I'm sure I'd be told to do some sort of lunge or squat matrix. I'm beginning to think the lunge and squat matrix is sort of like the Windex in the movie My Big Fat Greek Wedding. It fixes/cures everything.

Gus and his Windex

Last night Michael and I attended the San Diego Track Club's award dinner at the Hall of Champions - Balboa Park. I've never been to the Hall of Champions before. It's the home of many local athlete's awards, uniforms, gear and Sports History in San Diego. It was quite impressive and still had that"new" feeling to it, even though it has been there for a while. Monique Henderson, an Olympic gold medalist and local athlete, was the keynote speaker. She was kind enough to stand for photos with her gold medals and let us hold them. Wow. The medals are beautiful. I suppose it will be the only time I'll ever get to hold an Olympic medal. Monique was so gracious. An event photographer was present, and I'll see if I can post the photo with Monique once it's available.

Keynote speaker - Olympic Gold Medalist, Monique Henderson

There was also a large floor area set up with round banquet tables decorated in blue and white linens with the SDTC logos and flower arrangements. The set-up was quite lovely. Track club members slowly trickled in, and we began to see many of our friends. I felt very fortunate to share a table with the wonderful people pictured here:

Anne and Gilbert

Jesu and Patricia

Dan and Jody

Us

Just like other SDTC dinners we've been to, some people are difficult to recognize without donning their running gear. Someone came up to me and said that she almost didn't recognize me without my hat and sunglasses.

Unlike other SDTC dinners we've been to, they served alcohol, and not just wine and beer. I'm not a big beer drinker and I'm allergic to many wines, so whoopie for me. I could have a vodka-cranberry.

Awards were given out and many were no surprise, but there were a couple of awards that were a surprise to the recipients. Our coach Paul Greer received a Presidential award for promoting fitness. He was overwhelmed and emotional. I can't think of a better recipient. I understand that there were only 6 of these awards given out, nation wide. Another award, the Spirit of SDTC, went to a track club member who we often run with, Marison. I was quite thrilled for her and it felt like a family member had won. This past year she has been more involved and has really come through for the club in a pinch. She's also one of the nicest people you would ever meet.

The foot is feeling better, *whew* but still a tiny bit sensitive. I'll attempt an easy, slow run on Tuesday morning.

Is everyone ready for Thanksgiving? Me either.

Yesterday's song:
Get Over It - The Eagles

PEACE

Get Over It

Wednesday night, at the RU group workout, we were running an 800 and I tweaked out my big toe on my left foot. I was wearing the wear test shoes. At first it felt like a cramp, but then it got worse. I couldn't do the 800 to my full potential. As I ran by one of the interns, I yelled out that my foot was cramping, but he just said to run through it. I listened to him, but I'm sort of kicking myself for not listening to myself. You would think that, by now, I would know better. After my crummy 800, I continued on with the strengthening exercises without shoes on, but skipped any running, even if it were a slow lap. At the end of the session I put my shoes back on without tightening the laces and hobbled to my car.

Once at home I spent some time RICE-ing my foot/big toe and took a couple of analgesics. I figured I'd give myself a couple of days to see how it felt before seeking any medical advice.

Yesterday I was having my hair cut in the same neighborhood as my chiropractor's office and decided to see if he would see me with such short notice. He fit me in. Not only was the right foot off, but the left foot was more off, and my back was also rather tight. After some massage, he did the necessary adjustments and I felt relief. My foot/toe is still sore, probably from over compensation, but at least I can put a shoe back on my foot without wincing. The foot isn't swollen or bruised, it's just sore. I'm still doing the RICE thing.

This foot issue puts a kink in my plans to attempt a PR at the Las Vegas Rock 'n' Roll half marathon, but I'm pretty sure I'll be OK to start and finish it with no intentions of a PR. At this point, I think I'm allowed to slow down and just enjoy the scenery. It's not like I'm giving up. I'm being realistic.

This also means I don't get to try out Lucinda this weekend. Oh, that's my Garmin's new name: Lucinda or Lucy for short. When I signed up on the Garmin site, it actually asks for a name, and Lucinda was one of the suggestions someone gave me on Facebook. It was the only name I could remember when I was stuck at the Garmin site. I hope I love Lucy...

Tuesday's song:
Cool As Blue - Tina Bridgeman & Hearth

PEACE

Cool As Blue

Finally...

They've posted the results today:

22/62 1571 2173 IRENE M 50 SAN DIEGO 2:13:30 10:12

Yesterday I had a workout at RU. It was all about getting back to business, even THE DAY AFTER RUNNING A HALF MARATHON. Sometimes I think Bryan can be a little masochistic, but there really is a method to the madness, as I've said before. He even had me doing heavier weights than I'm used to for certain exercises. I was toast after all that, but, wait, there's more...

My Garmin Forerunner 405 CX arrived!



I think Bryan was more excited about my Garmin than I was. I'm still in a post run event haze* and he couldn't wait for me to start using my Garmin. He charged it and set it up for me, then had me run to try it out.

Yeah, he had me RUN.

Masochist...

One thing I've learned is to not complain or make snarky comments about anything I'm doing at RU, because Bryan will just give me more of what ever it is I've just said I've groaned over.**

I ran 3 laps around the complex without the heart rate monitor strap, then another 3 laps with it. Amazingly, I was a wee bit faster the second time around. I went about 1.25 miles total.

I still need to read the instructions manual and download the disk to my computer, etc. I also need to come up with a name for the Garmin, other than the Garmin. She's a shade of dusty blue. (Yeah, I said "she.") Any suggestions?

Today I'm taking off from any working out or running, but getting caught up on my blog reading and laundry, oh, and babysitting.


Sunday's song:
Good Day Sunshine - The Beatles - Nine-Oh-Nine


PEACE

*Post run haze = sore and tired.
**Which is why every exercise I do is my favorite exercise.

Good Day Sunshine

Silver Strand Half Marathon complete!

I've been patiently waiting for the official results. I checked the posted results sheet before I left the finish area and it showed were 2:13:29 chip time. That's only 18 seconds off from my half marathon PR of 2:13:11. My BiM stats gave me a finish time of 2:13:34, but I turned off the GPS after I passed by the finish line. Here's my splits.

Mile	Pace (min/mile)		Speed (mph)		Elevation Gain
	actual	+/- avg	actual	+/- avg
1	9' 50	-0' 18	6.1	+0.2	+9 ft
2	9' 29	-0' 39	6.3	+0.4	-9 ft
3	9' 22	-0' 46	6.4	+0.5	0 ft
4	9' 49	-0' 19	6.1	+0.2	0 ft
5	10' 06	-0' 02	5.9	+0.0	+6 ft
6	9' 57	-0' 11	6.0	+0.1	-7 ft
7	10' 17	+0' 09	5.8	-0.1	0 ft
8	10' 05	-0' 03	6.0	+0.0	0 ft
9	10' 33	+0' 25	5.7	-0.2	+7 ft
10	10' 40	+0' 32	5.6	-0.3	-3 ft
11	10' 45	+0' 37	5.6	-0.3	+13 ft
12	10' 46	+0' 38	5.6	-0.4	-17 ft
13	10' 12	+0' 04	5.9	-0.0	-7 ft
end	8' 42	-1' 26	6.9	+1.0	+6 ft
Versus average of 10' 08 min/mile: Slower Faster

I haven't had splits like that in ages. I even had something left for the end!

This is one of those races that went off without a hitch. It began at Sunset Park in Coronado, and ended at the Imperial Beach Pier. There's no mile by mile synopsis because I felt pretty good the entire run, I didn't need to push hard, and it was straight forward. I also saw a ton of San Diego Track Club Members, plus a few folks from Rehab United. It was like one huge party since live music, beer and snacks were provided at the end.

Not a lot of twists and turns, except once we arrived in Imperial Beach, we had to run for a couple of miles through a small residential section, then do a backtrack run on a rather barren section of the military base just to fit in the last 4 miles.

HOWEVER, Somewhere between miles 5 and 7, there was a rather large bush people kept going behind, since the port-o-potties were a ways up. I immediately thought about AKA Alice's bush story, and it just so happened that at that same time the song she suggested for my SDRNR Marathon 2009 mix came on a- Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God) by Kate Bush. How coincidental! I had a good laugh.

At the end of the race, the guy right in front of me in the finishing corral gave me a hug. That was kind of funny... I got a hug from some (cute, young) random guy.

We did get a few photos from the day:

Michael, me, and Michelle from the track club waiting to start at Sunset Park, Coronado.

Me, Michelle and her husband Bruce

See? Very straight forward. The San Diego bay is on the left and Silver Strand State Beach is on the right. It was a GORGEOUS morining to be running.

Finished at Imperial Beach.

Worth the effort.

Thursday's song:
Baby, What A Big Surprise - Chicago - Rookie On The Run

PEACE