Little Wing

The San Diego Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon Race Report or Color Me Surprised

I missed the track club's warm-up and stretch because I waited in the port-o-potty line, but Hubs attended, and this is what it looked like:

Coach Paul in the center with the bull horn, making a difference...

I must have been in line at the port-o-potty for a little over 45 minutes. While I was In line we listened to the National Anthem then the gun went off. I wasn't too worried because I was in corral 13, but when I was done taking care of business, Hubs and I RAN to corral 13, which moved up to about three corrals away from the start:

We made it to corral 13 with just enough time to set Lucy.  Notice that there's not a cloud in the sky.  The forecast called for overcast skies and drizzle. I was hoping for overcast skies, which makes for a more comfortable run. 

  Photo op just seconds before the start.

I had a consistent pace through out the race, and I felt pretty good the entire time, never felt like I was struggling, never had any pains.

I don't have a mile to mile synopsis, but I always find it a novelty running on a freeway on ramp and on a freeway event though the road was cambered. I saw AKA Alice somewhere between mile 11 and 12, where we passed each other going opposite directions, just about the same place we found each other last year.  It was so good for my psyche when we spotted each other and gave each other a hug!  It was what I needed to power through the last mile.  I managed to high five as many people as I could at the last mile.  I had some fuel in the tank to sprint at the end, but I was blocked by a line of Elvis runners, perhaps about 10 abreast, which made sprinting around them difficult, but I managed to find an opening and ran through.

My goal time was 2:20.  I haven't been training for anything faster than a 2:20 finish time.  Once I ran to the finish, received my medal, water, post race hummus and pita chips and other goodies, I took a look at my Garmin and saw:

"No way" was the first thing I said.  I thought Lucy was broken.
It reads 2:17:59.  Yes, when I looked at it, it was that fuzzy.  Welcome to my visual world without reading glasses. Amazingly, the palm tree in the background is clear.

I made my way to the track club tent and waited for Hubs and friends to finish.

Me, Mik, Kat, Kate, AKA Alice.  Yes, I know.  There was a water drop on the lens, but this was the only picture of the group that worked.

Cheesy photo op

The group decided to go for breakfast. Hubs and I originally wanted to go, but Hubs was denied his beer at last year's marathon, and wanted to get his free beer first, then catch up with the group.

Cheers!

After the beers, Hubs and I went back to the track club tent and thought our friend Rich would be finished. He was expected to run the marathon in about 4 hours. We saw many of his running friends who run at his pace, but no Rich. I had received text messages about his progress through out the race, and he WAS on track to finish in about 4 hours. We received a progress text when he reached 20 miles and figured the time he'd come in. We decided to wait since we knew he was near, but we waited, and waited... Then we worried...

Almost an hour past Rich's ETA, I received a text that he finished in 5:09:30, then I received a text from Rich saying that he blew out his IT band or knee. Hubs and I decided to wait for him to make sure he was OK. After a little time at the track club tent and being stretched by a chiropractor, Rich felt better, and was able to walk without limping.

Stephanie, Rich, Me, Hubs.  Yep.  post marathon temporary carnage on the ground.  Stephanie didn't run the marathon and is recovering from a hip issue similar to what I went through, but her doctors caught it before it became something much worse.

Once Rich was ready, Hubs and I walked about a half mile to a spot where our son could come pick us up, and ended up at the High Dive for a post race celebration.  We didn't get pictures at the High Dive, but it was busy with post race patrons enjoying adult beverages...

After we were back home, I verified my finish time.  My official time was 2:17:53.  I need to shave off  4 minutes and 43 seconds to PR, but my time on Sunday sure felt like a PR since I trained for a slower time.  It felt as if I broke through a barrier.  Perhaps it was just the barrier in my head.

By the way, Hubs PRed yet again.  He finished in 2:27:28.

FYI  - The post race area was greatly improved over last year.  The parking lot had been repaved and trees had been planted.  Umbrellas for shade and tables were placed through out.  There were more concessions, and it seemed like there was more than enough transportation to get people out of the venue in a timely manner.  The atmosphere was much more pleasant than last year's dirty and broken auxiliary parking lot.  As for the race, the route was improved upon in some areas such as less time on Fiesta Island, but some areas did not have enough and/or proper signage, or enough people directing, causing a few marathoners to be in the marathon route.

As of right now, I have plans to run this half marathon again next year. 

Since I dedicated this Half Marathon to My friend Michelle, I added the Santana/Joe Cocker version of the song "Little Wing" to my iPod 2011 run play list. Michelle loved Santana, and especially loved that version of the song.

"Fly on, little wing."

Song from Saturday, May 28, 2011
Thirteen - Big Star - Miss Rachel


PEACE

Meet Me Half Way

San Diego Rock 'n' Roll Marathon/Half Marathon Race Report

This a half  of a report because I ran the half marathon, meaning I'm going to leave out the mile by mile account, (but it isn't any shorter of a report) however, I will go over many of the highlights that made for a wonderful day and a couple of things that made me think "WTF???"

My son drove us to the marathon start area, thank goodness.  We arrived sort of late and missed most of the track club's final stretch before the race. We did arrive in time to sit and stretch a bit with AKA Alice, but then it was soon time to check in our gear, use the port-o-potty (*cough* bushes) and find our corrals.

 AKA Alice multi-tasking - stretching and taking pictures.

I found Rich, who was dealing with some first time marathon pre-race jitters 

Hubs and I in corral 17 waiting for the race to start.

Friends from RU also in corral 17.

 Kirsten, a PT from RU,  running her first marathon just one year after having heart surgery.

The original plan was to run the marathon, but with the foot injury, being out for 9 weeks, and only having 3 weeks of haphazard running, I made the switch to the half marathon.  Thank goodness they offered a half marathon this year.  The course was OK, and we ran more through Balboa Park than in years past, and I liked that.  Again, Coach Paul was everywhere with his bull horn with encouraging words to ALL the runners, not just the track club. 

For most of my run it was overcast, but a little humid.  I also drank the electrolyte on the course, Cytomax, which is something I never do since I bring my own, but it agreed with me, and I think it did help.  The sun came out around miles 10, and it felt warmer than normal, but with about 3 miles to go I knew I could deal with it. I was feeling for the marathoners, though, as the air temperatures really heated up.

Around mile 11 or so, I saw AKA Alice running in the opposite direction, which was so cool because we stopped and hugged.  What a boost for my psyche, and I'm glad I saw her at that point because I knew she was doing good.

At the last .1 mile, I ran in with a track club member.  I don't know her well and I can't remember her name, but I see her all the time.  We sort of sprinted in together.  I can't wait to see the photo finish.

Official chip time - 2:30:55.  Officially my slowest half marathon, but considering everything I went through, I'm quite happy with it. 

Post race I trekked into the medical tent, iced my foot, and went through the finish are to load up on bread sticks, fruit cups, electrolyte drinks, etc, and found Molly.  Funny thing, Molly switched from the marathon to the half marathon, but still had the marathon bib, and received a marathon medal because of the marathon bib.  The volunteers wanted to make sure there were enough medals for the half marathoners. 
 

Happy to be finished! BTW, Molly's bib says " I like cheese." 

Rich is now a marathoner!

I spent a lot of time at the track club tent, talked to friends about their races, and enjoyed the shade of the tent. At one point I did walk over to the track club water station, located less than a mile from the finish.  I did see several friends run by, and I was hoping to see Hubs. I thought he may have passed me, but it turns out he didn't. There's a story about about why he decided to toss the PR.

Hubs ran the marathon and was doing well, setting some course PRs for himself.  Around mile 12 he ran past a track club member who was having a hard time, sobbing.  He decided to chuck his PR and spend time running and walking with her, just to help her get through a few miles until she found her friends on the course. He ran in the rest of the way, knowing he'd finish over 6 hours, but was OK about it, he was still concerned for the young lady. 

Once Hubs was finished, he wanted his free beer, so we gathered all of our belongings and headed over to the "festival" area.  In years past this was at MCRD, in a nice grassy area.  This year it was in the crappy, beat up asphalt area in the Sea World overflow parking lot, which is hard to walk on if you've just run a marathon and can barely walk as it is. The cracked and chipped asphalt was also hot and sticky, and not conducive to staying to enjoy the festivities. To make matters worse, they wouldn't let Hubs into the beer area because he didn't have his ID on him.  Um, helloooo?  WTF?  He's obviously over 21.  He never runs with his ID because he has a shoe ID tag.  We've NEVER had to show ID before.  We also had wrist bands to get free food at PF Chang's booth, but by the time we got there the food was gone!  Thank goodness we didn't have to deal with the shuttle buses because I understand that was logistical snafu, and many people said that it took longer to get back to Qualcom Stadium (where they parked) than it was to run the marathon!
Since my son volunteered at the track club water station, he was able to park near by, and drove us home.

Back at  home Hubs enjoyed his beer and fell asleep on the couch, and I posted a Facebook update.  My son did us a favor and picked up burgers from In 'n' Out.  I scarfed down two protein style burgers, took a shower and was in bed by 8 PM. 

Next race is the Annual Independence Day 5k/15k in Coronado, and probably the 5k. 

Oh, and today I need to visit my local DMV to renew my driver's license.  Yay.

Saturday's Song:
The Good Life - Tony Bennett

PEACE

Through My Eyes

Saturday's Song:
Don't Stop Believing - Journey - Planet Ynnep Running

PEACE

Life is Beautiful

Since I'm busy not running, I've been doing a lot of gardening. I did manage to start some vegetable seeds, plant some flowers, pull TONS of weeds, and turn over the soil. It's the turning over the soil part that's giving me the best workout, but it's a lot of work. I just strap on the "Frankenstein" boot** and go. I have a huge backyard and I feel like I've barely put a dent in things. Gardening is not a weekend project in my yard. It's probably about a 4 month project, especially since things went by the wayside. I've also become acquainted with a few bugs I've never seen before, like this one:

Potato Bug or Jerusalem Cricket

I've lived in Southern California forever and haven't seen these bugs until recently. I shot that picture and posted it on Facebook just to find out what it was. I tried looking for it on the internet, but there are only a zillion bugs in the world, maybe more. My FB friends gave me the info.*

Last Saturday, Evan came up with this outfit, and I felt it was worth a picture, but he would only have his picture taken if he could show off the marble he found in his room:

Yes, he has a unique sense of fashion...

Here's the marble, which is now lost inside his Great Grandma's piano.

I've also been faithfully tracking calories, which is helping to prevent weight gain. This week I'm working on getting in more protein, which is tough since I had relied on ready to drink protein shakes. I didn't have to think about it, they were ready to go, no blenders or mess. The last one I used was Muscle Milk, which is lactose free, but for some weird reason my system no longer likes it. I'm itchy right after drinking a serving. I'll probably go back to soy protein, but it would be even better if I could find a decent one that tastes good, is an RTD, and cheap. I'm trying to keep foods as natural as possible, but sometimes an RTD is good to have on hand in a pinch. Suggestions are welcome!

Friday's Song:
Life in Technicolor - Coldplay

PEACE

** AKA: The ginormous overkill boot they gave me in orthopedics. I might as well use it for something!
*Justifying that Facebook is not a total time suck.

It Amazes Me

Yesterday's Song:
The World Ain't Slowin' Down -Ellis Paul

PEACE

Photo credit - Erik, my son

California Sun

Last Wednesday's Song:
Early In The Morning - The Gap Band 


PEACE

Love Don't Cost A Thing

This month's Blog 365 theme is HOT. I'm hoping it won't be so much of a stretch to post something about the word hot, since it's a word that can describe so many things -- hot weather, hot food, hot (good looking) people, whatever. How about a gallon of Tabasco Sauce? That's enough hot to last a while.

I've just happened upon an article about America's most overpriced zip codes. I was not surprised to see San Diego listed, however, I must say I was surprised that my old neighborhood of Mission Hills was on the list. We lived in the Mission Hills/Hillcrest area for about 8 years, and the neighborhood is pretty diverse, socially and economically. I would have expected to see La Jolla or Rancho Santa Fe on the list. Yes, Mission Hills is known for some of the older mansions and a few historical homes, but it has a few simple (more humble) sections, too. The street we lived on was in an area that transitioned three different neighborhoods, but we had that Mission Hills zip code. Zoning was rather scattered between small businesses, apartments and single homes. It wasn't quite the suburbs, but it really wasn't urban or city living either. I'm not sure what our little segment of the neighborhood was, but for what ever it was worth, we lived there. The area is desirable because it's close to everything, which included museums, downtown, the bay, the airport, parks, public transportation, shopping, etc. I enjoyed living there. We left the area because the cute, 1940's , 2 bedroom one bathroom house was too small for a growing family, and the more affordable larger homes were across town in the suburbs. The cost of buying a larger home in Mission Hills was beyond our reach at that time, but I never thought that area would be considered one of the most overpriced. Ah, well...

Yesterday's song:
Nothin' Better To Do - LeAnn Rimes - Katiefeldmom

PEACE