Carry On

In March I ran in three events.  I ran the Sue Krenn 15k, the San Diego Half marathon and the Hot Chocolate 5k.  I was feeling as if I was getting back to "normal" and hitting splits at the Sue Krennn 15K  that I was more accustomed to, unlike how sloth-y I felt last year.  I was feeling really good.  I even clocked in a 2:14:51 for the San Diego half marathon, with in striking distance of some sort of PR, and my half marathon PR is 2:13:11 back in 2007, pre hip surgery. Then I ran the Hot Chocolate 5K/15K.  It's the "fun run" where you get hot chocolate and other goodies at the end of the race, plus a really nice hoodie sweatshirt.  I never  checked out the course map until a couple of weeks before the event.  There were hills on the map, but I live in San Diego.  We're used to training on hills, really steep hills.  I eat hills for breakfast, so what's another couple of hills on a "fun run" 5K course?  After all, people who don't run and small children signed up for this Hot Chocolate Run.  It sounds pretty harmless, right?  I just thought the"fun run" 5K would be a nice little romp in between half marathons.  The 5K kicked my butt and I haven't been the same since.  It wasn't so much the going up hills, even though the non-runners and children had a very tough time with those, it was the steep down hills that did me in.  My hips have been very tight ever since, and I've had to take a little time off and slow down.  I've been attending the track on Tuesday nights for intervals, but I'm not able to speed things up when I need to.  I haven't been running with Lexi, but I still take her on long trail walks, or at least get in a couple of miles walking her in the neighborhood.  I still go to Rehab United once a week, and not really doing a work out, but getting worked on instead.

My next half marathon in the San Diego Rock 'n' Roll half marathon in about three weeks.  It's a new course, and I was hoping I would be able to PR there, but it looks like a PR will have to wait, and that's OK. There are a lot of fall half marathons, and I have time to build back up again.

Tecolote Trails with Lexi

Pre race at the San Diego Half Marathon.  Still my favorite race.

Post race Hot Chocolate 5K.  Nice swag, but suck-y course.

Finally,  the running community was shaken to  the core with the bombings at the Boston Marathon.
I won't go into what happened or analyze anything about it, since the news and other media has done that already.  Even our coach Paul and a few track club members were interviewed.  Our track club members observed a moment of silence for those affected by the tragic events in Boston.

Song from Saturday, March 2, 2013:
Rescue Me - Aretha Franklin
PEACE

Come Out and Play

RANDOM

The last time I ran was supposed to be a 10 miler with the track club on my day off.  I was looking forward to it  and we had perfect running weather, meaning overcast skies and temps in the low to mid 60s.  I woke up that morning not feeling right, but a lot of times I'll get past that "not right" feeling and run OK.  I only made it a little more than 2 miles before I had to turn around and walk most of the way back.  I ended up in bed from the time I returned home until the following Tuesday when I decided I needed to go into work and produce a paycheck.  Wednesday I had a session at RU and that was difficult at best.  Thursday it's a visit to the doctor's office.  I came home with antibiotics, Rx nose spray, a netti pot, and a big bottle of Tylenol.

I hope with all this rest that my IT band will ease up. It's better than it was a month ago, but still reminds me it's there.

I was asked to review the book Train Like a Mother  - How to Get Across Any Finish Line and Not Lose Your Family, Job, or Sanity by Dimity McDowell and Sarah Bowen Shea, authors of Run Like a Mother.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book!  I honestly didn't want to put a lot of preconceptions into this book before reading it because I've often been disappointed with running books written for women.  This book is written with real life in mind, a healthy sense of humor, and serious support and concern when needed.  It's as if you're getting training advice from your very knowledgeable running friends who know what it's like to fit in a training schedule and juggling kids, school, family, work, etc.  I like that they go over things that everyone talks about, but nobody ever addresses in other training manuals, such as going commando, race goals, running music, women's nutrition, etc.  The training schedules are very straight forward and not too technical -- they explain everything as if they're talking to you without being condescending.  I liked that there were little reminders to not skip a particular workout and get a babysitter. Both authors give their spin on explaining things, which I liked, because no two experiences are the same.  This book is a good read for the new runner with constructive tips on how to get started, as well as the seasoned runner with chapters affirming that what you're doing (or thinking) is actually right on par, or that you might need to change a few things. This book can be read in a weekend and is a good "go to" or reference book.  If I gave stars to books, I'd give this a 5 out of 5 stars.

I'm also reviewing another pair of running shoes.  This time it's On Cloud - Cloudrunner.

Yes, purple and fuchsia, but I actually like the colors, which aren't too foo-foo.  Photo from the On Cloud Facebook page.

I've never heard of this brand until I received them.  They're engineered in Switzerland and relatively new on the running shoe scene.  I've received them a week ago, and haven't run in them since I got sick, but they're very comfortable.  My only concern is that they might be too cushy, which might aggravate my plantar faciitis.  I have some miles to make up next week, and I'll be able to judge on how well they ride then.

This weekend is the La Jolla Half Marathon and 5k, which I am happily not running in, but my brother and sister-in-law will be here to participate in the 5k.  My sister, the one who concocted the whole running weekend has backed out, which sort of throws things off. My sister has participated in only two, maybe three 5ks in the past 5 years or so.  She likes La Jolla because she doesn't really race it.  She's more of a walk/runner.  That's all fine and good because she can enjoy the scenery.  I personally don't like this race.  I like the course on my own terms because it is a pretty course that goes along parts of La Jolla Shores and ends near La Jolla Cove.  If I'm in a 5k race, well, I'm in to RACE and try to edge out that lady in the red tech shirt just ahead of me. I'm far from being 5k race ready at this point,  my IT band aches just thinking about it,  and running La Jolla, with the steep hills and bumpy running surface for the last mile, does not bode well in my mind.  Hubs and I are planning to be at the finish line to see if my bro can score a podium finish.  My sister-in-law has been running for a long while, but sort of new to racing.  I'm looking forward to seeing how they fare on Sunday, then head out for brunch. 

In a little more than a month is the San Diego Rock 'n' Roll Marathon/Half Marathon.  I'm not 100% certain, but I think this will be my last race for the year.  I almost put in for the lottery for the Nike Women's event in San Francisco in October for 2012, but I reminded myself that I do need the break, and would need to continue training and be half marathon ready.  No to Nike, and probably most other races until January 2013.

This year will be the 30th anniversary of Title IX.  Even though Title IX happened in 1972, I personally did not see any changes until I was in high school in the mid to late 70s. It also took my parents longer than that to be on board, even though my high school finally had girls track team started in my Junior year. There was no support (or transportation) to stay with the team.

Because of Title IX, my niece was able to participate on the high school wrestling team and sparred against boys and girls in her weight class. 



Song from Saturday, April 14, 2012:
Part of Me - Katy Perry

PEACE

There and Back Again

 

 Pre race photo op with "Mik", "AKA Alice" and "Walter"

Sunday was the Shelter Island 5k Run. This is a favorite because there's a champagne brunch after the race. The brunch is held at Humphreys, the same place where Hubs and I often enjoy summer concerts. Sunday's run felt a lot like summer.  I ditched my jacket before the race because it was already warming up at 7 AM. It felt more like July than it did November. I'm still dealing with shin splints in my left shin, but I figured I'd just cruise this 5k instead of race it. I cruised, but I should have cruised a little slower, even though I felt like I was going slow for me. I could not run faster at all, even if I tried. I couldn't even make a mad sprint for the finish line when it was in sight. It just wasn't going to happen. I sort of broke even with my last 5k - July 4th 2010 in Coronado. Sunday's 5k was actually a few seconds faster than Coronado, but still a good 4 minutes away from a PR.

Here's my stats:

Time: 29:19

Pace: 9:27

F 50-54: 12 out of 56 

The fun thing about this particular race is that it sort of feels like one huge party and EVERYONE seems to be in a great mood.  I'm sure the champagne/mimosas helped with the great mood.

AKA Alice and Rich

Hubs and I with my former coworker Darla.  We haven't seen Darla in a  few years!

Hubs had a really good race day.  Even though he really wasn't attempting to go for a PR, he achieved just that...  An all time 5k PR.   He finished in 30:10, a 9:43 minute mile pace.  This is the first time he has broken a 10 minute mile pace.  My friend Rich had a really good run too.  His time was 24:30 - Pace/mile 7:54,  a new PR,  taking about two minutes off of his last 5k race.

 Cheers!  Mimosas makes the shin feel all better!

Photo credit to Rich

A group from RU was also at the run, and I did see my PT Bryan run right past me, but I did not see any of them at the brunch.  They were wearing bright yellow tech shirts, but it turns out they all changed out of their tech shirts after the race. I was looking for a group with bright yellow shirts, which is probably why I never found them.

The next day...


Monday was little bit rough.  My shin is not too happy with me.  I've been doing everything I'm supposed to be doing for it, and it's helping, including this:

I have about eight of these cups and a ziplock bag with homemade blue ice(a slushy ice pack) in my freezer.  I'm foam rolling, massaging, stretching, doing ankle exercises, point and flex exercises, modified squats and lunge matrices. (It's an RU thing - squats and lunges are the cure all for just about everything.) You name it, I'm doing what ever it takes to relieve shin splints.  I've been to the doctor, the chiropractor and my physical therapist.  I appreciate all the advice and kind words everyone has given to me and, trust me, I've been trying it all. 

I've been back to using the old school Bowflex, low weight high rep exercises and utilizing the row attachment seat for some sort of alternative cardio since I don't feel like going into the gym and using their crappy old stationary bikes. 

I have just less than 4 weeks until the Las Vegas Rock 'n' Roll half marathon.  I still need to get in some mileage, and I plan on taking a very conservative approach to it.  I need to put a 10 miler this week, even if I run/walk the entire way. 

Wednesday's Song:
Ramble On - Led Zeppelin - Black Knight

PEACE

4th of July

 

"Hey baby, it's the Fourth of July
  Hey baby, baby take a walk outside"

How about a run outside instead?  

The Annual Coronado Independence Day 5k/15K 2010 is one for the books.  I woke up with a bit of a bloated and grumble-y stomach, but it wasn't so bad that I couldn't run, but aesthetically it wasn't pretty being bloated.  The Hubs and I ran in the 5k. My plan was to run conservatively at a moderate pace and not to race for PRs.  I don't want to risk re-injury.  The weather was overcast, a little cool, but humid.  Before the race we saw Cathie, Wendy and Michelle, and several others from the track club.  I kept an eye out for Lisa, who said she would wear her red Jamba Juice T shirt, but since it was the 4th of July there were SEVERAL people wearing red t shirts.  Ah well.  Everything went off without a hitch.  There was a bit of a bottle neck at the beginning of the race for about the first mile in a few spots, which slowed me down - and maybe that was a good thing since it kept me from going out too fast, but after that it was easy to get around and pass people.  I was thrilled that the event coordinators finally decided to use D tag timing, which worked to my advantage.  I'm a good 3:40 minutes plus from smashing my original PR, but that's OK. I'm in no big rush to PR my 5k time any time soon.  Bonus points that they finally gave us tech t-shirts instead of cotton ones!

My final results:
Overall: 334 out of 962
Women: 141 out of 581
F 50-54: 7 out of 53
Age/Grade: 58.34% Place: 167
Finish: 29:23 Pace: 9:28
Tag Time: 29:23
Gun Time: 29:44

Hubs final results:
Overall: 441 out of 962
Men: 233 out of 381
M 50-54: 15 out of 32
Age/Grade: 47.90% Place: 449
Finish: 31:18 Pace: 10:05 PR
Tag Time: 31:18
Gun Time: 31:40

A few pre race pics:

Me and Hubs

 Wendy, Me, Cathie

Michelle (back from injury), Me, Cathie

Wednesday's Song:
Eggplant - Train

PEACE

Winner

Monday's Song:
Melancholia - The Who

PEACE

Carlsbad 5000 April 11, 2010 - Masters Women's over 40 Winner Marilyn Arsenault, Canada - 17:16

Melancolia

Randomness

Sunday was only the second time that I paid for a race in which I didn't run, and both times due to injury. The Carlsbad 5000 looked like a good course, plus there's no major elevation changes, just very small ones. The timing for this race was chipped (D tagged) which meant more accurate results. I went to support my hubs and all of my RU and SDTC friends who were running, brought the big-ass camera* (she needs a name) and watched on the sidelines. It was fun watching and snapping photos, but I really wanted to be running, too, and that made me a little melancholy. A bright side to my day was breakfast and mimosas with some of The Herd after leaving the event.

Celebrating! Aka Alice and my hubs had PRs!

After an wonderful breakfast and mimosas, Hubs decided that he really needed to attend his soccer game, and I went to drop him off at the soccer field, but no one was there. Turns out we were at the wrong field. Hubs was determined to get to his game, even though he was already a half hour late. We then trekked out to the correct soccer field. I wasn't planning to stay, I was planning to just drop him off and head home, but since he was late, I figured it would be easier for me to just stick around. It was a wee bit chilly so I stayed in the car and checked phone messages and listened to music on my iPod. I really wasn't watching the game, but soon saw hubs playing goalie. Eeek! (Please, Lord, no trips to the ER!) He normally plays mid-field, but their goalie was out and the team needed back up.

Hubs getting ready to block a goal. Big-ass camera came in handy for this shot from the car and through the chain-link fence!

Psychology - I really should have taken a few psych classes in college. Perhaps if I had the knowledge or understanding of why people do what they do, or why they act how they act, perhaps I could deal with people's/a person's reactions (or lack there of ) in a better way. Perhaps I wouldn't take those reactions/lack of reactions so personal. I get the whole concept of how I react to a situation is a big key to blowing off that particular situation, but sometimes that really is easier said than done. I still have feelings and I can't help but feel dissed. Maybe my expectations are too high. Confused? Yeah, me too.

My dog loves me. I am the only one she will follow through out the day. She won't get up for the day until I am up and out of bed. She won't do this for Hubs or any one else. If I'm doing something like putting laundry away she has to follow me. If I'm outside gardening, she's in the dirt with me. Too bad she's a senior dog and has some heath issues because she would have been the perfect running companion and protector.

I swore I'd be on top of exercising and paying attention to what I eat while not running, but I haven't been good. I am getting some activity, but I haven't been paying attention to nutrition. I've been feeling sluggish, and it has to do with eating. I've lost muscle, even though my weight has stayed relatively the same, and I'm feeling that shift in my clothes. Nothing is fitting right. Maybe PMS is screwing around with my head and body at the moment, but I feel anything but physically fit. Time to track nutrition again.

Tomorrow is my ortho appointment and x-rays. My foot is still a little sore, but I'm hoping to see improvement. I hope I can toss the boot completely, but I have a gut feeling that the doc will tell me to keep wearing it.

Landry - Ugh. Piles of it.

Happy Monday.

Saturday's Song:
Same Ol' Situation - Motley Crue

PEACE

*I posted some of the race pics on Facebook, but mostly shot pics for my friends.

Same Ol' Situation

Not running is really messing with my blogging and Daily Mile updates. It's more of not being as mobile which throwing things off. I'm attempting to keep busy with in reason, but when you're used to doing certain things as a part of your daily life it puts a kink on the chain of daily events to not do THAT thing, and running is that thing for me. Yes, this is a temporary situation, and I hope I'll be back to doing some sort of running and training in less than three weeks.

Gardening has been the activity of choice these days. It really isn't the fun part of gardening, yet, it's the prep part, like pulling weeds and digging up the dirt with a pick ax*. I have a big back yard, but it has gone by the wayside since May 2008 when I had the hip fracture and surgery. There's no problem with the lawn, that gets mowed and trimmed regularly. It's the planter and garden areas that have become unruly. Those areas were sort of my thing, and when I could no longer squat and easily get up and down after surgery, gardening was out of the question. When my grandparents were around, gardening was a serious thing. They planted just about everything, apricots to zucchini. The garden area was beautiful and always lush. They also had a beautiful array of of flowers growing, no matter what the season. It seemed like the Land of Oz to me when I was a kid because the yard was so pristine and colorful. I've told this story before, so I won't recap it, but I'm back on the gardening thing, perhaps not with the same verve my grandparents had, but at least it will be less unruly. Hubs and I thought putting in a lap pool(fire pit, new patio, granny flat/office, etc...) would solve most of the gardening issue, and it would, but maybe when the economy turns around and we actually have funds for something like that. Meanwhile, it's just me, a shovel, and some seeds.

Photo from May 2005- Currently looks about the same - Sad, I know....

Hubs celebrated a birthday on Wednesday. Since it was a work/school day, and everyone's schedules were all over the place, it was just Hubs, the kid and me celebrating. The three of us went out for sushi at the neighborhood place just blocks away, then we came home for cake.

I swear, I do have some mad cake decorating skilz and a degree in Art, I even own special cake decorating tips, paint brushes and gear, but that would have required a trip to the store, and I wanted to use what I had on hand. I made a cake from the Cooking Light cookbook , "Old Fashioned Caramel Layer Cake," decorated with fridge magnets and an Ikea tea-light candle.

OK, not my finest moment in artistic creation, I'll never work for Ace of Cakes, but the cake was delicious.

"Happy Birthday dear Papa..."

Thursday I attended a "Pants and Pinot" party at AKA Alice's home. Her sister brought over a really great inventory of jeans, tops, dresses and accessories. There was also a friend who was buying gold jewelry on the spot, but I didn't think ahead of time to look through my jewelry for things to sell. I wasn't planning on drinking wine (the allergy thing) and planning on buying just one pair of jeans. It has been AGES since I've had a decent red wine, but a certified wine snob told me that my best option for wine would be pinot noir** (less likely to have a reaction, not sure why) so I indulged in a glass of wine. I keep trying because I really miss red wines, and it's a crap-shoot with the taste of organic wines which don't warrant an allergic reaction. After a glass of wine and some really good nibbles of food, I was really relaxed, took a look at the awesome selection of jeans. I grabbed a few pairs to try on , just thinking I would purchase just one, but I also found a pair of jeans with my name on them. I rarely run into anyone who has my same name, unless they're 80+ years old, and to find my name on a pair of white jeans was just hysterical. Amazingly, the jeans fit well, so I had to purchase those in addition to the one pair I was already planning to buy. Score! This was a very smart retail event -- Alcohol and shopping. Fun for the guests and a major score for the retailer with all of those relaxed shoppers. I also saw some of the herd at the party. The funny thing is that we looked so different from our running selves, that we were not readily recognizable. One of the Heffers, Betty, walked right past me and said she didn't recognize me with my hair down, and I didn't recognize her when she walked past me - she had just come from work. We're used to seeing each other in running garb, all sweaty and dusty.

Oh, by the way, AKA Alice puts on a really good party. :)

Tomorrow is the Carlsbad 5000. I'm still not able to participate. I was hoping I'd be able to at least walk it by now, but I'm not there yet. I will be attending since Hubs and my friend Rich will be running, plus the Herd, RU buddies, and track club friends. *sigh* I'll bring the big ass camera and take pics. This so sucks not being able to run this one since the timing is chipped, and it's a 5k. Next year I'll be all over this one.

Wednesday's Song:
It Amazes Me - Tony Bennett

PEACE

*I really need to get a roto-tiller.
**Bummer. I still broke out, but it was so good!

The World Ain't Slowin' Down

In case you haven't heard, we had a rockin' 'n' rollin' Easter. We were at my SIL's house for Easter Sunday dinner and just sitting around in a food coma, eating dessert when it felt like a big truck drove by the house. The house rattled, then we felt the floor, but it didn't stop, it just kept going. My SIL yelled for everyone to get out of the house, and I grabbed the kid and we stood under a doorway - no time to get out of the house. There was nothing out of place and no damage when the shaking was done, but only rattled nerves. No damage at my house, either, just a bunch of text and phone messages from out-of-state relatives making sure we were OK. A 7.2 magnitude earthquake is major, and it's amazing that the damages and injuries around the epicenter wasn't worse.

I'm still nursing the foot. One thing, though, when I had the first x-ray, it showed some hairline fractures in my pinky toe and the toe next to it. Those fractures are gone in the x-ray I posted last week. It's that middle part of my foot that's going to take some time. I've been using the bone stimulator faithfully, 20 minutes a day, every day. I hope it works as it says it will.

I hope this thing does help heal me 38% faster. At least my toenails look good. Hey, I have toenails! *

The added arch insert to the boot has helped some, but my ankle still isn't liking the boot. My ability to fall asleep is sort of messed up, even with the Darvocet. It takes me a good two hours to fall asleep, mostly because I feel my foot more at the end of the day, even after icing it.

The Carlsbad 5000 is this Sunday. I won't be able to even walk it, but it's just a 5k. Hubs and a friend are signed up for it, so I'll be going, anyway. Since I already paid for it I'm going to go pick up the swag and t-shirt. One of the PTs from RU might run for me, but that's if she decides to do so.

I've also signed up for the Nike Women's Half Marathon DRAWING. I signed up with AKA Alice and her group, so I HOPE I GET IN. I ran it in 2007 and have been trying to get back in since. If I don't get in I'll be looking at the San Jose Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon.

Speaking of races, the 2010 San Diego Rock 'n' Roll Marathon and Half Marathon have sold out. This is the first time ever that it has sold out, and I think adding the half marathon option boosted interest. I might not have a choice of switching to the half marathon. If that's the case, I'll plan on walk/running the marathon and toss the time goal out of the window, THEN look for a fall marathon to train for. I'm still wanting to get under 5 hours - and I'm so freekin' close to smashing that time goal. I get my foot smashed at Costco by a lady with a full shopping cart instead.** Stupid injuries. *sigh*

Once again, we're getting down to the wire with taxes. If certain things were different, we'd have them done already, but I won't go there right now. At least we have time to look for extra write-offs and deductions.

Finally, Easter weekend was a big one for the kid. Not only did the Easter Bunny visit, but the tooth fairy visited for the first time, too.


Saturday's Song:
That's the Breaks - George Strait - Running Circles Around Turtles

PEACE

*Last year I lost both my big toenails after a 16 mile run in April. They took about 10 months to grow back and another couple of months to finally look OK.

**Not only the lady with the cart, but add in the shoes I was wearing and running soon after that -- And Bryan thinks there's other bio-mechanical factors as well. It's never simple.

Start Me Up

...because I just can't get in gear.

Since we've been back from our trip I've been busy, but at the same time I feel as if I'm going in slow motion. I've been fending off a cold since I've returned. It never went into a full on cold, but it was enough to make me tired.

I'm back with the San Diego Track Club's Rockin' 'n' Runnin' marathon training program. I'm still not sure if I'll run the whole marathon, half marathon or relay. I'm going to wait a few weeks before deciding. I attended the first meeting last Saturday, (*yawn* it went a bit long, and I was not feeling up to par) and opted out of running that morning due to the residual cold symptoms. During that time I caught up with Cindi*, who is on a running hiatus for an injured foot. I did get to see several returning runners, as well as many new faces.

The track club has a mentoring program for the marathon training program, but this is the first year the mentors are distinguished by red hats or visors. I just happened to wear my red had that morning. Someone asked me a question about the mentoring program. Eeek! I'm not a mentor, but I knew what to tell the guy. My husband had his long-sleeved navy blue San Diego Track Club shirt on. A few newbies asked him quesitons, too. I guess he looked official.

Also, on Saturday, was the Jackie Bristow Memorial 5k run. This run was to remember my friend's daughters who died from complications of an eating disorder. I had planned to attend and participate in this 5k, but returning home from the trip a bit under the weather caused me to stay in town. It would have been a 2 & 1/2 hour drive north, which isn't that bad, but we would have stayed the night and made the most of the trip, perhaps visiting other friends from college. It was not to be, but I made a donation to the event instead. From all accounts, it sounds like they had a successful event. I felt sad not attending, but I promised my friend that we'd see each other this year.

This morning I was on the upswing and managed to show up for my first RU workout of the year. It wasn't difficult, yet it really got me going. My impending half marathon was discussed, and it's pretty unanimous that I won't be attempting any PRs, but to finish. I've only run 3 miles since returning from Mexico. I'm not opting out. I'll run it. It doesn't have to be pretty.

I also managed to take down the Christmas decorations today. I honestly wasn't planning to put up much of anything this year, perhaps the little fiber optic tree we bought at Target for $20 last year, but a certain 6 year old boy kept asking about the big tree and ALL the decorations, so I buckled under the pressure and put up the big tree. Now I just need someone to dig out the storage boxes so I can put everything away.

Loose Ends:

Several people asked about how safe we felt in Mexico, in light of certain events that recently took place while we were there. I actually never felt in danger while we were on our trip. Bad things can happen anywhere, not just in another country. Flight security was just as tight in Mexico as it is in the United States, in addition to walking past a scanner that checked body temperature. There was never a sense of unrest in the small cities/villages we had been to. We're already talking about a return trip in a couple of years.

I'm still waiting on my pictures. My husband copied my photos onto his laptop, then copied them to a flash drive as "read only." I could not change the "read only" option to upload them onto Blogger or Photobucket. He brought the laptop home to copy the photos onto our main computer, but he couldn't get that to work, either. Today he said he copied the photos to a disk and is bringing that home. I'm keeping my fingers crossed. Most of those photos are from the first half of our trip.

Waiting at the bus station in Queretaro. I've become good at waiting. I'm till waiting for my pictures!


Wednesday's Song:
Street Of Dreams - Frank Sinatra - Lala Ween World

PEACE
*who was equally bored and texed me a few times during the meeting.

Dancing In The Streets

...well, running in the streets.


7th Annual Shelter Island 5k

This event is one of those "must do" events. The race starts at the Shelter Island Holiday Inn and ends at Humphrey's By the Bay in the concert venue with a champagne brunch. It's very social and people are generally in a great mood. It's a flat route, mostly scenic, and can be competitive... or not -- Plenty of people opt to walk. It offers a champagne brunch alongside the bay, which is reason enough to get up very early on Sunday morning.

The thought of a champagne brunch was quite appealing to my friend Rich, who ran his first race with me, the Fire Run 4 Miler of August this year. He also talked his reluctant wife, Mayra, into joining us. This would be her first 5k. They also brought their very sleepy 2 year old daughter Alessandra.

Pre race photo op - Me, Rich, Mayra, and Ale in the stroller

Ale stretching with her mama

Me & the hubs

Ale and her daddy at brunch

It's amazing who you'll run into at some of these races! Blogger Glenn of Running Fat Guy drove down from Newport Beach for the event and, of course, any event with champagne, er, mimosas would not be complete with the day-glow green race shirts of Blogger AKA Alice of Heffer Blog and the Heffers. We also encountered several very happy* SDTC friends and members.

Glenn, Mik, AKA Alice, me & Michael

Here's the scoop:

I woke up at about 5:15 AM feeling tired. I slept, but it was anything but restful. My stomach also felt off and I was hopeful that I'd feel better after I had some coffee and a little something to eat.

Once we were at the event I felt just OK, but still not quite right. Even though I stretched and tried to warm up, my legs felt really heavy from the start. Yes, I was pushing harder than the day before, but I still felt like I my legs never warmed up for the entire race. I had no chutzpah to sprint in at the end. None. Nada. Zip. Regardless of the chutzpah-less finish, I still had a good, consistent pace and finished with a 27:59. I squeaked in under 28 minutes. One second under 28 minutes is peachy. Last year this 5k was my post-surgery comeback race, finishing at 33:30. What a difference a year makes!

The ironic thing is that the final race results match up to my GPS results, which never happens in a non-chipped race.

What my BiM GPS application recorded:
Activity: Run
Date: 11/08/09 07:58 AM
Distance: 3.15 miles
Time: 0:27:59
Speed: 6.8 mph
Pace: 8' 53 min/mile
Calories: 304

Actual race results:
403 IRENE M 208 50 6/53 F San Diego 27:59 9:01

After (sort of) a nap, I am feeling better. I think the lack of sleep really messed with me today. Next race - Silver Strand Half Marathon, November 15, 2009... next Sunday.

Yesterday's song:
Your Long Journey - Allison Krauss

PEACE

*Perhaps it was the champagne?

Come Together

Spreckles Organ Pavilion - Balboa Park

TIART

Runner's Lounge "Take It and Run Thursday" question:

"If you had the knowledge, time and/or means by which to Organize a race - what would your "Race Info" include?

Would you chose an organization to donate to? What distance would you choose? Other questions to ponder - Location? Time? Race Expo attendees (guest speakers?)? Shirt design? Get as creative as you want...!"

I am so into this!

My dream race would benefit the Arts in schools. It would be called "The Arts Run." The Arts are something I've been passionate about for years, even though it sometimes does not come across that way in my blog. The art of motherhood sort of took over, but I'm slowly making my way back. School programs in California have been cut to shreds, and the first things to go are always Art, Theater, Dance and Music programs.

Expo - I think I would skip the pre race expo part and leave the festivities for the day of the race, but have an optional race number pick-up on two separate days, plus the pick up on race day. This would include picking up the swag, t-shirt and timing chip. Yes, I said "timing chip."

Distance - I would offer a 1 mile kids walk/run, a 5k - 10K walk/run. Only the 5k and 10K distances would have the option of using the timing chip.

Crown Point

Location - I have three places that come to mind. Somewhere along Mission Bay in San Diego, perhaps an out and back that goes to Crown Point, with very little concrete involved. It's gotta be mostly asphalt. Concrete just slows me down and I end up more achey... OR the race would go somewhere relatively flat through Balboa Park, which would start and end somewhere near Spreckles Organ Pavilion. The third place is around the flat parts of Shelter Island, which makes for a delightful and scenic morning run.

Shelter Island

Time - probably around 7 or 8 AM.

Time of year - Fall or Spring.

T-shirt - The t-shirts would be that tech-y, dry wick fabric. The t-shirt would be designed through a student competition, and the winner would have their art work on the back, along with some of the sponsors logos below it. The front of the t would have "The Arts Run" in smaller print, somewhere on the upper left or right hand side. Posters of the artwork would be available for sale, and the proceeds would go to benefit the Arts in schools.

Swag - The bag would be one of those reusable cloth-like bags, made from recycled materials or a simple backpack. In the bag: Information about the Arts and places to go to get creative, some sort of electrolyte powder sample, lip balm, samples of sun screen, samples of unscented anti-perspirant/deodorant, flashlights, small packets of wet wipes, a small art pad with a few colored pencils/crayons/pens, coupons for stores that support the arts, like music stores, art supply stores, costume stores, dance stores, and, duh, running/sporting goods store coupons. I'd purposely leave out things like granola bars and candy type bars. Those always seem to end up smooshed or melted at the bottom of the swag bag.

Prizes - The usual protocol : Prizes go to winner(s) of the - race male and female, age group/gender/top three. Since this an Arts race, costumes will be encouraged - and prizes for the best costumes will win. There will also be a random drawing. The prizes would range from artwork, tickets to a theater/art show/performance, massages, restaurants, sporting goods stores, etc...

The race - The National Anthem would be sung live or played by a live band or musician, preferably a student (or students) in the Arts. Whitney Houston's version of the National Anthem is great, but it's time we have some of our local talent take charge of the song. Walkers would have different bib colors than the runners, and walkers would have to start at the back or at a different time. (Weaving between walkers at the beginning of a race is not fun!) Water/electrolytes at mile 2 for the 5k, and miles 2 and 4 for the 10K. Mile markers at every mile, and splits at the 2 mile and 4 mile points. Ipods and/or MP3 players encouraged. Several race photograhers would be throughout the course of the race. Port-o-Potties would be plentiful and have a water pump and/or hand sanitizer kiosk near by. I'd prefer an actual restroom, but on race day that can have quite the line.

Race Medals - Still thinking about this one. For the kids it would be great to have a finisher's medal, but for the adults I'm thinking something like jewelry, perhaps a pendant or key chain.

After the race - Champagne Brunch. All the best brunch foods you can think of made by the winning contestants of Top Chef. (Hey, this is my dream race!) It's gotta have champagne so we can have mimosas... There would be bands and/or musicians, people creating art, dancers, etc, a place for the young-uns to play/paint, color, etc... Since this is an out and back race, no shuttles are needed. My choice of locations all have ample parking available close to the start/finish area.

Guest speakers - I find that some events really don't need guest speakers, especially for smaller local runs, but we would need someone, a celebrity type who runs and appreciates the arts, to announce the winners, hand out the prizes, and say a few words about the Arts Run.

There's so much to think about. I'm sure I left out a ton of things I would like to have at a race, but I suppose it's a start. A dream race would have to include me winning my age group, but, perhaps that's asking for a bit much...

Monday's song:
Mixed Emotions - The Rolling Stones

PEACE

Generous Return

I


HAVE


DOMS


*ouch*

My usual PT is back from vacation and was feeling extra generous on Monday. He gave me three sets of my workout instead of the usual two, plus he upped some of the weights. Even the PT assistant was surprised with the extra set. I pounded it out, but I was quite drenched and quite exhausted when I was done.

Today's run looked like this:

Activity: Run
Date: 07/14/09 10:07 AM
Distance: 2.18 miles
Time: 0:25:42
Speed: 5.1 mph
Pace: 11' 47 min/mile
Calories: 212

Let's call this a recovery run, shall we?

Instead of going to the gym for HIIT*, I did a recovery run in the neighborhood instead. I really wanted to go out longer because my mind needs it, but since I'm so sore I just took it really easy. No powering up those hills. There was no need to. I couldn't have powered up those hills if I tried.

For those of you who asked, this is a part of Tidelands Park, Cornado, CA. This is where the track club sometimes meets for long runs. Take notice of the sidewalk on the lower right side of the photo. I didn't have any good pictures of my own of Tidelands Park. I found this one doing a google search, but if you really want to, you can check here for more information and pictures about Coronado.

Here's me running on that sidewalk I mentioned. It was the 5k on the 4th of July, 2009...

Saturday's song:
Any Road - George Harrison

PEACE


*High Intensity Interval Training

Always Asking Questions

Activity: Run
Date: 07/07/09 10:30 AM
Distance: 3.12 miles
Time: 0:32:00
Speed: 5.9 mph
Pace: 10' 15 min/mile
Calories: 304

HIIT on the gym treadmill per B's written instructions. I managed to hit the gym when it wasn't so busy, so I was able to use a treadmill right in front of a mirror. The mirror really helps. I also fit in some sort of version of the workout he had written up for me. I fit in a couple sets of lunge and squat matrixes, squat and lunge reaches, and push-ups between loads of laundry. I've decided to make Tuesday an overlap day, where I do a workout and run.



A question for all you runners:

When racing and trying to improve upon each race event, do you go for an over all PR, as in lifetime PR, or do you attempt a PR for your current age group?

I'm trying to decide if it's worth it for me to attempt to get an overall PR (personal record) a 5k race. The last time I PRed in that event was in 2003 at 25:45. I know that's not the speediest time, not even for my age group, 50-54, there's some ridiculously fast women in my age group, but considering all my issues I wonder if it's something to pursue. I don't know how realistic this is. I just want to see what I could do with a 5k distance at this point, especially while building back up to a half marathon race pace for this fall and winter. As for the half marathon distance, I wasn't that fast to begin with, so I know I can PR there. When I began marathon training, the 5k distance took a back seat, and I used it as a recovery run, without any major expectations. Perhaps I should start putting a few expectations back into my runs. The past 7 months have been all about rehabbing enough to finish a marathon with no specific time goal. I did that. Yes, I was satisfied, but it was more of an unfinished business thing. Yes, I truly was happy for the rebound marathon, but it was not a "woohoo!" kind of thing. I'd like to get the "woohoo!" component back into my races.

Yesterday's song:
Hit Me With Your Best Shot - Pat Benatar - Miss Rachel

PEACE

Independence Day

Activity: Run
Date: 07/04/09 07:35 AM
Distance: 3.06 miles
Time: 0:29:11
Speed: 6.3 mph
Pace: 9' 32 min/mile
Calories: 293



Out of the tens and under 30!

We ran in the Annual Coronado Independence Day 5k/15K this morning. My main objective was just to get parking, since the island can become rather congested quickly with 4th of July beach-goers, parade watchers, and runners for the 5k and 15k events.

I had no real race strategy until I was actually running. Sure, the mind always wants to go faster than the last race, but I knew how crummy my last run was, and I just wanted to keep an even pace and have some speed for the sprint at the end without wanting to throw up. Mission accomplished. Here's my splits per BiM:

Mile 1 9' 26
Mile 2 9' 28
Mile 3 9' 45
end 7' 46

I didn't think I could get out of the 10 m/m pace so quickly after my last 5k just barely a month ago, especially when adhering to the 10% rule, to never go faster than 10% until you're ready to. I'm surprised.

I quickly checked my stats before we left and my time at that point was 29:17. Official results will be posted later today.

We also saw a lot of track club members, but we didn't remember to bring out the camera until we were leaving and saw Marisan right after she finished her 15K:



...and she took a picture of us:



Michael had a good run, too. He finished around 32:30, and he wasn't expecting that, either. His last 5k was around 34 minutes.

Thursday's song:
The Best Is Yet To Come - Frank Sinatra - Katiefeldmom

PEACE

EDIT
RACE RESULTS
468 IRENE M 2543 50 6/51 F San Diego CA 29:18 9:26

I guess being in a new age group has advantages. I placed 6th in my age group!

Lucky Number

Yesterday

Activity: Run - Treadmill
Date: 06/30/09 11:00 AM
Distance: 3.33 miles
Time: 0:35:00
Speed: 5.7 mph
Pace: 10' 30 min/mile
Calories: 332

I tried to get on a treadmill in front of a mirror, but there weren't any available, and it was really hard to see my form around the guy on the treadmill in front of me. When he did get off, I could at least see my shoulders in the mirror for a few minutes, but it was soon occupied by another guy, and much larger. Being on the gym treadmill is the only time I can really check my form because I can usually be right in front of a mirror while running, but there's only 6 treadmills right in front of the mirror, and they were all occupied today. The treadmill that I did use is different, and the cool down is programed for 5 minutes instead of 2, so my average pace reads much lower, factoring in the 5 minutes cool down.


Today's workout

RU
Two sets each of:
*lunge matrix with a 12# ball - 6 sets, two different lifts, overhead and side
*bowler squats with a Glide, using one 10# dumbbell
*step-ups with a jump onto an 18" box X 15
*two footed jump squat onto an 18" soft form X 12
*one footed jump down from a 12" soft form X 6
*Burpees X 10
*Jump Matrix X 5
*200 yards run

*stretching
*ice

I asked B about my proposed workout schedule, telling him that it reads as 8 days, and it sort of threw him. He was perplexed as to why I would think that, but it was the wording. It really does read as 8 days. He just didn't hash out the finer details in writing. Essentially, I'm working out and/or running a total of 6 days, with one rest day. He wants me to shoot for 4 days of running, which could be hills, intervals, my long slow distance run, or tempo runs. One day I would have to double up the a run and a strength workout, then I have 2 days at RU. I know how the workout schedules pan out. I've been doing the workout thing for the long haul, so it's not as if I couldn't figure things out on my own, but when you're going to someone for guidance, you kind of need to have the finer details. After a while it was just kind of funny.

Any way...

I picked up my race number and goody bag for the 5k run on the 4th of July:

Bonus points for the goody bag. It's one of those cloth-like, reusable shopping tote bags. I hope this is a trend that will stick around.

Monday's song:
Days Of The Week - Stone Temple Pilots

PEACE

Kumbaya

A three part blog post

Part 1

Activity: Run
Date: 06/07/09 08:12 AM
Distance: 3.13 miles
Time: 0:31:25
Speed: 6.0 mph
Pace: 10' 02 min/mile
Calories: 299



Yesterday was the AFLAC Iron Girl 5k/10K event. I did the 5k. The above stats are just an estimate based on my GPS, as official results haven't been posted yet. This was a chipped event, so my time might be either higher or lower than what my GPS shows.

FINAL RESULTS
2842 Irene M F4549 335 27/157 335 31:11 10:02

My morning started early, at 5 AM, however the early morning hour is getting to be the norm, and I find my self waking up early without an alarm clock. I donned my neon green t shirt, the one from my second marathon, which sort of matches the neon green of the Heffers race day shirts. I didn't want to mess with the Heffer's Chi, Karma, color coordination, fashion sense, or something, since I was getting a ride up to the event with AKA Alice and some of the herd. Besides, the color made it easy to find everyone.

I'm soooooooooo glad I opted for the 5k. I just wasn't ready for the 10K, even though I found a few track club members there who were in the 10K who also ran the marathon last week. The race began near the Del Mar race track, on the fair grounds midway, and finished right on the race track. It was weird running on the race track because we were running on the poly-crap. (Yes, that's the proper technical term, as used by AKA Alice). It's basically recycled carpet ground up and spread on the race track, making it softer for the horses, however, more difficult for people to run on. I understand that this year the poly-crap was flattened a little, making the surface a little easier for the runners, but it was still weird. This was one of those runs where I wished they had starting corrals because, for some odd reason, there were a lot of walkers who began their walk right in front of the start line. There was plenty of going slower than I needed to at the start, just because I couldn't get around some of the walkers. I really wasn't going for speed, but still, it's a chipped event if you're running, meaning there are plenty of people running for a time goal. I saw a few track club members on the 5K run, and it was fun watching everyone race in to the finish the 10K.

The goodies at the end of the race were pretty decent. They offered a nice tech t-shirt, a finisher's medal, a bagged breakfast (which I brought home only for my grandson to scarf it down), a stuffed AFLAC duck that says "AFLAC!" three times when you squeeze it, plus the usual stuff you get in race goody bags, like lip balm and sample sized Luna bars.

I also went to breakfast at the High Dive in my neighborhood with the AKA Alice and the herd. After a couple of mimosas we were rather relaxed and happy. Kumbaya.

Mik, Kat, Me, Betty, AKA Alice

Check out AKA Alice's blog for more pictures and detailed explanations. I left my camera in the car during the race.

Part 2

Last night we had a few of friends over to help celebrate my birthday. This year my birthday is on a Tuesday, a work day, and I honestly didn't want a big deal party. It has absolutely nothing to do with turning 50, as the age thing has never been an issue, it has more to do with the past year I've had, which pretty much ripped up and rearranged everything I do and believe in. Some of the stuff I've blogged about, such as the injury, all the other stuff is off limits. It's amazing that I never needed Prozac. I'm ready to put the past year behind me in a subdued way. Our friend Sam played his guitar for me, well all of us - we were all sitting around a back yard table. Sam played several classic Spanish songs (just beautiful), and since our friend's little girl was there, he played some songs for her, like "Itsy Bitys Spider." (So cute!) The gathering was simple and far from over the top, but that's what I wanted. I'm still not sure what I'll be doing tomorrow. The office birthday celebration is on Wednesday, but there's three of us with June birthdays, it's going to be anything but low key. My office can get a little goofy and loud. It's all good.

Part 3

Today was sports rehab with a twist because it's technically not rehab any more, but we're still working out the kinks from after the marathon, and that's where the rehab part still applies. I worked on the piriformis muscles and hips with a lot of foam roller, a lot of stretching, then the weights with deep lunges, pylometrics, and running. Lather, rinse, repeat.

My brother called me this morning (and yesterday) because he won a second place medal in a 10K he did somewhere in Northern California. I don't remember what his time was, something ridiculously fast. He always calls me after a race, which he did yesterday as we were leaving the AFLAC race venue, just to say he finished and that he might have PRed. He called up this morning all excited that he placed second in his age group, and got a medal. My brother is 53 and there's some hella fast guys in his age group. No one is slowing down, even with age, so there's plenty of competition. He always comes in 4th place in smaller races, just by seconds. I'll post his results once they show up on Athlinks.

Thursday's song:
Rollin' With My Homies - Coolio - Katiefeldmom

PEACE

I've just realized... I linked AKA Alice's blog 8 times...