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

We Found Love

Half Marathon #18 is in the books


The Inaugural San Diego Half Marathon on March 11, 2012 just kind of crept up on me.  There wasn't a lot of planning involved for me, mostly because I already had a few half marathons scheduled and this would be one more.  What's another half marathon?  


In my last post I had mentioned something about pulling a muscle in my right leg. It turned out to be an IT band issue. WTF? I did not run in the Sue Krenn 15k scheduled for March 3.  A simple 2 mile jog to the water station where I volunteered at was difficult.  With all of the injuries I've sustained over the past few years, I have become a bit cautious, but I did not think this soreness warranted a trip to the doctor's office. I did have a couple of visits scheduled with my PT for training, and I'd figure he'd help me out.


The Friday before the half marathon I was still feeling rather sore. I was worried that I'd have to skip out on the INAUGURAL San Diego Half Marathon or walk most of it.  I had a session with my PT scheduled for that morning, but I worked with an assistant.  At the end of my session, my PT said he would do some assisted stretches.  Little did I know that, after the stretches, he would pull a chiropractic type of maneuver and pop my my hip.  Suddenly, birds were chirping, the sun was shining, the angels sang, and I felt like skipping.  He said it looked like my leg was jammed up into my hip.  I felt so much relief, but I was still sore from being out of place for two weeks.  I even made a special trip to Road Runner Sports for CWX compression capris to wear on race day, just in case


Saturday afternoon is when Hubs and I went down to Petco Park to retrieve our bib numbers and swag.

The race expo was pretty uneventful, but that's probably a good thing.  No cluster f***.  The only difficulty I had was waking to Petco Park from where we parked, and I was still feeling sore, but far from being in pain.  I was a tad bit concerned, but I wasn't exactly wearing comfy shoes since I went from work to the expo.


Kind of to the last minute, my sister and  brother in law called and said they'd be in town and wanted us to rendezvous with them in the hot tub at their hotel that same night.  I almost said no, but the idea of a hot tub to relax my muscles sounded pretty good, even though we'd get home late. I think the hot tub helped.


Sunday morning Hubs and I got up at the crack of dark, even though there was a time change, it's still dark at 4:30 am.  For whatever reason I could not figure out what shirt to wear.  I only have what seems like a zillion tech shirts.  I even had running garb pre planned and laid out, but my thoughts were fuzzy at 4:30 am.  I finally settled on a lightweight , long sleeved tech shirt. From races past we've learned that it's good to have our son drop us off  the race site to avoid parking issues and crowds.  We could have driven ourselves and parked on the street.  There were no huge crowds or chaos.  

We saw several track club friends as we walked to Petco Park, but still no cluster f***.  The pre-race vibe was very chill and happy.  Port-o-Potty lines were VERY short.  We were able to use the restrooms inside Petco Park as well.  Gear check was a breeze.  Event photographers were everywhere.  There was a pretty good contingent of us from the track club, and most of us waited for the race to start together.  Even though we had assigned waves, we all started in wave 5.  The race started right outside of Petco Park.  I set my music and started my iSmoothRun app, and I was off.  It was really cool to start a race with so many people I knew.  

The route was mostly scenic.   Click HERE to see highlights of the route.  This is why I love being a runner in San Diego.

I ran the first 6 miles with track club friend Kate.  This was purely a fluke, but we paced each other for those 6 miles, which was nice. We even have a couple of cheesy race photos together. I'm buying those.  Somewhere after mile 6, Kate must have really warmed up, and she went way ahead.   I kept my pace because of my IT band issue, but it didn't bother me until the end of the race.  


Before the race everyone was anticipating the hill on Washington St, which comes at around mile 9.  It was slow going for me on that hill, but I kept running form.  I only walked a bit just prior to that hill, right after the Gu and water station, there was a much steeper, but shorter hill - about a block long. 


The last three miles of the race were mostly downhill, past Balboa Park on 6th Ave.  It was nice taking the down hill on 6th, making that home stretch feel somewhat victorious.


As we turned the corner into Petco Park, and went through a tunnel, we found ourselves in the outfield behind third base, with about 200 meters to the finish line, near home plate.  

I was able to bring it for the last 200 meters and sprinted in.  I'm not sure if that made a difference, but it felt good to shift gears at the end.  My offcial race time was 2:24:11, which is not bad, especially since I was allowing myself time for the cranky IT band.  I was figuring 2:30 to 2:40.  The IT band was done and I was a little limpy. A volunteer asked me if I was OK and needed assistance, but I really was fine.  I guess I still tilt.  I was so consumed with trying to shut off the iSmoothRun app that I almost forgot about the medal.  Something really cool, that I didn't expect, was that we received our medals from representatives of the military.  I will never forget having my medal placed around my neck by a Marine.

It was pretty cool to walk on the field at Petco Park.

Post race I began to see friends.  The mood was pure happiness, and it was easy to move about the finish area.  Track club friend Kelly finished just mere seconds behind me, and we made our way to the food are, as we chatted about this race and future races. As we went back into halls of the ball park, we were greeted by the sweet aroma of freshly cut oranges.

These were the best oranges ever! Hubs thinks these were blood oranges.

After grabbing some sustenance, Kelly and I were greeted by another track club friend, Doreen, who was waiting to take photos of track club members as they walked by. 

Photo op with Kelly on the banana phone.  I'm not sure what I was laughing about, but all's I know is how happy I was.

Doreen, unofficial track club photographer.  Doreen took third in her age group!

Since Hubs had not come through yet, I just parked myself next to Doreen and watch everyone come in. Finally, Hubs is done!

Hubs!

After a quick visit to gear check, we grabbed a couple of beers and went into park to enjoy watching the final finishers, get some sun, hear what Meb had to say, and and listen to the band Lifehouse.

I would grade the San Diego Half Marathon an "A".  It was one of the most organized races I've ever participated in.  I think the fact that there were just under 6000 runners participating (not 40,000, like Las Vegas) made the race a lot more fun, and everything seemed so efficient.  Everything flowed. Everything was well thought out. The course was great and there was plenty of water and electrolyte, and well briefed and informed volunteers. In the swag bag they even put a small baggie with pins for the bib and a card that reminded us of the time change.  The medal is weighty and detailed.  This medal is now one of my favorites:

Ever since the the Las Vegas Rock 'n' Roll half marathon, I just haven't been feeling all that great about running.  Running has been a struggle.  Yes, some days have been good, but not "woo-hoo" great.  My paces have slowed and I haven't been finding the joy that running gives me, that is, until this race.  I found my love of running again.  I hope it sticks.



Song from Wednesday, February 29, 2012:
One Moment in Time - Whitney Houston

PEACE

Most of the above photos are not mine.  Props to Doreen, The San Diego Half Marathon Facebook page and from Howard Lipin - San Diego UT.  

Ready To Start

The New(er) Job
What a difference.  It's kind of like I went on a job diet.  I have the same type of job with 50% less BS.  No job is 100% BS free, but I've got a feeling everything IS going to be OK. I feel lighter already.

The Hubs
We celebrated Hubs birthday on Thursday. It was a kick-back occasion with a couple of friends and our immediate family. One of the highlights was this sweatshirt:

A sweatshirt from his SDSU daughter

The Running
I've been sort of bad about attending the track club's Tuesday night track workout, but I attended last Tuesday.  We did 800's with a 400m recovery.  It would have been killer IF I had pushed myself harder, but I'm trying not to get hurt.  This, too, shall pass.  It's not the fear of injury, it's that I've decided to take a more conservative approach (this year) and build up gradually.

I also ran with the track club on Saturday, at the La Jolla Shores "Low Tide" run.

 Pre run C-C-C-C-C-C-COLD!  Michelle and I were thinking warm thoughts.

I love the beach and the idea of running right on the beach sounds sort of romantic - with the sight and sound of the waves crashing along the shore, the crisp ocean air after a rainstorm the night before, and the sight of a few hundred runners running on the beach...

...BUT I'm not a big fan of actually running on the beach only because I end up feeling more beat up than when I run on a paved road.  The unevenness of the sand always leaves me feeling awkward.  There's also a segment of the run where we have to slowly trek over a few huge mounds of rocks, and I almost always seem to tweak a muscle or tendon while making my way over those rocks.  I often run at the beaches (here in the San Diego area) on the paved walkway that goes along the most of the beaches.

As I was saying, I ran with the track club on Saturday.  This run goes from La Jolla Shores, up to Del Mar then comes back to La Jolla via Torrey Pines and the infamous hill.  Since I'm not training for a marathon,  I ditched the run up to Del Mar, and trekked directly up the hill after the jaunt on the beach.  As slow as I was going, I was still in running formation, meaning: I wasn't walking.  I kept running posture the entire time, up hill, the little engine who could.  I believe this was the first time I've ever run up that particular hill without stopping or walking. 

Notice the elevation gain???

I'm glad this hill was a part of the run this week, just so I could wrap my mind around the idea of running up this hill halfway into the half marathon on April 17, 2011. Now that I've made it up (and down) that hill, I think I'm (mentally) ready.

Post run with hubs. By the way, it was COLD.   I had three layers on for this photo op.  Yeah, I'll admit to being a weather wuss.

There's a saying I've heard actor Will Smith use:  "If you stay ready, you ain't gotta get ready."  Those are great words to live by, especially when it comes to running.  To be half marathon ready for months on end is a good thing.

I'm ready.

It feels good to say that.

Last Sunday's Song:
How Far We've Come - Matchbox Twenty

PEACE

How Far We've Come

The El Cajon 20k Race Report or How Irene Got Her Groove Back

I must admit to some ambivalence after I agreed to participate in the track club's El Cajon 20k race, but I knew it would be a good half marathon training run since it's almost half marathon distance, complete with some kick-ass hills. This was also the same day as the train run, which is one of my favorite runs because we take the train* 16 miles up the coast and run back along the coast and a few of the coastal towns along the way. I love running along the coast. The El Cajon 20K is inland, which is usually a good 10 degrees (or more) warmer than it is on the coast.  I've never run this race before, but EVERYONE kept talking about the hills.  In the few days leading up to the race, I was concerned about the weather.  It was warm in my 'hood, which is by the coast, so I could only imagine the warmth in El Cajon.  I was not looking forward to running an almost half marathon with hills and heat. 

Race day comes and it's rather overcast and a little humid.  It's not cold out, but far from hot.  It actually drizzled a little when we arrived at the race venue, at Granite Hills High School.  This isn't a big race, perhaps about 200 people.  A lot of the people I normally run with were at the train run.  After the usual formalities it was soon time to race, and I wasn't ready.  Waking up at 4:30 AM didn't help.  I felt tired.  Since the air was on the humid side, a bit of asthma kicked in, and I needed to get a forced breathing pattern down right away.

Into the first couple of miles we all noticed plenty of road kill and eau de skunk in a few areas.  We also encountered a dead snake on one of the uphill climbs. As with most races, it started out with everyone running somewhat clumped together until we arrived at the first steep hill, then the clumps of people thinned out. Several people walked up the steeper hills.  People who were well ahead of me were soon behind me and never passed me afterward, which surprised me.  At times I was running alone.  As slow as I was going up those steep hills, I was still running.  I was still moving. 

I have not much to say about the route, other than it was hilly, but we did run through some beautiful areas along the lush countryside, past some huge custom homes with horses, and (of course) rocky hills.  This race was not on a closed route, and we all had to be mindful of bike riders and car traffic. What goes up must come down.  The thing about running up hill is that there's a little relief coming down.  The last 3 to 4 miles were mostly at a slight downhill, and I was able to make up some time, and was able to pull out whatever I had left in me to jam to the finish line.  

Notice the elevation gain?

Those kick-ass hills kicked my ass.  My hamstrings and glutes were screaming when I was done.  It was hard to stretch, but I managed a little stretching without falling over or screaming.  After grabbing the usual post race muffin and banana, I walked around the high school a bit just to keep my legs and butt from locking up or cramping.  I also chatted with a few track club members and met a few new people.  Hubs ran this race too, and wasn't that far behind me.

Soon after hubs finished his run, the race coordinators began announcing the over all winners and age group winners.  I though I might have a chance at something this year due to the fact that everyone who usually wins my age group were probably at the train run.

I WON THIRD IN MY AGE GROUP!

 Me and my prize for  3rd in my AG.   I actually had a choice between socks, running shorts, t shirt, coffee mug and beer glass with the track club insignia.  Of course I selected the beer glass.  I have my priorities! Cheers!

For all I know there were probably 3 women in my age group.  It doesn't matter because I showed up and I took on those kick-ass hills.  You can't win if you don't show up.  Oh, wait, I take that back. *cough*  This time I earned my prize.  Everyone who ran this race deserved some sort of prize because it truly was not an easy course. 

According to Lucy** moving time was 02:15:30 and elapsed Time was 02:16:19. I'm still waiting on the official time, but it was in the 2:16 range. This race did not use timing chips or D tags.  Posted race results are pending.

EDIT

Final results 70 IRENE M  33 51  3/6  F 2:16:19 10:59

Tuesday's Song:
No Scrubs - TLC - Run-DMZ

PEACE

*What's not to love? You get to take a train ride with friends and run along the Southern California coast. 
**My Garmin.

Love Roller Coaster

Life has been one behemoth roller coaster, and this post is full of chiche's.

LAST WEEK

The Job 
In a nutshell, it's not all it's cracked up to be. 

Running
Running is my safety net.  It's amazing how great I feel after a run, even if I run around Fiesta Island, which is considered one of the least desirable routes to run, since it's mostly flat, either dusty or muddy and not much in the way of vegetation, even though it's at Mission Bay Park. After running a loop around Fiesta Island last Sunday, I felt rejuvenated and clear minded.  I think I save myself some big bucks and travel time by running instead of seeing a psychiatrist.

Last Week's Three Day Weekend
It sure didn't feel like a long weekend. I was looking forward to that extra day off, but I'm kind of wondering where all the time went.  So much for feeling rested!

THIS WEEK

Saying Good-bye
I found out, through Facebook of all places, that one of my childhood friends, Michelle, died. We were probably about 8 or 9 years old when she moved into the pink house across the street. She lived there for only two years, but we were inseparable.   I loved her long and flowing blond hair, that parents let her have puppies and kittens, and that she had an older brother and sister who were way cool and popular -- at least in my eyes.  She was equally envious that my parents let me join Brownies, that I had a stay-at-home mom, and that I had a little sister who we could play dress up with.  We were even a few days apart with our birthdays. We wrote letters to each other for years, and then the internet in recent years. She came back to California a few times and each time we got together. We've been through Barbies, roller skating in the driveway, wearing our first high heels, first kisses, favorite music, school happenings, boyfriends, college, jobs, marriage, children and grandchildren, even though a lot of it was in written letter form. Over the past year I found out that she was dealing with liver disease. This disease had nothing to do with lifestyle, but the doctors figured she contracted some sort of virus that happened to attack her liver. She was on a list for transplants, but she lost her battle on February 14, 2011. I found out about her death last Sunday, and felt horrible that I missed any of the services or memorials. I would have dropped everything and flown out to Oklahoma to attend. I posted an excerpt from a song called "Seasons in the Sun" on Facebook, sort of to remember her, even though the song is about wanting to die. It's a little bit cheesy of a song, but at age 13 or 14 we were really into it.  She liked that song just because her name was in it, but we were young teens when that song came out and had little clue to what the song really meant, even though the lyrics are rather plain. I will miss her terribly.

Michelle ~ June 5,1959 ~ February 14, 2011

Work
I gave my two week notice at work.  Yep.  I'm skydiving without a parachute, walking the high wire without a safety net, and  running with scissors.  My husband is freaking out over my decision, but I've been battling illness, a lot of unhealthy weight loss and tremendous stress since November, and it hasn't been what I call a good time.  It's not that the job is that hard, it's just that the way the office is managed is not very methodical.  There isn't the flow that it once had.  They've been through three four staff members since May 2010. No matter who they hire after me, the new person will not work out unless they fix their internal problems. There's a lot of "don't do as I do, do as I say."  I will miss working with my patients, though. I do have other "irons in the fire." I don't want to say anything about the other irons just yet.   I must admit that Michelle's death put a lot into perspective for me, and that life really is too short to be miserable.  I'm ready to turn over a new leaf.

Running
This morning it was raining.  A lot.  Staying in bed felt so good.  After a bit of coaxing, Hubs talked me into going to the track club run in Coronado.  Time was running out.  We hurried ourselves since we were behind schedule and made it out to Tidelands Park to meet up with the track club.  We made there, but missed any  of the warm up or stretching.  It wasn't raining hard, but it was raining enough.  If I were alone I would have run 3 miles and called it a day, but I saw friends who I had not seen in a long time, and  friends who I enjoy seeing every week.  I ran some of the miles with AKA Alice, which was nice because the conversation kept my mind off of how cold and wet it was. 

Running out to Silver Strand was OK, it was the return that was a little rough for most of us. The wind picked up and the sting of the rain was a somewhat brutal. I was wet, cold, my bones hurt, my hips were sore  and I just could not speed up to keep up with AKA Alice, who became a bright yellow spot on the horizon ahead of me.  I brought a change of clothing, but I was so cold that it took hours to warm up after returning home.

Finishing up.  I promise.
My next week is all about finishing up at work.  I don't want to leave behind the legacy of undone paper work that I inherited when I started, which was from two employees ago, and I'm glad to say that most of it IS in order. 

I had a job interview on Friday.  Whatever happens, happens.

Song From Sunday, February 13, 2011: 
Come On Eileen - Dexy's Midnight Runners - Run-DMZ


PEACE

Can't Find My Mind

For everything I know, there's always something new to learn.  Such is life, right?  Just about everything I knew has changed.  I haven't been out of the loop all that long, but time and technology marches on, and a lot of the changes were made over the past three years.  Then there's the thing about having to remember everything I did know that still applies now.  My brain is on overload, and I haven't even begun to study for the certification tests. 

Today was the first day of the track club's Rockin' 'n' Runnin' program.  I'm perfectly fine being in the "C" group, which is the 9:30 m/m people and SLOWER.  Each year our groups (A, B and C) are named after Rock groups.  Last year "C" group was the Kinks. (I think)  The year before that we were Air Supply (which most of us were insulted by).  This year  "A" group is Tears For Fears,  "B" group is Kiss and "C" group is The Cramps.  Perfect.  Love it.  I'm proud to be a "C" grouper.  Turns out one of The Cramps songs is on my running play list, "Bikini Girls With Machine Guns."




The run wasn't anything to write home about.  Really.  I probably should have run with the B group (7:30m/m to 9m/m) only because they ran longer, about 6 to 8  miles.  Our group ran only 2.5 miles around the track, and that included the warm up run.  It took that brief run to start feeling like I had my groove, and it wasn't difficult.  The shins were a little twingey, but not bad. There's always tomorrow. I have a half marathon in a couple of weeks. This one month taper was a bit too long... 

Oh, yeah, the Garmin wasn't working.  Yes, it showed the time, but when I decided to hit the start button it went blank.  It turns out that it was hooked up to the charger, but not plugged in.  Go me.  Coach Paul shouted out times as we ran by, so I probably ran about a 9:45 m/m average, just cruising and chatting with a few of my fellow track club members.

In other news, my Keurig started doing things I didn't want it to do, such as making my cup runneth over, or not filling it at all.  After chatting with a lady in customer service*, they're sending me a new unit. No charge.  Sort of.  I have to send them the k-cup holder from inside the unit and an authorization number to receive full credit.  No biggie.  Postage is cheap.

I guess this is one of those instances where it was good to REGISTER my appliance.  Most people don't take the time to register their small appliances.  Oh, and Keurig's customer service person was easy to work with.  This was just an FYI, in case you run into this same issue, provided you own one of these or know someone who does.


Song from Saturday, January 1, 2011:
Good Riddance -Green Day - Katiefeldmom

PEACE

*...AND taking it apart per her instructions ala McGuyver, poking around a few "ports" with a paper clip, then turning it back on, only to find that it didn't heat the water and still overfilled my cup.

Nothin' But A Good Time

Another half marathon in the books.

If you've ever run in a Rock 'n' Roll series event, the expos are pretty much all the same. This year we arrived on Saturday instead of Friday, and other than the t-shirt, the swag wasn't that great. Friday swag is usually better than it is on Saturday. Of course, I wasn't there for the swag or to cruise the expo, which was inconveniently moved from last year's location of Mandalay Bay to The Sands. This new location made for an unnecessary trek up Las Vegas Strip to retrieve our race numbers. We wasted a lot of time getting from point A to point B, especially since we had no direct transportation and did not want to use a taxi just to get to the expo since we were trying to watch our expenses. So much for resting up before the run.

We didn't get any exciting or blog-worthy photos of the expo or of our carb load dinner with a few of the RU group. A few of us dined at Chin-Chin (Asian) located in New York, New York.

Race day. A 4:30 wake up was on the agenda. Luckily we had the foresight to purchase a couple of coffees from Starbucks the night before and put them on ice to have with breakfast (biscotti) the next morning. Iced soy latte actually tastes great. 5:30 am rolls around and we're just a tad late meeting the Rehab United group for the warm up and stretch, but we were there just in time to get in something before heading out to gear check.

The Rehab United Run Fit group.  I forgot my mustache.

Waiting at the start. Cher sang the national anthem. We could hear her but never saw her.

Me & Hubs. I'm not much of a beer drinker, but after running it was pretty good. Hubs came in at 2:38, a PR, finally under 2:40.

My shins and ankle were a little sore for the race, and I really started feeling those sore spots at about mile 7, and that's where I slowed down. My official half marathon personal record time is 2:13:11, and my unofficial half marathon time is about 2:02, which was a training run, just months before the broken femur back in 2008. I knew I would come nowhere close to those times. I just wanted to do better than last year's time of 2:29 and change, and I did. I'm satisfied with 2:25, considering the broken foot and shin splints this year.

One bonus to this years run is that it wasn't freezing.  Early morning temps were probably in the mid 40s, and probably rose to the mid 50s by the time we finished running.  It was perfect running weather.  By the time the concert started, I'd venture to guess that it was about 60.  Last year the cold kept people from staying in the post-run concert area.  This year it was packed, but it could have been that Brett Michael's Band was the featured band.

The hat. 

Brett getting the crowd going.  This guy just doesn't stop.

Can  you say "animated?"  We got a kick out of watching this guitar player. 

Even with the thousands of people at the post race area, we did not see anyone we knew from our group or otherwise, even though they were all there, somewhere.

One advantage to attending the expo is that we picked up red rubber wristbands, which gave us free admission to XS, a club located at The Wynn hotel. This club was pretty swanky.

Part of the deal was free drinks from 7pm to 8 pm. After that, the prices skyrocketed.

During the race I kept looking for Dawn. Last year I found her on the marathon course around mile 6 as I was running.  This year I never saw her, and kept thinking I'd see her at the post race concert, but never did.  While Hubs and I were hanging around at XS, talking to Tobie (who we just met -she ran the marathon), Dawn walks right in front of us. 

Dawn, me, Tobie.

Hmmmm... Extra hands? Dawn?  LOL.

Michael bustin' a move with Tobie and Dawn.

Hubs making friends...

After a few hours at XS, we were done.  We never saw any one from RU, even though they said they were there, but we did bump into a few running buddies from the San Diego Track club.  For some odd reason there are no pictures of our track club friends.  I only had a couple of drinks, but I was done.  I think the lack of sleep contributed to my "tipsy" state. Wearing 4" heels didn't help matters, either.

When it was all said and done, we had a pretty good time, even though we spent the entire time in Las Vegas on very little sleep.  By Monday morning I was ready to go home.

Yeah, I was done.

I'll be taking a running hiatus for the next two to three weeks, but I'll be doing a lot of hill walking.  I'll start up again after the hiatus because the Carlsbad half marathon is in January.  No rest for the weary.

Yesterday's Song:
Mystery Achievement - The Pretenders

PEACE

Rush Hour

Hubs and I volunteered again for the America's Finest City Half Marathon water and electrolyte station #1. I brought my camera, but only two pictures turned out as they were supposed to. All the other still shots were videos -- All but one video turned out odd. A still shot doesn't translate well on video. Everyone is just standing there, posing, with background noise.

We trekked to Point Loma, right near mile 4 of the half marathon course, helped to set up water and electrolyte tables and waited for the masses to run through. I was able to catch up with some of my friends who did not run in the summer program.

Patricia, Jesu, Michelle, Me.  It's August and we're wearing jackets and long sleeves!

We were set up, and then we waited...

Hubs waiting for the hoards of runners.

One of the main sponsors of this event set out a sound system and had some pumping tunes for us as well as the runners. I still have "Humpty Dance" in my head.

It wasn't long until the front runners ran by so effortlessly and gazelle like. Seriously. Poetry in motion. None of these runners took water or electrolyte drinks. Then the mayhem began. Hoards of runners began running through and soon water and electrolyte drinks were everywhere, but our group of volunteers kept on top of it. Before we knew it, the hoards were through, and the back of the packers trickled in, then the lag wagon and police. Rush hour was over, the clean-up went like clockwork, and we were finished.

Hubs and I went through a fast food place for breakfast foods and coffee, then drove over to Balboa Park to the finish line to look for friends. Here's the only video that made sense, although it's only a few seconds long:


That's Rich in yellow running in for the finish, and Hubs and I yelling in the background.

Thank goodness for Anne. Not only did she set up the track club tent for the end of the race, she took some wonderful post-race pictures which you can check out HERE.

Many of my friends ran PRs, and I believe that their diligent training and cooler than normal weather helped. The skies were overcast, a little misty, and the temperatures were in the low 60s.

I really don't have any cute anecdotes or weirdness to report on, maybe because I was half asleep due to the early wake up to make it out to our volunteering destination before the streets closed.  Hubs and I weren't firing on all cylinders until well after we had coffee.  The only thing that comes to mind is we heard a couple asking the bus people  if there were shuttles back to the San Diego Zoo parking lot (where many people parked), which is probably a half mile (or less) walk through the park  from the finish line.  Really?  They didn't seem injured.

I didn't have any odd feelings about not running in the AFC half marathon, maybe because I knew I wasn't really ready for it.  I did have fun volunteering with friends and watching everyone else run through -- and that was enough.




Friday's Song:
Show Me What I'm Looking For - Carolina Liar

Peace

Show Me What I'm Looking For

I didn't realize that the last run with the track club session (that we've paid for) was last Sunday.  We slept in and woke up way too late even think about running. I'll have to drag my husband out for a run somewhere tomorrow morning just so we can keep moving.  We're not going to join the second half of the track club's "Half Mad or Whatever" training program, although we might  see about running with a few friends on the weekends near by just to keep things going.  We also have some half marathons in the Fall and Winter, but I'll be training with RU again.

Last week I attended another Runner's World Magazine's Wear Test distribution.  This time  I received a phone call for the invite instead of a general e-mail, and this time they only had about 25 pairs of shoes total.  I was selected by Runner's World Magazine based on shoe size and that I turn in my reviews to the magazine on time.  Sometimes these distributions can be a zoo because it's first come, first serve (even for regular wear testers), and people line up for a few hours to get a good spot in line.  This time there was no line.  We were all guaranteed a pair of shoes.  I came away with a pair of Nike's Lunarglide+ 2. 

I've wanted to try the Lunarglides ever since they came out a couple of years ago.  I did try on a a pair of the first Lunarglide versions Nike had, but, at the time, another pair of shoes fit better.  The Lunarglide+ 2 do fit my foot better than the original version, as they've made a few improvements to the toe box area (not as long) and they don't feel as stiff.  My custom orthotic fit perfectly in these shoes.  I took them on a 3 mile run in the 'hood, and they felt rather comfortable.  The real test will be when I put on more miles.  I've had issues with past Nike running shoes not lasting more than 100 miles, and if I'm training for a half marathon or further, that's not a lot of wear.  I wore out the treads of the Nike Air Pegasus with about 70 miles on them.  With only three miles on these new Lunarglides, I can't really judge how well they'll do on a long run, but that will happen soon.  I'll give my two cents about wear and durability later.  I'm  hopeful.

I'm still 'trolling the net for a stationary upright bike, perhaps a spin bike with mileage gauges.  I'm open to suggestions, if anyone has any thoughts or recommendations.  I'm looking to buy new.   I do own a real bike, but I need to be doing a V02 max workout, and the only way to do that without killing myself is on a stationary bike. The gym's craptastic stationary bikes aren't cutting it for me. I've tried.

Hubs and I will be volunteering this Sunday at the AFC Half Marathon, water station #1 with the San Diego Track Club. I'll try to say hi to you as you run by, provided that you are running in this race.  *wink*


Wednesday's Song:
Happy Feet - Paul  Whiteman, John Altman, Abbie Garnder, etc.

PEACE

Hello It's Me

"...I've thought about us for a long, long time."

Randomenss (Again, just so I can catch up.)

Bryan at RU set me up with an actual training schedule. He had attempted this last year, but did not follow through very well. This time he's on it, or all over it, and I'm super happy about this. I've been adhering to the schedule as best as possible. The running and strength trainings are going well.  The two things that are tripping me up a bit are the swimming and biking. I'm having a few issues with my gym and their craptastic stationary bikes in the cardio area. All the good bikes are in the spin class area, which we aren't allowed to use unless were in a spin class. There are only a few spin classes at times I can't attend. The pool is less complicated only if I can get past the stinging eyes at the gym pool and the cut back hours of the public pool.  I'll figure this out.  I'm also considering looking at other gyms if I can negotiate the same cheap rate I pay now, which is the only reason I've been staying with my gym.

A couple of weekends ago, Hubs and I attended a wedding at the Children's Museum in Downtown San Diego. At first I couldn't picture a wedding there, but for a warm summer day it was perfect.  The ceremony was held in the courtyard in front of the museum and the reception was inside.  It was really quite charming.  It's difficult to see, but fresh flowers in shades of green and white were strung to make garlands, then attached to the beam of the pergola to make a more contemporary, yet lovely back-drop that gently swayed with the breeze.

Katey* and Eric.  

Unfortunately, we didn't get any interior good pictures of the newlyweds at the reception, but Hubs (in true form) got this photo:

Architects NEVER seem to put their brains on vacation or pause for any reason...

My grandson turned 7 last Sunday.  He spent the day at Legoland with his mom, then the original plan was to come home to open presents, have cake and ice cream at home -- just the 5 of us.  Hubs took it upon himself to start inviting people to the last minute.  Eeeeeeek!   Thankfully, I could send my son to pick up the cake, drinks and snack foods while I cleaned the house at break-neck speed.  I really wasn't expecting 20 people to come over for a party.  Regardless, we pulled it off and my grandson was just happy to have his best buddy there.  By the way, everyone found out my grandson's obsession with marbles, and he received several small bags of marbles as gifts.  He was thrilled with so many marbles, and those marbles gave me subject matter for my Wordless Wednesday photo.

 "Happy Birthday to you!"

Best friends.  Post cake photo op.

It was also Hub's dad's birthday earlier in the week.  Thankfully, Hub's sister brought an extra cake. I think I would have run out of cake, otherwise.

Happy 87th birthday to George, Sr!

My brother was in town for the weekend, mostly to spend time with dad. I invited him to run with the track club on Saturday morning. My brother is very friendly, and had no problem chatting it up about running with some of our track club members before we began to run. He ran with me for about the first mile, just to get caught up on the happenings of my dad, and whatnot. After that he sped up to catch the next group, then ran ahead of them to catch up with the front group. Needless to say, he's speedy. After the run he commented how organized our club is and wants to take a few of our ideas home to his club and was asking a few key people there some questions. I guess the extent of his club is that they just show up at the same time, run, then no one really sees each other after that. In our track club people usually hang around for the other runners to return, and sometimes we have guest speakers. Our club has a lot of dynamic people behind (and in front of) the scenes, and it's a rather well oiled machine, so to speak. My brother's friendliness was misread as creepiness by one lady. In her defense, she had no idea who he was and he was asking a lot of questions. She later on asked us who this "creepy guy" was, then she pointed him out. Of course I said, "Oh, that's my brother." *Insert awkward moment here.*  I tried to make light of the comment and came back with "yeah, he IS creepy,"  then just sort of blew it off.   By this time my brother was already in his car, getting ready to leave, so he didn't hear the conversation.  I mentioned this conversation to my Hubs, and he said that women tend to get a little creeped out by guys they don't know in general.  Hubs said that when we first joined the track club he would attempt to chat with a few of the people he was running with, mostly women, but they wouldn't be so receiving of his conversation.  They would look at him as if he were a threat, as some "creepy guy."  He was only trying to join in the camaraderie and chat about running. Of course, he's been with the track club for a couple of years now, and most everyone has seen him or knows who he is.  He's no longer the creepy guy.

While we were out running, my daughter and grandson were making their way to Comicon. My daughter has attended Comicon every year ever since  she was in high school.  I supposed Comicon has become a ritual, but now she takes the kid, and he LOVES it.  Comicon photos by my daughter.

 They attended a panel for a show he watches.  During Q & A time he raised his hand and they answered his questions!

Tron!

Later on that same day,  Hubs and I met up with my dad and  brother for dinner at a Mexican restaurant in Old Town.

My bro, Dad, me.

In the world of running, I'm starting to pick up the pace a little.  A 4 mile tempo run is about a 9:25 minute mile and it needs to be an even 9 or better. Asthma has been tough this year, even more so than in years past, and it slows me down.  The legs and feet are working just fine.  I need to run smart and NOT run through any pain.  I've been injured enough, thankyouverymuch.  My next race will probably be the Fire Run towards the end of the August.  Wanna join us?  It's a flat 4 miler.  I'm familiar with the route since I've run it twice before.  Cold beer at the end is always enticing. 


Wednesday's Song:
Orbs - Maduro

PEACE

*Katey is an architect at Hub's office