On Top of the World

The Nike Women's Half Marathon San Francisco - or how I rekindled the joy of running... again.

I have been plagued with tendinitis in my left foot this summer. This case of tendinitis was not caused by running,  but by wearing the wrong shoes to work.  No, I didn't wear heels, in fact it was a flatter wedge, probably too flat and not enough arch support or stability.  Wearing those wedges for one 8 hour work day has given me a summer of slow running and a lot of walking the dog.  Knowing that I needed to keep training for my fall and winter races kept me going.  Between the SDTC and Rehab United, I always had someplace to run and someone to run with.  I ran up and down the hill at Torrey Pines State Beach,  local runners know the one,  plus the hills in Del Mar and in my own neighborhood, which made all the difference come race day. 

Hubs and I flew up to San Francisco the Friday before the race only to find that BART was on strike and we had to figure out how to get into the city from the Oakland Airport.  Luckily for us, someone was looking for people to share the expense of a shuttle van.  We ended up sharing the van with six other random people with the same predicament.   We all made it to San Francisco with no issues, and the weather was gorgeous.

From the van going over the Oakland Bridge to San Francisco.

Once we were in the city, and settled in our hotel room, Hubs and I met Norma, a track club friend, and her husband to retrieve our race numbers and swag.  We spent some time roaming around the expo at Union Square and did a little shopping over at Nike Town.

Normal and I - Photo op at Union Square

The race course over at Nike Town --Pointing at the finish.

We even found our names on the wall.

I'm right there!

Hubs was hungry and wanted to eat.  We ended up at an Irish pub, and I can't remember the name of it.  It was OK, but my Hubs was really hungry...

The husbands.  They look so excited to be at a women's event.  LOL.

Later on that same evening, we met Norma and husband and walked over to Chinatown for dinner.  Norma Yelped a restaurant based on the number of stars it had.  We came upon a very unassuming doorway with a stair case.  At the top of the stairs we peeked in and the "hole in the wall" room was packed, and the aroma of Chinese food was amazing.  Even though there was a wait, we stayed.  The food really was amazing.  Good choice.  I thought we had photos, but I guess we were all too hungry to snap any pics of the place or the food.

The next morning hubs and I ate the complimentary breakfast at our hotel, then decided to walk around the Union Square area.  We walked past the Expo area and ended up at the Bvlgari building.  Hubs wanted to peek inside to look at the architecture, and he even told that to the sales person.

When you're married to an architect, you get used to photos like this... lots of photos like this.

As we looked around, the sales person insisted that I try on some jewelry.  I felt kind of weird at first, but it doesn't hurt to try on super expensive jewelry that costs more than any car I'll ever own.

It goes with everything!

We did a little more realistic shopping at Old Navy -- that's more our speed, had a late Thai food lunch/dinner,  picked up some coffee* and granola bars for the next morning, and went to chill at our hotel. It wasn't long after that when I checked my Facebook and had a message from an on line friend, Michelle.  She was in a little bit of a panic because BART was on strike and not running, and BART being down caused a traffic nightmare for the locals.  She was looking for some place in the city to crash.  I offered our floor in our small hotel room, and she took the offer.

Michelle and I know each other from an on line workout support group on  Body for Life  California, then another work out site Muscle Tank, our blogs, then Facebook.  It's funny that we've never met in person until now.  We live in the same state and I know we've been near by our cities several times, but never connected.  It was as if we knew each other (in person) the whole time.  Michelle camped out on our floor with her sleeping bag and gear, and we had a great time talking about all things running and fitness before attempting to doze off.

Michelle's accommodations for the night. Photo by Michelle.

We woke up to the phone alarm at around 5:15 AM.   Being three blocks from Union Square was such a bonus since the race started at 6:30.  No getting up at 3:30AM to be out the door by 4 to beat the traffic at the starting area.  No waiting in lines at the port-o-potties.  It almost felt like sleeping in.  Since Hubs was the designated Sherpa, there was no need to drop off our things at the bag check.  We walked down to the Union Square area with plenty of time to absorb the vibe of the race, and plenty of time to get used to the temperatures.

Cell phone "selfie." 

I still look sleepy, but Michelle looks ready to go!

Almost ready to go - the white t shirt is off!

Making our way to the start!  Look, it's the crack of dawn!

Aaaaaand, we're off.  Michelle immediately took off, and looked really good as she went ahead of me.  She mentioned something about not really running for about 3 weeks, but I never would have known.  This time there was virtually no weaving around walkers.  I ran the entire race.  Even though I slowed down on the hills, they weren't as intimidating as I  remembered.  I took advantage of the downhills and just let gravity do it's thing.  The weather was perfect for running.  The temperatures never went higher than 55 degrees, and it was foggy for most of the race.  As the miles went by, I noted how good I felt, and by the time I hit mile 10, I was still feeling pretty good.  Mile 10 is where I pretty much gave up when I ran it in 2011, and walk/ran the remaining 3 miles because I felt so crappy.  I felt energetic for the entire race.  Mile 10 came this time, and I still felt great.  The last three miles went by easily.  My ETA for this race was 2:40, only because of the tendinitis, but I guess all that hill training and walks with the dog did help.  I finished in 2:27:56, and I was THRILLED with that.  It's not my fastest half marathon by far, but it was 14 minutes faster than when I ran it in 2011.

My cell phone refused to work properly after I finished, (iPhone -  ever since the update I've had issues), so there's no photos with me and the cute firemen in tuxes giving out the Tiffany & Co. blue boxes with white satin ribbons, with the necklace inside. 

The weather was fine for running, but after stopping and the sweat cooled my body, I was freezing.  I did get a mylar blanket right away, but I was chilled.  Hubs finally found me and I was able to put on a warm, long sleeved top. 

Not quite the post race pic I was hoping for, especially with those cute firemen, but I got my bling! I'm happy, freezing, but happy!

Hubs was trying to track down Michelle since he had her gear back containing her warm clothes.  She ended up at one of the Nike concession tents and bought a warm long sleeved pull over t-shirt because she was so cold, but she was still happy to have even more layers once we found each other.

There was Sofia Champagne served in the post race area.  It cost extra, but I really wanted some because it's one of the few bubbly wines that I can drink and not have issues.  Champagne in little cans is actually pretty good. 

FIt doesn't feel so cold after a little bubbly...  Cheers. 

We spotted some SDTC peeps at the champagne area.

Happy finishers!

This was the t-shirt they all wore...  LOVED it!

The finish area was not as roomy as it had been in the past because part of it is on federal property, which the race organizers could no longer use due to the government shut down.  There were about 30,000+ people crammed in a small area.  The line for the bus back to Union Square was a bit long, but it eventually moved.  Waiting in line wasn't so bad, as we chatted with happy race finishers.

The Bling

After a hot shower, some food, and a long nap, hubs and I went out on the town that evening.  We went to dinner at John's Historic Grill for some awesome martini's and steak.  It was a fabulous meal to end a very, very good day.

Cheers. 

Because BART was still on strike, we had to find another way to the airport the next day. We couldn't find a shuttle that was going to Oakland's Airport. All the shuttles were going to San Francisco's Airport. We ended up with a "taxi" which ended up being a guy in a 3 piece suit driving a Lincoln Town Car. We felt special, but it wasn't exactly inexpensive either. We left super early to avoid any traffic, but there was none, and we arrived at the airport much quicker than anticipated.

 Are you still with me? I know this is a longish post, but I haven't posted anything since August. I have just a few more thoughts...

I've learned that I need to stay away from drinking any alcoholic beverages at least 2 days before a race. I really don't drink a lot, but pre race rituals are important -- which includes not drinking, and I had a much better race this year. I saved the drinks for after the race, and those two drinks were so much more enjoyable.  I've learned that no matter how slow I'm going, I'm still moving. As long as I keep up the training I will never become stagnant. I surprised myself buy doing better than I was anticipating.  Never doubt your training.  I've learned that after feeling lack luster and less than excited about running, that it will come back and have that "new" feeling again.  It felt new at Nike this year, and I feel excited about running again. I've also learned that you can never have too many friends, even if they come from the "internet." I'm often asked if I get worried about meeting people I've only known from workout support sites or blogs. "What if they're creepy?" "How do you know?" I've never had a reason to worry. After a certain amount of time reading their posts you just know, you get certain vibe from a person. I've met several people from workout sites and blogs, and each time it has been great. I really enjoyed meeting with Michelle in person, and I hope we meet again in the near future.  I also had fun spending time with Norma who we know from track club.  It was nice to see a different side of her.  Finally, I've learned that my Hubs made a pretty good Sherpa.

...and he still likes the window seat.

Song from August Wednesday, August 14, 2013: 
Summer Breeze - Seals & Croft  

PEACE
*Pre race ritual - Buy a handmade coffee per our specifications at Starbucks, then put in the fridge or set in an ice bucket for race day morning.  

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.  

One Moment in Time

Random


We've had actual weather activity here in San Diego. We had heavy rain, hail, thunder, lightning, and even snow in the higher elevations of the county.  (OK, stop the eye-rolling --  We're not used to extremes here. Even my fruit trees look disheveled.) Earlier in the week it was so cold that I woke up with both cats in our bed, curled up between us.  Normally, having the cats in bed drives me nuts, but it must have been so cold that I didn't even notice...  

We went to a live show for Sam the Cooking Guy.  I won free tickets from Sam's live webcast, via Facebook, and it was sort of a last minute thing.  We had been up since 5:00 am that day and were super tired.  I'm amazed that Hubs didn't fall asleep during the show, but there was plenty to keep his interest piqued, especially the smells of food being cooked and prepared on stage. 

The thing that impressed me about the show is that it was all family/friend based.  His wife was giving out bottles of water to people waiting in line, his sons were filming and taking pictures, friends manned the ticket/will call booth, and his dogs socialized with the audience:

Hailey the Golden Lab working the audience.

I sort of geeked out and waited in line for Sam to sign my book and have a photo op:

I know.  So cheesy.  I look like I'm going to pass out - I was beyond tired and probably rattled on too much about whatever I don't remember saying  when I met him.  I probably came off as one of those weird/creepy  fans.  Oh well.    He's a very cool and gracious guy, though.

"Don't eat bad food!"

Ever try to organize and end up with more disorganization? My son took it upon himself to clean out the shed at the back of the yard.  We STILL have a lot of stuff from when my uncle lived here -- It's stuff nobody wanted. It's rather overwhelming.  It's a matter of determining value, but at this point it all seems like junk to me.  Yes, before we purchased this house there was an estate sale, and we all went through the house for items we all wanted, but when escrow went through, we ended up with all of the leftover crap. I'd rather blindly get rid of it all, not knowing the value of anything.  It's all just stuff. We don't need it. My son did put a dent in getting rid of some things, but there's more of it.  It's just a matter of time and effort to clear out everything, but having time to do so is the issue. It would take a few days to clear everything out, go through it all, trash some of it and take the rest to Goodwill.  It's hard to do when you only have a few hours on a Saturday.


My son and I have been sharing the Honda Fit for a few weeks since the Exploder (AKA: 1998 Ford Explorer) was not working.  The only thing good on the Exploder are the tires.  I was afraid that car would actually explode.  We needed another vehicle.  Public transportation was not an option since you can't transport an entire drum kit on city bus. The intention was to buy a used Honda CRV, a couple of years old with low miles.  I couldn't find one that didn't already have a bajillion miles on it, and I began to look at other makes.  I ended up with a 2011 Nissan Rogue that had only 10,000 miles on it.  It's the basic model, is a little smaller than a CRV, and doesn't have a few of the fluff extras, but it has a decent ride, gets decent gas mileage for a car of that type, and the price was right.  Sold.

I mentioned something to my son about removing the "iRun" sticker from the the back window of the Fit since he'll be driving it.

He wanted to keep the sticker because it made the car more identifiable in a parking lot full of similar cars.  He has a point.


The running continues.  It's not fast, pretty or frequent as I need, but it continues.


I pulled a muscle in my right quad at track last night, even before we started to run.  I still can't figure that one out, other than getting up wrong after the group stretch.  We have a 15K on Saturday.  I might sit this one out and volunteer.  I have a few days to see how I feel. 


Last week we learned of the passing of our dear friend Ann Marie.  She was the wife of Jeff, Hubs' best friend from high school. Ann Marie and Jeff met at their 20 year high school reunion.  The school was so huge when they attended that their paths never crossed until that night at the 20 year reunion.  They came from much different backgrounds and different worlds, but together they were perfect for each other.  Ann Marie never had a loss for words and had to be the friendliest person I've ever met.  At the "Celebration of Life" many friends and family members shared about their experiences with Ann Marie.  Her daughter recalled the several times her mother would go to the grocery store and come home with a new friend, and that, in the teenage years, was kind of embarrassing.  Soon after her daughter spoke, a woman came up to the podium and said, "I am one of those people Ann Marie brought home from the grocery store."  Everyone laughed. That was Ann Marie:  Friendly and always making friends along the way, no matter where she was. Ann Marie also had a deep faith, which is something that I admire since I often question my own.  Illness took our dear friend on February 20, 2012, just 6 days shy of her 54th birthday.  It's so hard to say goodbye to someone who had so much to say.

Me, Ann Marie, Jeff at the Campgrounds near Carlsbad State Beach.

The service was held at a church located in the middle of the Temecula wine country. After the service and reception a few of us went to a winery to reflect, regather our thoughts after an emotional morning, and toast to Ann Marie.  

The view from Bella Vista - Organic Winery, Temecula, CA

It was a beautiful day to say good bye and to remember.


Song from Sunday February 26, 2012:
Hold Me Tight - The Beatles

PEACE

This Ain't a Scene, It's an Arms Race

A Tale of Two Races.

Where did January go?  January is over and we're a week and a day into February. I posted here only once in January! That's so sad.  The blog fodder is in my head, but it doesn't magically appear here once I think it.
 

RACE #1

I ran in the Carlsbad Half Marathon on January 22, 2012!  It was an epic day because I didn't get sick at this run or run already sick!  Woohoo! I was so happy to run the entire thing in a healthy state, albeit slow.

Highlights from the Carlsbad Half Marathon/Marathon weekend:

 

A healthy carb load dinner - Hubs, Jill, Boy Scout, Meg, Tara, Marcia, Me.

Jill and Tara came in from Colorado, and Marcia just barely came in from Chicago in time for us to all meet for dinner.  I was so happy they all made it out here because several flights were cancelled or delayed.  It was so much fun to see everyone and it makes me want to travel to one of their races.

Carlsbad is my favorite half marathon race because it goes right along the coast.  We had partly cloudy skies and cool temperatures, which made for a nice run.  Since I constantly train on hills, the hills on the course didn't phase me too much, but I also realized that I need to get in more squats, lunges and longer, steeper hill in my training to take me through June of this year.  I can normally keep pace going up hills and pass people, but I slowed quite a bit going up a few of the hills in Carlsbad.

I have no mile to mile synopsis, other than getting to around mile 9 and realizing that I still felt good.  The first two times I ran Carlsbad the mile 9-ish marker was the point of  walking, only because I was sick or about to get sick.  Even though it was slow going, I ran the entire race without stopping for anything or anybody, not even a photo op.  I finished in 2:30: 45.  Definitely WAY far away from a PR, but certainly not my slowest.  Bonus points for not being escorted to the medical tent by a volunteer.

Here are a few photo highlights of race day:

Hubs and I up with Cindi and Jamie in the potty line.  Cindi passed on a potty line tip - go for the corner port-o-potties.  For whatever reason, those lines are shorter, but don't tell any body.  It's a secret.  *wink*

Jamie and Cindi (AKA Alice) in their trademark Heffer day-glo green, showing off their green arm sleeves.  ( I stole this photo from Cindi's blog.)

Cheese! Pre-Race with Penny!  The past thee Carlsbad Half Marathon races we've been able to find each other with no planning.  Amazing.  (I stole this photo from Penny off of Facebook)

I think this is somewhere around mile 4 going up hill. As for those sleeves, I received more comments about those Moeben sleeves at this race, even though I've worn them at several races. 

Hubs coming in to the finish.

Post race - Meg, Me, Jill, Tara, Marcia.  I totally matched my bib number and finisher's medal/ribbon. I was amazed and impressed that Jill, who ran the marathon, was still standing and looking fabulous.

Mary - The Running Green Girl met us at the race to cheer us on!

I know tons of photos were taken by track club friends, but I have no idea where those photos are, or if those have been posted anywhere.  Hubs and I also spent some time recouping post race with track club friends Bruce and Michelle, and if those photos ever surface, I'll post those.

Post race we thought about meeting the Heffers at the High Dive for post run cheers and eats, and we were also invited to Megs for post run eats, but by the time we left  the parking lot of the race area, all I wanted to do was go home and sleep.

RACE #2

My next race was the Super Run 10K, February 4, 2012, which coincides with Superbowl weekend.  I knew from the get go that it wasn't going to be a stellar race for myself.  My PR for a 10K is 55:19, and I knew I would be at least 5 or 6 minutes off of that time, especially when I'm doing my slow, non race mode training runs (6 miles) in about 1:06, and that's without going for speed and stopping for electrolytes or water.  We arrived at South Shores, next to Sea World at the butt crack of dawn to retrieve our race numbers and long sleeved race tech T shirts.  After plenty of time socializing, trips to the port-o-potty line, and the track club warm-up and stretch session, it was race time.  I was set to use music to ease into this run, but the random headphones I grabbed from home (when I couldn't find my regular ones) were not compatible with my iPhone, meaning: no running music for motivation.  I set my Garmin and we were off.  Within the first 50 feet my Garmin beeps and I get an error message that says something about laps being full and shuts off.  WTF? I just cleared it out.  I might have to do a reboot before I call tech support.  It was too late to use my iSmoothRun* phone app since I was already running.  I figured this was a chipped race, and I'd have an official race time that would be posted somewhere on the internet.  So I thought.


I felt so tired and sluggish for the entire race.  I could not find my groove or my happy pace.  I struggled and, for the first time ever, disliked running. *Gasp!*  My legs felt heavy and my breathing was labored.  I wanted it to be over. I tried to dig down deep and pull through by calling out to my friends, cheering them on, as I saw them run ahead of me near the turn-around at this out-and-back race.

I ran the whole race as best as I could, but I RAN.  There were walk/runners who were faster than I could go.  I crossed through the finish line as the clock clicked over to 1:06:00.  I figured my chip time would be somewhere  in the 1:05 range. Eh.  Not bad, but not stupendous, either.  By the time I finished the race the skies were clear blue, and it was another gorgeous Southern California day.

I was happy to be finished with the race, and met back at the post race expo area with a lot of my happy friends, most had PRs.  I fed off of their happiness because I've seen the progress my friends have made over the past 4 years, knowing where they've started and how far they've come.  It felt good to be around such awesomeness. 

Hubs, me, Cathie and her husband John.  Cathie WON her age group!

Hubs and I decided not to stick around to see who won the age group placements and official time postings, and joined the Heffers at the High Dive, since we missed joining them after the Carlsbad half. 

I was too lazy to get off of my butt, to walk a couple of hundred feet to my car to get my iPhone to take pictures at the High Dive.  I used Hub's iPhone instead. I'll be lucky to get those pictures off of his iPhone any time soon.  If I do, I'll post those somewhere.  Again, here 's a collage shot I'm stealing from Cindi's Facebook page:

Pre race and post race. Cheers! BTW, that's blogger Laura in the lower left hand picture on the right side.

The High Dive was rather busy with happy post racers and regulars, and we enjoyed our beers, mimosas, bloody Marys, and bloody beers.  Oh, we had breakfast foods, too. :)

Post High Dive, Hubs and I went home.  I got on the internet to look for our official finish times.  The race officials posted up to 1:01:56, and posted that these were "preliminary results."  A couple of days go by and there are no updated race results. I sent Kathy Loper Events an e-mail inquiring about my finish time.  I did receive a prompt response saying, "...we had some issues with our equipment and will repost as soon as we can.  We appreciate your patience."  Just peachy. It figures that it's the only race I've ever run blind (sans timepiece) and is my slowest race is the one they have issues at, and it's with time frame I ran in.  Sheesh.  Thanks KLE for making me feel even slower than I already felt that day.  As of right now, the race results have not been updated.  


It's so odd that I went from feeling great at the Carlsbad Half Marathon to feeling like a super slug at the Super Run 10K.  I've been feeling a little worn out and have decided to take a week off from anything running or working out.  Not all races can be on, and I completely get that.  Been there done that, been there done that.  It kind of helps that I have to work this weekend, which means I can't run with the track club on Saturday. I'm the kind of person who will show up for something if I've officially signed up for it or say I will be there. Give me a gold star for attendance. Having to work gives me an out.  It's not that I need an out,  I guess it makes me feel justified.  Aside from running, Hubs and I have been dealing with our rental house and preparing it for our new renter, who is already awesome and has offered to refinish the wood floors.  Our prior renter was a royal pain for many reasons, but it was mostly a case of major laziness on her part. Needless to say, both Hubs and I are exhausted from fixing the house and making repairs. Thank goodness for our son and his friends who offered to help paint.  


Now that the rental house is in order, I'll be able to blog more frequently... Well, at least more than once a month.  I'll go for twice a month. 


In my next blog post I'll be reviewing compression sleeves from 110%.

These even come with places to put ice packs!

Song from January 6, 2012:
Yesterday to Tomorrow -  Audioslave

PEACE

*After a little research, I purchased the iSmoothRun app for my iPhone because I found the Nike+GPS app too glitchy, and I like having a backup to my Garmin.  So far, this app is idiot proof, except for when your Garmin craps out after the race has started and there's no time to restart the race...  Anyway, it's close to my beloved  but discontinued BiM app that I had two cell phones ago.