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.  

Summer Breeze

I feel like a kid starting back at school with the first day of school assignment" "What did you do over your summer vacation?" Aside from not blogging*, I've been doing a lot of the usual, such as going to work. My running has kind of taken a back seat to tendinitis in my left foot, but it's not that bad, and I'll get out and walk the dog for a mile or two at a time and try to put in some slower, longer runs during the weekends. The most I've run at any one time has been 8 miles. Instead of writing about my summer vacation, I'll just show a few photos instead.

My most recent race picture... From June at the Rock 'n' Roll San Diego Half Marathon.  

4th of July Weened - Hubs and I finally trekked to Los Angeles to hang out with my sister and her husband.  My sister and I both needed some relaxation and found it at Malibu Winery.

Griffith Park Observatory

View from a hike at Griffith Park trails.

I finally had my medal rack mounted and put up my race medals!

From my backyard.  Tomatoes and assorted greens were great this summer.

I was selected for the half marathon.  This will be my third Nike event.

We still have weekends with Evan.  He's been joining us on some of the runs, but walking.  He's a real trooper!

Summer isn't officially over yet.  There's still more beach time to be had and perhaps a concert or two... and maybe put in more time on my feet.

Cheers!

Song from Wednesday, May 8, 2013:
Carry On  - Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young

PEACE

*I'm mostly on Facebook now.

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

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

Yesterday to Tomorrow

Happy New Year!


The holidays sure came and went so quickly.  I wish I had the time to bask in the joy of the season, but I felt as if we rushed right through Christmas, then on to New Year's Eve, and here I am, just about a week into the new year and wondering where December went.   I thought I would do a lot more blogging during the holidays, but with everyone except me off from work and school, I had very little computer time, unless I could check e-mails and Facebook on my iPhone.  

What a difference a year makes.


Last year I was not a happy camper at my former place of employment.  It was unnecessarily stressful, brought on by a uber micro managing business owner/boss who encouraged throwing your fellow coworkers under the bus.  I was constantly sick and dropped a solid 10 pounds, 15 if I count the week my weight dropped to a number I haven't seen in years.  It was not a healthy weight loss and I did not have 15 pounds to lose.  10 was OK, but losing weight without wanting to is scary, especially when I was eating high calorie foods (on purpose) to maintain weight.  I was constantly stressed working in a toxic environment - not only people toxic, but something (physically) there made me ill.  From Monday through Friday my eyes would feel dry and puffy, my head felt fuzzy,  and I always felt lethargic.  Saturday and Sunday (my days off) I felt clear-minded and healthy.  Monday it would start all over again. Running was my true refuge, no matter how crummy I felt. Running gave me clarity of mind and I could feel grounded again.  I don't know what I would have done without running since it kept me sane. I remember the few days after I left that office, sitting on the couch watching TV and realizing how amazingly good I felt for the first time in months.   

This year I am a very happy camper at my current place of employment, where I began working about a month after I left the toxic office. It may not be the fanciest or most up-to-date technical wonder of an office, we still use a DOS based program, but  it's great when your employer always says things like "thanks for being here today, " and means it.  We all share in each other's accomplishments and look out for each other when needed.  My only gripe about my current job is that I'm not working enough hours.  Oh, and the weight came back.  That's not really a gripe, though.  I was hoping to at least hang on to a 5 pound weight loss, but I'll take the happy + 5 pounds over the miserable -15 pounds any day.  My running has stayed the same, though.  I wish I could say that a happier workplace has lead to better running, but that keeps changing, regardless of what's going on in my professional/personal life. 


Other Stuff...


My son's band actually played a show at the House of Blues, Downtown, San Diego -- and got paid.

UNDEAD GARDEN performing "Grilled Cheese."  My son is on the drums.

Not bad for an iPhone/Facebook photo taken by a parent (me) trying to look inconspicuous. 

After the gig, and back at home with is band mates & friends, Hubs felt the need to make a few grilled cheese sandwiches for the band. 

 My son started out as a lead guitar player, and is quite talented with his guitar playing abilities, but there were always issues finding a reliable drummer.  They would find a drummer who would seem consistent for a few weeks, then suddenly be late, not show up, or move out of town without notice to anyone.  My son took a few drumming classes at the community college, and took it upon himself to sharpen his skills.  Now that he's THE drummer, the band has consistent practices with complete sets and are now booking gigs.  I'm floored.  They still need to sharpen their sound a bit, but the fact that they already have a following and are booking gigs is amazing.  Their sound is sort of punk-metal. 

New Year's Resolutions?

I don't really make New Year's resolutions, but I have been known to do some goal setting.  Once I am finished with prior race commitments, I'm going to take a break.  I have a few races planned up until June, and after that I'm going to just cruise and run without a particular race in mind.  I'll continue to run, but running won't be the sole focus. There's so much more out there, and maybe I need to refocus on my other passions that have been left in the dust.  

My current agenda includes the Carlsbad Half Marathon, which is taking place in a couple of weeks.  As much as I would love to say that I'm 100% prepared for this race, I'm not.  Regardless of how ill prepared I am, this is one of my favorite races.  Even though it starts off at a shopping mall, most of the half marathon is along the coast, and it's beautiful.  This is a race for the mind.  The two times I've run it I've been sick, and just ever so lucky to finish.  I'd say running along the coast kept me going.  My game plan for this time is to (again) just finish and I'm OK with that.  I don't need a PR to enjoy the ride. 

Song from Thursday, December 22, 2011:

(There's No Place) Like Home for the Holidays - Perry Como

PEACE

(There's No Place) Like Home for the Holidays

December brought a slew of non-stop busy-ness.  It's been party, party, party... sort of.  I can't remember the last time Hubs and I were invited to a grown up party together until this year.  After Las Vegas, we had four holiday parties last week, plus our wedding anniversary of 29 years on December 11th.  This week was a little calmer but busy with baking and trying to remember what we did with certain Christmas decorations.  I went old school this year and used most of the Christmas decorations from the years when my kids were in grade school.   We also put up the tree in the living room this year. 

The dining room where the tree usually goes is, uh, having issues...  

Like last year, the Kiddo was my decorating buddy and helped me with the majority of the decorating.  Hubs put one ornament on, and and my son put a few up high were I couldn't reach, and my daughter was oblivious to other life around her while busy with studying for finals.  

Living room fireplace.  

I would so love to have a warm fire, but this fireplace needs to be repaired or torn down and rebuilt.  I put candles in it but there's no damper, and the air coming in through the top blows out my candles. *sigh*    The kiddo pointed out that since we can't burn anything in this fireplace that Santa won't get burned when he comes down our chimney.

The Kiddo

It's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas because I got this surprise delivered today:

Nothing says Merry Christmas more than socks, holiday peppermint Gu's, and Stingers from  blogger Tara - Colorado Runner!   Yay! 

The packages were shipped from REI.  When UPS delivered the boxes I was wracking my head trying to remember what I had ordered from REI.  Then it clicked that these were from my Secret Santa from the Bloggie Gift Exchange.  One box contained the great pair of Smartwool running socks, and the other box contained the Gu's and Stingers.  The timing is perfect because I'm out of any type of gel/goo electrolyte and I just might have to save a couple for the Carlsbad half marathon next month.  The socks are on my feet right now:

Warm and cushy!  I can't wait to run in these! Thanks so much, Tara!

On the running front, not a lot of running has been happening.  Somewhere between the parties and work, I caught a cold.  It's not a bad cold, but just enough to mess up the flow of day-to-day life.   I know I had the cold before I had to deal with the bratty snot-nosed kid patient and his clueless mother.* Gross. I hope to do a slow, longish run this Saturday morning, which happens to be Christmas Eve.

In other news, for the first time in YEARS (2000?) I received a cash bonus at work.  I honestly wasn't expecting much of anything, maybe a box of candy, but since I'm part-time right now I felt the bonus was rather generous.  I had plans for new Ugg boots and have change left over for an outfit, BUT one of my cats became rather ill yesterday and my bonus went towards paying the vet bill. Merry Christmas to my vet. Oh well.   At least I had that cash to help lessen the blow of that hefty vet bill, and for that I am grateful.    FYI, it was my little girl cat, Luna, the little bitty 8 pound cat who can beat up our 75 pound dog.  The vet thinks it's a thyroid issue.  She's doing much better now and will be on meds for a week.  Good times.

This year we didn't send out Christmas cards.  I suppose we could have, we just didn't.  I'm thinking of New Year's cards.   Just in case, consider this picture of the Kiddo and me your Christmas card from me:

Wishing you all lots of Christmas cheer!

Song from Thursday, December 8, 2011:  

Good Intentions - Toad the Wet Sprocket

 PEACE

*On the scale of one to ten in snotty-nosed grossness, this kid was a 10, plus he sneezed all over everything.  It was so gross that I felt the need to wipe everything down with rubbing alcohol when he and his mother left the building.  I'm not a germophobe, but felt gross dealing with this obnoxious kid.  I just don't understand parents who let their kids run a muck in a medical office, or any professional office.  Sheesh.