Taper time!

Peak week officially ended today, and I am so excited about the taper (at this point)!  I know, a lot of people complain about tapering and the madness that it can induce.  To be honest, this might be the first time that I've followed a solid training plan and been able to fully appreciate a taper, so the taper crazies may yet come my way.  I know that it's early days yet to be excited about stepping back from training, but I think that I'll be busy enough preparing for our trip and also doing the usual beginning-of-summer-things like getting a haircut, going to the dentist, meeting friends for lunch, and taking care of a few loose ends from the end-of-the-school-year so I shouldn't go too nuts.  Additionally, a friend who has completed multiple IM races gave me advice that I loved to hear: "Sleep.  A lot."

As for peak week, it ended up being more hours than I would have expected, mainly thanks to a long brick workout on Monday and a crazy long ride yesterday.  Throughout my weekly training plan, the word "last" peppered the descriptions of the workouts, and that helped me get through each workout and also really commit to each one.   Friday, I clocked in my last really long swim, and while swimming 4,000 yards still challenges me, I remember a few weeks ago how I wanted to take a nap immediately after a 4,000 yard swim.  Now, I think that I might, just maybe, be able to go on a ride and then run a bit after that.  Ha!

Yesterday, I especially needed the push to get up at 5:00 am after a much later night than expected, but if I hadn't committed to the ride, I probably would have stayed in bed for at least another hour and done a different ride.  However, I somehow managed to get out of bed and head out on one of California Triathlon's "Epic Rides" for 2014, meeting up at 6:30 am!  Despite not feeling 100% (so bad of me to have a late night!) and feeling quite nervous about the ride, it was well-worth all of the suffering.  And suffering there was, as we climbed the Angeles Crest Highway until it hit Highway 39, when we (or I) had a not-so-speedy descent.  The ride was pretty amazing, especially the first half, and I felt good on the climb.  I also tried to take in as much of the scenery as I could - I'd never even driven that far on the 2, so it was a real treat to experience it on the bike and to appreciate the wildflowers, yucca and amazing views.  There was some car traffic, but as we climbed higher and higher, that really thinned out, and I loved the sense of remoteness as I pedaled along on my bike.

Here we are climbing - it was a beautiful day for a ride!  Yes, I'm overdressed which was fine for the first part of the ride, and then I shed my layers.

And at the summit of the climb - looking forward to the descent.

I definitely slowed down at the end, and as I meandered thru one community after another for the last 15-20 miles, I took it easy with the stop signs, stop lights and traffic.  The last thing I wanted was an accident 2 weeks before IMCA.  I finally finished the ride in over 7 hours, with 90 miles and about 9,000 feet of climbing.  Even though this was shorter than the 112 miles I'll tackle in Coeur d'Alene, I think that this ride was harder than what I'll confront there.  Or so I hope!  

Today, then, I tackled the last long run with 4 1-mile intervals at a faster pace.  My legs were sluggish when I started out the run, but they loosened up, and the intervals actually felt pretty good.  I was so happy that it was the last run AND that I was able to run!  During so many of these longer runs, I've thought back to February/March when I could barely run a few miles without pain and when I envisioned myself walking the entire ironman marathon.  While I still might end up walking some or even most of the marathon, I've tried to appreciate the solid training runs that I've been able to experience and, quite often, enjoy.

One other random note - I haven't had a super crazy appetite, except for yesterday after the ride when I felt like this:

Source

And I devoured almost everything in sight.

I acknowledge that this week would have felt far more unmanageable had I been working, so my summer schedule probably helped me avoid a total peak-week-meltdown.  Instead, it was a nice culmination of training (wait, maybe that is the race?), and while I wasn't speedy on the ride yesterday nor on the run today, I felt pretty good, all things considered!  Even a month ago, I think that I would have questioned whether I could put in the time and/or distance that I managed to cover this week, so all of this training has been an interesting experience, surprising me time and again, usually in a positive way!  Going into the IM training process, my biggest fear was getting injured and not being able to put in the miles, especially on the run, so I've been thankful to end the major build and peak weeks feeling tired but healthy.  

And now - here's to resting, getting in some recovery time, and prepping for the race!

The "I" word

As I type this out, I'm keeping my toes crossed and praying to the running gods so that I don't totally jinx myself by mentioning this ubiquitous topic, the "I" word being injury.  It seems, based on two solid weeks of running - including 2 longer-than-60-minute runs - that I am well on my way to recovery!  Not that I'm back to full speed and strength, but I can chug along with a pretty low heart rate these days.  To be dramatic about it all, this comes as a huge relief for me and I feel a little less desperate about the 26.2 miles following the swim/bike portions of IM CdA.  Shew!

I'm certainly not the first nor will I be the last person to deal with an injury during a major training cycle, and I can't say that it came as a huge surprise that I found myself a bit side-lined.  It was a major frustration, yes, but when I think about the past few years, I realize that 18 months is the longest healthy stretch I've managed and I don't know how intense my training was during those 18 months.  So, no, not really a surprise.

One curious detail - the past two injury cycles, both 'came on' about a week after racing, which makes me wonder about my approach to training and/or racing.  While plantar fasciitis was frustrating, it also seemed to progress along in a predictable fashion and I could easily tell how I was doing based on the pain when I first got out of bed in the morning.  This time around, I had quad tendonitis which did not manifest itself during most activities (walking, swimming, biking, skipping, jumping) but within 10 minutes of a run that started out without any pain, I would find myself hobbling along.  For much of February, I would begin each run with an optimistic attitude, thinking "This is the one!  I know that I'm better!" and the runs did get a little longer and then a little longer, but there wasn't a moment when I was immediately better, much to my frustration.

Fortunately, I continued to see Dr. Choy, whom I discovered last year for Active Release Therapy and is my go-to guru whenever I have weird aches and pains or crazy tightness.  I've continued to see him for occasional tune-ups, but I became a regular patient for about a month there.  Seeing him not only helped me out physically but also mentally - he assured me that things were progressing and that I just needed to be patient.  He also kept encouraging me to run (not to the point of trauma, but to see where I was/how the pain was/when it set on), even when I felt like resigning myself to the elliptical for the next 4 months.

I've also been quite cautious with my pace, not pushing too much, and also the terrain, sticking primarily to trails for almost all of my runs at this point.  Saturday took me on a nice group run, and I even went a bit further than expected.  Coming back, I crossed paths with a VERY healthy looking coyote!  That was an unexpected encounter!

In addition to running mainly on trails, I've developed a love/hate relationship with ice baths - they hurt so much but then my legs feel so good afterwards!  Finally, I have tried to keep my eye on the long-term goal rather than my short-term reality.  While my pace feels slow to me, it is probably faster than the pace at which I'll run the CdA course.  If I have to stop to stretch or walk a bit, it does not stress me out.  And, I am just happy that I can run these days, as slow as I'm going!

Running - an extreme sport

I'm not about to recap my year in running because it's not that impressive to anyone except for me.  I will say that comparing where I was at the beginning of the year to where I was at the end denotes progress.  I literally limped into 2013 last year.  Even though I was slowly getting over my bout with plantar fasciitis, I then attempted tubing while in Keystone last year, with fairly disastrous results.  I ended up feeling pretty crappy in general about my physical abilities - or limitations.

Flash forward to this Christmas, and running has been a source of joy and frustration, especially here in Boulder.  Despite having to run at an extremely slow pace thanks to HR training plus altitude, I did strive to find the joy in being outside and in such a beautiful place.  And it really was not that hard.  Once my HR settled down by mile 2, I relaxed about the fact that I was running well over 10 minute miles and I just enjoyed the scenery.  On Sunday, a long slow run took me around the Wonderland Lake trails and I even saw people ice-fishing (seemed like a foolish endeavor since they were ON the ice, even though temps had been fairly mild in the days before). My shorter and equally slow runs took me along running paths in North Boulder - kind of boring but pretty safe.  Or so you would think.

Apparently, running, even running slowly, can be dangerous!  I discovered this fact yesterday when a dog, in an attempt to get a ball, jack-knifed me and knocked me literally off my feet.  I still can't believe that I could not manage to avoid this little mishap - talk about clumsy!  Even more embarrassing, there were plenty of people around to watch my feet flail in the air as my body then landed on my right side.  I think that I yelled out an expletive well before I even hit the ground because I was so startled and scared.  And then, I stood up, a bit shaken, apologized for dropping the F-bomb with kids around, said that I was sure that I was okay (which was a total lie but I thought that I was) and then I went on my way, plodding along slowly but still plodding.  I finished the run with frequent check-ins with my right buttock, which took the brunt of the fall.  While I am a bit sore and tender, I am mainly happy and relieved that there was no major damage that accompanied the fall.

But it does make me laugh a bit and also think that I shouldn't take it for granted that I can get out and run, or even walk.  So, yesterday, given the chance, we took our boys out for their final 2013 walk.

And, today, when I had to do five minute hill repeats, I tried to find the joy in the experience.  Until I was too exhausted or wanted to throw up or was avoiding small patches of snow and/or ice!  Fortunately, there were no snafus today, so it was a nice way to start 2014!

Three Things Friday

So much for the alliteration of "three things Thursday" and, yes, I'm totally ripping off the list idea from plenty of other people, but sometimes it's nice to condense thoughts into an easy bullet-pointed list, especially when you just have to think about 3 items.  Three, after all, is the magic number.

But, here goes:

1.  I had a GREAT appointment with my knee doctor on Tuesday.  I almost never use the words "great" and "doctor's appointment" in the same sentence, so this is monumental.  Equally amazing is that I did not get a cortisone shot.  I had been delaying this appointment for several months, thinking that I'd wait it until I needed the shot in order to function actively without pain.  Finally, I decided that I should just go ahead and see the doctor.  He was so excited that I'm doing better 4 years out from my surgery and even had me fill out a survey about my knee, the pain, my activity level.  Who knows, maybe I'll be back in for a shot within the month, but it's been almost a year since my last one which is the longest I've gone in between shots - so exciting!

2.  I left my wedding ring in my office yesterday and woke up in the middle of the night worried about it (also had a terrible dream about one of our doggies that I will not share).  Fortunately, when I went into work today, I found the ring where I had left it - on the floor.  Wife of the year award, I know!  I was quite relieved to find it and hopefully I'll take better care of it in the future.  No, I will!  Definitely!

3.  Running still feels strange using HR but I guess I'm getting used to being sloooooowwwww.  I have thought about caving in and buying headphones to distract myself from the HR numbers, but I don't know if that would help.  Also, while I don't in theory mind that people wear headphones, I am always amazed that people wear them when they are on random trails around twilight.  And then when I run up on them, they practically jump - it's not like I want to startle them on purpose, they just have no idea that I'm there because they can't pay attention to what's going on around them!
That and running skirts are my biggest peeves about other runners.  Am I a total asshole, by the way?  Probably.

It's Friday and I'm so ready for the weekend - and one week until Christmas vacation!

Surf City 10K - now that was fun!

After two years of a static 10K PR, I finally have a new number on record, and while I hate to focus on numbers, numbers, numbers, it feels pretty good to shave over a minute off my old time.  Woo-hoo!  There is also this worry in brain that, at age 41, I will soon lose the ability to set new PRs.  I'm sure the day will come, but it's really nice to know that it is not today!

After my failed attempt at a final triathlon in October, I decided that I should at least end the year's "racing" season with a good 10K.  I first ran the Surf City (aka Huntington Beach) run 3 years ago, as I was coming back to running and when it was a 5 mile run.  Then, two years a go, I managed to hit a new 10K PR.  Not a shocker there since it is a flat and fast course, but I still remember that my overall time totally surprised me.  So, I'd been fairly content to let it sit as my PR until this year when I had a few decent 10K runs but never felt that I really went "all out".  So, that was kind of my goal for this race.

With that in mind, I was actually more nervous than I would be on a typical race day, so when we drove south this early morning and hit fog, I started to freak out just a little.  Fortunately, we arrived with a decent cushion for me - 30 minutes to pick up the packet and take care of other business.  It was a perfect morning to run, temps in the 60's and cloudy but not rainy.  When I picked up my packet, I was much relieved that I had selected a unisex t-shirt because the women's specific was HOT PINK.   I do not wear hot pink.  I realize that the pink ribbon shows support for cancer victims and understand that, but pink is not my thing, and hot pink is definitely not my thing.  I would have given it away immediately.  Instead, I have a really obnoxious yellow shirt - think gatorade yellow on steroids.

Anyway, the race?  Well, I hoped to make one more pit stop before the race, but as 7:30 approached, I nixed that idea and lined up, placing myself quite near the front.  While it's a super fast course, it's not huge and doesn't seem to appeal to tons of super crazy competitive types, so the start is pretty calm and people seem to stand back from the timing mat.  Right around 7:30, they announced "On your mark, get set, go!" and we took off.  I thought that I had started my Garmin but then about half a mile into the race I saw that it was still on 00:00.  Nice.  So, I ended up starting the Garmin at mile 1 so that I would at least know my splits for the next 5 miles.  The race was fairly uneventful - flat, flat, flat and it felt fast.  I held really consistent splits, pretty much at 7:30 the entire way, although according to the Garmin I had a few faster splits.  But it also said that I ran longer than 6.2 (or 5.2, since that was my marker) - so who knows.  I am, however, always amazed at how people must not do hill training - there was one teeny hill and then an incline during the second half of the race, and people definitely slowed down quite a bit.  Why go out fast and not hold your pace?  I will never understand that, but then again, I'm the queen of starting slow and finishing faster.  Whatever works for you, I guess?  I did have enough in the tank to push it at the end - at mile 4.5, I passed one woman, but told myself to not be too greedy and go too hard too soon, although I knew that she wouldn't catch me (based on her breathing, which was way too heavy, she wasn't speeding up).  I thought that I crossed the finish line right around at 47:00 but was looking at the 10 mile start.  So, the official time gave me sub 47 which was my goal going into the race - nice!  Not sure if I gave it absolutely everything I could, but it was great to feel that I'd accomplished something before 9:00 am on a Sunday morning!

Not an awesome race for photos, but that's okay - I like that I appear to be flying in the first one!  Although my shoulders/arms - what am I doing there?  Michael took that photo as he was wrangling the dogs from eating vomit that was on the sidewalk.  Amazing that he got a photo at all.

Oh, and the other weird thing about the race - I swear I smelled pot (the MJ) when I was around mile 4.  If it were Venice Beach, I would expect that, but I was somewhat surprised.  Maybe it was just wishful thinking/smelling?  As for the medal - it's a wooden surf board which is kind of fun and sort of fits in with the pot smell!

The icing on the cake, sort of, is that I ended up 2nd in my age group - which makes me laugh because it was the same as last time, even though I've moved up an age group.  I briefly wanted to stay for the awards ceremony, since I've never received anything at a race, but my impatience got the best of me and we left before they started giving away medals and other prizes.  I figured that I already had my medal and my PR, so what more did I really need?

Oh, yeah, this is what it's about

This will be the last time that I refer to the crappiness of April, but as the past few weeks have gone by and I've not been able to do the training that I originally envisioned for myself in April, I have felt somewhat dispirited.  I know, life happens - I got sick, we moved, I've lacked motivation and/or have had other priorities.  I expected that, by this point in April, I would have cranked up the mileage and would be looking at two fairly easy weeks before Wildflower on May 5.  Instead, I had 3 sloth-like weeks and fitting in workouts felt like a burden.  So, now, when I should back off on training, I'm finally getting back into the swing of things.

Fortunately, this weekend, I really enjoyed the 6 hours that I put into swimming, biking and running and remembered why I like training.  It can be fun, but most of these were hours on my own, I spent them kind of lost in my own thoughts as I enjoyed the fact that I was not grading, emailing, planning classes, writing my annual self-evaluation, or dealing with house stuff.  Yes, training this weekend functioned as hours of self-indulgence and a mental health break from random stressors.  Maybe that's just what I needed because I'm finally looking forward to Wildflower in two weeks!

Talk about an attitude shift - even Thursday night, I found myself wanting to spend the weekend napping.  Friday, however, I decided that I really needed to re-introduce myself to my bike.  While March was a pretty good month in terms of time in the saddle, I hadn't been on my bike at all in April.  That changed on Friday when I squeezed in a 2 hour brick (90 min. ride/30 min run) before I had to spend my evening chaperoning prom.  All I wanted to do after getting all hot and sweaty was spend my evening on the sofa with a cold IPA, but I managed to pull myself together enough for prom.  As much as I hated having to spend the evening working (and not just working but having to wear nice clothes and heels - definitely my idea of hell for a Friday night), I was SO happy that I had carved in time to train.  Today, I spent another few hours riding and running and thinking, and I really appreciated that time.

I'm not great at balancing every aspect of my life that I consider important - there are times when one piece or another starts to slide.  And sometimes just keeps sliding.  However, I do love these moments when I can get out there for an hour or two, forget all of the other pressing business and just focus on the curve of the road, hauling up another hill, putting one foot in front of the other.  These are the moments that remind me how lucky I am!

Finally - A race in 2013!

After a slow start to the year running-wise and then waffling about this race or that race, it seems that I have settled on a schedule, at least until July.  After that, I've bounced around a few ideas in my head, but I'm taking  the "wait and see" approach for now.  I signed up for most of the key races for the year a few months ago, but was waiting to decide about Mt. Wilson.  When registration opened and closed within two hours, and I didn't have second thoughts about not registering or feel the slightest pang of regret, I knew that I had made the right decision.  Instead of Mt. Wilson on Memorial Day Weekend, I'll be running the Ojai-Ventura half-marathon which is a longer race but should be much easier to train for.  It is nice to have a schedule set and be able to focus on it!

Speaking of schedules, I was pretty happy with my training in February, but then March rolled around, and things, as they say, fell apart these past two weeks.  This usually happens in March, but particularly this year.  I've tried to take it in stride and enjoy the training that I've managed.  I was, however, looking forward to my first race of 2013 - the Great Race of Agoura Hills 10K.  This is a huge race, mainly because there are actually 4 different races going on: a trail half-marathon, a road half, a 10K and a 5K. Not to mention the kids' race.  I'd read good things about the race, and it worked out with my schedule - first day of spring break, first race of the season - why not?

My original plan for the race was to try for a PR.  I hadn't run a stand-alone 10K since November of 2011, and it happens to be one of my favorite distances.  Luckily I still had my 2011 race time which allowed me to "qualify" for Wave 1.  I think that they must have limited the number of people who were allowed to qualify, because I'm certainly no major speedster.  Still, I was glad that I ended up in that wave - it was so much smaller and easier to start and to maneuver.  But, back to my race plan.  At some point this week I decided that no way was I going to shoot for a PR.  I looked at the race profile, and it looked fairly hilly. Also, I didn't want to kill my legs and need one or two rest days (yes, I'm old; yes, I need rest days after a hard race).  In addition, Michael and I went out on Friday night and I had what must be the worst pre-race meal/s ever.  We started out with mussels and french fries and white wine, and then we ended the evening with pizza.  So, with all of that in mind, I woke up this morning taking the attitude that this would be a good way to push myself at a strong pace, but I didn't need to try to kill it.  Or myself.

Going with that attitude, I was pretty calm at the start - excited to actually be at a starting line after a 4 month hiatus!  I did wish for slightly warmer temperatures at the start and didn't shed layers until a few minutes before the race.

I love the yellow pants behind me - such a classy look!

At 7:28 (or thereabouts), we were off!  The beginning of the race is a on a descent, and people took off.  I looked down at my watch and noticed a faster pace than expected/desired, so I pulled back just a bit. I was at the back of the first wave, but I reminded myself that I wanted to pace the race, not have a great first mile and then fall apart at the end when the hills hit:

The first mile or two were pretty boring - typical suburban neighborhoods, but at some point in mile 2, we began to enjoy rolling hills and nice countryside - lots of wonderful oak trees and even some horsies!  Also, I felt great the first few miles and knew that there was a hill at mile 4, but once we were on the hill, I was able to easily keep my pace and pick off other people.  It made me quite grateful for the hills that I confront every time I head out on a run from our front door!  Finally, at mile 5, I decided to pick it up - there were still some hills remaining, but I was confident that I could keep a faster pace.  I almost regretted it when we hit yet another hill - the last one - but I managed to push it and ended just under 49:00. 

Michael snapped this awesome shot of me sporting my medal (can you tell that Dole sponsored this race?):

The medal and the t-shirt, by the way, are both pretty heinous.  Despite that, I would consider running this race next year because it really is a fun course.

After the race, Michael and I grabbed a 'real' breakfast at Brent's Deli, an old favorite which is in the area, and I inhaled eggs, toast, and hashbrowns.  We weren't the only racers/spectators who had this idea - I could tell because a few people were still wearing their awful medals.  (Not to offend anyone, but I find it so annoying when people wear race medals after the race if EVERYONE gets a medal.  If you won, fine, wear your medal, but if you just want attention, then it's lame! Okay, rant over, and maybe I'm alone in my opinion, but I'm okay with that too.  Same with people who don't try to wash off their numbers after a triathlon or cut off their wrist race wrist band for days.) 

My run wasn't a PR, but this is definitely a harder course than the flat-as-pancake race from which my current PR hails.  However, the course was not as hard as I expected, and a part of me wishes that I had tried for a PR.  Especially since I ended at 5th in my age group and maybe I would have ended at 4th or 3rd if I'd pushed myself a bit more.  Still, it was a good race, a good finish and a good overall place for me.

Ah well, ifs, maybes and buts.  At any rate, it feels good to finally line up at the starting line!

The current status of my running "game"

After plenty of weeks of gloom and doom in which I didn't run or as I returned to running I found the process painful and slow, I've finally reconnected with running (let me cross my fingers as I write that).  Recent weeks have marked a few good milestones:  with caution, extending my runs, little by little from 3 to 4 to 5 miles.  In recent weeks, I've actually hit double digits in terms of total mileage with a whopping 11-12 miles run in a week!  It doesn't seem like much to some people, but it boosted my confidence a bit.  Also, I've enjoyed pretty much every run and have prayed to the running gods before and after, happy to be back on the trails and pavement.  In addition to lengthier runs, it's also been nice to see my legs get some faster miles under them, and I've enjoyed pushing myself a bit more.  Yesterday was huge as I hit seven miles right at a 60 minutes.  That seventh mile was all downhill, so it was fun to see a really faster-than-usual time pop up!

As I've been running more and without aches and pains during and after my runs, obviously my mind has turned to the 2013 "race calendar", and I've started to fantasize about new PRs and tons of awesome experiences.  At the same time, I've also balanced out the fantasy with the reality of my life this spring - busy and pretty full with other plans and obligations.  I did finally satisfy my racing lust by signing up for a 10k in March - it looks like a fun, beautiful and hilly course, so a fast time is doubtful, but I'm excited for it!  I realized that my last stand-alone 10K was in November 2011, so why not push myself at that distance this year. 

The big question for the spring is the Mt. Wilson Trail Race in May.  I mean, 8.6 miles, 2,100 elevation gain - it's such a FUN experience!  Okay, it is major suffering and a terrifying experience that turns into fun when your brain can no longer process the pain or fear.  And only really terrifying on the ascent - the descent is a piece of cake! I am feeling somewhat uninspired to start to train, and if I haven't trained at all, I could still manage the race, but I would suck, and it's too hard a race to just do "for fun" in my opinion.  So, I've started to consider not running it, an idea has a certain appeal...

And that has prompted me to think that I'm losing my desire to have a "hard-core" runner's identity (I'm not saying that I actually am a hard-core runner, but I think that I used to really want to be).  Mt. Wilson will still be there next year, and if it means that I can  can enjoy a weekend elsewhere, maybe along the Central Coast, maybe biking with friends and looking at elephant seals and drinking lots of wine, well I think that I can forgo my attempt to be a bad-ass runner!

Three - the magic number

Yes, I'm totally stealing from Schoolhouse Rock which just celebrated its fortieth anniversary - impressive!  We heard an interview with the composer and sometimes singer of the songs, Bob Dorough, on NPR last month.  Apparently, "Three is a magic number" was the first Schoolhouse Rock song, and I would say that it's one of my favorites (although maybe NOT quite up there with "Conjunction conjunction what's your function" in my mind).

Recently, in my own small world, I've seen the number three appear in different configurations, some positive, others not so much.  For instance, I'm on my third cold of the academic year which seems to be a ridiculous number!  I should appreciate that I haven't been knocked completely on my ass, unlike some of my colleagues, but I still can't believe that I've been sick this often.  Maybe this is what the 40's look like?  Along with this third cold, I took three 'rest' days this past week. Gasp!  Just more evidence that I will never be one of those hard-core people who hate taking a day or two off, even when they feel like complete shit.  I didn't feel that bad, just like poop (yes, I'm have the vocab of a three-year-old), but sleeping 10 hours Friday night plus taking a 2 hour nap yesterday seemed to do the trick.  But, still, there are some twinges of guilt about the 3 days of rest.

On a more positive note, I've found that the notion of "third time's charm" is apt for new running shoes!  After a lengthy search, it seems that I've finally found something of the holy grail.  Since the initial flare-up of plantar fasciitis, I blamed my shoes, whether that was a fair assessment or not, I'm not sure.  Since last spring, I've been running with Brooks Trance, which I settled on but never felt that they were a great fit.  So, with PF, I started grasping at straws, reading about neutral shoes, barefoot running and stability shoes.  I decided that I needed extra stability and went for an Addidas shoe that offered such.  To my dismay, that was just about the worst running shoe decision I've made in recent years, and I suppose that I should have known that I needed something a bit more neutral since I've been in Brooks Cascadia for the past 2 years without any issues.  So, if anyone wants a pair of extra stability running shoes, size 7.5, please let me know.  I also invested in a pair of Mizuno's Wave, and they've worked out pretty well - I didn't just *love* them, but they certainly felt better than the Addidas.  However, I recently found my perfect fit in the form of Brooks Ravenna:

Source

The guy at In-Step, the insole place in Boulder, recommended these to me.  I tried them on in his shop, and they seemed to fit just right.  So far, I've taken them out twice for a run, and both times, my stride, gait, all that running jargony-stuff felt great.  YES!  I'm so excited to find a shoe that definitely works for me.  In fact, I might go buy two more pairs so that I'll have three! Ha ha (sort of).

As I've wrestled with the fact that I've spent a pretty penny while trying to find the right pair of shoes, it's also a relief to find shoes that really work! Through this search, I've channeled my inner Goldilocks - too hot, too cold, just right.  On a final note, I hope that the three bears don't come after me now!

In defense of lazy days and weekends

This weekend has not, perhaps, been full-fledged lazy, in that sit-around-in-bed-until-ten-AM-lazy, but the past few days have felt like a break, and not even "much-needed" since school just resumed on January 7.  However, who am I to complain about a long weekend so soon on the heels of Christmas break?

I do, though, feel a bit guilt-ridden about my sloth-like state these days. In my original vision of January, this would be the month that I would return, reenergized and excited about 2013 and all of its potential and would re-enter the world of active people.  Despite the chipper nature of my last post (yay, I can run!), I need to be honest about running and the fact that I still need to take it slow and not accrue lots of miles.  Averaging less than 10 miles per week has humbled me, but I'll get over it - as long as I can eventually work back to at least crossing the double-digit threshold.  I plan to return to ART (active release therapy) and see if that will bring on faster improvements.  Still, running is running, and I am happy about the small progress that I have made.  But, I have yet to embrace a commitment to any training, despite finally signing up for the Wildflower Oly course the day before prices dramatically increased.  I was sure that would kick me into gear, yet this has yet to happen, interestingly enough.

Because I'm at the end of the semester (our break falls after Christmas, not before), my workload is lighter than it will probably be again until the end of May.  So, I am taking full advantage of the opportunity to be lazy.  To begin, I read the book "Gone Girl" within 24 hours or so and even jettisoned all workout plans in order to finish it.  Seriously.  The ended proved somewhat disappointing to me, but for sheer entertainment, the book delivers.

This weekend has also presented me with ample opportunity to play and take advantage of good weather and little work.  Accordingly, we have indulged in an unusually 'fun' weekend.  We went to LACMA on Friday night, meeting a colleague from work and staying out until 10 pm - crazy night out!  I commented to Michael that we had turned into the LA-equivalent of the New York "bridge-and-tunnel-crowd", you know, going out to the big city is a 'big deal'.  It was totally worth it, especially seeing people goofing around the lamp posts:

(Not sure if the photo comes out, but there is a guy wearing a zebra mask - he periodically put it on, pranced around, and then took it off).

I'm not a huge Stanley Kubrick fan, but I did enjoy the exhibit on his work - both film and photography.  It was also interesting to see some of the letters and telegrams between him and other people (like Nabokov!).  If I had a higher tolerance for blood and also suspense (I like suspense, but the bloody-suspense movies are too much for me), I'd definitely spend some time watching "The Shining" and also "A Clockwork Orange".  However, I fear that I'd spend most of the movies with my hands covering my eyes.  The other exhibit that we wandered into was a small room featuring some of Mapplethorpe's more controversial pieces (they were at the center of the 1980's "Culture Wars").  I wouldn't censor them, but I admit that much of the penis shots did provoke an embarrassed exchange between me and Michael.  Yes, I have the maturity of a kid at times.  I hoped that reading Patti Smith's "Just Kids" would allow me to appreciate these photographs more, but that didn't happen, perhaps because they were so focused on some of the more controversial pieces and the homoerotic nature of the pieces?  Or, again, it could be because of my lack of maturity.

Then, last night, after much cajoling by Michael, I ended up seeing "The Hobbit" with him.  We gorged ourselves on beers and wings beforehand because the movie was so long, which, I think, put me in the right frame of mind for the movie.  I had somewhat low expectations, after reading reviews and listening to people talk about the length, and while I did find myself thinking "It must end right at this point" at least 3 times, I definitely enjoyed the experience.  I do think that Peter Jackson is trying to turn it into something that the book was not.  He constantly links it to the Lord of the Rings trilogy and the idea of good and evil rather than letting it be a more playful story which is my experience with the book.  But it was a good outing for a Saturday night!

And today?  It looks to be more laziness, this time in the form of football.  Despite the heartbreak that we experienced last weekend when the Broncos (or donkeys) lost to the Ravens - and they lost, the Ravens didn't win - and the emotional hangover that followed, it is January and it is the final weekend before the Super Bowl so we'll try to enjoy it.  The Denver loss does present problems - I can't stand the Patriots (ugh, Brady and Belichick), but Flacco isn't much better.  Michael said that he hoped the score was 0-0.  Wishful thinking!

Assessing my running game

As a teacher, my colleagues and I probably throw around the terms assess, assessment, and evaluation far too much just to avoid the reality - that we are GRADING our students.  Gasp!

So, when I laced up my shoes today, I started to thinking about my run in terms of grades - would it be a good run (A-/B+) or kind of crappy (C range or below)?  I realize that some people use actual charts and data in order to evaluate their runs, rides or other active ventures, and I do have a garmin which gives me more data than I used to have.  But, I still prefer the inexact science of assessing a run or ride based on how I feel.  While heart rate monitors and lactic threshold training serve more serious athletes, checking in with my body and, lately, gauging the different aches and pains I've experienced, is probably better suited for my aging body.

Today, as I started out the run and nothing felt 'off' initially, I thought - wow, this might be a good run!  I might be at 90% today.  Woo-hoo - that is an A-!  I was a bit nervous about such optimism so early on (it's like reading an essay, of which I've read my fair share this weekend, and the opening paragraph is great but the rest of the paper just turns to shit), but the rest of the run continued at a faster clip than I've seen in ages and, even better, I felt really good for the entire four-and-a-half mile run.  This comes as a huge relief because, in recent weeks, I've spent far too much time worrying about my ability to continue to run in the short and long term.  The plantar fasciitis combined with the tailbone injury sidelined me, and the few runs that I managed to squeeze out were fraught with physical pain and frustration, and I would have given myself a C- for most of them.  So, to finally go out and enjoy a run a is a true delight!

Being injured, especially when it isn't something major but small yet debilitating issues (like plantar fasciitis), probably challenges the active individual more than any big event possibly can.  Perhaps I'm wrong there, but having to sit and wait and see is definitely not my strength.  For the PF, I tried as many different approaches that I possibly could, excepting acupuncture, and I'm not sure that it was ONE trick or another or if the multi-pronged attack worked.  But, after resting for about 3 weeks, doing lots of stretches with a tennis ball and a frozen water bottle, 2 sessions of active release therapy, buying two pairs of new shoes (one of which definitely works; the other pair, well, I may have just wasted a pretty penny on them), using the Strassburg sock, and, finally, getting custom insoles when I was Boulder, it seems that I'm finally running pain-free.  I do credit much of my recovery to the insoles.  I had read some articles that recommended insoles, other articles that recommended bare-foot running, so I wasn't sure about going the insole route.  However, over Christmas, I saw my cousin, who runs crazy ultra-marathons, and he advised me to get insoles.   So, I went to an insole store in Boulder, In-Step, and liked the owner who is a runner and had tons to say about plantar fasciitis.  I don't love running with the insoles, but they do seem to be helping, and I'll take whatever is working!

In limbo

While the religious definition of limbo does not describe my condition, considering the in-between quality of not quite being able to run yet not being injured, "limbo" seems like a fitting description.  After a mere two weeks of dealing with what is probably a mild flare-up of plantar fasciitis, I hoped that a run yesterday would prove productive and possible.  I was, unfortunately, quite mistaken, so I'm back to waiting around while still trying to be thankful that I can continue to be somewhat active (walking, spinning, swimming, probably biking if I'd get my ass on the bike).

I have scoured the interwebs with information about plantar fasciitis and have found zero consensus.  Probably the most fruitful discovery was that PF is often called "the vampire bite" of running.  I suppose, like a vampire's bite, there is no quick and/or easy solution - at least not for most people.  I've read dozens of sites, half of which advocate minimalist running shoes or barefoot running, the other half  advising a shoe with more stability.  Some people have success with PT, some don't.  For myself, I have yet to go the PT route, but am using a tennis ball (thanks ChezJulie!) to stretch/work the foot muscles.  I also invested in the Strassburg Sock and try to wear it when I'm hanging around the house after work, over the weekend and to also sleep with it at night.  I still suspect that my running shoes are the culprit - or partly - so I did go out and buy new shoes (which I can't wear yet!).  Finally, I've forked over money for two ART sessions (active release technique), and that has helped, but I'm not yet convinced that it is worth the money.  

In the meantime, I'm trying to be patient and look at this episode as a reason to take a break from running, with the hope that I'll be able to bounce back fairly soon.  I had considered some sort of a race in February - a trail race or a speedy-for-me half-marathon - but I've reconsidered that thought because I don't want to force the issue.  Not running has brought me back to the pool, which is never a bad thing, and although I'm not as dedicated as I would like to be, I've had several nice early morning swims and have amped up my yards a bit.  It's also been nice to opt for some lazy weekends, as much as I like getting out and doing 'stuff'.  Today, I chose baking pumpkin bread over swimming, and I can definitely live with that decision! Ideally, I'd like to return to running in January, but if not, I'll continue to focus on swimming and might reacquaint myself with my bike saddle.  Ooh, such a concept!

It hasn't been TERRIBLE not running.  Not yet.  Ask me in another month, but for now, my quality of life hasn't suffered, even though I miss the ease and convenience of walking out the door to do a loop around the neighborhood.  I do hope that the PF won't interfere with skiing as, for the short-term, that is more important to me than running.  I'd rather be able to ski in Colorado in just a few weeks and again Mammoth in January than run right now!  

Come February and March, I'll have a dramatically different take on the situation if it hasn't been remedied in one way or another, and you might find me in both minimalist and crazy maximalist shoes, in a desperate attempt to heal.

Switching things up a bit

This is a happy Thanksgiving week, in more ways than one, and I've definitely felt gratitude towards much in my life.  The week has been remarkable for the low-key nature of it, and I've been looking forward to that for a while!  We traveled the last two years over Thanksgiving, and as much as I love going elsewhere to see family and friends, staying at home has given us the chance to be pretty lazy and indulge in a few activities that are rare treats.  First of all, going out on Tuesday night for four-and-a-half hours!  The three of us who ran "together" on Sunday (together is a loose term since one member of our little cohort finished over an hour faster than I did!) met up for celebratory margaritas at Amigo's.  Again, not the best Mexican food in Pasadena, but how I love that place!  On Wednesday afternoon, we went to the Arclight Movie Theater in Hollywood, always a great movie-going experience, and saw Skyfall.  I've been a Daniel Craig as 007 fan, and this movie lived up to the reviews, some of which were rave and others a bit more subdued.  While I wouldn't say that it was the best movie ever, it did entertain us, which is really what I expect from a James Bond movie.  Also - Javier Bardem as the bad guy?  He's so good in that role!

Thanksgiving day was a nice celebration - nothing too crazy, which I definitely enjoyed.  We ended up having a friend join us for our meal, and it was good to have the company as we drank champagne and a decent cab.  We opted for duck breast rather than turkey, but had a minor moment of panic when we thought that we had not packed the duck breast in the grocery bag.  Crisis averted - it was in hiding in one of the drawers in the fridge!  However, I had forgotten a bag of fresh cranberries for our dessert, but that was an easy mistake to repair since the store was still open.  While I like to tuck into a huge array of typical Thanksgiving food, it was great to have a smaller, more manageable meal.  Probably the most traditional aspect of the day was watching on and off some of the football games!

Even though I have yet to test out my legs on pavement or trails, we did go spinning yesterday and today, during which we both felt somewhat out-of-shape as we panted and pushed through intervals and sprints.  I am also going to return to the swimming pool this weekend!  I originally planned to take a two- to four-week break from running after the trail race, but then I started to fantasize about proving to myself that I really CAN manage a 30K trail race and found one that looks equally parts terrifying and exciting.  For starters, the elevation gain is even more than the last one, which then makes me think that I must be crazy to even contemplate this race!  But, I do think that my plan to take a major break from running is out the window, unless I go for a run and find it way too painful, which could possibly happen.

As I research different race options, I actually am trying to show some restraint and not sign up for another trail race immediately. Or any race, for that matter.  For now, taking a break from any sort of "training" will, I hope, allow me to start 2013 with a sharp focus.  So, while I'm back in the pool, sort of back in the saddle, and will certainly continue to run, there is no training and there are no 'events'.  A revolutionary concept - to have no plan!  It sounds pretty appealing at the moment.

"Serious fun": Santa Monica Mountains trail race

So, our race bibs had the tagline "Serious fun", reminding us of why a fairly small group of people had arrived on the early side of a Sunday to do something crazy like run a 30K or an even longer distance.  Throughout much of this race, I completely forgot the fun part, and even now I would say that a more appropriate description of my experience is "Fun if you love suffering".

Because suffering is what I did today.  I certainly don't consider myself a badass, but I can usually hold my own in a race if I've trained.  This race humbled me far more than anything that I've done recently - maybe even in all my very limited racing experience (even Wildflower in May and certainly harder than Boulder 70.3).  I often say that I'm just happy that I finished, but let's be honest.  Really, I'm not happy to "just finish".  I like to have a sense satisfaction when I reflect on my performance and know that I ran a good and smart race and finished strong.  As for today, I have zero satisfaction about my performance, except that I'm still a bit surprised that I finished the damn race.

To back up, the race for the 50k and 30k participants started at 8:30.  The 30k course was made up of two different 'loops', or lollipops, the first one being 12k and the second one 18k.  The 12k loop was tough - challenging, rocky uphill and downhill trails.  Also, there was one stretch that should have been fast and easy, but because of the rain yesterday it ended up being muddy - and a sticky mud.  I kept stopping to scrape the mud off my shoes because it felt as though I was carrying around an extra two pounds per leg!

Once I returned to the start line, I then began the second loop - the 18k.  I finished the 12k in over an hour, but I felt good about my pace.  We had a long climb for a few miles, but the trail was a lot easier than the 12k loop, so I was confident that I would have a strong 18k.  I felt that way until about mile 11.5.  At that point, I had hit a nice downhill slope and should have picked it up, but I just could not make my legs go.  So, I asked myself "What is going on" - a rhetorical question because I felt clammy, cramping, and weak.  I started walking on the downhill (how lame) and even sat down a few times.  I knew that the aid station was up ahead and I just had to walk another 1/2 mile or so which, in any other circumstance, wouldn't have bothered me.  However, this was the longest half-mile walk of my life.  Meanwhile, tons of people were passing me which drove me crazy but there was NOTHING that I could do about it.

Finally, I made it to the aid station.

Ah, the aid station.  I hoped that there would be paramedics there or a huge crew, ready to deal with any and all problems.  Ahem, this is a trail race, and a tiny one at that.  There were two guys managing the aid station, but even then I hoped that one of them would call an ambulance for me - or do something dramatically helpful like drive me back to the start/finish line.  I had accepted that this would be my first DNF, and I didn't even care because I wanted the experience to end.

Well, no such luck. Instead, they jumped into action, making me sit in a chair, giving me two salt tablets, a cup of regular coke and some boiled potatoes with salt.  I was too fried to say "no, I need a doctor!".  When I eventually felt a bit more energetic, I apologized for all the trouble.  Again, the volunteers were great and assured me that it happens to everyone, at least once.

After a 15 minute (or longer?) break, I shuffled off, thinking that I must really be crazy to continue, but what choice did I have? Also, I noted that I was feeling better with each step, and eventually I caught up with a few people who had arrived at the aid station and then continued on while I was still 'recharging'.  I kept ticking off the miles and feeling a bit stronger and more confident, even on the uphill.  Once I turned onto the trail that would lead me down to the finish line, I felt incredibly happy and relieved, despite the fact that I still had a few more miles of downhill to navigate.  For a brief moment, I hoped to push it on the descent and try to pick off one or two people, but I then settled into an easy pace and accepted the fact that just finishing would be quite a feat at this point.

So, I crossed the finish line at 4:17.  Woo-hoo!  I thanked the organizers and told them that the only reason that I made it back was because of the people at the aid station.  I also saw those guys - they seemed surprised and happy that I had made it back so "quickly".  It was obvious to me that their concoction - salt tablets, coke and potatoes -was some sort of holy trinity of trail running.  I think that I was one of the very last people running the 30k to cross the finish line.  I won't lie - that hurts my ego a bit, but considering that I didn't even think that I would finish, I'll try to find some satisfaction in that.

So, final thoughts on the day?  I'm glad that I ran the 30K, despite the fact that the race shredded me.  It was a new distance, and it challenged me more than I could have expected.  I learned an important lesson - fuel, fuel, fuel on real food during longer trail races.  I'm not sure what happened, but I know that I'll be more careful in the future.  Also, I hesitated to wear the Garmin, but I opted for it, and I think that it helped me continue when I was in my meltdown mode.  Otherwise, I probably would have sat on the side of the trail and given up completely.  A major positive - the race was beautiful, although I wish that I could remember more of the great views and the wonderful trails (especially that 18K loop).  I'd love to return and hike some of the trails and actually take in the scenery!  Finally, it was a really tough race.  I knew that the climbs would be serious, but I trusted my training, perhaps naively, because it was all much harder than I expected.

But, I'm alive and well now and don't feel too terrible after 18.6 miles and 3200 feet of climbing.  Looking back, I'm also happy that despite my meltdown today,  I remained relatively healthy during the training cycle.  I am not, however, about to sign up for a 50K, or even a 5K, at the moment!

*Sorry this was so long!
**Sorry that I have no photos - no energy at the end!

Running tomorrow!

Okay, after my mini crisis on Wednesday when I was doom and gloom and feeling sorry for myself, my eye has improved enough each day that I think that I can safely run tomorrow!  After embracing the notion that I wouldn't be able to run, I now have to switch gears and get into that "race" mode.  Although calling this a race is, perhaps, abusing the meaning of that word.  I recognize that I'll be going slow, for much of it.  While it won't be as brutal as, say, the Mt. Wilson race, in terms of elevation, I will have to sustain the ascents and descents for considerably more mileage.  So, the race/run will certainly challenge me, even if I take it in a slow gear!  It should be a beautiful day - or a wet one, if today's rain doesn't clear up by tomorrow.  Obviously I'm gunning for the former, and the idea of great views was one of the reasons that I signed up for this run/race.

Today, then, is a bit of a rest day.  Well, the entire week has been a bit a rest week, in terms of running (or any physical activity, for that matter), but this is "intentional rest".  I did go cheer on our students who raced today - go cross country!  They were super fast - oh, to be young again!  But at the moment, I'm watching the UCLA/USC game, looking at a pile of papers, and listening to our dogs snore.

As for tomorrow, most of my gear is ready to go.  The question that still remains - to run with the stupid garmin or not?  In many ways, I really do enjoy the information that garmin gives me, and sometimes I push myself a bit more because I'm looking at my time.  However, this is not a road race, and, as I mentioned earlier, I cannot focus on speed tomorrow.  Like the tortoise, my goal is a slow and steady pace and, hopefully, a strong finish.  At the same time, I'd love to see the data, see my elevation gain/loss and, if I sign up for the same race next year, to be able to compare.  Oh, garmin, how you confound me!

So, the jury's still out.  I'll probably decide as I line up at the start!  Speaking of the start, I do appreciate that I will be showing up to run tomorrow, and I'm excited (and nervous!) about the experience!

Motivation - totally worth it

This weekend served as a nice reminder as to why I should NOT succumb to my couch potato tendencies, as much as I would like to just lie around and do nothing.  On both occasions this weekend, when I wavered and then finally got out the door, I was ultimately rewarded with the chance to enjoy a beautiful day.  So, reminder to self - don't be a lazy slob!

Before I give myself too many pats on the back, I admit that I ditched a Saturday morning run, even though I was the one who sent out an email earlier in the week trying to drum up interest.  So, total fail on my part (Rob - sorry about that!).  I will say that it was nice to go to the farmers' market, walk the dogs and run a few errands.  However, by Saturday afternoon, I was regretting my decision, especially after I watched the 2012 Ironman World Championships on TV.  Totally inspiring.  Plus, the weather was gorgeous - I couldn't ask for a better afternoon for running.  So, I finally laced up my shoes and hit the trails.  I set out around 2:30 and finished around 4:00.  While I missed the companionship that the morning run would have given me, I will say that the light during the afternoon hours was just amazing - almost like something out of the Hudson River School.  I finished the run tired and kind of chilly, but quite happy that I had a few miles under my belt for the day.

Yesterday afternoon, the opportunity to be lazy for the afternoon once again presented itself.  We had plans to go camping in Malibu for the night, but more than once I entertained the thought that we could just spend Sunday en casa and then go to Malibu for a hike early Monday morning.  Somehow, we opted to get our camping stuff in the car and head west.  Once we hit the road, we were both so happy for the change of scenery.  Even though Malibu is not that far away from where we live, it has such a different feel, so it does seem that we're getting away from our humdrum lives, even if it's just for a morning or an afternoon.  We camped at Leo Carillo, not exactly a place to go for solitude! There were some younger kids having a fun night! But, it makes up for that by allowing people easy access to the water and a lovely beach to watch the waves, birds, surfers and the sunset.   This was truly LA camping - we didn't bring food but opted to grab dinner out after the sunset and then return to our campsite to drink wine and go to sleep. Which we did by 8:00 pm or so!

Overall, not a bad place for a quick jaunt, even if the wind kicked up and our tent hit our faces for most of the night!  Waking up, getting coffee and taking yet another walk on the beach was an even better reminder of why this was all totally worth it.

Going longer

As the date of my impending trail race nears, I've had plenty of time (mainly on the trails) to think about the concept of going longer.  I would say going "long", since for me this really does feel that I'm pushing myself to max miles per week, especially considering that I'm a total mileage underachiever, but for other people, my long runs barely count.  Still, it's all relative, and October did see me ramping up my mileage significantly.

This 'ramp up' has been kind of fun and kind of scary.  I've had a history of injuries, and I hoped to avoid that situation, obviously.  My knee can be temperamental, and often a cortisone shot can fix it.  I had one in June, and I'm trying to maintain the status quo until January, so I didn't want to go that route quite so soon after the last one.  I would say that running 3 times a week is my sweet spot, and even if I'm upping my mileage, I can stay healthy if I'm not an idiot about it.

As for the longer runs in October and on Saturday, I can't complain about any of them.  At times I set out hoping to barely hit 10 and found myself finishing 12 or 13.  I often felt quite lucky while on the trail, not only because my body was cooperating but also because we've had some amazing fall weekends!  The light has changed, and this weekend especially I enjoyed moving between the shade and the golden sunshine.  I also felt completely spooked on one run - two weeks ago, it was an unusual, dreary day and I hit the trails for a solo run.  As I crossed a stream or two and then ran through some high grass, listening only to my breathing, I did think that it would be the perfect setting for Kujo or Jason or Johnny or any other horror/suspense-movie villain lying in wait...

This Saturday marked the longest run that I've completed in ages - maybe 10 years or so?!  We couldn't have wished for a perfect day - sunny and crisp at 9:00 am, it warmed up but was never hot.  It was great to run (and shuffle) most of the 15+ miles with a partner who patiently waited for me as I huffed and puffed along behind him.   This run reminded me of the importance of patience while running.  We set out climbing and worked our way up the El Prieto trail around JPL.  It's not a terribly difficult trail, but I wouldn't describe it as easy either, especially because I felt that I had to be so aware of mountain bikers zooming downhill.  Once we hit the fork in the road, heading to Brown Mountain, the trail became less rocky and the grade eased up a bit.  I hit a few moments during miles 3-4 when I questioned whether I could go much further, but once we hit miles 6 - 10, I could actually enjoy the experience! Again, pushing through the tough miles allowed me to appreciate those 'easy' miles and also the views that the higher elevation offered!  By mile eleven or so, it occurred to me that I could run for another hour or so, but by mile 13, exhaustion had begun to set in.  At this point, Rob and I split up - I was on my own for the final 2 miles or so.  The first solo mile went well.  I felt that I was slowing down, but I kept up a decent pace.  The last mile, however, felt like my Waterloo.  My body ached (legs, hips, back) and I was just damned tired.  Fortunately, it was the final mile, so I pushed on and managed to hit the 15.5 mile mark.  Yippee!

Again, it was a long, SLOW run, but it felt almost luxurious to be out on the trail for several hours, just taking in the day, measuring the twists and turns of the trail, trying to cautious about bikers heading up and down trail (at one point, I was totally lost in thought and when a mountain biker and I almost collided, I was as startled as a deer and, very un-deerlike, yelled "Fuck!"), and also losing myself in the movement of the trail and of myself and contemplating the idea of an even longer run.  There was a definite ebb-flow quality about this run as I clocked some painfully slow miles which were then followed by a few decently speedy miles.  Hitting 15 miles did mark a bit of a milestone for me, and I'm looking forwarding to the full 30k in just a few weeks.

I will say that running longer does open up the question - can I go 'long'?  Is another marathon (last one being Philly, 1996) a possibility?  A part of me thinks that I could definitely run a marathon, no problem.  That would be the overly-optimistic persona that does reside in me, but I also try to listen to my more reasonable voice when it comes to matters of running.  I honestly believe that I've managed these longer runs because they've been on trails.  While trail running is hard, it also slows me down, and I think it's easier on my knees and other joints than the relentlessness of pounding out miles on the pavement.  So, what is funny about my idea of going long is that I would lean more towards a longer trail run and, for the moment, put aside any thoughts of marathon madness.

All this is hypothetical, at any rate.  We'll see how I run in Malibu and, more importantly, how I feel during and after the race!

Hitting the trails in October

Despite the fact that the weather on October 1st, topping out in triple digits, did not seem to indicate a change of seasons and a new month, by the end of the week (yesterday and today), the temperatures dropped by 20 degrees.  Hooray - it FINALLY feels like fall around here!  It seemed to take long enough, but I honestly think I think that I forget every year how miserable I was the previous year in September.  This year, September's heat seemed particularly obnoxious, perhaps because I was, in theory, trying to kick-start my running mojo.  At a certain point, I decided that my mojo would just have to wait until October.  First of all, the weather.  Secondly, we seemed to be ridiculously busy in September as I returned to school and we had a busy social schedule.

Going out of town last weekend did not help the 'busyness' feeling, but we could not avoid that trip.  Someone in my family had a significant birthday, so, being the dutiful daughter that I am twice a year or so, we traveled to south Texas for a weekend of revelry.  And what a weekend it was - filled with the usual activities: drinking too much; going to Mexico to shop, eat and drink margaritas; fighting/arguing over politics; shooting squirrels with the bb-gun; and playing around with my nephews (my niece is officially a teenager and I'm not sure that "playing around" is possible).  We also saw a soccer game in which my nephew suffered two injuries - he got the wind knocked out of him when a ball hit him right in the belly and he also chipped a tooth when he took a header.  Fortunately, he's a pretty resilient little guy, so neither one slowed him down too much.  I also went for a run on Sunday morning (that would have been physically impossible on Saturday morning when I felt that someone had hit me over the head with a sledgehammer - so much pain!).  Considering how flat it is where my parents live, you would think that I would have kept a fast pace, but I was definitely taking it slow.

While this week started off a bit rough around the edges as I recovered from our trip (it takes me at least a day or two to catch up) and tried to not be too angry about the heat, I also managed to hit most of my workouts and even got in THREE workouts before work - two early morning swims and one run.  That is a minor miracle for me!  I also hit the trail this morning, motivated and accompanied by a drinking/running mate, and I managed to slog through a 12-mile (or so - don't entirely trust the Garmin) run.  I hoped to hit 10 miles, and while those last two were pretty rough, it gives me a small confidence boost as I think about the 30k.  It won't be a fast race, which was confirmed today as I reacquainted myself with trail running and had to take it easy on both the uphills and downhills, but running on trails is such a different experience from pounding out the miles on the pavement, in both a mental, physical and even philosophical sense.  Mentally, I find trail runs both more and less challenging - it is hard to see a 15-minute mile pop up on the Garmin, but then it's great to enjoy the sense of getting away from the noise and busyness of the highway - and even just local roads - even if it's just a for a morning run. Physically - the tricky terrain can present problems (I almost turned my ankle twice and had visions of being airlifted out), but I always feel better after a trail run than after a run around the Rose Bowl, for example.  My joints creak and ache less, probably because my body is constantly adjusting to the rise and fall and twists and turns of the trail, and probably because I can't run as fast as I would like.  Finally, the philosophical aspect - well, I'm not sure if I want to fully wade into that topic yet, but I approach a trail run with a different ethos than when I'm pounding out a mile or two or more on the road.  It is definitely about the process and not the final product!  At times, I found myself thinking that the run was really just like a fast hike - I could cover more ground than if I were hiking, but that was just about the only difference.  In the meantime, I crossed a small creek several times, stayed on the lookout for rattlesnakes, took in a deer that bounded off in the opposite direction, and on more than one occasion stopped to take in the scenery on a beautiful fall morning!

And now, thanks to having Monday off, rather than grade essays this afternoon, I'm headed for a big, fat recovery nap!

Peer pressure

One would assume that a person who is an adult, at least by most of society's standards, would be comfortable and confident in his/her decision-making capacity and would be immune to the influence of his/her peers.  That if, this person is signing up for a race and believes that the 30K would be fun but way too long and challenging (3,000+ feet of elevation gain), he/she would trust his/her better judgment and would go with the 19K (or 18K or whatever it is).  That this person would not succumb to people telling her "Oh, come on!  It's not that much more elevation that the Mt. Wilson run!  You can do the 30K!".  And she would not go home, after drinking margaritas, and sign up for the 30K.

But that is exactly what went down last weekend.  In my shame I didn't want to report on this until I fully wrapped my head around the fact that I just might get my ass kicked on November 18 at the Santa Monica Mountains Pacific Coast Trail Run (long title!).  I do think that it will be a gorgeous run, and I'm excited and nervous about the challenge of a 30k.  This will be the longest run since my 1996 (yes, I'm old) Philly marathon.  So, the plan for the next few weeks is to run at least three times a week (which isn't much for some people, but I've slacked off since August) and build up my long runs, incorporating plenty of hills and focusing on long, slow distance.

As for the 30K, I actually had been knocking around that idea, so I can't abdicate any responsibility, as much as I'd like to point the finger elsewhere.  In fact, a week before signing up for the race, I hit "reply all" when someone inquired about different people's interest in the Santa Monica run and said that I was in for the 30K.  I did not, however, realize to how many people I replied until several people at school came up and said "The 30K?!?!".  So, the seed had been planted well before a friend reasoned with me about the elevation issue.

As much as I'm nervous about the distance and the elevation and the challenge of a trail run, I also think that it will be great.  This is the only fall race for which I'm gearing up, which is a change from the last two years when I ran lots of different distances (5k, 10k, 20k, even a half-marathon) and focused on speed, to a certain degree.  I'll be happy with a good strong race in a beautiful setting and running a new and more challenging distance, for me.

Training started this past week, and my first long run in a while will be this coming Saturday.  At that point, I can decide if the decision was foolish or not!

Malibu Tri: The race that was!

Well, after all of my grunching, groaning, moaning, hesitation and regret over *having* to swim, bike and run yesterday morning, it ended up being a pretty awesome day, and I couldn't be happier that I ended my 2012 'season' there.  It's funny that I felt pretty calm and low-stress about the race on Friday night, sleeping amazingly well at the lovely Motel 6 and feeling energetic when the alarm rang at 4:00 am.  Maybe my devil-may-care attitude had something to do with that?

It was a pretty early morning for us, but not as early as if we'd spent the night at home, and I did appreciate the extra hour or so of sleep.  All of the race information warned us about parking, so I wanted to arrive early enough to not stress about that.  We weren't the last people there by any means, but not the first either!  Arriving in the dark and pumping tires and double checking gear under the light of a flashlight was not ideal, but it worked. By 5:30 am, I was headed to packet pick-up (where I learned that I was in the LAST wave) and then on to the transition zone.  As I set up my stuff, it did occur to me how complicated my gear and the transition zone used to seem - this time around, I kept thinking "Is this it?  What did I forget?!" because it all seemed fairly uncomplicated.  Maybe I've developed some comfort with all this tri stuff?  But I also had the feeling that something must be amiss!

By the time that we had to be out of the transition zone, I felt pretty relaxed (except for that nagging "what did I forget thought", and Michael and I could take in some of the Malibu scenery:

"Scenery" being the lifeguard station and the waves breaking!

And then it was time to get started!  For the swim, we had to walk down the beach to the start and would swim to the finish.  The walk south was great - it was such a beautiful morning and exciting to be in the mix of the crowd!

Michael and I had fun watching the elite wave start out, but as we watched the waves of people go out and battle with the ocean, my confidence eroded a little bit each time.  Getting past the first buoy, depending on how the ocean waves were breaking, seemed tricky.  Other women in my group were getting in the water, to practice their stroke or to get a feel for the water (Oh, yeah, that's what you're supposed to do...), but I stayed firmly planted on the sand because I was afraid that if I got in the water, I'd panic and not do the swim.  Talk about feeling like a rookie!  I kept thinking "If I can survive the swim, I can finish this race.  I know it!".  Great little pep talk.  The other thought that popped into my mind as I waited to start was my whole "respect the race" blab from a few months ago.  I was seriously feeling like an ass because while I was familiar with the olympic distance, I hadn't done an ocean swim since the beginning of June.  What the hell was I thinking?!  

Fortunately, the time to think rationally was over as it was time to line up and get ready to go:

Once the cannon went off, we headed into the water and the fun started!  Getting around the first buoy wasn't as terrible as I thought that it might be - although I did get a little off course.  And then we just headed north, keeping the buoys to our right.  I felt like I was swimming in one of those "Endless pools" because I had no sense of my pace or where I was in relation to the beach.  I took in a few mouthfuls of water, but I could see pretty clearly and there wasn't tons of contact - it was a relatively calm swim in terms of touching and grabbing.  I finally reached what was the last buoy - people were turning right, so I turned right, much to my relief and surprise - almost done!  With the swim, at least.  I exited the water, happy to be out of there and on to transition.  I wasn't wearing a watch for the swim, so I had no idea what my time was.  I had estimated that it would probably take me longer than usual, so I was hoping for 34-36 minutes, but, since the course had no clock visible (to me, at least) around the transition zone, I didn't even worry about my swim time.  I did note that I was not the very last person in my rack to be out of the water since there were plenty of bikes still racked - that is always a positive sign for me.

At that point, it was on to the bike!  I knew that it could possibly be a good bike leg for me, in part because of my comfort with the course.  Heading north on PCH from Zuma was a "known known", thanks to our many rides over the summer.  I had a dream-like moment on the bike when I thought to myself "Shit, am I wearing my helmet?!?!".  Obviously I did, but what a weird thought - it was indicative of the "Am I doing this" feeling that I had at different parts of the day.  Other than that mild moment of panic, it ended up being a great ride, although not super fast, in part because I did not push it at the beginning and in part because of two no-pass zones.  The no-pass zones totally sucked because they were stretches that would lend themselves to a fast pace except that a group of us got stuck behind a slower person.  Ultimately, not the fastest bike leg for me, but it was gorgeous and really pretty fun!  

I was so happy to be off the bike - not that I was exhausted or even that tired, but I knew that I had survived the swim and the bike, and that my legs seemed to feel good, so the FLAT run would be a nice way to end the race.  Also, I was right in the thick of a group of 40-something-women, and I hoped that I would be able to pass a few on the run.  Starting out on the run, I felt great and had a smile for Michael:

For the first mile, I ran at a pace that seemed too good to be true - easily maintaining 8:30, numbers that I hadn't seen in months!  I worried about starting out too fast, but the pace felt easy, my breathing was relaxed, and I was enjoying passing people.  So, I decided to keep it up if I could. Which I did - and by mile 3, I had picked off the women in my age group that were clumped together on the bike.  Success!  The last few miles were fun and fast (for me), and even though I was getting tired, I kept pushing myself and even cranked it a bit when I hit mile 6 and knew that the finish line was right around a corner or two and that I would finish the run under 50 minutes!  (Did I mention that the course was FLAT?!)

Michael positioned himself for a smile and a wave, right before I crossed the finish line at, what was total shock to me, under 3 hours for a nice, shiny PR!  I was so happy that I finally broke that damn 3 hour threshold, and I couldn't believe that I managed to do so at this race, of all of them.

After getting my medal, some water and food, I checked the results to make sure that I really did finish under three hours because it just seemed fairly unreal.  What pushed me over the edge? Had I finally mastered the art of the transition?  Was my bike leg faster than I thought?  Well, it turns out that my transition times still suck.  However, my swim time was crazy fast for me - under 30 minutes!  Obviously there was a serious current pulling us north on the swim, but when I saw the time, I just started laughing at how ridiculous my estimated time was.  Maybe it was a good thing that I had no idea how close I was to pulling off  a PR?  I'm not sure - I'm just delighted that it was such a fun and, for me, a fast race! 

Thinking about yesterday morning, I can't believe that I almost didn't show up to race - literally and also in a more figurative sense.  I recognize that I was a bit "off" my mental game going into it and didn't feel that I had much of an edge when I started the swim, but I didn't panic in the water, tried to ride strong on the bike, and I really pushed myself on the run.  This was such a pleasant surprise of a race, and, just as important as the overall time, I couldn't stop grinning throughout the race because I was enjoying myself so much.  I'll admit that I feel almost guilty about the PR because it felt so 'easy'.  I think about how focused I was for Wildflower, how much I wanted to be happy and proud of my performance there, and how that just did not happen, despite training hard and strong and despite improving my time there.  This race felt relaxed and serendipitous, and maybe I need(ed) to race just for pleasure in order to feel good about it?  I have yet to figure out what the perfect recipe is for me, but this is definitely a nice note on which to end the 2012 tri season!