Race Optimism and Goals

Just a quick post about what I'm looking at and what I'm wanting in terms of races this year. Entry fees have been paid, but who knows if I'll make it to starting lines. Looking forward with Optimism, as I said in my post the other day, I'm operating as if :)

Kaiser 5K February 3...I ran this for the first time last year when I was struggling in so many ways and still managed to run it at an 8:15 average pace (the course is officially longer than 5K so that's how I like to gauge my performance at this race). This year I'm struggling less. I'd like to finish it with the speed I had in my 5K in November...7:30 average pace. My training plan is structured as if this is going to happen.

Last year looking like Stone-cold Steve Austin

Oakland Running Festival half-marathon March 24...I've only run the relay, both last year and the year before. This year all of my relay teammates decided to try the half. I was kind of annoyed because I like routine...and running less. Running Leg 2 of the Oakland Marathon had become part of my March routine...amazing how doing something twice makes it feel like 'routine.' Anyway...I said, FINE. Half-marathon... whatEVER .... Goal on this one...start healthy and finish happy. I give myself full permission to shamelessly not start. And in the event that I start and things go sour, I will unabashedly not finish. But in the vein of Optimism, I'm operating as if it will all be sunshine and roses :)

Leg 2 of the 2012 Oakland Marathon Relay

Bay to Breakers May 19...I've run this one three times, last year,  the year before and back in 1994. Seeing the naked people is not a highlight for me (click the links if you want to see naked B2B people). My favorite part of the race is, surprisingly...or perhaps in my case, not surprisingly, Hayes Street Hill. Overall, this race gave me a hard time all three years, and with the gleam of Optimism in my eyes, I look forward to me giving it a hard time this year :)

O, the irony of this parting gift...

Sonoma 5K Turkey Trot November 28...my yearly return-to-running barometer, I ran this one last year and the year before and the year before that. Since the fall of 2010, I've improved my 5K time by 5 minutes and 40 seconds. This year I'd like to set a real 5K PR by knocking another 2 minutes off my time from 2012. If I can stave off bloggermarathonhighmileagemania, I have confidence that I can stay healthy enough to at least come close. Am I the only blogger who has a 5K for her 'A' race this year?

First woman...yeah, I won. Go figure.

I'm looking at a few others, among them the San Francisco Second Half, but I'm curious about how things will pan out with the first three listed above before committing.

And there's always Hood to Coast in late August...I'm planning my Nuun team application already ;-)

I'd love to hear about your race plans and goals for 2013 in a comment below!

2012 Zazzle Bay to Breakers Race Recap: The good, the bad and the ugly...times 3

**Warning: there is a photo of a naked person in this post. 

'Parts' have been pixelated and are small, but I'm warning you anyway**

Update: The person in the photo found my blog while searching the internet for naked 

Bay to Breakers photos and has left a comment.

It's a cable car :)

The Lead-Up

The Good

My training has been going so well for the past several weeks. I've been consistent and diligent. My cardio base is getting really solid. I've put in some amazing hill runs with the idea of going into Bay to Breakers feeling like the Hayes Street Hill ain't no big thang. This was accomplished :)

The Bad

My left calf was feeling sore and super tight for a few days but only during running and walking down stairs. I had to extra-minimize the amount of running I was doing. No amount of rolling, Sticking, icing, or massage seemed to be making a difference, but I kept doing those things anyway. Additionally, something had been feeling 'off' in my mid-back and hip/pelvis. Things were feeling inflamed. I chalked this up to hormones...because they are a great scapegoat.

The Ugly

Awesomely, there was no lead-up ugly :)


The Day Before   


The Good

This year's expo was easy to get to on public transportation with a three-year old, easy to find, easy to navigate and appeared more interesting than last year's by a long stretch. But I didn't do any exploring.

Happy girl on her first trip on BART

The Bad

By the time I found the bib pick-up area, my number on the board and the line for my number, aforementioned three-year old was pretty done. Granted it was lunch time, so no expo exploration other than a quick trip to the Nuun booth to say 'hello.' The meltdown began as I tried to exit the premises. Must touch all the balloon sculptures. Cannot walk. Carry me, mommy. Somehow we made it back to the BART station in one piece. But the trains were loud...

sooooo loud, mommy

The Ugly

Transferring trains was most upsetting. She didn't want to get off the train even though we were going to get on another one. She let the world know she was not happy with this arrangement by cleaning the floor of the platform with her body while hollering, "don't wanna get off! don't wanna get off! let me onnnnn! let me onnnnn!" It would have been comical...but it wasn't.

But I had the bib, we made it home, we got lunch and were able to relax. Whew.

And the next day was...

Race Day!!!

The Good

Things were great right off the bat! Of course, because of the title, you know they didn't stay that way.

I didn't oversleep. My pre-race prep at home went off without a hitch. Parking at the train station was easy. I was on time for the train and even ran into some good friends while waiting :)

Nothing like seeing costumed runners at the crack of dawn waiting for the train!

I got a boo-hisssss for looking like a 'serious runner.' I assured the hecklers that it was, indeed, a costume. And anyway I had the samurai hair-do and a sparkly headband on... the combo = costume. At least to me it does.

I was so busy chatting with my buddies that I didn't take anymore awesome costume pics...but there weren't a whole lot this year anyway, or so it seemed. However, right as we parted for our respective corrals, I had the first naked runner sighting...

You can biggify this if you really want to...but I did pixelate the 'parts' 
...nothing we haven't seen before...
fortunately, this year was not as cold as last.

There were LOTS of naked guys this year as compared to last...probably a function of the nicer weather. But there were very few women despite the mild temperatures, just LOTS of guys.

The scene at the start was your typical giant race starting line zoo...

I tried taking pictures but was having a hard time with the camera...as evidenced by the next two photos...

I put the camera away with the intention of taking it back out after the Hayes Street Hill. Also, as I mentioned before, there just didn't appear to be that many cool costumes at this point, which might have been due to the fact that I was in Corral A and with the faster runners. Or maybe I was just oblivious.

Best Points of the Day:  I felt amazing going up the big Hill. I wasn't fast, but I was strong and steady. I credit this to all the Moesers I've been running. To top things off, my hip was feeling GREAT. When I crested the hill ahead of my previous time while feeling fantastic, I had high hopes for improving on last year's finish. 

Shortly after I flew down the short descent from the summit that precedes a mile or so of fairly flat terrain, I felt that sense of elation and optimism quickly fade.

The Bad

Within moments of hitting the 'flat' stretch right around the 3-mile mark, the stiffness I've been having in my left calf flared with a vengeance. I kept thinking it would loosen up, but by Mile 4 the stick of rebar that had implanted itself in my lower leg extended all the way up and into my hamstring. I stopped to the side and attempted to stretch and massage it out...to no avail.

It felt better to run than to walk...so that was good :P but every time I tried to push my HR over 145, the wooden deadness of my leg would transform into shooting, searing pain from my Achilles tendon up to just under my buttcheek. I kept things slow and steady and every so often made an effort to crank it up a notch... but it just wasn't happening. My struggle to survive superseded the desire to photo any more of the event...big-time blogger let-down :(

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I should have worn a pirate costume because I felt like this guy. 

He even has the wooden leg on the same side.

The Ugly

Running downhill and witnessing everyone around me open it up and blow by me as if I were standing still felt so lonely. 

Also, this is when I saw all the naked men's butts. Butts, butts and more butts. Lots of butts. 

Feeling fit and powerless is really frustrating. Finishing a race and not feeling tired just flat-out pissed me off.

And the kicker...

Getting passed by goddamned Gumby at the finish line was quite the tragi-comic moment. About this piece of the experience, I am rendered speechless. 

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I'm borrowing this photo from rachelhop.com. She took it last year. If I had seen Gumby right there behind me...well, it wouldn't have made any difference. I was already stumping along as best I could :(

The finish stats are as follows:

Time.... 1:14:01  (9:56 pace)    4 minutes slower than last year 

In the top 22% of overall finishers, top 11% of all female finishers, and top 11% of women in my age group. Not as good as last year...which does bum me out a little...but it could have been worse. Finishing upright and with no residual injury is always a good thing. And it was kind of fun...sort of. If running with a wooden leg is ever fun.

And look what they gave me for my efforts...

I started laughing so hard.

And no, I didn't drink it.

Friday Four...From the Gym

Things have been super hectic on pretty much every single front in my life lately. Pick an arena and there is tumult, chaos or extreme busy-ness. I did take Monday off of working out...and after 15 days with no rest days, I needed it and enjoyed it.

Just to keep you up-to-date on one of these arenas, here are five things from this week's gym-world...

1.  The Coroner of Munchkinland works out at my gym.

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On second thought...he might actually be a descendant of Jules Léotard...

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Maybe not...maybe those guys each had a kid who had a kid together who is the guy at my gym. Anyway, I don't know how he maintains that awesome 'stache set up when sweating hard...either lots of wax orrrrrrr he doesn't sweat that hard. Maybe Munchkins don't sweat? Anyway...sorry for not having a real picture that I took myself. I tried...really. He walked by me several times, and I had the camera at the ready, but every single time he passed by, he turned his head away. I wasn't comfortable going up to him and saying Hey! can I get a picture of you to post on the internet, drawing attention to your facial hair sculpturalities? Well, actually, I would have but by the time I finished my workout, he was gone. Next time.

2.  No climbing this week. Bay to Breakers is Sunday. Sometimes the climbing gets my alignment torqued and then running is painful and dangerous. I wouldn't have time for an adjustment (or the moo-lah for one), so I'm not going to risk it.

3.  #heavybreathing. Still doing it. In fact... during last night's very intense cardio session I couldn't help but notice some confusion or consternation going on next to me. The heavily made-up chick

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think:  Tammy Faye

about to get on the machine to my right was balking. She and her male companion (who actually bore a slight resemblance to Jim) began to engage in an animated discussion which I could hear none of...thanks to Trisha Yearwood screaming "She's in Love with the Boy," the blood pounding in my ears at a rate of 158 BPM, and, no doubt, my own heavy breathing. Seems she really didn't want to be next to me :P And they really wanted to be next to each other. I watched them strong-arm sweet-talk the chick one over from the machine to my left into taking the one right next to me. She also appeared visibly concerned but got zoned into her own workout enough to not be too bothered by whatever objectionable things I was doing.

4.  Out of the 15 elliptical machines, I now have a favorite. Is that weird? I keep thinking I should give myself a mental challenge by using other ellipticals and, at first, I did. I rotated every workout so I wouldn't get 'stuck' on one in particular. Well...that plan didn't work. And I've managed to acquire an affinity for a particular StairMaster, too. I won't hang out waiting if my faves are occupied, and I won't shoot daggers with my eyes at someone using them, but I do heave a heavy sigh of disappointment if they are not available...and then move on. Anyone else do this? Why do we do these things to ourselves?

Okay...so that's it from gym-world.

As mentioned above, this Sunday is the 101st running of the Bay to Breakers, and I will be there. I realized that I may not have registered...in which case I won't be there. I can't seem to find my confirmation email, and haven't received any sort of alert in the mail. Ugh. I am getting nervous that I will schlepp my sorry self over to the the lame-o expo and find nothing. Guess I'd better get cracking on that confirmation email search! What would you do it that happened to you? Or are you far too organized to ever do something so ...ummmmm... dumb?

Wishing much speediness and perfect weather to all racers this weekend! And lots of fun, laughter and good times to all :)

Looking ahead... a.k.a. 4 for Friday

I'm slated to run in the SF First Half-Marathon in a little over 12 weeks. Can you say hilly? I am about to embark on a training plan for this event that is revolutionary. I'll tell you more as time goes on...and time will certainly tell how well it works! Needless to say, I am super excited about the possibilities :)

I will run over this bridge.

At some point in the next 3 months (probably before the SF half) Team AfterNuun Delight will become three sets of 12 runners. We will find out with whom we will enjoy a trip from Mount Hood to Seaside, Oregon, and which order in the running rotation we will occupy while running for our respective teams-within-the-team. We were allowed to submit our top three choices of which legs we'd most like to run...no promises but input considered. I know a number of us are very curious as to who we will be riding with...you never know how personalities are going to mix :) I was thinking of starting a pool...whoever can correctly group together the most athletes on any one of the teams-within-the-team wins a tube of Nuun of his or her choice!

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Sixteen days from now I will be running in the 101st Zazzle SF Bay to Breakers. This should be very interesting. I have not been running as much as I had prior to last year's race, but I feel oddly in better shape. My goals going into the race are simply to feel strong and confident. I always run races as if to win them ...even knowing that unless there are a whole lot of fast people tripping over cracked asphalt or untied shoes, waylaid by severe GI issues, taking wrong turns, etc., that the proverbial snowball in Hell and I have about the same chances.

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You're really glad I didn't put the naked people photo this time, right?

Next weekend one of my very dear blogging friends will be in town, and I cannot wait!!!! We have big plans to have more fun than humanly possible. What would make it even better than best would be if Dolvett this girl joined us.

Any exciting races coming up? Ever try a radical training plan? How'd it work out?

Who wants in on that pool?  

Counting down...

One month... I will have completed my next race and seen the nudie booties. The San Francisco Zazzle Bay to Breakers 12K takes place on Sunday, May 20. My A+ goal is to finish it while loving and enjoying the process. I've decided that is my new A+ goal in every race. Any sort of spectacular time in anything is just gravy :)

Two weeks... I will have celebrated the day of my birth. The one after this one has a zero at the end of it...so excited! I am going to take charge of the day and make myself a cake and give myself a present.

One day... I will announce the winner(s) of Taking It On's most recent giveaway! If you want to win it, you gotta be in it :) Click here to enter...you have until tomorrow (Wednesday) at noon!

One hour... Nuun will announce their 2012 Hood to Coast Relay team in less than an hour! Some people will be elated and others will be sad. I wonder in which category I will land? Did you see my application? It was killer!

**update:  I made the Nuun team...to see the full list and their official announcement, click HERE!


And go click on that pink badge in my sidebar and vote for this blog in the Circle of Moms Top 25 Outdoorsy Mom Blogs contest....'cuz I am waaaaayyyyyyy outdoorsy ;-)

It's the end of the week...

...we made it.

Whew.

A random brain dump to freshen me up for the weekend...

• So I raced last Sunday and I'm still sore. What up? I keep telling myself that it's because my brain forced my body to go way beyond its current fitness capabilities. I've been rolling and stretching, and I even did a little recovery run...of sorts. But I am just aching. My hip isn't too angry, which is good, but it also isn't happy. I need for it to be happy.

And sorry but no race pictures. Thankfully :) There were no photographers on the section of the course where I ran. I find that kind of weird. But whatcha gonna do?

• Yesterday was a climbing day. I've been going to the gym every other day or so to play on the elliptical and the treadmill and to work on the hangboard and pull-ups (I've decided I want to give myself a pull-up for my birthday in 6 weeks). The great news is that my hangboard/pull-up work is helping my hand and arm stamina. At the end of my session I was, for the first time, able to untie my own ropes.

Overhangs are no longer my nemesis...

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...see how the rock juts out and over...overhang.

Now it's smooth handholds called slopers (click that to see different hand techniques).

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No, they are not purple boobs.

I f*cking hate them. I actually cursed them under my breath yesterday when faced with them. I just don't know what to do with them...I slide right off. That means I am going to work them all the time until they no longer elicit profanity. 

• Bay to Breakers is approaching. I have 7 weeks to get ready. And 7 weeks to decide what "ready" means. I had set a lofty goal last fall of wanting to finish in an hour. That would be holding an 8-minute average pace for the entire 12K. Barring serious use of amphetamines or cocaine, that isn't going to happen. So...it isn't going to happen. Given that I essentially ran my race on Sunday at the same average pace (though it was a longer, more challenging course) as in 2011, I am going to set my sights for B2B on completion. And if completion seems to be well in hand, then I'll shoot for a little faster than last year. I need to be realistic in view of my lack of training. 

• I'm still trying to decide how to handle Hood to Coast Relay options. While I'd love to run with Team Nuun again, it's not a sure thing. And I will need to come up with a killer application idea. How can I ever top the nun running at noon for Nuun? 

Who wants to run Hood to Coast? Are you applying to run with Nuun? Have you ever run a long relay like it before? Did you have any super annoying people in your van? I was so lucky last year! I would go nuts if I had to deal with whiners or otherwise annoying teammates. But then again, I have a lot of practice with that particular facet of the experience...driving a minivan full of whining, screaming, complaining, fighting children every single day.

• I'm still wading through comments, thoughts, and emails in the wake of yesterday's post. Some people are really attached to their chocolate milk! I know I have a tendency to get on a soapbox and be a little pushy, so I'm not going to press this issue any further. If you feel solid in whatever nutritional decisions you are making, don't let someone else's say-so mess with you. If, however, the say-so makes you question your current mindset, by all means get busy researching! No one wants to feel like he or she is making poor choices...but sometimes poor choices are made. I'm not casting any stones because I know I make foolish decisions all the time :)

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And, hey! Lookie here...five different bullets! I could have called this "Five for Friday"...or something like that.

Wishing you all a wonderful weekend :)

I'll close with some alliteration  ;-)

Moving Comfort Juno Bra Review and Demonstration...because seeing is believing!

Did you know that the sports bra is just a little over 30 years old? I am old enough to remember this... as in, I was old enough to need one when they were invented. I found this great article about the history of the sports bra... I especially liked it because they use the expression shooting for the moon :)

Back in the olden days, I hated running. Hated. I think my newly-sprouted D's were part of the problem. And as that article says, the newly-invented Jogbra wasn't doing the trick for more voluptuous women... or adolescents. By the time I was a freshman in college, Lily of France had a great sports bra on the market... but I still needed to double up to get it to work. Thus began what I thought would be a life-long necessity... double-bra-ing for runs.

I have always been protective of my breasts. Adequate support is imperative if you don't want to end up looking like those scary boobscarves as seen in my first Running Bra Report. I thought I had found the perfect bra combo... those two different granny bras pictured in that same report. They served me well in the past but were getting tired and needed to be replaced.

Over the summer I purchased my new bra. It came with the saleswoman's reassurance and insistence that I would only need ONE. People always say that... but they don't really know what it's like.

I scoffed...even though she looked like she might know.

She was right.

The Juno bra by Moving Comfort is IT.

I am so excited to show you THE bra...

if you are tired of seeing and hearing perfect fitness models and small-breasted women touting what they are calling 'the best' sports bras (nothing against these ladies but they have different needs),

if you are looking for a substantial yet comfortable and attractive sports bra,

if you want a sports bra that isn't scary-looking but WORKS for C, D and DD all by its lonesome...

Inside-out, you can see the seamless, chafe-resistant construction. 

It has molded cups to prevent uniboob.

The chest band is soft for comfort, wide and minimally stretchy for stability.

Close-up of the waffle-y wicking fabric that lines the cups...

super comfy!

The straps are NOT STRETCHY! 

Awesome bonus for us more busty women because...

stretchy straps = bouncing boobs

But they are adjustable because they pass through loops

and then velcro where you need them!

I found that I get the best control when I tighten these up as far as they will go. This velcro feature would also be pretty fantastic if you are a nursing mom who works out. I remember the contortions I went through trying to get my babe to the boob when it was trapped beneath two old-school sports bras :P

It is not scary to look at! It looks like a normal sports bra!

And it comes in a bunch of colors...they even have bigger sizes in pretty colors :)

I can talk and write all I want about this thing... but we all know

seeing is believing.

So, to that end, here is the Juno in action...

yeah, yeah... shot kind of close... that's so you can't see my lack of core work :P

Isn't it true? Look through the pictures of sportsbras... how many of us are fitness models? Ummmm... maybe just Sandra. We want to know how these things are going to work on our 'normal' everyday bodies. Are my D's or her DD's really going to be adequately contained?

With the awesome Juno, the answer is...

YES!!!!

Double-bra wearers of the workout world unite! 

You have nothing to lose but that stupid extra bra! 

You have a race to win!

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Note: these do run true to size in my personal experience...if you know your real bra size and aren't just guessing or going by habit. I was lucky enough to try my first one on at a Title Nine store.

** I bought my first Juno bra and was so in love with it that I bought two more so that I would have one for each leg of my Hood to Coast experience (I know you were wondering how I'd work that in). I then received one as a gift from Moving Comfort as a member of Nuun Platuun! How stoked was I to get my most very favoritest piece of running equipment as a gift? SO stoked! This review is solely based on my personal experience with the Juno bra and other sports bras, and I have not been compensated for it in any way.

***And definitely... definitely click on this link to vote for my insanity... I really really really want to win free ad space on another incredibly awesome blog. Please click the link here and then find my Einstein-hair picture or my Maxfield Parrish sky photo or both and then click the little yellow stars under them :) It ends Thursday at midnight... like, as in today!

Pleeeeeeeeease? 

Running Bra Report

Watching naked people run a 7.46-mile race had me cringing in pain.

Too many jiggly bits jostling, jangling, bouncing and banging around. Damage was being done to tissues. Irreparable damage. Even if you have very small parts, it is wise to protect what you have :) And if things are more sizeable... well, do you really want to look like this....

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because that's what's going to happen if you don't take precautions.

What everyone chooses for their support garments is purely individual. Some people focus on the comfort of the garment at the expense of how it performs. Soft and stretchy.... mmmmm... nice :) Until you are out there hurting yourself!

Personally, I prefer no movement whatsoever in the chest region while I am running. This is very challenging for me to achieve. I am not flat-chested. I have tried so many different types and configurations of running bras over the years. What I have found works the best for my skinny frame and "healthy girls" is a bra that has an absolute minimum of stretchy parts. NO stretchy straps. NO stretchy cups. A band with some give to it but not soft, loose and stretchy. There are so many bras out there that tout their functionality for D, DD and larger. Most of them are lying.

One place that has a HUGE selection of sports bras is Title Nine. They use a barbell ranking system... more barbells = more support. And like most online shops, they have reviews that are sometimes but not always helpful. Athleta also has a large selection, grouped according to impact level... high, medium or low.

I am getting a little worried, though. My running bras are 9 years old and will need to be replaced soon. Will I be able to find such a winning support-combo? I wear two different styles at the same time to achieve the feeling I need to be comfortable running.
the bluish-looking one on the right goes on first...

They are total granny bras. They have seams that show through my clothing. And I don't care. I would rather make my favorable fashion statement in a situation where functionality isn't as important to me!

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XL's Make-up Tutorial...

Following my awesome VLOG last week in which I introduced myself and showed my face on camera, I got numerous emails and comments telling me how lovely I am and how incredulous people were that I don't wear make-up. Okay... I got a couple. Two is a number.

Well, folks... I'm coming clean... and as a part of hooking up with the good ladies at Vlog Talk...

Today, I am going to share my make-up routine with  you... watch closely ;-)

Have you ever noticed my URL?  lol

Did you get any of that?

And because I don't do it that often, I forgot to show you how sometimes I wipe my fingers across my eyebrows to try and make them look like they go all the way across the top of each eye. And I also forgot to show you how I do my hair when I am getting ready to go out... I take it out of the bun!  

Woo hooo! That's right... I just whip that ponytail holder right on OUTTA there!  yeah, baby..... mama lets her hair down!

Whew! Can you believe I did two vlogs in one night? If you missed Granny's Gadgets #19... get it HERE. Whoa... I just realized... I posted my race videos earlier today! So that makes more than two in one day ;-)  Seriously, I am so good at math.

And if you have the time... punch that little pink "Vote For Me" button at the top right :) Or click HERE to go directly to my page to vote... no need to join anything or share any info... just two clicks! And you can do it every day :)

Super Lame-o Expo

The lameness of the Expo for the 100th running of the San Francisco Bay to Breakers ... o, excuuuuse me... the ZAZZLE San Francisco Bay to Breakers... skipped right over "disappointing" and tripped on "pathetic" before falling face-first into "embarrassment."  Or is that just how expos are nowadays?

My friends who went with me felt the same. One of them kept saying, "I can't believe there is no free stuff!" and shaking her head in disbelief. Personally, I was sorely disappointed at the lack of interesting vendors and dearth of exciting products to be had at promotional prices. In its defense, there will be a couple of celebrities later on today and for a little bit tomorrow afternoon, but I'm not able to go gawk at the specified times.

The only thing more disappointing than the Expo is the race shirt. For it being the "world's most creative footrace" and sponsored by a printing company who touts themselves as equally creative, it is sooooooo boring. See the picture below.

little free bag at bottom of shirt... oooooo... ahhhhhhh

It was, surprisingly, the drive to the Expo that was very fun and exciting! Anytime you go to the downtown of a major metropolis at the lunch hour, you are destined to have a good time.

One of my friends and I drove over the bridge from where we live into San Francisco to pick up our other friend at her office in the heart of downtown, then we got totally lost trying to get to the Expo. Making wrong turns and almost going back over the bridge, following dead end streets and needing to make illegal u-turns, and, in fact, making an illegal turn right in front of the Department of Justice (police station). I didn't know it was an illegal turn, and I really didn't know it was the DOJ... I thought maybe there was some major crime bust going on to explain all of the police cars lining the street. Or that maybe they were after me ;-) But we did make it in one piece and even scored a most excellent parking spot... right across the street... legal and everything :)

I am so glad I have a super awesome race plan, and I have a feeling that the race will be a blast... even if the Expo was a joke.

It is supposed to rain. But I know how to cope with that,... nothing a good Hefty bag can't handle!

Race Plan for the Zazzle B2B 12K

Zazzle.

They print stuff.

So apparently the connections to the Bay to Breakers have to do with creativity. Okay....

"Zazzle is now the title sponsor of the world's most creative footrace.  Learn how Zazzle is changing the game."

How many people really pay attention to who is sponsoring or underwriting a race they are running in or thinking of running in?

"OOooooo! Zazzle! This one is being sponsored by Zazzle? I definitely want to run it!"

I don't think about this.

Ever. Unless it's a charitable organization.

Moving on...

I ran 4 miles on Tuesday night. It was pretty awesome. A complete 180 from that freaky 7-mile run on Saturday... you remember ... the one where I almost puked and had Einstein hair and the armpit vagina? Yeah. That one.

Tuesday night was beautiful. Not too windy (unlike Saturday), kind of cool (so no unsightly tank top), and I had waited long enough after eating (so no impending vomit sensations). The plan was to gently pitter-patter along for 40 minutes doing 10-minute miles. That was my intent.

But I found The Zone.

Feeling pretty effortless, I found myself rattling off 9:20's for the entire run. See... pretty awesome. This decided my race plan for Sunday.

Instead of shooting for my delusional one hour, meaning an 8:02 average per mile over the 7.46 miles... including the big, gigantic hill in the first half and the 50,000 official entrants and the 300,000 unofficial runners and the 50,000 people just standing and shouting and getting drunk and stumbling out onto the course... I am opting for taking the first 3 as they come. This will mean shuffling along with the crowd at a snail's pace, I am sure. This will be my warm up.

The 3-mile mark is essentially the top of the mondo Hayes Street Hill (here's the map). Even with all the significant impediments to fast-ish running, I want to hit that point in less than 35 minutes. I want to go sub-9-minute miles for the next 2.5 miles and then open it up for the last 2. "Opening it up" might translate into "stay alive" on race day! But I'd like for it to mean 8-minute miles. So that's the plan. That would put me at around a 73-minute finish time.

I plan to take lots and lots of pictures. Maybe even vlog while on the course... cuz I am a total vlogging superstar now :P Hopefully, I'll see those Bare to Breakers runners ;-) Actually, maybe I don't want to see that.

Ouch. I hurt just thinking about it.


If you were running in the world's most creative footrace, would YOU wear a costume? Would you run naked?
– I am really debating the costume angle. Since I am not really racing this one, a costume might be fun! Any suggestions? And don't say 'naked'... cuz that ain't happenin'.

The Very First Race I Entered...

...didn't happen. Not for me.

my high school besties are identical twins... and they are still friends of mine :)

When I was a senior in high school, my best friends and I used to convince each other that not-so-fun things were actually really fun... like going out for the soccer team when none of us had ever played before...

SOCCER

I'm in the back row, next to the goalie who is in all black. My two besties are also in the back row, one next to me and the other is third from the left.

or going out for the field hockey team when none of us had ever played before...

FIELD HOCKEY

JV, baby :) My buddies made varsity. We sucked so badly. I am back row on the far left... goober-girl.

What you don't know is that our school colors were red and gold... those poly/nylon blend sleeveless shirts were a hideous shade of yellow and our lovely kilts were scratchy red.

or running in the 7.5-mile San Francisco Bay to Breakers when none of us had EVER run before... aside from the running we were forced to do for the above-mentioned teams.

GYMNASTICS

Front row, left... with all the hair... and taller than everyone else :P

My buddies are: second from right, front row and the one with the braces holding up her head.

I think we were using it as an excuse to delay heading off to gymnastics practice (another of our bonding sports... but they were actually good at it, and I was not :P ).  The three of us were not crazy about the new coach, and "training" for the B2B was a legit 'out' of going to practice... for a couple of weeks anyway until the race.  Our "training" consisted of going out to the school track and starting to jog, making it about a quarter of the way around while telling jokes or complaining about various teenager-y things, bursting into laughter that made us literally fall down and roll around in the grass of the football field until we nearly (or did) pee in our pants.  Laughing so hard that no sound comes out. I love laughing that hard. But it is not conducive to training for a long running race.

We signed up to do a Jog-a-thon somewhere in the middle of the training... as many laps as you could do in an hour... money pledged for each lap... money to go to a charity, I forget which one. I think we all ran 5 miles in that hour. We felt pretty freakin' awesome for just doing it... and pretty freakin' wiped and sore because we were totally NOT ready for that.

All the stress from the not training must have compromised my immune system because I got bronchitis within a week of the race. I planned on giving it a shot anyway... 'cuz that's how I am ;-)  But my mom flipped her lid. And since I was still a kid and needed to listen to my folks, I didn't run :(  But my friends did! They said it was awful and that they wished they'd had bronchitis, too. They said I was lucky to have bronchitis. Whew. After that race report, I was soooooo glad I had been sick :P

Ironically, the next time the Bay to Breakers entered into my life was when I had just moved back to the San Francisco area after being away for most of my young adulthood. I entered the race and did not run a step prior to the race. I did all my training on the StairMaster!  lol  I finished in 70 minutes and then raced off to work, where my legs seized up and I was pretty much useless for that whole day and several after it!  (= boss not happy )

Third time's a charm, right?

Here I am... poised on the edge of another trip to San Francisco to run up and over the Hayes Street Hill and then fly through Golden Gate Park (I'd say 'streak', but there will actually be streakers and I won't be running naked). This time I have trained. This time I will be ready. I might not be superfast, but I know I can finish it without losing my job... or, most likely, my breakfast!

I had set a time fantasy goal for myself of one hour flat. That would mean I'd run 8:02 miles the whole way. I am not that fast. I accept that. And someone reminded me that this is the 100th Anniversary running of the race ... there are 50,000 competitors and countless bandits and infinity meddling interested bystanders to contend with so speed is going to be very, very relative :)

Two weeks more weeks of prep... the focus will be on staying healthy and having fun! I want a new experience for this race :)