Putting it to the REAL test?

The other day I was talking about patience. I outlined but didn't detail my new training approach, or rather, my return to an old and effective for me training approach. As I proceed with strengthening and stretching and massaging and cross-training and not running, I'm wondering what would happen if I didn't run at all before my race on Feb. 3.

My hip still isn't perfect. And running does make it more sore. Not irretrievably painful but sore nonetheless. The more pliable and strong things get, the better it will hold up. Anyway, that's my understanding of it, so that's where my focus is right now.

What do we think would happen if I really adhered to the Don't Run, Run Faster Training Plan leading up to my 5K in 2+ weeks? Honestly, I think it would be okay. But also honestly, I don't think I have the self-restraint to not run at all before then!

Opening up the opinion poll:

What's your take on this idea?

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!

The Ellimpics: Round 2...not ALL seconds are sloppy

Over the past two days I did two things for the second time.

Yes, this is an upside-down, inverted number five...

it is also a number two because of all the twos in this post.

"Resourceful" is one of my middle names.

First, I went to the chiropractor again.

This time she had to fake me out. I really didn't want to be ready for the giant leg-yank because I knew it would work better if I didn't brace myself for it, so I allowed myself to be faked out...until the moment of poppage. Nonetheless, it was a successful yank, according to the good doc. "I usually tell people that the second adjustment may not be like the first...but nevermind," was what she said. "I think this one actually did more in the right direction than the first," she continued with a smile. 

Given that I was able to run (albeit slowly) 6 glorious hilly miles Sunday evening...the day after performing my elliptical masterpiece half-marathon and only three days after my initial hip joint reconfiguration, I'd be lying if I said I weren't giddy and over the moon at the prospects of what "more in the right direction" might mean :) Best part of Sunday's run...a tie between chatting with a good friend and...

no hip pain.

Worst part of Sunday's run...

Yes, that is a blister taking up one-third the surface area of my baby toe...

not loving my Brooks Cascadias...or maybe not loving my socks.

Trying to figure that one out...

Second, I completed another race on The Ellimpics schedule.

I was really hoping to do a 10K today and then a 5K on Thursday or Friday, thus giving me some semi-taper for my possible marathon on Sunday (since that is when the REAL marathon is...yes, there was a REAL marathon last Sunday but I wasn't ready then...now I'm ready. I think). Like most Ellimpians, I was needing to slam the race in between two appointments and while the kids were occupied. A little different than hanging out in the Athletes' Village and moseying on over to the venue according to a set schedule like Olympians ;-)  But by the time I got to the gym it was apparent that I only had time to bust out a 5K...so I went with it.

My "A" goal? Right around 18 minutes flat. I thought this would be realistic given my final 5K of the half-marathon on Saturday.

After a chillin' 10-minute StairMaster warm-up and a 'tempo' mile on the elliptical, I figured I was as ready as I'd ever be. I queued up "Just Like Heaven" and went to work.

So... 5K's really are a lot harder than I imagined. Even on the elliptical. I'm seeing why a lot of people groove on half-marathons...because you have time to find a groove. It usually takes this old lady a good half an hour to get her heart rate up. But not today. 

I went with 'uncomfortable' as the sensation of the day. 

First mile... 5:39
Halfway point...  8:50
Mile 2... 11:14
Mile 3... 16:38
Done like dinner... 17:08

Tricia knows this face... 

and she'll be seeing it again in less than three weeks!

I definitely felt more spent after this than any other elliptical workout I've ever done. And I still wish I could run as fast as I can elliptical. Well, even 2 minutes per mile more slowly would be fine! I realized I should take a video of myself doing this because people wonder what it looks like. I am sure I look like an insane person. And my singing probably cements that notion.

I meant to take a picture of the elliptical screen at the end...but I kind of forgot :P Then I remembered a couple of minutes later while I was cooling down...

Pretty much annihilated another "A" goal. I was super surprised with my time. And I really wonder where all of my competitors are? 

I did this piece on the same machine as my half-marathon. I followed my same resistance and incline pattern ...but on an abbreviated schedule. I'm curious as to how the 10K will go. 

Looking forward to seeing some recaps from you all! It's fun! Play with me!!!!! 

It's time to stop lamenting that we cannot run very much for now and embrace the gifts we have, enjoy the outlets we can utilize, and celebrate what we can do.

Miss Congeniality? Maybe. Miss Photogenic? Never!

Ever notice how some people always look good in pictures? I mean regular people...not photoshopped, over-made-up supermodels or movie stars. Some people even look good in their race photos! I am not one of these people. While I've never looked as bad as some people do when they're racing, this weekend finally yielded race photos where I don't look scared sh!tless or like I'm about to puke...

The only thing I'm really not loving about these pictures (other than the fact that black is not appearing to be very slimming) is the bizarre underarm fat undulation thing going on... see it? I know you didn't necessarily see it until just now when I pointed it out, but now you do, right? I am posting three nearly identical pictures so that you can see it. I think it's a carry-over from the armpit vagina thing I had going on before. I thought it was the scar from my lung surgery, but that's on the other side. 

Fat undulation... 's'what it is.

I could bring the elbows in a little tighter, but I've got a good 'ZoneFace' going on there. And my BICBands headband did an amazing job of keeping the Einstein hair at bay ;-)  I do wish they'd gotten a good shot of how my foot hits the pavement so I could verify my new footstrike (or not), but they didn't. My feet look to be doing a little splay action as they push off and then draw through, but things look pretty good for coming into the finish.

And here are the frightening images of races gone by for the sake of comparison...

Looking miserable last fall in Long Beach...

How can we only be 6 miles into this thing? 

see?... scared shitless.

And then there was Vegas...

early on in the race...

ooooo...cleavage :)

...and will ya look at the bottom of that shoe? 

Example: lost art of slamming all of one's body weight into the heel-most edge of one's running shoe.

I really want you to see the bottom of my shoe!

And though I look like I'm about to puke, I totally chicked the guy in the red shirt.

I think it's a guy.

And see that chick in the orange behind me on the left? here's a story I forgot from that race...

She was super pissed at me. I was running behind her starting right after the Incident at Denny's. I paced off of her while I got my post-evacuatory bearings. At one water stop (or rather, nastyass bacterial refueling stop) we were side by side and I said something really obnoxious but not intending to be...something like "I'm planning on sucking the life out of you by letting you drag my depleted, sorry ass all the rest of the way in this stupid, god-forsaken race." I didn't use those exact words, but it must've been something similar because she glared real live daggers at me. And then about three miles later I had myself pulled together...right about here where this picture was taken...and I smoked her ass. Well, I passed her anyway. I guess a 9-minute mile pace isn't really capable of 'smoking' someone's ass.

This is my "You finished up at Denny's. There's nothing left in there. It is all in your imagination. There is no possible way there is anything left in your system. You do not need to stop for any reason. Keep running. Do not pick up those quarters you are looking at in the street or whatever it is down there that is so freaking interesting...and how can you not see that HAI-YA karate kick thing you're doing, you heel-striking hip-injurer, you?" face. In case you couldn't tell.

Do you take good race photos? Are you photogenic in non-athletic situations?

– I am quite possibly one of the least photogenic people ever...when sporty or regular. But I think that the photos look like I do in real life...so yeah...kind of a bummer. Especially when you have an awesome photographer for a husband. 

Do you wear make-up when you race and/or work out?

– Hahahahahahhahahaha! Unless you count cherry Chapstick as make-up, I never wear make-up. Ever. I don't even know what to do with it :P

Harping...

My big girl plays the harp.

About a year ago, she got a real harp...which made her a very happy harpist :) This past fall, she was asked to join a group, the Bay Area Youth Harp Ensemble, which plays in local concerts and exhibitions...like at the Dickens Christmas Fair.

Here she is last night, playing part of one of their new pieces for the spring series...

She adores playing the harp. She insisted this was the instrument she wanted to play starting when she was three years old. When she was four and a half, she started taking lessons. I'm thinking it somehow speaks to her. It is such a beautiful thing when you see your child connect with something on such a deep level...regardless of their ability.

I am so glad she didn't choose the trumpet. Or the bagpipes. Clinkers on the harp are still somewhat pleasing to the ear. Not so with those other two. Of course, Q-man is claiming the trumpet resonates with him...why am I not surprised?




And if you missed my Kaiser 5K race recap, it's here.

"Sedate" is NOT my middle name...

The alarms were set for 5:30 and 5:45, respectively. 

The plan was to leave the house at 6:30 which would mean arriving at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco at 7:00, allowing plenty of time for parking, shuttling, sweat-checking, and peeing before an 8:00 race start. Having a good 45 minutes of prep time before leaving the house was going to be positively sedate. Everyone else would be asleep, and all I'd have to do would be get dressed, brush my teeth and put in my contacts. And take my arsenal of daily supplements, fill my water bottle, grab a banana, put on my shoes, and fix prepare my hair. You know, the stuff you do before you leave the house in the morning. 

But we all know that "Sedate" is not one of my middle names.

I operate more like this...

source

...and not always intentionally.

The first alarm went off at 5:30. I turned it off and lay there until the second one went off, and at that point I got out of bed. I went downstairs to start my prep routine and I noticed that the kitchen clock showed

source

How did it take me 45 minutes to walk down the stairs? A conversation later with Cupcake's boyfriend yielded the possibility that I had slipped into a wormhole. That was much more interesting than the reality...the batteries were low on the clocks (yes, both of them!) and they were running 40-ish minutes slow :(

Anyway....

Sedate morning over. Assume hyperspeed.

I was out the door by 7 and in SF by 7:30 and watching a whole ton of runner people walking toward Golden Gate Park. At this point I didn't have time to park in the designated lots and use the designated shuttles...I was on my own. In honor of Superb Owl Sunday, I'll say: It was time to punt ... or Hail Mary ;-) Somehow I superscored a proximal-ish parking spot and high-tailed it, arriving at the gear check just as they collected up the barrel with my number on it! Wooo hooo! Skidding in successfully ... see pic above.

Valuable Race Lesson #1 from today's experience: If you wait to use the portapotties until they've begun to sing the Nat'l Anthem, there are NO lines! No lines = no waiting. Genius. Must remember.

Valuable Race Lesson #2: If running in a mob-scene-type race with a timing chip set-up, don't worry if you miss the gun because you are using the portapotty...your start is registered when you cross the mat and the crowd might even be a little thinned out :) Since I run for fun, keeping the stress level low is important. Reducing worry = less stress.

Valuable Race Lesson #3: People who tell you a course is 'all downhill'...or even 'mostly downhill and the rest flat'...are liars. Okay...maybe they aren't liars, but never assume a race is going to be any easier than it might otherwise be based on these sorts of statements. Bolded and italicized because this is important!

On to the race...

I had no real idea going into this how it would be for me. I hadn't run 'hard' since my timed mile on December 8th and had run maybe a dozen times since then. I'm running physically differently now and in a new kind of shoes. My spirit has been tested and I've had some really low times lately. Yet today, I went into my race unafraid and bubbling over with curiosity.

Starting out, I was behind walkers and strollers. It was a combined start of a half-marathon and a 5K with a split about a quarter mile up the road. There were far more people entered in the half-marathon than the 5K, so at the split things thinned out pretty nicely. I was feeling fairly spry but running conservatively, waiting for that perpetual downhill to begin at which point I planned to fly...as best I could, anyway. I surmised about a mile into things that the course could be better described as 'rolling' and I'd better just listen to my body and forget about that whole 'downhill' thing.

Additionally, I knew that this course would be long. The website said so. This is not just the ramblings of a Garmin whiner. The course for the 5K is not a certified course and runs long...and who knew just exactly how long 'long' would mean? They claimed 3.2, but I decided I was going on Garmin distance as far as calculating my pace.

Once I settled into a rhythm, I passed a few people and got passed by fewer...which felt nice. I only remember one woman passing me for good...the others I re-passed. I chicked a couple of guys, and got duded by a few. I negative-split every half mile. This last point pleases me greatly. But what pleases me even more is this:  My hip did not hurt. Bolded and italicized because this is important!

Official chip time:  27:10 over 3.3 miles, which works out to an average pace of 8:15/mile.

I finished 19th out of 628 in my age group. I was the 76th woman out of 1978. I placed 249th overall out of 2883.

The best part of this race, however, aside from the 'hip not hurting' part, was meeting up with Tricia and Cupcake and getting to meet Cupcake's boyfriend. As her West Coast Mom, I needed to check him out. Based on our super long walk back to my car, he passes the XL Test of Awesomeness. But he'll never know I said that and really, who cares but me?

I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend :)

***Missie guessed 27:08... only 2 seconds off! She wins the prize! Missie, tell me in an email where to send it :)  ***

The Long and Short of a 5K Turkey Trot

I spent the better part of Wednesday thinking about Fred Duling and the incredible power of the human spirit. Of course, all this thinking was done as I ran errands, cared for children, hung out with my awesome 88-year old mother-in-law, did my meager share of Thanksgiving preparations, and stressed about strategized for my 5K Turkey Trot...among other things.

The 5K was in the forefront of my mind. The plan was to head up to Sonoma for what I'll call the 6th Annual Bartholomew Park Winery Thanksgiving Day 5K FunRun Turkey Trot because I don't know the official name or if it even has one!

Gee, XL, why on Earth would you drive an hour each way to run in an eentsy weentsy race with no swag whatsoever or even prizes?

This is why...

AM and me this Thursday...

I'm the nearly naked one...you can tell by the hair.

I found AM and her blog, Goals for the Week (now called Feet in Motion) last year when I started running and blogging. The 5th Annual version of this race was my first race, and AM was my first blogger meet-up :) Last year I finished the 5K in 28:52 and was all fired up because I had been expecting a time between 30 and 31 minutes. It was so fun, the people were super nice, and it was a beautiful setting. I vowed to return in 2011.

skip to the bottom if you want the short version...it's in blue italics all the way at the end

While temperatures were sub-freezing last year, this year the forecast called for pouring down rain *GROAN* My thoughts flashed on Fred Duling, I shut up and packed a Hefty bag, and set to creating a race plan. I had already planned on shooting the moon...'A' goal set at 23:52 (exactly 5 minutes faster than last year) and 'B' goal at 24 flat. My plan was to start slow (7:55 pace for the first half-mile) and bump the speed up every half-mile to be finishing off at 7:30 pace.

Enter stage left:  optimistic and persuasive friend

Uttering phrases like "go for it" and "what have you got to lose?" via chat, he convinced me to push the envelope. Go out at 7:30 pace and see how long I could hang on before imploding or exploding. "It's just a 5K" meaning I'd still be able to finish even if I blew myself out in the first mile.

Here's what happened...

I awoke way too early for my liking and was out the door by 7. It felt weird to be going off to a 5K race instead of a 2+ hour run. The rain was so light it was more of a heavy mist, and by the time I got to the venue, even the misting was intermittent. With temps hovering around 50ºF, conditions were my idea of perfection.

As I trotted around this beautiful place during my warm up, I remembered how last year I didn't warm up... I had been worried about completing just the 3.1 miles of the race! Once I felt loose, I hit the bathroom and stripped down to shorts and a tank. I set my Garmin to show just lap pace/time/distance, programmed the auto lap distance as one half mile, and put The Cure's Just Like Heaven on continuous loop on my iPod. I was ready.

The start felt awesome! Downhill + Adrenaline = 3:46.40 (7:33 pace) for the first half-mile no problem!

The road flattened out and I pushed a bit harder... 3:44.81 (7:30 pace) for the second half-mile.

Then there was a hill.

It was not a big hill, but it was a hill nonetheless. As I worked diligently to keep it fast, the numbers just kept creeping up. And then this guy pushing a stroller passed me. Going uphill. While having a conversation with the person next to him. The ensuing momentary demoralization allowed the pace to climb over 8 minutes per mile, and I finished the third half-mile in 4:00.37 (8:01 as my average pace).

Don't get distracted! Don't let the numbers get to you! Pay attention to the task at hand!

And I thought about Fred Duling and his daughter giving it their all in Philly. And I thought dream big. I rounded the next corner and floored it down the hill and back along the flat straightaway... fourth half-mile run in 3:42.61 (7:25 pace).

For the next half-mile, "keep it in the 30's" quickly segued into "stay in the 40's" which turned into "stay sub-8" and ultimately became "just keep moving forward." And there was this kid. He had flown off the start line with his dad, and I was now running next to them. The kid and I pulled away from the dad and ran together for the last mile. Our fifth half-mile was 3:59.45 (8 min mile pace).

As the kid and I began the final ascent, we were both fading but refusing to concede. He definitely had more gas in his tank, though. He would surge ahead and then walk until I pulled even and then surge again. Had I not been maxxing myself, this would probably have been super annoying. I kept trying to keep up with his surges. In my mind I was, but reality was not cooperating.

He finished about 10 feet ahead of me. I crossed the line in 24:01.

I was strollered. I was kidded (what do you call it when you're passed by a child?). I just missed my goal. I crashed and I burned.

And I had FUN. While I felt like I was dying at the end, rarely have I felt more alive. And for me, there is no better way to start a day of giving thanks than reveling in and testing the limits of this glorious thing that is Life.

********************

and the short version....


I ran a 5K Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving. Weather was cool and misty. Splits were as follows:


0.5 mile:  3:46.40  
1.0 mile:  3:44.81   
1.5 mile:  4:00.37
2.0 mile:  3:42.61
2.5 mile:  3:59.45
3.0 mile:  4:15.20
3.07 mile:  0:32.48


Finish time = 24:01


Yay! 

Toes, Underpants, and a PR

I don't know why I feel a need to share these things... but I do. Really... a need. They are inconsequential... like most of my blog. But the compulsion to dump it here... well, it is a compulsion and there's no stopping it.

This evening's ramblings... some people call this sort of deal "Three Things Thursday", but I don't really care for alliteration... anyway, this evenings ramblings are just that... ramblings. And of no real importance whatsoever.

Numero Uno

It's a first for me...

I'm going to lose it, aren't I? Will it hurt? Can you believe I'm a toenail-falling-off virgin?

Numero Dos

I am not a potty-training virgin, but this fourth time around is just ... I don't know... I guess I'm just not into it. My middle two kids were done with diapers before they turned two. Miss C is now 2 and a half. We have potties. We have a seat adapter. We have the undies. We casually talk about peeing and pooping in the little potty or the big toilet. She even tells me when she goes whatever in her diaper. We make mention of wearing the undies.

But she finds them to be infinitely more entertaining than wearable.

Numero Tres

Last night I ran a 5K "return-to-running" PR.

The workout was supposed to be 2 X 2 miles @ 8:30ish pace with a quarter-mile rest-jog in between. I started late (as usual). I just wasn't into it. As I was doing my warm up, I was complaining in my mind...

"stupid night running"

"darn kids... why won't they just go the *bleep* to bed?"

"i am sooooo tired"

"i think my hip hurts"

"i'm hungry... i don't think i've eaten enough today... maybe i should just go in"

"i wish we had real t.v."

I finished my 1.5-mile warm-up trot and stretched a bit. I toed the line at my mailbox and set off.

When my first lap was 10 seconds "too fast", and I just didn't feel like trying to slow down, I realized that if I held the pace, I could 5K PR. So I made a deal with myself... if I did it, I would be done for the night.

I could give you the blow-by-blow, but does anyone really care? It was dark. No skunks. Negative splits :) except that I was totally sucking it in the last 0.1 mile... no sprint for me... I was lucky to make it out alive!

Time:  25:20  (8:10 pace)

Three and a half minutes faster than my first 5K back in November.

Nearly a minute faster than my 5K 6 months ago in March.

Of course, I immediately plugged it into the McMillan Running Calculator.  *dork*

Looking at that Long Beach Half Marathon...

...and wondering how long it's going to take for me to really and for real run a new 5K PR... not just a "return-to-running" one.

Getting ready to shoot the moon :)

Have you ever lost a toenail? Did it hurt?

What does it mean when you almost 5K PR in the middle of your tempo run?

After kicking that PMS to the curb and getting more efficient support (I hope), I decided to tackle my tempo run last night...20 min/30 min/10 min....hr zones:  z2 /z3/z2 = around 141-154/154-160/141-154 based on my personal calculations.

But how fast was I supposed to be running?

I did all these calculations but don't have a heart rate monitor. I could just count my pulse periodically, but that seemed just too interrupting. So I needed a pace.

I looked up Rate of Perceived Exertion charts.... thanks, Patrick. And found that the appropriate heart rate translated into HARD. I recall this level of exertion from my rowing days... this heart rate zone we called Anaerobic Threshold, and it was my least favorite type of workout for years. It hurts. And it hurts for longer than you want to hurt. But unlike race pace, you can do it again. And now as a runner, I love this workout ... in theory.

Still needing to pick a target pace, I remembered that my blogger friend Danny at one point made a remark about "being able to repeat the workout at that same pace"... totally out of context, Danny, I know, I know... but bear with me :)

I figured that doubling 30 minutes would yield about a 10K, so I should use a projected 10K pace time based on that timed mile I ran last month. Using the Mcmillan Running Calculator, this gave me a per mile pace of 8:33 (which happens to be very similar to what Jill mentioned the other day). This made sense because a 10K is HARD. But if you run a 5K at 10K pace, you should be able to repeat it immediately :)

For some reason, I was scared. But I just reminded myself... what's the worst thing that could happen? Oh, right... I could be slower than I had hoped. I could crash and burn. And I would learn from that. So I shelved my anxiety, and I went ahead...

The first 20 minutes were completely consistent at 10:20 pace... which felt agonizingly slow... but I stuck with the plan. About 2/3 of the way through the 3rd lap I kicked into the HARD part. If you are new here, I usually run 0.75-mile laps... so keep that in mind when reading my splits. I settled into something that was slightly uncomfortable... if you can truly settle into uncomfortability. Here is what followed starting at the next lap mark:

lap #4  ... 6:28.95  (8:40 pace)
lap #5  ... 6:24.37  (8:32)
lap #6  ... 6:21.06  (8:28)
lap #7  ... 6:14.82  (8:20)
the little bit from my mailbox to a tree halfway around the block that marks 0.1 mile + 47.61  (8:00)
which yielded a 5K time of 26:16 (just 4 seconds slower than my "return to running" PR set in March)
the HARD continued for another 58 seconds and then...

I returned to that slower pace... the last 10 minutes were run at 10:30 pace.

Honestly, I probably ran it a little faster than I should have, but I felt great. I would have liked to run that last 10 minutes at a little perkier pace and with a little more spring in my step... I was having to work for that 10:30.

Half-marathon training feels so much different to me than marathon training. When I trained to run a marathon, it was all about building the endurance ... putting in the miles... and if some speed came, well, awesome. But I have picked a goal time for this half. And yes, I need to bank some miles but I also want to be sort of fastish. I'm not sure I am digging the self-imposed pressure :P

And how did the Seven Wonders work out? The jury is still undecided. It did what it was supposed to do, I think. Not so sure if it was comfortable... or if I am just used to my immobilizing, truss-like set up. I'll keep you posted.

mommy goed RUNNING!

yeah...

that's cuz mommy goed poop!

lol... do you like how I made that brown? click on it if you missed the background story.

In my last running update, I mentioned that I would be trying to run on Tuesday.  Well, that didn't happen.  It was slated to be a tempo run... which I usually like.  But I just wasn't in the mood.  Not like I always have to be in the mood to go running when I go running, but on Tuesday .... "oh, excuses, excuses, XL. you just suck and are lame and have no biz being on this planet"..."oh, shut up, you." yes, I talk to myself. I can't remember what happened.


I went on Thursday.  Just a mellow 5.25.  I ran 7 of my little 0.75-mile loopy-doos inside The Gate.  It was all that... but we're skipping the side of chips ;-)  Very consistent laps... only a 6-second spread between the fastest and the slowest not counting the one lap where I was messing with the iPod... gotta stop doing that... never again in a run for time like my 5K two weeks ago... but it is hard to run to anything by Flight of the Conchords and not bust up laughing, and it is hard to run to In My Father's Eyes without crying, and the seminar on How to Listen to and Appreciate Great Music just wasn't working for me, nor were the little French pronunciation mp3 downloads from the kids' school... you see?  I had to search!  It still was a very relaxed and relaxing pace right around 9:40 per mile.

Next up... 8 to 9 miles tomorrow.  I'll be shooting for the 9 but knowing that, after nearly 2 weeks off, the 8 is probably more realistic.  I am a realist.  My husband is the optimist.

I know all you running readers doubt that I really run.  And those pics from my last 5K were in the dark and I run at night when no one is looking so there is really no proof... I know that is what you're thinking.  So here are some pictures of me running in the day a few long runs ago... maybe a month or so ago...

My biggest fans giving me the ol' high-five as I speed past...

Big G in typical fashion pissing me off trying to show me some "new" way to high-five... 

that he invented as part of some mythological alien body language based on the last 40 bazillion books he has read

LOVE THAT KID!

Approaching the halfway/turnaround...

this is near that portapotty I was telling you about ;-)

And there's my sweet Q!

I have to stop for hugs!

how can I not?

Tomorrow I am hoping to share the new core workout of the century.  I started it last week... in my own way... still waiting to see the results.  But this routine... if you can do it... guaranteed to give you the core strength of... of.... the guy who is in the video!

I'll let y'all know how that big run tomorrow goes... now that I'm 'going' there shouldn't be any problems ;-)
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What's going on with my running?

Wha' happen?

Things were going so well. I had some pretty good long runs. Did an awesome (for me) 5K virtual race. Had a nice run two days after that. Then I took the weekend off. Three days off, actually. I planned to run on Monday. And I was constipated. That's oversharing, isn't it? But we're buds, so it's okay, right?

It was so bad.

I tried to run on Monday night. I did make it for 3 miles...hoping the whole time that there might be some 'movement' *wink,wink*  but there wasn't :(  And the next day I got a migraine that lasted until Thursday :(  Woe is me. Really.

It was so bad.

I was clinging to reality by my fingernails for a while there.  Clinging.  Fingernails.  Luckily, by Saturday morning things started smoothing out.  And moving out. get what I'm sayin'?  And today I felt a whole lot better... but I am still emerging from a migraine/constipation haze.  sounds lovely, doesn't it?

The plan now is to run on Tuesday...unless a window of opportunity miraculously presents itself tomorrow... which is not likely.  And I am OKAY with this.  :)

In the meantime, this kid is picking up my running slack:

She had been going for a while before I started filming. And she kept going after I stopped.

This girl is go go go... all. the. time.

I am looking forward to getting back on track with my training... and so glad that my race isn't until mid-May :P

How's your training going... if you're training, that is?

What's next on your Big Event Agenda... be it running or something besides running?  Do you think you'll be ready?

"I Just Felt Like Running" Virtual 5K Race Report

From the warmth and sunshine (even though it happened at night) of the Golden State,
I bring you my race report for the I Just Felt Like Running Virtual 5K sparked by Jeff of DETROIT RUNNER.  And if you want to play, too, it's not too late!  Head over to his blog and sign on up!

The East Bay running of this race was scheduled for Tuesday, March 1, 2011 @ 7 p.m.  The night was clear but a bit windy.  The course, flat and fast.  wish the entrant could say the same ;-)  It consisted of 4 loops (each of 0.75 miles) and a 0.1 mile chunk tagged on the end.  The starting line was The Mailboxes and the finish line was around the other side of the block, marked by the neighbor's tree.  According to Googlemaps, the course measured 3.103 miles.

No weirdos appeared to be out, the husband arrived home on time, the kids were fed, and Miss C 'unloaded' just as the lone entrant was leaving for her warm-up, allowing mommy to miss the diaper change ;-) Perfect timing, Miss C!  Mommy loves you, too!

It is so funny to me how much of a warm-up I like/need now that I am older!  A lot of time has passed since I was a competitive athlete, and I remember scoffing at long warm-ups.  All of those old timers wanted to warm up for almost an hour!  What the heck?  Shove from the dock, do a couple of drills, a few 10's and shifting 20's, head to the line... good to go :)  That was then...

Last night, my warm-up consisted of one of the 3/4 mile laps very easy, followed by nearly a half a mile of drills, jogging and short sprints.  Then I was ready...

At the starting line...

marked by The Mailbox

My start was good.  No crouching, just started running.  Hit stride quickly, felt really even and on my game.  Nice...  did make the mistake of futzing with my iPod a couple of times.  

note to self:  learn to just go with whatever music that bitch throws your way. losing time over it isn't worth it.

Checking the splits after Lap 1...
unfortunately, not hitting my overly-optimistic goal pace :-/
but still pretty okay at
6:20 for 0.75 mile (8:26/mile)

Big Thumbs Up at the almost-halfway...
exact same split of
6:20 for the lap 
so
12:40 for 1.5 miles (8:26/mile)

The photographer and cheering crew were notably absent as I crossed the lap marker at the end of laps 3 and 4... splits tapered off a smidge... 6:24 and 6:23 (8:32/mile)... but that last 0.103 mile was where I really showed the road who's boss ;-)  46 seconds!  Yeah, baby... 7:40 pace for a whopping 0.1 mile :P  And I was toast when I crossed that line.

A good run.  A very solid effort.  A new "return to running" PR... 

26:12

I knew I was really working when I realized that I was trying to run with my eyes closed.  Not a good idea ever.  In the middle of the street and in the dark... really dumb.  Thankfully, I didn't fall or trip or slam into a parked or moving car or a person (not that that would ever happen in this neighborhood... no one is ever out, remember?  well, except creepy guys in hoopty cars occasionally and the olderwalkingcouple).


Do you like 5K's? 
–I think I do.


Have you ever run with your eyes closed?  What happened?
–yes! nothing... fortunately!