Jingle Bell Hell...not just another virtual race...

...but one with a sketchy prize history yet an amazing assortment of donuts at the LIVE event.

COME ONE...COME ALL...

You may or may not remember that I've been race director (using that term verrrrrry loosely) for an awesome holiday race for the last three years. (That takes you to the first running...click here to see the second year's recap and here to see last year's). Remember how no one attended the 2011 event knowingly and the winner of the real life race was a random guy who had no idea he was a part of the resurrection of Jingle Bell Hell. 

Runner Chris...random guy who won last year's race!

And then the next year the indomitable RoseRunner was crushed by SFRoadWarrior in a surprise upset. Of course she did have a 2-mile handicap! I was able to lure flesh-and-blood, intentional participants with DONUTS!!! Donuts have now become a signature drawing point for this event.

And there were all of the virtual participants who never received their prizes and probably hate me now :( If y'all knew what my last year has been like, y'all'd forgive me in a heartbeat...I promise. Note: lack of blogging was due to IRL insane turmoil and putting-back-together-of-life-pieces.

Anyway...

Three was not exactly an attendance charm. Only two participants again, but this time Jen didn't get sick...and she WON! 

We're giving it another go! It's time to begin thinking about running in this fabulous event!

Below is information on the race...past and present...a little history...some details...hope to see you there, either in the flesh or in spirit!

source

The 6th running of 

Jingle Bell Hell

1/3-marathon and fun run 

Saturday, December 20, 2014 at 8:00 a.m.

Inspiration Point, Tilden Park, Berkeley, California

Rain or Shine

or wherever in the world you might be :)

The starting point of the real-life event is Inspiration Point in Berkeley, California and the course map is...

View Larger Map

and the elevation profile is...

as determined by my Garmin.

The History

My best friends from high school used to put on a race in December. It was small in terms of the number of participants but huge in terms of fun and adventure. Initially, it was a half-marathon, but they found that very few of their friends were at all interested in or capable of running that far. Additionally, the course involved some running on a twisty, narrow road with minimal shoulder that did see its fair share of traffic...especially on weekends. So they abbreviated it to a 1/3-marathon (more or less...a bit over 8 miles) and were able to run it entirely on a paved, car-less road.

My husband (who was my boyfriend at the time) and I ran in their 3rd Annual Jingle Bell Hell in December of 1995 (see picture above...I am front and center with the socks on my hands, he is in the back in the light shirt). It was freezing by Bay Area standards...but not wet. Not everyone went all the way out to the turnaround...and that was just fine.

I won the trophy that year... the "Actually Trained for This Race" Award...

Each year, the winner gets to have their picture taken with this perpetual trophy and have their name added to the illustrious list on the bottom... ballpoint pen inscribed on masking tape, 'cuz we're classy like that. And there will be some prizes that can be taken home as well :)

****

I am really hoping to see some local runners in attendance! It's not far from San Francisco, San Jose or even Santa Cruz... looking west or south. Concord is super close to the east, and Sacramento is just 90 minutes away to the north. It's a great follow-up to the early December races, like CIM.

If you're coming in from out of town and need a super cheap place to crash...with an SF Bay view, in a solid structure, and don't mind driving about five miles...

source

The Albany Bulb Waterfront has some very artistic structures that may or may not be inhabited by squatters.

If you want to do virtual version of Jingle Bell Hell, here are the parameters...

• Must be at least 5K in total length...no maximum.
• Must be done on a challenging course (and if you hate treadmills, that means it could be on a treadmill) because the idea is "Hell" ... that is the important part.
• Must be done between December 13 and 21, 2014... any time of day or night. This gives you two entire weekends to choose from.
• You must laugh at least once... can be an evil laugh, a laugh of futility, any kind of laugh but laughter is a MUST.
• Email me a link to your Jingle Bell Hell recap so I can post it and we may all share in the fun... please include something about when, where, why regarding the laughing part and what made the run your special brand of Hell :)

Participants in the virtual race will be entered in a prize drawing. Things like fueling products, Nuun hydration products, winter running gear, running safety items, some random stuff. Receiving these prizes is always iffy, as previous participants will tell you, because I really really really hate going to the post office. But honestly, folks...ARE WE REALLY RUNNING FOR PRIZES?????

Leave a comment if you want to participate!

Weekend Fitness Frenzy

Since I didn't do squat all week...partially due to a 3-day migraine :( ... and partially due to lack of motivation and energy post-migraine, I decided to do what any normal athlete would do...

too much on the weekend.

I was going to run a little bit on Friday. But... I had an active 3-year old in tow all day and some painful internal struggling to power through. By bedtime Friday, I knew I had to do something on Saturday...and I had already half-committed to a possible run with a friend on Sunday... maybe... meaning I was facing a weekend fitness frenzy...at least by my standards.

By late Saturday afternoon, things finally calmed down on the homefront. I headed to the gym at around 5 o'clock and settled in on the StairMaster for a little warm-up. Twenty bored minutes later and totally up-to-date on the Blake Lively/Ryan Reynolds nuptials, I closed my People magazine and stepped off that machine and climbed aboard the elliptical. Fifty super sweaty and soulfully satisfying minutes later, I had firmed up my Sunday running plans thanks to my smartphone and was done working out for the evening for which my shell-shocked quads thanked me. All in all, it was a very productive session.

When I awoke on Sunday, I was a little concerned about the state of my quads given the run I had in mind. I was planning to meet up with my running buddy who is always up for awesome challenges. I love running with her because we have good conversations and both relish training on demanding terrain.

We planned to meet at high noon...because we like to make things harder. We set off to run the same loop as last Sunday, but this time we did three loops plus a little extra in the middle of each loop...which brought my total for the run to 9.6 miles. She did more. I was a waste product after the 9.6.

Below are photos of my two very favorite parts of this route...the photos were taken in the spring when everything was green so imagine instead of the green (except the eucalyptus) it is the golden brown typical of California at the end of summer.

This little 'gateway' is at the crest of the BIG hill. 

I love turning the corner that precedes it and seeing this opening...

 and when you pass through it, the valley opens up at your feet :)

After climbing the BIG hill, you run a bit around the rim of the valley, crossing to the other side.

You then descend on this road.

This view always makes me think of The Road to Endless Possibilities.

With each loop it was getting hotter, but it never got unbearable. Then I dropped an awesomebomb right as we approached our final 1.4 mile descent... kombucha on ice in my car at the finish. Roserunner got very excited and announced the arrival of her second wind and started picking up the pace. I grumbled and flailed and couldn't match anything faster than a determined plod until the downhill began.

We got to the bottom. I was a salty mess. I usually drink a big bottle of Nuun before runs like this one...but I had forgotten to set it up before I left the house :(  Instead, I followed my car-ride kombucha with Nuun at home. And while I tend to take ice baths following long runs (yes, 9.6 is long in my book), I've been opting for warm epsom salts baths lately. I don't really know why. And I don't really know what difference I would feel versus an ice bath. But the epsom salts deal seems to be very comforting and my muscles do feel pretty happy right now.

I'm thinking next week I might shoot for a double-digit run...not sure how that will fit into the Don't Run, Run Faster training plan...perhaps if I, once again, don't do squat all week and just save it all for the weekend... 

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

And we have a victor...

the random number generator at random.org says...

28

which translates to...

Lisa from Mom to Marathon!

Congrats to Lisa on winning the Endorphin Warrior Training Bracelet...and many, many thanks to all who participated in the giveaway :)

Why last night was more like '89 than '93 ...

Last week I pulled a Pat Riley. I was making some big talk about a Three-peat. And much like Pat Riley's hopeful-three-peat team...the '89 LA Lakers...we didn't quite get it done. No tears were shed, though. We were killed by the clock. Places to go, things to do independent of running up and down Moeser. Like everyone who fails when attempting a big goal, we have a really good excuse reason.

I never get tired of seeing the elevation profile when I run this motherf*cker...

note: up twice and then some :)

RoseRunner and I decided that actually running all the way up two times plus charging up the bitchiest part of the hill a third time constitutes badass rockstar status, and we look forward to next week when we will be like the '93 Chicago Bulls. I'm not sure which of us will be Charles Barkley and which will be Michael Jordan...maybe she'll be both and I'll be Scottie Pippen or Phil Jackson. Or just a fan waving a giant foam finger. I can't decide. Most likely we'll just be us...two people who like running up insanely steep and long hills.

 You can see my effort in this...

And as I was scrambling to keep moving upward and onward without my heart exploding out of my chest, she was chatting away and doing awesome butt-kicks. She is such a strong runner; it is super motivating for my old(er) lady self :) This time we saw other people running, too! There was a group of 4 guys seriously motoring up and down. We, on the other hand, took the down part nice and easy.

Here is an overlay of the experience...skyrocketing heart rate accompanying hill climbs...

My hip seemed to handle the load pretty well. It is sore and stiff today, but I can walk and sit with minimal discomfort. I am glad it's a no-run day, though :P Today will be heavy on the stretching and rolling. Tonight will bring the elliptical and some rock climbing. I still need to incorporate more actual running into the routine to get ready for this half-marathon in 7 weeks. I am trying to figure out what the minimum requirement is for a successful, uninjured and non-injuring 13.1 miles. Any guesses? Any advice?

And because this post needs a good picture, here is Miss C's demonstration of how to properly eat chocolate chip pancakes...

Sort of like a fairytale...only not. (Entry for Oiselle's Totally Trials Contest)

One of my favorite running buddies and I are throwing our combined hat into the ring and entering the Oiselle Totally Trials contest, the winners of which will get to see the last three days of the Olympic Track and Field Trials in Eugene, Oregon. The grand prize includes not just tickets to the events but airfare, lodging, and a post-race bash DJ'ed by MC Hammer. The whole concept just feels too legit to quit. "F*CK YEAH!!!" was RoseRunner's response when I asked if she was interested. Good to know we're on the same page.


Part of the contest asks us what we want to see and who we want to meet if we were to win. Our answers:  

• We'd both like to meet the oldest female competitor. 
• We both like the relays because it isn't always about a superstar...it is about being a part of something. 
• We also both like the long jump because it is akin to flying.  
• I really admire the javelin throwers because I have actually tried to throw a javelin and have felt the challenges of the combination of coordination, explosiveness, and total body strength.

And without further ado, here is our story...

Once upon a time...

...and they lived happily ever after...

...in Hammer pants.

*If you're confused as to why I chose the background music... well, did you forget that MC Hammer will be the DJ at the post-race bash? And since major memories are sparked when I hear it, and both RoseRunner and I have lived in his hometown, it became necessary to use it.*

The Idiot and the Labyrinth

Ever since our filming adventure/striptease run, RoseRunner and I have been talking about getting together again for some radical hill running. She's way faster than I am, but I'm willing excited to do nasty inclines others tend to shy away from. Or maybe it's my scintillating conversation that has attracted her to me. Quite possibly, it's a kind of bonding over hip issues. Or maybe she enjoys the feeling of superiority one gets when one hangs out with an idiot (see comment #64).

When she read about my long run the weekend before last, she emailed me promptly..."When can we do this?" We decided on today. 

Unfortunately, my ill-fated Bay to Breakers run-from-hell-with-a-wooden-leg put a damper on things. While my calf is no longer seized up, my Achilles tendon on that left side still feels 'crunchy.' Or maybe 'crackly' is a better word. I was so bummed to email her that I needed to bail on our Thursday rundate :( 

Her reply... 

We don't have to run.

She said this. Really.

We don't have to run.

Imagine that.

She presented me with a list of possibilities, and we settled on a hike. Because she is so nice and I know she just returned from a killer hiking vacation to Zion National Park, I took her somewhere special.

The Sibley Volcanic Regional Preserve is one of the many fabulous open spaces in the East Bay Regional Parks system. Located in the Oakland hills, it contains a network of trails and old roads...and a labyrinth located in an old quarry. 

If you're ever in the area and are looking for a free and interesting outing, hiking down to the labyrinth is a great option. The trail is not too challenging...even young children can do it (but it takes about 42 times longer with kids). Getting from the parking lot to the labyrinth is about a mile of rolling hills on some paved but mostly rocky dirt road. There are real bathrooms and trail maps at the parking lot in addition to a water fountain. 

View of the labyrinth from an overlook at the side of the dirt road...

...and on the other side – technology! 

I've never seen such a collection of satellites!

In the center of the labyrinth, people leave offerings.

Some of it looks like trash...I wonder if some of it actually is trash...

or if the trashy stuff holds some deeper meaning other than being too lazy to pack it out.

Obviously, Cinderella is not trash. But that water bottle in front of her... it's full.

Perhaps it was left as an offering to rain gods...or to slake the thirst of a weary traveler.

Rainbow puffball.

Definitely not trash.

Random tissue under rock behind it? Hmmmm....

I know this picture sucks. The cigarette butt is in the shadow.

I'm thinking it was some smoking-labyrinth-walker's last ciggy before quitting.

After walking the peaceful, meditative path smoking that last cigarette, the smoker placed the finished butt in the offering cache in the hopes the quitting would be for good. Maybe.

A strange little illustration of a crowned fox flanked by hounds wearing animal hats (are they pig hats?) somewhat obscured by a hand-written note saying I don't know what, both anchored into the 'altar' by an empty glass bottle...all of significance to someone. Or not.

Money.

RoseRunner and I talked about this.

Is the fact that the money is still there a testament to the sacredness of the space? 

Or that one dollar is not worth stealing from an altar? 

What if it had been a twenty? She said, "It wouldn't be there."

I'm inclined to agree, but what do I know? I am an idiot.

We left an offering...well, she did. 

A stick of gum.

After wandering around the labyrinth and speculating on the altar contents and how awesome the regional park system is, we meandered up and around and over some more trails...

...where we discovered another labyrinth!!!

A baby one :)

We were again struck by the beauty of where we are fortunate enough to live and get to run and hike...

Look at all those roads and trails!

And how perfect our weather is for being out of doors...

Did you really just take my picture? Shit. 

The sun's all in my eyes and I'm making a weird face...

you are such an idiot.

And then we walked back to the parking lot on a different trail...

Lined with poison oak...beware!

Idiot!

And we saw lots and lots of large dog families....meaning they were large dogs AND lots of dogs in each group. "If you have one dog, you have five" became the refrain. Not exaggerating.

We made it back to our cars and kept thanking each other for being so flexible and okay with hiking instead of running. It started to feel almost like Chip 'n' Dale, the overly-accommodating chipmunks...but in a good way.

And we made plans for running killer hills again :)

The Striptease Run

Yesterday I had the great fortune to run with a really fast runner...the fastest marathon runner I've ever personally met...who is also, and most importantly, really nice and very, very funny. This runner is so unbelievably gracious that she agreed to:

1. come to my neck of the woods to run and
2. run at my pace (which probably felt like crawling backward over rocks to her) and
3. listen to me run my mouth pretty much non-stop (I don't get much adult interaction) and
4. help me work on my Nuun Hood to Coast Relay team application...she appears in some clips as well as shot some of the footage.

While I did have my hair done samurai-style, what most differentiated this run from other runs was neither the hairdo nor the big-ass hill that we mostly ran up...

Camera is not tilted for effect...and that hill was long!

No. It was the striptease.

Yeah, you read that right.

As in clothes coming off.

See? I'm no liar.

More than once, too.

We met up about a mile from the foot of the big-ass hill, whereupon I informed her that she would be helping me with my little project. I'm all about the surprise factor :)  We ran the straight, flat bike path as a warm-up. My husband tried some filming in this section...it didn't come out all that great.

Then we turned the corner, and that's where RoseRunner said something like "HOLY SHIT!" as she looked up the face of The Beast. (Note: that thing between Mile 1 and Mile 2 is The Beast).

I must say, having company and conversation up that thing makes it infinitely easier. Infinitely. And it was a lot of fun showing her around a place she had never been. There's nothing quite like a relaxed lunchtime run through a very pretty area on a very pretty day. 

Oh...you want to know more about my project? 

Nope.

What's that you say? If I loved you, I would?

Still, my answer is "no."

I'm such a tease.

Berkeley Ironworks... and turning a corner :)

This place is all kinds of awesome :)

On Thursday when I was in for my climbing lesson, I noticed again that they have treadmills and ellipticals and weight stuff in addition to the climbing business...but I had no idea how complete of a gym it is! I went Saturday to do a some strength work and a little varied cardio stuff...

I did a little on the blurry treadmill...

blurry because I am out of shape and my hands were shaking...

not because I was running fast.

Then I experienced the elliptical...

I went 'backwards' on this one to work my hip differently.

And to finish my cardio portion, I jumped on the rowing machine...

just like the good ol' days :)

The cardio area looks out over the weight machines and the climbing walls...

The pictures really suck because I wasn't too sure how keen people were to being in pictures 

that would be plastered all over the internet ;-)

What I discovered is that this gym has even more than what I saw at my first casual glance. Up on that cardio level is a whole big section of free weights and stationary bikes. Somewhere, there is a large area for spinning classes and yoga classes and even more classes...that are all free for members! And they have bathrooms and showers. And they give you towels. Can you tell it's been a million years since I belonged to a gym? This was just way too much excitement for me...

After my short cardio adventure and quick self-tour of the gym, I set to working my hip adductors and abductors and glutes slowly and gently so as not to overdo or further injure. Then I hung out for a bit...

source

This is a hangboard. It simulates all the different holds you might find on a climbing wall...some are super hard to hold onto...like, SUPER hard. So weird to think about building the stamina in my fingers, hands and forearms! Right now they are so weak that I have a hard time hanging on long enough to make good use of my legs when climbing. I aim to remedy that :) To that end, I worked on the hangboard until I couldn't stand it anymore...I don't know how else to explain it. And when I finished, I went home...feeling satisfied and sweaty ... such a nice change from depressed and lethargic!

And I think I've turned a corner.

Today something happened that a week ago...or even two days ago...would have caused me to curl up in a ball on the sofa. But I didn't go into sofa-mode...I got pissed. Not super pissed, mind you, but extremely annoyed. I feel like this is a really good sign. Just say "No!" to curling up in the fetal position and wishing you were in a deep, dark cave!

I very quickly got over the biz that got me pissed, and the day has been a good one. A piano recital for one child and a harp rehearsal for another and an interest in doing things...and a random blogger sighting that involved me shouting out the window of my dirty minivan at this cute couple running together and pissing off the drivers behind me as I lingered too long at the right-turn-after-stopping-at-the-red-light to say "hello" and introduce myself. She probably thinks I'm a total wacko... and I am. So her lawyerly intuition is spot on. But to me, the mere fact that I had the energy and the chutzpah to make the effort to act like a dork is huge. HUGE.

So here's to what I'm hoping is an emergence from the abyss (hope I'm not jinxing myself by saying this!). And many thanks to all of my awesome readers for bearing with me and helping to buoy me up for the past several months as I wrestle with this challenge. You all have been the best :)

Monday Musings, Mistakes, and Threats of Litigation

Today is a rainy day here. I have a sick kid home from school, a sick husband home from work, a fully-potty-trained toddler running around, and I'm feeling kind of blah. It's the kind of day where I want to just curl up and eat grilled cheese (which I can't) and drink Dr. Pepper (which I can't) and watch raunchy-humored, R-rated movies by myself (which I can't).

I've just started a month-long dietary clean-up. "Just" as in this morning. I'm already bummed out. Fortunately, I've done this program a couple of times in the past and know that the break-in period is a little less than a week...so I'm pretty sure I can tough it out. But at the moment, grilled cheese sounds so super appealing. Or tuna casserole. Sadly, dairy is on the wrong side of the list :(  So I'll content myself with brown rice and veggies and fruit and water...

Here's the awesome news...

I ran 7 hilly miles on Sunday! I have the best running partner in the whole world. We mesh :) We stopped to stretch every couple of miles, and we ran easy. It was divine. My calves seem mostly adjusted to the forefoot/midfoot strike deal, and the only part of my body that complained was my iliopsoas. Anyway, I'm pretty sure that's the main pain-maker. Of course, I'm also convinced I have ankylosing spondylitis... but I could be mistaken.

Speaking of being mistaken...here's a mistake I always make. And I now know I'm not the only one who makes this mistake... apparently Tony Stewart does, too.

       

This issue came up the other day when I saw RoseRunner's awesome tongue-to-nose trick. Does anyone else make this mistake?  Can anyone else do that trick? I've always wanted to, but my nose is too long.

I know that litigious, bald, music-industry-working, triathletes would never make this mistake, and I would surmise that my difficulty making this differentiation will be used against me in a court of law should "Dude vs. XL" ever actually go to court.

For those of you who are in the dark on this one, I've received a 'cease and desist' order regarding my XLBands...click the links to see the products in question. What I find most unfortunate is that I am not selling XLBands...in fact, my video shows you how to make them for free...

I am spreading knowledge to the masses...much like Johannes Gutenberg.

Furthermore, elitist Dudeband™ wearers must follow all sorts of crazy rules. XLBands have no such requirements, pretentiousnesses, or bullsh*t attached to their usage. While you may think this lessens the specialness of the item, au contraire. It makes a useful and life-changing item accessible to the world.

Like socks.

And much like socks, having a lawyer tell me to stop spreading the word about XLBands because the Dudeband™ dude is annoyed/jealous/greedy is akin to telling a knitter that she must 'cease and desist' knitting socks for her friends and family because the inventor of socks says so.

Dude...I am not profiting from the XLBand...the world is benefitting. Back off.

Or maybe buddy up.