Tis the Season...

Merry Christmas everyone!!! For some reason it doesn't really feel that Christmas is just 3 days away. Maybe it's because for the last few days, I've been packing up tank tops, shorts and flip flops. :D I also haven't seen a huge number of decorations or heard a lot of Christmas carols. Maybe it'll feel more like Christmas when I start wrapping gifts while listening to Mele Kalikimaka being played over and over again on the radio :D

I hope that you all have a wonderful Christmas and a very happy New Year!!!

OH MY GOD I'M 30!

Yes it's true... I'm 30 :( But although I was completely dreading turning the big 3-0, I had a fantastic birthday! Saturday I did my 10 miler with Phil, a true trooper who, even though he hasn't run more than 5 miles since our last race, came out to do 10 miles with me! Even though it was literally freezing and I never completely warmed up, I felt great. We started in Danville and ran 2.5 miles out and back towards Walnut Creek and then 2.5 out and back towards San Ramon. While we were out there we ran into two TNT alums who are training for the Arizona full and were doing their 20 miler. I was never happier to "only" be doing 10 miles :D

Saturday night it was off to Fondue Fred's in Berkeley for my birthday dinner. The food wasn't bad, the wine wasn't great but the best thing about them both was that they were unlimited! After dinner, with a cheese child growing in my full belly and my cheecks sore from laughing so much we headed out for some more fun in Walnut Creek. Sunday, my actual birthday, it was off to Phil's for a housewarming party, YUMMY food and trashy tv :D Some lumpia and carrot cake was all I needed to make my birthday complete :D Thank you to everyone for making my 30th so much fun!!

Now this week it's back to business-- I've got a lot to do at work and home before I leave on Sat. for Hawaii!!

ACHOOO!

Has anyone heard of having allergies in the winter? I never had until this winter. Ever since Thanksgiving I've been sneezing up a storm. I initially thought it was from my parents new little doggie but when I kept sneezing long after I left after Thanksgiving, I had to abandon that theory :( So last week I got this awful, couldn't-sleep-because-I-kept-dreaming-I-was-choking sore throat :( At Stitch N' Bitch last Wed. night Amy told me that yes, people do get allergies in the winter from all the particle matter in the air. GREAT :( After that things went from bad to worse-- sore glands, runny nose, sneezing, coughing and then on Sunday I started losing my voice :( Today I'm feeling much better although I'm still congested and producing more snot than I thought humanly possible.

Because of this, I haven't run since the 2nd of Dec. I had a great run at Heather Farms in the freezing cold. I did 8 miles all by myself (I was out doing a water stop and snuck my run in before the long runners came through) and felt really good! After the run, the Winter Team had their honoree potluck so I got to see Brenda too! She came out with her son and a couple of friends. It was so nice to see her out there with the team again!

Tuesday we had the Send Off for all the Honolulu Marathoners so I didn't go to the Buddy Run. Sat. I was out of town and not feeling well so now he were are again at Tuesday and I'm not going to the run. :( I figure I'll wait until I can breathe properly before I go out there to run in the cold :) I will definitely be running this weekend though at our Coached Run since it's my only chance to get in my 10 miler-- the next two weekends I will be away in Hawaii... WOO HOO!

Back in the saddle!

I've been feeling a little burnt out of the running lately, and therefore my blog has suffered :( But now it's time to get back into things-- after all, I do have another half marathon coming up in a little over a month. I seriously need to get my butt in gear!

Here's a quick update:
Sat. Nov. 18 we had a coached run at the Berkeley Marina. After getting the water stop people off I headed out with a few girls. They were all doing longer mileages so I turned around at the water stop at mile 3.5. I felt good although got a little lonely on the way back with no one to run with :(

Skip to the Tuesday Nov. 28 Buddy Run. I know, 10 days without running isn't good but the holiday through everything a little off. I had good intentions when I went home to YC but of course good intentions didn't get my butt out of bed and out for a run! I felt really good at the Buddy Run, even though it was literally freezing (well, at least it felt like it!). I started out with a faster girl and Gary (man they kicked my butt... and I'm sure they were holding back too!) but they wanted to keep going so I turned around and ran back with one of the Winter team participants.

I have doggie duty until Mommy Claudia comes back from New York so instead of being out in the cold at track on Thursday, I'll be with Patch at his doggie class :D This weekend we have another coached run at Heather Farms and my goal is to run about 8 miles. We'll see how I do :D

It feels like winter

I woke up VERY early Saturday morning to the sound of pouring rain. After about three weeks off after Nike, I had decided that Saturday I needed to start running again and training for my next half marathon in Arizona. I admit... when I heard that rain I was more than a little happy that I may have an excuse to miss the Mentor Led Run that morning. No such luck. The rain died down so off I went to Lafayette/Moraga trail for a run.

We had a good number of people there-- the Winter team just started and some of the local participants came out for their first run with us. Since I haven't done anything since Nike and had been eating like a pig, I decided that I'd run about 4 miles or so. I love the Lafayette/Moraga trail but I hate the slight incline on the way out. On the first two miles out I was definately feeling the Chinese food I ate the night before, the incline and my lack of training. No fun. The way back was much easier and I felt better by the time I got back to the start. :D

Tonight I'm off to the Buddy Run... I'm just hoping it doesn't start raining on us! :D

Bad, bad blogger

I've been such a lazy blogger... Here it is the beginning of November and I am just now writing about Nike! I guess after three half marathons in a row I just wanted to forget about running for a few weeks. Thankfully I only have one more to go!!!

Wow, Nike is one of the most beautiful courses but it kicks my butt every year! I get so used to what San Francisco looks like that I forget what an amazing city it is. Running through the streets of SF with people from all over the US made me look at the city through their eyes and realize how lucky we are to be able to run in the Bay Area on a regular basis! Nike takes you through so many picturesque areas: Union Square, the Embarcadero, Pier 39, Fisherman's Wharf, Fort Mason, Marina Green and Chrissy Field with gorgeous views of the Golden Gate Bridge smothered in fog. Then we leave the flat part of the course behind and we climb into the foggy hills of the Presidio, run above Baker Beach where I can hear the ocean but not see it, by the palatial homes of Sea Cliff (Robin Williams' included), down by the Cliff House and along Ocean Beach, up into Golden Gate Park with the Bison, "Chocolate Mile" and then finally to the finish line along the Ocean.

I started out running with Phil although he ditched me around mile 1 to pursue his PR. :( I felt really good until we got into the Presidio and the second, hilly section of the course. I ran up the short first hill but walked all the rest, which really feels more like a series of long, drawn out inclines. Karen and Rocky were out there providing support so seeing them gave me something to look forward to. I knew that Brenda was suppossed to be in Golden Gate Park somewhere so I spent those last miles looking for her and reminding myself that when I did see her, NOT to run up and give her a hug. :D Her Dr. gave her the okay to come out and cheer us on but since she recently had her stem cell transplant, hugs and other close contact was a no no. I never did see Brenda but I did run into a family friend, Deni, who was out there cheering on her daughter who was doing the marathon.

The last part of the course is slightly downhill and that gave me just enough of a boost to sprint into the finish line. Final time: 2:45:50. Not my personal best for a half but it was my personal best for the Nike course. After I crossed the finish line I look to my left and who do I see? Phil! It took me 12.1 miles but I caught back up to him! We picked up our "Ran Like a Girl" shirts (the boy's shirts say that too) and Tiffany necklaces and headed to the TNT tent where they had mounds of food waiting. The food looked good but my tummy was not feeling it-- I think I drank too much water and not enough electrolyte on the course. Same thing happened after Disney and San Jose but this time I felt much worse. For Arizona I really need to work on my hydration so I don't end up feeling so nauseous at the end :(

The sign outside Niketown, where we picked up our packets on Saturday afternoon.

They had the names of all the runners up on the windows outside Niketown.

Caroline (Lindsay's mom), Linds, Claudia, BK, me and Jeanette at the start.

View from the course of the runners and Golden Gate Bridge.

Water stop help from Karen, Rocky and Patch around mile 9.

I ran into Deni in Golden Gate Park around mile 12.5... that's the only reason I'm smiling!

TNT finisher's tent with Lael, Claudia and Lael's sister.

Walking back to the car with our space blankets and Tiffany's bags :D

More Disney pics

Here are some more Disney pics that I took with a disposable camera along the course. As you can see in some of them, I'm not too good at running and taking pictures at the same time!

Phil, Rocky, Claudia, Lindsay, Me, Julie and Sarah at the start.

Running into Angel Stadium.

Phil, showing Angel Stadium some Oakland love :D

Waiting at the finish.

Our "ice bath" after the race in the hotel pool... followed by some pizza and beer :D

Countdown to race #3

I'm getting a sense of deja vu... AND wondering if I haven't gone a little crazy! Why oh why did I decide to sign up for another half marathon?! Oh that's right... it was the pull of the Tiffany's finisher necklace!

Nike is coming up and just a few days and I have to admit that I'm excited about it. It's a beautiful course, although challenging, and the weather is always perfect for running. After feeling overheated during the last two races, I'm ready for the cooler weather! I'm also looking forward to beating my last two Nike times (knock on wood). The first year I did Nike, I hadn't trained at all and had only done a couple of very short runs since my previous half marathon 8 months before. I just did it to do it and really took it easy, walking on and off. Last year I was in the middle of training for my second marathon so I was in much better shape but since I got stuck in a potty line around mile 1, I spent the whole race trying to run through the walkers and catch up to where I was before. Needless to say, neither of my times were very good so this year I'm hoping to beat them both.

The other thing I love (but my bank account hates) is all the cool Nike Marathon gear! Claudia and I went to a girls night out party at Niketown last Thursday and got to check out a lot of the stuff for this year. I was happy for a chance to get there before race weekend since a lot of stuff usually sells out beforehand. I did pretty good though and came away with just a shirt and totally cute bag!! Oh that Nike is so evil!!

Saturday night we had the 2nd Annual Art for Charity! It was a lot of fun, even though not as many poeple showed up as we expected to. I think everyone had a good time though checking out the beautiful art, listening to great live music (THANKS ROCKY and OLLIE!!!) and enjoying yummy wine and food. Thanks to everyone who came and helped us raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society!

Rock N Roll San Jose Half Marathon

Race #2 is now completed... thank GOD! At 2:00 on Saturday Phil, Karen, Rocky, Claudia, Patch and I met up at Karen's house to start our mini road trip down to San Jose. Even with a bunch of traffic, we got there fairly quickly and went straight to the hotel to check into our digs for the night. Next we were off to the EXPO to grab our race stuff. The EXPO was pretty cool... this being a Rock N Roll event, they had A LOT of RNR SJ merchandise, which we couldn't resist. It's cool to have something that says you were a part of the inaugural event! After the EXPO we headed around the corner for a pasta dinner at Ill Fornaio. Even though we found out that I had made the reservation for the wrong weekend (way to go!), the manager was able to fit us in :D

Sunday morning was got up around 5:45 to start getting ready. Claudia (our cheerleader for the day with Patch) drove us down to the start line. I had anticipated San Jose being a fairly cool race since it was the beginning of October and the weather had started cooling down. But already at 7:00 it was starting to warm up. Waiting around to get corralled, we ran into a bunch of other TNT people who were also doing the race. Around 7:45 we headed to our corral-- Rocky, Phil and I decided to stick together and all went to corral 10. The three of us planned to stick together for about a mile, then stop and stretch before Rocky took off. Once we started, I had to go pee (I need to stop bringing water with me to the start... I keep needing to pee after the race starts, now matter how much I go before!) so we decided to run to the next set of porta-potties (around mile 2) and pee/stretch there. Because we were running with speedy Rocky, Phil and I ran those first two miles a little too quickly-- I was drenched by the time we got to mile 2!

The rest of the race was pretty uneventful. The course isn't ugly (we actually ran by some gorgeous houses) there just isn't really anything exciting to look at. The bands along the course were great but in between the bands we didn't see many spectators. We saw Claudia and Patch a couple of times along the course-- they were our cheerleaders and race support! They were a welcome sight, especially around mile 9 when I needed my bottles refilled! THANK YOU CLAUDIA!! The dreaded hydrant water that is used at all RNR races wasn't as bad as we had anticipated but our nice bottled water was much better!

Mentally this was such a hard race for me... even with the misters along the course the heat totally sapped my energy and it was so hard to keep running. Towards the end I was stopping more and more for short walking breaks. Phil was a champ and stuck with me, even though I kept telling him he could go ahead without me! And thankfully he did stay... I think I would have walked much more if I were by myself. The last mile was probably the hardest one I've ever run in a half marathon... I didn't even have enough juice in me to sprint the last .1 mile to the finish line! Our final time was 2:41:39... only 7 minutes more than Disney. When you factor in the potty stop and bottle refilling stops with Claudia, the times were about the same... SJ just seemed so much harder! Afterwards I felt ill-- nauseous, chilled and light headed... I think I just neede more sodium because once I had some gatorade I felt much better. :D

The medal we got at the end was nice... we also got a comfy pair of SPENCO sandals, and ice water drenched towels to cool us off. After we all showered and checked out, we rewarded ourselves with a yummy lunch at In N Out :D Next race is in two weeks... the weather should be much more runner-friendly so I'm hoping to beat my past two half marathon times!

Countdown to race #2

Wow... the passed three weeks have passed way too quickly! It feels like Disneyland was only a few days ago but here I am getting ready for the Rock N Roll San Jose Half Marathon on Sunday!

I don't feel too prepared for this race... With my grandmother passing away, being out of town, and me being the lazy bum I am, I haven't done much running at all since Disneyland. Even though this would technically be the taper period, I don't think that "taper" means "only run twice"! I managed to make it to the Buddy Run on Tuesday and I actually squeezed out 5 miles. I felt really good on the way out so I pushed it a little bit, on the way back I definitely slowed down a little bit.

The weather has cooled down quite a bit-- we even had some rain last night and today. On one hand I'm sad because that means it's almost time to put the flip flops away for good (I wore boots for the first time to work today and my feet were not happy about being squashed into them :(). On the other hand I'm glad because that means that our runs will be much nicer! I think the weather this weekend is supposed to stay cool so I'm hoping that compensates for my lack of training!

Check back next week for an update on how the race went!

Recovery

I've been such a bum lately-- you'd never guess that I have yet another race coming up in a little over a week! We got back from Dinseyland on Tuesday so I didn't make it to the Buddy Run. That Thursday I skipped track, telling myself that I was still recovering from the half marathon. This last weekend I ended up going home to visit my grandmother who was not doing well. She passed away last Friday night, just a few short hours after I had seen her :( After that, I didn't really feel like doing any running that weekend, even though I brought all my running gear with me to YC. Running seemed low on my priority list.

Figuring that I really needed to get my butt in gear and stop making excuses, I did go to the Buddy Run on Tuesday night. I'm so glad I went! I felt like crap at first but I ended up running with Meenu (who was recovering from a cold) and that really helped make the time fly by! By the time we had turned around at the 2 mile mark, I think we both felt better than we had when we first set out! Thanks Meenu for the company!!

Track tonight was canceled due to the long run this weekend in SF but I wasn't going to be able to make it anyway. Tonight I'm off again to the YC for my grandmother's funeral tomorrow. :( I am bringing my running gear though and am telling myself that I AM going to get a run in. I'd like to at least get a 6-8 miler in before the race. It's so hard for me to run by myself and YC doesn't have any nice trails like we do here so I'm stuck running on the street, which sucks. Maybe the fact that my brother is running the Portland Marathon this Sunday will motivate me to stop lazing around!

BTW... check out the side bar under my races. Yep, that's another race you see listed there. There were some extra spots that opened up for Nike, which had been sold out for months, and the pull of the Tiffany's necklace was too strong! So 2 weeks after RNR San Jose, it's off to SF for the Nike Half Marathon!

The Happiest Race on Earth

Once race down, three more to go! We got back on Tuesday from out trip down to Southern California for the half marathon and I feel like I'm still recovering! The race went very well and the trip was a lot of fun... here's the breakdown:

SATURDAY: Up at the BCo'D (Butt Crack o' Dawn) for the long drive down south. Phil, Rocky, Karen and Lindsay met Claudia and I at our place at 5:00 and we arrived in Anaheim around noon. Not too bad, considering that we stopped to pee/refuel the car/refuel our bellies a few times! Once we got there we decided to grab some lunch before it got too late. Then it was off to the EXPO to pick up our packets. The EXPO was a little smaller than expected which was good... we got in, got our packets, shopped a little and got out! Just one of the cool things about this race, our bibs were personalized! The shirts weren't bad either but they are long sleeve and a little on the big side--who gives away a long sleeve shirt for a summer race?! Once we checked into the hotel, we relaxed, unpacked and then went for a yummy dinner across the street. Good thing we headed over there early because the wait was super long. The food was well worth it though :D Once we got back to our room, it was time to get ready for bed so we could get enough sleep before our alarms went off the next morning at 3:00AM!!! It ended up being a good thing that we woke up so early on Saturday morning because we were all able to get to sleep around 8:30. That should be the end of the story for Saturday but unfortunately it wasn't... about 9:20 Karen, Linsday and I were woken up by Lael, calling to wish us luck. Right after he called I thought I had been transported to Beirut... the fireworks show at Disneyland was just starting so we got to listen to about 30 minutes of extremely loud fireworks... not so fun for all us runners! At 12:30 AM came a text from Jeanette wishing us all good luck!

The Suburban all decorated for our road trip!

After picking up our packets we couldn't resist checking out the 50th Anniversary Disney stuff


Our bibs even had our names printed on them!!

SUNDAY: Alarms went off at 3:00... BCo'D again :( We shoved some food in our mouths, got ready and headed to the lobby to catch the 4:00 shuttle. The shuttle ride wasn't too long and we made it to the "holding" area around 4:30. There wasn't much to do besides sit around in the semi-cold listening to some obnoxious Disney character yelling out stretches and checking out all the people decked out in disney gear-- mickey mouse ears, Pirates , Snow White, and quite a few Tinkerbells! Then it was off to our corral where we hung around some more waiting for the race to start. I was very impressed with the amount of porta-potties at the start and during the race. I think I went to the bathroom about three times and never had to wait in line too long! Kudos to Disney for some good planning! At 6:00 a pyrotechnic show at the start signaled that we were officially OFF! I was probably one of the coolest starts that I've had... a bunch of Disney characters were at the start cheering us on!

The race itself went pretty well... it wasn't my best but I definitely can't complain! It was VERY well run for being an inaugural event-- lots of potties, BOTTLED water at the water stops and lots of cheering stations along the way! Phil, Claudia and I started out together since we're pretty much the same pace. Running through the park was so cool... they had both Disneyland and California Adventure lit up with all the lights, some of the rides where going and Disney employees and characters lines the streets cheering for us! Partway through the parks, Phil and I got separated from Claudia so it was just the two of us.

Once out of the park, it got a little boring... Anaheim really isn't a pretty town. I needed a potty break around mile 5 so we made a quick stop-- the line was moving quickly so it was only a short detour. Miles 5-9 were uneventful... we were running along the streets in Anaheim, sometimes directly into the rising sun :( The only thing notable along that section was the 24 hour Mexican restaurant (hmmm, maybe Phil and I should have stopped in for some breakfast:D), quite a few liquor stores, some Polynesian dancers at one cheering station and Hispanic musicians/dancers at another. Somewhere along this stretch of the course I saw Claudia in front of us and yelled her name so our little group was back together again :D A little before the 9 mile marker, we reached Arrowhead Pond, where the Mighty Ducks hockey team plays, and the Santa Ana Trail (supposedly where the car racing scene from Grease was filmed but it looked completely different). About a mile later we reach Angel Stadium, home of the Los Angeles Angels and the hated rally monkey! Claudia stopped off to go to the bathroom but Phil and I continued on. The run through Angel stadium was very cool... it's not everyday that you get to be on the field of a major league stadium :D Phil and I are major A's fans though so of course we had to show Oakland some love!

When Phil and I left the stadium (Mile 10) we were definitely feeling the heat and were starting to feel drained so we took a 2 minute walk break. My internal thermometer was telling me it was around 90 degrees but I think it was actually in the high 70's. Soon after we started to run again, Phil's calf started to cramp. He's had problems with calf cramps before and we knew it was probably due to the heat and not enough electrolytes. We pulled over for a couple minutes so he could stretch it out (we were bad runners and never stretched at the start of the race...whoops) and then we were off again. Those last two miles were definitely the hardest... it was really starting to warm up and the heat was beating down on us. But we soldiered on and made it through California Adventure and back to Downtown Disney were the race ended. Phil got excited once we hit the 13 mile mark and started to sprint... I told him that we still had .1 to go (which feels like an entire mile after you've already run 13) and that we could start sprinting when we saw the finish line. I knew I didn't have enough in me to sprint the entire way! Around the corner we finally saw the finish line and sprinted our way across the finish line!!! Final time: 2:34:55

After we stumbled across the finish line and got our HUGE medal :D we grabbed some snacks and met up with Claudia, Rocky and Lindsay to get our picture taken. Karen came in not too much later and we headed back to the hotel. After some pizza and beer by the pool (instead of an ice bath) we all took a nap and then headed back to California Adventure around 2:00. We decided to spend Sunday there since we heard it wasn't as big is Disneyland and we wouldn't feel rushed trying to see everything. It was fun but I don't think worth the cost of the ticket... less rides, and one of the major ones wasn't even running :( But I did get the corn dog I had been craving... I spotted the Corn Dog shack during the run :D I loved the Tower of Terror though... that one was so much fun :D For dinner we went to a yummy Mexican restaurant in Downtown Disney and then off to bed for the sleepy pandas :D

MONDAY: Monday we actually got to sleep in a litte since our reservation at Goofy's Kitchen for breakfast wasn't until after 10:00. We stuffed ourselves with the food at the buffet... my favorite was the creme brulee french toast! By the time we made it to Disneyland it was around noon and we spent the rest of the day going on rides and eating :D Even though the park seemed crowded, it lines for the rides really weren't bad... and since most of the lines are inside, we weren't standing in the heat all day.

TUESDAY: Back home for us. :( After a half marathon and 2 days of walking, sitting in the back seat of a cramped Suburban wasn't very fun. But we played some car games to take our minds off the boring trip! A little after 2:00 we made it home... all tired and sore but happy that we went. :D

My next half marathon is Rock N'Roll San Jose in three weeks so after taking the week off, it's back to training on Saturday! I also just signed up for Nike (thanks to some spots that opened up last minutes) so two weeks after San Jose I'll be running that. You don't have to say it... I think I'm crazy too!

I'll update with some pictures later :D

The Countdown to Disney begins!!!

Only 3 more days until we're running through Disneyland, California Adventure Park and around the bases at Angel Stadium!!! Am I excited? YEP! Am I ready? Umm, maybe not so much :P

The last week or so has been insanely crazy for me. I had to go to Vegas for work (I know, lukcy me) for a tradeshow on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday so last week I was busy getting ready for that. I skipped out on track practive Thursday night to spend the evening doing laundry so no running that night. Saturday I needed to cover the waterstop for our coach's run in San Leandro so instead I wasn't able to get a full run in. I did however run out TO the waterstop (a little under 2 miles) and then back after we were done (another 2 miles) so I did get about a 3.5 mile run in, although there were about 3 hours in between both legs!

After the run and lunch we rushed home and I got ready for the Dave Matthews Band concert at Shoreline Amphitheater in Mt. View! The concert was fantastic (THANK YOU Amy for bringing me along!!!). We had some good seats which, thanks to the people sitting next to us, we got to upgrade to GREAT seats right in the center! It was a long day and a late night but WELL worth it! Dave and the whole band are fantastic live and always put on a great show!

Sunday it was off to Vegas for three days with my boss and co-worker. The whole trip was a lot of hard work but we managed to have some fun as well. Monday night my boss treated us to the new Cirque du Soleil show at the Mirage, The Beatles LOVE. It was the most impressive and amazing thing I've ever seen! Granted, this is the only Cirque du Soleil show I've ever seen so I can't compare it to the other but the combination of the Beatles music (re-mixed studio masters with surround sound speakers in our chairs), the costumes, the acrobatics and dancing were awe inspiring! I highly recommend if you are in Vegas that you see the show!

Now I'm back in the WC and starting to feel a little nervous about Sunday's race. Not so much about finishing, because I know that I'll finish the race, but about the race itself. I've been eating badly, had too many cocktails in Las Vegas (all these tradeshow people do is work then drink!!), hardly any running since the 10 miler and not enough sleep. We're getting up at the butt crack of dawn to drive down at 5 AM on Saturday, then we'll have to be up SUPER early again on Sunday because the race starts at 6AM and then two days of Disneyland before we leave early Tues. to head back. Sigh... I'm pooped already. I'm a girl who loves her sleep and there ain't going to be much of that going on over the next few days! Oh well, it'll be a great trip!

Too hot :(

Man, the Buddy Run last night sucked! The heat + too much crappy food and beer over the weekend + a 10 mile run on Sat. + a 5 mile hike on Sunday= crappy run. Last week we froze and this week is was way too hot... I was still sweating when I got home at 8:00 :( I went out thinking I'd do about 40 minutes... I ended up turning around a little after the 1.5 mile mark and walking a little bit on the way back. BUT I did get to see Brenda, Julie and Sarah so that was a good thing :D

Mission Accomplished!

Yes, we FINALLY did our 10 miles! Phil and I met at the Alameda Ferry on Saturday at 7:00am to run a few miles before some of his mentees showed up. Since I was a little late, we only did 3 miles instead of 4. It was super overcast and chilly... perfect for a run! At 8:00 we met up with three of Phil's mentees and headed back out on the trail. Phil and I were planning on going out to the 3 mile mark but decided to do an extra half mile so we could get our full 10 miles in. Two of Phil's mentees went all the way with is which means they did 7 miles instead of the 4 they intended to do! I think that everyone felt great afterwards... a little stiff but very happy with how well we did! I love running at Alameda and I always have a great run there... those last two miles are the hardest mentally though... you think the ferry terminal is going to be around every corner!

And if doing 10 miles wasn't enough, the next day I went with Linsday and Karen to Angel Island and we walked 5+ miles around the perimeter of the island. After our hike we tried to enjoy a nice lunch at the cafe there but were attacked by bees trying to eat our food and drink. :( A bunch of other TNT people were also out there-- our TNT manager Monica and her hubby, who biked around the island; Brenda with her hubby Jim and two boys, Glenn, Emma, Carol Ann and Paul who hiked up to the top of Mt. Livermore. We met up with them right before we caught the ferry back to Oakland. It was a gorgeous day although started out a little overcast-- there are some amazing views of the whole bay from every part of the island! Angel Island is full of history and there are plenty of old buildings to wander around in. I had never been before but it's definately something I'd love to do again!

Me, Lindsay and Karen at Angel Island with the Golden Gate Bridge behind us. This was before the sun decided to come out!

Me and Lindsay at the A's game on Monday... A's lost :(

Circuit drills kick my butt :(

Last night at track we started circuit training. Well, they actually started last week but because I was being lazy at home this is the first time I've done them this season. I have a love/hate relationship with circuit drills. I love them because it's a nice change from running around the track umpteenth times. I hate them because they hurt :(

For those of you who don't know, here is what our circuit drills consist of:

Run 2 laps warm up
Stretch
Run 1 lap
Various embarrassing-to-be-seen-doing-in-public leg exercises: Toe walks, heel walks, skipping, lunges, etc.
Run 1 lap

Set #1:
15 squats,
25 crunches,
10 push ups,
15 squats
Run 1 lap

Set #2:
12 bench dips,
15 back extensions ("Supermans"),
12 bench dips,
10 push ups,
15 squats
Run 1 lap

Repeat Set #1
Run 1 lap

Repeat Set #2
Run 1 hard lap (Coach Gary says "hard", I feel like I'm running "hard", yet people walking aren't moving much slower than I am)

Intermix that with Coach Gary yelling "Always finish with push ups and squats!", the hot sun beating down on us and me feeling like I'm going to throw up, and there you have my Thursday track experience. THAT is why my limbs feel like jello!

Tomorrow it's 10 miles... Let's hope the third time is the charm and we can finally do our 10 miler!

Chilly Buddy Run

Last night was a fairly uneventful Buddy Run, which is good. :D Claudia, Cynthia and I ran about 3 miles and we did it in a little over 30 minutes so we were running at a pretty good pace, for us at least! It was actually a little chilly out, which was nice for the run but not so nice while we were standing around afterwards! On a side note, I really like how the summer people and fall people at our buddy runs have become one big group... we warm up together, stretch together and most all of the fall people wait around for the summer people to finish, even though they're running twice as long as we are!

10 miles... foiled again :(

Since our Disney training group didn't do 10 miles last weekend in Antioch (except for Karen :D) we decided to do our 10 miler this weekend. Well, that didn't happen-- darn captain duties got in the way :( We planned on getting two miles in after we got our water stop people on their way and before the team got there, and then 8 miles with the team. But by the time we got the water stop people loaded up and on their way, we didn't have enough time run before our team arrived. So we settled on doing just 8 miles with the team.

We ran at the Berkeley Marina so it was overcast and cool... thank god! The East Bay AND SF Summer teams were also out there with us so there were TONS of TNT shirts and "Go Teams" along the trail! I felt pretty good out there, except for the last mile, which at Berkeley Marina is always mentally tougher for me because you think the finish is just around every corner. Luckily I was running with Phil and he was feeling crappy so I knew I couldn't wimp out! I'm so glad that I decided to take my shoes back in to Forward Motion and get the next higher level of support... they feel SO much better than the other ones and all the little aches and pains have gone away. It's amazing what the wrong shoe can do to you!

After our run in Berkeley: Salina, Trish, Lindsay, Vanessa (our honoree), me, Phil, Claudia and Matt.

Sunday afternoon we had a nice get together with some of the EB mentors at Pyramid-- drank some yummy beer, ate some yummy pizza and talked about all the cool races everyone has done. Even though I really have no interest in training for another marathon right now, getting together and talking with all these other marathoners always makes me think "Hmmm... what do I want to do for my next race?!"

Picking up the pace

Last night we had our Buddy Run at Heather Farms. This week the Fall team was suppossed to do 35, 40 or 45 minutes-- I didn't have my watch on so I decided to just do three miles. My pace on the way was good, I felt that I was pushing it a little bit. On the way back there was a guy pushing a baby jogger who asked me what we were all training for. We chatted about running and various races for about a mile-- well, HE chatted and I huffed and puffed next to him... he definately made me pick up my pace! I wish I had my watch on me so I could see what my time was, all I know is that by the time I got back to the parking lot, I was completely out of breath!

On the edge of nowhere

That's where it felt like we ran on Saturday morning but it was actually the Delta de Anza trail in Antioch! Phil, Karen, Claudia and I had originally planned on running 10 miles-- a few before the team got there and a few with the team-- but after Claudia and I got all the water stop stuff unloaded and helped set up stuff for the Honoree Potluck, it was too late to really get a decent run in before the team got there. So, we decided that 6 for this weekend was good enough and we'd run 10 next weekend :D Fine by me since this trail had NO shade!


Claudia and I on the trail with NO shade :(

The run went well, despite the warm weather and no shade. I think that Coach Gary's markings were a little off-- either that or we were running a little faster than we thought! I got to see some of my old mentees from past seasons out there; Julie helped out at our first water stop and Rhonda tagged along on the run :D By the time we finished I was DONE... and very happy that we hadn't done 10 miles. Karen was the true trooper though and whipped out the whole 10 miles!! Even with the hills and not feeling well, she did it!! She kicked BUTT!


Honoree Cappy Natalie with Honoree Cappy and Cole's mom Brandy, Jen, Joe, Michael, Vanessa's mom Trish and Brenda

After our run we had our Honoree potluck and ALL our honorees were there! The honoree potluck is basically our thanks to all the honorees for being such an inspiration to all of us. They are the ones that motivate us to run those extra miles when all we may want to do is quite. While we munched on some yummy food (including pancakes and eggs thanks to Jeanette) the honorees all said a few words about what they've been through. Brenda had some great news to share-- they found a donor for her!!! It's a 9 out of 10 match so soon she'll be going back to SF to get her bone marrow transplant! WOO HOOOO!!!!


Brenda and her boys

Sunday Rocky, Phil, Claudia and I went to Stern Grove again to see Ozomatli. We got there nice and early to get a good spot-- good thing we did because it got even more packed than it did two weeks ago. The weather was overcast and a little chilly but we had a great time (and I KILLED Phil at cards) :D Now that we know about the Stern Grove concert series and how fun it is, I have a feeling we'll be back there again next summer a lot more! How can you beat a FREE concert in such a beautiful setting!


Bundled up at Stern Grove

Dublin Track

Thursday night Claudia and I went over to the Dublin track instead of Concord. Coach Al wasn't able to make it so he asked Claudia to take over for him :D We basically did the same thing we did last week-- either run 17, 19 or 21 minutes. The track we ran on is a little smaller than a standard track so 5 laps was about a mile. That's too many laps for me to keep track of so I'm not sure how far I actually went during those 21 minutes. :D I think that next week we start circuit drills which I actually enjoy, even if they do kick my butt!

Buddy Run

Since I missed last week's Buddy Run, this was my first one of the season. I was actually excited about getting out there to run, especially since right now we only have to do about 30 minutes :D I was looking forward to doing the run and getting home and eating dinner at a decent time. Well, that didn't really happen. :( The Summer team was also out doing their Buddy Run so many of us ended up staying to cheer them all in. I think it was about 8:00 by the time I got home... by the time I cooked dinner, ate and showered it was already 9:30! At least the weather was perfect for our run, nice and cool, and I even got to see Brenda! She came out to do a little running and walking with the group!

Tonight we're off to Run University! This takes the place of the pre-run clinics that we usually do through the beginning of each season-- now we have them all in one evening so when we get together for the Coached Runs, all we have to do is run!

Team Hope

On Saturday we had our first Mentor Led run of the season, led by Mentors Phil and Jeremy. Since Karen, Phil and I are training for Disneyland, we are running different mileages than the Fall Team-- we were supposed to do 8 miles while the team only had to do 2-4 miles. We decided to meet up at 6:45 to run 4 miles and mark the course and then do the other 4 miles with the team.

As we started off on our first 4 miles, the weather was perfect for running. We made pretty good time although I think we were all wondering at the end how we were going to run 4 more miles. We met up with the team, refilled our water bottles, Phil gave me some moleskin to cover a blister that was forming and we were off again! After our stretch, the team talked a little about what our team name should be and someone came up with the idea for Team Hope. I think that's a great name and totally fits our team this season and I think everyone who was there agreed, so pending Coach Al's approval, I think we finally have a name for our team!

The second 4 miles felt great, I think we even had negative splits and did those miles faster than the first 4! At least it felt like we did! Maybe it was running with the team, having new people to talk to and take our minds off the run that made it go more quickly... I'd like to think though that we were all just faster! It felt great to reach the 8 mile mark-- it makes me much more confident about doing the half in just 4 weeks!

New shoes and our first track workout

Well, Wednesday I went and bought some new shoes so I'd be all ready for track the next night. Saucony has upgraded their Omni line and the newest version, Omni 5 seems to fit a little snugger than the Omni 4s. Guess what that means? Yep, I had to buy a Men's shoe because my feet are like boats :( The sales guy also told me I didn't need the Ultimate support, just moderate, but I'm not sure if I agree with him. We'll see.

So last night off to track I went with my whiter-than-white (even whiter than my legs) brand new men's shoes. Because this was a our first track, Coach Gary did a lot of talking and we only did a little running. After our two lap warmup he talked to us about proper breathing, proper form and the fact that because we aren't sprinters, we should not be kicking ourselves literally in the butt while we run :D FINALLY we started our actual workout for the evening, running either 14, 16 or 19 minutes. Because I'm not a glutton for punishment and it was a little warm out, I went for the 16. It went well-- felt nice to run and I got to talk with a couple of the new participants. I'm still a little iffy about the shoes so I'll try them on our 8 miler tomorrow and see how they feel. If they're still not working for me, back to the store they go... with Disneyland right around the corner, I don't have time to fool with shoes that don't fit right.

No Buddy Run for me :(

Last night was our first night of Buddy Runs for the fall team-- finally people to run with during the week! But last night I didn't make it :( I've been having some icky migraines over the past couple of days-- 3 in the past two days-- and running was the last thing I felt like doing. I loaded up on headache medicine and took a nap instead. I'm also nursing a sore foot (possibly a little plantar faciitis due to worn out running shoes) so I figured a day off would give it a chance to get back to normal. On my to-do list today is to pick up some new running shoes so my feet can be happy again while I'm running :D

Tonight some TNT alums from my first season are meeting up to have dinner with Korina, who now lives in BFE (Wisconsin). I don't think that I've seen her since she and her hubby moved out there a couple of years ago so I'm excited to catch up!

Another TNT filled weekend!

Even though I'm dead tired and still recovering, this weekend was so much fun!

It started out with our first Coached Run of the season at Heather Farms in Walnut Creek. Even though the run didn't start until 9:00, Claudia and I needed to get there at 6:45 to help the water stop people get set up. We met up with Phil and Rocky to get a little run in before we met with the team. According to our Disneyland training calendar, we were supposed to do about 6 miles so we decided to do 3 before the team got there and 3 more with the team. The first 3 went well although our pace was a little faster than normal (thanks to Phil, who was freaking out about getting back to his mentees on time :D) but it was nice a cool. We ran into a lot of familiar faces out there since the Summer team was doing 6-15 miles and started early. We even saw Brenda out there! It was great to see her back out on the trail! After our shoe clinic, a short, but very heartfelt, talk from Brenda, we were back on the trail for our second 3 miles. Since this was about an hour and a half after we finished our first 3 miles, it was MUCH warmer out and that that made for a MUCH slower pace! Next time I tell myself that I don't need to bring water/gatorade with me because I'm only doing 6 miles, I need to think again. I could definitely tell that I needed to drink more fluids.


After a nice nap, Saturday evening we headed over to Oak Hill Park in Danville to listen to the wonderfully talented East Bay Mudd, a 10 piece R&B, Funk and Soul band! Our friend, and fellow TNTer, Jeanette sings back up and her husband plays drums. A bunch of other TNTers showed up, even Mama Lisa and Coach!! It was a perfect night-- gorgeous weather, great music, great friends, a little dancing and some towel jump rope with Rocky and Chris :D

Sunday morning we were up early again but this time we were off to Stern Grove in SF for a free concert. The bands didn't start playing until 2:00 but we were told that the place gets crowded so we met Monica (our team manager) early to save some spots. This was the first time that I had been to Stern Grove and it's gorgeous! Driving by, all you see is what looks like a grove of eucalyptus trees, but in the middle of this grove below street level is this awesome outdoor concert venue. Monica was right, by the time we got there at 10:45 the place was packed, and when the bands started playing, hundreds of people were crammed in there like sardines! Good thing we brought lots of food, sangria and beer to tide us over until the bands came on. First up was Ska Cubano and after that came the Spanish Harlem Orchestra. I didn't understand any of the words but I LOVED the music! Being San Francisco, there were lots of interesting characters, including the renaissance fair hobbitt that Phil (aka "Sad Panda") made friends with.

Even though I only ran 6 miles this weekend, my body feels like it's been run over by a truck. But it's a good hurt-- I had such a great weekend and I don't remember when I've ever laughed so much :D

2nd Annual Art for Charity

Get out your calendars... the 2nd Annual Art for Charity event will be on October 14th at the Blackhawk Art Gallery in Danville and you're ALL invited!



I am SOO excited! Last year we put on this fundraising event to benefit the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society as well as Cole's Cure and it was a great success! We had great food and wine, were serenaded by the talented Acoustic Mutt, raffled off some fun prizes and were surrounded by beautiful art, including the piece above designed especially for us by Peggy Magovern!

This year we'll again have some great food and wine, great music, beautiful art and even BETTER raffle prizes! This year the proceeds will go towards my fundraising for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. So put October 14th down on your calendar and save the date. I'll post more information about the event (and the great raffle prizes we're getting) as the date gets closer!!

I'm pooped

Wow, this was one busy weekend! I feel like I need another weekend to recover from my weekend!

Friday night brought dinner with Brandy and friends-- July 28 was the day that Brandy and Keith's son Cole passed away from cancer 2 years ago so we spent the evening with her eating yummy food and chatting.

Cole

Saturday morning we were off to the Fall Season Kick Off in SF. We spent the morning meeting our new participants and getting pumped up for the new season! I can't believe that the new season is already starting... it seems like the Spring season JUST ended! By the time I got home at 3:00 (after a yummy lunch at the Daily Grill and a trip to the yarn store) it was time for a serious nap!

My roomie/co-captain and I at Kick Off

EARLY Sunday morning I headed out to cheer on Julie and Sarah at the San Francisco Marathon. The weather was beautiful out there and even with the parking hassles, I was able to see them a few times along the course. I even saw Mama Lisa out there as well as Haakon and Deb, two Spring season alums! After the marathon it was off to the A's game in Oakland where we took in the action from our cushy Luxury Suite, courtesy of Phil! And 11 hours after I left the house that morning, I was finally back home!

Our Luxury Box

So even though I didn't get any running in this weekend, I spent lots of quality time with TNT friends and climbed a few SF hills... can I count that as training?

Thank you, thank you, thank you :D

Thank you so much to Tom, Matt and Karen for being the very first people to donate money to me this season! I'm so excited that I already have $150 in and the season hasn't even started! Thank you guys for being such great supporters of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society!

I love the A/C...

In fact, I love it so much that I was unwilling to drag myself from my air conditioned apartment to go for a run last night. And since I read an article this morning about how over 40 people have died so far from the heat, maybe it was a good thing I stayed inside :D I keep telling myself that I should just get up in the morning and go for a run at 6 AM but I love my bed too much, even more than I love the A/C :D

Just do the Damn Thing!

The plan for Saturday was for Karen, Claudia and I to run 7 miles at the Berkeley Marina at 7:30. We hoped that running a half hour early right next to the Bay would keep us a little cooler during this heat wave we've been having. Friday night we realized that while it may be cooler by the bay, there is NO SHADE anywhere on that trail. So much for that plan. Karen ended up running on her own and Claudia and I hit the shadier Iron Horse Trail behind our house at 7:00.
I have to admit that I was a little nervous about doing 7 miles. But surprisingly, I felt great! Other than the heat, the 7 miles was no problem! I'm so glad that we started running at 7:00 because by the time we turned around at Heather Farms, it was heating up and our shade was dwindling. I think it took me a full hour to cool down, even after a nice cool shower my face was beet red and I was sweating! The other nice thing about starting out so early? You get home early... early enough to take a shower and jump back into bed for a nap! :D

This weekend also brought some exciting news... my friend (and team honoree) Brenda is finally home from the hospital!!! She came home Friday and now gets to spend some well deserved and well needed time at home with her hubby, 2 sons and dogs, before she heads back for her next round of chemo.

Lazy Bum

Yep, that's me, a lazy bum :D I didn't run at all on Tuesday... it was too darn hot. And as my friend Phil says, we weren't being wimps, just exercising good judgment. Because really, how can it be healthy to run in this weather!? So what did I do instead on Tuesday night? Plopped my big butt on the couch, ate some Chubby Hubby ice cream and watched a marathon of Kathy Griffin, My Life on the D-List. Productive, huh?!

Last night was much cooler, I think the coolest day we're supposed to have for awhile, but no running. Instead I spent my evening listening to Mama Lisa teach all the Summer and Fall season mentors/captains how to be good mentors and cappies :D

And tonight, there will be no running again since a group of knitters I know through TNT (we dubbed ourselves the "Running Chicks with Sticks") and I will be attending the Stitch N' Pitch Giants game. We've all knitted black and orange beanies to wear to the game-- so if you're watching the game tonight, look for a group of ladies (and a couple guys) in the stands wearing orange and black knit hats! No matter what it should be a fun time... what's better than hanging out with friends, talking about the things we love (knitting and running) , watching a baseball game and eating some not-so-good-for-you food :D

After all the lazing around and crappy eating I've done this week, I'll have to make up for it this Saturday at our run!

Run to Eat

Since I was in the YC on Saturday, Phil, Karen and I got together on Sunday to run the Iron Horse Trail in Danville. We met up at 8:00 and started out on the trail with all the other die hard runners out there :D We decided to do about 5 miles since it felt like it was going to warm up pretty quickly. And boy we were right! Thank god that stretch of the trail is shady because if we had been any more in the sun, I think I would have burst just like a hot dog left too long on the grill! We actually did a little less than five miles, at least if the old TNT mileage markings in chalk on the trail were correct. That's fine, I was happy with my almost 5 miles and, even though it was so much hotter than Tuesday night, the run felt great, thanks in part to Phil's entertaining tales of the potties in China :D

A fews hours later, Phil, Karen and I followed the run up with a nice big lunch! We had our End of the Season party for the Spring Season at a park in Concord. It was great seeing everyone again and we spent the afternoon filling and tossing water balloons, stuffing our faces with watermelon, chicken, chips and dip, passing out the team awards and trying not to melt in the heat. Just as one season ends, another one is about to begin... our Fall Season starts in just two weeks and many of our Spring participants and mentors are returning as mentors!

It's heatin' up...

... And that means no run for me last night! After Tuesday night's run I thought that I may attempt another solo run tonight but that didn't happen. Tuesday night was gorgeous weather for a run, last night was NOT. And since I do not do well in the heat, I decided to relax in the comfort of my air conditioned apartment and watch Wed. night's episode and Project Runway!

Claudia and Rocky are off to San Diego today so Patch and I are spending some quality time together :D Tonight we're off to my parent's in Yuba City to hang out, go to lunch Sat. for my Aunt's birthday and try to avoid the 100 plus degree heat! Ick!

Laps with Brenda

Wednesday night I headed out to UCSF to visit my friend and team honoree Brenda. Brenda just finished the first of three rounds of chemo she needs to get before she can have a bone marrow transplant. Brenda is just one of the many amazing people that I have met through Team In Training and she is an inspiration not just to me but to hundreds of others as well.

Anyone who knows Brenda, knows she isn't one to loaf around-- and in true Brenda style, my visit turned into a workout :D We did about 13 laps around her hospital floor, which equals about 1 mile. And Brenda isn't one to casually stroll... she's pulling her IV pole, I'm recording each lap on a paper taped to her door and all the while we're chatting and dodging the robotic floor cleaner, doctors, nurses and unidentifiable (to me at least) hospital equipment along the way!

While I was there, she got some great news... her levels of white blood cells, neutrophils, etc. have all been improving enough so that she may be able to come home this weekend! YEAH!! She'll also be finding out on Wednesday if any of the potential donors they have are actually a match!

Buddy(less) Run

During the season, Tuesday evenings bring Buddy Runs-- a 3-6 mile run with other TNT participants. Meeting up with a group of fellow marathoners- and half marathoners-in-training and running together is what makes training easier. But since the Fall Season doesn't start for another few weeks, and the weather was so nice last night, I headed out for my run soon after I got home from work. I decided to run on the Iron Horse Trail, conveniently accessed right across the street from our apartment, and head out to Ygnacio Valley Rd (roughly 3 or so miles round trip).

This run drove home the reason why I love training with the team-- I HATE running on my own! For the entire run I felt off... I couldn't find that groove. Was I out of breath and feeling crappy because I was running too fast (not likely :D)? Because I hadn't eaten anything since lunch? Because I ate a crappy lunch? Who knows. :( I couldn't blame it on the heat this time... the weather was perfect for a run--cool and breezy.

I may attempt another solo run on Thursday, hopefully that one feels better than last night's run!

FINALLY the training starts!

After many weeks of THINKING about how I need to start training for the Disneyland Half, I finally started training! I finally ran out of excuses!

I met up with Phil, Claudia and Karen for a run in Alameda. The Summer team was out there so we decided to tag along... it's a run that we all like, flat, usually cool and lots of pretty houses and a view of the city to look at! Since the Summer team was having one of their clinics and we wanted to run before it really heated up, we started out on our own. We decided to do just 4 miles (why kill ourselves the first time out!) so we ran out to the bridge and back. The run started out fairly cool but soon after I commented on how nice it was, it started to warm up. By the time we got to the 2 mile mark and the water stop, I was definitely feeling the heat! The way back wasn't too bad though... until we ran into the mass of Summer team participants at the end. :P I think we all felt pretty good... Karen even whipped out 4 miles and came in not too far behind us! Woo hoo!

Now that the first day of training is behind me, I just need to keep it up!

On the Bandwagon!

Yep, I've decided to take the plunge... I am jumping on the blogging bandwagon. I figured that I since I spend so much time reading about OTHER people, that maybe there are some people out there that would enjoy reading about ME... or mainly about my training! (I promise not to bore you with all the minute details about my life!)

This blog will basically be a place for me to write about how my training is going for the next few months. Since I had such a fun, fantastic time at marathon #2 (NOT!) I've decided to focus on running half marathons for right now. They're just enough of a challenge to make it interesting but not quite so hard on my body (and mind!).

The first race on the schedule is the inaugural Disneyland Half Marathon on September 17, followed two weeks later by the inaugural San Jose Half Marathon and then, because I need to train for something during my next TNT season, I'll be doing the Arizona Half Marathon on January 14, 2007! Pheeew! I'm pooped already!

Now I just need to get my lazy butt in gear and START training!