S & W Marathon Training

Return Trip

2012-01-30T06:45:00.001-08:00

The usual chaos at SNA trying to get through security to board providing a less than perfect ending. The limitations on take-off times create a flood of travelers all coming through at the same time.

Still, we are now ensconced in our seats and ready to go. All in all a great trip, just too short to do or see everyone and everything we wanted to do. Race report to follow soon!

Carbo Loading is Fun..!

2012-01-28T16:11:00.001-08:00

Tinker Bell Expo

2012-01-28T12:11:00.001-08:00

Wow.... This really is a "women's" race. The vast majority of vendors are selling sparkly things... Glitter sleeves, flashing LEDs for shoes, fairy wings, and holographic skirts. Pretty... and pretty funny. It's the first race I've seen with a hairdresser booth...

Bib pickup and shirt pickup were fine and fast, and I got a new race belt (gel loops!)

Added bonus -- seeing Jenny speak!!

Boot Camp with Patrick

2012-01-28T07:33:00.001-08:00

Went to Patrick's Boot Camp on Friday morning... He has a very laid-back style, and spends a lot of time telling us why we are doing the exercises. He also has a lot of experience working with elderly clients, so knows what will happen to bodies that aren't strengthened now!

The morning session only had two people... Which doesn't bode well for it being continued in the next session, unfortunately.

The workout was good -- lots of strength work that had sweat literally dripping off my nose. But I am not gonna lie -- Patrick's workout wasn't nearly as tough as Dillon's. Still, I will definitely feel it -- especially in my shoulders. I just never had an "omg I'm gonna hurl" moment on Friday...

We got to Anaheim last night, spent a little time in the parks, but were pretty happy that they closed early ;). Got some dinner (hooray for Alertos) and were tucked up in bed by 10. Yeah, we're big partiers...

Today we'll pick up our packets, grab a drink with our pal Jenny, and maybe go for a swim...

In other news, I think I chose my shade of "race-day polish" badly. I was going for Tinker Bell pixie green... But seem to have ended up with zombie flesh... Never trust the fluorescent bulbs!!!

packed and ready

2012-01-26T23:14:00.000-08:00

It took longer than it should have, but we packed on Wednesday! Okay, sure, we packed on Wednesday because we knew we were going to have a late night tonight, but STILL....

We've packed so lightly that I fear I've forgotten something obvious... but, hey, it's not a third world country, and we'll be able to pick up last-minute things if we need them.

Tonight was the annual trip to Teatro Zinzanni for the employees who completed the Brooks Race Series -- 3 races, one of which had to be at least a half marathon, and one volunteer stint at a Brooks event. Awesome! Always a great time.

Body Revolution this morning... Patrick's Boot Camp tomorrow... hope I can walk on to the plane!

Monday Runday

2012-01-23T17:41:00.000-08:00

To be honest, I'm not sure I have EVER run on a Monday. I think when we started out, running Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday just made sense. So Monday has always been a rest day.

But since I've been working out with Dillon on Tuesdays (and, since the start of the year, Thursdays), I needed to shift my running to Mondays and Wednesdays -- or possibly Wednesdays and Fridays.

Today was a gorgeous day, if pretty quiet in the office. I got a whole bunch of little tasks done on this meeting-free day -- so I decided to give myself a treat and leave a little early (3:30) so that I could come home and run before meeting Suz tonight. Okay, okay, I didn't leave the house to run... but I did get 5+30+5 in on the treadmill. Slowly but surely... The 3.12 miles brings me up to 23.59 miles -- nearly halfway, and leaving September and October in the dust.

An amusing side note -- Doug went to work out with Patrick at lunchtime... and by the end of the day couldn't raise his arms. I only laugh because I have so been there! And, of course, I'll probably be there on Friday. Ha.

Church of Dillon

2012-01-22T12:54:00.000-08:00

Okay, okay, I didn't go to Body Revolution yesterday. I had a lie in, and then went over to Rebecca's to "help" her with a project. (My help consisted mainly of moral support... and drinking champagne and working on my needlepoint....) So TODAY I went to one of Dillon's snow make-up classes.

Nice big crowd today -- 11 people, including a couple of new faces. And Dillon set up a huge 11-station circuit, which we went through twice. We also did a lot of arm work before the circuit even started. As a result, when I was putting makeup on after my shower, my arms were shaking. Ahh, good times.

My legs felt very tired and heavy even during the warm up... despite having a rest day yesterday. A bit worrisome, what with next Sunday's adventure...

Slush Day

2012-01-20T17:11:00.000-08:00

Things still looked a little grim this morning -- and as I knew that 3 of my 5 co-workers would be "working from home", I decided to let my inner child have a snow day as well.

I did get a bunch of housekeeping sort of work done -- checked the descriptions of all of the Spring product -- but I also made it downstairs for a run.

Just 3.27 miles, but still, miles.... and I'm over 20 miles for the month. Yeah, I'm still going to be hard pressed to get 50 miles in this month. But I passed February and May 2011, and with my next run will pass September and October -- leaving only June and the Alaska Marathon Cruise miles in July.

I did manage to leave the house -- IN A CAR -- for a while today; guess that means I'll be able to go to Body Revolution tomorrow. Yay!

Oh, and in one of my brief "creative" daydreams today, I put together a simple graphic for an upcoming event (which didn't have a graphic of its own...)

Snow Day

2012-01-18T15:46:00.001-08:00

Well, it may have not been a "snowpocalypse", but it was a proper snowstorm. My office was officially shut, and Wil was working from home. Today I needed to get in a run, but this is what it looked like outside:

So I'm super happy to have this downstairs:

4.14 miles ... putting me over 17 miles so far in January. Again, not a huge success ... but almost as much as February 2011, only a couple of miles behind May 2011, and within a run's reach of September.

Also, went to Body Revolution yesterday before work... wasn't sure it was a good idea to commute in the "snow" wearing shorts, but I did have warm clothes in the car. :) The workout seemed extra tough, for some reason. Felt really challenged to do the cardio segments. But I still feel sad that tomorrow's session has been cancelled. That said, not sure I could justify trekking to Fremont if I am deeply deeply hoping for another snow day tomorrow!

late inspiration

2012-01-15T18:17:00.000-08:00

I blogged... I felt restless... I decided to go downstairs and make myself run for 15 minutes. This time, well, I wasn't quite so much of a hero. After a 5-minute warmup walk, I decided to crank it up a little and try to run for 10 minutes. Sure, that was okay, though I did start feeling a little queasy. So then I walked for a minute, and finished up with another 4 minutes of running.

So, okay, I didn't get 3.5 miles in.... but I did get in 2.01 miles, which is better than nothing. And then, maybe I can make myself run again tomorrow to get on a Monday - Wednesday - Friday kind of thing.

decent week... except for running....

2012-01-15T16:48:00.000-08:00

So this week I went to Body Revolution with Dillon on Saturday, Tuesday, and Thursday -- and lived to tell the tale. Somehow, however, I never made the time to run. I think I have it in my mind that I run on Tuesdays and Thursdays, so I can't get myself set to run on any other weekday. Weird.

I *would* have gone to Body Revolution this Saturday as well, except I had a really good excuse. The US Olympic Marathon Trials were held in Houston on Saturday, and Brooks had two athletes with a really great chance to make the women's team: Desi Davila and Amy Hastings. Unfortunately, NBC Universal decided not to air the race live... nor did they decide to stream it over the internet. So the only way to "watch" it was to follow updates on Twitter. Which, frankly, was unsatisfying.

That said, it was still exciting to "follow along" and cheer for Desi and Amy. In the end, Desi came in second, and Amy came in fourth, with Shalane and Kara coming in first and third, respectively. As soon as the race was over, I posted our "congratulations Desi" billboard on our site -- super exciting! The only hitch was that the promised blog post never came through -- not an hour after the end of the race, not a day after the end of the race. Oh well - the billboard was the key as far as we were concerned. Even if it meant I spent too much of the morning checking my work email to see if the blog had been posted. (Nope.)

I thought I would have time to go to Body Revolution -- but it didn't work out. And, I guess, neither did it.

So kinda mixed results this week. Good gym work, but no mileage. Weird.

so...tired....

2012-01-10T19:46:00.000-08:00

Went to Body Revolution with Dillon this morning -- that woman sure makes me work hard! Small class this morning -- only four women -- which surprised me since it's JANUARY! But I think most people go in the evening or at weekends. I'm thrilled to be able to go in the morning.

Every workout with Dillon is an exercise in humility. Suddenly I have lost my balance and am unable to do lunges with dumbbells. Why is this? I don't know. Squats? Yeah, I'm not super good at those, either. And as for remembering what I'm supposed to do at each station? Well, let's just say I've gotten very good at just asking for a reminder.

Each class is different, but they all follow a similar structure. We warm up on the cardio machines for 5 minutes or so before class begins. (I tend to use the elliptical trainer, out of sheer habit, but have been known to jump on a treadmill or a bike.) Then we go in and warm up together -- squats, lunges, sometimes core work, sometimes shoulder work. Then we take a little water break while Dillon sets up the circuit.

We have between 6 and 9 stations going at once, and they range from "wall ball" (throwing a padded medicine ball at the wall and catching it) to squats to bench presses to triceps presses to jumping jacks to pushups... etc. etc. We complete one circuit, take a short break, and then dive back in for a second, and then a third round. Then sometimes we do some additional exercises as a group or in pairs, or sometimes we just stretch and cool down a bit.

There's always a point in round one when I regret being there. Then there's the point in round two when I think I won't make it. Then there's the point at the end of round two when I'm really, really relieved. And then I just sorta float through round 3, giving it my all. And sometimes there's a point where I feel woozy or queasy. But not every time.

Today was good -- I was neither woozy nor queasy. And I have that familiar "heaviness" that comes after a butt kicking. And a slightly achy back.

another little run

2012-01-08T16:37:00.000-08:00

I've still got a banging headache... and Wil is still suffering from a cold, so we didn't make it out for our "long" run this morning. But after we ran our errands and settled in, I decided to try and run on the treadmill for just 15 minutes. If I made myself run for 15, I reasoned, I might run longer, or I might not... but at least I would get a tiny run in.

Of course, I walked for 5 to warm up, and then just started running 3:1s. And running. And running. Okay, it's not like I ran a long long way... but I did run 3.42 miles pretty easily, which brings me up to 10.95 miles, which is more than last August.

Tomorrow is a rest day. Which I'm really really looking forward to!

Body Revolution!!!

2012-01-07T10:18:00.001-08:00

Went to my first Saturday BR class, which was pretty full (as expected). Kim taught the class, which means I'll be extra sore tomorrow ;)

Somehow managed to miss a run this week (boo), but I did make it to BR twice and I think I survived.

Wil, however, ran home from work twice because he's a superstar!!!

Tomorrow I plan on running at least to the lookout again. If I can walk after today, that is...

In other news, I finally signed Wil up for the Half Fanatics! Not sure if he'll have his shirt before the Tinker Bell Half, but maybe.

more running!

2012-01-03T21:08:00.000-08:00

Wil is awesome. He ran home from work today, through the drizzle, dark, and construction detours. I think he's brave, but he just thinks it's normal.

Meanwhile, when he arrived home, I was struggling to figure out just which model T5 treadmill is in our basement so I could do a bit of troubleshooting. Why wouldn't it turn on? I searched online for the manual, but couldn't find one for my particular LifeFitness treadmill. When Wil came home, triumphant, I was just starting to go through out giant file of manuals (man, we own a lot of stuff...) in the hopes of finding the treadmill manual.

Wil, meanwhile, went downstairs and told me he "fixed" it. Sure enough, he had.... but sticking the magnetic "dead man's brake" back on to the console. Oops. Possibly the funniest thing was that as I kept staring at the console, wondering why it wouldn't start, I kept thinking that I had never noticed the yellow ring around the unmarked button. Which was, of course, the spot where the magnet attaches...

Anyway, Wil got in a good 5.5 miles, and I had a slow but steady 3.39 miles. January's total so far: 7.53 miles. More than January, March, and November, and .01 miles more than April. Now, I'm not saying that 7.53 is a good result, or anything like that, but I feel happy that at least I've gotten two runs in so far!

In other news, I went in for my "10 week fitness challenge" assessment this morning with Dillon at the Fitness Lab. Is there anything more awkward than having a small, fierce, fit woman take your measurements first thing in the morning? I stood there thinking that I bet I'm the chubbiest lady she works with. But at least she said, "Wow, you've got strong legs." So I've got that going for me. Dillon took lots and lots of measurements with a tape measure, scale w/body fat percentage thingy, and (everyone's favorite) -- calipers. And at the end she took a set of "before" pictures. I'm almost afraid to see them. But maybe one day I'll treasure them. Or something.

2012 -- off and running

2012-01-01T21:41:00.000-08:00

Started off the new year right -- got up and (after some winging and waffling on my part...) went out for a run to the lookout. It was cold but sunny, and my chest hurt from the air. But we trotted along, slowly but for the most part surely. Wil essentially had to drag me up the last "big" hill. But a run is a run, right?

4.14 miles -- why, that's more than I ran in December! :)

Of course, then I came home and had a coughing and sneezing fit, which seems to have turned into a full-blown cold. Icky. But I've been drinking lots of water today and I'm hoping that this will pass relatively quickly.

yes, 26.2 miles is a long way, but....

2011-12-14T09:30:00.000-08:00

Saw this article the other day -- can't believe the lengths people will go to to "win" a race. I'd rather come in last than be one of these folks... that said, no one is every going to believe that I won. :)

11 Ways to Cheat While Running a Marathon

oof

2011-11-04T18:03:00.000-07:00

Wow. If any butt-kicking was done at Body Revolution yesterday, it was not by me. I may have kicked some early-morning butt... but Dillon sure kicked mine. I am sore and achy and I have that "it hurts to cough" feeling in my core. Still, awesome...

The other day Athleta sent out this "Finding Your Fitness Mojo" blog post... and I really liked their completely obvious yet also useful tips on staying motivated:

Get rid of the excuses. No one is too old, too tired, too unfit or too busy to start an exercise program. You just have to make it a priority.
Start small. Make your exercise goals achievable and reasonable. You will be more likely to follow through.
Keep it simple. No need to spend $100 month to join a gym or to buy expensive gear. Get out for a walk or short run. Invest in a yoga DVD and do it in your living room.
Have a plan for the week and write it down. Post it in a visible spot like the refrigerator, not in the bottom of your sock drawer.
Make it easy to get out the door. Lay out clothing, set out water bottles, pre-program the coffee maker, whatever it takes.
Pick a goal. Sign up for a 5K race or join a 30-day yoga challenge. Making a solid commitment increases your chances that you will stick to your plan.
Surround yourself with like-minded people. You’ll be more likely to follow your fitness routine if your friends are committed to theirs. If your friends are all couch potatoes, they may influence you to be one too.
Don’t lose your momentum. Stick to your plan. The more days that you have under your belt, the more motivation you will feel to continue.

I still struggle with motivation, now and again. So it's nice to get some timely advice!

Body Revolution at 6am...

2011-11-03T09:01:00.001-07:00

So I skipped body revolution for three weeks in a row. After agonizing over whether I could "afford" it. Actually, whether I could justify it, I guess.

Perhaps it could be argued that by not attending for three weeks, I couldn't justify it. But hope springs eternal, right?

I knew I wouldn't make it on Wednesday night, so I rescheduled my session for this morning... At 6am.

Wow.

That Dillon totally kicked my butt. A couple of times I felt woozy. Not just tired, but borderline close to passing out. But in a good way. I think.

But starting at 6, and ending at 7 is pretty awesome. I could imagine getting in the car and driving straight to Bothell after, and showering at work. Maybe it is a better way for me to get my weekly session on? Especially when I start my "21 day jump start to fitness"...

I hope that I don't completely seize up while sitting in these conference rooms......

Completely awesome treadmill run!

2011-11-02T08:22:00.001-07:00

Was having a lie-in this morning because I am going to the Seattle Interactive Conference today... which means I didn't have to leave the house until 8ish. But then inspiration struck: I could squeeze in a little run!

So I popped out of bed, threw on some running gear, and headed downstairs to the treadmill.

Sometimes I dread running, especially if I have missed a few workouts, but this morning went really, really well. I wasn't particularly fast or anything, but the running felt natural and easy. Really great to feel so relaxed on a run.

The only problem I was was that my treadmill goes into "cool down" mode after 35 minutes of you hit the quick start button. Oops. Once it goes into cool down, you can't add time. So when I needed an extra few minutes for my real cool down, I had to march on place while the program reset.

Still, it was a great little workout, and a good reminder that I am always happier for having worked out!

... Even if I did have to run out of the house with soaking wet hair....

Tomorrow I am going to the SIX a.m Body Revolution class. Wish me luck!

Pumpkin Push 5K Race Report

2011-11-01T20:38:00.000-07:00

I've been to a lot of costume parties. I love dressing up. But somehow I had never managed to run a race in costume. Even with all of those Disney races I've run, I've never dressed as a princess, a pirate, or a pixie.

Until now.

Suz was looking for an October 5K and was considering the Dawg Dash. But what with T-Mobile being a sponsor and all, I convinced her to run one of the Halloween 5Ks instead. But which one to run? The Pumpkin Push? Or Run Scared?

Because Pumpkin Push benefitted healthcare for Seattle's homeless, it was a pretty easy choice. So, the date was set. But what to wear?!?!

A few weeks ago Wil and I stopped in at a Value Village in Lynnwood. I discovered an amazing bull costume. Not one of those 2-person models -- a proper costume in brand new black velveteen. Or velour. Whatever.

A padded velour "muscle" top (with sleeves that ended in "hooves"), black tights with attached tail and "hooves", and a headpiece with horns and ears. All that was missing from the ensemble was the bull nose. But that was a minor consideration. For somewhere around $7.50 with tax, it was mine all mine.

But even when I bought it, I hadn't considered the race. I just thought it was too good a deal to pass up.

Then when Suz and I were emailing about the race, genius struck. The running of the bulls!!!!

All she needed was a white top and trousers, and I would supply the red kerchief and sash. Perfect!

Sure, okay, people thought Suz was a matador.... and one elderly volunteer thought I was a Viking (huh?!?), but the literary minded instantly recognized it. Let's just call it a win, shall we?

Anyway, we picked up our bibs, timing chips, and shirts (dark blue... sigh), eventually found a bag check area, and then milled around a little. I was already warm (thermal tights, a thermal top, and of course a padded, velour top kept me toasty) while Suz was shivering when we stepped out of the sun.

But eventually it was time to line up -- and admire lots of fun costumes. I loved this guy's wolf man costume as well as this woman's Hulk Hogan costume. Awesome!

We lined ourselves up in front of the walkers but at the back of the runners... and then with the wail of a siren, we were off.

We were moving along pretty well when, about half a mile in, Suz got a cramp down the front of her shin. She tried to stretch it or work it out, and ran on it a bit farther, but it was no good. In exchange for her sincere attempts to de-cramp, I did not gore her. :)

So we walked briskly around the loop, then hustled up the hill. It always surprises me how long that hill is! But I think the change of pace -- or perhaps angle? -- helped Suz's leg, and we were able to run for a bit more. Then down the hill, around the last bit of loop, and we could see the finish line.

We had gotten muddled up with people walking the 2-mile loop (no trip up the hill) so we had quite a bit of traffic to weave through... and Suz said she didn't think she had anything in the tank. Even when I threatened to gore her. But we trotted across the finish line (getting a literary shout-out) in just over 52 minutes.

While we were running (and I was bristling at being described as a viking....) we started talking about other things I might be. And I hit on panther ... which inevitably led to Panthro. Thundercats, ho!!!! (So I've got next year's costume sorted, then...)

No more races scheduled for this year... but I can imagine doing either the Jingle Bell Run and/or the 12Ks of Christmas... even if that will almost certainly cause it to snow...

Things I learned today...

2011-10-25T22:01:00.000-07:00

Highbrow, lowbrow -- I learned several things today.

1. St. Crispin is the patron saint of cobblers (and tanners and saddlers, etc.) Now, I'm not a cobbler, but I do work for a shoe manufacturer, so I have decided to feel a kinship. And it's a good excuse to watch Branagh's Henry V and the St. Crispin's Day speech (here mislabeled as "Eve of Saint Crispin's Day". We few, we happy few...

2. It is very, very difficult to run while wearing a bull costume. I'm going to have to do some major modifications of the headpiece. And I nearly suffocated from the nose.

3. It is amazing how quickly one can become ill while running 8-minute miles on a treadmill after two pints of beer, some tater tots, and some hummus. I might have been able to manage the bull costume had I not been fighting the urge to throw up.

Let's just leave it at that, shall we?

Oh, except for the fact that I am now feeling semi obsessed with running a race on St. Crispin's Day sometime... looks like I'll probably have to wait until 2014 for a Saturday, October 25. :)

Wil's back on his feet!

2011-10-23T18:36:00.000-07:00

With the Tinker Bell Half Marathon now just 14 weeks away, and with Wil's foot officially healed (yay!), we decided it was time to start running again. We were just going to run around the neighborhood, but as we walked down 67th I noticed that the gates were open to the school track. I've wanted to run on that track ever since they resurfaced it, but have never been able to. (It always seems to be either locked up or in use.) So Wil suggested we just plod around the track as our first run in months.

Well, you know how uneventful a track run is -- we went round and round and round. Like Nascar, only much slower. We kept to the outside of the track, swapping lanes halfway through.

Wil being Wil, he is of course in better shape than I am despite having not run since June. But it was good to be back out there with my running buddy!

Haller Lake Run

2011-10-15T13:01:00.001-07:00

Had a nice run with Suz in her hood this morning. Of course, I had forgotten that it would be pitch black at 7 when we started... But we set off and ran a loop around the invisible lake. A nice three miles with Suz!!!

Denver Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon Race Report

2011-10-11T22:07:00.000-07:00

After two days on my feet at the expo, I was pretty beat. So I was more than a little worried about the race. But al I could do was get to the start and try to get to the finish. My goal for this event? To finish. And as a stretch goal, to finish under 3 hours. Not normally much of a stretch, but since I was liming on my way to the start, I figured I would just see what happened.

My hotel was about a 5-minute walk from the starting area, but I decided to get over there a half hour early to say hi and goodbye to Tara and the Gurus. Tara was very sweet and thrilled to hear that I (and Wil) would love to go to another event some time, if possible. She also gave me a VIP area wristband – sweet.

The sun had just started to come up when the race got underway. Rather than fight my way back to the corral, I just stood out of the way toward the front and stepped in when my corral (lucky 13) came forward. Clever clever me.

It was really really cold – 40 degrees – but the sun was up and the sky was brilliant blue. I had layered – jog bra, tank top, arm warmers, a long-sleeve thermal top, and my running vest. I also had a “disposable” top and sweats, which I took off when I entered the corrals. I had fretted about the vest – but in the end I was cold throughout the race, so I’m glad that I had it for the windbreaking warmth.

Suddenly, we were off. Wil advised me to go out at 3:1s – because that had been so successful in Seattle. But it was really hard going from the very beginning. I found myself gasping for breath (I often have a hard time breathing in Seattle cold), and I started a dry, hacking cough. I also had a bunch of different pains – or perhaps just one pain moving up and down my left leg. First my hip, then my knee, then my foot, then a really sharp pain where my bone bruise is. But I plodded along.

The course was pretty – we passed the stadiums, ran through old neighborhoods, and then entered a park… where we spent mile after mile winding around. It was a little odd – at one point, I could see groups of people running to the left, to the right, and to the left. It’s somewhat dispiriting to realize that you’ll be running back and forth. But it was a very nice park.

At mile 7 I felt pretty awful, and sent Wil a text message from a porta potty. “Only at mile 7. Grim. :(“ But I just kept going… slowly…

Finally we left that park, and ran towards another park at mile 10. Just before the entrance, we arrived at the Dude, straddling the course. He always makes me happy – and I was happy to be only a 5K away from the finish.

Still, by this point I was essentially limping and shuffling along – but I knew that I would finish (unless something really awful happened) , and that, so long as I didn’t dawdle, I would finish under 3 hours. Trust me, this was an accomplishment today.

At the full / half split, I saw a couple of marathoners – and couldn’t help thinking how happy I was to only have 2 miles left – not 15. Wow.

The last mile or so we passed the original Wax Trax record store (lovely), somewhat near Molly Brown’s house (apparently), and – wait for it – the ORIGINAL Quizno’s. Who said the course wasn’t scenic?!?

Turned right and was running straight toward the golden dome of the Capitol building – hooray! A volunteer said “You’re point two of a mile from the finish, and it’s all downhill! Honest!!!”

Not that I believed her… until we made a left turn and I could see the finish. So even though I really didn’t have anything in the tank, I ran as fast and as hard as I could to the finish. Not pretty – just pretty grim. 2:56:11. And possibly the most difficult half I have ever completed.

I went through the finish area – nicely organized distribution (not that there were a lot of people there!!!!), a pretty medal, and then I was out. I headed over to the VIP area, where I had been promised a mimosa. The very nice lady behind the bar poured me a glass of champagne with a splash of orange juice (“You earned it!!!”), and I helped myself to a belated breakfast.

A little while later they announced the winners, and then announced the band. I wasn’t really listening, so I assumed it was just an opening band. But they sounded okay, so I wandered up to the terrace to watch. Imagine my surprise when they launched in to “I Can’t Get Enough of You Baby” – at which point, I turned to the guy next to me and said, “Umm, is that actually Smashmouth?” Apparently, yes.

Two mimosas and 30 minutes of Smashmouth later, I was ready to head back to the hotel. I stopped at the Give Your Soul tent and exchanged my slightly tired Trance 10s for a pair of Brooks Run Happy flip-flops – and the nice people in the tent were thrilled. I hobbled back to the hotel (not the most comfy or supportive of footwear…), where I got cleaned up, packed, and even had a short nap before checking out.

The race – and the trip in general – was really hard going… but it was a great first experience! And I am already scheming to see what race(s) I can go to next year.

Denver Rock 'n' Roll Expo

2011-10-08T18:39:00.000-07:00

Oof. I'd like to go on record by saying that I have NEVER thought that working a race expo was easy. The set up was actually the easy part -- we were moving around, hustling. But while the race expo was open, we were just standing on concrete floors... and (this is the very hard part).... being NICE to people. My feet and lower back are killing me!

Expo was cool -- interesting to see the "backstage" areas and how things were organized. I chatted with some of the other vendors, especially with a very nice man from Run Disney. He was glad to hear that we had gotten in to the Tinker Bell Half before it sold out -- me too. It's amazing how quickly the Disneyland races sell out.

I never felt that the expo got super busy, or super crowded. We heard that this race had about 15,000 registrants, and 80% of them are local. Not sure how many people picked up their packets -- apparently the weather was really bad just 40 miles south of here, so some people may have just decided to def it rather than fight through snow.

I think I would have preferred it busier, so as to make time go by faster... but time passed just fine. I liked that the expo / event crew were all cool, nice people -- and it was fun to spend some time with the gurus. And most of the customers were nice. That said, I spent a lot of the day with a banging headache, feeling a little sad, and missing Wil and the kitties.

But it's 7:24 and I'm already back in the room, having some dinner (pesto noodles, a tomato and cucumber salad) and getting ready to have a bath. Just checked the weather report for tomorrow -- it's supposed to be "much warmer" than today -- which is good, because it was really, really cold today! Still, I'll be in capris and long sleeves... and perhaps even arm warmers.

Tomorrow is going to be tough... but I decided to pamper myself a bit and book "stretch" seating on the plane ride home. It also means I'll be off the plane quickly (not in the 3rd from last row...) and first on. Yay me!

Mile High

2011-10-06T17:50:00.000-07:00

Headed for Denver for RnR -- with a mixture of nerves and excitement. Nervous because I'm travelling with people I don't know well, but work with. Nervous because I don't feel very speedy -- or even fit, for that matter -- and I'm running on Sunday. Excited because you know how I love a race expo -- and I'll be there for DAYS. Also because I'll be running in a new city, new state, which I love.

Today is set-up day, which I've done before. Basically we get there and start unpacking boxes -- separating clothes from shoes, MC product, and cavalcade prizes. Then we'll go through and put everything in size order and then merchandise them on the racks, adding signs and things to make them look pretty. This will take all day. I really enjoy this -- it gives me a chance to see all of the apparel in person... and to do a little browsing!

Friday and Saturday I'll be working the Cavalcade -- either handing out the cards, supervising a game, or doling out prizes. Friday night there's a "VIP Party" (ha ha) with Competitor -- we'll see how long I last. :)

Saturday the expo closes at 5, and then it's all hands on deck while we break down the booth. Apparently it's much faster to break down than set up. Very cool.

Then back to the hotel for an early night -- Sunday morning our call tie is 4:40 am. WOW. That will get us over to the start area in time to set up the VIP Porta Potty and start serving customers.

Then at 6:55 am, the race starts! I'm in corral #13 -- Lucky 13 -- out of 16. (17?) Puts me safely in the bottom third of the pack, where I expect (hope?) to finish.

Then what? Who knows. My flight isn't until 6:15, which means I might be able to catch part of the game on TV. :) Of course I also don't know if I"ll be needed after the race -- or if I'll be able to shower and change!

I < 3 GOOD!!!

2011-09-30T22:26:00.000-07:00

I have known for a long time that I lead a charmed existence. I decide that I would like to find a 30-day challenge for October, but struggled to find the right one. The good people at GOOD have solved my problem.

The October 30 Day Challenge from GOOD is .... GET HEALTHY!!!

Bless. I pledge to follow their lead for the next 30 days. And run 2 half marathons. :)

In completely random news... Wil and I are spending the weekend on the Olympic Peninsula... and just had a great chat with "Chris" and "Ally" next to the fire here at Lake Quinault about running. Yay for random meetings!

30 day challenges...

2011-09-29T22:37:00.000-07:00

The other day I got an email from Athleta with a "30 days of new challenge", which I thought was intriguing... even if a number of the items were "mommy" related and therefore not relevant. I also laughed that it came on the 23rd of the month (rather than around the first), and in the month before a 31-day month. But whatever.

I wanted to look at it again, so I searched for "30 days challenge" and was astounded by the number of hits. Apparently a lot of people do 30-day challenges. Some take the angle of "try something new every day for thirty days", while others try to develop a habit by doing something for thirty days straight.

I do like the idea of trying something new every day -- or, if not new, something different (if you know what I mean). I also like the idea of following someone else's list -- I mean, if it's just my "to do" list, it's less... serendipitous...

While searching for more guidance, I came across September's GOOD 30-Day Challenge -- late at night on the 29th of the month. Boo.

I'm a Capricorn -- I like order. Of course I have to start on the 1st. No, really. I do.

Three Things Thursday - Squats, Lunges, and Crunches

2011-09-28T20:24:00.000-07:00

Just home after another Body Revolution session with Dillon at Soma Training -- and again I feel totally happy. Sore, tired, but HAPPY. There were 6 of us tonight, and Dillon set up 7 stations: a kettleball lunge and lift, pull-ups, a "goblet squat", crunches with a medicine ball, running a ladder, forward/backward lunges, and triceps pulls. We warmed up outside (it's really hard to do backward lunges up a hill!) and then went in for the three circuits. Hard, but I was able to do most of the exercises.

Again, Dillon is great -- she walks around the gym, correcting form as needed, cheering us on, telling us when we're working hard / looking good / finishing strong / etc. Again, really nice.

I expect to have very sore abs in the morning. :)

I decided to sign up for one session a week -- seems like a good start -- and then I'll do the 21-day jumpstart starting on November 1. Anyone up for it?

Soma Deal on "Green Lake Moms"

2011-09-28T06:36:00.001-07:00

Well, that's amusing... anyone want to join me for a 21-day series at Soma Training?

http://greenlake.dealmoms.com/deal/soma-training-3/

I Tried It Tuesday: Body Revolution

2011-09-27T22:38:00.000-07:00

Several weeks ago I purchased an "Ideal" -- a group deal that actually gives back to the community -- for 2 weeks of Body Revolution classes at Soma Training in Seattle. I went to a class last week with a substitute trainer -- a real butt-kicking workout, but given that I limped in (as I had walked a brisk half marathon the day before) I don't think I really was able to review it for real.

So -- I went back last night and... it was amazing. I should have written this blog post last night because I came home all glowing and endorphin rushy. I felt like I had been through the wringer, but was really blissed out afterwards.

We started by warming up on the various cardio machines, and then all did a group warm-up. Some kicks, some running in place, some lunges, some push-ups, etc. Then Dillon (the owner / instructor) quickly set up some stations and explained what we'll be doing.

Last night the stations were: push-ups, side lunges with kettlebells, a wood-chop/circular motion with medicine balls, squats / throwing medicine ball agains the wall, sort of hanging chinups, stepping up onto a high bench, and jumping jack squats. Each interval lasts a minute, I think, with 15 seconds of recovery between intervals where you move from one station to the next. During the interval you do the exercise as much as you can. Because it was my first time with her, Dillon had me do some of the exercises without weights -- so that she could check my form. I still feel like I got a killer workout!

We did a full circuit, then took a break for water and air, and then started again. It was all very high energy. I noticed that the women didn't talk to each other much, and Dillon did some talking, but mainly kept time, checked people's form and corrected it as necessary, and kept people moving and motivated. I liked the way she worked with all of us -- urging us to keep going ("I didn't say to stop!" "A little higher, ladies") and gently correcting and praising.

At the end of our third circuit we did some stretching and cooling down. I had to leave the studio to get a little fresh air -- I had that vaguely queasy feeling I sometimes get after working out really hard -- which, to me, is the mark of a fine, fine workout. But, no, I didn't lose it. :)

At the very end we were stretching our hamstrings -- mine are notoriously tight -- and she came up behind me, put her hand on the small of my back, and said "A little lower" with a gentle push. And I did. It wasn't comfortable, but I did get a deeper stretch. I read back over this paragraph and it looks silly -- but it was somehow ... compelling?

I'm going back on Wednesday, but then I need to make a decision. Do I continue? I mean, it feels like a lot of money. $90/month for 1 class/week. $180/month for 2. I mean, I wouldn't pay $840 for a year's gym membership (let alone $1680...). Which is silly, because there are plenty of things I spend that kind of money on. But I really enjoyed the class, the energy, and the workout.

Go on, someone. Tell me to just pony up and do it. :)

nervous

2011-09-26T18:24:00.001-07:00

Waiting for my Body Revolution class to start, and feeling really anxious. At least those week I'm not limping at the BEGINNING of class....

Chips and Salsa Half Marathon Race Report

2011-09-20T21:50:00.000-07:00

When Southwest Airlines had a sale a few months back, I started looking for a race in or near Albuquerque so we could take a little trip down to enjoy two of our favorite things -- running and designer toys. The Chips & Salsa Half Marathon fit the bill perfectly. What's more, I actually managed to snag the $59 each way flights to ABQ -- and got a great advanced purchase on a very nice hotel near the Old Town -- so all the stars clearly aligned.

Except one -- Wil's poorly foot. See, I booked this trip a couple of weeks before the burn. And of course Wil hasn't been allowed to walk very much, let alone run. But the tickets were purchased, the hotel was booked, and the race had been registered for -- so we thought we might as well go for it.

To cut to the chase -- we're really glad we did. We had a great weekend and a fantastic time in Albuquerque. The city is beautiful, the sky feels enormous, the food is fantastic, and the people, well, they're cool too.

Packet pickup on the day before the race was a breeze -- very friendly volunteers, well organized. The rest of Saturday was spent doing touristy things -- so I will write about it on our travel blog. We attempted to get an early night, but didn't succeed.... and things weren't helped by having the hotel fire alarm go off at 5:10 am.

But we got up, got dressed, and made our way to the Southwest Indian Polytechnic Institute for the start of the race. We parked in the neighboring gym parking lot -- there was a line of cars waiting to get into the main lot -- and walked the 100 yards. No problem. We picked up our chips and then went to find the starting line.

Eventually we joined the people waiting near this very handsome inflatable arch. As with everything in this race, the quality felt like a cut above average -- especially for a smallish event.

Right around 7am, someone (Stephen?) from IRunFit came hustling over, megaphone in hand. He started by telling us that we were all on the wrong side of the arch, which made everyone laugh. So we dutifully walked around to the other side.

Then he started talking about the course -- turn left, turn right, follow the cones, etc. Wil and I both got very nervous that we would get lost. After all, we don't know Albuquerque, and we expected to be at the back of the pack the entire race. But we needn't have worried -- the course was really well signed and coned throughout. Excellent work, IRunFit!

Some more chatter, and then, with a blast on an airhorn, we were off! First we made some loops around the neighborhood, chatting for a while with a woman who was doing 5 minutes of warm-up walking before setting off to run-walk the race. She's running Portland in a few weeks and didn't want to overdo it in this race. She is a cross-country coach in northern New Mexico and told us that they had had so much rain they had had to cancel practice and meets -- flooding AND lightning strikes. So Saturday's thunderstorm wasn't so atypical, I guess!

A little while later we crossed a long bridge over the Rio Grande. Other than a glimpse while crossing the border at Tijuana when I was a teenager, I've never seen the Rio Grande. It looked thick and muddy and red in the morning sun.

The bridge was a lot longer than the river was wide, but I wondered if it floods in the spring or fall, and in late September is pretty dried out.

Once across the Rio Grande, we turned off into a neighborhood full of big houses, all with gates and fences, and barking dogs. We wondered if they belonged to drug barons, what with all the bars on the windows.

Then we turned and ran along a wide boulevard -- one lane had been blocked off from traffic, but there weren't many cars at that time of the morning. What we did see, however, rising in the distance, were hot air balloons.

Another well-marked turn meant that we knew we were on the course, but had no idea where. We did know that we were ahead of pace -- I LOVE pace bands -- and going strong. More twists and turns, all with ubiquitous cones leading us along. Simple, nice. Oh, also -- LOTS of water stops. It seemed like there was one almost every mile. We had worried that there wouldn't be enough water, or that we would be too late on the course to get water, but there were loads of stops, well stocked, and with friendly volunteers.

We crossed a freeway (which I have just discovered was the same freeway we followed across the Rio Grande...) and kept moving. Eventually we came to some wineries, one of which was hosting a fancy car show. We saw a guy driving a silver convertible Porsche around; he looped past us twice and waved.

As we approached the first winery, we saw another walker ahead of us.... and started to reel her in. She seemed to be okay, so we exchanged friendly hellos, and moved past her. Another mile later we saw two people -- and we reeled them in too. I should point out that we didn't really see anyone else on the course -- other than a couple we occasionally glimpsed behind us, and a woman we saw at the very beginning.

Our experiences on the Alaska Marathon Cruise really made us aware of others on the course. (Or maybe it was our experiences on the Carros de Foc, waiting for the hikers to come in off the mountain each night?!?!) But I feel very protective of people at the back of the pack, and want to make sure that they don't get forgotten, or lost. So I tried to keep track of the others as we went along.

Another nice thing -- at one point, a truck passed us on the course, and they were clearly from IRunFit. They didn't stop or check in with us (we were doing fine), but I was happy to see that someone was driving the far-flung course keeping tabs on the participants.

Then, suddenly, we came to a freeway overpass manned by police -- and I realized where we were... almost to the bridge over the river! Fantastic! So we turned, collected some water at the final stop, and headed back to the SIPI and the finish.

We crossed the Rio Grande again -- and in the bright sun it looked like the river in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Except no Augustus Gloop being sucked up the tube.

Then a few final turns... where Wil spotted two guys ahead of us we hadn't ever seen. We toyed with the idea of breaking into a run to pass them, but that made both of us feel a little dirty. Besides, when they caught a glimpse of us gaining on them (walking...), the started to painfully jog.

As we rounded the last curve toward the finish line, the few people there started cheering and clapping -- nice. We smiled and gave parade waves and crossed the line in 3:11:40.

okay, okay, this picture is long after we finished -- but I wanted to show off the nice finishing arch!

First, we picked up our medals -- sure, they're catalog medals, but we liked the star shape and the custom year badging. And then we got the best post-race food we've ever had...

chips and salsa (of course!)... and

breakfast burritos!!!!!

Since we were so far to the back of the pack, we wanted to make sure and watch the final finishers come in. Every time we spotted someone coming around the last bend, we all stood up and whooped. Finally, everyone was in except the last woman. One volunteer was holding a medal -- the last medal -- but they started breaking some of the things down. (The 5K clock, the 10K clock, some of the extra matting.) I got a little worried. We walked over to the portapotties (which are DIFFERENT to ours -- they look like something you'd see on Tattooine, all white and trapezoidal...) and saw her running down the last hundred yards or so.

We made our way back to the finishing area -- where, sadly, they had just taken down the arch -- and everyone started cheering. I especially liked that the high school kids made a corridor and cheered for her. And of course it made me weepy.

It's funny, I spent a little while at toward the end of the race mentally composing a "DLF" blog post. And I can't pretend that I'm glad I didn't come in DLF. But I've also realized that it would be okay -- WILL be okay -- if and when I get my first DLF.

All in all, a great event. Nice course, friendly staff and volunteers, and a good looking medal. And, two days later, I have a renewed respect for people who walk long distances. I think it's harder than running them!

course map

course elevation

Mile High Half Marathon!

2011-09-14T12:45:00.000-07:00

Woo-hoo!

I'm working the expo at the Run Happy Cavalcade of Curiosities -- and in return I get to run the race. I'm both excited (another state!) and nervous (umm, no Wil? altitude?) but happy to have the opportunity.

teeny tiny Tuesday treadmill trot

2011-09-13T21:10:00.000-07:00

Came home and essentially willed myself to suit up. Couldn't will myself to leave the house again, however. So I headed down to the basement for a little run.

Warmed up just fine, and then midway through my first interval I had a bit of pain in the front of my left shin. Hmmm. I ran through it, and then didn't really feel any pain in the second interval. Still, I was feeling a little bored and a little antsy so I cut the run short.

Sure, I probably should have worked through it so I could write about how I overcame adversity (ha!) or got the job done regardless. But I didn't.

Sometimes it's about making the right decision for the day. Besides, I'm in my race taper for Sunday's half marathon...

Iron Girl 5K Race Report

2011-09-11T21:52:00.000-07:00

Suz picked me up at 7 so we could make our way to Green Lake for the Iron Girl 5K. We parked near the Bathhouse so we had a nice 1-mile warmup walk, then milled about for a while in the "expo". A bit of people watching, a bit of browsing, and then we lined up in the corrals.

"I'm so proud of you, total stranger!"

As usual, we lined up in the correct spot... and as usual, a lot of people did not. So when we started, we had to work our way through a LOT of traffic. Women walking with toddlers. Really? You think you're gonna run a 10-minute mile? REALLY?

But we took it easy and just slowly worked our way through the crowd for the first mile. It was a warm, humid morning, and a little strange that so much of the run was on the outside loop. But around we went, cutting in by the golf course in time for the water stop by the aqua theater.

Suz kept us moving at a steady pace, while I just kept chattering away. We passed mile 2, then 2.5, and then we could start to hear the finish line announcer. I warned Suz that the finish area might be weird -- we might need to do some weird little loop -- and she said the thought that was the case. (I always think of the finish at Chelanman, with "just a loop around the parking lot" before the actual finish....)

who doesn't love a personalized bib?

But we got to the finish area and realized that it was just a straight shot to the line... and Suz took off. I mean, TOOK OFF. So we sprinted towards the line, while I kept saying "Nothing in the tank! Go go go!" Suz told me that she was concentrating on neither tripping nor throwing up. :)

We collected our medals, took a nice post-race photo, got our food bags, did a little stretching, and then headed home. All in all a nice 5K -- and a great job by Suz running a PR!

and a good-looking medal to boot!

sooo... about Sunday night...

2011-09-06T22:24:00.000-07:00

Wil and I spent Sunday at Bumbershoot -- and then came home and sat in the garden to watch a movie. We sat until long after dark, then decided it was time to pack up and go inside. I was carrying a glass and an empty water bottle when I walked at full speed into the edge of one of our gorgeous Adirondack footstools. It stopped me completely in my tracks.

The neighbors were also outside, which is the only thing that kept me from shrieking several Olde Englishe words. I did, however, whisper them VERY LOUDLY as I struggled to stay upright. Wil asked what was wrong, and I said, "I think I just broke my effing leg."

Given that it was pitch black and he couldn't see where I was, let alone what position I was in, he asked me to repeat myself.

I said, "I just smacked in to the footstool -- I think I broke my leg."

Some more whispered cursing followed, and then I went inside. I had started to feel woozy -- so Wil told me to go sit at the foot of the stairs.... a wise move, given our concrete-floored basement and all the spiky things in the basement (bikes, tools, racks of plates...).

Within a few moments, apparently, I fainted. I remember feeling as if I was spinning -- and I could hear Wil but couldn't move my arms to grab him. Finally he was right there, next to me, and I had stopped. I kept trying to tell him that I couldn't stop the spinning, and he just kept asking my name. I kept saying, "But I was spinning -- and I couldn't stop it" and he kept saying "TELL ME YOUR NAME!!!". Finally I stopped and said, "It's Sunny. Sunny Delaney."

I sat there a few more minutes and started to ask what happened... but when I thought about it, I felt woozy again. Wil finished bringing everything inside and helped me up the stairs and into bed. I sat there for a while -- Wil making me eat something with salt and sugar in it -- some energy bar we had picked up at Bumbershoot earlier in the day.

I felt a lot better, but didn't move my leg -- and Wil had covered it up with a sheet so I wouldn't look at it and feel woozy again. Then, suddenly, I was rather spectacularly sick. Sure, Wil had been prepared with that, too, so I had a sturdy hole-less bag at the ready. But wow. Sick and sick and sick and sick. Wil reported afterward (since he valiantly removed said bag and took it outside) that it was "Heavy. And quite... solid feeling."

Ew.

And then I was fine. Oh, and I ate a piece of toast with jam and peanut butter -- more sugar and salt. Wil is a very good doctor. :)

Woke up Monday morning with a huge bruise on my left shin, a bit of swelling, but clearly no break. Just a good, solid bone bruise. Good times.

It's almost funny -- if I had had a glass or two of wine, I wouldn't have been moving so quickly across the darkened garden and wouldn't have smacked my leg so hard. (At least, that's my theory....) It has also reminded me that I should be getting more calcium in my brittle old bones.

I haven't run on the leg yet -- might try a little loop around the block tomorrow -- but I'm sure I'll be fine and hopefully able to keep up with Suz at the Iron Girl 5K this weekend!

Green Lake Run with Suz, week 2

2011-09-04T12:15:00.000-07:00

Had another great run with Suz around Green Lake - and another gorgeous day!

Heavy Medal

2011-09-02T18:05:00.000-07:00

Pleasant surprise in the post today: my "Rock Encore" medal for running two Rock 'n' Roll races. Always nice to get a bit of bling...

I feel that bonus medals make up for halfs that haven't had medals -- so I am especially happy to get these!

Green Lake Run with Suz

2011-08-28T21:49:00.000-07:00

Belatedly reporting that I had a great run with Suz on Saturday -- bright and early, with a gorgeous morning and a relatively quiet lake. Can't wait to do it again!

running crafts - race bib keeper

2011-08-19T20:52:00.000-07:00

I'm crafty. I've been crafty way longer than I've been a runner. But it took me a while to figure out that it would be cool to combine these two things I love, at least a little.

Everyone who runs events knows that you get a lot of stuff at them -- bibs, shirts you'll never wear, the occasional awesome medal. And as something of a packrat, of course I hold on to most of the stuff.

Bibs were especially challenging for me -- I had gotten into the habit of jotting down notes on the back of each one after the race -- the date of the race, my time, how I had placed overall, among the women, and in my age group. But then what?

I had seen this advertised in the back of a running magazine (yeah, I read those too):

But then I saw that it was $40. FORTY BUCKS?!? I knew I could make something just as nice -- perhaps nicer -- for much, much less. In fact, I could make it from stuff I have around the house. The only thing I was missing was the "notebook ring" thingy.

I started by gathering up my race bibs. I picked out the largest ones -- the Rock 'n' Roll series bibs are HUGE -- and measured them. Then I cut two pieces of chipboard just slightly larger. I then decorated the front, the inside front, and the inside back with running-themed paper. And I added my name and a running slogan (also a running joke....) on the front.

Now you may be asking yourself -- Sunny, why do you have such things in your house?

Deep breath.

Because I am a scrapbooker. I resisted it for years -- I remember, oh, a decade or so ago, Suz telling me she had been to a scrapbook party. I had no idea what she meant. I mean, sure, I made scrapbooks when I was a kid -- either gluing newspaper clippings and pictures onto construction paper, or sticking them under the plastic in those "magnetic albums". (Remember those?) But the fact that an entire industry had grown up that I had never heard of -- despite being crafty -- well, that was astonishing.

I made my first scrapbook for a girlfriend's wedding back in 2003. And then didn't make another one for a couple of years. Maybe I just needed something -- or someone -- to scrapbook about. :)

Anyway, I also started a running scrapbook. Now, I'm not fancy schmancy with the embellishments or anything. But I like to keep track of the races I've run -- and when I'm feeling uninspired or a little down, I like to look back over the pages. It brings me great joy.

So, of course, I have running-themed paper in the house. So that's how I could decorate my bib holder. And, well, here it is:

When I finished my first half marathon, as I crossed the finish line, the nice volunteer gave me my medal and said, "You are so strong, and so brave." I just keep thinking how awful I must have looked, how near to death, for someone to say that! It's one of my two favorite race moments.

Yeah, those letters are glittery. Black glitter, of course.

On the inside front cover, I added my race PRs. Now you can all see just how slowly I run!

When I was done, I put the bibs in reverse chronological order and put them in the binder. You'll see that I only used one ring -- the holes in my bibs are set at a pretty wide range of spaces, so I have just aligned them by the top left hole. Besides, I had to BUY that ring, and it set me back 49 cents. So I was happy to keep my costs under a dollar (after tax).

Let me tell you -- this is one of the most simply satisfying craft moments of my life. Yeah, okay, I'm a dork. But it's still fun to flip through the bibs. I'm sad that I lost my "Resolution Run" bib from 2008, but every other race bib I've ever worn is in here.

Two things made me think of my bib holder this week. 1: a friend pointed out the store-bought Bibfolio on Pinterest (also noting that it seemed a bit spendy...) and 2: while getting some staples in the office supply room at work, I found a 3" diameter notebook ring. Do you know how many bibs I could collect on that? The mind boggles...

Anyone have a better name for this? Or other running craft ideas? I'd love to hear them!

not the average day at the office

2011-08-18T21:47:00.000-07:00

Today I got to play art director for the day on a little photo shoot. We dressed up two of my colleagues in a variety of fine running apparel and put them through their paces. We needed to get some "better than stock" images of people walking, running, and sprinting for our new shoe advisor. Doug and Diana were fantastic -- and I enjoyed a slightly more creative than usual day.

National Thrift Store Day

2011-08-17T20:15:00.001-07:00

It seems that today is National Thrift Store Day... which prompted an evening visit to our local Goodwill. I was hoping to find something amusing or inspirational... and I clearly found both.

The Elvis sunglasses are inherently amusing. Were they ever cool or in good taste? Hell no. Then again, neither were the jumpsuits... Still,they remind me of our trip to Graceland, when we decided we should never be apart.

As far as inspiration goes, I have been daydreaming about running a race dressed as Elvis one day. Finding these felt like a nudge from the thrift store gods. Okay, so, my ideal Elvis is the 68 Comeback Special Elvis,who wouldn't have worn these glasses. But for 99 cents, they were irresistible.

Strike a Pose

2011-08-17T19:03:00.000-07:00

So I read a lot about running. Part of it is for my job, but let's be honest: I was already a dork who read more than she ran before I worked at B.

Today, on two different sites, I saw the term "Pose Running". I swear I have never heard of it before. (Have you?) Apparently, it's based on Dr. Nicholas Romanov's "Pose Method" -- "Efficient, injury-free movement taught through poses. Use the Pose Method techniques to prevent injuries and to dramatically improve your athletic performance."

The "PoseTech" site is pretty interesting, and I admit I've only skimmed it, but it seems like one of those perfect runner's lures. First, it's been around for a while -- since 1977. Second, it doesn't require special equipment, just some coaching. Third, it is described as a way to combat fear: "Imagine training and racing without fear... no fear of not knowing what you're doing, no fear of injuries, no fear of not beeing good at your sport, no fear of overtraining... "

I think it looks a little like Chi Running... but I'm sure an expert would tell me that I'm nuts. :)

a little run...

2011-08-10T18:03:00.000-07:00

Belatedly reporting that I went for a run on Monday. No, wait, that's not quite true -- I ran on the treadmill. 3.4 miles, nice and simple, on a "rolling" course in 5:1 splits. Yeah, I know it isn't interesting.

Great Alaskan Marathon Cruise Race Report

2011-08-06T22:15:00.000-07:00

What an amazing week we had! It was a glorious trip -- great people, fun times. And, of course, a big, honkin' Penguin medal!!! We're already thinking about when we can go to the Carribbean... 2013, perhaps?

I would wholeheartedly recommend this trip to anyone who likes to run or walk. John and Jenny are fantastic, the race stages are fun, but the best part was the fellowship of runners. Meeting complete strangers who "get it" -- for whom it is perfectly normal to fly somewhere to run for a couple of hours, who know the importance of a nice medal, and who understand that it's wrong to wear a shirt for a race you haven't run.

As usual, I've written too much... and the race reports are mixed in with the vacation reports. But here are links to the different days:

Day 1 we sailed from Seattle and met the group

Day 2 we ran stage 1 - a very wet 3-mile deck run

Day 3 we ran stage 2 - a 10-mile trail run in Juneau -- and we went whale watching

Day 4 we visited the Hubbard Glacier

Day 5 we ran stage 3 - a 10K "amazing race" in Sitka

Day 6 we ran stage 4 - a 7-mile trail run in Ketchikan

Day 7 we celebrated our successes

Thanks to John and Jenny for putting this together, to Mila for making things run smoothly, and all of our fellow alumni for such an amazing adventure. Run happy, everyone!

Great Alaskan Marathon Cruise, Day 7

2011-07-29T23:28:00.000-07:00

A bunch of us had signed up for "On Deck for the Cure" -- a non-competitive 5K walk on deck. For $15 you got a shirt, a wristband, and made a donation to Komen. Win win win. So we all met at the appointed time with a bunch of other folk.. and starting doing our laps. We quickly realized that most people weren't doing all nine laps. :) But Javi and Wil and I strolled around together, chatting with others. And when I say strolled, perhaps I mean sprinted:

Yes, that's right -- 26.21 miles in 55:16. (Hooray for capturing a "Garmin at Sea"!)

That afternoon was the final reception and award ceremony. After some chatter (and a bit of drinking...), we all received our medals to much whooping and hollering. Then John and Jenny gave out the awards.

The overall awards (for closest to their predicted times) went to Page and Roy (or was it Bill? sorry!) We were sitting next to Becky (Roy's wife) when he was announced, and she said, "I don't think he knew that!" Nice!

Then the four "special" awards. First came Inspiration, which went to Merle. With 104 (109?) marathons under her belt, her years of coaching, and the fact that she really was a pioneer for women's running. She received an enthusiastic standing ovation.

Next came Perspiration, when went to Stella. Always energetic, right down to running several extra miles in Ketchikan.

Then Dedication, which went to.... WIL! John praised Wil for sticking with it, doing more and more each day despite his burned foot. People laughed and cheered. Mike leapt to his feet and led a standing ovation. Lovely.

photo by Jenny Hadfield

The final award was for Celebration, which for the first time was awarded to two people: Mike and Corinne, in honor of their engagement at the top of the Perseverance Trail in Juneau.

Then we all settled in to watch a slideshow Jenny put together -- so many fantastic photos from our week! We laughed and we cheered and we grinned. Marvellous.

All too soon we had to go. We had been asked to go into dinner early so everyone had to hustle. I felt sorry not to be able to say goodbye to more people, but we traipsed off to dinner.

We tried unsuccessfully to join John and Jenny for dinner (which we unfortunately never managed!), but there was no room at their table. Instead we got to sit with some folks he hadn't yet met, so it was still a successful evening.

We had decided not to get off the boat in Victoria (we prefer to cross as few borders as possible), so after dinner we went to our cabin to pack. Then we spent the lovely, sunshiny evening wandering around, drinking wine with Bill and Char and then cocktails with the "singlets" in the Crow's Nest. Eventually a group returned from the Victoria pub crawl, and we sat with them, too. All in all, it felt like we spent a little time with a lot of people we liked.

We got back to the cabin after midnight, packed a few last things, and then put the bags in the hallway before 1 am.

Great Alaskan Marathon Cruise, Day 6

2011-07-28T21:16:00.000-07:00

This race had a very early start! We only had 6 hours in port, so we met at 6:15 for our briefing, dressed and ready to race. We docked at 7, and we were the first people down the gangplank. Not so much competition at 7:15 am, I'll tell you...

It was raining (of course), and we stood and waited for the bus.

And waited. Until a woman came running up and said, "Are you the runners? Follow me!" Turns out that the dispatcher wouldn't let our buses get on the dock, and the drivers couldn't get any closer.

But then we were on the buses and headed out to the Tongass National Forest for the final stage of the race.

This leg was organized by the Ketchikan Running and Walking Club -- which has a great logo! We were to run 7 miles in a sort of figure 8 pattern. There was a quick course description, including info on the marking (flour arrows and xs), and then we pretty much lined up to go. I lined up momentarily in front of BJ, saying, "Let me have this for just a second..." and he laughed.

I tucked a copy of the map in my pocket and we were off. Wil had been feeling better and better, so we decided to walk it goether. I had something like 1:45 left on my overall predictor time, which is what Wil predicted as our stage time. I predicted 1:50 -- just to give myself something different to aim for.

We went a hundred yards or so down a road before turning off onto a trail -- which was really well marked, by the way. Wil kept us moving at a good clip, and we actually passed a few people.

Eventually we emerged from the woods and onto a road -- a steep hill -- and laughed that this wasn't exactly the "rolling" course we had been promised.

Back into the woods (where we caught up with Don and Joyce all of a sudden) and some more rolling hills. By this point, Annette was close behind us. In a relatively open stretch of the trail, as we walked under some power lines, we came across a big pile of what could only be bear poo. A big steaming pile of bear poo.

photo by Jenny Hadfield

Annette told us later that spotting the bear poo was enough to make her quicken her pace and catch up with us, and the three of us continued on. We passed the little water stop, through the tunnel under the road, and then back to the original trail, where we turned back and headed back toward the start.

Back on the road for a bit, then we turned off to make the loop of Ward Lake, which was exceptionally pretty. We could hear loons calling and we really enjoyed traipsing along the (now, honestly, rolling) path. We saw Jenny, who snapped a photo of us:

photo by Jenny Hadfield

We told her that there were three people behind us, and then moved on around the lake.

After the lake there was a little loop through a campground (with a handful of rain-soaked campers), and then a tiny out-and-back spur (to get the 7 miles in). We saw a few people headed back, telling us that the turnaround was just across the bridge. (Who knew that we were so close to anyone!?!)

At some point Wil worked out that we were pretty close to hitting his predicted time of 1:45, but he thought he needed to hustle. He started walking really quickly -- so quickly that Annette and I couldn't keep up by walking. We had to trot and catch up when we fell behind.

We saw the three behind us, telling them how close they were to the turnaround, and then headed in. Wil saw, to his horror, that he had mistimed it and walked TOO quickly! He started to walk in slow motion for the last few yards. Everyone laughed, but I pushed him over the finish line.

photo by Jenny Hadfield

We headed to the shelter to dry off, get warm, and buy some cool KRC gear, and then started to hear the day's stories.

Stella had been running not too far behind BJ & company, but then "disappeared". She missed the turnaround and kept running. And running. BJ went out to look for her, but eventually she was picked up something like 5 miles off course by a Forest Service truck. Phew!

photo by Jenny Hadfield

Two other groups got lost -- I think they may have done a double loop of the first part? -- but eventually all arrived safely.

On the bus back into town, John called the Panamanian runners to the front of the bus. It seems that they had been told by the Holland America Line agent in Panama that they wouldn't need a visa for Canada as long as they didn't get off the ship. WRONG. They almost weren't allowed to board in Seattle, but Mila was able to work out a compromise -- as long as they all got off the boat in Ketchikan and flew direct to Seattle. I don't really want to think about the extra expense they must have incurred -- flights to Ketchikan cost over $1000 each -- plus a couple of extra night in hotels, and food... We all felt terrible for them, but were thrilled that John presented them with their medals in a nice little ceremony.

Then back into town, where we didn't have all that much time before we sailed. We decided to stay in town and wander around -- we walked along Creek Street (admiring a seal in the water), looked at taxidermy, bought a Christmas ornament, and had a pink of Alaskan Amber at the Fish Pirates Saloon before boarding the ship. Another perfect day.

Great Alaskan Marathon Cruise, Day 5

2011-07-27T22:19:00.000-07:00

Up early for breakfast, where I ate too much (no surprise!) but such a treat to have room service!!!

Our race briefing was at 7, and we were given maps and rules for the stage. See, the Sitka run was an "amazing race", where we had to find locations on a map and then navigate between them in order. And while at each stop, each team had to take a picture and get their bib marked. Once you got back to the start, each person drew a card. The winner of the stage was the person who drew the ace.

John told a funny story about Mila -- the previous year, they had done essentially the same thing. John shuffled up the decks (one for men, one for women) and handed them to Mila. Everyone headed out, and when the first runner came in, he drew a card -- the ace. "Wow!" thought John. "But in a random shuffle, the ace *might* have come out on top." A little while later, the first female came in and drew her card -- also an ace. That seemed too much of a coincidence... so he asked her. "How come the first two cards drawn were both aces?" Mila looked puzzled and said, "The winners draw the aces." Ha!

There was a lot of chatter in the room -- people had strategies. This made me laugh, a bit. I mean, there weren't even clues to solve, just finding 5 spots on a tourist map and then visiting them in order. And taking pictures while you're at it. We decided to focus on taking funny pictures at each location. We knew we would be the slowest, so we might as well have the best pictures.

We rode out on the first tender -- the "love me tender"... -- and were soon in rainy little Sitka.

A little chatter, a welcome from the locals, and we were off. We started dead last -- no sense rushing off! -- and headed up and across the bridge. The fast pair were doubling back before we had even crested the darn thing! But we whooped for them all the same. As we did for everyone else -- lots of cheering and whooping.

The checkpoint was in the wrong spot -- the kids were standing at the sign, not a half mile down the road at the school itself. This shorted the course -- not that we minded, but I'm sure some people were worried about it affecting their overall prediction! We took our first photo looking scholarly:

Then back across the bridge and into downtown to stop at the cathedral. Another easy stop -- this time we decided to look "holy":

Then we headed out to the raptor center. On the way there we spotted the fast family heading back. Wow. They both, helpfully, told us we were going the right way, which was nice. The only difficult part of getting to the raptor center was crossing a ditch and a busy road. Admittedly, it wasn't very well signed, though it was exactly where the map indicated. We posed as ravens:

Then back to the road and into the park for stop #4. Along the way we caught up with Mike and Sandy, and joined them for the rest of the run.

Yes, this is me being a bear. That'll scare off the others for sure:

We found the site of the battle of Sitka and the four of us made a totem pole. I really hope this isn't culturally insensitive...

Then we started making our way back to town, catching a nice glimpse of the Westerdam, anchored offshore:

as well as getting to see a bunch of very nice totem poles. (Raven, watchman, frog, some other sort of bird, orca, owl...)

As we headed back to town, we ran into Bud (Sandy's husband) who had long since finished. We got a little lost looking for the Princess's grave, wandering through the wrong cemetery first, then making a loop around it. But there she was. This one is pretty insensitive... sorry princess...

Then we ran back to the start/finish line, posing for one final team photo. Wet but happy! None of us drew the ace, but we definitely got great photos!

photo by Jenny Hadfield

I bought a Sitka High School XC shirt (those poor kids have to fly every time they compete) and then we decided to head back into town to Ernie's, the cute little dive bar we spotted on the way in.

We chatted with a couple from Orlando who were also in our group, and then settled in for a nice Alaskan Amber. Since we hadn't had time to have one in Juneau, I figured we at least needed to have one SOMEWHERE in Alaska!

I started to get a little cold -- we were wet, after all -- but Wil remembered I had bought a shirt so I changed into it. Then all was toasty and well again.

We left Ernie's and wandered the town a little, but our hearts weren't in it. Sitka has some amazing sights -- the Totem Park is amazing -- but it hasn't "cutesied" itself up. Which is probably a good thing. I mean, Sitka just feels like an ordinary small working town... not one that's been tarted up for the tourists.

We did a little poking around the town, but the rain never let up and we decided to head back to the ship. How? We took the "Love Me" Tender again...

Great Alaskan Marathon Cruise, Day 4

2011-07-26T22:21:00.000-07:00

Got up and had a quick breakfast in the Lido buffet, and then went to hear John talk. He's really a delightful speaker, and the group is clearly bonding. (Except for the fast family, who didn't attend...)

John told us his story about becoming an "adult-onset athlete" -- really lovely.

After the session we had a bit of lunch (Why? We weren't even hungry!?!) and then sat in deckchairs as we sailed through Yakatut Bay en route to the Hubbard Glacier. The water turned a milky aqua blue, indicating the presence of glacial silt -- so pretty!

The sky stayed overcast, and the temperature grew colder the nearer we got to the glacier. I guess that's how air conditioning works, eh?

As we sat there, we saw the little boat come alongside with the naturalist and the native tribesfolk, which prompted us to go hear the ranger talk about the Hubbard Glacier. He showed us some cool pictures and maps, talking about how the Hubbard sometimes blocks the fjord next to it and creates a huge lake.

After the talk we went up to deck 4 and out onto the bow. Lots of people were milling about as we moved closer and closer to the glacier. BTW, when the schedule says "Wine and Cheese on the Bow", they should probably tell people that the wine is $8/glass...

We looked up and noted that hardly anyone was standing up on the balconies on deck 5 and 6, so we hurried to our cabin, bundled up (hooray for down jackets!) and went back outside, finding a perfect spot on deck 6.

The glacier was breathtaking. I'm sure I have no words to describe it, so here's a picture:

We're still a mile away from the glacier at this point, which is really hard to believe. The face of the glacier that you can see is 4 miles wide -- it's just impossible to get a sense either how big it was or how far away it was. We kept moving forward slowly toward the active face. The water looked slushy and full of big chunks of floating ice.

We found ourselves standing next to a woman who had an uncanny ability to spot the ice just as it cracked, so as we stood and watched we saw a number of large "calves" roll down to the water. Another indication of how far away we still were was how slowly the ice fell.

Wil and I stayed on the balcony for hours and hours just watching the glacier. In the end the captain was able to maneuver the Westerdam within 399 yards of the active face -- a new record. Really, really amazing.

After a few hours the ship turned to sail out of the bay, but we continued to stand there and watch the ice float past. Eventually, however, we had to get dressed for dinner, where we shared a table with Bobbi and Mary.

After dinner we went up to the Crow's Nest, of course. We didn't see anyone we knew, so we just sat down. Eventually Trish and Don joined us, followed by several others, and we had another fun and friendly evening. We had a couple of drinks and then went to bed -- after a promenade, of course.

Great Alaskan Marathon Cruise, Day 3, Part 2 - Whale Watching

2011-07-25T23:19:00.000-07:00

After meeting with our red-vested crew, we boarded a bus and drove to Auke Bay, 20 minutes from the dock. Nick, our driver, told us stories the whole way. Then down the ramp and onto the St. Vincent, our motorized catamaran. A nice crew, and a nicely appointed ship -- lots of binoculars and route maps provided.

Wil and I headed upstairs along with a lot of our group and settled in. We sailed to an area where they had spotted whales, and suddenly there were LOTS of whales. The naturalist counted at least 13 of them, all engaged in something called "bubble net feeding", which is a cooperative behavior unique to southeastern Alaska. One whale is the leader and blows a ring of bubbles around a school of herring. The other whales all have jobs, too -- driving the fish into the "net". The herring swim tighter and tighter together, forming a giant "bait ball". At a signal from the lead whale, all of the whales open their mouths wide and zoom up under and through the bait ball, scooping the fish into their mouths.

When it's happening, the water looks quiet. Then the birds start circling and then all of a sudden there is a circle of huge black, gaping mouths. Amazing!

We watched them do it twice, setting up catches over 15 to 20 minutes. Meanwhile a baby whale, possibly bored by the grown-ups' working, was playing around, leaping out of the water and frolicking.

After watching two cycles, we turned to go (I believe there are limits to how long boats are allowed to be near whales, perhaps?). But while we were moving, we noticed that the birds started going nuts not far from us. The captain cut the engines and then all of a sudden there was a whale feeding frenzy, all around our ship. AMAZING! Everyone went nuts. I believe I was one of many who shrieked "Oh yes!" at one point. Nuts. The naturalist and crew were saying that it was one of the best sightings they had had all season, and that often they just spot a whale swimming alongside, and that that was "enough".

John said that unless another whale popped up smoking a cigar and singing "Hello Dolly", he wouldn't be impressed. (That reminded me of Michigan J. Frog, the singing frog from the Warner Brothers cartoons.... which made John start singing that song, and made me apologize to Jenny...)

We sailed around for a little while, spotting a bald eagle and some catatonic stellar sea lions on a buoy.

Then eventually we headed back (spotting one whale swimming alone, which attracted very little interest from our jaded gang), and bussed back to the ship. I did manage to pick up a newspaper to dry out our shoes, but no other souvenirs.

While waiting to go up the gangplank I had my Achilles tendon clipped by a lady pushing a wheelchair -- luckily only bruised. And then we were on board.

We had a late dinner that night at Canaletto -- a tiny sliver carved out of the Lido buffet, but turned into a fine Italian restaurant. I was starving, having had only 4 pieces of sushi, a handful of tortilla chips, and 2 granola bars since 8am. No, wait, on our evening whale watching cruise I enjoyed a selection of fine desserts and appetizers! Three donut holes and a ritz cracker with a bit of smoked salmon on it.

Still, I was STARVING, so we ate like pigs. Tons of delicious bread, grilled veggie antipasti, a seafood soup, potentially a salad? And I had amazingly perfect seafood fetuccini alfredo. Gorgeous. And, yes, we had dessert -- a trio of tiny, creamy tiramisu in different flavors. YUM. Waddled back to the room and collapsed. A fine, fine day!

Great Alaskan Marathon Cruise, Day 3

2011-07-25T21:54:00.000-07:00

Today was the long stage -- the 10-mile trail run in Juneau. I was both nervous and excited about this.

We started the day with breakfast in the Vista Dining Room. We selected a non-sharing table, which of course was a mere 6 inches from another table. :)

We had our briefing with John and Jenny at 9. They talked about the stage, tips on trail running, and what to do if you spotted a bear. John kept reminding people that this wasn't Disneyland -- that if we saw a bear, it wasn't a "get close to the character" photo op. Despite the fact that he once encouraged Jenny to stand close to a moose, of course...

It was kinda funny -- there were lots of questions such as "are there toilets?" Reply: "There are boy trees and girl trees."

The winners from the first stage were announced, and everyone cheered. (Though the fast family scowled a bit.)

After the briefing we went back to the cabin to lay out our gear. I decided on capris, the HVAC top, and my Rock 'n' Roll jacket to run in. We also packed a bag with the stuff we wanted for the whale watching excursion that night -- in case we didn't get back to the ship before we had to meet for the trip.

We gathered in the hallway outside of the Queens Lounge -- a sort of organized chaos -- and waited a long time. It got hot, people got woozy and grumpy, and I have never been quite so glad to walk down a gangplank and onto a dock! We walked a couple of blocks to the start -- including a very steep and long flight of stairs. We stowed our gear in the running club garage (at which point I discovered that my camera battery was dead, awesome...), got a very brief course description from the organizers, and then, with a whoosh, we were off.

We all ran down a hill, then up, up, up a steep hill. I was feeling a bit nervous, honestly worried that I would finish last, and having some trouble breathing in the cold, wet air. So I decided to just walk up the hills. Every so often I would run a little, but the walking just made better sense. My favorite part of the beginning of this course was the big wooden bridge up to the trailhead. Very cool.

At some point Mike caught up with me, grabbed my hand, and said, "C'mon Sunny, we're walking up together."So I hustled to keep up with his super long legs as we walked at a really good clip. The trail was lovely, if very muddy and wet, and we just kept climbing.

photo by Jenny Hadfield

One section had a steep cliff, with a wire railing to keep you from wandering off it. A lot of us pretty much hugged the opposite wall on that part. We grabbed some water from the water stop there and just kept going. Jenny joined us for a bit before bounding ahead to take photos.

It wasn't all that long before the leaders -- the fast dad, one of the local high school kids, and then BJ came speeding down the trail. Mike and I cheered for them, getting no response from fast dad, a bewildered, panicked response from school kid, and a smile and whoop from BJ. I will say that, a few moments later, when fast daughter appeared, she responded with "great job, guys!", which made me very happy.

A few more people passed us, friendly greetings were exchanged, and we continued to climb. Mike and I chatted about Europe, history, and the cruise. He had started as a runner, but kept getting ingured, so he switched to walking. He has a fantastic attitude -- he just loves being out there. "I'm the lower half that makes the upper half possible." :)

photo by Jenny Hadfield

As we got closer to the top, more and more folks passed us and almost everyone engaged in mutual cheering. I won't name the one person who failed to cheer, however... Great to have so much camaraderie!

Then, suddenly, a bridge appeared -- with the swollen river flooding across it. I said, "Well, this is MY turnaround, whether we're supposed to cross it or not." We took a quick photo, and I told Mike I was going to try and run down. "But you'll probably catch up with me after I twist my ankle!" :)

Then off I went -- a bit nervous about running on a trail, but excited too. As I ran, I was surprised to come across other people still heading up -- I thought we were the end?!? -- and then a long string of walkers. I cheered for them and told them they were very close to the turnaround, which made them all happy.

Then I ran some more, meeting Jenny on her way up. She snapped a picture and said, "Brochure cover!" and I laughed.

photo by Jenny Hadfield

Then down, down, down. I took a few walk breaks, managed to jam my right ankle once, and pass a few folks. I also walked any time there were railings. I could just imagine clumsy me tripping and launching myself over them!

By the time I reached the trail head I was pretty tired and pretty amused by my time. I had predicted either 2:15 or 2:30, and it hadn't even quite been 2 hours yet.

After crossing the wooden bridge again I met Tristan, the race organizer. He reminded me that it was a right, then a quick left and then down and up the hill to the finish. I said, "Um, an out and back, right?" and he laughed. Sure enough, as I headed down the last steep hill I saw a group rejoining the road -- they had clearly gone the wrong way. (Really, it was an out and back folks!)

The hill was too steep for me to run down, or, hell, UP, so I walked. As I crested the final hill, however, I broke into a trot and arrived to cheers. Wil was serving as race photographer, which was lovely.

Wil had walked a mile or so out along the trail with a couple of folks, and then sat for a bit before heading back. The duct tape cover worked semi-well, but it started to flap off when it got too wet. When he got back he considered going back to the ship, but John deputized him to take photos, so he said he suddenly felt engaged and happy to be out there. Nice. :) And I was sure happy to see him.

We stood around for a bit cheering on a few runners and eating granola bars. Nice to be there for when Mike came in. John asked me if I had any trouble finding my way back and I said "Well, it's an out and back, right?" and he explained that several people made wrong turns and ended up in town near the ship. Really?!? The lost runners then got to the finish and complained about the lack of markings on the course...

The rain continued to pour and I got worried about Wil's foot, so we reluctantly left before the final finishers came in. We were soothed by the fact that Jenny was with them. We headed back to the ship so that we could dry off a little, so Wil could change his dressing, and so Wil could cut up a dry pair of shoes. We barely had time to get to the ship, get dry, and get off the ship before we had to meet for our evening excursion. (to be continued...)

photo by Jenny Hadfield

Great Alaskan Marathon Cruise, Day 2

2011-07-24T20:52:00.000-07:00

photo by Jenny Hadfield

Sunday was stage 1 of the "marathon" -- a three-mile deck run. Before leaving for the trip my colleagues and I estimated how many laps that would be -- 15? 21? More? But I was astounded to learn that a mile is a mere three laps around the promenade deck. That's one big boat.

We met in the Queen's Lounge for breakfast and a pre-race briefing -- part info, part pep talk -- and John and Jenny explained the rules and described the different stages. See, rather than just have each race be "won" by the fastest runners, each race had a different challenge. Stage 1 was a predictor race -- whoever was closest to their time won the stage. Stage 2, a trail run in Juneau, was a standard, first to the finish race. Stage 3, an "amazing race" in Sitka, would be determined by the people who drew the aces at the finish line. And Stage 4, a trail run in Ketchikan, was another predictor race. Finally, the overall winners would be the people who came closest to their predicted combined time. Very cool.

Then we were asked to submit our predictions for the first stage. I predicted a gentle, slowish 35 minutes. The catch? No watches or training devices of any sort on the first run. We also submitted our predictions for the overall race -- I went very conservative, knowing that I would be walking at least two of the stages with Wil, and predicted a gentle 6:02.

photo by Jenny Hadfield

We buddied up to time each other, and the first wave got to the starting line. Wil went first, given that he was going to be walking the whole thing. Everyone set off running while the timers stood and cheered.

The fast family were impressive to watch, running six-minute miles and finishing under 19 minutes. But I was sad to see that when they finished running, they seemed to turn in their times and leave. So much for the camaraderie of runners! Everyone else stayed and switched places; the timers becoming runners and vice versa.

photo by Jenny Hadfield

There was a lot of nice support, lots of whooping and hollering. I stood with Mike and Dan, and Wil got extra big cheers each time he passed. When he finished, in 46:31, we swapped places and I stripped down to shorts and a top and headed out.

photo by Jenny Hadfield

I was the last to start, so I probably took off a little too fast. I ran the first mile flat out and started to feel a little sick -- not sure if it was too much breakfast or just the fact that every time we ran around the bow of the ship if was lurching a little. I worked out that I could run the long long straightaways and walk the tight turns and get through it okay.

All of the runners had to do a bit of dodging -- lots of other promenaders -- but people were friendly and for the most part quick to get out of the way -- except at the end of my 8th lap, when I had to weave through a bunch of my fellow runners!

Nice that a bunch of people waited for me to finish and cheered me on before going in. Sure, a bunch of people were gone, but not everyone.

photo by Jenny Hadfield

Nice memories from the run: Lynn taking off an item of clothing each time she came around. She got down to just her jog bra and capris and we were wondering what on earth she might take off next. Bill just kept collecting her gear, and had quite a pile of it by the end.

Lynn shouting at Bill to stop running because of his hurt knee.

photo by Jenny Hadfield

The lady on the deck chair on the starboard side, telling me that I was on my last lap.

Mike, a fast walker, telling me I needed to stop lapping him, and telling people that he was going to get the yellow cap.

My time? 31:10; fastish for me. I was pleased to have "banked" a little time for later, since I was kinda dreading the trail run.

Then back to the room where I showered (I was really sweaty!) and then we hustled up to Jenny's talk about exercise and stretching. We were in the Crows Nest again; a little weird to be sitting on towels and essentially just watching her. I guess no one wanted to be the first to actually do the exercises. I wonder what Jenny thought? Still, it was nice to chill out as a group.

The rest of the day was all ours. Wil and I had a pre-lunch cocktail and then went up to the Vista Dining Room for lunch. We sat at a table against the stern windows with two couples -- one from California, one from Oregon -- who were ver nice and asked lots of questions about the runs. It was clear that the red vests were already making an impression on the general passengers.

Sunday night was our first Formal Night, so we got up at 5 (yeah, we napped...) to get ready. I wore my velvet top, jacket, and swirly skirt. So versatile...

At first no one joined us at our table -- but then Ann and Barbara from Chicago sat down. (Our 5th and 6th never made it... we were losing a companion each meal!) Ann had had a good run in the morning, nice and steady. Barbara, her cousin, was an enthusiastic supporter along for the cruise. Very nice.

After dinner we went up to the Crows Nest for happy hour -- and found Jenny sitting on her own. We joined her, and then John arrived. We talked business for a bit -- but then he bought us a round of drinks and we went back to socializing. More and more folks joined us -- BJ, a meteorologist, ex Air Force, and super fast runner; Page, who I had been calling "Lulu" in my mind because she wore lots of Lululemon gear; Kelsey, Page's daughter; and others. It still delights me that most people -- really almost everyone -- was super friendly.

Wil and I had planned on seeing the 8:00 show, but then we were enjoying ourselves so much that we hung out in the Crows Next for another hour or so. Good company, good evening.

Wil had ordered the ravioli for dinner -- the one questionable meal of the entire trip. Four ravioli wasn't going to cut it, so after walking around the Observation Deck for a bit, we wandered through the Lido Buffet. It was nearly all closed except for the pizza station. Heck, if you still have pies made, why not serve them? So we had a slice of veggie pizza each. That made us wonder if there was still sushi, so we wandered over to the other side. No sushi, but we did find Javier, who was nibbling a cookie, saying "I just can't stop eating!" :)

We told him we were going to the show and he said, "Oh... I saw it at 8..." and gave it a decidedly poor review that started with "I don't want to prejudice you, but...". I said, "But they're up there, singing and dancing their hearts out, right?" "Well, they're up there..."

Still, we toddled along, had some of the captain's free champagne, and made it through about 20 minutes of the show before fleeing. Decidedly mediocre, and hardly anyone was there, which felt sad. We slipped out after the can-can number, did a loop of the promenade deck -- much emptier at night! -- and then bed.

"Pardon me! On your right!"

Great Alaskan Marathon Cruise, Day 1

2011-07-23T19:58:00.000-07:00

Suz took us to the terminal, where we were quickly processed and given an early boarding number -- group 5. We boarded the ship before noon and went straight to our cabin to drop off our things, poke around in the cupboards and closets, and take a few pictures.

We headed up to the Lido deck for some lunch -- a huge salad and a few hot things from the gargantuan buffet, enjoyed in the sun by the main pool. Afterward we went to check in at the Hudson Room to collect our race packets and swag. Apparently we went in through the back door (we had come from the bow of the ship, rather than midships, she said all nautically...), so stumbled in to the room in the wrong direction. But no matter. We met Mila, our cruise escort, who gave us our packets. Then we met John and Jenny, who are delightful. Really lovely people. We chatted a little about Brooks and the running business, but knew that they had many others to meet and greet. Our swag? Red duffle bags, red fleece vests, white long sleeve tech tops, white caps, and race numbers. Heaven!!!

After picking up our bags we went to a very poorly attended talk given by a park ranger about the Klondike gold rush -- actually very nice, and very informative. I did feel badly for him, talking to so few people. My mind still reels a little at the thought of carrying a ton of supplies per person to the Klondike. And I thought I overpacked...

We poked around the ship a while before going to the lifeboat drill -- now, strangely enough, we were told not to attend in our life jackets. How sad that no one gets the joy of bustling around with a bright orange horse collar around their neck. Then, as the ship started backing out of her berth, we played a little game, walking slowly to stay level with a pole on the dock, but having to speed up more and more as the ship gained speed. Eventually the ship would get up to more than 20 knots, or something like 23 mph.

Afterward, we headed to the aft pool, flopped on some lounges in the sun, and sipped drinks of the day -- something rummy called a Twilight Zone -- while we sailed away from Seattle.

We had a welcome party in the Crows Nest, which became our group hangout during the cruise. Champagne and snacks and lots of new people to meet. Loved meeting Bill and Lynn from Virginia. Turns out Lynn ran Goofy the same year we did, and she's running Tinker Bell next year, too. Funny!

After the party we headed straight to dinner. Rather than being seated at the same table with the same people every night, Mila had organized a rota where everyone shifted around each night -- giving us more opportunities to meet our fellow runners. Genius! We were seated with Javier, a school teacher from Texas, and Bill and Char, a doctor and nurse from Canada. We had a lovely dinner, and those three were some of our favorite people from the entire trip. It's really nice to have something built-in to talk to each other about!

After dinner we went for a little promenade around the deck -- call it a course tour for stage 1 -- with Javier, and then we headed back up to the Crows Nest for an informal social. We sat with John, Jenny, Lynn, and others, and told the story of Wil's foot over and over again. We could tell that this was going to be quite an adventure!

the view from the cabin window was disturbing, at first...

and we're off!

2011-07-23T10:18:00.000-07:00

So excited about our trip! Probably no real blogging until we return, but we'll bore you to tears with photos and ramblings then. :)

See Jane Run Half Marathon Race Report

2011-07-17T18:48:00.000-07:00

I must confess that the only reason I signed up for this race was that I got a "Groupon" for it -- $37 for a half marathon? I'm there. And I've heard nice things about the stores, so why not?

I suppose I should also say that I applaud companies who sponsor races, and I'm happy to have another half marathon in Seattle. And the race shirt is one of the nicest shirts I have ever received. Who doesn't love a v-neck? And chocolate and champagne as a theme is great. So all of those things are good.

Went to the "expo" to pick up my packet -- nothing much to see, a handful of exhibitors and some people who clearly felt they'd been fooled into buying space in a nearly empty ballroom. But I was able to get my bib and my shirt quickly and get out of there in under 5 minutes. Still, an expo for a small race was bound to be a bit haphazard, right?

Then last night I watched the course video and thought, huh, they're gonna run all those people on an out and back along the Ship Canal Trail? In the first 4 miles? That'll be awkward. But since I'd never been on that trail I also thought that maybe it's really wide. Who knows?

And then I arrived at Gas Works. I had been surprised never to receive an email from the organizers, but had checked the web site for info. Hmmm. "Plenty of parking in the surrounding neighborhoods." No wonder they were asking people to get there at 6:30 for a 8:00 race. But I got parking only 2 blocks from the park and walked down.

I saw a really long line and realized it was the line for the little restroom at the park. Dozens of ladies were already waiting in it. At 7:00. I walked around a bit and saw another, even longer line -- for nine porta potties. Now, it must be really difficult to plan races. But this was a women's race. And women simply take longer in a porta potty than men do. The lines were absurd.

I also wandered around the "expo" -- a handful of exhibitors / vendors in a field. Most of them hadn't really set up yet -- but I remembered the web site repeating that the ladies should "make sure to bring your credit card". Which put me off.

Then I spotted a couple of Fanatics and went over to say hello. Nice big group, and we chatted and took some photos for the newsletter. Yes, I finally made it in to a HF group photo! There was a lot of grumbling about organization. There was a lot of concern about the lack of porta potties, but even more concern about the course.

I decided to get off my feet and chill out for a little while. I started chatting with a few people -- two runners and a spectator -- about the organization. And the lines continued...

Then a quick 80s-style warmup, and we headed in to the starting chute. Sort-of. I thought I was in a group waiting for the start, but it turns out that we were in a porta-potty line. Hilarious.

The course was pretty flat -- from Gas Works to Fremont, across the bridge, and then a cloverleaf onto the Ship Canal Trail. Out and back -- on a narrow trail -- was a bit rough. I was glad they had a bike riding ahead of the leaders, but the closer we got to the turnaround, the harder it was to run. Got to the 4-mile point and ran into the spectator, who smiled and cheered. :)

Then around the lake. I kept up my 3:1 run:walk intervals, feeling okay most of the time. I was surprised that the course did an up and down (and up and down, and up and down) rather than just the big hill on Ruby Street. Eventually we emerged and ran across the tiny little sidewalk along the bridge. (Another awkward spot on the course...)

It was tough to pass Gas Works, knowing that we had another couple of miles to go... and also knowing there wouldn't be a timing mat to ensure people actually ran that far. :) Tra la la, Burke-Gilman Trail...

This was about the point when I had a "wardrobe malfunction" and my foot really started hurting. So I walked between mile 11 and 13, running the last .1 for a strong finish. Did I leave anything in the tank? Yeah. I had hoped to finish in 2:30 or less, but the walking pretty much scuppered that. I finished in 2:37:17, but I also feel pretty good.

Got my medal (small, but at least different from the 5K medal...), got my champagne glass with three chocolates in it, a bagel, a banana, and I chugged a bottle of water. Then a quick swig of champagne, and home.

Would I run that race again? Nope.

wardrobe malfunction...

2011-07-17T13:15:00.000-07:00

I've been running in Brooks socks for years. When I switched from basic cotton to the fitted, sized, and foot-specific Brooks socks, it changed my life. Or at least the life of my feet. No more blisters. No more hotspots. Just happy feet. I had been using the same socks for years.

Now that I work for Brooks, I had the opportunity to try our new socks -- all THIRTEEN kinds. Heck, I'm still working my way through the box. Some were basic, some were super fancy. But all were fresh, new socks.

I think I got a little spoiled -- fresh socks before every run? Wow! I remember my boss saying how nice new socks were, and I didn't really believe her. I was, however, enjoying the new socks -- deciding which ones I liked the best, making notes for a future blog post, etc.

But I hadn't run long in them -- and I'm pretty keen on sticking to the "nothing new on race day" commandment. So I put on my trusty old socks. Socks which have gotten me through hundreds of miles without blisters. Ever.

Until today.

Within 5 miles my sock had slid down in my shoe. I didn't notice it at first, but by mile 10 I knew I had at least a hot spot, if not a blister. Discretion being the better part of valor, I decided to walk miles 11 and 12 today. I will retire my beloved "R2-D2 socks", embrace my new, fresh, cushy socks. And all will be well.

tomorrow's adventure...

2011-07-16T20:28:00.000-07:00

Looks awfully easy on a bike...

TEN!!!

2011-07-11T18:36:00.000-07:00

A quick run deserves a quick post -- ran on the treadmill today in the basement. Felt a bit dehydrated and crampy -- so I cut it short. Still, it was run #10, which earned me my SportWatch. Looking forward to a day of rest.

9 down, 1 to go!

2011-07-10T11:01:00.000-07:00

This morning's run was notable only in that it was my ninth run toward "earning" my new watch. I suppose it's also notable as the first time I have run on consecutive days since... oh, the "halffle" on Thanksgiving weekend last year. Sure, it wasn't two half marathons back to back, but it was still back to back runs...

Not sure I have EVER run three consecutive days :) ... but I'm going for it tomorrow.

8 out of 10... and a confession

2011-07-09T13:55:00.000-07:00

This morning's run was a struggle -- I woke up with stiff, achy knees, and had a hard time getting warmed up. I also struggled with my breathing, and had that weird hyper-sense of smell (dryer sheets, lawn food, chlorine). But I ran to the lookout and back ... so that's something. Even if I definitely wasn't "running happy".

I have two more runs to go before I "earn" my new watch... but I couldn't resist. I figured it was better to start using it BEFORE going on the cruise, to get used to it. So... well... I cheated a little. I will still get my runs in by Monday (yes, that means running tomorrow and Monday...). I promise.

It's fun to run with a GPS again, so that I can have pictures like this:

No, I don't know what the red and green dots mean. Maybe that I had to stop and wait a long time for a stoplight? Who knows.

4 for the 4th

2011-07-04T23:29:00.000-07:00

We had talked about going to a small town, running their Fourth of July 5K, staying to watch the parade, and doing a big of flag waving. We had even chosen our target: Carnation's "Run for the Pies" -- a nice early race, an hour or two looking at their "hot rods and Harleys" show, and then a parade. But then we thought about it -- nearly an hour's drive, an early run, and then paying for the privilege of running with strangers and earning a white t-shirt decorated with a big American flag and three cartoon cows.

(Don't get me wrong -- the biggest issue is that it was a white t-shirt... I thought the flag and cows were kinda cute...)

So we declared our independence from organized fun runs, threw off our race director oppressors, and just ran to the lookout and back. Four miles for the Fourth.

Sure, there was no water stop, no chip timing, no souvenir shirt. But we also didn't pay $30 each just to run. Free(dom)!

And may I mention that today was my seventh run, with a week left to go? Sweet!

Interurban Trail Run

2011-07-02T15:53:00.000-07:00

After feeding Suz's wee beasties this morning, I went for a little run along the Interurban Trail. I had never been on that trail before, so it seemed like the perfect time to try it out.

It's lovely and almost flat -- with the exception of the ramps and stairs that take you across Highway 99. It's also nearly devoid of shade, at least at 11:45 in July...

Not much to tell about the run itself -- I struggled to run the 8-minute stretches and discovered I was running too fast. As usual... I gave myself the luxury of walking up the stairs to the overpass, but was still sucking wind by the last running segment. Not sure if I can blame the heat, or just my current level of fitness.

Still, a run is a run, and I'm now over the hump -- 6 down, just 4 to go. And 9 days to run in. Hello SportWatch...

two other running things...

2011-07-01T09:07:00.000-07:00

... while I wait for a report to run, thought I'd make a quick update!

1. Got a nice email yesterday from Girls on the Run informing me that I was one of their largest fundraisers nationwide last year. Awww. As a thank you, they're sending me an award certificate... for a new pair of New Balance shoes. Oops. Still, totally lovely.

2. Got a big fat envelope from the Great Alaska Maritime Marathon -- woot! Very excited about the cruise! Possibly less excited about a 10-mile trail run up and down a mountain, but, hey....

Now, back to work!

halfway there...

2011-06-30T20:54:00.000-07:00

5 runs down (if you include the Rock 'n' Roll Half, and I do), 5 to go... I'm a little behind, but I think I can make it up before the 11th.

Had a weird day at work -- had lots of projects to get through, so I pretty much just kept my head down and got through them. So when I got home I didn't want to think anymore... which meant a run on the treadmill in the basement. No thinking, just turn it on and go. Not the best way to run, but at least it was a run.

Seattle Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon Race Report

2011-06-26T22:12:00.000-07:00

I'll be honest -- I wasn't sure how this one was gonna go. I was undertrained, still a bit stiff-kneed from the bike crash 4 weeks ago, and had a late change in running buddies (and Wil would be the first to tell you he wasn't particularly prepared either...).

As such, I had two goals for this race. 1. Finish. 2. Finish in under three hours.

Wil and I got up, got dressed, had some toast, and headed downtown. We parked a couple of blocks from the Westin and quickly got on a shuttle around 4:45. The drivers seemed a little panicked -- people weren't turning up early. But we arrived at the starting area before 5:15.

We stopped at the VIP Porta Potty first, saying hello to the crew and testing out the facilities. We ran into Melody (goal: sub 2; stretch: 1:45) and Stevie (goal: finish), too. Everyone was giddy and happily edgy. Nice.

We decided to get some water and then find a quiet spot to chill for a while. Again we talked about the weird lack of music -- or any sort of information system. I feel a bit bad for Tukwila as it's not as if they're really getting to showcase any part of their town! We sat around until 7 and then headed back to the porta potty for a final "go". Weirdly enough, there was a long line... which made people edgy. That said, there were also very long lines for the regular porta potties. And at about 7:15, a Competitor employee came over and announced that there were lots of empty porta potties near the starting corrals, and that people needed to head over. I think they realized that most people didn't know the race was even starting!

Also, while waiting for the porta potty, we noticed shuttle buses still arriving. Wow.

After using the potty we headed over to the starting area, where 10 or so corrals had already started. We made our way into corral 28 and hung out. We saw Dyana and Jana, made a bit of small talk, and took the obligatory pre-race photos...

We decided to run 3:1 splits -- I figured I could do 3 minutes at a time! I wanted to be extra gentle at the start, just run and walk and see how things went. If we got 5 miles in and walked the rest of the way, so be it.

Things were crowded at the start -- for a while, it was clear that walking was just as fast as running in that crowd. But within a quarter of a mile we had room to run. We stuck with the splits -- even though it was hard to do at first, from an "ego" point of view.

The Dude was at mile 1 again -- a bad spot for him, but still nice to see him. I wish Brooks had sent a bunch of people do cheer next to him. (Maybe next year?)

I don't have a lot of vivid memories from the course -- the little hill over the freeway, the long slow hill along the train tracks, winding through the neighborhoods getting tonier and tonier, then the steep hills down to the lake. When we got to the downhill, we heard a girl say "use the hill", which made us both laugh... but also made us start running faster.

We ran down the hill, not stopping to walk. Then down to the lake, and the long flat stretch. Woot. :)

At some point we passed Endorphin Dude, who seemed to be having a rough day. But we said hello, asked if he remembered us from Bay to Breakers, and he said, "Oh, yeah -- the Half Fanatic!" But we kept on going without pausing for a photo.

Up the hill to mile 9 and the split -- still feeling remarkably good. Okay, sure, I walked up the hill, but then started running again in the tunnel. I recognized the song that was playing -- "Get Up and Go" -- and thought that the band was doing an amazing cover version. Until we got closer and I realized it was a DJ. Oops.

I made sure to drink plenty at the water stop at the end of the tunnel -- I've learned my lesson -- and then we headed out along the ramp into town. The awful, longest ramp in the world. Again, we decided to walk up most of the hills, but otherwise kept running.

Was very excited to hit the final water stop on 4th, just before the turn down to the viaduct. The hill down was too steep to run down on our tired legs, so we walked... and then walked up the ramp. The band there was playing some sort of rock anthem, so of course we joined in. I did wish that we were on the top of the viaduct, but also happy that we were almost at the end of our race.

The offramp had been changed -- which seemed to add extra distance -- but then we rounded the last corner. I needed a little break in the final stretch, but then we got to the 13-mile marker. I said "God save the queen!" and took off sprinting.

As usual the people on the stretch were all quiet -- all of them looking for their own runners -- so I tried to get them to cheer, Desi-style. A couple of people offered high fives, and a few of them whooped... and then, with hands held, we crossed the finish line.

Random race memories:
- the little girl on her father's shoulders, eyes shining with excitement, waiting for her mom to run by
- THAT'S NOT SWEAT, IT'S YOUR FAT CELLS CRYING
- "here comes Lindsay... with a moustache"
- a banana-laden table in the recovery area

I stopped looking at clocks (other than my intervals) pretty early on. As I said, I really just wanted to finish, ideally under 3 hours. At some point I realized that, unless the wheels really fell off, we would easily finish under 3. But I have to admit I was surprised to finish in 2:35:11 -- a few seconds slower than 2010, and a minute or so faster than 2009. Really pleased with that result! Again, not our fastest not our slowest race, but evidently that's my average pace for that course.

Oh, and did I mention that I registered myself and Wil for 2012?

Rock 'n' Roll Seattle Race Expo

2011-06-24T21:11:00.000-07:00

Spent a little too long at expo today... but had to see Meredith before she disappears for the summer! Also ran into Lindsay, who was there picking up... Wil's bib. Great to see her and get caught up a little with all of her adventures! She and Patrick are doing crazy amounts of work on their new house -- amazing!

So here's something funny -- Lindsay and I registered for this year's race at last year's expo. Sure, we did it at the same time. But I still didn't expect this:

Yeah, that's right. Consecutive numbers. Now, Wil and I sign up for things together all the time. And it's rare that our race numbers are even in the same freakin' corral. So that's super weird.

Anyway, also picked up this year's pin, pint glasses, and (as my "Brooks employee bonus") a very cool beer stein. Ran into a few other colleagues -- everyone has that same "oh, well, it'll be okay" tone that I have about this race. Which is sorta satisfying.

All my gear is set and ready to go for tomorrow. Now all I have to do is get a decent night's sleep.

oh dear, another skip...

2011-06-23T21:36:00.000-07:00

Today I spent the day volunteering at the Ronald McDonald House with Brooks. We cleaned most of the day, and then cooked dinner for the 80 families. Lots of scrubbing, wiping, and dish washing... Really glad the race isn't a triathlon this weekend -- because my left shoulder is shot.

Two days of manual labor and I'm a wreck. :) But it was good work -- both days.

Tomorrow I'll go to the race expo and pick up my packet. And, no, I didn't run today. That just means I'll have to go hardcore for the next 2 1/2 weeks -- no missed workouts!

Two other running related items....

1. We're a month away from the Great Alaskan Maritime Marathon -- woot! So excited!!!

2. RunDisney released images of the Tinker Bell Half Marathon medals today -- pretty!!!!

My first skip, and some news...

2011-06-22T07:27:00.000-07:00

Two running-related events from yesterday...

1. I didn't run. I knew yesterday would be challenging because I had an appointment in Tacoma -- which means I *should* have run on my lazy Monday night. But I didn't. That's why I built in two "days off" (in addition to all the other days off...) in my challenge. I could have run when I got home last night, but didn't. Hey, at least I'm up front about it.

2. Chatted with the busiest girl in the whole USA, Ms. LL. Here's what she's got going on right now:
- She just bought a house which closed on FRIDAY (woot!)
- She just got a new job, gave notice to her old job, and will get to inform the magenta client on this FRIDAY (super woot!)
- Oh, and did I mention she's getting married in, oh, 6 weeks?

As such, she doesn't have time to "run" (that is, take a heck of a long time getting through) the Rock 'n' Roll Half on Saturday... So this weekend the part of Ms. LL will be played by... Wil! Now, don't get me wrong. I don't approve of race bandits. But I also don't approve of a "no transfers" policy by race organizers. Ms. LL paid for her bib fair and square -- and may I mention they've had the moolah for a year now? So she's gifting it to Wil.

Today I'm heading to the expo to help with the set up -- I know it's yet more proof that I'm a dork, but I can't wait to see behind the scenes!

3 down, 7 to go...

2011-06-18T16:15:00.000-07:00

Wil and I went for a walk after lunch, and as we neared the house he said, "You could use this as your warm-up walk." We got in the house, I quickly changed clothes, and then headed out. Now, maybe it's because I went from 3 minutes to 5 minutes. Maybe it was just cold enough to trigger my asthma. Or maybe it's because I was running on a pretty full stomach. But I spent most of the run feeling queasy and wanting to quit.

But I stuck it out, struggling (as usual) with my pacing. Still, glad that I went out and ran a little!

and another little run...

2011-06-16T19:07:00.000-07:00

Wil pushed me out the door when we got home and I went for another little run. Day 2 of week 2 of couch to 5K, so another set of 3-minute run, 3-minute walk, repeated four times. It was a bit warmer today, and I had felt tired all day, so it wasn't quite as sprightly as Tuesday's run.

Have decided to set myself a little project, with a great big reward at the end. If I stick to my schedule and run 10 times in 4 weeks, I will give myself this:

It's a little naughty -- I mean, it's made my Nike, for heaven's sake -- but we don't make watches. And this one is really fantastic. And I've wanted one since before they were available. So that will be my prize if I complete my challenge.

It's not a super easy challenge, mind you. I haven't run ten times in any month since, oh, November? But I'm also giving myself a little benefit by starting the 4 weeks on Tuesday... so I've already got 2 of my 10 workouts done. And I'm giving myself the wiggle room to miss 2 workouts over the 4 weeks. But, still, if I get 8 more in by end of day on Monday, July 11, I'm getting myself a brand new running toy.

another little run

2011-06-14T19:04:00.000-07:00

Inspired by Friday's run with Suz, I decided to go out for a run myself tonight. Nothing fancy -- just week 2 of the C25K program. And I wanted to try my new kicks.

I warmed up for 5 minutes, then ran 3 minutes and walked 3 minutes, 4 times. It was all quite easy, thank heavens, and I ran at a slightly too fast pace. All told I covered 2.63 miles.

The new kicks? They were okay. Possibly more support than I need, but might give me knees a break. Not ready to run long in them yet. (Heck, I'm not ready to run long, period.)

Fremont 5K Race Report

2011-06-11T12:28:00.000-07:00

Never mind that every previous time we have considered running or walking the same event the weather has gone crazy. Torrential rain? Check. Snow? Check. But Suz and I dared the hail of toads and signed up for the Fremont 5K.

Suz has been doing the Couch to 5K program -- she's in her 4th week -- and I haven't been running much, so I wasn't sure if I would even be able to keep up! (And, no I can't blame my bike crash over Memorial Day Weekend -- I really hadn't been running much before that...)

Suz came round and we bussed down to Fremont, where we joined the crowd milling about, looking at the exhibitors and such. Suz seemed happy and excited to be there -- yay!

before the race

We placed ourselves at the back of the pack (because we're smart like that -- and considerate), and waited for the start. I couldn't really get a sense of the number of people there.

at the start

But the event was well organized, people lined up in the right spaces, and the organizers were thrilled that everyone pretty much made it across the start line in under 45 seconds.

We trotted along, first along the street towards Gas Works Park. Suz kept us moving, following her scheduled workout, while I chattered away. We were towards the back of the pack, but who cares? It was a cool, dry evening and we were getting some exercise.

One odd thing -- there we were, chattering, when Suz looked over her shoulder and gasped. Right behind us -- well, okay, 10 feet behind us -- was a police car, all lit up, crawling along with a line of cars behind him. Umm, oops! We hopped onto the sidewalk, relieved to see other runners behind us, and the car inched past. We watched as the scene was repeated a few times with the runners ahead of us. But at the next intersection, there was a truck waiting to cross the flow. He was waived across about 25 yards ahead of us, but that made the police car (and the line of cars behind him) stop. So we went back on to the road, and didn't see the cop again.

Eventually we turned up a little path and up on to the bike path for the last little stretch before the turnaround. We high-fived the guy at the turnaround and headed back.

Suz was doing great, keeping us at a steady pace, though we did get a little bothered by the bikes zipping by. At one point I heard a motorcycle, and turned to see a motorcycle cop escorting a string of bikes along the trail. Very odd.

We passed the point of my bike crash (Suz: "You couldn't tell that wasn't paved? You need to get your eyes checked.") and kept going, rejoining the road on the last stretch. I told Suz to pick a spot up ahead where she wanted to start running to the finish, so that she "left nothing in the tank". She laughed and said "There's not much in the tank now."

She picked the end of the cones on the right, about 50 yards before the finish, and took off running. I reminded her to smile, cheered her on to keep finishing strong, and we crossed the line in 49:55 (with Suz pipping me by a second at the finish line!).

After the run we got a bottle of juice, stretched a little, and then hopped on a bus back home. I was very proud to run with Suz -- she did great!

post race -- thumbs up!

The only course map I could find online also shows the relay transition zones -- but you get the idea.

It's fun to run in the evening, but I doubt I would do that particular run again (though I could imagine something fun for the relay!).

Bay to Breakers 12K "Race" Report

2011-05-19T21:59:00.000-07:00

Two weeks, two 12Ks, two VERY different experiences!

Bay to Breakers is legendary -- for the crazy costumes, the naked "Bare 2 Breakers" runners, and (in previous years) the crazy drunken participants. More city-wide party than race, it's still been one of those "must do someday" events in my book. Given that this was the 100th running, it seemed like the perfect year to do it.

We went to the expo on Saturday morning to pick up our packets and shirts... small for an event with 55,000 entrants! We were also surprised by the shirts... Zazzle (a company that makes money by custom printing shirts and anything else you could imagine) is the title sponsor, but the race shirts were really poor quality. A thin white t-shirt with a black screen print. They were selling some additional merchandise, but it wasn't very interesting. (And there were no pint glasses. Shot glasses but no pint glasses? Weird.)

We had decided that we were going to walk the entire 12K -- injury plus not wanting to feel frustrated like we did at Bloomsday -- and I never doubted that we had made the right decision! We had also talked about using our costumes from the Bats Day "Swinging Wake" party, but the weather forecast was for rain so we just went with simple running clothes. Not being costumed was something we did regret. But, hey, there's always next year.

before the race

Race morning was bright and perfectly crisp. We made our way the long way round the starting area, entering our "C" corral from Embarcadero. I felt a little bad at first; we wouldn't have signed up for that corral if I had known we would walk. That said, we were passing people the entire race -- seems that a lot of people just sign up for whatever corral they can get into.

We walked around a little, drinking in the sights. Great to see so many costumes! At some point tortillas started flying. Just a few at first, and then dozens, and then, seemingly, hundreds if not thousands of tortillas filled the air. Bizarre.

the Bay...

People seemed giddy and chatty; there was none of the anxious pre-race stretching one sees at most races. We were, of course, in corral C... one can only assume that corral A was a bit more dedicated...

Then, with a slow lurch, we made our way to the starting line. I assure you that we crossed the start line much more quickly than we did at Bloomsday! I heard some people grousing about the wave start and not being able to find room, but at least in our corral, there was plenty of space for runners (on the left) and walkers (on the right) from the very beginning.

oompa loompas

Wil and I just walked along at our usual fast walking pace; admiring the costumes along the way. We thought the most effective ones were those where a whole group wore the same costume -- like the horde of oompa loompas or the flock of black swans "after a few good meals". And of course there were the naked men. One tall, thin, younger man walked near us for a good portion of the race. I never saw his face, but was amused that he wore a woolly hat the entire time. I guess he was worried about getting cold...

use a hat to keep warm

At one point a group of tipsy twentysomethings were running down the sidewalk in the opposite direction past us. We heard the alpha male start to catcall at an older naked man walking nearby.

Alpha male: "Hey! Look at the naked dude! Ha ha, naked old dude! Hey --- OH MAN! HE'S HUGE! Respect, man. Respect."
Everyone else: (silence, swivelling of heads, and then "Oh. Yep.")

At one point I noticed a guy with "Endorphin Dude" on his cape... Endorphin Dude is a legend in the Half Fanatics and Marathon Maniacs, so it was a bit like seeing a rock star. We had a lovely chat and a photo op:

with Endorphin Dude

Hayes Street Hill comes quickly, between miles 2 and 3. Lots of the houses on the hill were having porch parties, playing music, and dancing. Very cool. A tiny little boy dressed as a banana slipped past me, his dad following with a "great pace, son -- great pace!" We also noticed several cops along the sidewalk just before the hill -- they were being told to "watch out for the toe tags" to identify registered runners vs. bandits. That said, plenty of people who don't care about their times don't wear the toe tags... My pal Doug had told me to make sure and turn to look back when we got to the top -- "because you'll see a sea of runners behind you". Sure enough, we did. Kind of amazing. This picture really doesn't do it justice:

looking back down Hayes Street Hill (not as impressive as in real life)

Then down the other side of the hill, a bit of a dogleg, and then we were walking along the edge of the Panhandle. I noticed that they had a lot of fencing up, which managed to keep spectators (the few there were) from engaging with participants... and to keep participants fenced away from the porta-potties. Not very clever, that. We had also read about a local brewery sponsoring "pit stops" in pubs a few blocks off the race route, but on the day there was no signage so we didn't get to take a detour...

We entered Golden Gate Park surprisingly early in the day... and just in time for a weird little rain shower. Only a couple of minutes long, and not particularly hard rain, but enough that we put our jackets on. And then it was gone, and the sun returned. Glorious!

Another phalanx of horsey cops (which we saw as "pretty" but later realized were serious -- if not yet implemented -- crowd control) and we headed down the hill, past the bison paddock, the waterfall, the Foot Stock finish festival (which was a little weird...) and then the windmill. And, of course, there were the Breakers.

The wind was gusting and the sun was gone as we made the final turn onto the Great Highway. Another strange finish line completely devoid of spectators... but we crossed, kissed, and were done.

Or so we thought. First we had to weave through the race photographers, who had set up themed backdrops so people could have their pictures taken. Then we started trudging towards the festival, all the while wondering if we had somehow managed to miss picking up our medals.

On and on we walked. Not a big deal, really, but for a lot of people 7+ miles is a long way... so making them walk another 1.5 miles seemed cruel. We reached a bottleneck -- ah, medals! -- which were being handed out parallel to the road. Why it didn't occur to the organizers to hand them out perpendicular to the road -- so that people could flow through them, like at EVERY OTHER RACE IN THE WORLD, I do not know. But eventually we made it through that.

the bling

Then we hit the next crazy snag -- the food hand out. We fought our way through a crush to where two people were handing out bags of potato chips to people. Two men. 55,000 runners. Not good odds. Next to them were people handing out cheese. And then some other items. But that sort of post-race greed makes me insane. You know what I mean, the people with an armful of snacks. So we forced our way to the far side of the road and skipped the rest of the scrum. We did, at some point, manage to pick up a bottle of "sports drink" as well as a funny little plastic baggie of chocolate milk -- from the ONE vendor who figured out that you can put people in various places ACROSS THE ROAD.

Then some more walking and we arrived at Foot Stock. The crowds hadn't really arrived yet, but there were long lines at some of the sponsor booths. We quickly realized that these were the booths that were giving away random items... like the Mahatma Rice booth. People were waiting in line for several minutes for the chance to win a cup of rice. Then there were the people filling out "sweepstakes entries" at various booths. I am sure that these are the same people who freak out about "privacy" and "identity theft". I swear, some people would give up their social security number for a free bottle of Sobe...

We bought a veggie knish, drank our sports drink, and wandered in the sun... but then decided to head out. Signage at the event was so awful that we completely missed the shuttles (which we had pre-paid for...), but we did manage to force our way onto a Muni a few blocks outside the park.

Reading back over this report I worry that it has come across as too negative -- which I don't mean it to be. We had a fantastic time -- our only regret was not wearing our costumes -- and can imagine doing it again next year. But we would also be aware that it's not the best organized of events (despite its 100 years!).

Things I will always remember: the horde of oompa loompas. The Bare 2 Breakers men with their smiley-face balloons. The drag queen with the bubble maker under her Daisy Dukes. The tiny little banana boy. The giant birthday cake. "President Obama" holding a sign saying "thank you navy seals!" Strawberry Shortcake and friends. The flying tortillas at the start.

bubble butt

the Prez

happy birthday, B2B

the Breakers

happily ever after

better a tiny run than no run at all...

2011-05-03T20:40:00.000-07:00

Got home after a strange, disjointed day... and decided to go out for a run. Brisk weather, threatening to rain, with a bit of a wind. We set out for the lookout, running uphill between 65th and 75th. Suddenly, I was wheezing. Don't know if it was the cold, the stress, or what, but I couldn't breathe. I ran for about 4 minutes and just had to stop. A bit of a rest, then we started up again. Again I couldn't breathe. Boo.

Deciding that "better a tiny run than no run at all", we decided to keep it short -- running up to 75th and back home -- less than 2 miles round trip. Still, it was exercise, and that counts for something.

Bay to Breakers 12K Course Video

2011-05-02T08:11:00.001-07:00

Well, this is fun...

Bloomsday 12K Race Report

2011-05-01T21:41:00.000-07:00

56,640. That's a lot of people. A LOT of people. That's NYC Marathon numbers of people. And, well, there's a lot more room in 26.2 miles for people to spread out.

We woke up weirdly early to bright blue skies, then watched in dismay as a weird fog rolled in. I'm happy to report that we weren't any the worse for wear after last night's Booze Day "Marathon". We also noticed, at 7:30, a few dozen people in the yellow corral that began at the end of our street. Luckily, in the hour or so that passed before we stepped out, the fog burned off and it was GLORIOUS. Perfect weather for a run!

glorious!

I liked the organization at the race -- at least what seemed like organization. There were starting corrals grouped by color, and specific cross streets that led in to each one. We had been put in the orange corral.

We got there a few minutes before 9, having been told that our corral would start between 9:15 and 9:45, and that we should be in position 30 minutes before that. Whatever. It soon became clear that people of all bib colors were trying -- and succeeding -- to enter the orange corral. Which was a bit weird.

my bib

Finally, at around 9:20, and with a huge roar, our corral began their march forward. We merged onto Riverside Avenue and were completely stunned by the sheer mass of people stretching as far as the eye could see.

looking Westward towards the start on Riverside

looking Eastward back up Riverside

We moved forward a hundred feet or so at a time -- I don't think anyone was actually starting, but maybe? We were blocks and blocks from the start line still. We amused ourselves by admiring the trees.

We had read somewhere about "shirts in the trees" and didn't really get it. But apparently there's a tradition of throwing your "disposable" warm clothes into the trees in the starting corrals. Race organizers collect it and donate it to charity. Nice.

shirts in the trees

Finally, at nearly 9:45, we started to moved forward in earnest and our corral started. As we walked to the starting line, the announcer said, "I don't know how to break it to you, but we already have a winner." (Unofficially 33:58 for the men, 40:23 for the women.) Well, that took some pressure off. ;)

packed in like sardines

We crossed the start line completely packed in. We could do little more than jog almost in place, trying desperately to find some open ground. We had noticed while in the corrals that a huge number of people had their bibs pinned on their backs... a sure sign of new runners. And an indicator that people might not know the accepted behavior in a race.

You know, the little things -- like not lining up at the front of a corral and walking 4 or 5 abreast? Like heeding the organizer's instructions to run left, walk right? Like knowing how to dispose of a half-full cup of water?

We spent the first mile trying to break through the crowds, dodging here and there, careening from one side of the road to the other. Many times we had to just stop short because there just wasn't any room. We started to get frustrated. Okay, *I* started to get frustrated. And then it dawned on us.

This was meant to be a fun run.

So we just shifted over to the right side of the course and had a leisurely walk.... which increased our enjoyment immensely. Suddenly we noticed how pretty the back roads of Spokane were. How amazing it was to be constantly surrounded by thousands of people. How many people used shiny paint pens in neon colors to decorate their shirts...

We also started really noticing the bands -- loads of them, every couple of blocks. Lots of young kids in bands, which we thought was cool. We cheered for every one. My favorite was one I could only hear -- right at the bottom of Doomsday Hill, playing sped-up indie rock versions of Disney tunes. Awesome!

We first glimpsed Doomsday Hill as we were sauntering down the hill to the river -- and it was astounding. Thousands of people streaming (slowly) up the hill that just went on and on. So when we crossed the bridge and headed up ourselves, we just put our heads down and went up up up.

More than once we had that weird realization that we were walking and passing people who were jogging.

Once we hit the top of Doomsday, we returned to suburban Spokane, passing through neighborhoods full of people holding parties, showing off their finisher shirts, and spraying water at the runners. I was really surprised at just how hilly the course was -- lots of ups and downs the entire way.

Suddenly, we were at the final turn. Still elbow to elbow with others, we decided to push through and run for a bit, holding hands across the finish line.

So, hey, we didn't run much. But we had a lovely walk through Spokane with some very nice people, on a gorgeous day.

Once we finished, we joined the crowds walking toward the shirt pick-up. We didn't have a lot of time -- we were supposed to be out of our hotel by noon -- but it was pretty efficient.

Yellow. Yellow shirts. Oh well.

2011 finisher shirt

Then we hurried back to the hotel, quickly showered and packed, and were out of the room by 12:05.

Would I run Bloomsday again? Probably not. (Heck, we barely ran it this year! Snort.) But I'm glad to have done this massive event.

Bloomsday medal ... picked up at expo...

Booze Day Marathon

2011-05-01T07:45:00.000-07:00

First things first -- it's not a marathon at all. It's a pub crawl.

Wil and I are in Spokane to run Bloomsday -- one of the great northwest races. I've been wanting to run it for a few years, but we always seemed to have something else going on the first Sunday in May. We got into town early on Saturday, checked in to the fabulous Hotel Lusso, went to the "trade show" (not an expo....) to get our bibs, and then spent the day enjoying Riverfront Park, riding the skyride, and having pizza at the same place we stopped on our first cross-country road trip.

We had been upgraded to a gorgeous suite at the Lusso, so pretty much just planned to get some takeout and hang out in our room for the evening -- resting up for the 12K the next day.

Our suite at the Lusso

But while flipping through the pages of the Inlander, I came across this: "BOOZE DAY MARATHON, a pub crawl that spans six different bars between 5pm and 1:30 am. The premise is simple. Pick up a race packet at the Baby Bar, down a drink and run, stumble, skip or walk -- whatever you're capable of - to the next place."

Booze Day Marathon poster (in the dark...)

Oooooohhhh.

Sure we didn't have absurd costumes to wear, but it seemed too GMP to resist.

So we presented ourselves at the Baby Bar (essentially the back room of Neato Burrito), registered, picked up our numbers (157 and 158), and had our first drink of the evening.

The "special cocktail" at the Baby Bar is a greyhound -- but a greyhound like no other. (At least like none I've ever had!). The slice up a couple of pink grapefruit, squeeze them into your glass, and add a splash of vodka and some ice. Amazing.

Greyhound in the dark at the Baby Bar

Dempsey's was a lot bigger, a lot quieter, and a lot friendlier. Their signature drink was a Jell-O shooter. In a syringe. For a dollar. Really hard to say no to that. I mean, when was the last time you had a Jell-O shot? Lots of chatter there about coming back for the drag show at 10. But I was pretty sure we would be in our jimjams by then. After all, it was only about 6:30 by this point.

Jello-O shooter. In a syringe. For a buck.

Next stop: Far West Billiards. A very cool hangout, with a bunch of pool tables, good range of beers, and interesting cocktails. We had the daily featured drink, something called a Ginza Strip. Maybe. It was a sake cosmopolitan, I'm told. It tasted pretty strong... but I always think sake does. The sun had come out and was pouring in through the windows so we lingered there a little bit.

Ginza Strip at Far West Billiards

But not too long, as we had to walk the longest stretch of the night -- 6 blocks, I think! -- to Irv's. Officially the 6th spot on the tour (not that you had to go in order, mind you, as it was only our 4th), the crowd was pretty boisterous, loudly cheering everyone who came in with their numbers on. We had screwdrivers, played pinball, and admired the "hook-up cards" -- aka, Irv's business cards with space for a name, a phone number, and a note on the back. I mean, in the post-smoking world, it's not like they're gonna have matchbooks, right? Clever.

Screwdrivers and flirt cards at Irv's

Then across the street to the A-Club. Up a skinny and very long flight of stairs into... well, a completely unexpected space. It seemed to be broken up into a couple of different rooms. One big room had a band playing. (At 7:30. On a Sunday. Awesome!). Another room had another stage and two bars. The place was full of 20-something metalheads, some lounging on couches. It was also really, really noisy. Which, of course, is exactly how you want a rock club to be. Full disclosure here: we didn't have a drink here. It wasn't really our scene last night. Oh, and the line at the bar was insane.

Then back downstairs and a few doors down to Mootsy's, which felt a bit like home. Friendly, casual, perfect. Their special was a Jack and Coke, so we got a pair of those, took some stools by the windows, and watched others come and go.

Jack and Coke's at Mootsy's

As we were getting ready to leave, we bumped in to the guys we chatted with at Baby Bar and ended up talking about politics and the royal wedding. It brought the drinking to a nice end. And it was only 8:15...

We then headed to Neato Burrito, where we turned in our cards, collected our very stylish t-shirts (again, nice to have finisher shirts!), and bought two absolutely amazing Thai tofu burritos to go. A few minutes later we were seated in front of our fireplace watching Mythbusters and eating burritos. A fantastic Saturday night.

the making of an AWESOME burrito!

Booze Day Marathon finisher's shirt

Now... on to Bloomsday!

Race Day Toes

2011-04-30T21:39:00.000-07:00

Okay, I have ugly feet. But I painted my toes with lilac polish for Bloomsday!

Tinker Bell 1/2 Marathon Map

2011-04-22T06:04:00.000-07:00

at least it's a different course...

yeah, okay, I'm a sucker....

2011-04-21T21:01:00.000-07:00

But how could I resist?
1. She's wearing Brooks shoes
2. It's on the west coast
3. The medal won't be shaped like a 5

belated Thursday report

2011-04-08T22:51:00.000-07:00

Got home from work on Thursday and rushed out -- on our bikes. At first I felt a bit bad about forgoing a run for a bike ride... until the wind conspired to make my ride harder than I was prepared for.

Part of it, of course, is that I really haven't ridden a bike since last summer. And I've never been much of a cyclist. But hoo boy, that wind was strong coming off the water. I felt like I needed to crank really hard just to keep from being blown backward. And it doesn't help that I'm pretty much a giant sail on my cruiser.

Made it to Golden Gardens as the sun went behind a cloud, where it stayed for 15 minutes until we got cold and turned for home. And then by the time we got home it was glorious again. Oh well.

So no run on Thursday, but a workout nonetheless. I'm taking it. That's 4 in a row...

tentative treadmill

2011-04-05T18:15:00.000-07:00

Got home and couldn't bring myself to run in the blustery wind. But I still changed into my absurd spangly tights and a race shirt, and headed to the basement to run on the treadmill. Nothing fancy, just 5 minutes of warmup, then 5:1 intervals, speeding up as I went along. And then a 5-minute cooldown. Simple. And it was okay.

I also tested out the vibrating interval timer. Which really wasn't strong enough. I don't usually run with music anymore, anyway, so maybe I don't need to worry about my watch beeping. I have been told that the timer's alarm is Very Loud, so I'll try that next.

The thing that I won't want to jinx is this; it was my third straight workout. Now, I don't know the last time I strung together TWO workouts, let alone three. (Possibly the back-to-back half marathons in November?!?) And I know that three is a long way from being back on track. But it's a start. A good start.

Galloway...

2011-04-03T22:02:00.000-07:00

So I went to Bellevue this evening to hear Jeff Galloway speak. I was a little nervous beforehand, not knowing what to expect. I read his "Marathon" book when we first started running and we followed his training plan for a while (though found the Penguin more our style.)

There were 50 or so people there, Jeff was compelling and friendly, and people asked good questions. Of course, I didn't get around to asking about motivation... I think most people there were motivated, whether they were running their 10th marathon or just starting a C25K program.

A few things I thought were helpful:
• Jeff talks about the "lizard brain" - which just protects us, and tries to get us to stop when it feels under stress - and the "human brain" - which can override the lizard brain if needed. Running causes stress, so the lizard brain sends messages that tell us to slow down, that it's too hard, etc. So we need to consciously override it with our human brain. Or something.
• He pointed out that, as children, we're told we are failures if we take a walk break. We keep thinking that after growing up, so people feel bad about walking. When it really just causes less stress on the body.
• We were given free rein to eat sugar during our long runs. "Sugar cubes, gummy bears, hard candy. Simple sugar to feed your brain." A former Olympian just told me that sugar feeds my brain. Woot!

Then the new program director (coordinator?) of the "Seattle" program got up and talked about her belief in the Galloway method... even though she just started running 4 weeks ago. But she was enthusiastic and friendly. Still, it sounds as if most of the runs will be on the east side -- not very Seattle, really! -- so it's probably not the group for me.

Afterwards I bought Galloway's latest book, called "Mental Training for Runners: How to Stay Motivated" -- because it seemed a bit serendipitous. We chatted while he signed it ("Stay Positive, Sunny!") but he refused to divulge the location/theme/anything, really about the new secret Disney race. He did say that "it's in a new location". Wil guessed that it will be a cruise marathon, like the Penguin's. Who knows.

Anyway, I'm looking forward to reading the book; hopefully I will be inspired!

ran today

2011-04-03T11:37:00.001-07:00

Woke up this morning and decided to run. It helped that we had slept well, but also that we just got out of bed and into our running shoes. We decided just to go out to the lookout -- but of course I took off a little too fast for what is, essentially, the first run of the season. Still, even a short run is better than no run. So that's my mantra for the next couple of weeks.

Jeff Galloway is going to be speaking tonight in Bellevue; I've decided to go. Not that I need to be convinced about the run/walk method! I would, however, appreciate a little extra motivation. I signed up for his email newsletter and was sent an article on motivation. Nice. My favorite quote:

Regularity is important

While it is possible to miss several workouts and still survive the race, most exercisers who try this drop out of the program. The longer you wait to return to exercise, the more negative messages you receive, which can keep you from getting out there. If this is your problem, put “regularity” at the top of your list of commitments. Hint: On the “bad” days, just get out for 10 minutes.

So, clearly, regularity is what I need.

recommit... how?

2011-04-02T20:21:00.000-07:00

You’ve heard it from me before… “it’s a new month, so I’m going to focus and get back on track.”

But have I? Nope. Not for a long time. Heck, it’s been a month since I last blogged. I don’t know why, but I just can’t seem to get back on track.

Part of me has this silly idea that my lack of running is tangentially related to my new job. Insane, right? I mean, I’m working at a running company, surrounded by runners, in a place so run-friendly that it’s both acceptable to take a break in the middle of the day to go for a run AND to attend meetings in your sweaty workout gear.

However, I feel intimidated by my peers. They are faster and fitter than I am, and I know many of them don’t consider me a runner. I overheard a colleague – a very fast guy – say, “NO, Oprah didn’t RUN a marathon. She COMPLETED a marathon.” Given that Ms. O was almost an hour faster than ME, I wonder if I even “completed” mine? And sometimes we talk about “fitness runners” in uncomprehending tones. “Some people are happy just getting in their 15 miles a week.” Umm, okay…

I live in some fear that I will find myself forced to run with my colleagues one day. My colleagues who are MUCH FASTER than I am.

Perhaps I should point something out here. Other than Wil, I have only ever run with one other person: Lindsay. I’ve never run with anyone else I actually know. Sure, I’ve run lots of races surrounded by strangers. I’ve even chatted with people throughout races. But with two exceptions, I haven’t run with friends. Why? I guess I worry that they’ll see how slow, ungainly, awkward I am as I galumph along. I worry they’ll laugh at my jiggly bits. I worry I won’t be able to keep up. I worry that I can’t run anymore. I worry that they’ll think less of me.

Now, the rational me knows that’s all stupid. But even as I type that, I hear myself say “but a lot of it is true. I am jiggly. I am slow. I often can’t keep up with people.”

Obviously I have a lot tied up in this.

I look back over this blog and over my running scrapbook, and I marvel at how far I have come. Not that many years ago I pooh-poohed the idea of running a marathon. Now I’ve run three. (BTW, the evil voice just said “COMPLETED” in a nasty, sarcastic tone…) I’ve run 14 half marathons and a few 5 and 10Ks. I keep adding to my running charm bracelet with glee – and it gives me such pleasure to look at it an think back about the races, the accomplishments.

But still… what happened.

On Thursday I ran in Boston – not far, not quickly, and I got lost enough that I had to stop to look at the map pretty often. But it was still good to run a little.

I saw a blog the other day called B’s Fit Journey. The woman had mentioned her shoes so I tweeted about her blog. Her blog was really moving, really inspirational. She lays it out there – she posts photos of her progress, which seems so brave, so audacious. You’ll note, of course, that I am not posting photos. :)

I also read a bunch of race reports from the WDW Princess Marathon… and a lot of them mentioned meeting up with people for the first time – people they’d met on discussion boards. It made me feel wistful and miss the community of runners. Not that the Disney Running community is right for me anymore, but it was nie reading the discussions and “meeting” other runners. Of course, when we were at the races I was too shy to talk to anyone! (Dork!)

Sometimes I think about it C25K program. What if I started it again? What if I really could stick with a program?

I need motivation. Obviously events aren’t enough! (See my Mardi Gras race report!)

I’m about to write a survey for work – “why do you run?” – which will contain questions about what motivates runners. So hopefully I’ll find something to motivate me!

Rock 'n' Roll Mardi Gras Half Marathon Race Report

2011-03-03T21:36:00.000-08:00

Up early, had our bagels, and then walked the mile or so to the starting area. I always love the walk to the start of a big event -- seeing the other runners, in ones and twos, all heading the same direction. Most people are quiet, but a few groups are chatty. Some are in singlets and split shorts, others in full sweats. Everyone has a mixture of determination and nerves on their face -- even if they're trying to hide it.

The morning was crisp and cool - but as the sun rose, it was a gorgeous, perfect blue sky. Later when we were in the corrals, John Bingham called it a "no-excuses day". Lovely and cool, no wind, no rain. Gorgeous.

This was my first opportunity to check our the Brooks VIP Porta Potty -- boy oh boy, how awesome is it to have clean, fresh toilets with lines of, say, 4 or 6 people rather than hold-your-breath stinky porta potties with 40 people in line in front of you?

The Brooks Gurus (including Carlos, above) and many local running store folks staffed the area, offering coffee or Gatorade along with GU Chomp "appetizers" and mints. Very nice -- very Run Happy!

At one point the attendant for the men's toilet asked the line of 8 or 9 men if "anyone just needed number one", telling those folks they could just go in. I looked at the men who remained in line and thought, "Hmm... I feel I know too much about these men."

We chatted with the gurus and the HQ team, nibbled on Chomps, and did a bit of stretching. Then it was time to go to the corrals.

First we went to the front -- spotting Scott Jurek and the 3:30 pace group, resplendent in their Brite Green "I ran with Scott Jurek" Podium Ts. We cheered them off, and then headed back to our corral -- 17 out of 21 -- and climbed the barricade to get in. One overly bright (or overly shadowy?) image later, we started to move up towards the start line.

When we got to the start line, there was a strange pause. Not sure why, but it felt as if we had a lot of time to chat with the Penguin. I wanted to say "We're going on a cruise with you in Alaska!" but then felt like a dork.

And then we were off, into the perfect morning. The first part of the race was a bit "industrial" -- we spent a couple of miles running past warehouses and along train lines. Not super scenic. One of the few things I remember was a band playing "Summer of '69"... and two women chatting:

"Summer of '69" ... that's Bryan Adams, right?"
"Honey, it's a cover band."

We then turned and ran through part of the Garden District -- first running along Prytania, then hairpin turning on to St. Charles. The houses were gorgeous, the roads were broad and flat, and it was beautiful... except that I kept watching my feet because the pavements were a bit broken up.

I haven't said much about the actual RUNNING yet... So far, things were going okay. We were running our usual 5:1s, running at our usual pace, and my knee wasn't hurting too much. The stretch along St. Charles (which makes me think alternately about Anne Rice and "Princess and the Frog"...) was long and pretty shady (and of course very pretty), so it wasn't until we made the turns to go under the big overpass around mile 8 that I thought, "Well, this is starting to suck."

But we carried on. It was a little sad to see the nearly deserted "relay exchange area" -- what had once clearly been full of runners was now a holding pen for only a couple of dozen, all worrying that their relay partner had dropped out, or something.

We approached the French Quarter, running along Decatur past places we had wandered around the day before. One huge highlight: a man with a megaphone calling out runners. Two women in crazy matching mardi gras jester outfits were running along in front of us, and the megaphone guy deadpanned, "Oh, man, how embarassing that both of you showed up in the same outfit." Awesome!

A tiny bit farther along and we came to the other HUGE highlight -- the Brooks Running Dude straddling the course. Gorgeous! Love the Dude! (and the other dude in the picture, of course!)

At the 10-mile point we turned onto Esplanade for a straight shot to the park. I had been getting slower and slower, so when we hit 10 I decided that I needed to walk. The rest of the way. Weirdly enough, we had kept up a fast(ish) pace for the first 10 miles, so if we had even done a little running we would have hit close to our normal time range. But we didn't.

Esplanade is another pretty, shady street lined with big, gorgeous houses. We passed Degas's house, for example. Some cute cafes. And a water stop manned by Hash House Harriers... all wearing red "dresses". Awesome. Every time I see the HHHs I think that I need to find a slow and happy group near here.

As we made our way towards the park, we started watching the full marathoners -- who were still 10 miles from their finish. I didn't envy them AT ALL. But interesting to hear "coaching" in a pace group.

Finally, we entered the park. Again, it was thrilling to be so close to the end. I pitied the full marathoners who still had NINE MILES to go. Yikes! We started running -- especially after someone near us asked a Team in Training coach how far we were from the finish, and he said "it's just on the other side of that building... plus maybe a couple of hundred yards."

Bliss! joy! We started running, passing a surprising number of people, and then grabbed hands and ran across the finish line. Wil got a shout out (lucky!) but other than that I don't remember much.

There was plenty of food and snacks (as usual), though we both thought how much more organized the post-race food at the NYC Marathon was. "Here's your bag." Boom, boom, boom. We ate fruit cups and bagels, had our first Snickers Marathon bar (which tastes just like every other "energy bar", I'm afraid), and chugged down some water.

One of the local bands was playing on the big stage, and there was a nice vibe, but we decided that we would just head back the few miles to the hotel. (Bowling for Soup? Nah.) So we walked back along the course -- down Esplanade, where we whooped and cheered for the remaining runners, telling them that they were less than a mile from the finish, etc. We turned to walk through the French Quarter and decided that we should stop in for a Hurricane at Pat O'Brien's. It wasn't very crowded on the patio yet -- after all, it was before 11am -- but most of the people there were in their running gear, wearing their medals. We had that lovely "Ooh, congratulations!" exchange with several groups of folks, which is always wonderful. I do love the community of runners.

Looking back, it was a fun race. I wasn't anywhere near trained enough, however, and the hurty knee didn't help. So, yes, it was a new PW (other than the self-imposed walking half marathon at Disney World the year we did the Goofy Challenge). But the course was pretty, we saw way more of New Orleans than we would otherwise have done, and it meant we had a great, relaxing remaining week of vacation. So while I plan on running more (running at all... ahem...) before my next half, I still feel good about the Rock 'n' Roll Mardi Gras Half Marathon.

We somehow missed taking a photo of ourselves with our medals, but we did take one of our cocktails...

Result: 2:47:22
Rock 'n' Roll Mardi Gras Half Marathon 2011 Map

New Orleans...

2011-02-12T07:09:00.000-08:00

Arrived last night just as the sun was setting -- it's one of those places where it gets really dark, really fast after the sun goes down...

Checked in to our home for the next four nights -- the St. Louis Hotel, in the French Quarter. They're renovating the main lobby, and the temporary reservations desk felt a Very Temporary, but the staff was friendly and we were taken up to our room on the back side of the hotel, away from the gorgeous, candle-lit atrium (hosting noisy events Friday and Saturday night), so that we would have a quieter room.

Room 222 was nice enough -- though I wasn't too thrilled about the "smoking area" immediately outside our window... Until we noticed "it". You know how those big HVAC units in hotel rooms are always noisy? Our room had this percussive rattle -- one I could feel in my chest more than hear, if that makes sense. Well, I thought the rattle was coming from it. Until Wil tried to turn it off. And I realized that the noise was coming from the ceiling... that the light fixture was rattling. As was the picture on the wall. And the lamp on the table.

We walked around and into the courtyard outside our window... and noticed that lucky room 222 was located immediately underneath a massive ventilator -- probably the one for the entire hotel. Wow. We just looked at each other and Wil started packing up. I called the front desk, said that "gosh, we seem to be under a really noisy ventilation system and the whole room is vibrating."

Somehow, I think I'm not the first person to complain about 222... they asked if we minded stairs (nope), and told us that someone would meet us outside room 327 -- "Go out into the courtyard, up the stairs, and along the landing." Five minutes later we were in 327 -- and were amazed at the difference in noise levels. Sure, we could hear the occasional horn from the street (though we were still facing inward), but this room is otherwise nearly silent. What a relief.

(I should quickly point out that the staff was friendly and gracious and didn't push back at all -- and the location is great. And did I mention the gorgeous atrium? Amazing...)

We unpacked, got settled, and then headed out to wander the French Quarter. We drank hurricanes (umm, is it just Kool-Aid and rum?), ate catfish po' boys (don't judge), listened to some jazz, and generally meandered.

This morning we're heading out to the expo and then for some low-key sightseeing. (Natchez steamboat, here we come!) I managed to hyper-extend my left knee on the uneven cobbles last night (BEFORE drinking the hurricane, I should point out!) so work up with a swollen knee... hoping that will feel better by tomorrow :)

Reasons to be Cheerful Part (One, Two,) Three

2011-02-05T13:27:00.000-08:00

A freakishly productive Friday launched me into a dizzying good mood... and reminded me that I have THREE reasons to be cheerful and excited about running.

1.

Bloomsday Run, May 1, Spokane, Washington.
The Bloomsday Run is a northwest classic -- the largest run in the region with 50,000+ runners every year. And we've never run it... in previous years we've been out of town, running a different event, or just not fully aware. So this year, the 35th anniversary, I am determined to run it. One of the coolest things about the race is that they have finisher shirts. Not shirts you pick up when you register, or at the start line... but FINISHER shirts. If you see someone wearing a Bloomsday shirt, it means they've finished it. Respect.

2.

Bay to Breakers, May 15, San Francisco, California.
Bay to Breakers is a historic 12K race that runs from San Francisco Bay, up and over the hills, and down to the Pacific Ocean. This year is the 100th running of the race, so the perfect time to run. Historically it's a rollicking party, with costumed runners (including a large contingent of runners in, em, birthday suits...), people pushing elaborate floats, 50,000+ official runners, and general, good-natured mayhem. The organizers are trying very hard to "clean things up this year" -- so we'll see how that goes for them. I still think it will be a very, very fun time.

3.

Great Alaska Maritime Marathon, July 23-30, ms Westerdam
Heard about this running cruise last year, but chose to go to Beck and Steve's wedding instead. So as soon as registration opened for 2011, we signed up. Over the course of the week-long cruise, participants run 26.2 miles, running several different sorts of races over different distances. There's a 2-mile deck run while we're at sea to establish our paces. Then in each port, we run a different distance. I'm absurdly excited about this -- hope I can stay healthy for the whole event!

So, there. Lots of fun things to look forward to. :)

Preparing for a Potential PW

2011-02-03T20:41:00.000-08:00

I don't mean to sound negative... or to angle for pity... but I realized a few hours ago that I've got a half marathon in a week and a half and I'm totally not prepared.

Well, okay, I'm mentally prepared for it... by which I mean that I know that I will be able to finish, that there will be laughs along the way, that we'll take some funny pictures, that I'll get bored around mile 12, that we'll get a sparkly medal, and that the vacation will start in earnest 5 minutes after we cross the finish line. There will be points along the course where I struggle -- but in the end it will be fine.

I'm just not physically prepared for it. With only a handful of exceptions, I haven't run since the back-to-back races in November. NOVEMBER! This is my longest "running drought" since I started running. And I don't know why.

I feel as if I've lost my groove, a bit. Again, I don't know why. I just haven't felt like running very much. And -- like a lot of things I feel anxiety about at various times -- the "problem" gets bigger and bigger. I can't just lace up and go for a run around the block -- I must go for a proper run -- but that seems overwhelming. Actually firing up the treadmill downstairs feels like a huge task... and a huge victory when I do it. No, I don't know why.

I've felt underprepared for races before... but looking back over my running logs this is the most unprepared I have ever been.

So... on this first day of the Chinese New Year, this year of the rabbit, I'm going to try and get back on track... a little. No, I'm not going to try to "cram" some preparation in before the race. That's completely counter-productive. A half marathon isn't that sort of test. But I'm going to try and resolve to cut myself some slack, to focus on the fun of running a race again, and to pick things up afterwards. If I get a PW -- that's Potential Worst, btw -- I'll chalk it up to experience. If I run within my usual 5-minute range, I'll be ecstatic. And when we get back from our road trip, I'll start running again. No big deal... just neighborhood runs for a while. It will be fine.

Kung hei fat choy!

2010 wrap-up

2010-12-31T21:56:00.001-08:00

What a strange year. I went from working at a job I hated (and a boss who was evil incarnate) to working for a company I love. I went from running 500 miles and a couple of races to running 450 miles and 10 races. Weird!

This year should have been a high mileage year -- between the two marathons and the nine half marathons, you'd think I would have run lots of miles. But somehow I didn't -- despite all the events, I actually ran fewer miles this year than last year. Of course, the fact that I didn't run A STEP between the Seattle half on 11/28 and the end of the year certainly helped that...

That said, it was a great year. I enjoyed the races I ran -- even the soaking wet "Scenic" half in Sand Point. And we survived a Goofy Challenge. (In fact, we've been feeling a little bit mopey that we're not on our way to Florida in a week or so!)

So 2011....

I would like to run at least 500 miles this year. I would also like to keep running half marathons -- get a few more states under my shoes. I know we'll run a half in Alaska, but perhaps also Louisiana, Montana, Nevada... and??? Then, of course, there's the "fun" goal. I want to run fun races -- Bloomsday, Bay to Breakers, BBFR... just to remember the fun of running.

'

Seattle Half Marathon Report, 11-28-10

2010-12-13T22:17:00.000-08:00

Wasn't sure what to expect from the Seattle Half Marathon -- would I see anyone I knew? Would the weather hold? Would I finish at all? But I had a little breakfast and drove to lower Queen Anne in the dark. Got lucky -- found street parking just a couple of blocks from the Seattle Center, and walked towards the start.

Of course, upon getting out of the car I realized the following: 1. I had forgotten my sunglasses, 2. I had forgotten my rain shell. Oh well. So much for being prepared...

Got to the starting line with only 15 minutes to spare -- kinda awesome -- just in time to hear the national anthem sung and watch the marathon walkers head out. It was difficult to hear because one of the speakers cut out, but after the walkers left, a bunch of us climbed over the barriers and into the starting chute. The start was on 5th, at a point where there's a big foliage median, so most people just stuck on the near side. That seemed silly, so I and a handful of others climbed carefully through the bushes and onto the opposite side of the street. There I lounged in relative comfort, peeling off layers of "disposable" warm clothing and watching people on the other side crammed together. Very, very weird.

A few minutes more and a different patriotic song was sung for good measure, and the gun fired. Guess it's time to start running... Moved forward, started my watch, and took off down 5th Avenue.

The road was surprisingly uncrowded -- in part because people hadn't really spread out the width of the road -- and completely devoid of spectators. EMPTY. It was eerie -- felt a bit like a low-budget horror film, with everyone running down a city street away from some monster.

We ran up to the crest of 5th and then down down down through the International District and on to the I-90 bus lanes. Right before the lane something really odd happened. About 50 feet ahead of me a man suddenly fell. He got up, shaken, and kept running. The minute he was up, someone else fell in almost the same spot. Again, she recovered, got up, and then another person fell. It was if a poltergeist was sitting there tripping people. Kinda funny... even if I did approach the area thinking "Oh, please, don't pick on me..."

Ran out and into the dreaded tunnel -- much more pleasant without a shrieking band playing, I must admit. Or maybe just more pleasant because it happened to be the beginning of the race, rather than the end!

At the end of the tunnel we halfers turned down the windy little path and onto Lake Washington Boulevard, while the fullers ran an out and back on the bridge, and then an out and back around Seward Park. I liked the pleasant run along the boulevard, noticing that the big portable storage pods had blossomed into water stops. It was also nice to run along the same route for a while -- made me feel good and confident for a few miles.

After Leschi we continued on, passing the Ghost turnaround and starting to head up the hill. Just after the sharp turn up Galer (oof. hill.), some charming ladies were handing out tiny Dixie cups of beer. Who am I to turn down a sip of simple carbohydrates? Was surprised to find that the beer actually tasted good. Or maybe I was just relieved after too many cups of Gatorade...

Another turn, another hill -- this one Madison. I felt strangely turned around -- not realizing until we had headed back down and into Madison Valley where we were. We turned into the Arboretum for the pleasantest stretch of the course -- lovely winding streets, glorious trees, and autumn leaves.

It was about this point that I first ran into "the mom". The first thing I noticed was her "Ironman Idaho Finisher" shirt. Hey, you finish an Ironman, you should wear the gear. Heck, wear your freakin' medal. I'm all over it. Then I noticed that she was running with a little girl... like, 10? She was also running with a teenage boy. At first I was totally impressed -- the little girl was still running strong. But we spent the next mile or so near each other and I heard them talking. I don't want to badmouth anyone's parenting skills, etc. etc., but wow. I guess everyone has seen or heard of stage moms, and overzealous parents in the bleachers at little league games, so why does it surprise me that the same thing exists in running? But hearing a child say "Oh, mile 9, that means we still have 4 to go...", and having the mom reply, "Just stop thinking about it. It's not that far, and we're not going fast." I hope the little girl continues to want to run and to enjoy running despite it all.

Anyway, was relieved to leave them behind and continue on. Again, the course was fantastic -- all autumn leaves and quiet. Then suddenly we popped out the other side and ran toward a the Roanoke freeway overpass.

I started to feel pretty beat at this point. Not exhausted, but pretty close to empty. It was strange to see the Space Needle so far away still. But I plodded along, noting with pleasure that those concrete sound barriers next to the freeway work remarkably well...

Then down under the freeway again, past the former site of the leaning townhouse (anyone else remember that?) and then back across I-5 again. That suddenly made it feel as if we were almost done, so I got a spring in my step again. We turned down toward the Center, and over onto Mercer for that last down and up underpass. Lots of honking cars, which was nice. (Finally some support!) Then another couple of blocks up Mercer and over into the stadium. Fun to finish on the field turf. I suddenly realized I had been pretty much coasting for the last mile and decided to try to finish a little stronger -- clearly I had left something in the tank. Finished in 2:42:21 -- not my slowest, but one of my slowest. Still, it was faster than my time for the Ghost, so I'd achieved the basic goal.

After crossing the line I got my medal (very pretty brushed silvery thing), gave up my timing anklet (weird!), and picked up a space blanket from a pile. Wasn't quite sure where to go next -- but joined the zombie throng heading toward the exhibition hall. Out of the corner of my eye I saw some bottles of water, so went over and grabbed one, figuring that the rest of the water would be in the much touted "recovery area".

Made my way into the crowded, noisy hall, and felt immediately overwhelmed. Lots of people, lots of lines, but no apparent food or drink. No, that's not true -- I saw some fruit cups surrounded by a throng. Weird. Part of the problem was that the food and drink were in the same building as the reunion area -- making it nearly impossible to navigate. I considered joining a line in case it led to a bagel or a banana, but then realized I was a 5-minute walk from the car and a 10-minute drive from home. So I wove through the crowd and out the door and was soon home.

Overall the race was nice, though I missed the crowds of NYC and the music of RnR. But the course was pretty, the hills were manageable, and the scene in general was laid back. But the finish line was chaotic, the post-race food and water situation was a nightmare, and I doubt I'll run it again. Still, my main goal was to finish a double and move up to 4 Moon status in the Half Fanatics. Result!

Marathon Course Map

Seattle Ghost Half Marathon Race Report, 11-27-10

2010-12-01T22:38:00.000-08:00

We had that snow just before Thanksgiving, and it wasn't really until Thursday afternoon when our street felt safe enough to drive on... so I had been wondering if I would be able to get to my races -- let alone complete them. But on Friday night I laid out my running gear, set an alarm, and decided to stop worrying.

My race plan was simple -- meet a few of my fellow fanatics, finish the race, and save my legs for Sunday.

Arrived in the area at about 7:35 for an 8am start. Since it was bitterly cold, I decided to just wait in my car. At about 7:45 I headed across the street to the park and joined the queue of folks checking in -- and registering. Got my number -- 22 -- and said how nice it was to race my age. Snort.

We huddled around for a while -- chatting with other runners, a few fanatics, and eyeing the posse of maniacs, many (most?) of whom had already run two marathons in two days and were hungry for more. I think we had about 200 - 250 folks at the start.

The race director (Chuck? Scott?) explained the course -- and the turnaround at the far end, and then we were off. I settled in with a group of people who were moving about my pace, slow and steady. We were quite bunched up, but the path was pretty wide and even so it wasn't any trouble. We ran down to Seward Park and then around the edge before heading back toward the start line. At some point on the way to the park a man pushing a double-wide running stroller sped past us. I overheard a woman near me say "Well, that's sure a slice of humble pie!" and we all laughed.

Then the course pretty much followed the lake all the way -- moving up the hill and back down to Leschi, of course. There was an aid station at mile 9 (?) near Leschi, which had great treats. Who doesn't love pretzels and gummi bears in the middle of a run?

I had been feeling pretty good at this point -- running my standard 5:1s, walking the two small hills, and otherwise just humming along. The morning was cold but otherwise okay -- in fact, I started the race wearing a warm vest but left it back at the start when we passed through. I had passed a few people on the way out, most notably a group of teenagers who showed up that morning with their dads, sure that if their dads could run a marathon, they could knock one out too. Awesome!

Got to the turnaround and forced myself to follow my race plan -- even though it made my ego a little sad. It was hard to let people run past me -- not that I'm competitive, really, but I sorta wanted to say "I'm saving my legs for tomorrow!" Which is absurd, because people pass me all the time. ;)

But the sky had brightened, I had good tunes on my iPod, so I just enjoyed a brisk walk back to the starting line.... almost.

See, when I got about half a mile from the finish, I saw the group of teenagers, strung out in a straggly line heading in. I had passed them early on in the race, but they must have passed me at some point during my walk (though I didn't see them). Somehow I had caught back up with them, and it was clear that they were hurting. (And also apparent that they would be doing the half instead of the full...). I decided to test my legs a bit, and started to run again. And ended up reeling them in one at a time. So absurdly satisfying... even if it was a bit childish. (That said, when they came close to being "chicked" by three women wearing tutus, the boys sprinted in as best they could as well...)

After the race a few of us stood around chatting and nibbling on crackers and treats at the finish line... until we were told that the REAL post-race food was up in the parking lot. A very impressive spread -- chicken noodle soup, vegetarian chili, hot dogs, sodas, juice, beer, and plenty of other treats. But I knew I had a lunch date with Wil so I had a soda, some pretzels, and headed home.

The Ghost was fun -- and if I was looking for a supported run around that time of year, I'd choose it over the Seattle Half... a race with 250 folks is just so much more civilized! (Even if I did occasionally worry if I would come in last...) I do wish that there had been shirts, or medals, but the race helps the RD with a charitable donation, so I'm all for that.

Completing the Ghost marked my 8th half marathon of the year -- bumping me up from one moon to two in my fanatics standings... so far, so good!

The double -- yes, I know what you're thinking...

2010-11-30T22:15:00.000-08:00

So I got a little nutty. A couple of months ago on the Half Fanatics bulletin board someone posted the a message with the headline "THANKSGIVING WEEKEND QUAD IN SEATTLE!!!"

It was like a car wreck -- I couldn't NOT read it. And then start daydreaming about it. Four half marathons in four days? Insane! But interesting!

Fortunately, probably, the race director of the third race decided not to offer a half marathon option (despite being a loop course...) -- so I put it from my mind.

But I did keep thinking about doing a double: the Ghost of Seattle on Saturday, and the Seattle Half on Sunday.

Would I be ready to run 13.1 3 weeks after the NYC Marathon? And another 13.1 the day after that? I wasn't sure. So I printed out the application for the Ghost, and filled out the application for the Seattle Half, and pondered.

We came home from NYC and I felt okay within a few days... so I decided to just go for it. Why not?

Registered on the last possible day for the Seattle Half... the day after I sent in my check for the Ghost. Crazy...

Thanksgiving

2010-11-25T20:28:00.000-08:00

Snowstorm on Monday -- and the resulting 4+ hour commute -- made me extra glad for the snow day on Tuesday... and hesitant to drive into the office on Wednesday. More snow Wednesday night meant I wasn't super keen on braving the roads for our family get together for Thanksgiving / Charley's birthday. Instead, we hunkered down, watched Glee, and had a little feast of our own. Very cozy.

Busy weekend coming up -- the Ghost of Seattle Half on Saturday morning, and the Seattle Half on Sunday. These races are really just aimed at checking boxes -- the Ghost will be my 8th half marathon of the year, which would earn me my second moon. But if I finish both races, I'll be promoted to 4 moons. Not fast, just quietly moving along. Weather permitting, of course...

NYC Marathon Race Report

2010-11-16T22:17:00.000-08:00

We had unfortunately been assigned to the "Green" course.... which meant that we didn't get to run across the top of the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge... you know, the famous picture of the masses of runners streaming across it? Well, we were on the lower deck. Bummer.

So we started the race with the biggest hill of the race -- up up up to the apex of the big bridge. I remembered sailing under it on the QE2 years ago, so I knew how high it must have been. As it was just past the start, things were pretty crowded so we just kept moving. The wind at that altitude was very strong, too -- making the bridge the single coldest point of the race. We may have actually been better off on the lower deck... then again, we didn't have the sunshine.

But soon we were on the downhill slope, and saying farewell to Staten Island... how nice to get one borough completed so quickly! On into Brooklyn, where we ran on an expressway for a while, before winding our way up to 4th avenue. The whole way we were greeted by cheering crowds, but 4th avenue was special. Tons of kids -- which led to lots and lots of high-fiving -- and plenty of music and dancing. By this point I was warm and loose and feeling surprisingly good for not having run a step in 4 weeks.

At one point we met up with a woman called Lizzie, visiting from Ireland to run her tenth NYC Marathon. We chatted with her for a while and she asked if she could run with us because she wanted to finish in 5:30. Of course, we had no idea what we were planning on -- and apparently at that point were well ahead of a 5:30 pace -- so we went our separate ways. On we went, at one point passing a band that looked suspiciously like Blues Traveler (who were also playing a show that night). But who knows?

I will say that, while there were lots of bands along the route, there weren't nearly as many as along a Rock 'n' Roll marathon route. Then again, there were exponentially more fans, so what's more important?

Finally, at mile 8 all three courses blended and we ran as one. Again, felt really good here. We were passing people and being passed, but for the most part moving slightly faster than the people around us. We turned on Lafayette and passed several houses with parties and barbecues in their front yards. It was clear that people treated the race as a huge rolling block party -- as an event to be celebrated rather than an annoyance to be tolerated. Well, until we turned into Williamsburg, a traditionally Hasidic neighborhood that has requested that the race be routed around them. So it was pretty quiet through there -- though we did see a couple of young mothers with their children sitting on stoops, smiling shyly.

Then a couple more turns and we were headed to the Pulaski bridge, crossing into Queens. We had spent much of Brooklyn running near the Blues Brothers, and stopped to snap photos of them (and they of us) as we crossed the bridge with the gorgeous Manhattan skyline in the distance. We crossed the halfway point in 2:36, a completely acceptable half marathon time for us, and I still felt remarkably good.

To be frank, I don't have a lot of memories of Queens, good or bad. I seem to recall passing streets lined with shops (rather than residential streets), but perhaps that was actually in Brooklyn. Who knows?!? I also remember sighting "TNT Elvis" -- a guy who raises money for Team in Training and runs in an Elvis jumpsuit. (Duh, right? What else would TNT Elvis wear?) The nicest touch is that the sequins are all purple and green. Sweet. We just kept running and running, and suddenly headed onto the Queensboro bridge. Three boroughs down, two to go.

Queensboro was a steep hill up as well -- we weren't the only ones who decided just to walk the whole way up. (It's always a bit amusing to pass people "running" while you're walking up a hill.) I laughed because it reminded me of scenes from Grand Theft Auto 3 Liberty City. Except the police weren't chasing us. Which is a good thing, because it would have been difficult to elude them.

We came down the super-steep bridge ramp and hit Manhattan for the first time. A roar came off the crowd, someone shouted "Welcome to Manhattan! Three down, two to go!" and we all whooped. One woman -- a short but broad woman built a tiny bit like Sponge Bob -- who we had been with since Brooklyn (seriously), with "Moskie" or something like that on her shirt, snarled, "Yeah, but it's not First Avenue yet."

Okay, another hundred feet or so and we turned on to First Avenue. (Happy now, Moskie?)

I had always been told that running down First Avenue in Manhattan is a huge thrill -- that the screaming crowds are 6 or 7 deep for blocks and blocks. But I figured that while that might be true for the frontrunners -- or even the medium runners -- that it wouldn't be true for us slow but steady types. Boy, was I wrong. The wall of sound that came off the people was amazing -- people packed up against the barricades on both sides of the street, just shouting and cheering. It completely perked me up.
That said, First Avenue stretched on and on and on...but at least it felt mainly like a long, slow downhill slide to the Bronx.

Everyone had always said that the Bronx was the hardest part -- not because of the terrain, or the roads, but just the placement of the course. You leave Manhattan and cross into the Bronx just before mile 20, and cross back into Manhattan just before mile 21. Mile 20 is, for many runners, The Wall. The NYRR had done well -- placing a gel stop around mile 17 or 18 so that everyone got some fuel to help them "smash the wall". And the Bronx had done extremely well, calling themselves "the Boogie-Down Bronx" and having what seemed like more music and dancers along their mile than along any other spot. I barely remember the Bronx -- other than seeing the dancers, doing the hand motions to some song as we headed out of the borough, and of course seeing my new favorite race sign:

YOUR FEET HURT BECAUSE U R KICKING SO MUCH ASS

We crossed back into Manhattan in Harlem -- and were greeted by gospel choirs, lots of friendly faces, and little old ladies handing out paper towels. I think it all caught up to me right around this point. I nearly tripped over one of those cord-cover things... which made me realize I wasn't picking up my feet at all. That said, I knew that with under 5 miles to go, I would finish, so it wasn't as if I was worried... I was just tired.

A few turns to skirt a park and we started heading up 5th Avenue. My fatigue had really hit me at this point. And the crowds were certainly thinner as we approached the park. And did I mention that it's essentially one long hill? I had slowly reduced our pace from our standard 5:1s to 3:1s and now 2:1s... but by the time we hit the last few blocks before the park I was pretty much just walking. Again, I was tired, but I knew I would finish, so I was okay. Not sure if that makes sense... but it's how I felt.

We turned in to Central Park near the reservoir and ran on the downhills and walked on the uphills. Wil was awesome, as usual, and kept me moving -- and smiling -- the whole way. We passed the 40 km marker... and shortly thereafter the 25 mile marker, and felt buoyed by them. Not buoyed enough to run, mind you, but happy.

We left the park for the little stretch along Central Park South and headed past some real troopers -- I mean, those people just have been there for hours. We also were joined by a man wearing a Spider-Man outfit at this point, oddly enough.

Then the turn at Columbus Circle and back into the park. Usually at the end of a race you see the "13 mile" or the "26 mile" mark and, no matter how bad you feel, you can pick yourself up for a "sprint" to the finish. I always think back to the guy at my first triathlon -- a sub-elite so much faster than me that he was returning from his bike leg before I even got on my bike... and was packing up when I was going out for my run. He looked at me and said, "Leave nothing in the tank" -- which Wil and I always say to each other as we hold hands and run across the line.

In New York, however, the 26 mile marker came on a curve -- and the finish line was invisible. While I tried to do the math in my exhausted head ("Point two of a mile... how long is that?!?") I couldn't make myself run. I think the tank was pretty much empty. But a few more steps and we could see the finish line -- three chutes wide. I grabbed Wil's hand and ran as fast as my tired legs could carry me. (Not very fast.)

I remember bursting into tears -- happy tears, but tears -- and hugging and kissing Wil. I also remember the volunteer with the medals beckoning us to come to him, and handing Wil a medal to place on me, and then handing me one to place on Wil. Very sweet. (This makes me tear up even now...)

Then I remember space blankets -- glorious mylar heat sheets -- which we all tied on in a variety of styles. Then we were handed bags of food -- none of this picking slowly through boxes of bagels. Nope -- here's your bag of food, now move along. Perfectly efficient!

We had to trudge a very long way, and people were moving very very slowly. It was also getting cold very quickly.

See, between the time change and the late start, one of my goals (besides just finishing) was to finish before sunset. We managed that, but it took us so long to get out of the park, that by the time we emerged into the street it was dark and very cold.

One really nice post-race story -- Wil overheard a man ask a woman if he could borrow her phone. She hesitated and then said no... but then felt bad and explained that it's because she was from New Zealand, and it was one thing to pay international roaming to call her mom, but another to give the phone to a stranger. Wil volunteered his phone, and the man made a quick call. We asked him how his race went, and he said he'd been a bit slower than he had hoped -- and that he had gotten separated from his girlfriend, but that they had made arrangements to meet and he was just confirming.

We told him congratulations, and he said something about we didn't know how appropriate that was. We hesitated -- was he a heart-transplant-recipient? An amputee? A cancer survivor? He saw our hesitation and said, "Oh, well, I was hoping to finish with my girlfriend and propose at the finish line." Awww. We wished him all the best, and went our separate ways.

On the way back to the apartment we passed some young Brits, who said, "How are you walking normally?!?" Ah, practice. Just practice.

We went home, had showers, and headed out for our well-earned massages. Fantastic day!

When I think about the race I'll always remember the sound of the crowd, the amazing numbers of cups at the giant water stops, running in a huge group, and the feeling that you were in a city that LOVED the marathon. I don't expect to run the race again-- heck, I don't expect to run another full marathon! -- but I am thrilled to have run what has to be one of the world's greatest races.

For posterity (or as least as long as the link is live...), here's the course map of the 2011 NYC Marathon.

NYC Marathon Pre-Race Report

2010-11-15T19:58:00.000-08:00

So my training hadn't been optimal, and my "taper" had been more of a "drop", but after all the hustle it took to get bibs for the race -- including raising over $3000 with a lot of help from my friends! -- I wasn't going to skip the race.

We got into town on Friday at 5 -- and realized that if we hustled we could get to the expo before it shut at 8 and get our numbers, shirts, etc. Expo was very different than any others I had ever visited -- huge, sprawling place, with lots of large exhibitors and very few "little guys". Or maybe we just didn't see the little guys? Big pretty Brooks shop -- nice! Also interesting to compare and contrast what Asics (the official sponsor) and Nike did. Asics had all the official gear, of course, but I wasn't that impressed. Nike had all the "bandit" gear that said "NYC 26.2" -- sneaky! We checked in at the Nike+ counter, and were given special NYC 26.2 sportbands (minus the sensor). Very cool. Oh, also at expo we got the very good news that we didn't have to be at the ferry terminal until 7:30 and 7:45 -- much more sensible than 5:30 and 5:45!

We spent way too long on our feet on Saturday, but still managed to get to bed early. And with the time change (and the ferry change) we didn't have to get up until 6am, so it wasn't too hard to get moving. We got up, got dressed, put breakfast in a bag and headed to the subway. Funny to get on board a train and see a lot of people dressed like you. :) We were, of course, layered up with our disposable warm clothes -- and astounded by the people who were in shorts and singlets. Really? I mean, really?

We chatted with a very friendly guy named Eddie, who was astounded by the marathon and wished us good luck. We had to leave the subway and take a shuttle bus for the last few stations -- a bus crammed with runners. Awesome.

Then into the Staten Island Ferry terminal, where we crowded in to a busy departure hall. No one checked our "assignments" -- it was clear that they just wanted to get people onto boats as quickly as possible. After about 15 minutes, a ferry arrived -- and we all filed onto it. Wil and I headed up to the upper deck -- glorious in the bright sunshine -- and settled in to enjoy our cruise. I was amazed at how long it took to get to Staten Island... and humbled at the realization that we would be running all the way back and then some!

Upon landing at Staten Island, we took our time getting off the boat (no sense in queuing up!), and were welcomed by a throng of volunteers. We stopped to take a couple of pictures of the Manhattan skyline in the distance.

Gulp. That's sure a long way away...

Then onto buses that took us the last few miles to Fort Wadsworth. We seemed to arrive at just the right time -- in a gap between buses -- which meant that we got off the bus to discover a line of clean, empty porta potties. There was a strange pause -- what were those strange, line-free things? -- and then we all headed over to them. Within minutes other buses arrived and long lines formed. Clearly, the marathon gods were on our side.

We then moved to the "Race Village" entrance... and faced lines of security guards and then armed soldiers all shouting "SHOW ME YOUR NUMBER!". That gauntlet cleared, things were easier. We walked and walked until we found our Green village... and realized that a lot of people had still been told to be on the ferry at 5:30. Yikes.

Wil got some coffee and we found a quiet spot to have a rest. We had over an hour before our corrals opened, so we just ate our breakfasts and relaxed. It was cold but the sun was shining and the day was bright. Perfect!

We decided to move to a more central location in the village 15 minutes before our corrals opened -- just in time to see the male elites and wave 1 start. It was amazing to hear a roar and suddenly see people appearing on the bridge. We whooped and waved ... and then laughed at the men stopping to pee on the bridge.

Soon after, our corrals opened... and the second wave moved into the starting pen. They left, we moved into the pens, and tried to avoid twisting an ankle on the piles of discarded clothing. I had the same surreal feeling I often do before races -- was this really happening? Was I about to start running a MARATHON? To be honest, part of me still worries that I've just dreamt all of this, and that I'm going to wake up and face race morning again! But we were waved forward into the starting chute, and with a cannon shot, we were on our way.

2010-11-08T05:12:00.000-08:00

...and done!

2010-11-06T13:27:00.001-07:00

Trance tagged and ready to go!