A Brazen good time...new years eve half

My boyfriend was going out of town, my mom is in so cal as are many of my friends and although I could travel I have TONS of papers to grade and kittens to hang out with.  I was browsing through active.com and saw a new years eve race and thought, why not?  I don't have anything else going on and I need to get in 15.  But, I haven't been on the trails in a while (other than hiking) so I was a little nervous as to how my legs/knees would deal with the climbing.

The start

Joe heading out on the paved trail

I woke up at 6 to get my act together and take my boyfriend and a few friends to the airport.  Since the race was real close to the airport I went directly to the race location where I had about an hour to warm-up, use the restroom, and freeze my butt off.  I waited patiently for some familiar faces to arrive and as I waited I figured out that I needed to pick up my timing chip (thank goodness I was being observant).  I guess I was a little too prepared for how much time I had.

Jason and some fellow FOMOs on the trail

After a mile warm-up with friends I realized I needed to decide on my final race outfit.  I was freezing so I played it safe with ear warmers, arm warmers, and leggings.  I don't think I ever actually warmed up either since I wore them almost the whole race.

Aron, Kim and I getting started

We started lining up and then the horn sounded.  I planned on starting with my friends Kim and Aron and so I did.  I enjoyed chatting with them for the first four miles as we winded through the small rollers and around the lake.  Then into mile 4 there is this huge hill and not only is it huge, but steep and difficult.  I was trying not to walk, although I figured I would eventually have to, so I pushed myself running up the first portion of the hill, then I walked for a little while, and then pushed again.  Although I did walk I was proud of how much I managed to run and that I limited myself to only very steep portions.  After the initial massive hill I ran the rest of the way, YAY!

Almost finished

I had gotten a bit ahead of my friends so I decided to push on because I was still freezing cold.  I Made it through some pretty tough and harsh downhills shortly after I reached the top.  These downhills wound through a very shady and green area with sticky mud that reminded me of my favorite trails in Skyline. I was worried about my knees with all the downhill so I tried to just let my body go on the downhill since I figured holding back might do more damage (downhill running is really something I've been working on).  I made it around the whole lake and over some steep rolling hills without stopping and down to the finish line.  Yay!  I finished my first official trail race at 2:06:25 5th in my age group after 1,629 ft of climbing.  After a wonderful morning run I was done freezing and headed home to enjoy a big guilt free breakfast.

If you ever have the opportunity to run a Brazen race I would highly recommend it, I really enjoyed myself and the scenery.
Happy New Year everyone!

Surviving 2011...the last workout

This year has been quite an adventure for me.  I don't tend to make resolutions, but I usually try to set some goals, and although I grew exponentially as an athlete I did have some failures along the way.  So here is the review:

Goal #1: A half marathon PR: The Surf City half marathon
Although I did not plan on trying to PR at this race I was putting in my speed sessions.  Then somehow my more relaxed outlook on this race helped me to successfully crank out a huge time for me...1:41:57

Goal#2: (this is actually 2 in one)An olympic triathlon: Wildflower
Ever since I was in college I always admired the wildflower athlete.  I made it through the difficult course and even managed to slide in right below the 3 hour mark.

Goal #3: A more focused approach to my training
Before this year I really just ran, swam or cycled.  I never really followed a training plan even though I did use training plans to guide me.  I have to say I didn't exactly succeed at this one.  There are many weeks where I pushed myself a lot further than my training plan asked of me and many weeks where I just didn't feel like doing anything and couldn't push myself through.  Not to mention California International Triathlon, Folsom Sprint, and Nike half came after bouts of laziness and 30th birthday parties.  I also strayed away from my training plan for CIM and ended up injured.  I think this also means I need to take my off season seriously no matter how tempting a race may be.

Goal #4: Marathon #2 going sub 4: CIM
I had to pull out of this event after I developed patellar tendonitis, I was bummed, depressed, and annoyed, but I'll be back to tackle this goal in 2012 and maybe at CIM again some year soon.

Goal #5: Improve my lessons and teaching strategies
I really love teaching, but sometimes I feel as though I am falling short.  I took some classes this summer and I reevaluated some of my past lessons to modify and adjust.  I feel as though I started strong at the beginning, faltered, then started strong at the start of a new year, and leveled out going again into the new school year.  This is a reoccurring goal of mine, so hopefully what I was disappointed with this year I'll manage to fix in 2012.

So I finished off the year with an awesome trail half marathon (my first one)!  I enjoyed every minute of it and I'm thinking this may need to be a New Years Eve tradition.  Race report soon to come

Of course now comes my goals for 2012:
Goal #1: Going sub 4 this time at the Napa Marathon, I'm being very careful with my training this time and really hoping my hard work will get me through

Goal #2: Wildflower: I would like to get faster, but I know the elements were really in my favor next year so along with staying sub 3 hours I'd like to make a point of running the whole run course

Goal #3: The half Ironman: I signed up for Vineman and my goal is just to finish

Goal #4: A more focused approach to my training: I've learned from my injury so I'm planning on being better about this

Goal #5: A half marathon PR: I'm thinking sub 1:40, I don't know what course, or when, but I really want this.  It may mean losing a few lbs., but I'm working at this.

Goal #6: Trail Running!  Ms. Kim Cooke got me into trail running this summer and now I really want to push myself to trail more often and in more places

Goal #7: Push myself harder: this is more mental than physical, but it does need work.

Personal Goals:
Goal #8: Improve my lessons and teaching strategies: always ongoing

Goal #9: Positive attitude: I can be real negative and maybe even a b#*$?! at times, I've gotten better at this, but I still can use some work

Goal #10: Lay off the cupcakes: I need to focus more on my health in terms of nutrition this year.  I eat pretty healthy, but I tend to indulge when the opportunity presents itself.  My focus is balance.

Happy New Year everyone!  Here I come 2012!

Events on my calendar:
Waterfront 10 miler
Napa Marathon
Oakland Half Marathon
Wildflower Olympic
Vineman 70.3 Half Ironman

Mi Familia...Napa 2 weeks down 10 to go...

This week is always a tough week to get my act together.  I have the whole week off work so I really have to push myself to get outside in the cold, not to mention everything that will make me sluggish on a run is out in the open and ready for me to indulge in.  However, I managed to get through and enjoy some family festivities and last minute shopping along the way

Monday: Epic fail at the gym
So I tried to get in a zumba class, but it got cancelled and then I tried to swim, but my arms were heavy and just not feeling it, so I settled for a lame workout that I hoped would make my legs a little peppy to tempo the next day.  Then I was off to finish my shopping and avoid foods that wouldn't agree with me while in tempo.

Tuesday: 2x2 miles
I got up at 7a.m. (yes this is sleeping in) to head out the door and hit the trail.  I got in a 2 mile warm-up and then jumped into my tempo intervals.  I made it through the first interval with a 7:35 and a 7:26 mile then on to my second interval which my legs were agonizing over (guess avoiding crap didn't work so well for me).  I pushed myself to do the second set, but this went a little slower (especially the uphill 2nd mile) 7:30, 7:46.  Then I headed off to Bikram yoga to try and stretch it all out, hoping my legs would not give out since my balance is so awful.

Wednesday: Bikram and Hike
I met up with Laney and Andrea for a 8:30a.m. Bikram session.  I faired better today since my legs weren't entirely fatigued.  After I was stretched out I met up with Laney, one of her clients, and a few of her client's co-workers to go for a hike along the Mt. Diablo ridge.  I'm sure you know how much I LOVE Mt. Diablo, despite it trying to kill me occasionally, plus, lately the weather has been brisk but sunny which is oh so awesome (I like rain but it really limits my activities).  After lots of talk, laughs, and about 4 or 5 miles we came back to the cars and headed our separate ways.  Sometimes I think walking is harder than running because my legs were stiff after this.

Thursday: 16 mile run
I needed to go pick up my students to head out to SF and look at prom venues, but I also knew I needed to fit in 16 miles before 11a.m.  I layered up and headed out, hoping to negative split along the way.  Usually this is my track day, but since I was unsure as to when I would be back I cancelled track and switched my days.  My legs felt awful, again, but I pushed through managing to negative split for most of the run (I was out of gas the last 3 miles).  Laney joined me for a few which helped me push toward my goal pace.  Then off to the city where we looked at some awesome venues!  The kids were still making their final decision, but it is already seeming pretty awesome!

Friday: Rest day
I had plans to get up and do something, but my body just wouldn't let me.  I was exhausted, sore, and wanted just another hour.  I wanted to head out to my grandparents so I opted to rest.  Then I spent the evening catching up with my mom and grandparents, and enjoying MENUDO, one of the wonderful holiday traditions!

Saturday: 8x800
I had a few interval options, so I opted for this one.  Very determined I headed to grandpa's treadmill and cranked out my intervals.  I started by a 2 mile warm-up and then the 8 went something like this 3:48, 3:43, 3:42, 3:36, 3:34, 3:34, 3:32, 3:26.  Then I was off to eat grandma's fantastic tamales, rice, beans, and of course potato salad!  The food was great, the family was even better.  We enjoyed all the great food while playing Lotaria (mexican bingo) and apples to apples.  I tried to get the right margarita ratio for everyone and I helped my mom experiment in creating chocolate martinis.  I ate so much and so many desserts.  We opened up presents my family is oh so generous, thank you everyone for everything, especially my North Face Jacket!  I was deeply depressed over losing my old one.


Sunday: Rest
Although I wanted to do something today I was just too excited for more food, more presents, and more family.  Although we usually do movies on Christmas day I headed out too early to partake and went to visit Nick's family and enjoy his mother's fantastic Prime Rib.  If you can't tell I indulged quite a bit this week.


I made it to 31 miles this week running now on to week #3
HAPPY HOLIDAYS EVERYONE!!!


Next Event: Brazen New Years Eve trail half marathon

Napa week 1...building without breaking

After the injury that was CIM and four weeks rest I reevaluated my training plans for this year.  Originally I planned on trying to PR at the Oakland half marathon because it would give me plenty of recovery time after CIM, but with no CIM I really wanted to put my miles to use.  I decided to jump on the Napa bandwagon with many forward motion friends and runners.  So I came up with a 12 week plan to Napa and this marked week one.
Day 1: Monday
I decided to revamp my training to 3 quality days a week unless I felt great so today was a swim/cycle day.  I decided to get my heart rate up and get a quality short set in so I started with a nice warm-up of (200+25x4 DIP)x2 followed by 50x12 w/ evens easy and odds hard.  Although I only ended up with 1250 yds. I felt pretty good.  Then I headed to do some abs, leg lifts, and finally spin.  I felt twinges of pain and the Dr. told me to build slowly so I called it quits after 42 minutes and then vigorously rolled and stretched and headed home.

Day 2: Tuesday
I needed to get a tempo in which means 5a.m. work-outs to get to work on time.  My friend Scott and my headlamp joined me for a 1.5 warm-up followed by 1.5x3 w/ a half mile slow recovery on the iron horse trail @tempo pace.  It was cold, but I made it through my first tempo run of this cycle.

I was not so sure that I should run lululemon after a tough 7 miles in the morning, but I did and the planned route was a bit much in terms of concrete so I rerouted and ran a sluggish 4 miles

Day 3: Wednesday
Rest: I had planned on bootcamp in the morning or yoga in the evening, but I bailed on both.  I felt sore and figured I would take a impromptu day off.

Day 4: Thursday
I moved my track session to 6p.m. and headed out early to get in a long warm-up (2 miles) and to stretch out my knee before a long set.  The run was 3x2000 w/ a 3 minute recovery which I called a real slow 400.  My splits were 8:56, 8:54, 9:01.  After my 6.6 miles I headed to finish getting my T.A.s Christmas gifts together and go to bed.

Day 5: Friday
I planned on getting up early for weights, but I've had a hard time getting up in the morning lately with winter break starting today so I grabbed my bathing suit in hopes I would push myself to the gym later. I DID!  2200yds later, followed by abs and leg lifts I was off to the first x-mas party of the weekend.

Day 6: Saturday
I met up with Scott to get 13-15 miles in.  This is my longest run since before CIM and I had a couple drinks the night before.  I actually felt great until about mile 10 where the two drinks and all the junk food I've eaten started hating me.  I made it through 12 before stomach cramps got the best of me.  I'm glad I made it to the double digits, but bummed I wasn't feeling so well.

Day 7: Sunday
I meant to get in some workout today besides running, but I had little to no energy and although I woke up at 8 I went back to sleep around 10 and didn't get up until 1.  I guess my body needed some more rest this week.  Since I've been trying not to aggravate my leg I decided an extra rest day today was okay.

Despite the extra rest day I feel it was a pretty successful and fun week...now to catch up on grading!  Everyone have a safe, fun, and blessed holiday, I'll be reporting again soon.

Upcoming events: Brazen New Year's Half (My first trail half marathon)
                              Napa Marathon
                              Oakland Half Marathon
                              Wildflower Olympic (I'll be signing up this week)
                              Vineman half ironman

How I'm dealing with the Marathon that never was...

After months of training and making it through every single long run, and every single track workout I woke up with a nasty feeling in my knee.
On day 1 of my injury I was in pain and struggling to walk.  I thought just a rest day or two might do the trick, I just might have some real soreness.
On day 2 I was still having a hard time walking, but I did feel better and was relieved that there was no swelling.
On day 3 of pain I read forum after forum as to what it could be and if it could heal in time for my marathon and as to whether I should consult the Dr. (I am not a huge fan of my Dr. he prescribes pain meds. and has told me in the past to just quit running, I know I should change, but I'm switching my insurance to right now I figured what's the point?).  I narrowed it down to patellar tendonitis or runners knee, both unfortunate overuse injuries common amongst runners.
On day 4 I tried to run, and this is the day where I broke down and cried.  After all my hard work I was starting to realize I might not be able to run this thing.  I immediately called the chiropractor who I trust more than my dr. after the miracle he has performed on my piriformis.
After a few visits, more rest days, a few yoga sessions, and pushing myself into the pool, finally, I felt okay to walk, but I feared running.  Dr. Johnson wanted me to run so I tested it out, but I felt pain and I wasn't going to push it.  The next test run was slow and had a funny feeling to it, not pain, but some sort of weakness.  It was then marathon week and I had to decide what to do.  I sought advice from many friends, but the decision was mine.  So I made it, I did not run CIM.
It is one thing to not be prepared for a race or to pull out because of a conflict, but it is quite another to have to skip an event due to injury.  It was sad to watch it on TV and know I couldn't be there and I did cry a few more times over my knee, but I had to move on.
However, all hope is not lost!  I waited one more week after CIM to get back in action and then I slowly started running again.  I am still not 100%, but I'm hoping I will get there, and after test driving my knee on a few great short runs I decided to take the plunge and sign up for Napa.  Now I know I've read forums that it may never go away or that you really need to take a lot of time off, but so far I've been told to go ahead just gradually get into it, so I'm taking a lower mileage approach to this round.  I'm really trying to be good about icing, stretching, and rolling right now, and I've decided to stay away from the high heels at work for the time being.  I know I can tri to survive through this whole thing I just need a bit of confidence and maybe some rock tape.

Giving Thanks...

I really meant to post this before Thanksgiving, especially since I actually hand wrote out my post ahead of time, but time got the best of me (as well as the high school spam filter) as time always does so here I go.

Sometimes it is just so hard to see the positives when everything seems to be going wrong.  This month has had a whole lot of ups and downs, and I'm not so fond of the downs right before 26.2.  This is why I feel it is important to put it all in perspective and be Thankful
 
1. My Knee has had a major pain issue after my last awesome 20 miler, my training was going fantastic until this set back, but I am thankful for two legs to run on, and for being so healthy (first time I've managed to avoid illness during a training cycle, knock on wood)

2. I couldn't participate in track only a few weeks into having the guts to run my own track session.  Especially the big SWAG "bring a friend" week.
I am thankful for a tri/run club where people help motivate me to run faster and work harder.

3. My check engine light came on!
I am thankful for friends who care to help me fix my car (Meeney) and for having a car that runs and has been reliable for 8 years and then some

4. Progress grades were due in the midst of the other chaos.
I am thankful for a job I enjoy with students I love and even a few I don't.  (Unfortunately there are always a few jerks)

5. Poor Buttercup!  The kittens got spayed/neutered, but Buttercup managed to lick or tear some of her stitches.  The poor girl had to be re-stitched and put on antibiotics.
I am thankful for pets to come home to and that they are still healthy and safe.

Yes...some good came out of the week/month

-I enjoyed hot yoga (bikram) with Laney
I am thankful for therapy beyond running and such a great friend to enjoy it with

-I rode my bike with Nicki
I am thankful for friends to keep me company and safe while on the roads

-I get to/got to see my family for Thanksgiving
 I am always thankful for my fun filled family and food to eat

-I get to visit with old high school friends at my 10 year reunion
I am thankful for a fun filled evening to relax and have a good time with good people (Great job Lauren, Jen, and Matt!)

-I enjoyed some down time with Nick
I am thankful for having a great boyfriend to keep me company and put up with my running tears

I don't quite know what CIM has in store for me, or if I will even be able to run it, but I have a few ideas of what is the back up plan and what is in store for me.

I hope you all had a wonderful and fun filled holiday!

A world of things going on..

So usually I'm pretty good about posting at least once a week, but lately I've fallen off the wagon.  I've been overwhelmed with work, trying to get my miles in and staying in touch with everyone and everything.  I've missed trail running and I haven't been on the bicycle saddle in weeks which used to be unheard of for me.  I even ran a half marathon and never posted a race report, which I hopefully will get to this week.
I do have a lot of positive information to report since my last post:
1. I registered for my first half ironman: I will be doing Vineman this summer and although I am deathly afraid of this event I am also very excited.  My boyfriend, my good training partner and friend Laney, and many other friends will be partaking in this event so hopefully I'll be able to push through my training.  Not to mention Nicki is training for Cour d' Alene so I'll have company on the roads.

2. I've maintained my sanity: Usually at this time of  the year I'm ready to drop kick a 16 year old.  I actually love all my students and am having a great year so far.  I do have a few days I'm just drained, but who doesn't?  Although I'm still praying to the grading gods that my papers will grade themselves

3. I've made it through all my CIM training runs: Although I wanted to get in at least 1 run longer than 20 miles I just ran out of time and energy.  With the company of Laney, Amy, Nick and Gabby I pushed through two 20 milers and then other long runs along the way.  Although I wasn't sure if I would taper starting this week or not, I think a pain in my knee made the decision for me, so taper here I go.

4. I powered through 2 half marathons: I did pretty well at Nike for having 1,100 ft. of climbing.  I averaged 8:10 minute miles despite my walking a short bit and all the climbing.  At Healdsburg I pushed through approx. 400 ft. of climbing to finish with a 1:42:26, or 7:47 pace.  Not a PR (I wasn't really shooting for one), but hopefully I'll pull one off at Oakland half.

5. I've kept up with yoga: I have managed to get in at least 1 to 2 days of bikram yoga or pilates in weekly.  I don't think I was meant to put in some of the miles that marathoning friends of mine do, but this helps me control my piriformis.

LASTLY, I STARTED MY OWN TRACK SESSION!  I'm a HS teacher so I can't do morning track.    The wonderful activities director at a local HS gave me the go ahead for an afternoon track so I went for it.  So Thursday evenings at 5:30 I gear up for track no matter how exhausted I am

Now onward toward CIM...
How have things been going with everyone else the last few months?  Races? PRs?

I run to be...

...fit
...free
...chased
...trendy
...a triathlete
...seen
...a role model
...a rockstar!

There are many reasons why I run, but today I ran to be a finisher at the Nike Women's half marathon.  I've gone the last few years to cheer on my friend Charlene as she ran toward the finish, but I never really thought about running THIS race/run.  Last year I was already running a half marathon the same weekend so running Nike wasn't an option, but this year a friend kindly gave me an extra bib she had won.  Anyway, most women know this race as the one event where firefighters dressed in tuxedos hand you a tiffany's necklace at the finish line, and although I like the necklace, I honestly didn't even know what Tiffany's was until a few years ago, but I had quite a few friends planning on running the event so I was excited to join them.

The festivities started on Friday when Katie, Laney, and I headed to the city to pick up our bibs and check out the wall of names outside of Niketown.  Unfortunately, I registered later than I think they printed this because we failed to find my name, but it was still cool to see.  After we found Katie and Laney's names we headed for dinner and then out of the city anxious for sunday to come.
Now this race is HUGE, thousands of people come from all over the country to run this race, especially runners with Team in Training.  The race benefits leukemia and lymphoma cancer research and gets a great crowd of charitable women and men out.

We headed out at 5:15 in the morning, stopping to pick up one other runner along the way.  After parking, dropping our sweat bags and making a pitstop at the bathroom, where I ran into my friend Nicki (Yay!), I wished her luck and we were off to the insanity that is the start line.  Now Nike is not an easy course by any means there are many hills and many of them are steep (1, 070 ft. of elevation by my garmin), but it does start with a nice gradual downhill at the beginning as you race to dodge as many people as you can (reminds me almost of bay to breakers).

Mile 1: 8:05
I tried to hold back a little because I knew a fast start without a warm-up meant much pain to come.  We came out Union Square and headed down to the water.

Mile 2: 7:42
My legs felt like crap, they were heavy, but I tried to keep up with Laney and still give myself plenty of room to breath.

Mile 3: 7:44
The weather feels great as we cruz across the embarcadero with the first few hills quickly approaching.

Mile 4: 7:46
Made it over the first two bumps and they felt awful, which means the rest is going to be painful (I have trained for hills big time, I just had nothing in my legs)

Mile 5: 7:49
Decided it was time to see if a GU would do the trick, but all the people cheering kept me going and without any piriformis pain I was going try as hard as I could to keep going.

Mile 6: 7:58
GU still not kicking in and here is the big hill up to the bridge.  I'm usually pretty confident on hills, but not today.  Fortunately, I ran into a familiar face when I ran into Amy cruising alongside Crissy Field.

Mile 7: 9:06
Survived with no walking and tried to just get the hills to pull me down

Mile 8: 7:28
I was really feeling awful by now, because my stomach decided I needed a porta potty and my piriformis decided to get pissed off at me.

Mile 9: 9:47
There were walk breaks here, my stomach and legs were killing me, but as people started passing me I knew I needed to push through, all the great cheerleaders got me going again.

Mile 10: 7:47
We started heading toward the park and back downhill.  I'm going to label this mile the Tease mile, because you get to see all the finish line festivities and then you are rerouted back uphill through Golden Gate Park.

Mile 11: 8:28
I pushed through, no pain was going to hold me back I only had 2 more miles to go.  Here I saw Nicki which really pushed me to keep going and make it to the finish.

Mile 12: 8:13
Now a little bit of an up and then down, down, down to the finish line, but not before I grabbed my Ghirardelli Chocolate and headed toward the finish

Mile 13: 7:24
I tried to push hard to the finish giving the last bit of everything in my tank.

The last .14: 7:02
Necklace, banana, bag, protein shake (which I wish was chocolate milk, but I'll take what I can get), and prayers of no GI tract issues (success!)

Despite how awful my legs felt I really enjoyed my time on the course!  My finish came at 1:47:00 which is not my best, but not my worse, but pretty awesome considering the course.  Next, we headed to breakfast at Beach Chalet and finally home after a long traffic filled car ride.  Tonight, I have a date with my trigger point roller, ice, and a cupcake.  Great job all you ladies and gentlemen that were out there today!  Now what do you run to be....?

Happily Ever After...

Watching USA v. England

Training this time of the year has been a bit rough with milestone birthdays, visits to so cal, and enjoying visitors company I'm exhausted!  My last event of this exhausting party season was probably the most exciting and the BEST!  I had the opportunity to see my friend Mary marry her longtime boyfriend Tom.

Beautiful sunset of Greece

Wildflower Fun!

Enjoying company during Marathon training #1

    Although I've had many good times and great people in my life I will never forget my senior year in college when I enjoyed the company of Ms. Mary, Ashley, and Mel as roommates and longtime friends.  Between happy hour at the Cliffs, Mary's M birthday celebration, Wing wednesdays, and OC dates, we were always having a fantastic time!

Flutag

When we were in our early 20s

   Mary was not only a great friend in college, but she has accompanied on a great many adventures, including Greece, where she became an honorary member of my family.  Tommy and Mary joined me at my first olympic triathlon and has supported me through both the Long Beach and Huntington Beach half marathons.  We've had many other adventures and I only wish I lived closer to see the newlyweds more often.

Best wishes to the Bride and Congratulations to the Groom!  I would tell you all about the wedding, but I think the pictures tell the story much better!

Of Course an English teacher has to have Scrabble

On the Guest List

And of course Madlibs

Flower Girls 

Goodbye 27...on to my late 20s...greeting 28

After a bit of a rough week last week I wasn't quite sure how I was feeling about celebrating my birthday.  Fortunately, it ended up being a fantastic day!  I woke up at the crack of dawn to get a short 2 mile warm-up run followed by a weight session in.  I tried to slide by without my students noticing it was my birthday, but this was an epic fail.  I like celebrating birthdays, but with many people having milestone birthday parties and me never being really much into planning my own birthday I figured I woudl just lay low.  But apparently, September 20th is one of the most popular days to be born, and when you share a birthday with someone you always remember their birthday.  One of my ASB students for the class of 2013 shares my birthday with me so my morning was greeted with flowers, cupcakes, and a very cute and funny card.  Of course, they wouldn't leave without making their mark, and by mark I mean all over my boards, which read, "HAPPY BIRTHDAY MS.BYLER- Love class of 2013," and "Ms. Byler you have the best birthday ever- Chevy!"  So of course I was greeted every hour by 30-40 students pleasantly wishing me a very happy birthday and even some old friends stopping by to say "HELLO!"   Later on the Chess Club realized it was my birthday and felt they too needed to leave their signature on my boards.  After a much loved day of work I raced home for a birthday dinner with Nick.
       I was running a little late so luckily I had planned my outfit for the day appropriately for dinner at Prospect in San Francisco.  We headed to BART and eventually to the city to have a fantastic birthday dinner followed by a lazy evening at home so I wasn't too exhausted from work.  The day was filled with birthday text messages and phone calls from loved ones and even some great gifts, especially my "murder button" from Ms. Andie.  Thank you everyone for thinking of me and celebrating my existence.  I have to say 27 has been fun because...
I got my first 1st place medal
I did my first olympic distance triathlon+I survived wildflower
I PRed big time in my half marathon
I tested out new races including surf city, long beach, primos, and big sur
Nick and I won bragging rights over Amy and Ryan probably for the only time in my life during the couples relay
I got to celebrate Nick's 30th Birthday and see the gold cup finals
I became a Cal student and earned A's in both of my summer courses (this is a big deal because I always felt kinda dumb in college)
I made new friends like Nicki and Laney and had a blast hanging out with frequent friends like Mary, Ashley, Melissa, and Aron
I helped my sister buy a bike and nearly killed her on her first few rides
I survived year #4 of my teaching career and had the opportunity to read names at graduation
I started trail running with Kim around Mt. Diablo and then adventured with Amy to the Dirt Dogs

The year to come brings:
Seeing one of my best friends (Mary) say I DO!
My first NIKE half marathon
My second marathon at CIM, hoping to break 4 this time
My first run through wine country at Healdsburg
Hopefully many more training runs and rides with friends
Car shopping...unfortunately the truck is a little high on miles
I'm amped for year 5 in my classroom (although I'm not amped about the grading)
And....we'll see what this year has in store

A bit of a scare...

I've been trying hard not to overtrain and risk injury this marathon cycle.  The last time I tried to run a marathon I developed what is called piriformis syndrome (pain in the butt, literally).  Although I could have developed this issue doing many other things it was still a huge bummer that took me over a year to get under control.  Unfortunately, the issue hasn't completely gone away, but is manageable for the time being.
Anyway, this week I started feeling a pain in my big toe and with so many friends having stress fractures I began to freak out, and of course, instead of turning to the doctor I turn to the internet.  I figured the pain might just be tendinitis since I've had it before, plus many people said a stress fracture in your big toe is not likely.  Finally, 3 days later I gave in with the fear that I may be making matters worse and that I would have to contact a few race directors and increase my cycling miles if I did have one.
Today I walked into the Dr.'s office, and he didn't even ask for x-rays, he moved my toe around and said it seems like a joint or tendon issue.  I breathed a huge sigh of relief and felt so glad that I don't have to bail on the upcoming events I have planned.  I'm thinking next week might have more cycling days than running days just to be on the safe side, but I'm glad I'm in the clear so far.

Back to the Grind

I haven't really managed to write much because the school year has officially begun, heck, it is already 2 going on 3 weeks deep.  Transitioning to a new group of students is always difficult and often leaves me with nightmares.  However, after 6 years of in school experience (4 of them teaching in my own classroom) I actually transitioned fairly well into this school year and I don't recall the same night terrors of years past.  I'm onto my fifth year as a high school teacher and working my way through memorizing 180 names and praying that 39 students is going to be my largest class.  Although I'm never a fan of work in general I do enjoy my job, plus there is always something new and interesting happening, even if I'm not too happy with what qualifies as "interesting."

This is the first year I've really planned my training so that it starts around the beginning of the school year.  Usually, I plan races for a bit later because exhaustion overwhelms me the first couple weeks as I get back into the routine of talking and walking all day, which is probably why I've had a few more rest days lately than I would normally have.  I am 12 weeks away from CIM and right now I've been sticking around 30 miles a week, but I'll be growing my milege and hopefully increasing my crosstraining in the next couple of weeks as my energy returns.

Oh and one more thing has been taking up my time...2 new kittens!

A Sensitive Subject...

CHAFING!!! This has been an ongoing problem of mine even before I entered the world of endurance athletics.  I tried out a variety of clothing brands thinking, "Maybe, something else will work."  Unfortunately, the problem was not the clothes, but the BODY.  However, in the last couple years I've found some wonderful solutions.
First of all, clothing could be the problem, it wasn't for me, but some clothes are more abrasive or may have a corner that isn't so friendly.  Make sure nothing is rubbing you the wrong way for shorter workouts, i.e. if you can go 6-8 miles running or last through an hour cardio class and you don't feel like screaming when you hit the shower then you probably are just fine in the clothes department.

Secondly, if you only have minor issues then this product should do the job.  Body Glide comes in a variety of options (i.e. w/spf, for her) and slides on just like deodorant.  Although I love Body Glide it just wasn't doing the job for some areas, especially my feet.

I learned about Chamois butt'r when I first started cycling.  This product is known for reducing discomfort in your nether regions.  However, I've found it to work much better for my feet and bra line than other products.  Although, I love Chamois butt'r this is not the only product of its kind and not the only one I use.  Other brands include:
Beljum Budder: This is similar to Chamois and does the job just as well

Some brands are women specific and since they cost a bit more I haven't tried them, but these include: Ho ha Ride Glide and Dznuts bliss.

Unfortunately, when it comes down to the Marathon or the wetsuit swim I have to turn to another product.  TRI SLIDE!  This product is not a cream, but a spray and has helped me avoid many uncomfortable situations.  I usually use this product for my feet and areas where my wetsuit might rub only!  Sometimes I even think about using this in my high heels for a long day or night on my feet.

Often my pre-race routine involves a combination of all 3, but I'll do anything to stay post-race pain free!

This week in training...

Last weekend started with the Folsom Sprint Triathlon where what I thought was going to be the race from hell actually ended up being a pretty good time with some pretty awful race photos.   After an early morning at Folsom Nick and I rested up and packed up to head down to southern California.






Sunday: I planned to get a long run in before we left, but that was an epic fail, I was just too tired.  Oh well, I needed a rest day anyway!  Instead we took our time traveling by stopping in San Luis Obispo and hitting up Firestone and Splash Cafe, thinking about how much everything has changed since college.





Monday: I knew I planned on getting 7 in today so I got up and headed out on the beach.  I have always loved running on the beach, but today my legs weren't too happy about it, probably seeking revenge from last week.  Plus, no garmin, so 8 horrible miles later I was finally finished and relieved.  Then we headed off to Laguna to enjoy the sun and check out the rooftop lounge.

Tuesday: Nick and I headed to Catalina and since I didn't have the motivation to wake up before I had to I decided this would be a rest day.  I haven't been to Catalina since high school and we got lucky with perfect weather.

Wednesday: My mom wanted me to try out her Zumba class and I had to get 6 miles of intervals in so Nick and I headed to the gym for some treadmill intervals (2x800, 2x400, 4x200) and then I shook my butt for an hour (oh to be a fly on those walls).  Then we visited the Aquarium of the Pacific and met up with our friends Mary and Tom for a late evening happy hour later on.



Thursday: We headed home, much faster than on the way down, and despite my exhaustion I headed out for a 5 mile very easy run, finishing at sports basement for the Walnut Festival Run registration party.

Friday: My friend Kim asked me to join her for 14 miles of Mt. Diablo trails.  Unfortunately,  the morning wasn't treating me so well.  My  car battery was dead, but luckily Kim's husband picked me up and took me to the start.  I felt real great for a while and after 7 miles we headed on the summit trail.  I walked some of the steeper hills and got a bit ahead of the other ladies so I missed the turn off.  Kim caught me, but since I had to add a 1.25 mile home after the run I ended up with 17.6 miles of running and 2,446 feet of climbing.  My long run was supposed to be 10 this week, needless to say I was walking slow the rest of the day.

Saturday: Both Nick and his roommate got sick Friday and didn't feel any better on Saturday.  I woke up early and headed out solo to volunteer for Tri for Fun #3.  Once I made it home I was stiff and exhausted.  I planned on riding a bit, but ended up just being a lazy bum occasionally running errands for the sicklys.

Sunday: My friend Laney and I met up for a ride and I was relieved she wanted to start at 9 so I could try and sleep a bit.  We met down the street and headed out to Moraga.  We had a great 33 miler on my favorite route and now my legs can retire until tomorrow.

My week ended with:
Run: ~37
Swim: none: just didn't have time
Bike: 33
Other Crosstrain: 1 hour Zumba

Need a new 5/10k PR?

Come on down to Walnut Creek on Sunday, September 11th and help support the schools of the WC.  A few friends of mine are working hard to put on the annual Walnut Festival Run for Education.     Although this is a great PR race, it is also open to joggers and walkers who just want to get out there and take part in this fun event.  We will have entertainment, vendors, and of course a very supportive group of volunteers out to cheer YOU on!

If you are familiar with Walnut Creek this is the course profile. Very flat and very fast, and rumor has it a certain local sports store might be doing a trial run on the course during their tuesday night run.  Last year this was my first REAL 5k, by real I mean I was actually racing.  I was so excited with my time and I managed to walk away with 1st place in my age group, which was a huge surprise!

Although I have not tested the waters of the 10k, the course does the same loop as the 5k and then repeats the course one more time to cross the finish line.

If you're looking for a race/run/event to put on your calendar this is really worth checking out, plus, your registration fees are low and go toward a great cause-->EDUCATION!

For more information and details please check out the website  WALNUT FESTIVAL RUN

HAPPY RUNNING!

Sprinting into 2nd...

I had really put my legs through a lot this week between 11 miles of trails on monday followed by a swim, 33 miles cycling on tuesday, track, and then finals for my 2 summer courses this week to top it off.  I had planned on going to Folsom triathlon as a spectator to watch my boyfriend tackle his first official triathlon.  However, a friend ended up having a free entry up for grabs so I decided to race and just have fun with it.

Nick and I loaded up the car and headed for Folsom.  I already wasn't so sure about the swim since I knew this would be much colder than what I was used to, so I kept focusing on the fact it was only half the distance.  I set up my transition area, headed out for a warm-up run and stuffed myself into my wetsuit.

The Swim: So I decided to go sleeveless to cut down on transition time and sure enough I did.  Although my swim was atrocious, as usual, I did get the fastest T1 out of the whole lot of women!  This was the most aggressive swim I've done, I had to dodge kicks from every direction, praying my goggles wouldn't get knocked off.  Although I may have some bruises in the morning and managed to get hydrated on the swim I finished with a 16:49.

The Ride: I headed out confident that if I'm going to catch anyone I need to do it here, this is my sport (well at least out of the three).  Unfortunately, I would also to have to overcome my bad luck of flat tires in order to make it to the run.  I decided early on that a flat tire would mean DNF this time.  Fortunately, this didn't happen, I made it around all the turns and past the debris without a flat tire or crashing, but there were quite a few close calls.  I dismounted the bike with overwhelming excitement which I would later find out was a 43:09 ride.

Now my T2 was not as great as T1, it was faster, but I'm a little nervous about unstrapping my tri shoes while riding is a little nerve racking for me.  So I took the extra 20 seconds to take off my shoes and slide on my Zoots.

I had hardly anything in my legs by now, but I just kept saying, "3.1 miles is not that far, you can do it, you won't die."  Although I was in pain I started to notice there weren't very few women on the course.  I ran into Nick on my way out, gave him a big high 5 as he headed toward the finish and I conquered the  very warm run course.  I have to say the trail running is paying off, because I made it up and over the hills, around the turn around, and past a few girls out on the course.  I cheered all the women I did pass on, "Great job, way to go!"  I even cheered on the few female athletes in front of me and of course the FOMO crowd.  I used the last bit of energy I had to sprint toward the finish...End time 1:25:14

After all was said and done, I secured 2nd place and 10th in my gender, Woohoo!!!  Turns out Nick and our friend Eric made it to the podium as well, so we all collected our victory wine bottles and headed home!