Running through downtown Oakland...half marathon #10 #

2 years ago I decide to take my chances at the first annual Oakland half marathon and today I challenged the city once again.  Back in August, my friends and I passed around an uber deal of a discount code for the Oakland half marathon.  At the time I thought I'd try to PR not realizing that I'd take my chances with the Napa Marathon just 3 weeks prior to this race.

I decided going into this marathon I would take it as steady as I could and try not to injure myself.  I thought a 1:45 was realistic since I ran most of my marathon at 8 minute pace, but I wasn't really thinking too hard about it.  Success!  I ran a 1:45 chip time, which is not a PR, but around what I thought I'd do, and I managed to end up with NO STOMACH PROBLEMS, which is the biggest success I've had with ANY race.

Now when people think of Oakland they don't usually have too many positive thoughts, but I actually think Oakland is a pretty awesome city!  Unfortunately, I was not able to enjoy the course too much because I was having some major achilles issues/pain, but I still made it to the finish line.

This is how it all broke down:

Mile 1: I started off slow, but a little speedy since we headed downhill for the first mile.  I planned to run with my friends Kristin and Amy, but this proved to be an epic FAIL by mile 2 or 3 when we all got separated in the crowd with the twists and turns.
I managed an 8:14 for the first mile as we winded past the Paramount Theater

Mile 2: We made some more twists and turns through Oakland heading into what seems like a Chinatown district.  The course was pretty flat here, but I tried to stay as close to the corners as possible.
8:02

Mile 3: This is where I tried to slow down and find my friends, but sadly I'd lost them so I headed on trying maintain a steady pace 7:55

Mile 4: So many spectators out to cheer us on!!! We reached the first water station and since I was feeling pretty good I ventured on with no H20 break.  However, this is where my time got a bit off, we headed through a tunnel where my garmin lost signal which explains the 7:28 mile.

Mile 5: This is where the trouble with my achilles began, and I contemplated a DNF, but managed to push to the end.  This is also where we encountered the Raider fans decked out in their black and silver, greeting us with high-5s. 8:01

Mile 6: With the pain in my leg and the scenery becoming very industrial I started to stop paying attention to the sights and start focusing on finishing.  I kept looking around for friends, or maybe even a way to cut back to the start, but no luck.  7:55

Mile 7: Half way through this mile we met up with the Marathoners, this was uplifting, because whatever pain I was facing they were hitting their rough and tough 18 mile mark.  8:09

Mile 8: This is where I ran into a few familiar faces.  Apparently I wasn't the only one struggling to the finish.  I had a few friends having some aches and pains of their own, but we cheered each other on and kept pushing toward the finish.  I finally took in some water and I'm pretty sure this is the mile with the fire cave, by the fire arts building which is always a cool sight to see.  8:11

Mile 9: From this mile I could see the sights of Lake Merritt.  We winded back through down town passing the HUGE Amtrak station and headed toward our last miles around the lake.  We headed over a little bump of a hill passing the beautiful civic auditorium. 8:11

Mile 10: Yay! only 3 more to go.  I was really struggling with my achilles by now, but I knew I only had to make it around the lake and I would be home free.  I was feeling pretty good in terms of nutrition so I kept pushing on toward the lake with the final few twists and turns of the course.  7:52

Mile 11: We had to climb a tiny hill here, but I was pushing a bit harder since the park was just across the water.  Although I don't want to swim in Lake Merritt anytime soon, being by the water has some kind of serenity to it, but maybe that is because my favorite races are close to the ocean.  8:05

Mile 12: The countdown continues as I push toward the finish.  I started to pick up the pace a bit more passing the rowing club and other scenery surrounding the lake. 7:47

Mile 13: We wound past Lake Chalet, and since we had done a shake out run the day before around the lake I knew we were almost to the finish line, plus the mile 13 sign helped.  I used my garmin to coach me to the finish running a 7:26 mile

Mile .17: The last bit was up a small roller so I pushed up the little incline relieved I was so close to the finish...I stopped my garmin reading 1:44:35.  Crossing the finish line marked the end of running season for me and the start of tri season heading toward Wildflower and eventually VINEMAN 70.3.

Today was a beautiful day in Oakland for a race, and then we headed off to eat and celebrate a friend's birthday!

This week in Laziness...

Last Sunday I walked across the finish line at the Napa Marathon and then I did a lot of walking, but after that I did a whole lot of nothing this week.  I hate taking time off, but I'm so incredibly injury prone that I knew it was best if I really take it easy.  I'm a little nervous going into Wildflower training that I haven't done enough up to this point which really makes me want to make up for lost time, but I didn't and I actually kind of enjoyed myself, but I am still overwhelmed with exhaustion.

Monday: TO practice
My students have this class competition called Trojan Olympics every year and monday marked the first week of practice until 9:30pm.  Although I was sore, I felt pretty good considering some of my friends were having trouble walking

Tuesday: Lululemon
I left my running shoes at home, but I did lace up my new balance minimus shoes and went for a walk to the weekly lululemon run.  I brought Nick clothes to change into so he could participate and I enjoyed the latest edition of runners world and a cup of tea while others got their miles in.  This was followed by post-run dollar tacos with friends.

Wednesday: To work-out or not to work-out
I thought I might go to the pool and make use of the swim bouy, but Nick came down with a bad cold so I opted for an episode of Fringe, dinner, and sitting on my butt.

Thursday: Back at it
I hit the track, but not for a track workout.  My training plan called for a 30 minute run so I cheered on my track friends, did some drills and got 3 miles in at an easy pace and it actually felt pretty easy.  Being on the track made me really think about how close I was to Boston and so... I registered for Marathon #3: California International Marathon.  There is no guarantee I will get there, but I can't quit knowing I was so close.

Friday: Lack of rest caught up with me
I planned all day to swim after work, but as I headed to the pool I just had nothing in me so the car made it's way home and I made my way to the couch.  It was probably for the best or I would have been cranky and anti-social for a friend's birthday party.

Saturday: Cautious saturday ride
I made plans to go for a short ride with Laney and other friends.  The route was close to 30 miles, but I ended up only riding 11 miles before I was having a few twinges of pain in my knee and unfortunately Gabby's bicycle chain broke.  I ended up heading home and being an absolute bum for the rest of the day until I met up with my friend Mel and her husband Nick to try out some new places in San Francisco and catch-up.

Sunday: run...well then again
I woke-up just drained and I know I have a long week ahead and plans to start my tri training back up so I have been keeping the couch company.  I rarely act this lazy, but somehow I feel I really needed it. Now onward to make some progress one Marathon down now to make it through a half marathon, olympic triathlon and 70.3.

Napa Marathon the Recap

This past Sunday I ran the second marathon of my running career, the Napa Valley Marathon.
Nick and I headed to Napa at about 1p.m. on Saturday to get checked in and stop by the expo to pick up my schwag, bib, and t-shirt.  I didn't know this when registering, but the Napa Marathon gives GREAT schwag!  I not only received a duffel bag in my favorite color (green), but I was presented with a plethora of samples and coupons.

After the excitement that was the expo, Nick and i headed to the hotel to nap, eat, and rest for the rest of the evening.  I placed all my clothes, trigger point roller, food, water bottle, and breakfast out on the table in the hotel ready for the 4a.m. wake-up call.  I was so excited, nervous, and worried that I woke up at 3a.m., but managed to force myself back to sleep until 4.

After getting myself together, eating a small breakfast, and heading to the finish line buses I was off.  The bus started at Vintage high school and drove us to the start line in Calistoga.  It is here where I would take care of bathroom business, meet my fellow fomo friends, and try to get some of my anxiety out of my system.

Then it was TIME...dun, dun, dun.  I just kept saying,"start slow, start slow."  We headed off and I trotted my way through the start line and tapped my garmin to start.  Illiana joined me for the first two miles chit chatting as I tried to get warmed up so I wouldn't blow up.  At mile 1.5/2ish I started to push and with each mile I started counting down in my head.  Now the Napa marathon is a NO HEADPHONES course, which was a huge challenge for me, and I thank all the spectators that brought music to the road it really kept me moving.


It was a gorgeous morning winding through the wineries, but at first the shade made it a bit hard to get warm.       We went up the first hill around mile 2 which I took pretty well.  I finished my first mile at 8:42, my second at 8:12 and then my third at 8:06.  I picked up the pace even more going downhill, but the one problem with the Napa Marathon is that the road is banked almost the whole way.  It either leans heavily to the right or heavily to the left so it is very difficult to cut the corners real tight and avoid my knees aching.  My legs felt good, but not great so I was a bit concerned, but I kept going mile 3 at 8:06, mile 4 at 8:02, mile 5 at 8:14, mile 6 at 8:16.

I popped a gu at mile 7 and even though my stomach had some problems with gu through my training I decided to stick with gu, but stick with flavors I've had good luck with in the past.  I brought 3 faithful vanilla flavors and one 2x caffeine orange vanilla roctane.  I pushed on 8:17, and mile 8 at 8:14.  My legs started to feel real heavy and I was overjoyed when I was greeted and passed by Ms. Amy Streeter.  I chased her orange shorts trying not to push too hard in fear of blowing up.  Mile 9 at 8:03, mile 10 at 8:08, mile 11 at 7:59, mile 12 at 7:59.

By this time I'd been greeted and cheered on by Ms. Kim Cooke twice and her enthusiasm really pushed me on.  I felt like I had an runner and a quitter on each shoulder telling me to keep going and the other to give up.  At this point Ms. MaryAnn Holland was pushing herself through a boston training run in the opposite direction cheering Amy and myself on.

Mile 13 went 7:56, mile 14 at 8:10, mile 15 at 7:54, mile 16 at 8:15, mile 17 at 8:04

At mile 18 my water bottle was empty so I was ready to be done carrying it.  I hoped I would see someone I could drop it off with and I did.  Mr. Ryan Fitzpatrick rode up on his bicycle and then Mr. Eric Miller, Mr. Jason Cooke, Mr. Malcom Deseyes, and Mr. Chris Eichorn.  I gave Ryan my water bottle which he kindly filled up and continued on my way to miles 19 and beyond. As I came closer to the finish I found more and  more friends out running or cheering in support.  Diane captured this shot of me around mile 23.  Nick found me on his bicycle around mile 22 when I really needed support.

Mile 18 at 7:54, mile 19 at 7:47, mile 20 at 8:06, mile 21 at 8:03, mile 22 at 8:38, mile 23 at 8:31, mile 24 at 8:32

This is where I started doing the math on my finishing time and I realized I was on the verge of Boston.  I didn't even think I could come close to this so I started to push, but I needed help and this is when Nick came around again coaching me through it mile 25 at 8:31, mile 26 at 8:09, and .38 miles at the  end at 7:27 pace.  I finished at 3:35:32 a 39 minute PR from San Diego in 2010, but just 32 seconds shy of Boston.  There are many factors I could say caused my 32 second lag, I held back a little too much, the course was long, I didn't cut corners tight enough, but it doesn't matter I felt great, I did great, and I almost cried at the end that I exceeded what I thought I could do.  I've never been an athlete and THIS was an athlete's marathon time (or at least in my mind).  I also was so excited I didn't feel like crap.  I am actually exited to work my butt off and do it all over again, well after tri season of course.

Could not be more excited...and a tiny bit sad

2011 finished off as a bit of a disappointment for me as I walked away from a marathon I really wanted and had trained hard to run.  My last long run left me with an awful bout of patellar tendonitis which did not go away prior to the scheduled marathon date.  I was crushed, I cried, but then I got over the marathon that never was and set my sights on a new goal.  I really was not sure what to do...focus on triathon? Plan another marathon?  Take some time off?  So I sought the advice of some wise and experienced endurance athletes.
      All signs pointed to a marathon, but with reduced mileage and increased cross training.  Everything was riding on one successful track workout 5x1000.  I made it through all 5 with no pain so…I grabbed my credit card and signed up for the Napa Valley Marathon, I searched for a lower mileage plan, and I got my calculator and created “THE PLAN," 12 weeks to NVM.

I worked hard to get all my miles in while rolling, stretching, and icing.  I incorporated weights, tae bo, yoga, pilates, swimming, and cycling.  I was a little concerned not putting too many miles on my feet might make it hard to reach the finish, but I followed through with my plan as best I could.

I even created my own track workout on Thursday evenings because I couldn’t make it to anyone else’s track session and I don’t like being lonely on the track (even though I still did my workout even if no one showed)

On Sunday I ran the Napa Valley Marathon.  Knowing my last marathon was 4:14:41 with piriformis syndrome (I still have this plus patellar tendonitis), I had 3 goals

1) finish, work hard, don’t walk, and don’t feel like crap (realistic)

2) Run a 3:40 (8:23 avg.) (somewhat realistic)

3) Boston 3:35:00 (8:13 avg.) (Not likely, but why not?)

I didn’t really plan on Boston I just knew my half marathon and interval times were there, and maybe just maybe I could use every ounce of energy I had to push to get there if I could. 

AND…

I ran faster than I thought possible, I pushed myself as hard as I could, I took it easy the first two miles like I told myself I should, I carbo-loaded for days and didn’t try anything new.   I put salt in my water and drank my pedialyte days before.

In the end I PR’ed!  I ran 39 minutes faster than my previous marathon finishing at a 3:35:32 (8:14avg.)  At the end of it all I felt GREAT!  The course was gorgeous, the hills were hard, but I pushed through the whole course, chasing after my friend Amy (you definitely kept me going).  Plus, I did all 26.2 WITHOUT MUSIC!  This was the biggest mental battle I had, I was in my head the whole way, well except the last 1.5 miles where Nick rode along side me coaching me toward the finish.

I signed up like Simon told me I should

I believed in myself and thought I could do it like Scott kept saying I would

I rolled in the morning like Carrie said I should

I went to track week after week knowing Jason, Diane and Joe would whip my butt into shape

I kept my miles low, but my cardio high like Laney says she does

I busted my butt through the pain like Nicki told me to

I had the support of great friends and family to get me to the finish, especially Nick (who went to 2 different places for pasta to make sure my stomach didn’t get upset)

Although I was a bit sad to walk away 32 seconds shy of a Boston qualifying time, even if I didn’t realistically have my sights set on it at this marathon.  I know I’ll never have a PR like this again and that is something to be proud of.

Next Event: Oakland Half

(Napa race report soon to come)

Cleansing my system...a little too much

I have a lot of stomach problems when I run so I thought I'd give the/a cleanse a try.  I feel like a huge hypocrite because I really do feel carbs give me the energy I need to get through all my endurance training and I don't really believe in cleansing the system since the body is pretty advanced and efficient, but something about how I was currently eating just wasn't sitting well with my stomach so at this point I figured I would try anything.  So what happened?

The program I cleansed with was a no dairy, no gluten, no refined sugars, low glycemic index foods, no caffeine, and no booze.  I really didn't think I would struggle too much with most of these, except the whole sugar dilemma, see I love sweets, and sweets are often rewards for big accomplishments for me.  Marathon training offers a lot of big accomplishments, like surviving 20 mile runs or making it through all 10 intervals of yasso 800s.  I'm not a big ice cream person, but I LOVE cupcakes.  Luckily I have to go out of my way to buy cupcakes so it was something I could somewhat avoid.

Well I started off strong, feeling pretty good with protein shakes regularly adding fiber and fat to all meal shakes and being sure to have an extra shake for recovery after exercise.  I do think the protein shakes made me recover faster and I found I felt better after long workouts.  I was surprised with how I felt, but I did encounter problems.  Often this energy was short lived, I would feel great at the start of my run or ride, but often my legs would turn sour after about 10 miles or so.  I also continued to have stomach problems and one week I even managed to top off my stomach problems by vomiting at starbucks at the end of my 18 miles.  I tried to improve this by having wild rice, lentils, or other low glycemic and complex carbohydrates.  I feel this helped, but the high fiber mixed with the added fiber to the shakes I think caused some mid run pit stops which I don't usually have.  I think fiber is good for my diet, but I'm rethinking adding fiber pre-long run or speed session.

I did increase my fruit and veggie intake which was never really low, but I did focus on this more, but unfortunately I didn't feel a whole lot of difference with this.  My weight did decrease, but I was also running 30 to 40 miles a week and doing other workouts.

Although I did not see much of a difference in cleansing and eating more protein and less carbs. I have found I don't really have any cravings for dairy or caffeine (but I've never been a coffee drinker).  I have returned to sweets, but I've experimented with low glycemic sweets which actually aren't too bad in terms of flavor, Nick even liked the low-glycemic dark chocolate frosting I made better than other frostings. I really enjoyed how much almond butter I could consume and I've found almond butter to become a staple in my diet.  I've kept up with the protein shakes post hour workout or longer.  I still have some days where I feel like crap though, but I guess that is just overtraining or wearing my body down.  I'm not so sure how I feel about the low-carb. diet for endurance athletes, but I'm still experimenting with some of the cleanseworthy recipes which are tastier than I thought they'd be.  If you  are wondering if a diet or cleanse really works then go ahead and try it out, you may find different results.  It was worth the experimentation, but I'm not sure that it is for me.

TRIng to stay balanced and marathon train...2 weeks

I have decided that I don't want to sacrifice much of my triathlon training to my marathon training.  My real "A" race if I have to say I have one is Vineman 70.3, which means although Napa is important to me and my training has been tough my real goal is surviving my first half ironman.  This doesn't mean I'm going to jump back into everything post Marathon (I'm trying to prevent being injured not cause it), but this does mean that I'm not sacrificing my cycle and swim(?) workouts to my taper regimen.  I felt like a real slacker this week, I guess this taper stuff is going to my head.

Monday: Trail run
This was a rainy day and I was going to hit the pool, but Nick suggested trail running around diablo, and I do miss trail running (can't wait for dirt dogs to be on mondays again) so I decided to tackle the mountain.  Trail running in the rain is tough, mud cakes to your feet like you are wearing huge ankle weights.  We made it 2 miles in when we decided to turn back with the mud caked on our shoes.  I'll be back soon enough though Diablo I just need to survive a marathon first.

Tuesday: Lululemon
Usually I wake up and get in an interval set, but there was no getting me out of bed this morning.  I decided I would just get a few miles in before lulu.  That didn't happen either, so I tried to punch out a steady 6.  8:37, 8:12, 7:49, 8:17, 8:19, 8:22.  Then headed off to post-sweat chinese dinner with Nick.

Wednesday: Tae Bo, Spin, legs
Although I love to swim, bike and run I do always want to change it up, plus I need to trick myself into strength training so that's what I did.  I jumped, punched, and kicked my way through Tae Bo and headed to what seemed like it was going to be an awful spin session.  However, my legs loosened up and I felt great, not to mention we did some hill repeats in the middle which I love!  Lastly, upstairs for some squats, lunges, and other stuff.

Thursday: Track
I cancelled my track session due to another event going on with my tri club, but Nick wanted to hit the track so I went anyway.  My workout was 6-8x1000@HMP with a bit longer recovery 2:05 mins.  I wanted to get in 8, but the gloriousness that is my stomach started to take a toll on me, and I still needed to run back home.  I was pretty proud of my set and I stayed pretty consistent 4:51, 4:45, 4:41, 4:41, 4:47, 4:41, 4:38.

Friday: Rest
I was relieved to have this rest day my legs felt like they had been through a pretty rough week after last weekend and this week.

Saturday: Ride w/ Nicki then brick run
My friend Nicki came by at 9 for us to head out on a 3.5 hour ride.  I was excited to be out on my bike, but a little scared to head out and do the Collier Canyon loop through Livermore.  Livermore is notorious for its butt kicking wind, and yes this was a WINDY day!  Nicki and I forged through the battle winds of livermore and after 55 miles made it back to the house.  Then we went for a 2 mile brick where my legs felt surprisingly awesome even though they were dreading the brick run as I put on my running shoes.  Then I ate and ate and ate and took a nap...the life of an endurance athlete

Sunday: Long run
My running buddies were heading out on Saturday and I just did not have it in me to do an early morning so I figured I'd fly solo.  The plan was 12-16 miles and pick up the pace for the last 6.  I felt pretty slow as I started and just took my time.  I finally started to loosen up around mile 4 and started picking up the pace around miles 6-8.  I did have a few knee issues so I punched out a few miles on the track and then headed to the house to shower, eat, and MASSAGE!

Total Miles: 35
Next Event: Napa Marathon March 4

All downhill from here...well until the marathon that is

Last week was the last week in my build phase for the Napa Marathon.  Now it's time to taper...well kinda.  I have a triathlon in 13 weeks which means I'll be cutting back my running and cutting back my workouts come race week, but I still need to get my cycle and swim workouts in.  I had a few more nutrition problems this week, which means my focus for the next few weeks is trying to make my nutrition work for me so I don't have an awful episode come race day.  This is how the week went.

Monday: Swim/arms/abs
In hopes of recovering from my trail run I hit the pool.  I took today off to get in a few more hours with my mom so I was able to get in a pretty long set before meeting friends to do weights upstairs.  I made it through 2550yards, surprisingly, and then headed to do arms and abs.

Tuesday: Tempo/Lulu
I had a long set so I planned on going to the gym in hopes of running 3x3@MP.  I only made it through 2 sets before I had to head for work and then I finished off a tempo set later at lulu.  I have been surprised at how we'll I've done at lulu in the evening when I push the pace.  8:09, 8:12, 8:13, 8:11, 8:05, 7:54, 7:37, 7:10, 7:05, 8:03


Wednesday: Rest
I had big plans for this day running through my head, but I got stuck at work  longer than I'd hoped so I lost my motivation and was overwhelmed with exhaustion.  The couch won this round.


Thursday: Track
I planned on getting my Yasso 800s in even though I planned a different workout for other track folk.  I thought I'd get started early in hopes of doing 10, but when I stopped to do drills with Mercedes my stomach started getting ideas.  I pushed myself through 8 and I think I bonked around there where I just didn't have anything left.  I averaged 3:29 on my sets, even with taking less than recommended recovery and I was happy with that.


Friday: Spin
Usually i rest on fridays, but I decided to get at least 1 spin workout in.  There are no spin classes on friday mornings so I brought my own workout and pushed myself through the interval and hill sets.  After 46 minutes I was done and I felt pretty good.


Saturday: Long Run/ Spin for ALS
I woke up and got my act together for a 22 mile run.  I decided I would run and meet Amy and Scott at the park and ride so we could be on our way.  I felt great at first, even though we were climbing some long steady hills and then we got to some downhill and the tide turned.  Usually, I can push my way through downhill, but something was not agreeing with me.  I thought it might be lack of food so i took down a gel with caffeine, but I still was just feeling awful all over almost feverish, even my knees started to ache.  I bid Scott and Amy farewell at mile 15 and headed back toward the house just in case.  I stopped at the track thinking maybe I could finish a few miles at the track and then head home, because there is water and a bathroom, but no luck.  After one lap I still was feeling awful.  I made it to 17, stopped at Safeway for a Pedialyte, and walked back to the house.  I was determined to get in 22.  I thought I'd let my stomach settle and try again later.  I didn't feel much better later, but I suited up and headed out pushing through 5.36 miles, pleased I had finished, saddened it wasn't consecutively.  
  If 22 miles wasn't enough, I had signed up to participate in the FRMC annual cycle for ALS spin-a-thon.  I signed up for my friend Laney's class and figured I'd spin easy.  I made it through the full hour and fifteen minutes feeling good, and I even pushed out a few big intervals.  I was exhausted and starving by then so it was out to dinner and off to bed


Sunday:  Rest
I wanted to get up and yoga or swim so I looked up all the times for yoga or pilates and I got my clothes together to get ready, but then I sat down and never really got the energy to get up again.  I guess I'm ready to taper, I just hope I don't get too lazy and it doesn't get the best of me.