One Week 'til Surf City!

Today was the Kickoff for Team in Training's Summer Season. I am so excited, because we have a great team so far and I'm truly thrilled to be a mentor this time around. I want everyone on our marathon team to have the kind of life-changing, awesome experience I had my first season out and I hope I can help be a part of making that happen! It was inspiring today to meet all the honored teammates and see how many people are fighting or know someone who is fighting a blood cancer. In addition, our Team manager is awesome, my co-mentors are awesome, our coach is awesome...it's just going to be a fantastic and fun season.

Since Kickoff had an 8:15am call time in Santa Ana, I wasn't able to fit in a run before I left, so I decided to go this afternoon. I came back from Kickoff all pumped up and ready to go, but it was past lunchtime and I was beyond starving. I stuffed myself with some chicken fajitas and set out about an hour later to run. Huge mistake. Soon after I started the 5 miles I wanted to accomplish today, I was reminded that my body does not like to run with food in the stomach. Especially not totally overstuffed with chicken fajitas. This is a lesson I've already learned a couple of times before and you'd think I would remember...fig newtons at mile 8 of a 12 miler are a no-no. A few slices of pepperoni pizza before a evening run, also a bad idea. Gel bloks or anything remotely solid during a run are probably NOT going to stay there. I know people that can consume an entire burrito WHILE running and be fine. I, on the other hand, cannot. So up came the lunch on the side of the bike trail. Whew. After that, I felt much better. Until I realized that the lovely new route I had decided to check-out had been almost entirely downhill on the outbound portion, and would be almost entirely uphill on the way home. Wheeee!

Back home and in the shower, I felt a bit relieved to be heading into this last week of taper. I'll be doing very little running this week, and while TODAY that feels like a nice break, I absolutely know without a doubt that by Monday I'll be freaking out for want of a good run. Thankfully, a nice long one's coming up in about a week. I can hardly wait!!!

Runner's High

It has been raining in Southern California for the last five days. Raining HARD. We've had storms like I've never seen in all the years I've lived out here. Crazy wind, driving wind, thunder, lightning and even tornadoes! I admit that I've been treadmill running a lot this week. This morning I awoke to freezing cold temps, but a clear sky. Okay, so it wasn't quite freezing, but 38 degrees is close enough for this thin-blooded California girl. I crawled out of my warm bed and did NOT want to go out in the cold. Don't get me wrong, I was looking forward to my run (yes, you did read that right), but I was in no way, shape or form looking forward to being cold. I wrestled my brain into submission and got dressed anyway. I stood for a moment at the front door, knowing I was going to have to take off as soon as it opened to get my body warm, then off I went.

The first mile was miserable. I tried not to think about how cold I was, tried to think about pumping my arms and moving my legs and getting some heat going. My recently submissive brain started screaming at me again, telling me I was going to be miserable for the whole run and it was way too cold to even be awake so early. I pushed on and into the second mile. Coming up to a stoplight, I had to pause and wait for the light, and I took a good look around. I saw green. Not brown, GREEN. Everywhere. And a clear sky. No smog, no marine layer, just clear and blue. The mountains were absolutely blanketed in snow, and the newly rising sun made them seem like most of my kids' art projects...all covered in glitter. I know this is going to start to sound like some cheesy Disney moment, but the birds were singing and I suddenly felt completely thrilled to be alive and running. It was an amazing runner's high that carried me through the whole rest of the run, and I didn't give a second thought to being cold again.

Note to self: sometimes when you're focused too much on what you're unhappy about you miss the chance to realize how truly amazing everything else is. Shift gears and pay attention to what's GOOD and the crummy stuff becomes much more insignificant.

A beautiful day.

Yesterday I ran 10 miles as I start to taper down in preparation for the Surf City Half on February 7th. I do not usually do long runs by myself, and I almost always find myself having a hard time when I do. This time was different. I set out from the house at 6am and it was still dark. Still and quiet and peaceful. I mentally broke my run down into manageable sections...the first 3 miles were out, and then I have no choice but to make the same 3 back, making it 6 and over half way...then a mile down the hill...it's always easier to wrap my mind around small sections instead of trying to think about the whole 10 miles at once. Around 6:45 I was about 4 miles in and the sun was starting to peek out. It was partially overcast, making bright beams of sunlight seem to stream out from behind pink tinged clouds. It took my breath away and kept me going. At mile 5.5, I decided to change up my route a little. Thank goodness for my new phone (Motorola Droid!), which is equipped with an awesome Nav system. I plugged in my course change and was still able to add up the right mileage. Sweet! The best part of the run?? I had told my husband to bring the kids and meet me at Denny's for breakfast! Thoughts of pancakes and coffee and the smiling faces of my family brought me right through the last miles with a grin on my face. I had told them I'd be there by 8am, and darn if I didn't run into the parking lot at exactly 8:02. It was monumental to me that I not only accomplished the long run alone without a lot of waivering, but that I completed it in exactly the time I set out to, even with the on-the-fly course change. I love it when the person pushing you from behind turns out to be you. A very good run.

Even better, I headed out from breakfast (after a quick shower!) to a Team in Training info meeting where some friends showed up and signed up to join the Summer Team. I'm SUPER excited about that! AND, my dad came for a visit, too! It was fantastic to see him. All in all, a beautiful day. It's slated to rain all week this week, so looks like I'm in for some dreadmill days ahead. At least it's tapering time and mileage is getting lower. I'll check in again soon!

What a difference a week makes

Last week my long run was a stinker. What a difference today! Today marks the pinnacle of my "peak week", the longest and hardest I'll train between now and the next race. (Surf City Half on February 7th!) We had a 15-miler on the schedule and it entailed not just one, but TWO loops up Soquel Canyon in Chino Hills. This is a long stretch of a fairly steep grade...parts are upwards of 10% and the total ascent is 180 feet, according to one topographic map I looked at. It's a killer hill, but we killed it twice! It was a great run, plenty of sunshine and I felt spectacular all the way through to about mile 12, when I realized I'd pushed my pace pretty hard and I was starting to feel tired. I backed off the speed, and managed to finish in 2:52, which is only a few minutes behind my Long Beach half finish time!My "official" mile tally looks like it only ended up being 14.5, but I'm okay with that.

I ran today with the new Nike+ Watch Remote that Mike gave me for Christmas. It rocks!! I can control my iPod without having to contort myself to see it on my arm, AND I can pause my workout with just a touch of a button. (Very convenient for water stops and traffic lights!) I can also get instant verbal feedback on my distance, pace and time with a touch of another button. I am quite happy with this little gadget, but I will probably wear the battery out quick if I keep checking my pace and distance as often as I did today!

Post-run, I'm feeling a little sore and tired, and the second toe of my left foot looks like I might have another hematoma. Well, I didn't like the looks of the toenail that was growing back there, anyway. Overall, I am really thrilled to say this was my longest run to date and I am very happy with how it went! Definitely a HUGE improvement over last week's run. And now it's TAPER TIME!!

The BIG Challenge

I have been wrestling with a lot of things lately. My head has felt ready to explode and my thoughts have been all tied in knots. One of the things I have been struggling with is whether to run the San Diego 1/2 marathon or finally take on the challenge of a full 26.2. I have prayed about it, written about it, talked about it, argued with myself about it and just plain agonized about it. On my run today, I started to think, pray and attempt to untangle the jumble in my head.

Two things. Number one, 13.1 doesn't scare me anymore. I've done it, I know I can do it, I feel that is a challenge I can handle. 26.2, on the other hand, doesn't just scare me, it terrifies me! It's a great big unknown. I've never even come close to running that far. I don't know if I can, but I also thought I couldn't run 13.1 when I first started this journey. Number two, running San Diego with Team in Training, I have a HUGE fundraising goal. In this economy, coming out of the holidays where people spent a lot of money already, and given the fact that I just did fundraising for TNT last summer, I know reaching my goal is going to be very hard work. I am running for two dear friends of mine this time, Craig and Jim, and in my heart...for them...I absolutely CANNOT give-up or fail. I am passionate about the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's cause.

Somewhere around a mile and a half today, I began to get an idea. As it began to grow and flesh out a bit in my head, I got so excited I couldn't wait to come home and post this on the blog. (It made for a pretty fast run! I was anxious to hurry!) This is what I'm going to do:

I need to raise $1500 by February 28th. I have already gotten just over $300. If I can raise just $1200 more by the 28th, I WILL RUN THE FULL MARATHON. That's right. 26.2. So the challenge is thrown down. If I get to $1500 total by February 28th, I will be running a heck of a lot farther than I have ever run before.

I have to be completely honest. Am I thrilled about this challenge?? YES! Am I terrified?? COMPLETELY! But sometimes when you come across a lion and you stare him in the face, you have to make a choice between running away or facing the lion. And today, I feel like a lion chaser.*


* This comes from a great book I just read, and probably what helped inspired me to put forth this challenge. It's called "In a Pit With a Lion on a Snowy Day." A really great read!

I. Am. Athlete.

I was looking at some paperwork I have for the upcoming Surf City race and it kept referring to "athletes." Athletes must do this, athletes must do that. Not "participants", not "entrants" or even "competitors"...but ATHLETES. I had to sit and think about that for a minute. I'm an athlete? I went and looked up the word, just because I'm a geek like that. Here's what American Heritage dictionary said:

Athlete: noun A person possessing the natural or acquired traits, such as strength, agility, and endurance, that are necessary for physical exercise or sports.

I definitely do not have NATURAL traits, but acquired I can possibly agree with. I just never really framed myself in that light. Athlete!! Nine months ago I would not ever have believed someone would be using the word "athelete" in a sentence referring to ME! Okay...enough waxing about my astonished realization.

I did a 4-mile dreadmill run today and I'm mostly posting just to say that the new shoelace configuration is totally awesome. NO foot pain whatsoever. What a huge relief!

This week is peak week for me in training. Last time I was at peak week, I felt like I was really pushing hard and I was exhausted. This time, I actually feel really good. I have some trepidation about my (supposed to be) 15 miler this weekend, but as long as I remember to break the run down into manageable parts and focus only on what is directly in front of me (one step, one stride, one breath at a time!) I know I can do it. I'll let you know how it goes!

Dirty little secret?

I made a quick trip in to the doctor today to have my foot checked out. I love my PA. He is a marathon runner himself, so he's very cool about not just saying, "If it hurts, don't run." He gets running and runners, and I really feel he's sincere about wanting to get me back out running ASAP. Here's the scoop. Apparantly there is not a lot of fat on the top of your foot. (Wow, there's a place without fat!! Way to go feet!!) That means there's very little cushion between muscles/bones/tendons and the cruel outside world. The way I had been tying my shoes put a lot of pressure on a sensitive tendon, and it irritated it to the point of causing some fluid to build up around it. Now, I've been tying my shoes the same way since I first started running, and never had a problem. However, my speed is slowly building, and my weekly base mileage has also been building, which could explain why the problem is just now rearing it's ugly head. So I worked out a new way to tie my shoes that takes the pressure off the top of my foot. And guess what! Not only did the sore spot on my foot stop hurting, the toe cramps I'd always gotten in the OTHER foot went away, too. Who knew the way you tie your shoes was so important?

Now for the secret part. I went running today at a .25 dirt track totally hidden in the middle of a residential area. I had no idea it was even there at all until a friend of mine told me about it. (Thanks, Jodi!) It's fenced with a greenspace in the middle, and not totally flat so not completely boring. Yeah, it gets tedious going around in a circle for more than a few miles, but the dirt surface is SUCH a nice change from pounding the pavement (or the treadmill!) My knees and ankles are thanking me profusely after 4 miles on the dirt. I think i'll be adding this spot into my regular rotation. A good run today to make up for Saturday's blah one!

One of those days...

Everyone has them. Tough training days. Man, today was one of them. The alarm went off, I didn't want to get up. I didn't want to get dressed. I didn't want to go run. I had great excuses...my foot's hurting, my stomach is off, I didn't drink enough water last night, I'm tired...I flat out just didn't want to run. That doesn't happen very often to me. But I went. Got there, stretched out, headed out.

In my defense, my foot really was bothering me a little bit. I thought I'd had it laced to tightly earlier in the week because it had been feeling almost bruised on the top of my foot for the last few runs. I loosened the laces, but I could still feel it. It wasn't a pain that was bad enough to stop me, but it was enough to mess with my head. I couldn't stop thinking about it. I couldn't stop the negative thoughts, either. Every stride was, "I want to go home, I want to quit, I want to walk, I don't want to do this today." Running is such a mental sport and that much negativity was dragging me down. Way down. I tried to think happy thoughts, cheerful thoughts, thoughts about the gorgeous weather and the snow on the mountain tops, but the foot pain was relentless if not excruciating. It didn't hurt THAT badly, but it was enough to throw off my entire mental game.

At mile 6 I had to stop and sit for a minute. My pace leader checked out my foot. It wasn't swollen and didn't appear bruised, but she was willing to call for someone to come get me. Are you kidding?? I will NOT have someone come pick me up in the middle of a run!!! I was indignant. So I got up and kept going. I finished the run, all 8.5 miles of it. And that's all that matters. I had a rotten day, I was in a bad mental place, but I sucked it up, buttercup. I pushed through it and did it anyway. And even though I hated every minute of it today, I LOVE that I did it.

As a footnote (ha, that's a pun!!), there is a guy in the IE Club that does medical massage therapy/physical therapy. I had him take a look at my foot. He didn't see anything overtly wrong, but to be safe I'll go see the doctor on Monday if I can get in. If it IS a pinched nerve, my insurance should cover a few sessions of medical massage therapy. Stay tuned...