San Diego WHM Race Report.

Last Sunday I traveled down to San Diego for the Women's Half Marathon. This is part of a series put on by Women's Running Magazine, and for the last two years I have run the event in Scottsdale, AZ. Okay, wait, let me restate that. It USED to be put on by Women's Running Magazine, but was bought by Competitor Group last year. I was worried that might change the way the event was run, but last year's AZ event went off extremely well even under the new management. I really look forward to running the WHM AZ each year. In fact, it's my favorite among the races I enter. I haven't ever done a race report on it because I was failing at blogging the times I've run it, but it is a great race with a great course. I was a little hesitant to jump aboard for the San Diego event, though, only because it's a brand new addition to the series. We all know that inaugural races can sometimes be, well...let's just say sometimes the first time is often when they figure out where the kinks are that need to be worked out. I don't like being a guinea pig!

I'm happy to say that the San Diego race was everything I'd hoped: small, well-organized, no visible kinks. Plus it had the bonuses of a beautiful course, perfect weather and some amazing members of law enforcement on the job during race morning. (No kidding, I saw many SDPD officers cheering for the runners, calling out to us by the name on our bib, and really getting into it. They were the best.) One thing they do at this race that stands out as incredibly smart to me is have Emergency Medical Teams (dubbed "Race Guardians") running right along with the runners. They appear to be spaced in pacing groups throughout, but I saw a couple of people in need of assistance and literally, someone was RIGHT there. If you just stopped and stretched, Race Guardians would materialize out of the crowd to see if you were okay. I like this approach. If someone falls or has a medical problem and it is a mile or more to the next medical tent that isn't awesome. By having the EMTs running, they were never far from anyone in need. Major kudos on this one, WHM!

I loved the course. Ah. Maze. Ing. It was flat and mostly gorgeous, running along Shelter AND Harbor Islands where the views are incredible. The first 7 miles ticked off super fast and I felt fantastic. There was a stretch between miles 7 and 8 that was less than stellar (Passing the airport. Boring and stinky from exhaust and jet fumes, but only for a mile) but everything else had spectacular scenery. I heard some folks were complaining about the "surprise" hill going over a bridge near the end...but though steep, it was a short hill, and good grief the whole rest of the course was pretty much a pancake. The last half mile was a little twisty turny and I had one brief moment of panic because I couldn't tell where the finish line was and I was SURE I should've been able to see it. I probably need to apologize to the nice SDPD officer that heard me blurt out some not so nice words at that point. Still, because I was nailing the PR I've been training my BUTT off for, by the time I finally did see the finish I am pretty certain I was pumping a pure adrenaline/endorphin cocktail through my veins. I seriously crossed the mat screaming, "I did it!! I did it!! PR!!! PR!!!" over and over. (There is a not so flattering race photo of me doing just that, mouth agape, arms flailing, horrid form. Wait, that describes about 99% of my race photos...) I'm very sure some people at the finish line thought I was a total lunatic, because as soon as I stopped screaming about my own finish, I turned around and started screaming for my friend who was finishing right behind me. My throat hurt from screaming. I'm sure they were glad when I moved on from the finish area.

For any ladies considering this race or this series, you should know that the medal includes a charm that can be detached to make a necklace. This is very cool...and less weird for your non-running friends than when you wear your medal for three days because you are so excited about your accomplishment. (I really wanted to sleep with my medal on after getting this PR, but the charm necklace had less chance of strangulation. Did I mention the medal is huge and heavy?) There is also a cookie buffet at the finish line. Here's a tip: do not cross the finish and immediately Hoover a chocolate chip cookie unless your stomach is much stronger than mine. (I learned that one running my first AZ WHM. Yeah, it was ugly.) Men are allowed to run this race, of course, but they don't qualify for any of the overall or age group awards.

I will definitely be back to run this one next year. Big thanks to the folks that put the WHM series on. It's a keeper! (And getting a new PR didn't hurt how much I liked it!) The only bad thing about it is I have to wait a whole year to run it again. 

San Diego WHM charm and AZ WHM charm

What's YOUR favorite race or race series? What do you like most about it?

I'm not really Mysophobic.

Mysophobia: a pathological fear of contamination and germs. Also called germophobia.

Okay, I promise I'm not Mysophobic. Just because I wipe everything with Clorox, wash my hands until they bleed, offer up sanitizer whether you want it or not, and constantly consider whether my post-nasal drip is just allergy or something more sinister. Just because I turn my head and cover my face when someone coughs or sneezes, sometimes awkwardly try to get out of shaking hands, and make my children kiss mommy on the cheek please, when they are sniffly nosed, I am not a germophobe. Okay, maybe a little. It's just that, well, I have a race coming up and I don't want to get sick and mess up my training schedule, or WORSE, be sick on race day.

I am a little fanatical, especially during cold and flu season (which happens to be a peak racing season around here.) My kids have both had a bug that I have been frantically trying to avoid. So I do all the aforementioned things, plus I try to eat more garlic (friends and family love that, I'm sure) and take lots of Emergen'C to boost my Vitamin C.

Yum.

Fortunately, I recently read a study from the British Journal of Sports Medicine that found during exercise white blood cells and immunoglobulin numbers in the bloodstream increase for a short time, which may account for fewer bouts of colds and sickness in those that exercise regularly. In my interpretation, that makes a good workout like a mini germ cleanse. You boost those white blood cells, which can then fight off any random bugs that happen to be mustering in an attempt at a hostile takeover. Yeah, I don't know if it really works like that exactly, but it's fun to imagine a white blood cell army sweeping through and vanquishing all the bad guys in their path. A surge like that every day ought to help keep you pretty healthy. Right?

Just in case those extra immunity surges aren't enough, I'm going to keep using the Clorox wipes and sanitizer, and keep taking my Emergen'C to be safe. And try to get plenty of sleep. And try not to be  a total Mysophobe.

What do you do to help stay healthy during cold and flu season?

Click giveaway winner!

The last several mornings it has been really chilly in the early morning. I have gotten extremely addicted to the warm-up provided by the Click Spicy Mocha recipe. It has cinnamon and cayenne pepper in it, and it reminds me of a Mexican hot chocolate. The cinnamon makes it spicy and the cayenne gives it a little heat that you don't really notice until a few sips in. Totally yum. I wanted to experiment with a bunch of the different Click recipes, but I'm so hung up on this particular one that I haven't gotten any farther yet!

And without further ado, the winner of the Click Canister and blender bottle is Jessica Burke Langston! Jessica, I've sent you an email requesting your info so Click can ship out your prize. Congrats! Thanks to everyone who entered. I have a couple more cool contests coming up in the near future, so stick around!

Run for Sherry and run safe.

On Saturday the 9th, I ran in memory of Sherry Arnold, the Montana runner who was abducted and killed on her morning run on January 7th, 2012. The 2nd annual virtual "Run for Sherry" made me really think about runner safety. Safety is a big issue to me...I've blogged on it before, but it is such an important topic that I will likely talk about it again and again. Statistically, running is a very safe activity, but being prepared is an advantage. We pray we never need to use that preparedness.

I read several articles and some research papers today about self-defense for women and I learned a few things. Did you know that if you are in a situation where you need help (and there are others around to help you), if you just scream, "Help me!" most people will do nothing?! People often do not want to get involved when they hear "help me" because they may be unsure of what they are witnessing or be confused about what they should do. The article explains that people respond better when told exactly what is happening or what to do, so you should scream something like, "Call the police", "This person is attacking me" or "Get him away from me!" Tell people what you need and more people are apt to do something. (This made me think how we teach kids to yell, "help, I don't know this person," if a stranger tries to bother them. That explains to bystanders what is going on.)

I've read many times that most human predators are much like animal predators: they are looking for easy prey and they specifically look for those that look weak or distracted. If you run confidently, head up, looking strong, aware of your surroundings, most predators won't be interested. That means pay attention to what's going on around you. Take mental notes. Don't run with headphones blaring...wear just one headphone so you can hear what's happening.

I once ran up behind a lady in my community who was walking with her headphones on. They were blasting so loudly I could hear her music from at least 15 feet back. Not wanting to scare her to death, I started loudly saying, "On your left," as I approached her. At 3 feet away, she still hadn't heard me so I kept repeating myelf. As I went to pass her she leaped sideways and screamed, almost falling into the bushes. She yelled at me for being inconsiderate, and when I passed her on my return trip (thankfully heading towards her this time) she was still blasting away. The Incredible Hulk could've snuck up behind her and she wouldn't have heard him. Not a good thing.

In a self-defense class I took in college, I remember the instructor telling us one of the most important tools we have is our instinct. He told us we should trust our gut feelings. If something feels wrong, or off, there is a good chance it is. There have been runs where I've turned around or gone a different way because I didn't like the looks of a parked car or noticed that things were particularly dark because a streetlight was out. I do admit to once being ready to dial 911 after a truck coming towards me was driving erratically and kept slowing down...just as I was about to hit "send" and turn around to book it back home, I realized it was a newspaper delivery truck. Hey, better safe than sorry!

I thought a lot about Sherry Arnold as I ran in her memory last weekend. I hope she smiled down on the many, many runners that ran for her. I pray for peace for her family and that she continues to remind us to run safe.

What do you do to stay safe while you're running?  

I'll be posting the Click contest winner tomorrow! You can still enter up through midnight PST!

Runs on Coffee Nirvana.

Okay, I haven't done a ton of product reviews here, but I do want to start sharing when I find something awesome. I recently discovered something new that I am really excited to share. I may have found recovery nirvana, at least for this Runs on Coffee gal. Many of you may recall that I am a huge fan of chocolate milk as a recovery drink (go, Team Refuel!); however, my chocolate milk recovery often has to fight with my urge to have an immediate cup of coffee after my run. The coffee often wins, leaving my much needed protein recharge for probably later than it should be, or sometimes even passed over completely. I admit it, sometimes I skimp on the recovery nutrition, but not because I mean to! If I skip it, it is often because I wanted coffee more. (Okay, and sometimes it's because my kids drank all the milk in the house. Gah!)

Recently I picked up some sample packs of a new protein drink called "Click." It is an espresso-based protein drink that can be prepared hot, iced or blended. A serving only has 120 calories, but boasts 15 grams of protein and only 6 grams of sugar. It IS caffeinated (about a double shot of espresso) and has 23 vitamins and minerals. Click's protein is derived from cow's milk and soy, and has no artificial coloring or flavoring. It comes in two flavors: Mocha and Vanilla Latte (oh, and a Decaf Mocha, too.)

When I returned from my long run the other morning, I picked up the Mocha to give it a try. I don't know about you, but when I come in from a long run, I am pretty impatient. I want my coffee immediately and don't want to wait. The thought of mixing up a protein shake seemed a little bit daunting. Even though I had a bunch of recipes for making all kinds of fancy-schmancy drinks with Click, I decided (a) I should try just the basic prep for the first go, to see what it was like, and (b) I wanted to do whatever was quickest. (I was was so quick, in fact, that I forgot to snap the product photo before ripping into the packet. Oops.) Since my blender happened to already be out, I decided to go for the ice-blended version. Preparation was SUPER easy. Some ice and water in the blender with the powder, and boom, I had a blended frapp in under two minutes. One serving made a huge tall glass. The powder blended really smoothly with no lumps or chunks. Then came the taste test.

If you are a regular follower of this blog, you know how much I love my coffee. Heck, even if you're not a regular reader, the title of the Blog should've been a pretty big clue! While blended fraps are not my regular go to, this drink was absolutely DELISH. Amazing. It does have a strong coffee taste, which is super awesome for me, but if you don't like strong coffee you might want to add some sweetener or a little milk to the mix. The mocha flavor is not too sweet, either (a major downfall of the 'bux mochas, which are much too sweet, if you ask me.) Did I mention it made a giant serving??

Two more fabulous observations post consumption. This drink totally sated my desire for coffee. It tasted like coffee, it fulfilled my coffee compulsion. Gone was the need to make coffee AND a recovery drink. On top of that, I have been known to come in from a long run, drink coffee, and want to dump the entire contents of my fridge into my mouth within a few hours. I get HUNGRY. After drinking the Click concoction, my tummy was satisified for hours and it kept me happy all the way through to lunch. Nice.

This morning, we were running a tad late, so I decided to try a hot Click drink for my breakfast/coffee combo. I maybe liked the frap version slightly better, but only slightly. It still blended great (you blend, THEN heat, but I didn't feel it was that much trouble to pop it in the microwave for a minute) and tasted delicious. Again, it satisfied me on both the breakfast AND coffee fronts and I was not hungry at all until lunchtime.

GIVEAWAY ALERT!!

I will totally be clicking over to the Click website to order a canister, pronto. Yum. Want to try some Click awesomeness for yourself? I raved to the company about how much I loved the Mocha, and they offered to send a free canister of Click (in the flavor of the winner's choice) AND a blender bottle for me to giveaway!

I'm using Rafflecopter for entries, so enter away! (Sorry, Click currently only ships to US addresses, so you must be a US resident to enter.) If you just can't wait to try it, click over to this Click page and check out their BOGO sampler!

Do you use protein powder supplements? What is your go-to recovery drink or meal post run?



a Rafflecopter giveaway

You are what you think.

My recommitment to blog was to post once a week. I know I already posted for the week, but this particular subject has been so heavy on my mind that I just have to get it out there. So here you go, a bonus post!

I have a friend that recently completed a half marathon. She trained like crazy, running midweek multi-digit miles and pushing herself even in the pouring rain to get her training in. She set a new PR (because this wasn't even her first half marathon) and finished in under two hours, which is pretty darn amazing in my book. As I was chatting with her afterwards and congratulating her on this awesome achievement, these words came out of her mouth: "but I'm not a real runner."

Wait. What?!? What really makes me sad is, she is not the first person I've heard say those words. Why in the world would someone call themselves "not a runner" when clearly, they ARE a runner?
John Bingham said this:

"If you run, you are a runner. It doesn't matter how fast or how far. It doesn't matter if today is your first day or if you've been running for twenty years. There is no test to pass, no license to earn, no membership card to get. You just run."

Isn't that the truth? We are runners, because we run! You wouldn't say to a friend that just ran her first 5k, "oh, but you aren't a real runner. You just started and you ONLY ran 5k." So why in the world would you tell yourself something as discouraging? My rule about self-talk is never say anything to yourself you wouldn't say to a friend. That means no telling yourself you are weak, no telling yourself you can't do it, no telling yourself you aren't good enough, and definitely no telling yourself you are not a runner. 

Instead, tell yourself the same kind of encouraging things you'd say to your best friend. You are strong. You can totally do this. You have been training for this. You. Are. A. Runner.

Have you ever heard the phrase,"garbage in, garbage out?" It's actually true. We are what we think, to a very large degree. Studies have even shown that positive self-talk can lead to actual improvements in performance. (Here's one example.) There really is power in positive thinking. 

One popular way of encouraging oneself is through the use of a mantra. This is a phrase that you continually repeat to yourself, especially when the going gets tough. Mantras can be anything, but they should be positive. They should be fairly easy to remember, too, so when you are exhausted at mile who-knows-what it doesn't take a lot of brain power to call it up. I've used many different ones before, including "you've got this," "just keep moving," "never give up," and "Phil 4:13" (which references the Bible verse "I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.") I've actually written about "Mental GU" (I just love that!) a number of times of this blog. One of my favorite entries is here.

So next time you hear someone say, "I'm not a runner," and you know that's not true...or if you hear someone say anything disparaging at all about themself, for that matter...tell them it's time to let go. Especially if the person you hear saying it is YOU. Let go of negativity. Let go of self-degradation. Let go of thoughts that will only serve to drag you down. Make a choice to be positive, think positive, to reinforce your strong. You can totally do this. You are a runner.

How do you talk to yourself? Do you have a powerful positive mantra? Have you ever said you were "not a runner" and if so, what made you feel that way?

The checklist.

In Southern California, we are heavy into race season. Lots of folks are running lots of races right now. In fact, I have several friends venturing out for their first half marathon TOMORROW and I'm so excited for them. It makes me think about my first race, with all the excitement and nervousness. I still get butterflies sometimes before I race, but nothing like that first time. I was SO worried I would forget something I needed and arrive at the start line minus something important. (Before my first race, I kept dreaming I needed socks. I have never forgotten socks. Yet.)

So before that first race, and for every race after, I have had a "race checklist." I put everything important on the list and I don't leave my house until I've gone through and checked each and every item off. And I don't mean I just think I packed it. I physically make sure it's packed. Yes. I am a little obsessive. But I also have never forgotten anything important. (Yet.)

So without further ado, I give you my "Race Checklist." Please note that this is MY checklist. You should alter it for your own purposes. If you don't use a Strassburg Sock (and if you suffer from Plantar Fasciitis, you should!) then take that off. If you have a favorite pillow that you can't sleep without, add that. Make it your own.

While I'm on the topic of pre-race planning, here are a few tips I've picked up along my way:

1. The day before the race, do not spend all day walking around the expo or sightseeing. It's tempting, but do the expo thing and then try to stay off your feet if you can. Rest those legs.

2. Do NOT eat anything new, weird, extra spicy or previously untried the day before the race. This includes the funky energy bars (and drinks) at the expo. Take a sample home, but don't snack on it if you haven't tried it before. Who knows what it might do to your stomach later. Trust me on this one. Also, stick to something simple for dinner that you know you tolerate. Don't go for the Double Fire Diablo Shrimp dinner even though it sounds amazing. Simple is better. Trust me on that, too.

3. Drink, drink, drink. Superhydrate yourself the day before. Do not OVERhydrate yourself. Check this handy chart (from Boy Scouts of America...you know scouts are always prepared!) to see how you're doing.

4. Lay out your race day gear the night before. Put your shirt on and pin your bib on the night before, too. (Then take it off again. You don't have to sleep in it!) It is no fun getting up at the crack of darkness on race morning, potentially stressed that you might be late, and stabbing yourself in the chest while you frantically try to pin on your bib. Besides, if you pin it on the night before, you have plenty of time to readjust it in case you put the pins in, ahem, awkward spots. Again, trust me on this. Lay it all out, socks, shoes, Garmin, everything, and pin that bib on. The less you have to worry about when you wake up, the better.

 

That's all I've got for now! Good luck, my racing friends!

 

What pre-race rituals or tips do you have? Have you ever forgotten something important on race day?