I Don't Want Your Photograph

Brightroom, the company taking photos at last weekend's race, e-mailed me the pictures that they took of me. These are the only pictures I have from the race and folks, they ain't pretty. Since my bib number was covered up by my windbreaker, I pulled my jacket up as I crossed the finish line so they would be able to send me any pictures they took. So...here are the hot shots: http://www.brightroom.com/go.asp?29217317

I also found one other picture of me in the "lost and found" pictures. Here's me, wet, cold, and slowly running:
http://www.brightroom.com/stf.asp?EVENTID=30913&PWD=&ID=46246056

Running Update: I was back on the treadmill last Wednesday for an easy 3 mile run. This morning I went to a yoga class. Tomorrow morning I'm meeting Diana at 6am (ugggg) for a 4-5 mile run. The beat goes on...

Blame it on the Rain

I completed my first half marathon on Sunday, February 3, 2008, exactly eight months after I completed my first full marathon. My marathon experience last June was amazing—it was truly an inspiring, fun, emotionally uplifting, motivating, all-around cool time. I won’t lie to you—Sunday’s race, was, to put it lightly, miserable. Here’s why:

• It was pouring rain before the race, during the race, and after the race. “This is by far the worst weather we’ve ever experienced,” said Surf City USA Marathon general manager Amy Tomchak.



• It was cold…as in 50 degrees cold. Way too cold for a now-California girl.



• It was windy. And, since I was running right next to the ocean, I got felt the full force of the wind as it came off the ocean (you should have seen the waves—big!).



• It was smelly (not BO smelly, but fishy smelly).



• The course was, I thought, boring. I ran down PCH through downtown Huntington Beach, looped through a residential neighborhood, and then ran down PCH some more before turning around and returning on PCH to downtown Huntington Beach. Blah. Yeah, I was running right next to the ocean, but the novelty of seeing the ocean has worn off a bit after five years and seeing the ocean on Sunday was like looking at the Bearing Sea, not the Pacific Ocean.



• There weren’t very many spectators or bands, most likely because of the rain.



• All of the timers at the mile markers were turned off, most likely because of the rain.



• All of the mile marker signs were on their sides, not standing up, because of the wind.



• The start and finish corrals were too narrow.



• The Expo area with all of the start and finish line amenities (like bag check, reunion areas, toilets, etc.) was too small and confusing to navigate.



• My cell phone got soaked and broke while it was in the pocket of my windbreaker during the race.



• I finished about 15 minutes slower than I wanted to.

Dang, I sound like such a whiner! There were some good things about this race. Here they are:

• The “free” (as in $75 free) shirt that I got with my registration is a long sleeve dry-fit shirt, which I will get a lot of use out of.



• I got a cool surfboard medal for finishing the race.



• Sabina came out to support me, and even though we actually didn’t see each other (yes, somehow she didn’t see me at the finish line and I didn’t see her), her support meant so much to me and made me very appreciative to have such a great friend in my life.



• I didn't have to use the port-a-potties at all before, during, or after the race.



• I can now say that I’ve successfully completed a half marathon.



• I didn’t die.

Okay, so here’s the full story:

I slept horribly the night before the race, of course. I kept dreaming that I didn’t wake up in time for the race and I was late. When I did wake up (on time), I took a hot shower, ate a banana and power bar and drank a glass of water, and properly prepared and dressed for the race (which included putting on pants, a hat, and a windbreaker). I stepped outside into the raining-cats-and-dogs rain and drove, in the dark, to Huntington Beach. I parked at Edison High School, put up my umbrella, and got into the long line of people waiting to get on a bus to be shuttled to the start line. I sat with a woman on the bus who was also there running this race by herself with no supporters. At the start line area I wandered around until I found the bag check trucks and then stood in a long line again (in the rain) to check my bag and umbrella. I completed this task exactly two minutes before the race began. So, I had barely no time to stretch and squeeze into my corral. My friend, Britt, was there running the race also, but we were not able to meet up before the race. I, along with everyone else, was already soaking wet. I looked like a drowned rat.

The gun went off and I started running in the second wave at 7:47am. One mile into the race (8:30 later), I stopped caring about my finish time. All I wanted to do was be done with this race and out of the cold rain and into a hot shower and then my comfy, cozy, warm bed. Just like during my full marathon, I focused only on one mile at a time during this race. I plodded along…slowly. My running shoes were sopping wet, along with the bottoms of my pants. I felt like I had weights strapped to my ankles. I was so cold and miserable that I didn’t even have it in me to look at my splits on my watch or eat my goo packet. I just kept trudging along…one mile at a time. I stopped dodging puddles and only dodged the roadkill on PCH.

Eventually, I finished. I took out my cell phone to call Sabina and see where she was. After 13.1 miles it was completely waterlogged and broken. I found a non-runner in a tent and borrowed her phone to call Sabina and leave her a message stating that I was going home. (Later in the day I baked my phone in the oven for five hours at 125 degrees to dry it out and it now works mostly fine again.) I picked up my freebies, my checked bag, and walked to the bus, which shuttled me to my car. I went straight home and got into the shower and then crawled back into bed for a nap.

Now for the stats:

Finish Time: 2:14:07 (10:14 pace)…Bummer!
3 Mile: 26:45 (8:55 pace)…Was doing good so far here.
7.75 Mile: 1:17:40 (10:02 pace)…Strange place to take a split. I had already slowed down considerably.
Overall Place: 3921 out of 8713
Women’s Place: 1711 out of 4898
F 25–29 Place: 266 out of 887
Age Grade: 48.74%

I'd like to think that if I wasn't weighed down by layers of sopping wet clothes and soaked running shoes and that if heavy winds and strong rain weren't pushing me across the road and pelting me in the face, I would have finished faster. When I ran in my marathon last year, I crossed the half marathon mark at 2:04, so I fared worse, not better, this time around. Hopefully the next race I run will be drier and less windy and I will be able to redeem myself.

I don’t have any pictures from the race and I’m still waiting to see if the official event photographers were able to snap any of me at the finish line.

Physically, I felt fine after the race. 13.1 miles really did not pain my body too much—it feels nothing like 26.2 for sure. I went to a yoga/stretch class on Monday night, which felt good.

I still want to run in more races, just not this one again (I have to prove to myself that I can run a half marathon in under two hours!). I'm glad, though, that Sunday’s rainy race is over with!

Oh, Monday and every other day this week, it's been beautiful, warm, and sunny out.

Ready...Set...

Well, folks, tomorrow at this time, I will, God willing, have completed my first half marathon. This week's tappered schedule was nice--I ran 4 miles at the gym on Tuesday, 3 miles on Wednesday, and 2 miles today (I was supposed to run the 2 miles on Thursday, but I started teaching again and didn't feel like going after that and then I was just plain lazy on Friday). During my pre-training, I ran 46 miles and during my "real" training, I ran 115.5 miles for a total of 161.5 miles since mid-October. Not a whole lot (especially compared to my full marathon training), but too shabby either.

After my light run today I went to the Active Lifestyle Expo in Huntington Beach to pick up my bib (5090), race shirt, and other goodies. I bought a power bar and gel packet for tomorrow. I also listened to the guy speak who made the movie, Spirit of the Marathon, which I totally want to see (the DVD will be coming out this summer). It was sunny down by the beach and the temperature was warm. Tomorrow, though, is not looking so good. It's supposed to be cool, rainy, and windy. Ug! Rain or shine though, the race must go on.

I already ate my pre-race pasta meal. The race shirt that I picked up today is a dry-fit long sleeve shirt and I'll probably wear that tomorrow with pants, since it's supposed to be so cold (well, cold for Cali). Tomorrow is going to be a hat day, not a sunglass day. I figure I'll have to get up around 5:15am tomorrow so that I'm awake, parked, and at the start line well before the official starting time (for me) at 7:47am. I should be done with the race around 9:45am. My realistic goal is to finish in 2:15, but my ultimate goal is to finish in 1:59:59 (under two hours!). If the weather is not cooperating tomorrow, I imagine many people's times will be a bit slower than normal.

So...here goes...13.1...I'll report back tomorrow with my results!

Ten Miles From Nowhere

How have you been
In the shape you were in
I'm surprised that you got where you're going...

Last Saturday morning, well before the crack of dawn, Diana came over to my house and we set out for what was supposed to be an early morning ten mile run. Two miles into it I almost threw myself in front of a BMW driven by a rich OC mom on her way to her early morning yoga class. I felt like crap. I was running so slow that I'm pretty sure I was actually going backward instead of forward. We ended up turning around and running/walking back to my house. I was so deflated. How am I going to run 13.1 miles next week when I was contemplating becoming road kill after just two miles?

Answer: I'll just do it. Like Nike.

My problems on Saturday morning were many, but mostly, they were mental. I was not excited about getting up at 5:30am and running in the dark and cold. In anticipation of this early morning run, I went to bed early on Friday night, but slept horrible because I was anxious about getting up so early. The chips were stacking up against me before I even got up to count them. Also, my brain has been telling my feet mean, nasty things about my running partners (how could it? I love my running partners!). This makes my feet want to shrivel up in my shoes like the Wicked Witch's. For some reason, lately, I have not been running well with others. Like I said, this is all mental, but as my race gets closer and closer, I cannot seem to break down these mental barricades. Instead, I'm building new ones. When I run, I rarely run with my iPod. I actually like to be alone on a run with my thoughts. I like to hear the sound of my own breathing and focus on the inhale, exhale, inhale. So, I think I need to take a break from running with others and get through this upcoming half marathon on my own (where, you know, I'll only be running with 10,000 other people!) and then I can get back into the groove of running with friends.

Even though the half marathon is going to be packed with people, I think I'll be okay because I don't plan on having conversations with the other runners and I'm only competing against myself and my goal time--no one else. My friend, Britt, is going to be there also, so we might run a little while together at the beginning, but since I'm afraid I won't be very fun to run with due to my current mental state, we probably won't stay together too long.

So, Saturday's run sucked.

Sunday, however, was much better! In between bands of heavy rain showers, I laced up my old running shoes (I didn't want to get my new ones all wet and dirty), and headed out on a ten mile loop through Laguna Niguel, Mission Viejo, and Laguna Hills. I felt great during the run and did well on all of the hills (and there were quite a few!). Once I get past mile four on any run, I get into a grove and just go and I was groovin' on Sunday. When I returned from the run I felt like I am ready for the half marathon on Sunday (yes, as in THIS Sunday).

This week's running schedule is light, of course. I went to a great yoga class last night. Tonight I will run four miles, tomorrow three miles, and Thursday two miles. Nine miles until 13.1 miles...

Two Things

1. I ran my second fastest three miles since high school on Wednesday: 24:56. I started out at an 8:57 minute/mile and got progressively faster until I was running a 7:30 minute/mile at the end.
2. For the first time ever, I ran five miles on the treadmill at the gym (last night). I have never run farther than four miles on the treadmill because I was pretty sure that I would pass out and have a heat stroke, or die of boredom, if I went beyond that. But, I'm alive and writing this now, so clearly that was a myth. I had to run the five miles at the gym last night because I didn't get home from my friend, Maria's, birthday happy hour until late, and, it was raining. I ran the five miles in about 44 minutes or so.

(Secret item #3: Last night when I was running, I was thinking that I want to run in the Nike Women's Marathon in October in San Francisco. I must be crazy. Or bored. Or both.)

Countdown to Race Day

Holy crap...my race is now 1 1/2 weeks away! I haven't prepared nearly as long and hard as I did for my full marathon last year. But then again, this is only a half.

On Sunday I met Sara for a run around UCI. We ran about 2.5 miles and then walked about 2.5 miles. I felt like crap--very sluggish. Also, I had rubbed my heel raw in my trail running shoes and ghetto old socks the day before and the wimpy Band-Aid I had put on did nothing to protect the new wound. I don't know if I just needed additional time to recover from my long run on Saturday or if I can just really suck it up sometimes, but I did not have a good workout. However...it was wonderful to see Sara and catch up with her. I hadn't seen her since before my sabbatical either.


On Monday I went to a great yoga class at the Mission Viejo 24 Hr. Fitness. The stretching was sooo good for my tight muscles.

Last night (Tuesday), I hit the road again and ran 5 miles around Aliso Viejo and Laguna Hills. I actually had a great run--I felt great, the moleskin on my heel was protecting my boo-boo, and I felt very energetic. So, maybe I don't suck so much after all.

Tonight I need to run 3 miles at the gym and then tomorrow night is another 5-miler outside. Then this weekend I'm putting in my last "long" run of 10 miles.

Coyotes attack from the rear and the flanks of their prey.

This morning I met Diana at 6am to go running in Aliso & Wood Canyons. I hadn't been running with her since before I went on my sabbatical, so it was really nice to chat and catch up. Diana is used to getting up before the crack of dawn, but I'm not, and I was surprised that it was still pitch black dark outside when we met. I saw a group of runners head into the canyon with headlamps on, but we didn't have lights and didn't want to be running in the wilderness when it was still dark out. So, we ran 2.5 miles on the roads and through Laguna Niguel Regional Park and then ran into the canyons once it was light out. We ran 7 miles on the main fire road in the canyons. Since it was still very early, we didn't see very many other people on the trail. When we were about 2 miles back in the canyons, Diana stopped all of a sudden and fearfully asked me "What is THAT?!" Both of our hearts stopped beating for a second. I was really, really hoping that we were not about to come face to face with a mountain lion. Diana quickly jumped behind me (which I thought was funny because I am about the biggest wimp ever and would certainly not be able to fight off a mountain lion and save the two of us!) and I just as quickly noticed an animal in the bushes next to the trail. It took a few seconds for me to realize that the animal was only a coyote. Despite my insistence that the coyote would not bother us, Diana didn't seem to be too convinced. But, there was no where to go but forward! The coyote crossed the trail and we ran by it and then it got on the trail and followed us for a little bit. A few miles later we were both spooked when another runner came up behind us but we were soon relieved to see that we had a human, not a coyote, following us.


I've seen many, many coyotes here in SoCal--I've even seen them on my street in my condo complex. It's kind of sad that we're invading their environment and then when we come upon them, we get all offended like they've invaded our space. After looking up coyotes on Wikipedia, I found this kinda scary information:

Coyote attacks on humans are uncommon and rarely cause serious injuries, due to the relatively small size of the coyote. However, coyote attacks on humans have increased within the past 5 years in the state of California. Data from USDA Wildlife Services, the California Department of Fish & Game, and other sources show that while 41 attacks occurred during the period of 1988-1997, 48 attacks were verified from 1998 through 2003. The majority of these incidents occurred in Southern California near the suburban-wildland interface.

Anyway, Diana and I had a great 9.5 mile run. By the time we got back to the start of the trailhead, there were tons of runners and bikers entering the canyon. But at 6:45am, it was just us and the coyotes.