La Jolla 1/2 Marathon- April 2011

Slowest half marathon race ever! My goal was just to make it up the steep 402 foot elevation at mile 6 and not break my stride- which was a success! Nevermind that my pace was super slow, but as my training got derailed I’m just happy that I stuck to my New Year’s Resolution for the month of April. Yes, I had to skip February and March but I’m back on track now 🙂

A friend of mine, who hasn’t run at all this year but has been cycling opted to ghost run with me only a few days before the race. We had the traditional carbo-load at an authentic Italian restaurant in Pacific Beach called Mamma Mia’s then went to see the movie Rango. After a delicious dose of gnocci and Milk Duds I got a good night’s sleep and drove up to Del Mar.

Hint for those driving to a start line: If approaching from a highway and there’s a long line of cars for that exit, drive past and turn around at the next exit. The line from the southbound side of the highway was so much shorter than the northbound. This is also true for concerts or sporting events (tends to be more true when the event is on the outskirts from a highly populated area vs. in the city itself.)

Weather for the race was perfect- 60s and slightly cloudy, a slight beach breeze and minimal marine layer at the start. As my friend had no ipod, I randomly sang songs and he would dance while running, which definitely kept me entertained!! We kept an easy, conversational pace the whole time. I stuck with my tried-and-true AccelGel strategy of one at miles 3, 6, and 9 plus took advantage of every water station. I have to walk and drink, but later heard of a guy who ran with a straw precisely to keep running through the stations- brilliant! Might have to utilize this on my next race…. but then I’d have to figure out where to stash it while I run (though I’m sure my SPIbelt has room.)

The “big hill” according to the elevation map looks like it plateaus out after a half mile but I can tell you- it keeps going uphill till mile 8! No harm done, we kept the run strong the whole time.

la jolla half marathon elevation map
la jolla half marathon elevation map

Overall, this was a super, super fun race. The expo and post-race party were abysmal. There was no gear check and almost no port-a-johns through the course. ALSO the race shirt is an uncomfortable cotton- really??? For the price (and it being La Jolla!) I definitely expected more. In the end, my friends made it worthwhile- as did the deliciously salty Bloody Mary at World Famous along with an amazing brunch on the beach. I’m glad I did it as it’s part of the Triple Crown, plus the course was nice, but I don’t feel the need to run it again next year. As a hill challenge locally, Mission Gorge (as part of the XTERRA series) is more difficult, and the Carlsbad was just as scenic plus had a good pre/post event party and a cool shirt. Looking forward to Rock n Roll and the AFC!! Next month- not sure yet!! Stay tuned…

Making a funny face before the big hill!

New Year’s Resolution: February Failure!

This will be a short post, as February was a total bust. No half marathon run!

In an attempt to train more on hills and uneven terrain, I overdid a few workouts and aggravated an old muscle injury. As such, I was demoted to elliptical for cardio but did do some awesome strength workouts at my local gym, Wavehouse Athletic Club. Even 20 minutes on an elliptical is torture for me!! I had planned on maybe doing a 2-hour aqua jog in place of a half marathon but then I kinda ran out of days that were designated as being part of the February month. Sooooo I already broke my resolution on month #2.

To ameliorate my breach of NYE oath, I will just make this month an “IOU” and run a half Jan 2012. Don’t think I’m getting too far off track, I have already signed up for a few upcoming races and am looking for a potential March half marathon. I wanted to do the Wild Animal Park half marathon but it filled up! Once I do a race- which I WILL complete this month- I’ll post pics and times 🙂

Carlsbad 1/2 Marathon: Jan 23, 2011

Starting my New Year’s resolution with a fantastic race! I was pretty worried about making it though, I’ve been sick for the past 2 weeks with a bad sore throat that progressed to laryngitis. I had to whisper for a few days at work- even to my patients! When I had a hard-of-hearing patient, I had to have my corpsman speak for me (who was laughing the whole time). It was kind of funny actually, everyone else started whispering too and said I sounded like I was going through puberty….

But back to the race! It was a gorgeous day, sunny and the kickoff at 7:30 started at about 68 degrees. It was an out-and-back course, running to the coast and going up and down Highway 101. There were beautiful ocean views through miles 3-9 with slight rolling hills. Lots of water stops, especially at the tops of hills!

Since my immune system is complete weak sauce, my training hasn’t been the greatest. Mostly I’ve been in bed, popping numerous pills and cough drops and teas and generally feeling sorry for myself. As a result, I didn’t even care what my time would be. Surprisingly, I did pretty well on hills, even speeding up! My left IT band acted up for about 3 seconds on mile 7, but other than that I ran the whole thing (aside from water stops, I can’t do the run/drink thing.) I ran into an old friend at the “Wave 4” corral so forgot to check the clock as I crossed the start line, so all I know is that I finished in less than 2:24. Good enough for a sick vocally challenged almost mute :)… (update: my time was 2:14 and my splits show I sped up on the second half!!!)

The race tee is AWESOME! It’s 100% recycled polyester by Greenlight Apparel and the design isn’t some stupid 1980’s neon throwback like some other race tees….Plus the medal is pretty nice, very SoCal, no?

carlsbad half marathon 2011
carlsbad half marathon 2011
carlsbad half marathon medal 2011
carlsbad half marathon medal 2011

So now I’m looking forward to next month’s race, which I have no idea what it will be… stay tuned!
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New Year 2011!

Though I don’t 100% believe in New Year’s resolutions, I happen to have one this year. I thought of it a while back, and it had nothing to do with the peer pressure you feel around this time of year to “give up” something!

My plan is to run a half marathon once a month, each month this year. The idea stemmed from wanting to complete the San Diego Triple Crown, which is doing the three local halves in one year. I also wanted to get the Rock and Roll Rockstar Medal, which means you have to complete 5 RnR events in one year. That’s 8 events right there… why not just keep it up?

San Antonio Half Marathon 2010

Between work and the military’s policy of not allowing me to jet off any time I want WILL make this difficult to keep up. But, 13.1 miles is a good distance for me and it helps my exercise regimen to have a definite date and goal to keep training for. Also I don’t think I’ll be able to leave town enough to hit 5 RnR events, so that’ll just be a goal I’ll push back a few years. Hopefully I can sign up for a local race once a month, but if not I’ll just pick a route and run it on my own.

First up: the Carlsbad Half Marathon on January 23. I’m not expecting to get a PR by any means!!! After traveling over the holidays, being sick for a MONTH straight, and lots of social events, my running has been on the back burner. However, my priorities are shifting back to fitness and I was able to start my morning of Jan 1, 2011 with a perfectly sunny 3 mile run and feel like I’m getting back on track already!

After some research, here’s what I’m hoping to accomplish:
January: Carlsbad
February: Surf City (Huntington Beach) or Palm Springs
March: ?? Maybe something in Las Vegas or Arizona??
April: La Jolla
May: Orange County
June: San Diego Rock and Roll
July: ? Napa to Sonoma
August: America’s Finest City
September: Philadelphia RnR, Disneyland, or Camp Pendleton
October: San Jose RnR or Los Angeles RnR
November: Big Sur or Silver Strand
December: Las Vegas RnR

San Antonio Half Marathon 2010

What Makes A Runner

Pick up any running magazine and you will occasionally see an article or a sidebar outlining characteristics of a Runner. That’s capitalized because it’s a title, something you’ve earned. However, there’s no criteria set, no diploma bestowed… so how do you know if you’re a Runner?

Well the alternative is that you’re a jogger. Or you’re someone who just puts one foot in front of the other and there’s some sweating involved. A Runner, as I’ve noted when talking to other Runners, have a few certain things in common….

1. Knows the pain of chafing
2. Runs it to the very end- no giving up!
3. Fights that snooze bar to lace up when you’d rather say “I’ll just do it later…”
4. Has had many a “where do I put my keys?” moment (also, “where do I put all these gels???)
5. Stretches in random places at random times
6. Knows their arch type and shoe type
7. Gets excited about good socks!!!
8. The weather doesn’t matter. Through wind, rain, sleet, snow…
9. A blister is nothing! A black toe nail, hah!!!
10. Knows Runner’s High is the best drug out there 🙂

Of course this list is far from exhaustive! I’ve been running going on 9 years now- I know because I have an Iowa Living History Farms T shirt commemorating my first race, and only recently did I accomplish yet another “criteria”:

I puked after running!

It’s been unseasonably hot here in San Diego this past weekend and I wasn’t acclimatized to running in the heat. Though I’ve definitely been through worse weather (hello Midwestern summer humidity!) something about yesterday hit me the wrong way. Or, I just chugged too much water after my run. Hmmmm, that’s probably it. Anyway, the run was fine, ran it WAY slower than usual but after cooling off with a large glass of water my stomach didn’t respond too well. At least it was just water!

Occasionally I’ll accomplish other things that solidify my claim as a Runner- wiping out on the pavement, brushing off salt crystals, spending too much money on Gear, perfecting my “Better! Faster! Stronger!” playlist, or just getting into hour-long conversations with the sales people at a running store. It took a while for me to finally stake my claim as a Runner, but I’m thinking that blowing chunks in the name of my addiction let me finally admit it… I am a Runner 🙂

SPIbelt Review

At the America’s Finest City Half Marathon Expo I came across this booth selling “Small Personal Item belts.” I’ve been looking for something to carry my extra gels on those long runs where I’ve been overstuffing my pockets and tying them into my laces!

SPIBELT

After debating of whether to get the straight black or silver reflective, I settled on black with 2 pockets. The guy selling the belt was actually the guy on the poster, he told me a little about how the business started, apparently by his sister. The next day I ran into him at the pre-start area and showed him that I was wearing the belt, and he actually remembered my name!!

Usually I don’t like to try new things on race day but after trying it on with my running gear it seemed pretty solid. I hate having things bounce up and down when I run, but then I figured that I’d have to try it out sometime!!

Wearing my SPIbelt with 4 Accel Gels

The SPIbelt totally delivered. I was impressed immediately by how much I could comfortably stuff in the pockets- gels, phone, keys, the works! The material is stretchy and is meant to be worn over your clothes, either shorts or tee. NO BOUNCING. Whenever I’d take a gel out I could feel the belt’s elasticity adjust back to being nice and snug. By the end of the race, without adjustments it was still right in place and fit perfectly.
Still wearing the SPIbelt!

When choosing a SPIbelt, I was impressed at the selection available. They had ones with loops to add extra gels on the outside, different sized pockets, even double pockets like mine has. Looks like they have something to meet any athlete’s needs. Check out their website, I’m even more astounded by what else they have available!! http://www.spibelt.com/

Half Marathon

I realized I haven’t posted much about my running in a while. After the Rock and Roll marathon last year, I’ve run a couple races here and there, but it took a few months to ease back into it. I’m doing a lot more cross training than I ever had in my life, and I like the results! Last night there was an hour long Bosu class that my trainer teaches at the gym, and that is exactly what I needed.

The next race I’m signed up for is the San Dieguito Half Marathon on Feb. 14. I wanted to run the Carlsbad Half but sadly, it was full. Anyway, I’ve slowly ramped up my mileage but had to back off last week due to return of pretty much every injury I ever had. On my last long run, it was like my leg was reliving each injury in detail… “remember those shin splints? this is how it felt!” “remember that patellar tendonitis, wow that hurt!” and finally, “what’s that pain in my knee? oh yeah, IT band syndrome.” Of course, I just kept running and eventually those twinges went away.

Otherwise my running has been doing really well, I’m not timing myself much, just focusing on overall health and actually getting out there to exercise. As my mileage increases, I’m planning on reincorporating sand running on my short 3 and 4 milers. Also, I’m considering doing a summer marathon but scheduling during that month before the marathon needs to be flexible- fitting in a 15-20 miler every weekend isn’t easy when you work an 80 hour work week!

So right now I’m content with my mix of running and cross training and am looking forward to seeing how that affects my time on my next half. Only 4 more weeks to go!

Iowa’s Heartland. Where the, uh, heart is…

In coming back to cold, cold Ames Iowa to celebrate both my birthday and New Year’s I was initially regretting that I’d miss out on some killer parties but reasoning that it’d be good to come home. As my life now is fairly fast-paced, for this big city beach girl coming back to spend time by the fire and sipping wine alongside my snoozing parents is exactly what I needed!

It’s been about a year since I’ve been here, but the snow covered trees, rolling hills, and glimpses of red cardinals is more beautiful than I remember. Currently I’m drinking a Boulevard Pale Ale beer in my Uggs (which truly are serving to keep my feet warm) and no it’s not heaven but it is Iowa.

Definitely the best part about coming back was seeing the family. In Chilean style my mom made some awesome food and it was great to spend quality time with everyone. Hugs all around!! My stepsister, her husband, and their 2 kids were here only for the first day of my visit and it was wayyyy too short! Crazy how fast these kids grow and HOW SMART they are!! Makes me wonder how long it’s been since I visited Minnesota… when can I take leave again?

One thing they told me about was the CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) they belong to. How have I not heard about this??!! Basically you buy shares in a local farm and they supply you with weekly or bi-weekly boxes full of veggies, herbs, etc. I looked into ones out where I live but still had some questions. Later I went to our local organic grocer, Wheatsfield Coop, and asked the cashier if she knew about them, if she had any guidance on how to choose one. She looks at me for a while (such that I start thinking “¿I am speaking english, No?”) and then she grins and exclaims “I own a CSA!”

She was super passionate about it and gave me a lot of advice, directing me to some sites for recipes, etc. Funny thing, I was also there buying a book called “Slow Food In The Heartland” by a chef at one of my favorite Iowa City restaurants, Devotay. It has a few recipes in it but also describes the whole buying locally and slow food movement that I plan to read as my carry-on when I fly back to SoCal tomorrow.

It has been good to be back, seeing childhood friends and visiting old haunts. I did make a trip to Iowa City which I really, really, truly do miss and love. Seeing all that intense Hawkeye fandom nearly made me tear up/cheer at the top of my lungs a few times! But after living 4 years in Chicago and now living literally ON the beach I wonder how I’d readapt to living in a smaller city which celebrates all 4 seasons … especially winter… with such fevor 🙂 Soooo I guess I’ll have to see what the military plans for my future, it’ll be exciting to see where life takes me!

… and speaking of Iowa, GO HAWKEYES!!! BEAT GEORGIA TECH!!!!

Ducati Monster S4R

I realized that I have neglected to post this large part of my life: my amazing motorcycle. I bought it about 7-8 months ago and ride pretty much every day. What made me think to write about it is that I miss it! It’s been raining in San Diego the past few days and though I have ridden in rain, I’ve also hydroplaned and don’t want that on 2 wheels.

Riding a motorcycle is fantastic. Mine in particular was already upgraded with Termignoni pipes, increased horsepower, adjustment to the exhaust to lighten the bike, and a bigger filter. All I had to do was lower it to my height and add bigger mirrors! Riding is what I look forward to doing after every stressful day at work- leaving the ER, putting on my gear, and forgetting all my worries. I did a lot of investment in getting safety gear, and I just got a new jacket that’s better for the winter months.

I miss my friends that I used to ride with… we’d go in the canyons and ride the twisties, sooooo much fun on my Monster! But as I ride pretty much every day I have fun when I can 🙂 And the guys who service my bike, GP Motorcycles are awesome, even lending me my Halloween costume ( I was a Moto GP Mechanic).

Of course, all my family and friends out there reading, I ride safe- very safe. I have literally had my hands in the injuries of motorcyclists, their blood on my scrubs.. But I’m an adrenaline junkie…. so the fun is worth it 🙂

here’s my fantastic, amazing, wonderful bike!!!!!