Marathon Plans

My New Piano

I've been thinking a lot about the marathon lately.  Even though the half was hard I feel even more inspired to pursue the full marathon.  In fact, I am wanting to start training for it soon and not wait until 2015.  So, I have been looking at the different options.  One that interests me is the Avenue of Giants Marathon in the Redwoods up by Eureka California.  It is absolutely beautiful there.  The only issue is it doesn't have a lot of spectators and not a lot of different sights except for the amazing trees.  There are a lot of reviews of the race online.  Some absolutely love it and others mention the lack of people and some poor organization.  It is in May which I like as this gives me time to prepare but also the chance to get started on the training soon.  Also if I get it done in May I can relax over the summer.  Plus I was thinking of being a little more involved at Church next year (I'd like to be a worship associate-the one who leads service) and this would give me more time.  If I wait to do the race next winter than the fall is shot as far as taking on any more activities.  

We are getting solar power put on our roof!

But... I really like spectators.  Their cheering helps keep me running and I think with 26.2 miles I am really going to need it.  Ok, so there is the San Diego Rock n Roll marathon on June 2nd.  Good spectators, sights, music, support services.  But a lot of the reviews mention a nasty hill at mile 21!  Omg, that doesn't sound good.  Chicago marathon is in October, it is supposed to be great, especially for first timers,  but that is pretty far and expensive.  Marine Corps marathon is also in October in Washington DC.  Pretty cool.  But again, there is the expense and I would still have to wait until October.  And waiting until then would wipe out any significant travel in the summer or fall unless it is to the race itself.  I was sort of considering going to Europe with the family in the fall too.  

Max

Well, the Avenue of the Giants is starting to look better.  Plus there is this amazing sounding eco-vegan-resort in Mendocino that we could go to after.  And if we did that perhaps it would just be Kelly and me which would be nice.  On the other hand I love having the whole family there to support my run. But then the resort would be kind of expensive for a family of 4. (or 3 if Kaylie has school which she might and Aiden would too of course.)  Oh my.  I just can't figure this one out.  I guess I will give it some more time and see what unfolds.  

Lake Hodges Half Marathon Recap

Saturday I ran the She Runs Half Marathon trail race at Lake Hodges.  I got up at 5:00 am and made myself a smoothie of 2 dates, a banana, water , chia seeds and ice.  It is pretty basic and less than what I usually put in a smoothie but I wanted mostly carbs and something easily digested.  I drank it up, half awake at 5 and then went back to bed for an hour.  At 6:30 I got up, took a quick shower (why, when I am going to run, take a shower?, but I think it helps me sweat less therefore chafe less. No hair wash just the body), got on my best (i.e. least likely to chafe) running clothes and did the most important thing to do before a race.  Can you guess?  Well, there is no nice way to say it but emptying the bowels is paramount to a good race.  It is really uncomfortable to have to go the bathroom half way through the race.  So that is why I eat at 5am for a 8am race.  I also drink a lot of fluids the day before and some at 5 am but then stop after that until during the race.

I arrived at 7:20 for the 8:00 am start.  I used the porta potty again (twice actually) and then registered.  I got a cute shirt though it is a bit small for me.  It is always so hard to figure out what size to request.  Sometimes small is perfect and medium is too big and sometimes small is too small and medium would be better.  Ugghh.  It's cute too but we'll see if it will work for runs. Maybe short ones.  I also got a cute water bottle and a pink wrist band that says "proud to run like a girl" which I like and wore all day for a couple days after the race.  Anyway, I put my new stuff and my jacket in the car and lined up at the starting gate.  It was a small race, only 133 people finished.  That was fun to be in such a small race after the last which was at Disneyland and had thousands.  I ran with my pediatrician friend Alisa almost the entire race.  She left me behind at mile 12 to finish strong.  The race was all on dirt and had lots of rocks and tree roots to watch out for.  I almost fell on my face twice.  Overall, though, my body felt good.  There was a big hill mile 10 to 11 and I ran up it without stopping which was a goal of mine.   Alisa stopped for a short part of the hill and this is probably wise because walking is as close to as fast as running like I did but for me it is psychological.  However she quickly caught up and probably had a little more energy to finish by walking a small portion of the hill.  Or maybe she is just in a little better shape.  She has run many more races than I have and been at this for longer.  She even ran a full marathon.  My goal, my elusive, crazy, insane goal.  Back to Lake Hodges.  I felt really good until the last mile.  This was the case with my other runs too.  That last mile is hard.  I was feeling slightly nauseated and the fact that the sun was much stronger now didn't help.  But I kept going, not stopping and crossed the finish line to the cheers of Alisa, Kelly and Aiden.  She finished about 1 minute ahead. My final time was 2 hours and 24 minutes. #70 of 133.  This is about the same time as my first marathon in March of 2012. But this one was on dirt which makes a huge difference.  So, I am feeling pretty good about Carlsbad in January.  I think I may be improving somewhat and might be able to pull off a personal record there.  We'll see.

My only concern though is a new physical issue.  I think I may have pulled my groin muscles somehow.  Both sides hurt but the left worse.  It was happening before the race but is worse now.  Every once in a while I have sharp intense pain in the muscles/ligaments along my inguinal region.  And last night it was throbbing when I was trying to sleep so I had to take Motrin.  It isn't constant but it is super severe when it hits.  It only last a few seconds or so but it hurts so much.  And it worries me.  This is a new one and I haven't read much about it in my running magazines so I am not sure what to do.  I will have to research it and maybe speak with my doctor if it continues.  I don't want it to hamper my future races.

Lastly, 13.1 miles was HARD.  I really can't imagine doing 26.2.  At 13 I was ready to collapse. And I even felt a little like throwing up.  It passed quickly and I felt fine and actually recovered pretty quickly.  But how am I going to ever do 26.2?  Really not sure.

detour ahead

Tomorrow morning I will run my fourth half marathon. This is the first one I have done on a trail instead of the road. It is at Lake Hodges. The trail has hills and can be a bit rocky. I am not sure how many women will be running (it is a race just for women -that's a first also unless you count Disneyland's Tinkerbell half which was mostly women and some men) but I hope there are not too many runners because the trail can be a bit narrow and slightly treacherous. I've run some of the trail I am doing tomorrow many times before which I think will be helpful. Especially the hilly part. But half of the run is unknown. I will also have a friend to run with. We are planning on starting out together and then if one feels more inspired to run faster then we will split up. I know I will be running this much slower than my other half marathons on the road just due to the effects of running on dirt and rocks etc and also due to the hills. So I am mentally preparing myself for a slower result. I am excited. I mentioned it to my stepdaughter, Kaylie. And she said "oh, yeah, running 13 miles sounds like a lot of fun" with a bit of sarcasm I believe. She made me laugh because it will be miserable at certain points (the hills, the last 3 miles probably) and I wonder why that it is fun but, what can I say, it just is.

Earlier this week I ran a 6 mile run at Penasquitos Preserve.  I have run the trail many times.  I go there at least once a week.  On this particular day I went on my regular trail and one mile in came upon this detour sign.  They were doing some trail construction work so I had to go on a smaller side trail.  This single lane trail basically ran parallel to my usual road with the same end point of the water fall at 3 miles.  I had never noticed this trail before.  It was so beautiful.  The photos I stopped and took along my run don't do it justice.  It was gorgeous.  And if it wasn't for the detour I never would have seen it.

A friend of ours recently was diagnosed with cancer. He is doing this intense regimen of chemo where he is admitted to the hospital for a full week of continuous chemo then is off for 2 weeks and then admitted again to repeat. He will do this until next February! Can you imagine? You are swimming along in your life and all of a sudden wham this is your new reality. Forget work, forget dinners at home, forget sleeping in your own bed, forget everything you normally do. From now on you will be living one of every 3 weeks in a hospital getting poison put into your veins to stop the cancer. I have been thinking of him, his positive attitude, his strength, his friendships. He's a lucky guy to have so much. I am a lucky woman to have so much. I am grateful. I am grateful.

my mantra in life

It's been over 3 weeks since I last posted.  The title of this blog has the word Journey in it. And it is a journey for sure.  Will I ever get there and does it really even matter?  I am doubting that I will ever run the 26.2. Lately, I have been less than enthusiastic at times to go running.  I have skipped quite a few planned runs.  I think in the last 3 weeks I have been doing only 2 runs a week, maybe 3.  And I haven't gone more than 6 miles in a while either.  Sometimes I want to run but lately more often than not I picture in my mind me running and it seems so boring and exhausting!  So, instead I sleep in or I eat breakfast and relax at home.   I am not sure what is going on. I think I am just tired of following my rules.  It feels good to break them. And stay up late , drink some wine, have some cookies--you get the idea.

I think maybe my goal of running a marathon is too far in the future.  But I don't feel ready right now.   I have 2 half marathons coming up which I should maybe do more for. But I think I can do them okay without major changes. I read  training books and on line guides and there is so much advice.  Cross training, core exercises, run Fartleks, run sprints etc.  and I do this a little, in spurts and then it just seems like too much so I go to my default which is to just run and do it a few times a week.  I sort of wish the marathon was sooner so I could really start preparing and just doing it. But I also don't want to amp it up yet. I think my original plan of 2015 is good.  Until I get closer though, I will be more relaxed.

I still think I will get there but I am a bit less sure. And even if I don't it is interesting in this attempt.  I am learning how to balance and not take it all too seriously. In fact that could be my mantra in life- learning how to balance and not take it all too seriously.

Juice Fast-How the Family Fared

Last week the adults in our family, myself,Kelly and Kaylie, decided to do a juice fast. For weeks Kaylie, my 21 year old step daughter, has off and on said "we should do a juice fast". She had watched Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead on Netflix and was inspired to try juicing. I finally watched the movie and was also inspired so we decided to do it. Kaylie and Kelly were out of town for the weekend and I was home alone so I decided to start without out them and they could join in on Monday. I went to Sprouts and bought $60 worth of organic vegetables (and that would only last for 2 days). Shopping was easy, though, since I didn't even have to leave the produce department.  I pulled out a juicer we have had for years and it worked just fine. Although if I was going to be a frequent juicer I would invest in a better one since you have to cut up the veggies and fruit fairly small for ours to get through the opening. Sunday morning I went for a 3 mile run in the neighborhood and felt a little weak. My legs felt heavier than usual but I was able to finish okay. Sunday afternoon I spent with my extended family who didn't judge too much though I am sure they were thinking "there goes Anne again with her weird habits" My mom called the juice cleanse a "diet" where upon I corrected her that it was a cleanse not a diet. Which is completely silly because it is a diet! But it sounds so much better to be a cleanse. Everyone at the party at my Mom's house had sausage and chips and beer but I had my juice. And honestly I didn't mind. I wasn't craving anything yet.

Monday, however, was a different story. Day 3. I stupidly went for my scheduled 6 mile run that morning after dropping off Aiden at school. It was already in the 80's outside and between the heat and the fast I felt like crap. My legs were like lead. I felt weak and for the first time in a long time I couldn't finish the run. I ran 4 miles and the last 2 I walked. It was hard mentally to give myself permission to walk but I had to because each time I tried to run I felt so weak and nauseated. I got home and had more juice and took a nap. But I still felt crummy and beyond that the cravings began to come on. I just wanted to have something real in my mouth. I just wanted to chew!

Kelly and Kaylie started the fast that day too. Kelly did fine but Kaylie (the one who wanted to do this for weeks) came home from school on day 1 and declared that she was starving and had to have real food and couldn't do this. She promptly made her self a salad with avocado (and told us it was the best avocado she had ever had). So much for her juice fast. She did however continue with eating more veggies. I don't know if she lost any weight though. Kelly, on the other hand, did pretty well. He did a total of 5 days of juicing though I think he mostly just ate a lot of fruit and vegetables and was pretty sick of juice after just a few days. He lost about 10 pounds and feels "cleansed". My goal was mostly to see what juicing was like, get my family jump started on a cleaner diet and lose just a few pounds to help with my marathon training. I did that and feel good. I finished 7 days of juicing with just a little cheating here and there. The last day I had a normal dinner as I just couldn't wait another minute to eat some real food. I don't know how anyone could do it for 60 days as they do in the movie. However the pounds do come off and you are getting nutrients from the juice and not feeling too hungry so it may be a pretty okay option for those seeking weight loss.

For those training for a race, like me, it was not a good option. The main drawback for me was the weakness I felt. It got a lot better after the third day but I still felt weaker than usual. And I basically stopped running during the week of fasting after that day 3 killer run. I was scared that I would injure myself as I think my recent strong nutrition keeps me from getting overuse injuries. And even when I did start running again yesterday, 2 days after the fast ended, I felt weak. But this morning I felt back to normal. Tomorrow I will hopefully run 8 miles and we'll see how it goes. So, in the end, I think the fast was a success but not something I would do again soon.

Run Your Own Race

Aiden had soccer today (he said this pic looked like he was doing the hokey pokey)

Run your own race.  You hear this from runners and see people write it in magazines.  In fact, I remember very clearly two guys running near me during the Silver Strand Half Marathon last year talking about just this.  One guy was pretty average looking wearing non specific running gear but the other guy was in hippie looking clothes.  I don't remember exactly what he was wearing and I am not sure what a hippie wears to run a race but he looked like one.  Anyway the non hippie guy was urging his girl friend to hurry up and run with him.  The Hippie guy then said, "hey, you gotta let her run her own race".  That stuck with me for some reason.

I was reminded of it the other day when I was out running once again at the Penasquitos Preserve. I love running there so much.  It is beautiful, quiet and not hilly (unless you run more than 6 miles then there are some pretty good hills).  Last week I ran what for me is now a short run of 4 miles.  When I know I am only going to run 4 miles I run faster than usual.  Likewise when I am going to run 8 or 10 I slow down.  So I was running a bit faster than normal and on my way back I passed a guy.  He was tall and thin and looked like he probably runs a bit.  As I ran by he said to me "I'm on a recovery run".  And I said"today is a short and fast day for me" as I left him in my dust.  Okay, not really in my dust but I did pass him and didn't see him again.  But the interesting part was how he had to let me know why he was going slow and I responded with why I was going fast.  I think these thoughts are so common among runners.  I know when I was injured and ran/walked around Lake Miramar when I walked I wanted to shout at every passing runner "my knee is injured!" Or when I am going around the lake twice for 10 miles and going slowly I want to tell runners that are going faster "I'm going twice that's why I am slow".  And this is not running our own races.  But it is so human.  And I like that.

Just some of the leftovers from juicing- what do you do with this besides compost??

I watched the movie Fat Sick and Nearly Dead yesterday and it inspired me to do a juice fast.  So, today I started and I feel really good.  I am meeting a good friend at one of my favorite restaurants tomorrow, Tender Greens.  And they have a great vegan mixed salad.  So, I probably won't officially start the juice fast until Monday.  Besides Kaylie and Kelly want to do it with me too and they are out of town this weekend.  But today felt good and I will probably juice most of tomorrow just skipping lunch.  I am a bit weird about food.  I like to try new things, always trying to improve my health.  The fast is supposed to be for 10 days.  We'll see.  I am not sure if I can do 10 days on juice alone.

Sienna's Playgarden Family 5K

Sunday morning my family and many other people from our neighborhood participated in a 5K to support Sienna's Playgarden.  It was fun to see so many people from our hood all gather together in Mission Bay De Anza Cove to run for a great cause.  I can't imagine the agony of losing one's child.  I refuse to even think about it because it is the worst pain I can imagine  And I so admire this woman, Jen, and her family for focusing on the positive in life and giving back after losing so much.  Some day when the funds are raised and the new playground equipment is installed I will think of this family on the many days I walk through Rolling Hills Park. 

I wish I had taken some photos of the event.  Photos of the families, the kids playing, all the Sienna t'shirts in action.  But no, instead I only took one photo.  Because I am a freak and selfish but what can I say?  The only picture I took was of the race results.  I came in 10th place in the women and 29th place overall.  My friend Cory came in 4th among the women!   Of course there were only about 300 participants or less and of course it was a local friendly race and not known among many runners and most people walked it.  But stilll!!  It may be the highest I ever place in a race.  So I think I will be proud and enjoy it.  I don't totally suck at this sport!  Yippee!

Check out the website for Sienna.

http://www.siennasplaygarden.isabellasgiraffeclub.org