PF Chang's Half Marathon Race Report

I actually had a request to hurry up with this race report. I never knew people were waiting to hear about my athletic feats. There are probably just as many, "Just shut up talking about running," requests too but people don't usually voice those. The race experience started, as any good race should, at the expo. My "sweet" children would not allow me to look around and gather free samples. You should  believe I will remember that at birthdays and holiday occasions. My greatest joy is walking around perusing the merch while trying to avoid the eyes of those weird chiropractic and Amway vitamin sellers. The highlight of my very short trip to the expo was seeing Kara Goucher (really, really fast Olympian and mother of a three month old, who of course finished the half in HALF my time). I am such a geek. I wanted to wave at her and say, "You go Kara," but my oldest prevented it. I still smiled at her like a stalker.








The other person I ran into, OK not really because he was signing autographs and posing for pictures, was Marathon Meb. He is also a super fast Olympian and winner of the 2009 NYC Marathon. I know this picture is really crappy but my kids wouldn't let me wait in line. And I couldn't talk them into being in a picture with us so I didn't want to look all weird (or more so than usual!)








Expo accomplished, we went on to the now ritual pasta eating. I made myself bring half home so I wouldn't be all bloaty. Because bloaty=bad. Sunday morning we woke up and my awesome running partner (though not for this race) drove me and my second string running partner, [though always first in my heart] (my husband) to the starting line. I informed Aaron our first order of business was standing in line at the port a potties. He said, "I don't have to go," and I said, "well you're going so you better just get in there and try." I think this really illustrates why our relationship works. After the peeing there was nothing to do but wait. And wait. And wait. I'm not going to lie, if I ever do this race again I will totally stretch the truth about my projected finish time (say 2 hours) so I can move up in the corrals. It's not like anyone is going to monitor my speed. And if they do, I will start limping and make them feel bad. We were in corral 19 and we crossed the start 35 minutes after corral 1. 35 minutes! Of standing. In the cold. I know they need a wave start and all  but 35 minutes is a long time to wait when you can see the start and you just want to be finished so you can go home and take a nap. Let's just say I was very ready to be done with training this time. My legs hurt on our last 30 minute run and I was just.sick.of.running. We finally took off and Aaron and I found a nice little spot among the crowds. I think we were well placed in corral 19 because we passed as many people as passed us at the first. Aaron was unusually quiet during the race and after he said he didn't want to annoy me. I tried to explain that he didn't annoy me, I just can't carry on a long conversation and run and focus. But I appreciate a little chatter. By mile 5 all I could think was, "I am so bored. I want this to end. How much longer?" The course was flatter than the Women's Half but not as pretty. Running through the barrio is: 1. depressing and 2. unattractive. Convenience stores and strip malls do not motivate me. And the bands are really far apart. Some are scary. I swear there was at least a mile toward the end where there was no sound. No cheering, no music and not even the runners were talking. It seemed like the atmosphere was really flat this year. Or maybe that was me. The two highlights of the course were: 1. As we started climbing the first hill, a woman running behind us started yelling, "I love hills. I love this hill. We are so lucky we get to climb this hill." She made me laugh and motivated me to get up and over the dreaded hill. I was just sad she was so much faster than me and ran ahead before the next hill. 2. There was a band composed of high school geeks and they were rapping and playing their hearts out. I think they had about 15 people in the band. But again, it made me laugh, which at that stage is the most important thing. At about 10 miles I originally thought I would just run as long as I could and see where that took me. Well, that took me to side stitch-ville so I immediately reverted to 2 run/1 walk. We maintained about a 12:05 pace throughout and by mile 10 I was damned if I would let that slip away like last time. We did slow down between miles 8.5 and 10 but that's where the hills were. I so wanted to run longer but I didn't feel like my body would let me, which I know was 75% mental. But my brain is big and bossy. So we stuck with the 2/1 and ended up pulling our pace back up in the end. By about mile 12.5 I could almost see the finish line and I knew we would make it. We started running and didn't stop until we passed the finish. I kept telling myself, "You can do it." And then, "Bitch, you better keep running." Because sometimes myself needs a little smack talk. Aaron and I ran in holding hands. We finished in 2:40:44, improving my WHM time by 3 minutes. I truly did not have a goal for this one. I just wanted to finish without my legs falling off. So I accomplished that. And I did improve. So exciting. But I won't be running double digit miles for a LONG time!

Resolute

I'm not really into making resolutions. Sometimes I try. And then I fail. And then I cry. So I like to avoid that. But every year I do say to myself, "Wouldn't it be great if this was the year I get down to my goal weight so I don't have to keep thinking about getting down to my goal weight." And then I keep eating the same amount of brownies, doughnuts, Cherry Mash, etc. that I usually do. So it never really happens. But this year, this year will (please) be the one where I either get down to my goal weight or just stop caring. One or the other. It's not as if I wonder every day, "why can't I lose this weight." For an answer I just have to consult the sentence above regarding baked carbohydrates and sugar. If I could just rein that in, golden! And it's not as if I didn't start an exercise program in 2010 that carried me through the year. I even had one day when I thought, "I really need to go run." True, it was only that one day I thought, "I need to," rather than, "I have to," but that is progress. When I look back at my accomplishments for 2010 I feel the need to give myself a high  five. Witness:

• My first sprint triathlon, Tri for the Cure in April.
• A 5K (good but slower than last time) and 10K (horrible) as part of my training plan AND
• A half marathon

This year I am starting the year off right with another half marathon this weekend. Please, please, please don't let me have jinxed myself by typing that. It just seems wrong when it's so close! I also would like to do a couple of open water sprints. I think that means I have to start swimming again though. And that is not such an enticing option. But maybe swimming should be the thing I conquer in 2011 (haha, never happen). 2010 was my running year. The year I embraced the running (with the help of Jeff Galloway and his magic run/walk/run). Instead of coming to a screeching halt at 3 miles, I was able to mentally lure myself into completing a lot of miles. And I hope my brain is not reading this and comprehending the trickery. Because I would love to keep running. Just not 11 miles at a time for a while.

P.S. I don't know if anyone really cares that the pictures on the sidebar are over a year old. I am hesitant to change them because when I look at them they actually look pretty fit due to the iPhone camera and I'm afraid the newer ones would make me look worse, even though I am actually lighter and more toned. One thing at a time.

Speed is Relative

I recently had occasion to cease criticism of myself for a few minutes and give myself credit for the incredible amount of work I've done to get to this point. The occasion was this article about Jennifer Love Hewitt running the LA Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon in 3:09. Not only did Jennifer run with her boyfriend, she was paced by Deena Kastor (American record holder and Olympic medalist). And my first thought was: I beat Jennifer Love Hewitt AND Deena Kastor with my lightning fast time of 2:43! Some people might obsess on the fact that Deena Kastor was very pregnant. Just let me have my moment! I always agonize over my speed and find myself apologizing to people for being so slow. As if they care how fast or slow I am, as long as they can continue eating cans of Pringles in front of the television. On a related topic, do you ever feel guilty about binging while watching The Biggest Loser? I usually don't even eat while it's on because I can feel the guilt from Bob and Jillian being transmitted over the airwaves. I should probably do sit ups during commercial breaks or something.

OK back to the original topic: I beat myself up for being "slow" and I think, "If I can do it anyone can do it." I'm starting to realize that may not be true. Yes, I was finisher 2387 at the Women's Half but there were 997 women (and some men, but that's another story) behind me. And I'm pretty sure they were trying their best and not just letting me "win." A 12:30 or 12:00 minute mile pace may be slow for some people but considering I never thought I would be a runner, it's pretty fast for me. And I know there are some women out there now thinking they will never be able to run because it's just too hard. I used to be that woman. Ten years ago I even wrote, "walking is all I'm capable of." And I was ten years younger, with springier knees and joints that didn't crack upon rising from the dinner table. I've decided it's all mental. A lot of people live by the Henry Ford quote: 

If you think you can do a thing or think you can't do a thing, you're right.

Now Henry Ford may have had some other issues (Nazi ties anyone) but this quote pretty much sums it up. If I think I can never run, I never will. And I like to think some day I will run like a gazelle through the savanna. I picture myself being that elegant now but I think if I ever saw a video of my running form it would be a different story. But I still strive for that. I know I will get faster and I know that every "slow" step I take brings me closer to that point. I am a runner (no matter what Pearl Izumi says). And I am fast.

Half Marathon Recovery

You (the generic you, who might be interested in anything I have to say) will be happy to know I am still running. Sometimes I run faster than I ever thought possible. And then I die a little during my one minute walk break. But no matter, it's interval training at its finest and soon I will be super, extra speedy. In the two weeks following my half marathon I followed the recovery program from Marathoning for Mortals. They also have a walk/run program for the half so I'm following it for PF Chang's in January. The two weeks of recovery included walking at first and then shorter runs. I did progress to a 7 mile run last week and let's just say it was hovering above horrible. I like running in the cold but it feels like my legs are frozen chopsticks sometimes and they won't be lifted above shuffling. But the recovery period was super. Looking forward to doing it again.

Other Things Responsible for My Super Recovery:

Ice bath and massage day of the race

Continuing to exercise after the race and not allowing myself to take a six month time off

Volunteering for an Ironman.

Volunteering for the Ironman was perhaps key in my psychological recovery. I figure I cannot whine about 13.1 miles around people doing a marathon AFTER a 2.4 mile swim AND 112 mile bike ride. It was so inspiring to see all kinds of people (not just skinny little stick people) completing the distance. But I don't know if it made me want to do one or vow to never do one. Not in the near future anyway. An actual conversation with one of the participants:

Him: Do you know if soda settles your stomach?
Me: I've heard on good authority, from the only person I actually know who's completed an Ironman, that it helps.
Him: I feel like I need to throw up.
Me: Well, um, just throw up then. It's probably better, right?
Him: I've been trying to throw up for the last hour.
Me: (in my head) OK, good luck with that.

So you see, volunteering at an Ironman offers both highs and lows. Next year I'm going to volunteer early so I can actually see the Elites finish. I was an hour or so too late this time. Plus next year I'll try not to poke a snippy high school girl in the eye. Note to self: volunteer at an aid station with less teenage help. Because if you have to hear a 16 year old constantly yelling for volunteers to "back up" you tend to get a little jaded with the youth of today. Sorry for the tangent. Moral of story: volunteer at a race you think you would never do and it really puts your life in perspective. Especially when you see a woman with a prosthetic leg come by three times and know she will complete the race with one good leg while you moan and whinge about how much your arm hurts from pouring water into cups.

Things I Love...

just in case you want to  buy me a Christmas present.

I have a growing collection of exercise related stuff. I'm still searching for the perfect pack or belt to take on my runs but I am a huge believer in my Camelback hand held water bottle. I tend to drink more when wearing it and it gives me something to death grip when I feel like I might just die. But I have a new found favorite thing:

Bondi Bands! They are delightful  headbands that don't slip and wick the nasty sweat away from important areas (like eyes, because seeing while running is always helpful). I always wanted to try them out but could only find them online. Then I discovered their booth at the Women's Half Marathon expo and immediately bought 3. Of course I didn't realize at the time that I bought the "fashion" bands and not the "wicking" bands but that only forced me to order 5 more when I got home. I wore the fashion band under my hat for the half and it worked pretty well. I also wear it only an almost daily basis now (I washed it first!) And here's photographic evidence:

And you thought I was lying! HA! The wicking bands really stay put and today I used it to cover my ears because it was arctic outside (well, arctic for AZ anyway). They had a coupon code for 5 for $25 - just put FIVE in the coupon space. I ordered "Run Walk Crawl Finish," "Suck it Up Cupcake," "I love running I hate running" (and it glows in the dark!) a tiara design and was forced to  buy a glow in the dark for my daughter. I highly, highly recommend Bondi bands (and they don't even know I exist so I'm not getting anything in return for this except maybe high fives from any friends who try them and love them)!

Women's Half Marathon Race Report

I know it's been a good long while since I've posted. I've just been so busy running (and stuff). My first run/walk/run half marathon is now behind me. I walked PF Chang's half a couple years ago so this technically wasn't my first half, just my first half with any running beyond that at the finish line! I have learned so much since then and I know I'm in much better shape. So sit back and enjoy the mile by mile recap. OK, I would never do that to you. Just a general recap then. Based on what I can remember before race amnesia sets in.

Our goal going in was to run 2/1 intervals for the first 6 miles and then switch to 3/1. This did not work out so well but still living and learning here. We had an approximate time goal of "less than 3 hours." We had been doing our long runs about a 13 minute mile pace but gradually sped up to about a 12.50 pace. We certainly did not push ourselves during long runs. Our shorter runs were about 12. 30 to 12.45. So we didn't set an overly ambitious goal. I honestly did not know if we could maintain a 12.30 pace over 13 miles. We just set out to finish smiling.

Race morning we enlisted my (wonderful) husband to drop us off at the start so we didn't have to mess with the bus from the finish line nonsense. We even made a bathroom stop at McDonald's (smartest move of the whole day!) We started in corral 4 behind the 3 hour pace team. We probably should have moved up at this point but I don't think we were giving ourselves enough credit. The race started and we had to dodge walkers for awhile before settling in. Our first mile split was amazingly 12.30 despite the weaving. The field opened up and we settled in. The first 8 miles went pretty smoothly, in spite of some really nasty hills not mentioned on the "fast, downhill course" race website. I don't know if you have hills where you live. I do not. It is FLAT, like Kansas. So the hills were like someone hitching a ride on my back with their arms around my neck. I seriously began to wonder if I had exercise induced asthma because I was sucking wind. The hills took a little of the spirit out of our game plan, as did passing the finishers on the other side of the road while we were only on mile 8. Psychologically disheartening to say the least.

We started really slipping at mile 9 and the downhill slide continued to the finish. Before that point we had been running at an average pace of 12 minute miles. And I'm sure you can go faster but for me that's the pace I was doing before when I was running the whole time. So I was nothing but excited. From mile 10 on it was a long hard slog. 3 miles seems so short considering you've already gone 10; but those 3 miles were the longest of my life. It's sort of like watching "Man Versus Food." (Just go with it). I always get mad at Adam if he gives up with like 5 bites left because really, he's already eaten some 5 pounds of ribs or something. But now I totally understand. At some point your body starts to rebel and you cannot force it to take one more bite or run "swiftly." I knew I needed another Gu but I could not stomach the thought. Finally I added some non-Nuun flavored water to my bottle and just took the Gu already. That seemed to help a lot and while the last three miles were no frolic in the park, we made it. Eventually we settled on 1/1 intervals and reached the sweet, sweet finish line in 2.43.48. Now let me just tell you the pissy thing about our finish. Garmin said we did 13.34 in 2.43, which makes our average lower than 12.30. I know the weaving at the start added some distance but I heard from at least two competent runners that their Garmin said 13.21. So I'm going with my distance. So there Women's Half Marathon!

Overall it was a great experience. I felt so much better finishing this than I did walking PF Chang's. Nutrition and being in better shape really helped with that. I even had an ice bath upon my return home AND a massage. I know, I'm a lucky, lucky girl. My legs are a little sore. The stairs in our house are accursed and sitting down is not delightful. But I am so ready to get back out there and see if I can sustain a faster pace. I am so not going to quit running now. I finally feel like exercise is a part of my life and not just something I'm doing to lose weight or finish an event.

I know run/walk/run has some critics:

"Run/walking isn't really running"
"You could run the whole time if you really wanted to"
"You would go faster if you ran the whole time"

To this I say (in addition to some cursing and eye rolling and "oh yeah, when did you complete your last half marathon? Oh that's right, you haven't"):
Run/walk/run is almost solely responsible for my getting to the starting line and the finish line. I know I could run at least 5K at this point and after PF Chang's I'm going to start running shorter distance runs, but for right now I'm sticking with Jeff Galloway. I really like knowing I only need to focus on 2 or 3 minutes at a time. I like seeing my pace slowly get faster. I ran/walked 2 miles with an 11.22 pace the other day. I like not feeling like total crap after my long runs. I like not being injured (knock on wood). In short, I can see using the run/walk/run indefinitely for long runs. During the race we noticed we were pacing several ladies who ran the whole time. And it is sooooo much easier to get Gu down during a walk break!

Runner's High or Hormonal Mood Swing?

I don't care which, I'll take it.

I am still in the midst of half marathon training. Our weekly long runs are up to 6 miles at this point. I am impressed with myself but continually wonder where the other 7 are going to come from. A couple weeks ago we did a horrible, horrible 5 miles on the canal. I was hot and had several, what I and my friend Sara love to call, "situations." I had chafing and rubbing and heat stress and general bitchiness. I seriously thought about calling the whole thing off. I truly questioned my sanity when I saw a small tree with shade and thought about crawling under it while waiting for my running buddies to come back and retrieve me. But I made it (obviously). The next week we were doing 5 again and I was so dreading it. I had solved the chafing/rubbing issues (thank you Body Glide)! I ate a little something before and I had some lovely Tri Berry Nuun. Plus the temps were in the normal for human beings range and the sun was behind clouds. Perfect. I had decided before that I would not look at the Garmin and would just run as fast or slow as my body wanted. The run/walk/run was awesome and when we finished I felt like I could keep going. Keep going! After 5 miles, which incidentally was my longest run/walk/run EVER. Then we went to breakfast at Paradise Bakery and I wanted to hug everyone. And possibly kiss them. I was JUST SO HAPPY. Maybe it was the elusive runner's high. Maybe I was just hyperventilating. I don't know. The point is, I did not feel like I was going to die. And this made me feel like I can accomplish the goals I have set for myself. So much so that I was inspired to sign up for another half marathon in January. Perhaps I should not be near the computer during a runner's high. It's like that middle of the night shopping or gambling for people taking Ambien. I cannot be responsible for what I sign up for during a period of extreme giddiness and love of life resulting from pushing my body beyond its comfort zone.