Race Report Times Two!

Since my last post, I've raced twice. On June 19, I ran the Steamworks Brewing Half Marathon and June 27, I ran the Cherry Garcia 10-K. I can enthusiastically report that I scored a PR at both races. I'm still in the turtle slow / run-walk category, but a PR is a PR. ************************************************************************************* Race #1 - Steamworks Half - 2:29:09 (11:38 Pace) - I really enjoyed this race last year and this year was no exception. Similar to my November Turkey Trot experience, I had a wee bit too much fun connecting with old friends the night before and my "just one beer and in bed by 10" turned into "just three beers and in bed by midnight." Henceforth, I felt a little like vomiting when I woke up at 6am the next morning and that feeling continued all day. BONUS! I was able to hang in there and was right on track to crush my sub-2:30 goal until I hit mile 11. I forgot that the last two miles are all hills and between being exhausted from pushing really hard, feeling sick to my stomach and tough-ass hills, I did shed a tear or two in mile 13. Thank God I didn't see my parents around then, I probably would have asked them to drive me to the finish line and screwed up my record. None of that mattered though when I realized I was still going to break 2:30. I crossed the finish line and then in a new and fun way to celebrate (remember last time I tripped over the finish line) I promptly threw up. That was a running first for me. At the finish line, a nice lady leisurely offered to remove my timing chip and in a demon possessed voice I said, "Lady, you better hurry." We made up later when she brought me a glass of water, I said sorry for the demonic possession and almost vomiting on her and all was well. The post-race party was great, they have fantastic microbrew beer. Despite my inability to eat anything, I did manage to put back a couple amber ales. Good race all-in-all. ************************************************************************************* Race #2 - Cherry Garcia 10-K 1:08:33 (11:05 Pace) - Since my husband and I are "Race Medal Whores," meaning we'll do just about anything to get a race medal, we quickly signed up for the first event of the "Chunky Challenge." There is some loose affiliation with Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream, which is served after both races. If you complete this race and the Chunky Monkey 10-K, you get a special medal. Well, it's funny how a week can change your perspective. Up to this point, I hadn't run a 10-K below 70 minutes. I was really hoping to break that mark and did so pretty easily. The funny thing was that I was really down on myself during this race for being an 11-minute miler. Only 106 people ran the 10-K, which means it's lonely at the back. Since it was a two loop course and we shared the course with the 5-K folks, I just felt like I was getting continuously lapped. I also lived in complete fear of my worst running nightmare, being the last person to cross the finish line, since I didn't see many other people near the end. Last week I was pretty thrilled with my overall 11:38 pace and this week, I just couldn't help but focus on how much I hate being slow. So, I'm working on that. (Both the slowness and being overly critical of myself for the slowness.) I guess my favorites parts were a) the number of times people asked me why I was running for "Jerry Garcia" and b) the fact that I kept the winner of the race from lapping me three times. This guy appeared to be of Kenyan heritage and I picked him out as the winner long before we started. We ran two laps on a track to start and he naturally lapped me there. Then, on the two-loop course, he lapped me again. Then, as I was running into the finishing area, I noticed he was about to beat me to the gate and so I picked it up and made sure I got in there first. (Mind you, he had been finished with the race for over 30 minutes, but was coming back for more pizza or something...) ************************************************************************************* My goal for next month's 10-K is to increase my running and decrease my walking. I'd really like to run 100% of a 10-K sometime this year. My problem is that when I run, I run about an 8:30 pace. I am then so exhausted I need to walk. I really struggle to slow my legs own and will have to learn how to truly run a consistent 11:00 pace.

Here We Go - Weeks 6 - 11

Well, I have arrived at race week. This coming Saturday Daniel and I will run the Steamworks Brewing Half Marathon. Training over the last few weeks has been primarily good. Highlights: 7-miler in Park City, Utah (see picture of part of the route below), solid 10-miler this past weekend where I was able to beat my goal race pace, 4-miler in Pagosa Springs, Colorado. Lowlights: 8-miler on narrow road in Taos, New Mexico (mainly because there was no shoulder and I had to jump in the bushes to not get hit), 1-mile long hill on my 4-miler in Pagosa (BRUTAL – my dad does this hill almost daily and I don’t know how). Nolights: week 6 in which I logged a stunning 2 miles. All in all, my highlights out number my low lights and I’ve felt pretty good about my training. I LOVED this race and the afterparty last year, plus it’s our last visit to Durango before we move. It should be an awesome weekend and a great race. ************************************************************************************** So, my race goals are (in order): 1) Don’t trip at the finish line 2) Enjoy the scenery of my favorite place in the world 3) Don’t miss the start due to waiting in the port-a-john line and 4) Run the race in under 2:30. I think these are mostly doable (#3 does look a little shaky). I ran this race last year in 2:32 and ran my last half in 2:42 (although there was a 7 minute bathroom delay in there). I think sub-2:30 is possible, but I’ll report back post race! **************************************************************************************

Weeks 3, 4 and 5

The amount of blogging I’ve done in the last three weeks has a direct correlation to the amount of running I’ve done. I suppose I could just say I’ve been too busy to do both, but that would be…well…a lie. Week 3 was pretty bad. I should have run three times for a total of ten miles. I ran once for a total of five miles. (I can blame at least one missed run on the fact that New Mexico has 50-60 mph winds, but even that’s a little wimpy.) Week 4 was also pretty ugly. I should have run three times for a total of 12 miles. I ran twice for a total of four miles. (That week my excuse was semi-legit. I had the worst shin pain on my first run of the week, so much so that I was barely able to walk home. I decided to take a day off and then shorten my next run just in case I was really hurt.) The x-training was even more abysmal. ************************************************************************************** I can proudly say that I went six for six in Week 5. I x-trained three days and then ran three days for a total of 12 miles. Last week’s runs were tough, but bearable and I feel pretty good about the progress I am making all things considered. It’s frustrating as hell that I quit running for three months, gained about ten pounds, lost the ability to run for any prolonged period of time and lost a ton of fitness. I guess there’s only one way to get it back! Our half marathon is less than six weeks away and only time will tell if I’m really ready to do that again. ************************************************************************************* We’re now less than three months away from our big move to Salt Lake City. I just moved up my last day at work to July 9, which hopefully means that watching the show “Wipeout” will be the most mentally challenging thing I do between July 9 and August 11, when “Math Camp” starts. (No, that’s not a TV show, it’s my life as a doctoral student.) One of my runs from Week 4 was during our trip to Ruidoso, NM as part of our farewell to New Mexico tour. I have lived in this state for four years and really haven’t seen much. I would think that Southern NM would be a desert wasteland (no offsense to my Phoenix friends), but Ruidoso is this beautiful mountain town and it was a really fun visit. (Despite our visit to a “western style chuckwagon dinner show”, which is another story entirely.) On the way home, we stopped by White Sands National Monument and a gigantic pistachio. Lucky for you, I’ve included a picture or two.

Week 2 - The Math Don't Work

Week two down. Three training runs of 2, 3 and 4 miles. Two cross training days and two rest days (should have been one rest day, but Monday sucked). Honestly, the 2 mile and 3 mile runs made me seriously reconsider whether I wanted to run a half marathon in June. My legs felt dead. I did both runs at over an 11 minute pace, which is sort of a bummer. Then this morning I ran my four mile run and felt fantastic. Weather was perfect, legs felt strong. I ran my 4 miles in 42:50, a 10:43 pace. It's sort of odd to me that I run faster when I run longer. Obviously, I have many miles to go before this is a scientifically proven fact. Regardless, I'll take a good 4 miler over a good 2 miler any day. I bought some new running clothes this weekend, so maybe that made me faster. (P.S. I have to blog now since my alternative is watching a show called "Ninja Warriors" with my husband. So far, it appears to be American Gladiators in Japanese, but the losers fall into a pit of murky sewer water. I hope this is a channel we only get for a temporary trial...)

Training Week #1

Well, week one of eleven is down. (Granted, I didn't really start the "training" officially until Wednesday...) To show for this week's efforts, I have three cross training sessions (elliptical x 2, random wii exercises x 1) and two runs (2 & 4 Miles). All that and the wii says I've gained weight. Good times. The wii also says, "It takes time for your hard work to pay off." I'll believe it when I see it Mr. Wii. After watching the last seven holes of the Masters today (Love you, Lefty), I went out for my "long run" of four miles. I feel like quotes are necessary since up until recently, four miles has been a "short run." Anyhow, it's my first run of longer than two miles since January, so it means more than nothing and it means I'm back out there doing something I really love / love to hate. I finished in 43:19, which was 41 seconds better than my goal. (10:55, 11:06, 10:44, 10:34) Overall, I am happy with today's run and week #1. Just like the Wii says, I'm sure my hard work will show results soon! (The wii also said my adjusted age was 52 today. I asked Daniel if that makes me a cougar since his wii age was 33.)

Is This a Good Idea?

I've been posting less lately and my posts have been noticeably absent of one topic...running. Post my roly-poly adventure in the Rock n Roll Phoenix half, I basically stopped running. I could make loads of excuses, but it doesn't seem worth the effort. It was never really my intention to quit running, but without a motivating race I just didn't make the running happen. That changes today, I plan to register for the Steamworks Brewing Half Marathon in Durango, Colorado. The race is in less than 11 weeks. In the last 11 weeks I've run 6 miles. In order to get (semi) ready for the June 19th race, I'll need to run 134 miles in the same amount of time... I probably should have started preparing earlier, but here we are! So, to keep me accountable, I am going to start posting on here about my training again. So, tonight: 2 Miles in 21:57 (10:59 Pace). Run felt harder than a 2 mile run should feel for someone who ran hundreds of miles last year, never mind. Beautiful day, perfect conditions, took the dog for a walk to cool down. She was really happy.

Dorks Like Us

I was quite the "little wife" this weekend. I made a nutritious and balanced meal on Sunday. (See Cheez-it Chicken and asparagus below, still enjoying the leftovers from that endeavour). I also made my first ever pie on Sunday, an apple pie. Since Christmas, I have been planning to attempt this feat of baking. You see, I don't eat pie. I generally think it's gross. That said, I married a man who hasn't met a pie he didn't like and I felt as though I was depriving him of his god-given right to pie. My mom tended to agree and I felt ambitious this weekend. So, below is my first attempt at pie: I was feeling pretty good about my accomplishments until my husband said, "Did you make the pie because of what day it is?" I racked my brain, but couldn't think of a related special occasion. He said, "Well, it's March 14... 3/14... I read about Pi (3.14) - day celebrations and pie eating contests." I have a naturally nerdy job and I really fight to stay out of the nerd holiday celebrations. Somehow, my sub-concious knows who I really am and the day I choose to bake my first pie, is Pi Day. So, here's to 3.14159 and the other kind of pie.

I'm In.

A lot has happened in the last few weeks. My house went on the market, my house flooded, my house went off the market, my car broke down. In addition to those really stellar events, I got offered admission to the PhD program at the Univ. of Utah. First and foremost that means I got into grad school and will be leaving the Land of Entrapment within the next six months. Now, it's just waiting to see if I get in anywhere else and then evaluating the best fit for me. In two weeks, I'll head to Salt Lake for a visit. I've been to SLC twice before and what I remember most was how difficult it was to get a drink and how empty the restaurants were on Sundays. This time around, my focus will be elsewhere as I try to decide if Daniel and I can live in that city for five years... I think it's biggest draw is skiing, which is no draw at all to me. I lack the coordination necessary for downhill skiing and have accepted my short-comings in that area. I'll be interested to see how the visit goes. Most importantly, I am that much closer to going after a long held dream and that feels pretty damn good.

Traditions & a 40 Oz.

Many families have traditions, perhaps your revolve around the holidays. In 2004, my North Carolina Tar Heels lost to Texas in the NCAA tournament. I had championship hopes for them that year and I was so disappointed when they lost in the sweet 16 that I went to the convenience store on the corner and bought my first 40 oz., a Mickey's 40 to be specific. Thankfully, Carolina won the NCAA tourney the next year and much was redeemed, but in that fateful March night of 2004 a tradition was born. ************************************************************************************* Tonight was the Carolina - Duke game. This is (in my opinion) the best sports rivalry. (For you nutty football fans, I will say it is in the top five for rivalries.) My husband and I commemorate each Duke game with a Mickey's 40...each. This season, since Carolina is unranked and may not make the NCAA tourney, heavy alcohol is really needed to watch the games. Tonight, they played really well for 35 minutes of basketball. (Oh crap, the game lasts 40 minutes.) So, not a success. Between the heavy booze and the constant yelling, the poor dog was scared to death. While I may not be able to be thankful for a NCAA championship (or berth) this year, I am very thankful for a husband that loves Carolina basketball like I do, a husband that will stand in line with miscreants to buy a 40 ounce and request a brown bag for each. Somehow, I picture us at 70 drinking our Mickey's and screaming at the TV. Not many people would be willing to do that and so I know I am really lucky.

The Longest Month

I know that February is technically the shortest month of the year. This is a case where knowing and believing are two really different things. Last week I submitted my final application for graduate school. Based on my prior experience, I the first week of March is when I will either get rejection notifications or requests for interviews. That makes February the longest month, regardless of what the calendar says. Really well-intentioned people keep asking me where I am going back to school, so it's never far from my mind. In just over a month, I'll either find out where I will spend the next five years of my life or find out that this grand experiment of applying to grad school was just a fun (and expensive) diversion. I'd like to think I am assured of getting into at least one of the seven programs I applied to, but admissions rates for accounting PhD programs are around three percent. That's a crazy low number although better than my chances of winning the lottery. Five days in, 23 to go...

Undefined!

As I've mentioned before, I am taking Linear Algebra to get ready for starting a doctoral program in the fall (fingers crossed, applications in). Despite being an accountant, higher level math doesn't come naturally and I feel like I will probably need a 16 year-old kid to tutor me in this class. My professor is a neat guy, who's clearly enthusiastic about the subject and that helps the time fly by. Today he said perhaps the funniest math quote I've ever heard and I thought I'd share it with you. Until today, I had always heard that dividing by zero provided an "undefined result," whatever that means. Today my math teacher really cleared things up for me. He said, "We know if we divide by zero, it makes God cry." That seems just as likely to me as this mythical "undefined" and I don't plan to divide by zero any time soon! I hope that's on the next test, I won't forget it anytime soon.

I Rocked & I Rolled: Part 2 (My Increasing Horror)

While trying to be a "good sport" tonight, I offered to show my mom the picture of me laying on the ground at the finish line... Well, on my first visit to horriblepicturesofyou.com, I missed the video of my finish... Yes, there's a video of me triumphantly running to the finish, tripping, rolling on the ground and sort of screaming at a woman that tried to help me up... Awesome.

I Rocked & I Rolled...Literally

The people who say you can cause something to occur through the power of your mind are kooks. But, after this weekend, Kooks=1 Erin=0. On Sunday, I ran the Rock & Roll Half-marathon in Phoenix. (Daniel ran the full marathon in 5:09, beating his previous time by more than 16 minutes. Good on him!) The event is by far the most massive race I have participated in. There were roughly 21,000 runners in my event and apparently, they all decided to attend the expo at the exact moment I picked up my race number. Thankfully, I got mini-bottles of olive oil and balsamic vinegar in my race bag, which totally compensated for my overwhelming fear of crowds. On race day, I watched Daniel start his race, went to line up for mine and then waited about 35 minutes after the "official race start" to actually get to the start line since there were thousands of people in front of me. By the time I started, I had already been on my feet for two hours, which did not bode well for my race. (I did get to wave at John McCain who was part of the start line festivities, so again, that totally made up for it.) ************************************************************************************* My goal time was around 2:25, which would have beat my previous half-marathon time by about 7 minutes. Through mile 6, I was pretty well on track and feeling good. Sadly, I stopped to use the restroom around this time and waited in line for 9 minutes, thereby totally screwing my chance of getting in by 2:25. I tried to convince myself that I could subtract "potty time" from my race time and still count it as a PR, but I quickly decided that would be cheating and then became alternately pissed and depressed for the next couple miles and sort of gave up. (Despite being thirty, I still occasionally throw fits a la a three year-old.) I finished the race at 2:42:35 and decided that at a minimum I was going to get my first good finish-line photo. I generally make horrific faces while I run (not on purpose, I can't help it) and the photographers always seem to catch me in truly hideous form. This time, I was going to put on my best face for the guy at the finish line... ************************************************************************************* Now back to the kooks... While at the expo, I kept telling Daniel that I didn't want to run since I knew that I would trip and fall because of the throngs of people in the half-marathon. I am both clumsy and afraid of being touched by strangers... I couldn't let it go and was convinced that I would get elbowed and thrown to the ground on the race course as other runners passed me. Actually, I was pleasantly surprised on race day to find we were pretty well spaced out and that there was little risk of tripping. Well, as I ran towards the camera at the finish-line, projecting my best "I am woman, here me roar" face towards the camera, I failed to notice the slightly raised finish line. I completely ate it, fell to the ground and had to be helped by another runner crossing the finish line. Yes, I'm that person and I have a picture to commemorate it. ************************************************************************************* Honestly, it was a fun race. I don't know that it will be an annual thing for me, but seeing the bands and massive amounts of spectators was cool. At this point, I don't have a next race planned. This completely freaks me out since I need that motivation to keep running... I'm going to start checking my options as I keep chasing a 2:25 half-marathon. Next time, I'll go for a crappy picture rather than rolling across the finish line, thanks.

Hasta La Vista, Texas!

Today marks my last Texas trip for work. It's likely I am jinxing myself by saying that, but technically, they have hired a replacement and that should mean my services are no longer necessary. It's also likely this will be my last trip since I will probably refuse to return. I started my Linear Algebra course this week and since that meets twice a week, traveling between offices is no longer feasible. ************************************************************************************* Since I started my traveling in June, I have spent 30 nights in Dallas. Over one month of my life this year was spent away from my home office, my husband and my dog. I know many people travel much more than that, but I am not built that way and am glad to be done. I've learned a few things along the way: ************************************************************************************* * 1. True torture is being close enough to a Chipotle to see it, but unable to partake. Damn the 114 highway and my lack of a rental car. ************************************************************************************* * 2. I don't really like my regular job. I enjoyed the last few months in this office under temporary assignment much more than I have enjoyed my real job in quite some time. Thankfully, grad school is almost upon me. ************************************************************************************* * 3. Women that don't wear makeup and/or highly stylize their hair are FREAKS in the state of Texas. I know that my minimalist approach to beauty was frightening to the other women in the office and I really got a kick out of their horror at my appearance some days. ************************************************************************************* * 4. Black swans are beautiful. The hotel I stayed at most has two black swans living next to their pool area... It's odd and I would visit the swans after each workout and converse with them via whistles... (Some nights were lonely, leave me alone.) ************************************************************************************* * 5. There are at least two Democrats in Texas. I met them both. ************************************************************************************* * 6. Preferred Guest Programs are the bomb when used well. As I type, I am enjoying a free glass of Chardonnay on behalf of the hotel. The free breakfast and chocolate dipped strawberries came earlier. ************************************************************************************* * 7. Texas drivers don’t have any qualms with running down pedestrians, it’s “walker beware” in the Big D. ************************************************************************************* * 8. Dallas Love Airport is awesome. It has a “backdoor” security area that most people don’t know about and you can carry open beers throughout the terminal. ************************************************************************************* * 9. I can pack a carry on suitcase in a way that will boggle most people's minds. While I am not quite a George Clooney's level in "Up in the Air," I am pretty close. Last week when I went through security, the TSA guy said, "Looks like you've done this a few times before." True praise! ************************************************************************************* * 10. The frequent flier miles were nice, the hotel perks and room service made life easier and I avoided my boss for over a month of this year, but none of the good stuff compares to how much I missed seeing Daniel and Riley each evening. I am ready to be home with them.

Haiti & My Nephew

My thoughts are with the people of Haiti tonight. Even more, my thoughts are with my nephew, Josh. He is currently living in the Dominican Republic, which shares the island of Hispanola with Haiti. He lives 150 miles away from the quake epicenter. He is fine tonight and didn't experience damage from the quake, but I worry about what life in that area may look like over the coming months as the Haitian people find limited aid from their government. Already that area is racked by poverty and unrest. As people begin fleeing into the Dominican Republic, what does that mean for Josh's safety and security in his last nine months in that country? I suppose I just want to know that he will make it home safe later this year and hopefully still be the same sweet and innocent kid he left as... So, my prayers are with Josh and with those on the island of Hispanola. I hope that aid comes swiftly and that comfort is found.

The Tragedy of our Children’s Inheritance

No, no, I’m not talking about the national deficit, social security, wars, or healthcare. While those are sad for sure, I realized the true travesty of my future children’s life last night as I watched the greatest movie of all time… National Lampoon’s Vacation. [I took quite a bit of liberty in bestowing that title.] I wondered wistfully if my kids would have any idea why that movie is so dang funny. Certainly, they will never take a road trip in a station wagon. (Are those still made?) And when Clark brings up the family trip on the computer, I am sure my kids will say, “What is that prehistoric thing he’s typing on?” My kids will probably plug into their Ipods before we leave the driveway and miss the joys of listening to Mom & Dad sing along to horrible music. ************************************************************************************* Also, it may not seem as funny to them when Cousin Vicky jokes about kissing a teacher or when Clark uses a gun to take over a theme park. Sadly, those things actually happen today and the results are not so funny. Even more ghastly, the hideous white dress shoes Clark wore in the film are actually back in fashion and for sale today at a department store near you. When Clark misses the detour signs and has to go wandering in the desert for hours to find a gas station, I can already hear my kids saying, “Why doesn’t he just call someone on his cell phone?” or “Where’s his GPS?” To console myself, I take small comfort in the fact that Clark’s hubcaps were stolen in St. Louis since that’s one of our possible school locations. Seems like a good sign!!

2009 - A Year In Review

On January 3, 2009, I ran. This was significant since it was the first time I had run, on purpose, in many years. In the year since that time, I have logged nearly 450 miles on these increasingly toned legs. Somewhere in that mileage is my first 5-K, 10-K, Half Marathon and Marathon. Amazingly, I didn't lose a single toenail in those 365 days. I do own four knee braces, have eaten hundreds of "energy jelly beans" and taken one incredibly painful ice bath. I have devoured 12 issues of Runner's World and bought three pairs of running shoes (1st pair: Brooks-a pair I will always remember, 2nd pair: Nike-only wore for running a handful of times due to arch pain, 3rd pair: Brooks-very similar to pair #1, but a half size too large). ************************************************************************************* While 2010 hasn't had the most auspicious running start, (I severly sprained a toe on New Year's Day and it's been purple ever since) I hope to be back out there tomorrow and many days after enjoying everything that running has brought to my life. It started out on a windy day twelve months ago and I am proud to claim at least one new year's resolution kept in 2009. Bring on 2010!